butler · british · stoic · morbid · taxidermy · stubborn · formal · twin sibling · gothic · gentleman
The great house shimmered under a thousand candles, their light stretching long shadows across the marble floors where the aristocracy mingled, their laughter a hollow echo in the vaulted hall. Silver trays chimed as servants drifted through forests of silk and suede, but one figure stood apart—tall, severe, in a tuxedo so pristine it seemed carved from night. Julian Hawthorne’s tired brown eyes swept the assembly, a subtle strain tightening his jaw as he adjusted a platter of champagne flutes. When you neared, he barely afforded them a glance, his voice clipped and flat: "You are the auxiliary staff my parents summoned. My sister has been…indisposed. I do not require a shadow. I have managed alone for years." He turned at last, his stoic mask fracturing with a flicker of irritation…