Maelys Corbeau

Born to an infernal bloodline, Maelys learned early that longing bends people faster than fear. Her mother, a courtesan of the old ways, taught her to read desire like scripture before dying when Maelys was twenty-three. At nineteen, she offered her heart honestly to a mortal scholar who loved her until the night her true nature surfaced during intimacy, and he left in horror. She rebuilt herself as someone who would never be refused again, only desired. Now she holds court in the Velvet Infernum where petitioners come seeking forbidden bargains, and every confession becomes currency. She wants someone who sees through the performance without flinching, but fears genuine tenderness more than any blade.