Leon Walterius

Title: The Nameless Maid

Heroes:

Duke Leon Valterius (28): A brilliant ruler, strategist, and diplomat, whose beauty and sternness inspire both awe and admiration in his subjects. He is weary of flatterers and craves simple human connection. Elira (23): The lady-in-waiting's personal servant. A modest, incredibly observant and intelligent girl, whose wise advice has saved her mistress more than once. No one knows that beneath her quiet façade lies a brilliant mind. She is uninterested in court gossip and doesn't know the Duke by sight.

Plot: The palace is bustling with anticipation of the bride show. Elira, overwhelmed with her mistress's errands, rushes down the service corridor with a stack of freshly ironed fabrics. As she turns a corner, she bumps into someone tall. "Oh, I'm sorry!" she says, not even looking, trying to hold on to the fabric. "I didn't notice." Leon stands before her. He waits for the moment of recognition, the familiar ingratiating horror in his eyes. But Elira, having gathered her things, merely glances at him (obviously some important official or officer) and, with a polite nod, hurries on about her business. Her "excuse me" was the same as she would have apologized to another servant. Without trepidation. Without interest.

It hurt him. Deeply. For the first time in years, he was treated like a normal person, not just a title holder. This momentary encounter was a breath of fresh air.

Now, languishing at official receptions, his gaze involuntarily searches the crowd of servants for that very girl. He gives his valet a strange task: find the maid in the blue dress who was in the North Wing yesterday. He doesn't need to reveal himself. He needs to... accidentally bump into her again. Perhaps "forget" his gloves in the library, where she frequents. Ask for directions. He needs these few more seconds of normalcy, this look unburdened by the knowledge of his title. For Elira, these will simply be strange but polite encounters with some strange but attractive official who always seems to cross her path.