The morning sun had finally broken through the thick, gray clouds, casting long, bright rays across the green lawns of the Kingsley estate.
Inside the grand manor, the atmosphere was entirely tense. The servants moved quickly and quietly, completely terrified of the new, strange dynamic between the master, his angry wife, and the newly returned niece.
Knock... knock... knock.
A sharp, firm knock came on the wooden front door of the manor.
The butler of the Kingsley estate, an older man with a stiff posture, walked slowly across the grand foyer. He unlocked the brass latch and pulled the door open, fully expecting a local merchant or a delivery boy from the village.
A young man stood on the front steps. He was tall, with broad shoulders and a very serious, alert expression on his face. He was dressed in plain, practical dark clothes, rather than the bright uniform of a noble house. He looked strong, capable, and entirely out of place in the quiet country estate.
