The dull thud of the church’s bells rang in Kyungsoo’s hears. It was not the cheerful pealing of bells calling the devoted to the Sunday mass, nor  the joyful call to the Christmas celebration, but the austere, rhythmical thud that announces the national mourning of a noble who had been loved by the most; a sound that brings grief into the listeners’ heart.

Kyungsoo was standing next to his parents’ resting place into the cathedral’s catacomb, marble faces realistically resembling the deceased staring vacantly at him. He couldn’t part his eyes from those white eyes,  empty, frozen in time in a content expression, and couldn’t stop comparing their expression to the one of terror he had seen on his parent’s corpses after they had been mercilessly slaughtered  by that group of assassins less than two days before.

He wasn’t crying, he couldn’t cry, not when everyone around him was looking at him with pity, whispering  to each other – as if in that way couldn’t hear them- their doubts about future, others even bickering about who was going to get the most from the Dukes’ patrimony, now that it was all in the hands of their 16 years old son, redeeming him incapable of taking over the family business. Or maybe it wasn’t that he could cry because he didn’t want to show those vultures his weakness; it was just that he felt devoid of every feeling, shock probably still acting up from having lost his most valuable  possession, family, all at once. No, there was no sadness, just a blinding rage slowly burning up inside of him, hatred towards those “nobles” around him, towards the ones who materially killed his parents, and even more towards the ones who had commissioned the murder.

 

 

 

Kyungsoo stirred, awakened by the sun shining through the curtains. He sat up slowly, crimson silk sliding off his shoulders, and covered his face with his hands, rubbing his eyes with the tip of his fingers. He sighed and slid his legs off the four-poster bed,  pushing with his hands on the mattress to get up; he then walked to his writing desk and grabbed the carafe to pour some water in the basin in order to wash his face. As soon as he had finished doing so, there was a soft nock on the door of his chamber.

“My Lord, it’s Junmyeon” 

“You may come in”

The butler came in, bowed, and headed immediately to the chest at the bed’s feet to get the count’s attire for the day.

“How are you feeling today, My lord”

“As usual. Is there any urgent matter that requires my attention today or can I attend to my duties after lunch?”

Kyungsoo wiped his face and hands and turned to look at Junmyeon.

“actually My Lord, there in none, except…”

“What?” Kyungsoo creased his brow

“well.. if I may speak freely, My Lord…”

“Go on, you may”

“My Lord, in seven days it will be your 24^th birthday,  and as per family tradition, You should have a portrait painted by the most skilled painter in the whole capital to celebrate, as your parents did  and their parents before them”

The butler lowered his head. Kyungsoo scoffed.

“That’s just a silly tradition, Junmyeon, and furthermore it was just a way to show off our family wealth to the other families during the birthday balls, which I have no intention of holding”

“but My Lord, it’s a silly tradition, true, but a tradition indeed! What would happen to this world If all the traditions redeemed silly were disregarded, how fast would chivalry be forgotten? How long before the manners would be replaced with less formal, more barbaric ways? True some traditions might seem useless, but they have their reasons to be or they wouldn’t have existed to begin with!”

The passion is the older man managed to get a smile out of Kyungsoo – a rare sight nowadays- that startled the butler

“fine, you won, call whatever painter you redeem fit for the job, I don’t really care so it’s all up to you”

Junmyeon’ s face reddened

“My Lord! He has to be the best!”

“And so call the best painter you know of!”

 

 

 

 

After having instructed the cooks about his sir’s wish about breakfast and lunch, Junmyeon immediately left the mansion and sat in the carriage to headed to the city. The mansion was quite a few kilometer away from the capital, surrounded by  a park with an Italian and English garden, connected with the nearest main road thought two tracks flanking rectangular pools and marble fountains; only to get out of the villa’s park, it took a good thirty minutes by horse.

Out of indiscreet eyes ‘ sight, inside the oscillating carriage, Junmyeon slouched and sighed. Taking care of Do Kyungsoo undoubtedly was no easy feat, especially after the Dukes’ s death. Kyungsoo as a child used to be cheerful and lovely, but after the tragedy occurred, his personality had changed like the sky form day to night. On the same day of the funeral, he had sent away most of the servants at the mansion, not standing how the people around him treated him like he was a fragile crystal sculpture. Now it was Junmyeon who took care of most matters at the mansion, while the young count busied himself with the land matters.

So young yet so clever; it’s incredible how he had been able to administer the infinity of properties of his family since the tender age of sixteen, never whining once about the endless amount of time it required him to do so. He stopped going to the balls, tired of the hypocrisy of the other nobles; he stopped receiving guests, fed up with the hyenas relatives waiting for him to make a wrong move to feast on his corpse and patrimony, he even broke up his engagement made by his parents, disgusted by how ladies where attracted to his wealth like magpies to shiny objects. All of the above when he was only 16.

Caught is his thoughts, Junmyeon hadn’t realized that the carriage had arrived into the city, and now the  helmsman was driving it to the workshop he had intended to visit. The vehicle stopped, and the door of the carriage was being held open by helmsman;  the butler got out, descending the two steps of the carriage and nodded as a thank you and greeting toward the other man; he then straightened himself and got into the workshop.

Inside, he found himself in a small waiting room with two doors; he was welcomed by the smell of fresh paint and by a thin helper who had a linen tunic too big for him. The kid bowed and started to absently twirl the hem of his shirt,

“Good morning sir, how may I help you?”

“I’m looking for your master, Wu Yi Fan”

“I will bring you to him, please, follow me” 

The helper bowed again and motioned to follow him. They went into le door to the left, which brought to a much larger room full of people busying themselves with canvas and brushes. On the furthest angle to the right, there was a old man sitting on a chair, watching carefully all of the painters’ moves. The helper stopped and pointed the old man

“here we are sir, that is master Wu Yi Fan”

Junmyeon creased his brow, not quite able to match the fame of the painter with his face

“that man over there? Are you sure?”

The boy visibly had to stop himself from rolling his eyes

“Of course sir! Now I am being called, so I will leave now”

He bowed again and went to a man who was holding an empty palette, probably asking the boy to fill it again. Junmyeon looked again at the man, still sitting there, and walked towards him. As soon as he neared him, the man noticed him and got up; even thought his back was curved and he slouched quite a lot, still he was taller than the butler himself, and Junmyeon took a step back intimidated.

“Master Wu Yi Fan?”

“In person, who do I have the pleasure to talk with?”

His words were strongly accented, even after all those years of living in their country.

“I am Kim Junmyeon, butler of the Duke Do Kyungsoo. I have been sent to ask you to paint a portrait of my sir on the day of his birthday”

Yi Fan started laughing deeply, and then coughing, the cough fit forcing him to bent down for about ten seconds.

“Now Junmyeon, look at me, do you think I am in any condition to paint why were you looking for me?”

