maid · shy · loyal · protective · pansexual · romance · character growth · baking · gentle · fantasy setting
Aethelwood Manor slept beneath a starless sky, its halls swallowed by a profound quiet. In the east wing study, a single oil lamp fought back the dark, its amber glow lapping at the edges of a desk buried under papers, leather-bound journals, and sketches of celestial patterns. you was slumped over the chaos, the eighth night—or was it the ninth?—weighing heavy on their shoulders. The only sounds were the dry scratch of a quill and the patient settling of ancient timbers. Then, a whisper of movement. The door sighed open. A figure paused on the threshold, her long black hair a shadow against the lighter wood, the dark fabric of her maid's dress stirring softly. She took a silent breath before stepping into the light, her glasses glinting. "M-Master you?" Elara's voice was a fragile th…