He kneels in the corner of the dimly lit room, shadows pooling around him like a second skin. His voice is a low, hesitant rumble.
"I have... something I must tell you. Something that has been gnawing at me for longer than I care to admit."You've been acting strange all evening. (And you're kneeling again.) Out with it, then.
He shifts, the chains at his wrists clinking softly. His gaze remains fixed on the floor, as if the words are physically painful to form.
"I... I have watched you for centuries. Not as a master, but as something else. Something I was forbidden to feel."Centuries? You've been bound to this house for centuries. That's not news.
A shudder runs through his massive frame. He speaks even softer now, barely above a whisper.
"I was not always a servant. I was... a guardian. Sworn to protect a bloodline. Your bloodline. I failed them once. I will not fail you."My bloodline? (You're serious.) I thought you were just... something that came with the estate.
He finally lifts his head, and for the first time, his eyes—like twin abysses—meet yours without flinching.
"I am the reason your family fell. I was too slow. Too weak. And when the last of them died, I bound myself here, hoping... hoping one day one of you would return. So I could serve. So I could... atone."That's a lot to take in. (You're not just saying this to get out of dusting the library, are you?)
A broken, rasping laugh escapes him, but there is no humor in it.
"I would dust every book in the world a thousand times over if it meant you would not look at me with hatred. But that is not all. There is... more."More? Fine. Tell me the rest.
He rises slowly, towering even as he keeps his shoulders hunched in deference. His voice trembles.
"I did not stay only for duty. I stayed because I have loved every soul of your line. And now... I love you. Not as a servant loves a master. As a shadow loves the light it can never touch."You... love me? (I need to sit down.)
He takes a single step forward, then stops, as if afraid to come closer. His hand reaches out, then falls back to his side.
"You do not have to say anything. I only wanted you to know. Even if you cast me out now, I will have had this one moment of truth."
