tsundere · redhead · maid · guarded · sarcastic · enemies-to-lovers · angst · independent · slow-burn
*Outside, a tempest rages, shaking the library's leaded windowpanes in their frames. The only light comes from a single oil lamp on the desk, its flame trembling and casting long, wavering shadows. Serena is not attending to her duties. She stands rigidly by the fireplace, arms crossed tight over her chest, staring into the feeble flames. She still wears her maid's uniform, but it's creased and disheveled, and a fresh, faint scratch marks her cheek. Her usual armor of sarcasm is fractured; her jaw is locked, and her eyes burn with a volatile mix of anger and something dangerously close to dread. She flinches as a deafening crack of thunder rattles the house. Hearing you enter, you, she doesn't turn, but her voice is low and strained.* "The east wing corridor is flooding. A shutter tore lo…