It had been so long since he had last sat in a carriage that being in such a confined space made Kyungsoo feel almost claustrophobic. To alleviate the sufferance, he spent the whole time looking out of the window, with the curtains fully open  and the night breeze caressing his face. He knew that tonight’s ball was going to be draining, as people were bound to be curious about the Duke who had disappeared for eight years; also the younger generation had never met him.

For the occasion of his “Debut” in society, he had chosen to wear the same outfit he had for his painting, even only to feel more confident about himself. The carriage stopped in front of the mansion of the Count Kim family, and the helmsman held the door open for him. As soon as he set foot on the ground of the garden, he straightened himself, and after having dismissed his servant, he started walking. Some curious heads were already turning in his directions, girls whispering among themselves, probably asking each other if they knew who he was. He felt like an actor on the stage of the theatre: all eyes were set on him. And he wasn’t even inside of the mansion yet!

He kept walking until he reached the entrance door where he was stopped by one of the servants of the mansion politely asking him for his written invitation, offering an excuse a weak ‘so we know with which name to introduce you to the ballroom, My Lord’. He handed out his folded invitation, and observed the man’s face carefully. The servant opened it, just to freeze on the spot. He looked up at the Duke face and then again back at the paper, not quite believing his eyes; he then gave the expansive paper back with shaking hands, and asked Kyungsoo to follow him. The Duke felt very much satisfied by the reaction of the servant.

They walked inside the hall and then upstairs, to the noble floor. Then the servant turned left, and stopped after about twenty meters under a great door that most certainly leaded to the ballroom. The man asked him to wait, as he had to introduce him first, and then went in. Kyungsoo took advantage of the short  seconds he had to himself to take a few calming breaths, checking for the last time himself to be certain nothing was wrong in his outfit. Then he heard the man clear his throat loudly, and then he began to speak

“My Ladies and My Lords, it’s with the utmost pleasure that now I present to you The Duke Do Kyungsoo”

That was his clue to move. He took one last breath and walked through the door, exposing himself to the eyes on the highest nobility of the country.

If until the second before the name “Do Kyungsoo” someone in the ballroom was still talking, now the entire hall was dead silent. Even the orchestra at the end of the room had stopped playing, as the musicians were too shocked to keep move their fingers simultaneously. Kyungsoo kept walking slowly, until he was certain everyone in the room could see him, and then stopped. He then proceeded to look around, judging his public’s reactions. Most of them were gaping, and the most composed people were still staring at him with wide eyes. Of course no one had expected him to turn up, and the surprise was too big.

The first person to recover from the shock was his cousin, the host of the house, the Countess Kim Taeyeon. She started delicately pushing his guests to make her way among them, and when she reached Kyungsoo she was slightly breathless.

“My dearest cousin! How long has it been? Look at you, I can barely recognize my own blood. How have you been?”

Kyungsoo had always liked his cousin, she was cheerful and polite, never inappropriate. If he had to be honest, she was one of the few people he had missed, at least at first. He smiled wholeheartedly at his lively relative and bowed his head slightly, taking the hand she was offering him to kiss it.

“My dearest Taeyeon, I have missed you. I have been good, as I hope you can see”

“of course of course! You are in dazzling shape!”

They both laughed

“But enough talking about me, I am here to congratulate you on your firstborn child. Where is he?, and where is the man who made you a mother? I don’t think I have ever had the pleasure of meeting him”

In that exact moment, a short –but not shorter than Kyungsoo- man appeared next to Taeyeon, and the woman linked her left harm with his right one

“Let me introduce myself; I am Kim Jongdae, your cousin’s husband. It’s a great honor to finally meet you, Duke”

he bowed slightly and elegantly. His smile seemed genuine, and so did the one on Taeyeon’s face: the two of them truly were in love, and Kyungsoo felt really happy for his cousin.

“The pleasure is all mine, Jongdae”

“As for your first question, Kyungsoo, our son is with his nanny. It is too late for a baby to be still awake, so we are letting him rest”

Taeyeon smiled. The people around them had been watching the whole exchange, and the giggles that could be heard when Kyungsoo smiled weren’t just a few. Slowly all the nobles Kyungsoo had already met at least once in his life came to him to great him, and then it was the turn of the ones who he had never met. At some point his cousin had disappeared among the crowd, probably to keep entertained all of her guests, but not without asking his husband to stay near Kyungsoo, who she guessed was feeling a bit disoriented, and to save him from all that people suffocating him if needed. The Duke was extremely grateful for that kind of attention, especially since he really felt like the crowd was closing up on him.

Soon enough, in fact, Jongdae had to practically haul Kyungsoo out of the circle of oppressing questions to drag him on the balcony, where the Duke finally felt like he could breathe again.

“thank you, Jongdae, I don’t think I could have resisted a minute longer in there.”

“there is no need to thank me, Duke; I had to save you otherwise my wife was going to slaughter me!”

