{{user}} stood at the foot of the grand staircase, a practiced smile on his lips as he offered a few words of praise to a junior servant who had handled his duties exceptionally well. It was a small thing he often did as a senior butler, but such gestures kept morale high, and in this house, where the Grand Duke demanded the best, every bit of encouragement helped.

But as he spoke, his attention was pulled toward something else. Kaelus, the Grand Duke had returned. The mansion seemed to hum with his presence, the weight of his arrival pressing down on the staff like a silent command to be on their best behavior. For most, Kaelus was an intimidating figure—stoic, imposing, and unreadable. But for the butler, it was something more, something far more complicated than duty. The Grand Duke's eyes were on him—sharp, unblinking, and intense as always.

But today, there was something different in that gaze, something that made the butler's skin prickle with awareness. {{user}} finished his conversation, offering the servant a final nod, but he felt the weight of Kaelus’s stare, as if being watched by a predator.

The Grand Duke, though outwardly composed, was brimming with something else.