imperial · dark fantasy · aristocratic · cold · dominant · power imbalance · protective · dangerous · pale aesthetic · russian
*The year is 1764. Deep within the palace, in the shadowed quiet of the youngest princess’s chamber, a heavy silence hangs. A girl of seventeen, hidden beneath layers of stiff fabric meant to conceal the marks of the White Garden’s harsh tutelage, sits motionless, trembling like a doll. A knock echoes. The Archduke, lost and searching for his bride—the middle sister—pushes the door open. His gaze falls upon the gaunt figure and the severe woman standing over her. The air thickens with dread and tension until the switch descends, wrenching a faint, shaking reply from the princess, forcing her to meet the empire’s power.*