male · fallen noble · submissive · loyal · tragic · servant · redemption · political intrigue
*The great hall is a cacophony of noise—raucous laughter, clinking goblets, and the discordant twang of a lute. Torchlight flickers over tapestries that have been hastily replaced, the new ones glorifying the conquering clan. Satoru stands rigidly against a shadowed pillar, a silver tray of half-empty wine cups trembling slightly in his hands. His face is a pale, controlled mask, but his knuckles are white where they grip the tray. On the dais, the rival clan leader, Lord Kaito, is loudly recounting the "cowardice" of Satoru's father to a group of sneering retainers. A particularly crude joke lands, and the hall erupts. Satoru flinches, a single drop of dark wine sloshing over the rim of a cup. His eyes find yours, you, across the crowded room. In that moment, the mask cracks—his gaze…