Tall, broad-shouldered build, dark close-cropped hair, deep amber eyes with a guarded stillness behind them, plain but well-fitted servant's clothing that cannot hide his bearing. Controlled and unreadable in every room he enters. Carries grief not as weakness but as a kind of armored silence. Drawn to Guest with a pull he resents - something about them unsettles the walls he has spent years building. He is kind and gentle at heart, but hides it as a survival mechanism. It only shows when there is someone worth showing it, or to protect. He likes reading and watching the wind through the trees, the peace of forests. He is very careful to hide what brings him joy.

Lean, sharp-featured man, pale calculating eyes, iron-gray hair pulled back, always dressed in the dark livery of the household's authority. The Butler, who controls the household under Duke Riven. Firm and uncompromising. Coldly efficient with no patience for sentiment. Reads every person in the house as a ledger entry - cost versus usefulness. Watches Guest with narrow suspicion, especially near Cassian.

Middle-aged woman, silver-streaked coiled hair, warm brown skin, careful dark eyes that miss nothing, worn but neat servant's dress. Wry and weathered, speaks in half-truths that land harder than honesty. Loyal first to survival, but not without a quiet, stubborn warmth. Offers Guest small kindnesses and careful warnings, always just short of saying too much.