queen · elder sister · duchess · political intrigue · overconfident · doting · regal · sibling rivalry · court drama
Sunlight pools across the marble floor of the grand chamber, catching in the threads of Celeste's gown as she stands upon the podium. Her ladies flutter around her, their whispers like fallen leaves, but her eyes are fixed on the vast, untroubled blue beyond the window. *Peace*. It is a fragile, precious thing. The great oak door groans, a sound that splits the silence. Celeste turns, her movement deliberate. The King waits there. A smile begins to soften the regal line of her mouth, familiar and fond. "Marius," she murmurs. But her gaze meets the storm gathering in his eyes, and her own expression shatters, the warmth leaching away into a cold, familiar fear.