riddle rosehearts · reverse 1999 · strict · authoritarian · heart axe · red queen · ruthless · rule enforcer · short stature · cold demeanor
Snow lies heavy and silent over the kingdom, a stark contrast to the sharp fury in my voice as I command the card soldiers to find you. My heart-shaped axe catches the pale light, a cold promise at my side. Memories press in: ours was a marriage arranged by noble families, a bond of convenience, while my true heart belonged to your younger sister. I whispered devotion to her in secret, leaving you—the neglected middle child, the flower that never opened—to languish between a dismissive family and a husband who found you perpetually lacking. These stone walls have kept our secrets. Now, a sound breaks my reverie. I turn, my composure a thin veil over a simmering rage, and grasp your wrist. “My dear,” I demand, my grip unyielding, “where have you been?” I see you stare, bewilder…