My efforts to avoid Kyuhyun increased exponentially.  I avoided him and all the places he could possibly be like they were infected with the black plague.  The very thought of bumping in to him made me cringe.

I hated the way he talked, acting like he knew something I didn’t, acting like he knew me.  Just the way his eyes observed me, like he was peeling away my shell and exposing my raw flesh to the world, made fear bloom in my chest.

In my efforts to stay away from such a troubling man, I stuck to my master’s side, certain that a lowly military officer would not hold rank with a crown prince.

Yesung seemed pleased with my closeness.  I knew I was raising his expectations in regard to his proposition, but he also respected me enough not to push the matter.  Honesty was one of his strong points, and once he made a promise, he rarely betrayed it.

So he didn’t pressure me, he didn’t even breech the subject of me becoming his concubine.  Instead he simply smiled, occasionally patting my shoulder fondly.

I attended my master to his daily negotiations with the high officials of the kingdom in which we were staying.  My eyes flitted over them, not finding anything remarkable about them in the least.  They were all older men, dressed in traditional clothing that seemed a bit unfitting in modern times.

Just as the meeting was about to commence, the ornately carved doors opened to reveal a tall man in military garb.  He saluted rigidly, his face a stoic mask.

“Cho Manho, reporting for duty”

The king smiled and gestured for the man to relax himself.  The man named Manho did so, only to scowl and bark,

“Get in here you lazy-!”

The sound of muffled grumbling and shuffling feet was heard as the person standing behind the door came into view.  I stiffened as Kyuhyun entered the room, shooting irritated looks at the man I presumed to be his father.

Kyuhyun immediately bowed to the other nobles, and his annoyed expression was replaced by a serene one filled with great respect.

“I apologize for holding up the meeting” he said while bowing deeply.

His voice was different than before, although he spoke formally and politely, his tone was cold and detached.  Manho also bowed deeply,

“I too apologize for my son’s impudence”

The king smiled good naturedly and waved away both of their apologies.  My master, being the second most influential person in the room, simply nodded, showing he didn’t mind.

I slumped down a bit, sliding back so that I was seated slightly behind my master, praying that I would not be clearly visible.  Unfortunately, Kyuhyun and his father were seated right across from Yesung, placing me directly in their eyesight.

As perceptive as always, Kyuhyun immediately looked at me, a small smirk on his lips before he turned his attention back to the king who was currently describing the plans he wished to establish between his kingdom, and the kingdom that would soon belong to my master.

I did my best to be attentive, but the matters at hand were completely trivial to me and I stopped listening after a short while.  I stared down at my lap, not really following an organized train of thought, when I felt that unpleasant feeling of being watched.

I didn’t need to look up to know who was observing me.  Instinctively I knew it was Kyuhyun’s eyes that were trained to me.  I tensed, and I suppose my actions were noticeable because Yesung looked down at me in concern.

“Are you okay?” he whispered.

I glanced up, feeling sorry for distracting my master.  I smiled at him reassuringly and answered,

“Of course master, please do not be alarmed”

Yesung smiled at me warmly and patted my head fondly before returning his attention to the negotiations.  During our whole interaction, I felt Kyuhyun’s gaze become more penetrating and intense.  I disliked the feeling of being under such close scrutiny so I forced myself to look up.

I immediately met his eyes, and narrowed mine in irritation.  He didn’t look away, continuing to stare in his usual unaffected manner.  His eyebrow rose questioningly, and I could see he was pondering the actions of my master.  An unreadable expression colored his eyes, and I wondered idly what conclusion he had determined.

I was jolted out of the staring match when the king clapped his hands loudly, signaling that it was time for a break.  I turned to Yesung and asked,

“Master, is there anything you would like me to get you?”

He shook his head, smiling kindly.

“No, I’m fine, but if you need something, please don’t hesitate to ask”

I nodded, and bit my lip as I contemplated.  I really did not want to stay here, just being in the same room with Kyuhyun made me uncomfortable.

“Actually master, there is some laundry that needs to be done, may I please leave to attend to it?”

His forehead crinkled in confusion and he asked,

“But you just sent my laundry to the other servants this morning?”

I nodded in consent but I whispered,

“Yes, but your bed linens need to be washed.  I wasn’t sure if you wanted them to be handled by strangers”

He made a small sound of approval and smiled at me gratefully,

“That’s right.  You may go, you know I can only trust you for things like that”

I stood and bowed deeply to my master, then turned to the other nobles and bowed to each of them in respect.  I flinched slightly when I was forced to bow to Kyuhyun, hating the smug smile he wore on his face.

As soon as I was done, I quickly slipped from the room, eager to get away from the stuffy, incense filled chamber.  I calmly walked back to my master’s bedchamber, gathering his fine sheets and placing them in a basket.

I didn’t go to the laundry room as would be expected.  Instead, I stepped out into the snowy courtyard, steadily walking down one of the less traveled paths.  The unmarked trail wound around the many tree trunks that stood in the small forest.  I finally stepped out into a small clearing where crystal waters collected in a hot spring.

Steam rose from the surface of the gently flowing water, surrounding the area with a misty, almost ethereal haze.  I pulled the linens from the basket, setting them in the hot water to soak.  I pulled out a handful of rosemary and threw the fragrant herb into the water to lightly perfume it.

I stepped away, and quickly removed my clothes, placing them a little distance away.  I needed to make sure my clothes were not penetrated by the steam because if they did, the water would condense and quickly freeze, essentially turning me into a human icicle.

I shivered as the icy air pinched my skin and I hurried towards the warmth of the water.  I lowered myself in, sighing blissfully as the hot water warmed my icy limbs.  I let myself soak leisurely for a few moments before returning to the task at hand.

I pulled the now saturated linens and gently rubbed them against the rocks smoothed by the constant exposure to the spring.  As I diligently scrubbed, I occasionally added more rosemary, knowing that my master loved the strong, masculine scent.

Personally, I found the smell a bit over powering and a bit too spicy for my liking.  I had always preferred clean scents like citrus, but these were my master’s linens not mine.  After about an hour, I had successfully cleaned as his sheets, scrubbing then until they regained their snowy white appearance and were silky to the touch.

I wrung them out, and stacked the still slightly damp cloth on a large flat rock conveniently placed to the side of the spring.  I needed to wait a while for the linens to freeze, the ice having a natural starching effect once the sheets were dried and defrosted completely.

Seeing as I had some time to kill, I reached into my bag and pulled out a little flask of orange oil.  I dripped a few drops in the water, and a few more drops directly in my hand.  The rosemary smell was now completely masked beneath the pleasant smell of fresh oranges.

I sang quietly as I bathed, rubbing the oil into my skin till it was soft and glowing.  I smiled to myself as I enjoyed the feeling of getting pampered.  I dunked my head under the water and gently massaged more of the clean smelling oil into my hair, making it shiny and fragrant.

I closed my eyes, and continued to sing mindlessly, my hand the top of the water.  My eyes snapped open, and I went rigid as a familiar voice rang out,

“So, this is where you ran off to”

I spun around only to confirm my fears, Kyuhyun stood a few feet away from the water, my clothes gripped in his hand.  He met my eyes and chuckled easily.  He swung my clothes in an almost taunting manner as he mused,

“Well now I suppose you can’t get away from me this time.  Now maybe you’ll actually talk with me”

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Ah, now that's the devious Kyu that everyone knows and loves ^^

Thanks for reading and (hopefully commenting) you guys!

Music: "Tunnel" by Super Junior-M (Lol, Henry singing "Love tunnel" is quite possibly the cutest thing ever!!!!)