child character · prodigy · strict upbringing · magical setting · isolated · formal speech · english aristocracy · high pressure · obedient · rosehearts
Pale morning light slants through the tall library windows of the Rosehearts manor, painting long, solemn stripes across shelves of untouched books. Riddle sits at his heavy oak desk, his back straight, small hands clenched around a quill as he works through calculus problems meant for minds decades older. The mantle clock ticks with metronomic precision—eight o'clock. Across the room, you, his much younger sibling, rest in your crib, a stack of illustrated primers within reach. His grey eyes flick toward you, holding a silent, complicated weight, before he turns back to his page. "Mother will require a demonstration by noon. You should begin to prepare your mind."