Still coughing a bit

“Well, I was told that you are the best painter alive in the capital, and that you painted a portrait for her majesty the queen in person, and I am looking for the most skillful artist for this job”

“What you have said is true, but only in part; I used to be the best painted in town, and I did paint portraits for most of the noble men of this country, but it has been more than a decade ago. Now I can’t even hold a brush properly without having my hand shaking like a dry leaf in the autumn breeze, so I am afraid that no, I am not the man you are looking for. On the other hand, here there are a lot of bright new talents who will gladly portray your Duke.”

He made a large gesture to cover up all the room and its inhabitants, and a few of them turned to look at Yi Fan curiously

“I am afraid I haven’t expressed myself clearly; I am looking for a seasoned painter who has already proven his worth, not for a… apprentice who has still to experiment with the colors for years before they can make their masterpiece… if they will ever be able to paint one, obviously”

“Sir there is no need to mock my apprentices;  I can assure you that some of these young men are worthier than any… ‘seasoned’ painter you could ever  find out of here. I suggest you judge them not by their age, but by the works they have already completed.  I will introduce to you my most brilliant pupil, if you please.”

Slightly annoyed but also embarrassed by the man’s pointed words, Junmyeon nodded, and cleared his throat. Yi Fan, satisfied by the redness of the other’s  face, smiled, and motioned to the lanky boy of before to come over. The boy did and bowed respectfully again.

“Sehun, call Jongin and tell him to bring with him some of his most recent paintings”

The boy, Sehun, bowed again and his heels to go to one of the youngest guys in the room; Junmyeon supposed that was Jongin, and if fact, after a short exchange with Sehun, the man looked in their direction and started heading towards them. But then, Sehun said something, putting his hands on his hips and crooking his head on one side, and Jongin abruptly stopped walking, eyes widening comically, only to turn around, go back, lift a few canvas and then walk back in their direction. In the meanwhile, the butler watched the whole exchange amusingly.

When Jongin reached them – almost making the canvas fall a few times on his way – he bowed immediately, hiding his red pink face with his long fringe. Then he straightened himself, but still not looking at Junmyeon in the eyes

“Master, did you call?”

“Jongin, this is Junmyeon, butler of the Duke Do Kyunghun”

“Do Kyungsoo”

“well yes, Do Kyungsoo… anyways, the Duke desires to get his painting done on the day of his birthday, which is… when is it exactly?”

He said the last sentence turning to Junmyeon, and the latter sighed

“It’s on the 12^th of January, in six days”

Yi Fan mumbled something on the line of “you could have thought about it a little sooner, such a short notice”. He pretended he didn’t hear it.

“we were saying. Ah yes, that is in six days; now, since the sir here is a bit.. skeptical about your abilities, why don’t you show him the paintings I asked you to bring?”

Jongin nodded and turned the canvas so that they were facing the two of them.

Junmyeon had never, in his long life, seen such a beautiful and harmonious use of hues in humans’ masterpieces, and he sure wasn’t expecting to see such a perfection in the work of a supposedly unskilled young man: the painting on the left was a scenery at sunset, the threes looking almost like they were going to flutter at the wind; the horizon was purple and orange with a few touches of peach, the light coming from the sun almost blinding. But as astounding as the scenery was, it paled next to the painting on the right: it was a portrait of a woman dressed in a red dress, fluid eyes staring into the viewer’s soul; it seemed like the butler could touch the vest and feel the velvet under his fingers, and he felt the need to avert his eyes from the ones of the girl, fearing she was going to blush for how intensely he had been staring at her; but of course, the girl remained immobile, motherly smile still plastered on her face.

Junmyeon’s  jaw dropped, and Yi Fan next to him snickered, satisfied by his reaction.

“so, do you redeem my humble apprentice adequate to the task you have for him?”

The butler had trouble replying immediately, as his throat was constricted by the emotions felt looking at the paintings, and he had to gulp a few times before he  could speak as normally as possible.

“O-of course! Yes, I would gladly- I mean, My Lord will gladly give his consent to being painted by Jongin.. I will.. I will instruct the helmsman to come here and get you in six days at dawn”

After negotiating a price for the painting and shaking hands to seal the agreement, Junmyeon got back in the carriage and back to the mansion. It was already past lunch time when he arrived.

 

 

 

“you are late”

Kyungsoo was sitting at his writing desk, reading some reports from the administrators of his lands. He hadn’t looked up from those while talking

“I know My Lord, I’m tremendously sorry”

Junmyeon bowed his head

“where have you been?”

“I went to the city, I was looking for a painter who was skilled enough to paint your portrait, My Lord …. I found a boy who has incredible skills-“

Kyungsoo sighed loudly and finally looked up, a glint of mischief in his eyes that went unnoticed by his butler

“so you are saying that you didn’t attend to your duties as my butler to follow your obsession with that painting… I’m starting to regret my decision to agree with it”

“but My Lord! It was only for today, I won’t have to go back to the workshop anymore, It will be him who will come here! There really is no need-“

“Junmyeon, I was playing around, I was not angered by your absence, just a bit bewildered since you are always so strict with yourself, even when I tell you there is no need to… so, when is this.. boy.. coming? And what? A boy? Weren’t you looking for ‘the most seasoned and skilled painter in town’… are you sure you are not being swindled by the master of that workshop?”

“My Lord! Do you really have so little trust in me to believe that I could have possibly been ‘swindled’ by a mere old man?”

Kyungsoo chuckled

“again, I was just jesting… so tell me about this prodigious boy”

“he is more or less of your age My Lord, and at a first look he might seem clumsy, but his art is incomparable”

“Around my age? Are you implying that I am a boy too?”

“I didn’t mean it in that way My Lord … but I guess you were just joking again”

“you are no fun at all, Junmyeon”

“I’m sorry My Lord, I’m too old to comprehend a young man humor… he is coming on the 12^th of the current month”.

 

 

 

 

There was something off that day. The “off” thing was that he wasn’t currently being woken up by the sun shining through the curtains as per usual, but by a soft knock on his door. Did he oversleep?

He sat up, opening one  eye first, then the other, blinking both of them, slowly and repeatedly, trying to understand why his chamber was so dark still. Obviously it was sooner than his usual waking time, and he had trouble keeping his eyes open, Morpheus demanding him to go back to his embrace. The knock on his door repeated himself, this time a little firmer than before, and Kyungsoo suddenly realized he had forgot to reply.

“Come in”

The door swung open and Junmyeon came in – of course, he was expecting that much-, but what he wasn’t expecting was the maid that followed his butler carrying something, and when she diverted her eyed form him, blushing,  Kyungsoo realized that his chest was half , having his undershirt opened itself on the front during the night. The Duke refrained himself from cursing under his breath and proceeded immediately to cover his exposed skin with the bed sheets.

“Junmyeon, could you please explain”

There was so much bite in his tone that the butler flinched, but this in no way affected his great mood

“Good morning My Lord, happy birthday!”

