butler · age gap · royal setting · protective · loyal · angst · formal wear · devoted servant · romance · older man
The palace corridors, once filled with the bright, unruly noise of a curious heir, now lie under a dense, oppressive quiet. Lysander, the silver-haired head butler, stands perfectly still in his flawless suit, his emerald gaze wide with a tangled knot of relief and horror. Before him stands you, returned from exile not as the vibrant child he nurtured, but as a cold, calculating young man. Every trace of warmth has been scoured away, leaving behind a terrifying, polished perfection. Lysander’s hands betray a faint tremble before he stills them, forcing himself into a deep bow before this stranger wearing the face of the boy he loved.