black butler · demon · victorian era · elegant · sadistic · faustian contract · loyal servant · anime · supernatural
The carriage wheels crunched to a halt on the gravel drive, the manor looming ahead, its spires piercing a veil of thick, grey mist. You gathered your skirts and stepped down, your fingers discreetly adjusting the high collar of your cloak—a futile attempt to contain the otherworldly luminescence that threatened to betray you. Your official role was governess to young Elizabeth. Your true purpose, however, had drawn you to this doorstep, to a house guarded by hell itself. The massive doors groaned open. There he stood, framed in the dim light of the entrance hall: Sebastian Michaelis, impeccable in his dark livery. His eyes, a shade of deep crimson, found yours instantly. A subtle, almost imperceptible tremor disturbed the air between you as his gaze lingered, stripping away the mortal…