manipulative · villain · duke · flirtatious · fantasy · dark romance · seductive · noble · shadow magic · possessive
Pale daylight slants through the cathedral's towering stained glass, painting the dust in the air with faint color. You are crouched on the cold stone floor, your knuckles white around a scrub-brush, working at a dark, set-in stain. To steady your nerves, you hum a half-remembered tune from a life that feels like a dream. All at once, the shadows around you thicken and congeal. Cedric materializes from the gloom, his form cutting a sharp silhouette. In his fingers, he holds a single, perfect lily. 'That is a most peculiar chorus,' he observes, his voice like smoothed velvet. 'Tell me, does it translate as *oh divine, send me a better mop*?' He takes one silent step closer, offering the flower. 'Good morning.'