Kyungsoo grunted -the maid bowed whispering a barely there ‘happy birthday My Lord’, still completely red in the face-

“I have a present for you! Since in less than a hour the painter will be here to portrait you, I have asked the tailor to sew a new garment for the occasion…  xiaoyu, please, show the Count his new attire”

The maid held up the garment; it was a night blue blazer with a black collar embroidered with a flower path in gold; on the front there were three golden buttons to close it, and the attire was completed by a white neckerchief and a sapphire and diamond brooch pinned on it. The brooch was shaped as the family’s emblem, an hexagon  divided in four parts by two diagonals. It was a masterpiece of dressmaking indeed, and even Kyungsoo, who had never been interested in fashion could tell.

Junmyeon took the piece of clothing from the maid’s hands and dismissed her; as soon  as the girl had left the room, Kyungsoo got up and got nearer to the butler to better look at it.

“beautiful… you really have an eye for this kind of things”

“you are too kind to me, My Lord”

“probably… how much did it cost to me this ‘present’ of yours?”

“nothing you couldn’t afford, my lord”

“what a clever reply, are you sure you weren’t born as a merchant?”

“only if you need me to be, My Lord”

 

 

Jongin was in the workshop, deciding on what brushes and colors to bring. He had two jars of two different shades of red, one in each hand, and was looking at them like they could start talking to solve his doubts.

That’s how Sehun finds him, still glaring at the jars; he gets nearer and crosses his arms,

“just bring both of those with you”

Jongin looks up, an annoyed expression on his face

“I wish I could bring all the material with me, but all those things won’t fit into the chest; I need to leave here the most part.. well it’s not like I can’t blend the colors I bring with me to obtain the shades I don’t have, but still… it would have been easier if I had an idea of how this Duke is, his complexion… his age! At least that! Will I need to make his skin yellowish, like most old men? Or is he still not that old so a peach hue is ok?”

Jongin  huffed in frustration. Sehun smirked

“To be honest I don’t envy you, this job is going to be no fun… portraying a mummified Duke is as far as something can get from fun”

He snickered

“I know right? But the pay is really good, and it won’t take me too long. It’s only a small sized portrait after all, no huge full-body portrayal in shiny armor on a prancing horse with allegories to accompany it all; that would have been a hassle”

Both of them chuckled

“anyways, I came to tell you that there is a carriage outside waiting for you”

“!”

Jongin started throwing everything that came into view inside the chest (like both the jars of red hues, Sehun noted) and after closing it, he grabbed a canvas and tried to lift both the chest and the canvas at once, failing miserably. Sehun laughed and grabbed the canvas, helping him to bring it to the carriage, receiving a thankful look from the older boy. They put everything in the back of the vehicle, and then Jongin got in. when the helmsman was about to close the door, Sehun suddenly remembered something;

“Don’t forget that today is the Duke’s birthday! Master says you have to greet him properly!”

 

 

 

Jongin looked out of the window, amazed by the scenery slowly flowing in front of him; he didn’t get to ride a carriage that often, so the novelty of it all excited him. The city was starting to wake up, sun barely visible in the horizon; the sky was pink and yellow, the colors of a innocent first love. The brick houses slowly left place for the wooden, thatched ones, and after a while even those started to spread further away from each other, just to completely be replaced by the cultivated fields. There were countrywomen bent over the ears of wheat, colorful dots on the golden scenery with their full skirts, singing melodies to alleviate the fatigue of the harsh field work. Jongin’s hands hitched to grab a brush to immortalize that instant with soft of paint, but soon enough the scenery changed again, fields giving way to a wood;  the carriage was still traveling along the road, but on both sides of it, there was a forest; Jongin was bewildered as he thought there were none In this direction, but then, after the carriage took a last turn to the left, he suddenly understood. The man was gaping at the magnificence of the Do mansion, fountains gushing water in all directions inside the pools, a massive building facing him, constructed with all the criteria of the classical style. The carriage brought him in front of the entrance, and the helmsman opened the door for him. Jongin  felt so small and intimidated by the mansion, and it took him quite a while before he was able to divert his eyes from the building to look at Junmyeon who was standing up the staircase. He realized how childlike he must have looked in that moment so he bowed his head, embarrassed and started climbing the stairs.

 

“Good morning Jongin and welcome to the Do mansion, I will now lead you the Duke”

Jongin bowed respectfully

“Good morning to you sir”

They entered the mansion, and inside it was even more astonishing  than outside; the walls were covered by marbles and plasters, the ceilings either plastered white and gold or frescoed with scenes of the Greek mythology; the floor was covered with colorful marbles, red, blue, white, green, all of them designed in such a way to create geometrical shapes.  The entrance of the mansion was a huge hall with two staircases on the sides that brought the guests to the noble floor,  where there was a grand ballroom and the chambers of the noble family.  Junmyeon started leading the way up the stairs, waling at a slow pace.

“Jongin, before you meet the Duke, there are a few things you should be aware of. First of all, I’m sure your master told you how to behave properly in front of a noble man”

He side eyed Jongin, who nodded

“good. Secondly, the Duke doesn’t receive visits often lately, so he might seem a little..surly at first, but I can assure he is anything but.”

They reached the door of the study, and Jongin started to feel a bit antsy. Junmyeon  knocked on the door, and a soft “come in” could be heard from inside.

The butler opened the door and motioned at Jongin to stand still outside of the room. The painter couldn’t see the inside of the study, but could perfectly hear what was being said inside.

“My Lord, the painter Kim Jongin is here”

“let him in”

Jongin was surprised by how young the Duke’s voice sounded, but his trail of thoughts was interrupted when Junmyeon come back outside and beckoned at Jongin  to follow him. The latter bowed as soon as he set foot into the room, even before he had looked at the Duke’s face or at his surroundings; he knew it was bad manners to straighten in front of a noble before they had given you their consent, especially in front  of a powerful one as a Count. He kept staring at the marble under his feet even when he started talking

“Good morning My Lord, I heard today is your birthday; I wish you all the best in your life”

“thank you Jongin, you may rise your head”

The painted did as he was told to, and found himself staring to a man not older than himself, with big deep brown eyes and dark medium-long hair. He was the very depiction of handsome, and Jongin’s eyes widened at the sight; he was suddenly very grateful for having received the task of portraying him. Kyungsoo was sitting at his writing desk, observing him closely and saw all of the younger man’s expressions.

“You seem surprised”

The Duke smiled, and Jongin had quite a trouble in associating the deep, smooth voice to that delicate face

“I… My Lord, I have no intention of sounding rude but.. I was expecting someone.. older”

“No offence taken. Didn’t Junmyeon tell you my age?”

“No My Lord, sir Junmyeon has only specified that today is the day on your birthday”

Junmyeon next to him went rigid, and the Duke eyed him playfully

“My 24^th birthday, to be precise”

Jongin’s mouth formed a small “o” because of the surprise.

