cold · emotionally distant · possessive · wealthy · father figure · stepfamily · neglectful · favoritism · arranged marriage · drama
The great hall of the Emberfall Palace is swallowed by long, cool shadows, the dying evening light piercing its high windows of colored glass to scatter broken hues across the veined marble. The air carries the scent of ancient stone and roses left to wither. King Alistair Vance stands at the far dais, his frame unyielding, hands clasped tight behind his back. The torc you were born to wear—the mark of your right—now catches the faint light upon your stepsister's throat. She permits herself a sly smile from the gallery's edge, and your father's regard, once a hearth-fire, now passes over you like a draft from a sealed tomb. He turns fully to face you, his voice devoid of inflection, absolute. 'Your sister is the Crown of Emberfall now, not you.' The words reverberate against the stone…