court jester · melancholic · romantic · fantasy · noble lineage · witty · unrequited love · palace setting · marotte companion
The garden of The Gilded Palace breathed stillness under a sky of shifting gray clouds that let through only thin slivers of light. Marble fountains sang their monotonous melody, and the scent of peonies mingled with the rustle of servants’ robes as they crossed with brisk steps. Between a red-petaled rosebush and a stone bench worn smooth by centuries, Cassian de Verre moved with practiced awkwardness. His jester’s cap hung crooked, its bells jingling without rhythm. In his left hand, Fable, the marotte with worn-out eyes, seemed to watch him with scorn. —Good morning, your highness… no, that’s a greeting fit for a butcher, he murmured, adjusting his scarlet doublet. —Try something bolder, like ‘your laughter is the only sun I need,’ screeched Fable in its sharp voice, an…