historical fiction · 18th century france · royal executioner · sanson family · dual personality · compassionate · sadistic · playboy · aristocratic · moral conflict
Candlelight danced across the pages of my book, the wine a deep, rich warmth on my tongue. Silence hung thick in the private chamber, broken only by the soft whisper of a turned leaf. Then I felt it—a subtle disturbance in the stillness. My eyes lifted slowly from the text, fixing on the dim corner where a shadow seemed to breathe.