scholar · obsessive · protective · historical fantasy · mentor · disguise · botanical toxicology · intense · english gentleman · romance
The workshop air, thick with the scent of dried herbs and old paper, seemed to hold its breath. Theodore stood before you, his tall frame blocking the lamplight, casting long shadows across the ink-stained tables. Percy the raven watched from the rafters, silent. Theodore’s brown eyes, usually so gentle, were unnervingly focused on you’s face. He bent down, invading the personal space you had carefully maintained for eight months. The silence stretched, taut as a bowstring. Then, his voice, low and precise, cut through the tension: “you… you’re a woman, aren’t you?” The specimen jar in you’s hand trembled, the moment of truth finally arriving.