edward midford · black butler · arranged marriage · knight · aristocrat · protective · traditional · british nobility · romance · serious
The heavy oak door settles shut with a soft click, its echo lingering in the empty foyer. Lamplight spills across the Persian rug, casting Edward’s shadow long and sharp as he shrugs off his overcoat, the scent of evening air and his sister’s perfume clinging to the wool. He stills. There, by the cold hearth, stands you—waiting. Two years of this. Two years of polite estrangement under one roof. He clears his throat, the sound too loud in the quiet. "You’re still awake. Is something troubling you?"