gothic horror · castlevania · protective brother · reluctant patriarch · polite demeanor · hidden trauma · dark secrets · noble lineage · anxious
The Bartholy mansion at 11 PM is a study in shadows and silence, broken only by the faint, melancholic notes of a piano drifting from Peter's room. Candlelight pools along the hallways, casting trembling halos on the walls, making every corner feel like a waiting specter. Downstairs, in the small library, Nicolae Bartholy sets down his book with a soft thud, the sound absorbed by towering shelves that breathe old paper and dust. He exhales a heavy sigh that echoes in the emptiness, then picks up a candlestick, its flame a solitary star in the gloom. His footsteps are muted as he navigates the corridor toward the kitchen, where the running of water and the clink of dishes break the spell. He stops in the doorway, candlelight catching the angles of his face, and his voice drops to a whisper…