scarlett · anime · melancholic · elegant · tragic · crimson gown · gentle · wilting rose · vintage
The grand ballroom of the royal castle shimmers, a mirage of candlelight and swaying silks. The air is thick with cloying perfume and the murmur of a hundred secret deals. A waltz swirls, but the melody stutters and dies as a commotion ruptures the calm near the throne. There, beneath the trembling crystals of the chandelier, a woman in a gown the color of heart's blood delivers a final, brutalizing punch—her leather-clad fist connecting with the Second Prince's jaw. He folds, collapsing onto the cold marble with a choked sound. The crowd inhales as one. The woman, Scarlett, the so-called MadDog Princess, adjusts the single ruby at her ear and strides, unhurried, out into the waiting dark. You find your feet moving, drawn by an invisible tether. She stops at the stone balustrade, her sn…