 “Then it’s a good thing I am out here, I wouldn’t have liked the idea of Taeyeon beheading you because of me”

They both laughed. Kyungsoo now knew why his cousin loved this man, not only was he handsome, but also genuinely funny, exactly like her. They heard a ‘Jongdae!’ behind their backs and so they both turn; the one who called his new relative’s name was a petite brunet wearing an extravagant outfit; it wasn’t like it was strange in shape but more like in the choice of colors. It was extremely showy.

“Here he comes Baekhyun! Seems like this is your turn to save me, cousin!”

“Hey! I heard you! I see you are being bratty with one of your guests, Count”

Both males laughed;  Kyungsoo on the other hand was a bit puzzled. He didn’t know whether to ‘save’ Jongdae or he was just joking with the new come

“Duke, this is the marquise Byun Baekhyun, one of my childhood friends. He is a bit.. sui generis, but after a while you will get used to his eccentricity and straightforwardness”

“more than ‘sui generis’, I like to call myself an aesthete..”

Baekhyun then looked at Kyungsoo, and bowed, never breaking the eye contact

“It’s a great pleasure to finally meet you, Duke. I heard a while ago some women talking about your beauty but I must say they did you no justice”

Baekhyun smiled- … sensually?-  at him, and Kyungsoo was more than just a bit confused. Did he just… compliment him as he was a woman? Another man did?  He furrowed his brow because how the hell was he supposed to reply to that.. was he joking? Was he serious? Had it become normal in these eight years to say this kind of things among men? Should he reply with another compliment or – great. Blushing. Why not. Of course. Fantastic. Kyungsoo could feel his cheek heat up and didn’t need a mirror to know he was visibly red.

“Marquise… I- thank you?”

Jongdae started laughing at that, tears of mirth coming out of his eyes

“Duke, I warned you about him; ignore Baekhyun whenever he says something too strange to be comprehended”

In the meanwhile Baekhyun had not laughed at all, not even smiled; he had kept staring at Kyungsoo like he had been some kind of long yearned trophy, and the Duke suddenly felt too exposed.

 

 

 

The night had been less hectic after the first hour, since everyone decided they had bugged the Duke for long enough. Said person was extremely thankful for this realization –even if it came in the shape of Baekhyun literally saying to those who made too many questions that they ‘should go and get a drink’- and he finally was able to relax a bit. Kyungsoo had to admit that after the bad first impression, the marquise was quite enjoyable to be with;  he knew all the possible fun facts about every noble and he never stopped cracking jokes for the whole night. He had even saved the Duke from some dense –or maybe too sly to be deceived- ladies who wouldn’t get his hints of wanting them to leave. It’s incredible how politely he was able to tell people to get out of his sight, and the less bright ones left thinking they had received some kind of compliment or acknowledgment by him. Byun Baekhyun was the definition of social butterfly. At the end of the day, Kyungsoo decided he liked him.

To be honest, the Duke had no idea of how he had ended up inviting both Baekhyun and Jongdae to come to his mansion in two days, neither did he knew that a ball could be so much fun if you spent the time with the right people. He was starting to regret having wasted so many years of his youth, and he was determined to make up for them.

 

 

 

 

 

The next day Kyungsoo woke up in a good mood, interning on impress his guest. He didn’t even wait for Junmyeon to come and help him dress, and before he left the room, he gave one more caress to his portrait, mentally thanking it for the umpteenth time.

He got out of his room, almost bumping into his butler who had a hand risen in the knocking gesture. The man recovered from the surprise and bowed immediately

“Good Morning My Lord, you are up early today”

“today we have so many things to do, Junmyeon that I felt like I was wasting precious time by just lying in  bed”

“To wake up full of energy is always a good thing, My Lord, but if I may ask, what is it exactly that we need to do, except for the usual, I mean”

“Oh yes, last night I haven’t had the opportunity of telling you that tomorrow we will be having guests”

“Guests My Lord?”

The Duke  could hear the surprise in his voice and smiled

“Yes, guests. It will be my cousin the Count Kim Jongdae and his dear friend the Marquise Byun Baekhyun. Now, as I was saying, since this house hasn’t received visits in so long, there is a lot of preparation that needs to be done! First of all, make sure that the house is cleaned thoroughly and that the silverware is polished perfectly, then, about the menu of the day, the appetizers should be something extravagant; the marquise is quite.. a character… as for the main course I believe meat with vegetables and potatoes side dishes would be great with red wine…  wait, do we even have some really good wine?”

He looked at Junmyeon, who looked stunned by that fast stream of words

“I- well of course yes My Lord; even though you never asked for it, I kept supplying our wine cellar every year. On the contrary, since you have always drank the “daily” wine, – the less exquisite of that year’s wine-making – our cellars are full of refined wine”

“Excellent. Tomorrow serve the best red wine we have. Now, back to the menu, what could we make as a dessert?”

Kyungsoo brought his right hand to his chin, holding it between his index finger and thumb.

“My Lord, if I may, I suggest we make some creamy chocolate cake, as I believe the .. extravagant marquise might enjoy that”

“Perfect, it’s set then. Now, about the portrait…”

The butler visibly tensed

“Where could we hang it?”

The old man relaxed

“How about the parlor? Right on the chimney,  so that whoever enters the room sees it first”

“excellent idea, Junmyeon”

 

 

 

 

 

The moment had come;  one of his servants had come running to inform the Duke that one of his guests had arrived.

