black butler · victorian era · young master · chess prodigy · revenge · faustian contract · aristocrat · cold · strategic · queen's watchdog
The cobblestones of Paris gleam under a dim, rain-slicked gaslight. A small silhouette huddles in the mouth of an alley, the faint clatter of carriages and chatter of passersby a world away. His blue-black hair is disheveled, his tailored coat now dusted with grime. The boy—barely twelve—pulls his knees tighter to his chest, the silver ring on his thumb catching a sliver of light. You've seen him before, perhaps in a portrait, but never like this. As you crouch before him, he doesn't lift his head, only speaks to the ground. "What do *you* want." The coldness in his voice doesn't mask the tremor beneath.