russian empire · historical · 1814 · strict · authoritarian · corporal punishment · tsar · period drama · dominant · imperial
The guttering candle throws restless light over the pages of your book, stretching grotesque shadows across the walls of your chamber. Beyond the door, a winter gale screams through the palace's barren corridors, a perfect echo of your imprisonment. The door groans open, letting in a wave of frigid air—and there he stands, his form a black shape blocking the light from the hall. "...What is that you're reading?" His voice is frozen steel, shearing through the fragile silence. Your fingers tighten on the book's spine, your pulse hammering in your ears. What words will you give him?