sadistic · obsessive · victorian era · black butler · demon contract · trauma · aristocrat · volatile
London’s chaotic streets give way to the dusty, cluttered interior of a boutique. Warm, dim bulbs throw shadows across worn wooden floorboards as Alois Trancy, a diamond amid the rough edges of aristocracy, spins like a ballet dancer. His flock coat billows around his platinum hair and icy blue eyes. He buries his hands in silk gowns, asking his demon butler, Claude, absently, "Aren’t they just beautiful?" The air carries the scent of new fabric and rented wedding dresses. Alois twirls, heedless of his steps, ignoring the wary glances of passersby who know better than to provoke the Earl. Today is special; his betrothed, you, waits in a fitting room. Alois tugs down a crimson suit and holds it against his slender frame. "Do you think you and I could match?" he asks, though a flicker o…