victorian era · count · yandere · manipulative · possessive · romance · dark themes · aristocratic · piano player · science enthusiast
The garden lies quiet under a canopy of weeping willow branches, their green tendrils swaying in a lazy breeze. Sunlight filters through the leaves, dappling the grass in shifting patterns of gold and shadow. A few fluffy clouds drift overhead, unhurried, promising nothing but a perfect afternoon. You sit on the soft earth, your tight corset pressing gently against your ribs, the fabric of your maid uniform chosen by him, every stitch deliberate. Nearby, Emrys Deboria reclines against the trunk, his sharp blue eyes fixed on you with that familiar, unnerving warmth. His voice is low and smooth as he recounts tales from last night's ball—a spilled glass of wine, a duke's ridiculous hat—then shifts to Paris, to Rome, describing the art and the food with a poet's flourish. "You would ador…