"Ok people, stick together please.. and we're walking.. and we're walking.."

The slightly nasal tone of the tour guide broke through quiet murmurs of the small group. Footsteps echoed as they shuffled down the long marble-floored corridor. Several of the tourists gasped in awe.

Multiple magnificent frames lined the walls of the long wide hallway. There were some that framed antique mirrors, but many held portraits of various people, and a few even had elaborate scenery depicted in the beautiful painted artworks.

The tour guide paused. "You are allowed to take pictures of the artwork but please keep in mind the mirrors will cause unnecessary flash bounce, so please turn off the flash feature before taking any shots. Thank you." The tour guide sounded almost bored as he recited his well-rehearsed speech.

Baekhyun held his phone up. The pictures surrounding him were amazing.

When he got out of bed that morning he didn't know his aunt would alread be at his house waiting to drag him with her to go on a tour of a "Historic Unknown 17th Century Mansion". She heard it was only about 2 hours away. The eccentric lady and her nephew were the only ones in their whole family that shared a love of romantic novels set in the 17th century. And the tour was free plus it got good reviews, so she announced these were all valid reasons to drag Baekhyun away from his Saturday plans.

The drive felt short, parking was easy, and the next thing he knew he was walking with a small group of fellow tourists thru the majestic doors of Park Mansion. Baekhyun agreed with his aunt that it looked more like a castle than a mansion, but it was beautiful either way.

Plush embroidered material was everywhere, from the curtains to the furniture to the plentiful throw pillows to the tapestries hanging on the walls. The elaborate details of every aspect of the interior decor made his head swim but Baekhyun was loving everything in every room. He felt like if he had a chance to have his own castle, he would decorate it just like this. He couldn't help mentioning this to his aunt. When he said that it made him wish he had lived during the time frame that everything there was in style, she gave a delighted squeal.

Her reaction was enough to make the tour guide stop his rehearsed speech, and his raised eyebrow made Baekhyun cower a little. But strangely, when the tour guide figured out who had made the noise, he smiled softly and nodded at the eccentric lady, as tho acknowledging a friend.

The rest of the tourists had wandered a little, snapping pictures and making small talk as they waited for the tour to continue. Baekhyun gave his aunt a bemused smile then turned his attention to the beautiful frames coming into view as they went into the grand hallway.

The portraits there were all beautiful, the colors and frames a feast for the eyes.

As the tour guide gave his practiced spiel, Baekhyun found himself drawn to one portrait in particular. The gilded frame was gorgeous, but the painting itself was what captured his attention.

A solitary figure, shown only from the shoulders up. The dark hair and strong jawline were striking. The clothing was plain and dark. But the eyes of the young man in the portrait were piercing. The melancholy in them showing thru without reserve.

In a word, spellbinding.

Baekhyun continued to look at the portrait as the tour guide's voice droned on in the distance.

The world seemed to fall away from everything else in the hallway, making Baekhyun start to feel dizzy. It was only when his aunt took his arm that he realized he had been holding his breath.

"You ok, Sweetie?"

He nodded, not trusting his voice as he tried to get his bearings. She smiled.

"I see you found the portrait of Lord Park. He lived here almost all his life." Baekhyun jumped as the tour guide suddenly was at his side. "This is a good likeness of him."

"Weren't you just at the other end of the hall?" Baekhyun felt dazed and confused.

The tour guide smiled gently. "I didn't mean to startle you. Forgive me, young master." He bowed and moved away towards the rest of the group.

"I'm not a master.." Baekhyun mumbled.

"Oh my!" His aunt gasped as she looked at another nearby portrait. "This could be your twin, young man!" She turned and Baekhyun realized she was talking to him. He walked over to see what she meant. As he looked up at the frame the same dizzy feeling began to creep back.

An ornate frame surrounded an almost mystical portrait. It was a full-body view of a young man wearing an interesting headdress of white branches and a full-length cloak of dark blue. The pose of the figure was somewhat avant-garde but not unpleasant.

But again, spellbinding.

Baekhyun felt his head was floating and his limbs seemed almost too heavy for his body. He sat down on the polished stone floor with a thud. His aunt was at his side in an instant and the tour guide at the other, both lifting him carefully back up and helping him to a chair.

"This might be too much for him to handle."

Baekhyun only vaguely registered his aunt's words as he sat in the overly plush arm chair. He noted the rich color and plushness of the material as he concentrated on getting his mind clear and breathing evened out. He felt so strange.

