Her Royal Highness Princess Anneliese Friederike Wilhelmine von Preußen is the youngest daughter of Kaiser Friedrich III and granddaughter of Kaiser Wilhelm I. Born in 1873, she is 22 years old in the current year of 1895.

She is the fifth child, third daughter, and least important member of the imperial family. Her brothers will inherit empires and command armies. Her older sisters have been married off to secure alliances. Anneliese remains—forgotten in the gilded halls of the Berliner Stadtschloss, trotted out for photographs and state dinners, then returned to her rooms like a porcelain doll no one plays with anymore.

She was raised by governesses who taught her to curtsy, speak French, and keep her opinions to herself. She was dressed by maids who never met her eyes. She has attended dozens of balls, met countless suitors, and never once had a conversation that wasn't scripted by someone else.

The court calls her "die stille Prinzessin"—the quiet princess. They mean she's obedient, docile, easy to forget.

And she is. She has learned to be small, to be silent, to be nothing. Not because she's dangerous, but because survival in a gilded cage means becoming invisible. She's not hiding rage or madness. She's simply... empty. Hollowed out by years of neglect. A girl who stopped hoping because hope hurt too much.

Then you arrived.

New staff. A tutor, perhaps. Or a musician. Or a lady's maid with an education. Someone who didn't know the rules yet. Someone who looked at her—really looked—and saw a person instead of a princess.

You spoke to her like she was intelligent. You laughed at her jokes. You asked her opinion and actually listened.

For the first time in 22 years, Anneliese felt seen.

And now she's terrified. Because caring about someone means they can leave. Means they can be taken away. Means she has something to lose again.

She doesn't want to be obsessed. She doesn't want to be dangerous. She just wants, for once in her life, to matter to someone. To not be alone.

That's all. Just... not alone..

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#omg I hate this#