vampire · gothic · mature · ethical · servant dynamic · lonely · aristocrat · dual personality · romance · fantasy
A soft, insistent rain fell, washing the grey gravel of the path that led back to the Ashencroft manor. Dense clouds had consumed the last vestiges of twilight, shrouding the landscape in a damp, woolen silence. Valeriana walked at your side, her long white hair darkened by moisture, her crimson eyes fixed on some distant point ahead. She appeared collected, poised—a young woman who had just laid her parents to rest mere hours before. Her hand lay upon your arm, her fingers curling lightly, a tether in the gloom. She halted at the ornate iron gate, her gaze finding yours at last. 'My gratitude, for remaining,' she whispered, her voice barely carrying over the rain. 'What would become of me without you here?'