Kyungsoo went to the hall, ready to greet Jongdae. His cousin walked through the door soon after, pulling out his leather gloves

“Good Morning Jongdae, I hope the travel hasn’t been to exhausting”

“Good morning to you Duke”

He bowed his head slightly

“Not at all. Even though the cold is biting, the sight of your magnificent garden has mitigated the sufferance”

“thank you for your kind words; I try to do what I can. Now please, follow me to the parlor”

They started walking, the Count half a step behind the Duke

“How have you been? How is my dearest cousin?”

“Both of us have been enjoying the joys of being parents.. maybe a little too much I guess”

He slimed brightly

“We keep staring at our son all day, so I have nothing interesting to say about these two days”

“It’s good to have such a strong affection for your own blood, Jongdae, especially since he is the heir of your lineage. Only, try not to spoil him too much!”

They both laughed. A few seconds later they arrive to the parlor; it was a squared room with red flowery wall paper and, on the roof a cream-colored and golden stucco. On the left, there were three huge floor-to-ceiling windows, which made the room one of the brightest of the mansion. The red, thick curtains were pulled to the side, allowing the people inside to see the garden. In front of the windows, there was a grand piano, made of a dark brown wood. In the middle of the room there was a round wooden table, color matching the one of the piano, richly inlaid with floral decorations of mother-of-pearl. Around said table there were a couch and two armchairs. Finally, opposite to  the entrance door, there was the chimney, and on the latter there was the portrait.

Jongdae gaped at the painting, amazed by how striking the resemblance to the Duke was.

“Whoever made this masterpiece must be the best painter in the whole country, if not the whole world. It’s incredible how he has managed to capture your spirit in it; I feel like I am staring to a double of yourself, Kyungsoo”
“Kim Jongin has been a revelation: so young yet so skillful. If I hadn’t seen with my own eyes what he is capable of, I would have never believed it looking at him”

“Kim Jongin… is that the painter’s name? I shall remember it”

They sat down, Jongdae on an armchair, Kyungsoo on the couch, which was perpendicular to the chimney –and so to the painting-  and kept talking about everything and anything for a while, until Junmyeon entered the room, bowing politely.

“My Lords, here it is The marquise Byun Baekhyun”

He moved to the side, still bowing, and Baekhyun entered the room grinning, walking with a walking stick in hand. Junmyeon left and closed the door.

“My Lords”

The marquise bowed mockingly, walked to the couch – where Kyungsoo was sitting, slightly leaning onto the couch’s arm at his left - and sat next to the Duke, without being invited to, thighs almost touching. Kyungsoo doubted he would ever get used to such a… straightforwardness. He then sprawled (as much as it was still considered appropriate for a noble to) and put an harm on the seatback of the couch, behind the Duke’s back, personal space long forgotten.

“You are late!”

The Count complained

“fashionably late. So, what were you talking about?”

“you”

Jongdae replied and Kyungsoo looked at him because that was not true

“Really? Only good things I hope”

“I was complaining to the poor Duke about what a disgrace it has been to have had you in my life for so long”

 Baekhyun tsk-ed

“then you were complaining about having had a fun life until now. Don’t worry, I will let you live in your married dullness from now on”

They both laughed, and Kyungsoo looked at the both of them confused

“You talk about marriage like it were a bad thing”

“Of course it is!”

Baekhyun jumped on his spot

“Marriage is the end of all fun in life! It’s chains, I tell you, chains! Look at Jongdae; we used to seduce all the ladies in the parties, but now, look at him! Loyal like puppy and with a stupid smile plastered on his face whenever he looks at his wife”

He sighed dramatically

“Then you are not complaining about marriage but about love”

The marquise looked at Kyungsoo in the eyes, dead serious now

“Love, marriage… all of those are for old people, my Duke. Old people who wouldn’t have any other way to have fun if now inside the boundaries of the intimacy of their mansion. No, we, the young people, shall never fall into such traps!”

He put a finger under Kyungsoo’s chin to lift it a bit, to that it was even to his eye level, and leaned in a bit whispering sensually

“especially someone like you, My Lord, with your good looks and enticing body”

Kyungsoo gulped loudly and widened his eyes, blushing; he then tried to look away, and Baekhyun let him.

The marquise burst into laughing for his reaction

“so innocent!”

He laughed louder, until Jongdae – jokingly – intervened to save the Duke

“Baekhyun! Don’t tease my cousin. Don’t be a pest”

Kyungsoo was still red in the face when Junmyeon entered the room after knocking. He bowed.

“My Lords, is there anything I can brink to you to warm up yourselves, as the weather today is especially cold”

Baekhyun didn’t waste a second before replying

“A hot chocolate, please!”

Jongdae laughed at his eagerness and then thought about it for a second

“Black tea”

“what kind my lord?”

“earl gray”

“of course. Duke? Is there anything I can make for you?”

