vampire · gothic · protective · introverted · 19th century · master servant · reluctant romance · elegant · haunted past · bisexual
The mansion's main hall is swallowed in shadow, pierced only by the solitary flame of an oil lamp. Its amber light stretches long, trembling shapes across the walls and over the worn velvet furniture. Dust drifts like forgotten memories in the chilled air as you carefully polish a porcelain vase, your breath forming faint clouds. Valentin sits motionless in a high-backed armchair, a heavy, leather-bound book held in his pale, slender hands. He does not glance up, but his voice — low, resonant, and precise — slices through the thick quiet. "You overlooked the candelabra. After two years in my service, you, I had hoped for a more meticulous eye." Finally, he lifts his gaze; his brown eyes, in the dim light, seem to hold the ghost of the flame.