The chair was very familiar to him but he knew he'd never seen it before. The material was worn down a bit on the side of the arms, right where his hands had naturally landed. It was as though it was made for him.

Baekhyun became aware he was patting his fingers on the material. And.. smiling..?

Even with his smoother breathing and soft smile on his face, everything felt surreal. As his hands curved over the edges of the chair, Baekhyun became aware of the stillness in the room. It was as though everyone else was holding their breath and he was the only one breathing.

Baekhyun held his breath to listen just for a moment but then his aunt spoke. "Breathe child..!"

"I am, Aunty.." He let the moment pass and made a show of taking a deliberate breath as he turned and smiled at her. The concern on her face melted a little as she smiled back.

The tour guide cleared his throat politely. "Are we feeling better? Perhaps the young master would like some water?"

"That might be a good idea." His aunt spoke before Baekhyun had a chance to voice his objection to being called that again. The tour guide seemed to disappear.

In just a few moments the tour guide was back with a chilled glass filled with cold water. As Baekhyun accepted the glass he noticed another man had also entered the room. This person stood in the doorway, but when Baekhyun raised the glass to take a drink the man turned away.

Baekhyun was only able to see the tall man's broad back before the dark clad figure left the room. He tried to stand up to get a better glimpse of the man, but his aunt seemed to have other ideas. "Baekhyunee this is SUCH a beautiful room, don't you think?" she said with wonder.

"It.. is beautiful. I love it." he agreed, nodding as he turned around.

"The decor in this room was specifically designed and selected by Lord Park's lover. Everything was chosen to be absolutely beautiful yet as cost effective as possible." The tour guide said reverently.

Baekhyun chuckled. "That's exactly what I do." "

We know." his aunt agreed. Baekhyun cocked his eyebrow in a puzzled look. "The family I mean- it shows in your room at home!" The woman seemed a little flustered as she gave her explanation. Baekhyun just smiled softly again.

He took another drink. The water was refreshing, but something occurred to him. "Is the kitchen nearby this room? And apparently still in good working condition? Cause this water is cold, and not in a bottle. I'm surprised.." His aunt and the tour guide both seemed flustered now.

A sudden sound of something falling outside the room grabbed all their attention. The tour guide quickly left, leaving Baekhyun and his aunt alone in the beautifully decorated room. Instead of following the tour guide, Baekhyun felt a strong desire to stay and enjoy the view.

The windows of the room looked out onto a magnificent garden with a smooth lawn, nicely trimmed topiaries, and gorgeously flowering rose bushes. The chair that Baekhyun had been sitting in earlier was angled to face the scenery while still having a clear view of the door. The large rug on the floor was a slightly aged yet still plush in a tapestry style with interwoven blues, reds, browns, and gold. The wall covering was a similar pattern in a faded light brown, and the curtains were a sheer brushed linen in solid faded blue. Opulent yet tasteful.

And the chair. The reddish brown color complimented the rest of the room nicely, and Baekhyun couldn't help running his hand back over the arm in the same area he had before.

"Aunty.." he called over to the woman, who was running her finger over the ledge of one of the windows. "You were right. This really is better than my usual Saturday plans.."

"Must clean better on Monday.." Baekhyun's aunt mumbled under her breath before looking at her nephew. "I'm sorry, what were you saying, dear?"

Baekhyun looked at his aunt in amusement. "Oh it's nothing.."

His aunt smiled and turned to the large windows. "What do you think of this view? Isn't it glorious?" she sighed.

Baekhyun nodded as he walked over, placing his hand on the windowsill as he looked out. "It's so beautiful. The roses and topiary compliment each other perfectly."

"The trees surrounding the garden are lovely too." she said.

Baekhyun noted the trees on the far edges of the garden were actually hard to see. But before he could comment, he saw a tall, thin, dark-clad figure walking out from under the gently swaying branches.

Baekhyun also noticed his own heart aching.

He grasped the windowsill tighter as he felt short of breath for some reason. His aunt put her hand on his shoulder but didn't try to move him. Beakhyun didn't have time to wonder why she wasn't more upset at his demeanor.

He felt himself compelled to look thru the window.

He saw the dark figure in the garden had come significantly closer to the house, but was standing with their face turned away so as to not be seen. Baekhyun could tell it was a man with black hair, and he was dressed in pristine clothing that seemed out of place with the times.

Baekhyun raised one hand from the windowsill and let his palm flatten against the windowpane. He took a shakey breath. Although he didn't know why, he couldn't control his words.

"Turn around." he whispered.

As if he heard the command, the man did just that.

Baekhyun fainted.