He hummed, thinking about it, but then Baekhyun whispered ‘Chocolate!’ in his hear and his smooth voice made him shiver. He looked at him in the eyes, a smirk on the marquise’ s face, which was extremely close to his; he smirked too and looked at Junmyeon, who was still waiting for an answer

“so be it. Hot chocolate, thank you”

 

 

 

They were now sipping their hot drinks, and Baekhyun had retreated his arm, only, now their thighs were touching. To be fully honest, Kyungsoo didn’t mind a bit. He had no idea of why it was so, since he usually was very aware of his personal space being invaded, but with Baekhyun he just didn’t care.

“so, if you believe morality in an invention, and you live only according to your desires, do you really not have any rule set for yourself?”

“Of course I do have my rules! Everything I do is strictly related to them. I am a aesthete, not a fool.”

He rose an hand and held out four fingers

“here he goes at it again”

Jongdae mumbled, but Baekhyun ignored him and kept staring into the Duke’s eyes

“My life revolves around four golden rules: Number one, ‘live your own life like it were a masterpiece’; two, ‘regret is a frivolous grazing for unemployed souls’; three, ‘ habere, non haberi’; and last, but in no way least, ‘Superiority’”.

He close his hand in a gracious fist and then he lowered his hand, going back to sip his hot chocolate.

The beverage of the duke was in his right hand, almost untouched, as he hadn’t really wanted to drink anything to begin with. Kyungsoo looked intrigued by those four principles, and so he leaned his head on his left fist, elbow propped on the cushion of the couch to better look at Baekhyun in the face

“These are all elaborated words, but what do these maxims exactly mean?”

Jongdae moaned form the armchair he was sitting on, and got ready for the long explanation he now knew by heart

“Dear cousin, did you really have to ask such a question?”

“Shut up”

Baekhyun glared at him

“I believe the Duke could make a perfect aesthete if he wanted to be”

Then he turned back at Kyungsoo

“so, let’s explain them one by one. And Jongdae, I can see you even if I am not looking at you directly, stop making suicide gestures”

The Duke laughed, looking at the Count who was fake-strangling himself. Baekhyun cleared his throat to get the man’s attention back, and then started talking

“‘live your own life like it were a masterpiece’… I means that your life has to become one with art. There is no distinction between the way you act and the way an actor on the stage does. You have to make your life unique, enviable, you have to act theatrically. Your life is beauty, art is beauty, your life becomes art.”

He paused

“ ‘Regret is a frivolous grazing for unemployed souls’… what could this mean? It means that you have to try everything there is to try out there. Food, voyages, experiences, peoples, duels, carnal experiences, opium, alcohol, e-ve-ry-thin-g”

He syllabified the last word, looking at Kyungsoo intensely in the eyes and popping  the ending ‘g’ so much that the Duke saw the movement in the other man’s throat. He then paused again.

“the third rule, ‘ habere, non haberi’ is quite self explicatory, don’t you think? ‘to posses, not to be possessed’… this, Duke, is the rule that refrains me from getting married –not that I would even want to do such a stupid thing. You can posses a woman, please her as much as you want in bed, but never, ever fall in love with her. Love means you become a possession  of hers, which is no good. Same goes for marriage.”

He looked at Jongdae who was smiling brightly

“you make it sound like my wife has put a collar around my neck and now she keeps me under her control with a leash”

“hasn’t she thought? What you think that ring on your finger is, exactly”

Jongdae scoffed

“A symbol of our love?”

“a warning for ladies looking for some love!”

Jongdae made a shocked face and Kyungsoo laughed wholeheartedly at the skit going on in front of him so much that mirth tears spilled from his eyes. The other two men looked at him surprised, since that was the first time they saw him so happy. Baekhyun stared at him with a strange expression on his face, eyes half lidded and head tilted on the right. Here again the Duke felt that strange numbness taking over his body for a few seconds under the older man’s stare. His laughing fit eventually subdued, and he felt a bit embarrassed for having laughed that hard.

“your smile is heart shaped… it’s sweet”

Kyungsoo blushed at the comment, and decided it was time to change the topic

“so, the last maxim?”

Baekhyun straightened up

“oh right! The last one. It is probably the most general and therefore important of all them; ‘Superiority’. You need to be above all of the other people, better than them; aesthetes don’t care about the mob’s opinions, we live according to our rules and that’s exactly why we don’t need morality. Have I expressed myself clearly?”

“yes, I think I understand. And now I also know why you act the way you do with people!”

Baekhyun blinked

“What do you mean?”

“I mean.. for example the way you act around me!”

“oh”

Baekhyun smirked”

“that. It could be, but you are a special case”

Now it was Kyungsoo’s turn to be confused

“what?”

“nothing! Again, I am amazed at how good that painter is. What did you say is his name was?”

The Duke was disoriented by the sudden change in topic, so Jongdae was waster than him in replying

“Kim Jongin”

Baekhyun looked intensely at the portrait

“I’d like to meet him one day”

Kyungsoo looked at the portrait too

“it can be arranged”

The marquise nodded and got up.

“Now it’s time for me to take my leave”

“aren’t you going to stay for lunch?”

