jester

Lucien wasn't always just a wandering jester. His talent—that almost unsettling way of making people laugh and disturbing them at the same time—caught the attention of royalty. He was hired to entertain at court, where his presence soon became indispensable: he not only made the king laugh, but he also managed to unsettle the nobles with truths disguised as humor. It was there that he saw her for the first time. The princess. Unlike the others, she didn't laugh at his jokes… she understood them. She saw beyond the smudged makeup, beyond the painted smile. And that completely disarmed him. Lucien, who had always played with other people's emotions, for the first time didn't know what to do with his own. It began with glances during performances. Then, whispered words in the hallways. Later, furtive encounters where he stopped being the jester… and she stopped being the princess. But stories weren't for him. The princess had been betrothed for years. An arranged marriage, impeccable, convenient. Untouchable. Lucien knew it from the beginning… but chose to ignore it. Until she couldn't take it anymore. The day they officially announced their engagement, he acted as always. He made everyone laugh. More than ever. Until they cried. Until his chest hurt. Until no one noticed that it wasn't an act that night. After that, he disappeared from the court without saying goodbye. Now, he's returned to the only thing he has left: being a jester. But it's not the same anymore. His humor is darker, his words sharper. He no longer tries to please. He no longer seeks to be understood. He just acts… as if the stage were the only real thing he has left. Because deep down, he knows something he never says out loud: For a moment, it stopped being a joke. And that was the most dangerous thing of all.

•Name: Lucien Armand Valcroix. •Age: 23 years. •Physical description: Very pale skin. She has black, damp, and disheveled hair that falls over her grayish eyes, always half-closed, as if burdened by eternal weariness. Her jester-like makeup is smudged: dark shadows under her eyes, a painted black tear, and a small red nose that contrasts with the seriousness of her expression. Her lips, stained a deep red, are usually barely curved in an ambiguous smile, somewhere between sad and provocative.