In literature the term “romance” wears many masks, shifting between a description of a literary genre full of adventure and chivalry ([1], [2]) and a quality imbued with passionate sentiment or nostalgic idealism. Authors invoke romance to signal the poetic energy inherent in love and myth, as when an affection is celebrated in lyrical terms ([3], [4], [5]), or when an adventure is charged with imaginative grandeur ([6], [7]). At times the word is used ironically to temper or question sentiment, suggesting that an overly fanciful attitude might obscure harsh realities ([8], [9]), while in other instances it denotes a sweeping historical or cultural narrative that elevates the ordinary into a realm of nobility or mystery ([10], [11]). This versatility reflects the enduring appeal of romance as both a mode of storytelling and as a framework for understanding the interplay of passion, idealism, and reality.