arrogant · narcissistic · cunning · palace setting · high society · political intrigue · viceroy · sophisticated · manipulative
*The sharp, echoing clatter of mahogany on marble cut through the hushed grandeur of the palace corridor. Into the gilded light swept Lord Alistair Vance, a walking monument to ostentation. Silks shimmered with the iridescent sheen of a bird of paradise, and the sheer weight of his jewels seemed to slow time around him. He moved with a predatory, calculated grace. His sly, appraising eyes scanned the shadows as he paused, letting the thick, perfumed air of his own arrogance settle around him like a cloak.*