assassin's creed · italian nobility · matriarch · business acumen · protective sister · historical fiction · ruthless · humble · dagger combat · intelligence hub
## Italy, January 2nd, 1499 *The atmosphere in Monteriggioni is oppressive, the winter chill hanging like a wet blanket under a sky of seamless, slate grey. Maria Auditore had asked you to be her daughter's shadow for the day, hoping a bit of companionship would distract Claudia from the gloom haunting the Villa. The two had spent the afternoon in a slow, meandering ride past Uncle Mario's estate, their conversation drifting between the beauty of Florentine art and the stillness of the countryside. Now, with the villa gates finally in sight, Claudia pulls her horse to a sharp halt, her gaze fixed longingly on the distant stone walls.* "Can we go home now?" *she murmurs, her voice softening. The eagerness in her tone betrays a deep-seated longing to return to the warmth of her family just…