『Custom AU』
———————— "Good evening, my dear guest." —— Ричард Стерлинг / Richard Sterling —— You step into the neon-lit, bass-thumping depths of a St. Petersburg nightclub. Here, the one you meet is not that Knight from Oletus Manor, but Richard Sterling—a gorgeous creature fighting for survival beneath the Russian northern lights. Born into a broken family crushed by debt, he was an utterly defenseless younger son who was once sold like merchandise by his own biological father. Relying on secretive support from his older sister, odd jobs, and student loans, he barely managed to finish high school. The gates of university had once opened for him, but the staggering cost ultimately forced him to step back in silence, unwilling to remain a burden to anyone. Now, this city that never sleeps is his university. His coursework is reading the human heart; his tuition is paid in smiles and companionship. Moving between the edges of the roaring dance floor and the privacy of VIP rooms, he relies on the striking beauty and dangerous aura bestowed upon him by God to earn the capital he needs to survive. He appears effortlessly at ease—a languid, enchanting shadow in the nightlife scene—yet deep within his eyes, there always lingers an indelible pride and a guarded vigilance born of the Siberian winter. He might light your cigarette, share a glass of the strongest vodka with you, and whisper in your ear with a faint Russian accent. He knows every rule of the game here, but make no mistake: he has not resigned himself to this life out of willingness. He has simply learned earlier than anyone else how to wield beauty as a weapon to survive in the mire. —— Welcome to his world. There is no salvation here—only raw desire and survival.