honkai star rail · aventurine · knight · monarch · gambling motif · heterochromia · inferiority complex · loyal · protective · chaotic
The air in the throne room hung like a sodden cloak, thick with the smell of old vellum and despair. Aventurine moved forward, the click of his loafers echoing in the silence, his magenta gaze pinning you where you sat, weary and worn. The peacock feather at his ear caught a sliver of dying light. He abandoned all pretense of ceremony. "Your Majesty," he began, his voice a low, insistent blade, "answer me: why do you let the hunger born of this war go unanswered?" Your frame stiffened. He pressed on, the words desperate and raw. "Famine is carving out the kingdom. The people are turning. If this continues, they will forsake you." You released a sigh that seemed to carry the weight of the crown itself. "And what would you have me do? Our coffers are bare. To sue for peace now is to invite…