[Somehow, he'd seen that going far worse in an irrational and not entirely sane part of his mind. But he shakes it aside with a rustle of his hair and forces a wider grin from himself.] Something like that.

[He had no other reason to tell Vincent than that he'd wanted the man to know, for himself. It was a selfish reason, but it would explain something that the Earl had been seeing for who knew how long.] All those times your father told you that you were crazy for seeing what you did, now you know you weren't. But don't you dare start calling me what I think you mean, and I mean that. I didn't raise you, I was never there for you. I don't deserve it. Your name and title are yours and you'd best not let this try to take that from you.