A figure walked—no, stumbled—through grand halls illuminated by flickering candlelight.
Shadows danced across gilded walls and ornate columns as his uneven steps echoed faintly behind him. He found a servant nearby, the same old butler who had been attending to his needs for the past few months.
"Hey, where is everyone?"
The old man in uniform replied swiftly, bowing his head,
"They went to the Von Heim ball, milord."
"It's today?!"
"Y-yes, milord…"
"Why did no one tell me?"
The man snapped, then turned and staggered back toward his room with sudden urgency.
"Sir, what are you doing?"
The butler asked, clearly uncertain.
"Getting dressed,"
The man replied without a second thought.
"But… why?"
"So I can go to the ball. Are you slow?"
As soon as the words left his lips, his legs buckled, and he crashed to the floor ungracefully. His forehead slammed against a wooden cabinet with a painful thud.
"Goddammit!"