“Now, let’s not talk about myself.. how old are you?”

“I’m 22 My Lord, will be 23 in a few days”

“really? When is your birthday?”

“on the 14^th My lord”

“So our birth dates are only two days apart… quite a coincidence, don’t you think?

“Yes My Lord”

 

 

 

 

Kyungsoo had dismissed the butler, and soon after two maids came in bringing Jongin’s chest and canvas. Jongin took advantage of that moment in which no one was paying attention to him and looked around the room;  it had cream-color wall papers with a geometrical and floral motif in a slightly darker color, marble burst in each angle of the room and paintings on the wall. There was a rectangle on the left of the room where the wall paper was a bit lighter, as if a piece of furniture who had been there for a long time had been removed. He wandered what I could have bee. Then the Duke sat on an armchair in front of his writing desk, turning it so that he was facing the door; he then motioned to Jongin to sit on a chair opposite to him,  so that he could paint comfortably. Jongin opened his chest and got a charcoal out of it to start sketching the face of the noble. Kyungsoo was sitting as still as he could, but he was a bit to tense, so the painter decided to distract him a bit with a little of small talk

“My Lord, have you ever been portrayed before?”

Kyungsoo looked a bit taken aback by the question, but he caught himself immediately.

“Mmm..  not that can remember of; the last time was probably when I was so little I still had to be held in my mother’s embrace”

“I see.. is there a specific way you would like to be portrayed in then My Lord?”

“what do you mean?”

“there are some canonical poses that most of the nobles like to be portrayed in; for example the melancholy, which a pose where the character seems deep in his thoughts, leaning their head on their hand; the frontal or the  3/4 portrait, which differ for the angle of the face with the canvas.. or so on”

“to be honest Jongin, I’m having this portrait done only to please Junmyeon, so I don’t really care how you do it. Be simple and quick about it”

“Let’s do it with a frontal prospective then My Lord”

The Duke was relaxed now, but there was still something missing

“My Lord”

“Yes?”

“could you please smile a bit?”

Kyungsoo sighed; he didn’t smile, but relaxed his brow.

“Well… I suppose it’s good enough”

Jongin mumbles. Kyungsoo lifts an eyebrow.

 

Jongin feels uneasy;  Kyungsoo had been staring at him the whole time while he painted - and up to here everything was normal – and he had something strange in his unwavering eyes that he couldn’t quite identify. Part of it felt like sadness, ancient and intrinsic in the young man, like a beast inside him that he had learned to live with, but not quite to tame. But there was something else, something that gave his eyes a glint, a spark of life in that overly composed body. The painter had no idea of what that was, but he started to feel addicted to it: the more he stared into the infinite mystery of Kyungsoo’s eyes, the more he felt like he could have never be able to divert his eyes.

The sketching progressed slower that he had predicted in a first time because of all that staring, and it was already lunch time. Junmyeon had come in about an hour before to ask what their guest would have liked to have for lunch, and Jongin had blushed saying that anything was fine; Kyungsoo had commented on how endearing he was – making him blush even more – and had decided on the menu personally.

 

Now Junmyeon was leading them to the dining hall, a long rectangular room with huge windows on the right that allowed the sun to bath the room in its light; the ceiling was extraordinary tall, frescoed with some little angels pouring some wine to Venus in a chalice, others feeding Apollo and Zeus, others playing instruments to gladden the Greek gods. The wall on the left was plastered in white and gold, but again, here it looked like several rectangular objects had been removed and replaced with a red wall paper;  Jongin was starting to get curious because he had noticed something similar in the grand ballroom, and again in the corridors. In the middle of the room there was a long wooden table, almost as long as the hall itself, surely capable of sitting more than fifty people at once. Even though all of the table was covered with a embroidered tablecloth, only two seating  were set; the head of the table and the seat on its left. The Duke sat on the former, leaving the latter for Jongin. As soon as they were seated, three maids come in to bring a great number of dishes, most of which Jongin had never tasted before. After they were done, Kyungsoo dismissed everyone, even Junmyeon –who wasn’t expecting the command but obeyed none the less – to give them some privacy and freedom to talk.

“So, tell me, how is the painting going?”

“My Lord, I have just barely started sketching it; it will require time to be completed”

Kyungsoo frowned

“how much time”

“about two months”

The Count widened his eyes a bit

“two months? Do I have to sit still for that long?”

Jongin chucked because of the older man’s expression

“No My Lord, today I will finish sketching you, then I will go back to my master’s workshop and paint a first layer of color; then it will take a month for it to dry, and then I will paint a second layer of it. After another month has passed, I will come back here and confront the painting to you, and make any correction that might be needed; then and only then the painting will be complete”.

Kyungsoo nodded, signaling he understood.

“So I will be able to see it in two months..”

“Yes, My Lord”

He hummed, seeming almost disappointed. After that they ate in silence for a while, until Jongin’s curiosity got the better of him and he felt compelled to ask

“My Lord, may I ask you a question?”

“it depends… what kind of question?”

Kyungsoo put the cutlery down and joined his hands together on his lap.

“I.. I have noticed  that all around the mansion there are some..objects missing… like for example here in this room”

He pointed at we wall paper

“and in your study.. and the grand ballroom… and I started wondering what those were”

Jongin looked down, afraid of the Duke’s reaction. There was silence for a while, and Jongin dared looking up: Kyungsoo was looking at him with a strange expression on his face. They stayed like that for a few more heartbeats and Jongin was about to beg for his pardon when the other calmly replied

“Mirrors”.

And Kyungsoo went back to eat. The painter blinked

“Mirrors?”

He repeated, and paused.

“If I may ask, why did you get rid of those?”

Kyungsoo didn’t look at him in the face

“they were broken”

Jongin had no idea of how, but he could feel Kyungsoo was trying to hide something, and he was getting even more curious.

“Broken? All of them?”

“Yes, as I said, broken”.

His tone had something final in it, quite harsh, and that was the last thing said while they were eating.

 

 

 

 

 

They went back to the studio, and Jongin continued sketching from where he had left. Kyungsoo had been pensive the whole time, and in a few occasion it had looked like he had wanted to say something, but then decided against it. Jongin didn’t know how to behave, fearing he had offended the Duke. Eventually, Kyungsoo sighed, making the painter flinch slightly. The Duke cleared his throat

“I shouldn’t have been so harsh before. I apologize”

“It was my fault My Lord, I shouldn’t have asked those questions”

“no, it is all right, you haven’t asked anything inappropriate. Let me remedy; feel free to ask anything, just one question though”

Kyungsoo leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees, smile on his lips and eyes fixed on Jongin’s. The latter gulped and put down the charcoal. ‘Why did you get read of those mirrors’ ‘why do you live alone’ ‘why is this place almost empty except for maybe 10 maids’ ‘why are you so-‘

“So.. huh… is there a reason why you are getting your portrait painted on your 24^th birthday, My Lord?”

