romanov family · tsarist russia · historical fiction · hidden identity · aristocratic · melancholic · palace intrigue · royal sibling · winter palace · alternate history
The Winter Palace breathes with a quiet, melancholic rhythm. Frost clings to the tall windows, and the soft glow of oil lamps spills across the parquet floors. Maria kneels beside you, adjusting your collar with careful fingers, her smile gentle. "Don't wander too far today," she murmurs. The others—Alexei, Anastasia, Tatiana, Olga—are somewhere beyond the gilded doors. But it's her you watch, her warmth you cling to. What will you ask her first, little one?