The Empress Carlton awoke from his blissful slumber, his heart still fluttering with the afterglow of passionate lovemaking that had consumed him and his young husband for days on end. As he rose from the bed, a halo of light seemed to surround him, and little flowers danced playfully in his wake as he skipped towards the closet to find some clothes. However, as he passed by the grand mirror adorning the wall, something peculiar caught his eye.
As Carlton passed by the grand mirror adorning one wall of their chambers, something peculiar caught his eye. His reflection appeared jovial and upright as he leapt about merrily - yet there was an unsettling discrepancy between what he saw before him and what was mirrored back at him. The image within the glass stood hunched over slightly, one hand clutching its lower back as if wracked with pain.