Kyungsoo arched an eyebrow

“Are you sure you want to waste your only opportunity to ask me anything with this question? I would have told you anyways”

“May I take it back and ask something different then?”

“of course”

Kyungsoo straightened himself, smile still on his lips

“Junmyeon…  when he was leading me here, might have unintentionally implied that you don’t really receive a lot of visits… but… on the little experience I have with noble, I know that they tend to pay a visit to each other quite often… I don’t know if I am expressing myself clearly or… if I am being indelicate.. if so I apologize My Lord, please don’t be offended”

Jongin started worrying his lips, and Kyungsoo’s eyes caught the movement. His gaze remained fixed on the painter’s lips for a few seconds even after he started speaking, only to move to his eyes after.

“That .. I wasn’t expecting. Well it is a strange behavior indeed for a duke, isn’t it? But there is a reason behind it.. actually, after my parents’ death, I didn’t feel like having a lot of people around me, so I started to send everyone away…  I guess the other nobles still remember my harsh treatment and believe they would incur in such a… mistreatment again, if they happened to visit”.

“I find it hard to believe that such a friendly person like yourself could treat someone so badly that it makes them stay away-“

The Duke’s eyes widened in surprise at the compliment

“I’m sorry My Lord, I shouldn’t have said it, I don’t know what has gotten into me”

The younger man was mortified, eyes fixed on the floor. He was ready to being scolded, but the only sound he could hear was a sudden laugh.

Jongin looked up, surprised; that was the first time he heard the Duke laugh, and he was amazed by how melodious it sounded. The duke’s face had lit up, eyes half closed in crescents and a faint flush on his cheeks.

“It’s all right, it’s the first time anyone calls me ‘friendly’ though. ‘Stern’, ‘inflexible’, ‘calculating’, but never ‘friendly’. I admit it  feels nice to hear such a word for once”

“My Lord, I know I am in no place to talk, but in the short time I have been here, you have been a perfect host, and that I consider a friendly behavior”

Kyungsoo was still smiling

“Looks like I haven’t utterly forgotten my manners in these years of isolation then”

“not at all!”

Jongin smiled too

“if I may ask… is this the same reason behind the limited number of the servants?”

The Duke looked at him with a surprised expression and then smirked

“Aren’t you an observant little one! You are smarter than I gave you credit for; yes, in a way, you could say that”

“and one last thing-”

“I said one question!”

He was still smiling though

“Yes but my former question.. you said you would have answered to it… why today?”

Kyungsoo laughed again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Done! My Lord, I have finished all I needed to do, now I can go back to my workshop and start painting with colors”

Jongin got up from his seat, looking contently at his work.

“It’s sad that you have to leave so soon, I enjoyed talking to you today”

“My Lord, the pleasure was all mine!”

“I know I haven’t sated fully your curiosity, so next time I will let you ask a few more questions about the matters I know are now occupying your mind”

“you are too kind to me My Lord, I have pestered you enough today”

The painter was smiling brightly; Kyungsoo, having long forgotten the “one question” rule, had replied to most of Jongin’s query; they weren’t anything too personal, only about the paintings, the family traditions, and Kyungsoo’s daily life at the mansion, but the fact that the Duke had so easily warmed up to him, had confirmed Jongin’s  first impression of him: that he is a lovely person hardened by all the pain and loneliness.

“So I will be seeing you in two month, right? To make the last corrections to the portrait”

“Yes My Lord, but if you desire so, you can come to my master’s workshop to see how the painting is processing whenever at any moment”.

“I’m afraid I will not be able to take up this offer.. but I will keep in mind. Oh and, you said your birthday is in two days right?”

“yes My Lord, may I ask why are you interested in knowing so?”

“because I wanted to say you don’t need to work on my portrait in that day; banquet with your friends and rest”

Jongin smiled and bowed

“thank you my lord”

“Now go; good evening Jongin”

“good evening My Lord”

 

 

 

 

 

When Junmyeon came back to brink Kyungsoo his dinner, the Duke was still smiling, lost in his thoughts.

“My Lord, you seem in a good mode this evening”

“You noticed?”

“of course, it’s a rare sight to see you smile at all, My Lord, and seeing you so delighted makes my heart feel lighter. Has something good happened?”

“It’s just that it had been so long since I last talked to someone who isn’t you, my fencing instructor, or a maid, and talking to Jongin has been a good change for once. Maybe I should let some of our relatives come here from time to time”

Junmyeon seemed pleased by the Duke’s words

“To talk to other people is good exercise for both the mind and the spirit; My Lord, you are now 24 years old, of course you are starting to feel the need to look for other people, as it is in the natural order of this world. The time you started thinking about marriage has come, as you need to give life to an heir of the Do family. Noblesse Oblige”

Kyungsoo laughed

“how did we end up talking about marriage? I am still young, as you said, 24 years old; I need not  to start worrying about such a matter right now. Anyways, I have a task for you: the day after tomorrow sent a present to Jongin, as it is his birthday, to thank him for the good company of today”

Kyungsoo went back to looking at the papers on his desk, reorganizing them in order of urgency.

“It will be done, My Lord. Is there anything in particular you would like me to send?”

The Duke looked up again, creasing his brow a bit

“I am not mistaken, Jongin mentioned loving flowers…. How about primroses?”

Junmyeon’s lips curved at the angles, and he looked at the Duke amusedly

“I believe primroses are the most adequate flower in such an occasion, My Lord”

“good, it’s set then”

 

 

 

 

 

Jongin found Sehun waiting for him back at the workshop, a smirk on his face

“Took you quite a long time! Was the Duke a erted old man who tried to seduce you or what”

Jongin snorted

“he isn’t old at all, he is 24 and handsome”

“really? THIS is a plot twist… what do you mean by handsome? What kind of handsome?”

“The kind that makes all the girls either melt in a pool of goo or become coquettes”

Sehun whistled

“Guess it hasn’t been that bad to draw him after all”

“not at all! The Duke has been extremely friendly and we talked a lot”

Sehun hummed, linking his hands behind his back and shifting his weight from his toes to his heels and back

“I guess I will be heading home now… my parent are waiting for me”

“all right, see you tomorrow Sehun”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even though the Duke had told him not to work on his painting on the day of his birthday, Jongin still had to go to the workshop since firstly it’s not like he has said it to master Yi Fan, so his absence would have been unjustified at his eyes; and secondly, he still had a lot of other paintings to work on. Anyways, he had finished the first layer of the portrait the day before, so now he could put that on a side for a month or until the oil color dried completely.

He was a bit late today, but when he went in he wasn’t expecting everyone to turn and stare at him only for that. He stopped dead on his track; there was something extremely off today. He looked around, in the eyes of people looking at him, and all he could find was curiosity. Feeling a bit reassured, he resumed walking, towards his work table, but then he stopped again, jaw dropping, when the people in front of him parted to let him see the cause of all that commotion: a gigantic bouquet of primroses had been left on his work table.

