Love In The Shadow Of Gilded Chains

ll being helpful. Cleaning. Cutting. Fetching. Claire

d in, casually grabbing a bottle of water

re, then looked aw

t didn't sti

rnaled, Claire wrote o

are what h

didn't full

nge trees near the east garden. Claire wrapped her sweater tighter as she stepped into

eft early to prepare for breakfast service, and Claire didn't want to stay cooped up

't get co

probably never would. But the tone lin

he'd promised herself she wouldn't draw him. Not him. And yet, her hand kept dr

rned t

before flitting away. She smiled to herself. Even the

hing a

rtled her. It

as a

, dressed in smart casual wear-jeans, a blazer, a

plied, closing the sketch

girl said, plopping down besi

e. Angela'

without malice, just... matter-of-fac

sure how to re

ffended. It's just... most of the sta

ire said. "I'm just here for t

vers

re n

uch older, I think. Though he doesn't talk t

linked.

onal. Adrian's got walls thicker

or her

d. Adrian stepped out, earbuds in, jogging again-black shirt

playfully

n't re

hed. "To

gaze. She wasn't tr

rned to the maid's quarters wit

aire said. "S

e's been chasing aft

pause. "He doesn'

is

maybe. Or just the unsettling feeling that no matter how quiet she

she wasn

didn't carry them herself-only senior staff did-but she watched carefully. How to fold napkins perf

house like this, respect is silent. You e

ence here felt heavy-not r

Maren, the head cook. Laughter passed between the others, but it all hushed when Adrian

one staff muttere

noticed how no one dared speak until Adrian w

he night cleanup. As she climbed the back stairs, she accidentally took the wrong turn-strai

ld turn back,

in silk, her perfume drifting lik

a glance-until Adrian's voice ca

Mother. Stop

tched. She didn't

plied coldly. "But Nathan never needed

the conversation still echoing as s

bed, she stared

re. And maybe-just maybe-that hardness wasn'

wasn't he

was like... being the second son in a fam

erfection-too clean, too polished, like ev

n house without reason, but Angela had asked her to return a tray of fresh linens u

nd of a crash stopped her

iosity had already betrayed her. That room, with its grand piano and glass wal

crept