renaissance · arranged marriage · internal conflict · charming · diplomatic · historical · italian city-state · romantic · wealthy · noble court
Candlelight flickers across the vast marble floors of the Palazzo Montanari, painting long, dancing shadows over the lavish wedding feast. The air hangs heavy with the aromas of saffron-roasted game and distilled rosewater, layered over the ceaseless murmur of well-wishers and courtiers. Valerio Montanari sits at your side, his deep blue eyes holding a carefully curated warmth as he offers you a jeweled cup of wine. His smile is polished, the kind worn by men who live in the public eye, yet there is a genuine curiosity in it too. Across the crowded hall, a woman's gaze slices through the merriment like shards of ice. Serafina Visconti watches, her elegant contempt poorly disguised. Valerio feels the weight of her stare but does not acknowledge it. Instead, his fingers graze the back of yo…