There was definitely something off today.

He cautiously neared the bouquet and saw that there was a note among the flowers: it was in thick, expensive cream-colored paper folded in half; he opened it and a elegantly written ‘Happy 23th birthday Kim Jongin, wish you all the best in your life. Duke Do Kyungsoo’  stared at him, and he laughed.

Sehun magically appeared behind him, and he rested his chin on Jongin’s shoulder to better read the content of the note; the older man let him, and Sehun quickly skimmed through the written words. He then straightened up and frowned

“what’s there to laugh?”

Jongin chuckled again

“these are the same exact words I said to him two days ago”

All the others apprentices were slowly  and casually getting near to them to better hear the conversation, as if in this way Jongin wouldn’t have noticed them. Nosey people.

Sehun hummed, arching a brow

“seems like you left a good impression to this Duke, enough for him to send you these flowers”

“it is just a birthday present Sehun”

“It’s not only a present, these are flowers, a present with a meaning. Do you remember what primroses mean, Jongin?”

“huh…”

Sehun sighed

“Do you even listen to Yi Fan when he talks? He has taught us the meaning of flowers many times, as a painter needs to know them”

“I’m sorry I am not good with this kind of stuff.. I remember only some of them. But what do they mean?”

“it has quite a few meanings… it symbolizes youth and a dawning friendship…”

He paused, and Jongin “ooh”-ed, touching the petals of the flowers

“It also represents the beginning of spring, as they are among the first flowers to blossom in that season – which reminds me… how did your Duke even get his hands on these in January? He must have paid a fortune for them..”

Jongin looked at him. Sehun diverted his eyes and picked up a primrose from the bouquet, looking at it like he was analyzing it.

“Well.. he is a Duke after all… you should have seen his mansion, it’s huge! I wouldn’t be surprised if he grew these flowers in his garden in some greenhouse”

Sehun then looked at him in the eyes, dead serious, and lowered his tone so that the others couldn’t hear him

“some people also believe they symbolize young love”

At this Jongin sputtered, taking a step back from Sehun. The latter laughed, and the older boy flushed

“I- I’m sure the Duke didn’t mean them in this way, as you said it’s an uncommon  interpretation of its meaning”

“Of course, I was just teasing you, but what’s sure is that My Lord”

He bowed and his tone was mocking

“liked you, and would like to be your friend”

“You don’t know him-“

“neither you do”

Jongin ignored him and kept talking

“he is just extremely friendly, I’m sure he sent all of these out of courtesy more than anything less”

“right, yes, sure”

 

 

 

 

 

 

It had already been a month and a half since he had last seen Jongin. He wondered how the painting was going, and he was internally debating whether it would have been appropriate for him to go to the workshop to see it. It had been years since he last left his mansion, only venturing into his gardens when riding an horse, or when his fencing instructor decided it was too beautiful of a day to practice indoors; he wondered how the city had changed in the meanwhile and if saying he just wanted to go on a tour was an excuse credible enough.  Someone knocked, and he allowed them to get in

“My lord, here there is the mail of the day. Firstly, the administrator of the land sent this mail stating that is having troubles with some wolves wondering at the western confine of your properties; looks like some of the countrymen are too scared to work at down because of those. He asks what should he do”

Kyungsoo pinched the bridge of his nose

“tell him to order to the countrymen to start a bonfire as soon as they wake up, and that one every five men has to hold onto two torches lit up thanks to the bonfire; also, every man has to keep an unlit torch with him, so that if the wolves come close to them, they can lit those torches and scare the pack away thanks to the fire”

“I will send this order immediately My Lord. The next message is from your cousin the Countess  Kim Taeyeon, wife of the Count Kim Jongdae; it is an invite to a ball that will be held in two weeks at their mansion to celebrate the birth of their first born son, named Kim Jiyeon”

“disregard this invite. You know I never go to these kind of… events”

“As you wish My Lord. Also a messenger came from Yi Fan’s workshop; he said that your portrait is ready to receive the last finishing touches that needs to be done in person. He asks when painter Kim Jongin could come to complete it”

Kyungsoo visibly lit up at the news, as he had been extremely eager to both see the painting and meet the painter. The Duke was about to say ‘tomorrow’, but then he remembered that courtesy required him to invite his guest at least two days before the actual meeting, and so he said

“the day after tomorrow would be perfect”

“I will have a mail delivered to the workshop this morning then”

 

 

 

 

 

Kyungsoo woke up well rested feeling happy today; in a couple of hours he would have been able to see what he had been waiting for. Junmyeon brought him his breakfast, hot chocolate accompanied with cake, and he munched it contently; after having washed his face, the butler helped him to get in the same outfit he had worn almost two months ago, on the day of his birthday.

 Junmyeon had clearly noticed his Lord’s good mood, as he kept smiling fondly at Kyungsoo. The latter blushed a bit embarrassed by his own behavior, but to be quite honest he didn’t really care if Junmyeon saw him like this, as the old butler had been to the Duke almost a father after his parents’ death. Junmyeon had been there, at the service of Do Yunho and his wife Minha, even before Kyungsoo was born, and had seen the little Duke grow up since day one. Whenever he thought about it, Kyungsoo couldn’t help but feel grateful towards the butler, and he returned a sweet smile to the man.

Not long after Kyungsoo went into his study, Junmyeon came back to him with a overly smiling Jongin trailing him; he couldn’t really see the boy though, since he was half hidden by the butler. Both of them bowed

“My Lord. Kim Jongin has arrived”

And then Junmyeon stepped aside, allowing the Duke to see the painter: he was still bowing, holding a bouquet in his right hand. The boy straightened, and starting coming closer to Kyungsoo’s desk

“Good morning my lord, I haven’t had the opportunity to thank you for your birthday present, so excuse me for the extreme delay. Here it is a sign of my gratitude; it pales in comparison to the one you gave me, but please, accept it”

He gracefully set down the bouquet on the desk, right under Kyungsoo’s nose, and now the Duke recognized the flowers

“Magnolias… beautiful.”

Kyungsoo smiled, knowing exactly the meaning of that flower: ‘Splendid beauty’ an ‘dignity’, but also ‘nobility’ and ‘perseverance’.

“I believe there has never been a better way to compliment a noble, thank you Jongin”

Jongin blushed and bowed his head slightly. Junmyeon cleared his throat to get the attention of the two, and then pointed at two maids who were standing at the door, holding Jongin’s chest. The painter immediately went back to get it, and then put it near the chair he knew he was going to sit on. Then another maid arrived and brought the painting; Kyungsoo couldn’t see it as the canvas was facing the other way, and even while Jongin was carrying it to put it on the easel, he couldn’t get a glimpse of the picture. His curiosity was peaking up and he had to restrain himself from getting up to see it.

