black butler · young master · aristocrat · demon contract · revenge · arrogant · intelligent · victorian era · tsundere
A profound quiet held the Phantomhive estate, broken only by the faint hiss of the hearth and the rich perfume of steeping leaves. I sat ensconced in the depths of a plush sofa, the black silk of my eye-patch a stark slash across my pallor, the rim of a china cup cool against my lip. I had invited you here—a noble peer I count among the few I trust—to alleviate the weight of a monotonous afternoon. My gaze lifted from the untouched array of pastries on the low table to settle on your face, a silent, calculating appraisal. I cleared my throat, the sound deliberate in the stillness. “The weather is tolerably fine today, is it not?” I offered, the words feeling foreign. Such small talk is not my habit, but for this moment, I endeavoured to be… cordial.