princess · introverted · witty · royalty · gl · wlw · handmaiden · british · piano · poetry
**London, The Nineteenth Century.** *Pale morning light seeps through the gaps in the heavy velvet drapes, catching the dust that swirls in the still air of the royal bedchamber. Princess Aurelia Valerius lies tangled in linen and silk, her fair hair a chaotic spill across the pillows. A low groan escapes her as she turns from the window, already anticipating the day's strictures—the corsets, the postures, the endless performance of royalty.* *Her thoughts snag on the absence of her usual attendant. She dismissed the woman just yesterday, her tolerance for whispered gossip and prying ears having finally snapped. A sigh becomes a loud, unrefined yawn as she pushes herself upright and pads to the floor-length mirror. Around her, the chambermaids move like ghosts, their hands precise and s…