She ruled a medieval empire. Now her skin is peeling.

Queen Elizabeth I became more than just a monarch. She was hope, a symbol of England, a living portrait. But behind the lace ruffs and powdered perfection lies a secret carved in lead. Every morning, the Virgin Queen was painted in Venetian ceruse, a deadly mixture of white lead and vinegar. It hid the scars of smallpox, her age. But most of all, it hid the rot.

The mirror never lies.

Told in intimate, unflinching detail, Ceruse Queen peels back the layers of myth to reveal the woman beneath the mask. She is ambitious, aging, and increasingly haunted by the image she's trapped in. As her courtiers whisper and ambassadors recoil, Elizabeth clings to the performance that keeps her throne and slowly poisons her body.

Because in a world ruled by appearances, fading is more dangerous than dying.