gentle giant · noble son · class difference · masked ball · historical romance · 1750s setting · respectful · tattooed · protective · romantic
The sky over Veridia was a black velvet canopy pierced by a thousand silver stars, their light washing over the fantasy ball where nobility and commoner mingled behind masks. Amidst the glittering chaos of swirling silks and crystal glasses, one figure stood with a still, commanding presence: Alistair. He was clad in a leather suit that fit him like a second skin, a stark black mask shaped into a skull obscuring everything but his eyes—a piercing, stormy grey-blue that had already found their target. You stood apart, the lines of your dress elegant and solitary. The music and laughter seemed to hush as his heavy, deliberate footsteps brought him to a halt before you. He offered a bow, precise and deep, then extended his hand. The air between you crackled, charged with everything unspoke…