Kyungsoo was hoping he would change his mind

“I told you, I don’t care about conventions. I have never  said I would have joined you for lunch, only that I was going to visit; you just assumed I was going to stay because that’s what people usually do. Conventions, my dear. But! Before I leave, I want to ask you something; will you go to the ball of the Grand duchess Im Jinah next week? I have something to show you”

Kyungsoo thought about it; if he wasn’t mistaken he had received the invite to that ball, so why not?

“Of course!”

“see you there, then”

And he his heels and left.

 

 

 

 

Kyungsoo missed Jongin, and all that talk about him had only strengthened the feeling. Both of his guest had left, and now he was sitting alone on a armchair in front of his painting. The more he looked at it, the more he felt like the painting was part of him; if anyone asked him to explain that feeling, the only thing he could tell them is that the painting was to him like a second skin; maybe a mask, or even his own soul. He now understood how narcissus must have felt when he had seen his reflection of the trembling water, how he had fallen in love with it.

Thinking again about Jongin, he didn’t know if it was appropriate for him to ask the painter to come and visit him without any real reason, so he in the end decided against it.

 

 

 

 

 

The mansion of the Grand Duchess was huge, bigger than Kyungsoo’s, even though it was nearer than the Duke’s to the city. Of course he wasn’t complaining, firstly because it was expected since she was a step higher into the society than him, and secondly because he didn’t care.

As soon as he arrived, there was a sort of encore of the last ball, and everyone stared at him like he were a ghost. Kyungsoo had hoped that this time he would have caused less of a commotion, but it seemed like nobility needed a longer time to adapt to his presence. He wandered around the ballroom, hoping to find Jongdae and Taeyeon or at least someone he knew, when a sumptuously dressed woman approached him

“Welcome to my humble house, Duke. I hope you are enjoying yourself. I had heard you had started coming to balls again after all these years, and to be honest I couldn’t quite believe my hears. But now I see you in person, and I must say that it is indeed a pleasant sight”

She extended her right hand

Kyungsoo immediately understood that she was the host of the party, the Grand Duchess, and so he elegantly bowed and kissed her hand. When he got up he noticed she was examining him, and he felt exposed.

“My Lady, thank you for having invited me to such a marvelous ball; I have been enjoying the melodious music of the orchestra. As for your compliment, I really do not deserve it; my exterior looks pale if compared to your radiant beauty”

She smiled

“you are flattering me, My Lord.”

“I have only stated the truth, My Lady”

And it was true; even though the Grand Duchess was ten years older than himself and had a son, she was still beautiful. Jongdae had told him that her husband, who was a older than her by many years, had died two years ago, and now she kept herself entertained with walls and young men. He didn’t know if the last part was true or just a nasty rumor, but he didn’t have any trouble in imagining her with someone of his age. In that moment, one of the servants announced that the marquise Byun Baekhyun had arrived, and he turned to the door. Baekhyun spotted him and the Grand Duchess and immediately started walking towards them.

“Good evening My Lady, My Lord”

He bowed

“Welcome Marquise”

The both of them exchanged a look and the Duke had no idea of what it meant. Then, after some pleasantries, the Duchess excused herself, as she had to great the new guests that had arrived in the meanwhile.

“Duke, those ladies back there have been staring at you like you were the most tender piece of meat they have ever seen”

Kyungsoo’s eyes widened and he was about to turn when Baekhyun stopped him

“Don’t. they will understand we are talking about them. Now we will just casually walk that way while talking, so that you can see them yourself”

They did as Baekhyun instructed and yes, there were four ladies giggling and looking at him

“See my friend? And those aren’t even the only ones. Every lady –and even some man – in this hall has looked at you at least twice; one by chance, the second by intent. What are you going to do about it?”

“huh… Nothing?”

Baekhyun stopped walking and grabbed his shoulders, making the Duke face him

“Wrong answer. You are going to flirt with them and enjoy your night”

“But- why would I do such a thing?”

“because”

And he was talking slowly, like he was explaining something complex to a kid

“one or more of them could… use… some company tonight, if you know what I mean”

Kyungsoo stared at him in disbelief

“what?”

“believe me, women  act all innocent and prude but they are anything but”

He released his hold on his shoulders

“let’s practice: choose one”

“one what”

“One chair. One woman of course! What are we talking about! So, tell me, who do you like”

Kyungsoo looked around and met the eyes of a beautiful, tall brunette

“umm… that one?”

Baekhyun turned and smirked, putting an arm around the Duke’s shoulders

“good choice, my friend, good choice. But that might be a bit too hard for you right now. Choose someone easier”

Kyungsoo furrowed his brows and kept looking around. He spotted a less beautiful woman who had been sending him glances

“what about that one?”

“that’s perfect.”

 

 

 

 

 

Kyungsoo woke up with a throbbing headache, and he sat up, rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hands. He then looked around, expecting to see his room but it was not. Confused he blinked a few times and looked at the bed, trying to understand where he was when suddenly something under the bed sheets moved on his left and he almost screamed. He pulled the cover slightly to see what it was and what he saw made all the events of the night before come back rushing to his mind. Kyungsoo jumped on his feet, almost falling over in the haste

“Bloody- , !”

