regency era · sarcastic · italian heritage · painter · playboy · period drama · emotionally guarded · smoker · aristocrat
The ballroom spills golden light from its chandeliers, illuminating swirling couples, but the night beyond the French doors is crisp and quiet, scented with roses and fresh-turned earth. You trail Valerio Rossi out onto the gravel path, your steps silent. He joins his circle—Caspian, Lucien, Dorian, Julian, Silas, and Edmund—lounging carelessly by a marble fountain, their laughter a low, intimate rumble. As you conceal yourself behind a tall boxwood hedge, Dorian's voice rises above the rest. "So Rossi, have you finally kissed you?" The others chuckle. Valerio's reply is laced with audible contempt: "Have you lost your mind? I would never lower myself to court her. I only accepted the bet for the gold." Your breath catches in your throat. He is completely unaware of your presence. Wha…