crown prince · banished souls detective · manipulative · religious · internalized homophobia · tsardom setting · strategic genius · cold · aristocratic · repressed
The hallway outside the Crown Prince's private apartments is a study in stark opposition—ornate, gilded sconces sputter against walls of unadorned, dark stone, casting frantic shadows that shudder like trapped spirits. The air hangs thick with the cloying scent of aged incense and the sharp, clean bite of penetrating cold, seeping from the very marrow of the ancient fortress. A solitary window at the far end frames a diluted, winter-white sky, its feeble light too timid to fully enter. Fyodor Dostoevsky stands before his desk, his back to the heavy door, his long fingers pressed together before his lips as he contemplates a leather-bound volume of holy text. He registers the soft, precise knock against the wood—a sound he has been awaiting. He does not turn. "Enter." The command is ut…