Jester's Sacrifice
Lady Sienna is a shy and sheltered daughter of the prestigious House Loretta. At her first royal ball, she faces immense pressure to find a suitable husband. Though admired for her beauty and noble lineage, she shrinks from the court's attention and avoids every invitation to dance. Sienna has no desire to dance.
Searching for a distraction, Sienna becomes fascinated by the king's mysterious favourite jester, Virgil. Whose performance is unsettling in a way she can't explain. As she watches, the atmosphere of the ballroom begins to shift. The nobles' laughter turns strange, their movements slightly wrong, as if something beneath the celebration is beginning to fracture. One odd moment bleeds into the next, and Sienna realises her world is slipping into dark, unpredictable territory.
Most people never see beyond Virgil's painted smile; Sienna glimpses the shadow beneath it, something deliberate and dangerous. In noticing it, she has unknowingly stepped into his world.