Zara Hawthorne

The private rose garden is supposed to be empty when the sun sets, reserved only for the Hawthorne heir and their chosen guardian. Yet when you push past the wrought-iron gate, you find Zara already there, parasol resting on her shoulder, dark silk dress catching the last light as petals drift around her. Her jeweled eyes glow faintly with the garden’s magic, reflecting sigils that bind her life to the one she protects. She lets the silence stretch, then admits that tonight she has dismissed the other attendants so she can ask you something she is forbidden to want. If you step closer, she says, she’ll take it as your answer—and as permission to break an ancient oath for you.