The maids bowed and left, then it was the butler’s turn. Now the two of them were left alone, and Jongin opened his chest to get out his palette and brushes. Kyungsoo got up and started walking towards him, but Jongin turned abruptly and held a palm out

“My Lord, please, the painting is almost done; I will only need a couple of hours to define the last details, and then you will be able to see it complete. Don’t ruin the surprise for yourself looking at it now, as I fear you might be disappointed for its current state”

Kyungsoo felt disappointed, but he was no kid; so he sat down on the armchair, facing the painter –who smiled at his compliance- and waiting for him to finish. But he was feeling antsy none the less, and the other must have noticed because he looked at him frowning

“Is there something wrong My Lord?”

“No Jongin, I just.. I am curious about that painting”

Jongin chuckled

“I thought you are getting a portrait painted only because Junmyeon insisted about it”

“True but-“ ‘I want to see myself’ “I – I am looking forward to see how my painted self looks”

Jongin kept smiling and went back to setting the colors he needed on the palette

“only two hours My lord, I promise”.

 

 

Those two hours went on excruciatingly slow; Kyungsoo tried to distract himself by concentrating on Jongin. He had noticed how handsome the man was, of course, but now that he really looked at him, the Duke was mesmerized. Now that he was painting, the childish expression that usually Jongin had on his face had disappeared; his dark brown eyes were deep in concentration, his dark brown, almost raven hair, was falling softly on his forehead; it was slightly too long, and it arrived a bit lower than his eyebrows line. Jongin then tilted his head on one side, and his straight jaw came directly into Kyungsoo’s sight; the Duke slowly followed the sharp line with his eyes and then stopped when he noticed the dimple on his chin. He gulped and abruptly looked away, releasing  a shaky breath he didn’t know he had been holding. He fisted his hands on his lap, breathing in and out a few times and then looked back at the man sitting in front of him. Jongin was observing him, and Kyungsoo blushed, worried he had been caught staring, but then the younger man went back to painting, and the Duke forced himself to relax. He decided it would have been better for both his brain and his racing heart if he, instead of looking at Jongin in the eyes, kept his gaze fixed on a undefined point on the wall behind the painter’s head.  The man couldn’t understand the feeling, why was he feeling so strange; was he sick? Maybe he should ask Junmyeon to call Yixing to take a look at him.

He was still worrying about his physical –and mental - health  when Jongin put his brush down and stretched, rising both his arms and bending the left one so that it was behind his head, holding his right forearm; the he arched his back backwards, to loosen up his muscles, tense from having been immobile for so long. Kyungsoo couldn’t help but stare at this point, his breath catching in his throat, a continuous stream of ‘dear lord dear lord dear lord’ crossing his mind. At this point the Duke was sure the last bit of sanity had left him because he now understood that what he was feeling was physical attraction and ‘he is a man oh my god’.

Jongin, unaware of the riot happening in Kyungsoo’s mind, straightened  again and smiled at Kyungsoo, a satisfied expression on his face

“My Lord, I have finished the painting; as I promised, it didn’t take longer than two hours”

The painter got up, and so did Kyungsoo, who had managed to calm down thanks to the new information. The noble slowly walked around the easel, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He then stopped in front of the canvas, slowly opened his eyes, and looked.

 

There are no words to express the emotions Kyungsoo felt in that moment, looking at his face for the first time. His portrayed self was handsome, more that he could have ever imagined: it had smiling, bright eyes matching equally smiling pulpy lips, a straight jaw and silky medium-long dark chocolate hair. The Duke covered his nose and gaping mouth with his trembling hands, eyes wide and glossy

“Is that really me?”

He asked, and Jongin made a confused face

“well yes My Lord, I- I think the resemblance is quite striking, but of course-“

Tears started streaming from Kyungsoo’s  eyes; his sight became blurred, but he didn’t want to stop looking at the portrait and so he blinked furiously to bring the limpidness back. On his side Jongin had started panicking; he had no idea of why de Duke was crying, and he was afraid he had committed a terrible mistake; he put his hands on Kyungsoo’s shoulders, and tried rubbing comforting circles with his thumbs.

“My Lord? What’s wrong? Is there something wrong in the painting because if that’s so I can paint another one… My lord please don’t cry! What do I do…”

Kyungsoo’s legs gave out and Jongin barely managed to catch the Duke before he could hit the floor; he didn’t know what to do so he slowly sat the duke down and then he sat next to him, holding the crying man to his chest. Kyungsoo leaned his head on the painter’s shoulder and his tears started soaking Jongin’s shirt, but the latter couldn’t care less.

They stayed like that for a while, until the smaller man’s sobs subdued; then the Duke came back to his senses and jerked away from Jongin, getting up and facing the other way to avoid to be seen in  the face. Jongin followed the Duke’s example and got up, keeping his distance from the other man.

“I’m sorry”

Came the croaked voice of Kyungsoo

“I apologize, I really don’t know what has gotten into me… It’s just that I haven’t seen my reflection is so long, and that face is so foreign to me that-“

A sob interrupted him. Kyungsoo close his eyes again trying to calm down but then  he felt a pair of harms circling his waist, and he immediately reopened them

“what- what are you doing?”

“It’s ok to cry My Lord, you don’t have to always be strong. Why don’t you go and rest for today? I will tell sir Junmyeon you are not feeling well”.

Jongin was freeing Kyungsoo when the latter grabbed his arm

“no!”

 Jongin looked taken aback; realizing what he had done and said, the Duke released the painter, and started looking  everywhere but at the other man’s eyes

“I- I mean.. no there is no need to, it’s still morning, we haven’t even had lunch yet, so how could I just go back to rest? In a few minutes Junmyeon will come here to ask what we would like to eat, and I hope you will stay for lunch. Please. There are some things I feel like I should explain to you”

Kyungsoo was looking at Jongin in the eyes, hoping he would see his silent plea of ‘stay’ in them,  and the painter must have read his need on his face because he sighed and whispered ‘ok’.

 

 

 

 

Later on, when Junmyeon came in and saw Kyungsoo’s swollen eyes, he was shocked, and rapidly looked between the Duke and the painter; but then Kyungsoo shook his head, try to convey ‘it’s ok, he didn’t anything’, and the butler calmed a bit, brow still creased. Kyungsoo, even though he knew it was rude towards his guest, ordered that that day they would have had lunch in his study, and no one complained. He really didn’t want to be seen like that by his servants, and has so many private matters to discuss about that he didn’t feel like risking to talk in the dining hall where anyone could have eavesdropped.

So there they were, food almost untouched in front of them, Kyungsoo staring at a roasted chicken, Jongin at the boiled potatoes.

