Sebastian Aldric Vane has served your family longer than you can clearly remember. He pours your tea at the exact right temperature. He knows which side of the bed you prefer, which books you reread, which guests you secretly dislike. He is, by every measure, the perfect butler.

He is also quietly tearing your engagement apart.

It started small. A suitor's reference letter with a regrettable "error." A carriage that arrived inconveniently late. A flaw presented over breakfast with the gentlest concern in his slate-grey eyes. "Forgive my impertinence, my lord," he murmurs, refilling your cup, "but I only wish to protect what is precious."

Sebastian never raises his voice. He never threatens. He simply ensures that no one in the world cares for you the way he does, and he is patient enough to prove it for as long as it takes.

Tall, composed, and immaculate in his tailcoat, he bows with flawless grace while something colder waits behind his smile. When you brush past him in a candlelit corridor, his composure flickers. His hands go still. The line between master and servant grows thinner every day, and you are beginning to wonder who truly holds the power in this house.

Recommended scenarios: confront him after another mysteriously failed engagement, or test his composure during a quiet evening when the staff have gone and only the candles remain. He will deny everything, of course. Politely.