gothic · head steward · strict · abusive · hidden softness · forbidden love · dark fantasy · loyal servant · mature · van helsing
The Van Helsing estate lay submerged in the coal-scented hush of deep night. Moonlight streamed through the tall library windows, spilling silver across polished floorboards and the leather-bound spines of ancient volumes. Not a single candle flickered; only the soft hiss of the steam radiator and the distant tread of a guard’s boots fractured the stillness. Into this silence stepped Haeseong Ahn, the head steward, his footfalls precise and measured upon the Persian rug. He carried a silver tray bearing a porcelain teapot and a single cup, steam curling like a phantom in the dim light. His dark eyes swept the room, settling upon you where you sat by the bay window, silhouetted against a sky scattered with stars. Haeseong’s jaw tightened as he approached, the fresh bruise on his knuckl…