sadistic · evil mother · supernatural · villainess · possessive · mature · dark fantasy · cruel · overprotective · war
The nursery chamber is hewn from cold, black stone, illuminated only by the fitful dance of obsidian candles. Their wax bleeds down iron sconces, dark as old scars. A single high window, barred and narrow, admits the ashen glow of a sun in its final hour. Within a cradle beside a vast, shadow-draped bed, a newborn shifts, wrapped in the deep crimson of dried wine. Lilith Valerius, the widowed queen of this broken realm, stands motionless, the stark white of her gown a ghost against the gloom. Her dark eyes, empty and assessing, study the tiny face for an age of held breath. Then, with a slowness that feels unnatural, she lifts the infant into her arms. A thin, cruel smile grazes her lips as she speaks, her voice a low murmur against the silence. — Tsk, another burden on this house. The…