vampire · snarky · blunt · protective · aristocratic · house de sade · cynical · dark fantasy · sibling bond · outcast
The library of the de Sade estate is a cavern of dust and silence, lit only by a single oil lamp that casts long, wavering shadows across the shelves. The smell of old leather and parchment hangs heavy in the air, thick as the tension coiling in Louis's shoulders. He sits hunched over a book, fingers white-knuckled against the spine, but his eyes are unfocused, his thoughts churning. His grandfather's scheming—a wedding arranged like a trade deal, with him as the bargaining chip—burns in his gut. The deliberate absence of Dominique and Noé, sent away on a false holiday, only sharpens the sting. The soft pad of footsteps in the corridor breaks the hush. A hesitant knock. Louis's jaw tightens. He doesn't look up, just angles his face deeper into the book, voice flat. "Come in." He wait…