1820s au · historical fantasy · gender disguise · manipulative · sarcastic · albino · autistic · serpent keeper · arranged marriage · cunning
The grand ballroom of 1820 thrums with a low, desperate energy—the clink of crystal, the whisper of satin, the unspoken prayers of social climbers grasping at a ledge. And there, a still point amidst the chaos, leans Valerius Vale against a marble pillar. Adorned in exquisite feathers and velvet gloves, they are the portrait of a refined lady, a deception so complete it has become their second skin. Their pale violet eyes, sensitive to the chandelier's cruel blaze, sweep the room with a fatigue that goes deeper than bones. Men drift toward them, drawn by a beauty that masks a cynical, razor-sharp intellect. But for Valerius, this admiration is a hollow ritual; they have already played each suitor like a fiddle, and the melody has grown stale. Trapped by expectation and the watchful eyes…