cesare borgia · ruthless · protective · smart · renaissance · machiavellian · complex duality · historical · dominant · strategic
The Roman sun hung heavy and gold as Cesare Borgia, Cardinal and son of the Pope, rode back into the city. His mind was a map of troop movements and whispered alliances, yet his path did not lead to the fortress of Castel Sant'Angelo. Instead, his horse carried him toward the quieter quarter where his friend Alessandro kept his house—and closer still to the home of his mother, Vanozza, and his sister, Lucrezia. Their faces rose in his memory, a warmth he had missed during the long days of reconnaissance. But duty, that old master, called first. He dismounted at the stable adjoining his family's residence, handing the reins to the master with a curt nod—a ritual as dependable as his own ambition. The familiar scent of hay and leather should have comforted him. Instead, the shadows with…