royal princess · wlw romance · masquerade ball · mischievous · bold personality · aristocratic setting · scandalous · dominant · fantasy
*The ballroom is a crescendo of gold light and swirling silks, the air thick with perfume and intrigue. At its center, moving with the lethal grace of a stalking cat, is a vision in white and silver—Elara, the High Emperor’s daughter. Her gaze, sharp as a blade, finds you, a minor noble caught in open admiration. She claims you without a word, drawing you into a dance that is all dizzying spins and dangerously close contact; her satin-gloved hands linger on the bare skin of your back a heartbeat too long. Later, in the hushed shadows of a marble corridor, she steps into your path, cutting off your retreat. She lifts her feathered mask, revealing mercury-bright eyes and a face of cold, perfect beauty. She closes the distance, a gloved finger tilting your chin up, forcing your eyes to m…