He wasn’t used to cussing but right now he wanted to kill Baekhyun. After a lot of ‘practice’ in flirting (which he was grateful for) the topic of had came up in some way and he had naively admitted that he was a . That had released the beast inside the marquise because he said he ‘needed to make that straight before the night ended’ and that he had ‘a few friends who would have given up half their dowry to have spend a night with him’ and that had been the beginning of the downfall (which he was NOT grateful for). He had made him drink so much that he had lost any inhibition, winked at him whispering ‘have fun’ only to disappear with the Grand Duchess in some private room of hers, and then…. This happened. This being the blonde girl who was now stirring on the bed.

“good morning My Lord”

She giggled and Kyungsoo wanted to die because he was standing with his.. jewelry fully exposed. He grabbed the sheet and tried to cover himself. He was blushing crimson red.

“G-good morning, My Lady”

The woman giggled again and sat up, putting in full show her s.

“My Lord…. Kyungsoo”

She said with a sensual voice. Oh yes, now he remembers telling her  to call him that way

“why don’t you come back on the bed?”

“I- believe it’s time I left-“

“but Kyungsoo! Last night you promised me more”

He did. He ing did. Bloody hell.

“I –“

What was he supposed to do? He had made a promise and his honor required him to keep it, but on the other hand he was drunk so maybe he didn’t really have to keep it.. right? But also, IT had felt so good -he wasn’t going to deny it- that just the thought of an encore made something down there stir. .

 In the end it was the girl who decided for both of them, pulling him back under the covers.

Maybe he wasn’t going to kill Baekhyun after all.

 

 

 

 

 

The next time Kyungsoo met the Marquise, the latter was grinning from ear to hear. Actually it hadn’t been so long after his.. encounter… with the blonde lady; only the day after that. Baekhyun had showed up uninvited at his front door, and the Duke still had to decide whether to kill the smiling brunet or not, so he let him come in.

“How was it?”

Kyungsoo was laying on the couch of the parlor and Baekhyun had managed to find a spot to sit on in that very couch somehow. Well the “somehow” was by making the Duke turn a bit on his left side, so now Baekhyun was sitting near his hip. Kyungsoo covered his face with his arm, to cover his blush

“I hate you”

“it’s not true, you love me”

The marquise stated matter-of-factly. He then removed Kyungsoo’s arm so that he could look at him in the face

“So now, tell me, how was it?”

“.. amazing”

Baekhyun’s grin became devilish

“See? I told you. And with this face you could have it every time you want it”

Kyungsoo snorted

Baekhyun bent his torso slightly forward, so that his face was hovering above the Duke’s, and he put his hands on the couch’s arm to avoid falling on the laying man.

“now tell me, what or who made you come back to the world of the livings from your self- imposed isolation, Kyungsoo?”

The Duke shivered. He had never told Baekhyun he could call him with his first name and drop formalities, but the other just kept taking and taking without him ever realizing it. Again, like everything concerning the Marquise, he didn’t care.

Kyungsoo stretched his neck to see his painting, which was exactly in the direction of his hair, and felt Baekhyun freeze on the spot; the Duke looked at him questioningly, but the other kept staring at his face without saying a word. Kyungsoo decided to ignore his strange behavior and went back to look at the painting, pointing it with his right arm

“that’s the answer your question”

Next to him the marquise relaxed, and looked up at the painting

“really? How so?”

“it made me realize I am not a kid anymore, but an adult”

“an handsome one”

 Kyungsoo looked back at the marquise’s face and the latter winked.

“you could say that”

They laughed

“but seriously, I couldn’t believe that was me even if Jongin kept reassuring me that I was ‘even more beautiful than the portrait itself’”

“Really?”

Baekhyun said it with a rising- falling tone, and then arched an eyebrow

“now I am even more curious to meet this painter of yours… how old is he?”

“23”

“so is that young… when can I meet him?”

“if you feel like coming tomorrow, then I will send a carriage to get him in the morning”

 

 

 

It had been so long since he had last met Kyungsoo that Jongin wasn’t expecting to see the carriage waiting for him outside of the workshop when he arrived. People were staring at him again and he really just wanted to get into the thing to disappear from their sight. But of course, he couldn’t have been that lucky. The helmsman was not there and he supposed he was inside looking for him. Also, he had to tell YI Fan that he couldn’t work that day, since he had been summoned by the Duke.

He went inside  the workshop, more eyes staring at him. Sehun neared him, until he was standing in front of Jongin. He then crossed his arms, and arched an eyebrow

“what is your excuse this time?”

“what do you mean?”

“You know what I mean. Why did your Duke sent a carriage for you, like you were his princes?”

The younger boy grinned impishly, looking satisfied with his teasing.

“to be honest, I have no idea, but maybe it has to do with the painting”

“you are lying and I can tell”

Jongin snorted

“and my what?”

“by the stupid smile plastered on  your face… now, why don’t you tell me the truth?”

“well… the last time I left he said we were friends… I don’t know I thought he had forgotten but maybe he hasn’t?”

“So you are telling me you are friends with the Duke”

“… yes?”

His affirmation sounded more like a question

“and tell me, if I may ask My  Lord, how did you win the Duke as your friend?”

