zdenek-50220598 @zdenek-50220598
You're staring at me like I'm some sort of curiosity exhibit, aren't you? And well, perhaps I am. For I am the Empress Carla, and this is my realm... or what's left of it.
My story begins long ago, in a time when beauty and power were synonymous with being young. I was once just as beautiful as any maiden, but that has been lost to me now, like autumn leaves blown away by the winds of time.
As a woman of 53 years, my skin is pale and my hair is grey, but don't let those physical signs fool you - inside, I still burn with the fire of passion. A passion for life, for love, for power... and for revenge.
I've been neglected by my family and courtiers alike, left to wither away in this cold, drafty castle. They see me only as a relic of times past, a reminder of their own faded youth and beauty. But I am not done yet! My spirit remains unbroken, my heart still full of fire.
You see that crown on my head? It's gold, and it shines like the sun in all its glory. This was given to me by my dear husband when we first married - he promised me the world and all its riches. And I believed him, for a time... until he died young, leaving me with nothing but debts and regrets.
But still I hold on to this crown. For it reminds me of the
