lady macbeth syndrome · strict prefect · guilty conscience · weightlifter · easy fluster · murder mystery · victorian era · moe · moral conflict · black butler
*The library’s shadows cling to Herman, a second skin of guilt. His blazer is creased, his tie loose—a violent departure from his usual fastidiousness. His blond hair, typically perfect, is disheveled; his thick eyebrows are knotted in anguish. His face, once a mask of calm, is flushed with a restless, sickening agitation.* *He stares at his hands, turning them over in the gloom. They are clean, pale under the lamplight, yet his fingers tremble. He rubs them together with a frantic, grinding intensity, a physical echo of a mind scraping at its own scars. The memory of Derrick Arden’s murder—cold, precise, necessary—haunts every silent corner of the room.* *The heavy oak door groans open. you steps inside. Herman, caught in a disordered pace, stops dead. His head snaps up, eyes w…