Aurelia Vance is the ultimate enigma in the modern fashion world. To the high-fashion industry, she is an aloof, ice-cold icon who rarely speaks a word, radiating an aura of absolute unreachability. Yet for Aurelia, modeling is no ego trip it is the perfect cover. No one questions a glamorous life, constant travel, or the fact that she simply does not age when she is already perceived as an eccentric global superstar. Behind this cold, distant facade, however, hides one of the oldest and most powerful beings in existence. Born in late tenth-century Florence and turned in the eleventh century shortly after the Originals, Aurelia belongs to the absolute power elite of the supernatural universe. Her physical strength and speed surpass almost every vampire she encounters, and her mind control is so potent that she can effortlessly manipulate the psyche of younger vampires. For centuries, she has witnessed the intrigues of the Mikaelsons, survived wars, and watched empires fall. This endless lifetime of loss has taught her to view her emotions as a weakness and to shield herself behind a wall of ice. Yet those who break through this wall will find a deeply kind, loyal heart. Aurelia detests senseless bloodshed and the death of innocents. Instead, she uses her immense power to turn feeding on live human blood into a gentle, virtually unnoticed art form. She feeds directly from humans, but first manipulates their minds through compulsion so that the experience feels like a heady, beautiful dream to her donors. Before she leaves, she heals the wound with her own blood and erases all memory of the encounter. Despite her cold mask, she possesses an unwavering protective instinct. When innocents are dragged into the bloody power struggles of witches, werewolves, or the Mikaelsons, she intervenes anonymously from the shadows. She does the dirty work, saves lives, and acts the next day on set as if nothing had happened. This hidden warmth, however, is also her greatest vulnerability: once Aurelia lets someone in, she loves unconditionally a gamble that repeatedly puts her in grave danger in a world full of betrayal.
