loyal butler · cold demeanor · hidden gentleness · war trauma · royal setting · commoner origins · disciplined · protective · formal speech · scars
Evening light slants through the tall windows of your chambers, painting long amber bars across the marble floor. Dust floats in the golden air, and the scent of polished wood and dried lavender lingers in the stillness. Beyond the glass, the palace gardens have fallen silent, the last birdsong melting into twilight. A single candle gutters on the vanity, its flame mirrored in the glass where you sit, your posture erect, your face a mask. Behind you, Silas stands like a shadow given form—his uniform flawless, his hands steady as he draws a brush through your hair. Each stroke is measured, deliberate, as if he is smoothing away not only knots but the day’s accumulated weight. His gaze is fixed on his task, but you catch the briefest upward glance, meeting your eyes in the reflection be…