Kyungsoo sighed for the umpteenth time that day, and decided to break the silence

“So.. about earlier… first of all let me tell you it had nothing to do with your painting… or better, it had to do with it but only as in it was almost like a.. reflection of myself. Even though I am sure I don’t look quite as handsome as I do in that portrait. The real problem has its roots in a completely different place and time. Do you remember when you asked me about the mirrors?”

Kyungsoo looked at Jongin who was still staring at the tubers

“well this is kind of related with it”

This spiked up the painter’s curiosity, and so he lifted his head to look at Kyungsoo in the eyes

“I… after my parents’ death –back then  I was only 16 – all of my relatives started  to visit incessantly every day, seeing me as a frail boy who was going to crumble under their poorly hidden pressure, hoping that they could get their hands on my family’s inheritance.”

Kyungsoo looked back at the dish in front of him

“ I knew I wasn’t that frail mentally, I had been able to endure the pain of my loss and their pity after all.. but I hated my body. I really looked like I could break at any moment; I was short, thin, and it didn’t help that I used to be shy. One day, one of my relatives said something – I don’t remember exactly what – that brought me to my braking point. I sent all of them away, and in my blinded fury I broke every mirror I knew of in my mansion; I didn’t want to look at my reflection ever again. I was my mind, not my body. I started taking fencing seriously –I had no interest in it before – and trained every day with my instructor. I still do.”

He laughed sourly

“I guess I have started liking it at some point or another; whenever I fence I think more clearly, that’s why I take most of the important decisions only after a session of fencing… I guess I could use an hour or two of training right now.”

He paused

“Anyways, back to my life story; since that day I have never seen my reflection and if your painting is anything to go by, I have changed quite a lot. Now you even know why I was so eager to see it”

He chuckled again

“come on, I can see it in your eyes that you want to say something. You may”

“My Lord-“

“call me Kyungsoo”

Jongin eyes almost popped out of their sockets, and this time Kyungsoo smiled for real; he then propped his elbow on the table, and leaned his head on his closed fist; ‘screw good manners’

“My Lord-“

“Kyungsoo”

“.. Kyungsoo..”

Hearing the boy say his name did wonders to the Duke’s body, especially to his belly

“…yes?”

“My- Kyungsoo you do me too much honor, I am in no position to call you by your first name”

The painter bowed his head

“Jongin, please, we are in a closed room and no one can hear us; titles are just conventions our society uses to distinguish rich people from slightly less rich people and from poor people. We don’t need to demonstrate anything to anyone right now; of course, in front of other people I prefer you call me “My Lord”, but that’s just for their hears, not for myself. Am I clear?”

Jongin gulped, and his eyes darkened a bit

“Yes, M- Kyungsoo”

“now, back to the topic, what was it that you wanted to say?”

“My-… Kyungsoo… you are wrong”.

Kyungsoo looked taken aback

“sorry?”

“what you said before.. you are wrong”

“I don’t-“

Jongin leaned forward, a fire burning in his eyes fixed on Kyungsoo’s

“You said something on the line of ‘I am sure I am not as handsome as you portrayed me’; that’s utterly, completely wrong. No painting could ever be as beautiful as you are in real life; I admit I had troubles with this portrait because I felt like I was being unjust to you the whole time. I wish I had a mirror with me here to show you how completely perfect you are”

Kyungsoo’s heart missed a beat, Jongin’s  cheeks flushed crimson, but neither of them diverted their eyes. Kyungsoo felt an invisible pull to get nearer the painter’s face, but he resisted the temptation. On the contrary, he leaned his back against the seatback and crossed his arms in front of his chest. There was a pause in which they kept staring into each other’s soul, and then

“you are such a good liar and a sweet talker”

he mumbled in the end as a reply and both of them chuckled.

 

 

It was time for Jongin to go; he had already settled everything back into his chest and had given it to the maids so that they could bring it back to the carriage.

“Will you come and visit from time to time?”

Kyungsoo was looking at Jongin hopefully and smiling

“I would love to Kyungsoo, but I don’t think I can come here without a written invitation or a carriage ready to me to the entrance without being blocked my one of the dozens of guards watching your mansion"

They laughed

“that’s true… but what if I will instruct them to let you pass?”

“well… then the guards wouldn’t be a problem anymore, but I doubt I would be able to come here on my own, since I don’t have an horse to ride until here”

“Are you trying to politely refuse my friendship offer?”

“I am trying to get you to agree to send a carriage to get me whenever you want to see me”

“are you implying I can do it even without prior notice?”

“I am”

“it’s a deal then; don’t you think it will be that easy to escape me now, friend”

“and it will be as hard to get read of me from now on”

 

 

 

 

 

 Junmyeon was worried. No, worried was an euphemism; he was distressed.

The Duke had been acting strangely lately, as in extremely strangely, mentally hill strangely. Plus, he had started making weird requests like ‘bring me a mirror’. Now, if they were talking about anyone else, that would have been a perfectly legitimate request, but it was the Duke, the man who had spent half his life running away from mirrors. It just didn’t make sense. But again, maybe that could have been considered as progress… except, now the Duke refused to leave his room most of the time. To  be very honest, Junmyeon had no idea of what he was doing in there; the only thing he knew was that every time he was allowed to get into the room, the Duke was sitting in front of his painting, staring at it. Unsettling. But he couldn’t be sitting there all day, could he? so who knows what he had really be doing. So after all, it wasn’t of a progress.

The butler sighed, and went back to polish the silverware.

 

 

What Junmyeon didn’t know is that Kyungsoo had been staring at the painting the whole time. It was the second day after Jongin had finished his portrait, and he couldn’t stop looking at it, still amazed by how beautiful it was. Even though both Jongin and Junmyeon had assured him that the painting indeed looked alike him, he needed to see it for himself. He had asked his butler to bring him a mirror, and had put it near the canvas; now he kept staring right and left, confronting the painting with his reflection and yes, the former looked exactly like him, as if some kind of magic had managed to freeze an instant of his life to transfer it on the pictorial surface. Kyungsoo stretched out his right arm, and timidly, hesitantly touched his portrait’s face; he almost expected to feel skin under his hand, but all that met him was dried paint. He caressed that smiling cheek with two fingers, and then he leaned forward until his forehead met with the depicted one. He looked at those bright eyes that he still didn’t feel comfortable in calling his.

He stayed like that for a while, then Junmyeon knocked on the door, and he straightened. “Come in!”

The butler opened the door, and gave him a strange look, almost a resigned one.

“My Lord, dinner is ready”.

Behind him there was a maid with a tray;  the butler bowed and was about to take his leave when the Duke remembered something

“wait”

Junmyeon turned again and looked at him, seeming surprised by the fact that Kyungsoo had spoken to him.

“yes My Lord?”

“when did you say that that ball held by my cousin will be?”

The butler’s eyeballs almost popped out of their sockets at the request, but he replied nonetheless

“It..huh.. it will be in 10 days My Lord”

“I will go”.

Since now he didn’t look like an easy prey anymore, it was time to go back into the social life.