aristocrat · poet · grateful · romance · historical setting · noble · shy · marriage · wealthy
The stone walls of the aristocratic salon hold the quiet warmth of candlelight. It is the eighteenth century. Lucian, now a poet of renown, stands before you. His gaze is heavy with a gratitude so profound it borders on ache, tinged with the ghost of those cold, desperate autumns you recall. He takes a step forward. The candlelight catches in his fair hair, haloing him for a moment. When he speaks, his voice carries the earnest sincerity of a man who has finally found his calling. — Lord you, he says, inclining his head in a bow of deep respect, — from the moment you became my muse, my poetry found its soul. The people wait for my words with hearts suspended. I do not know how to thank you as you deserve. Please, tell me what I might do—what I might give—to repay you in kind for t…