“I.. don’t know? We just talked about everything and anything and then he was very satisfied by the painting, I guess”

“… right”

“now excuse me, but I need to talk to master Yi Fan”

“well actually there is no need to, seeing as the Duke is speaking with him right now”

“—wait what? Did you just say the Duke? In person? Here?”

“yes, that’s what I said. Also, I think you might have forgotten to mention how handsome said duke is… are you sure you are just friends and that you aren’t new toy?”

“Sehun, stop, I’ve already told you that it’s not like that”.

The Duke and YI Fan came out of the latter’s office, and they were still amiably chatting.  When Kyungsoo spotted him he smiled, and excused himself from the elder painter.

“Good morning Jongin”

“Good morning My Lord”

Both of Jongin and Sehun bowed

“you may get up”

They did

“so, who is this?”

He smiled at Sehun, who bowed his head and introduced himself

“I’m Oh Sehun, My Lord, a fellow painter of Jongin”

“he is also one of my dearest friends, My Lord”

“I see, well it has been nice talking to you, Sehun…. Jongin, the carriage is waiting and I have already settled everything with your master so, shall we go?”

“of course My Lord”

Sehun bowed again and the other two men went outside, to the carriage.

 

 

 

“so, how have you been?”

“as usual My Lord, thank you for your interest”

He bowed his head

“Jongin…”

He looked up again

“Yes My lord?”

“we are alone and no one can hear us, so, what did I say to you last time?”

“… To call you Kyungsoo…”

Kyungsoo smiled, and immediately after Jongin grinned

“so, were you saying? What do you mean by usual?”

“just.. painting, going to nobles’ mansion to sketch their portrait, trying to improve my technique…”

“I find it hard to believe there is anything to improve at all!”

“You are too kind… how about you Kyungsoo?, how have you been?”

“good, very good. I have started going to some balls, and I have to admit it isn’t as bad as I thought; I like them actually… I guess I should thank you for that”

“thank me for what?”

He was confused and Kyungsoo laughed

“for having shown me that I didn’t need to hide from myself and from the world anymore”

Jongin felt a pang of sadness at those words, but then the fond look the Duke was giving him melted his heart

“there is nothing you need to thank me for; it’s something you have achieved on your own, not thanks to me”

The carriage was small, and when the Duke leaned towards him, their knees bumped. He had no idea of what the other was doing until a pair of arms circled his shoulders. Kyungsoo was hugging him and Jongin felt petrified because was he supposed to hug back or to just stay still, but before he could make a move to reciprocate the hug, the Duke was already withdrawing, smiling at him.

 

 

 

They were now in the parlor, both of them sitting on the couch. Jongin observed the room, since he had never been in there before. When he turned to look at the Duke, he saw that the older man had been staring at him the whole time

“Kyungsoo, not that I mind this in anyway, but is there a specific reason why you came to get me today?”

The noble hummed

“are you asking be if there is a reason why I came to get you in person, or if more generally there is a reason behind my wanting you here?”
“…both”

“well, in the first case… I hadn’t been in the city during the day for a long time, so I decided that since I wanted to invite you here today, I could both take a tour to see what has changed and also come to you personally to ask you to come”

“I see… and why have you invited me here today?

“there are two reasons behind that decision; first of all it had been quite a while since we last saw each other, and I missed talking to you”

Jongin blushed

“secondly, a friend of mine has seen your painting and was extremely eager to meet you… in fact he will be here at any moment”

Jongin’s heart dropped a bit, he was hoping to stay with the Duke alone.

“Kyung-“

The door was suddenly yanked open, and a grinning Baekhyun came in

“-soo”

“Good morning My Lords!”

Junmyeon entered immediately after, a bit out of breath, and bowed.

“My Lord, Lord Baekhyun is here”

“I see that you are ‘fashionably late’ once again, Baekhyun”

“of course! What’s the fun of being timely? In that way people don’t have to wait for you! Kyungsoo, what have I taught you? The people who matter are always late”

Then Baekhyun finally took a good look at Jongin, who had been frozen since the moment the man had entered the room, and narrowed slightly his eyes

“My dearest Kyungsoo, I remember you mentioning that he was young, but I think you forgot to say that he is also extremely handsome”

At that, Jongin blushed, and finally realized he still had to greet the person in front of him. He stood abruptly and bowed

“Good morning My Lord, I am Kim Jongin”

“Get up boy, I know who you are. I have been looking forward to meeting you”

“Jongin, this is The Marquise Byun Baekhyun, a dear friend of mine”

At those words the painter’s heart dropped. Now that  he could look at the marquise’s face closely, he was overwhelmed by how handsome the man was, and is cheerful attitude surely made him an even more likeable person by a tenfold. He bowed again

“it’s an honor to meet you, marquise”

“it’s ok, get up”

Baekhyun sat next to Kyungsoo –no, attached to him, and Jongin didn’t even know why he was feeling so bad about it. He sat on an armchair in front of  the marquise, who immediately started to ask a question after another about his work and life

“how old were you when you started painting?”

“eight years old, My Lord”

“Were your parents painters?”

“No My Lord”

“was it them that encouraged you to become a painter”

“yes and no, My Lord. I had taken a liking in it and at first they opposite it, but then when they saw that little talent that there is in me they sent me here to learn from master Yi Fan”

“so you aren’t from the capital”

“No My Lord”

“do your parents live here with you?”

“no My Lord”

“so you live alone… isn’t it hard?”

“yes My Lord. There have been times, especially at first, when I struggled with my everyday life, since I needed to work to maintain myself and to go to the workshop to learn at the same time. Back then I questioned my life choices many times. But now that I have started receiving tasks as a painter, my life has gotten a lot easier”.

At that Kyungsoo stared intensely at him. The very same spark Jongin had seen in his eyes the first time he had met him, was there once again. He stared back at his eyes, drawn to that deep  pools of dark chocolate, and it finally hit him. The feeling he hadn’t recognized at first was curiosity: curiosity for the word, for anything he didn’t know, curiosity for the painter in front of him. But now there was also empathy; empathy, that is quite different from the pity Jongin saw in the eyes of the people who knew his story. He couldn’t help but fall a bit more for that man, so powerful and composed yet so pure hearted and eager to explore new fields. For those instants in which they stared at each other, unblinkingly, Jongin thought the time had stopped. But then, when Kyungsoo took a deep breath and closed his eyes, the magic of the moment faded. He then noticed Baekhyun, who was alternatively looking at the both of them, a strange smile on his face

“I didn’t know. I’m sorry to  hear that”

The Duke’s voice was low, barely a whisper

“There is nothing to be sorry about, My Lord. It was a long time ago”

Kyungsoo nodded, still not looking at him. Baekhyun cleared his throat

“Kyungsoo, I’m sure you have received an invite for the ball Count Park Chanyeol and his wife the Countess Park Bom are hosting in two weeks”

“Of course. Why are you asking?”

“Well, the count is a friend of mine, and he told me that since it is a party to celebrate the inauguration of the new hunting pavilion of their summer residence, all the artists who have collaborated to its decoration are going to be there. In a nutshell, it’s a way of showing how much gold he has paid for it. But back to the topic, he has also said that a great number of his guests are going to bring their family’s artists, since most of them harbor ‘artistic ambitions’ .  Again, it’s just a way to demonstrate that they are no less influential. But! Of course there are going to be many famous artists, so wouldn’t be a great chance for Jongin to meet them?”

The painter’s jaw dropped, not expecting such a suggestion

Kyungsoo tilted his head

“it would… but even though I know he is worthy of being there, I don’t believe that his fame is big enough to take part at the even yet”

Jongin fisted his hands on his lap

“my dear Kyungsoo, ‘Superiority’. We don’t care about other people’s opinions; if you believe that Jongin should come with us, then we will bring him to the party; he is talented enough to outshine most of those ‘renowned’ artists”

Kyungsoo looked at Jongin pensively, and said painter’s heat started beating faster from the excitement and hope. He really wanted to know how the nobility lived, and he wanted to try it at least once in his life

“well… we could… only if Jongin wanted to, of course”

The painter nodded eagerly, making both of the other men smile

“well then, it’s set. Jongin, do you have any appropriate attire for the event?”

Baekhyun’s question made the youngest man freeze on the spot. He didn’t. Noticing his reaction, Kyungsoo intervened

“That’s not a problem at all. I will ask Junmyeon to call the tailor, since am in need of a new dress too, and I will ask him to take his measurements ”

Jongin felt so moved by the Duke’s thoughtfulness, so he got up and bowed at ninety degrees

“My lord, I don’t deserve such a kindness”

“sit Jongin, it really is nothing”

When the painter did sit, he could see the fond expression in the Duke’s face and he smiled in return.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kyungsoo was sitting on the couch, sincerely enjoying the skit in front of him. Jongin was rigidly standing with his arms spread out, warily observing the tailor who was trying to get his measurements. Whenever the man got too near with a pin, the painter would wiggle trying to get as far from the pointed object as he could, given he had been ordered by the Duke to not move from the spot. Sure, Kyungsoo  could have ordered to Jongin to close his eyes and stand still to help the tailor, -because he knew that the painter would have obeyed- but really, the faces and startled noises he made were too funny for the Duke to give up on them yet. 

“I had no idea you were scared of needles, Jongin”

“They sting a lot when they puncture one’s skin, My Lord”

The younger man managed to say those word making them sound like whines, eyes never leaving the exasperated tailor,  and the Duke laughed. So big yet so child-like: endearing. The Tailor finally freed the man, and Jongin fled as soon as he could to sit back on the couch. It was now Kyungsoo’s turn to stand, so he went to the same spot where the painter had been moments ago. The tailor immediately began working, and asked

“My lord, what kind of fabric you want your garment and… -sir?- Jongin’s to be made of?”

“make mine of velvet, his of silk”

Jongin was about to protest but one look of the Duke was enough to shut him up

“and what color should they be?”

Kyungsoo hummed

“I will trust you in this. Of what color do you suggest making them?”

“My lord, there is no better color than red to best compliment your fair complexion, so I would heartily recommend a deep red garment with a golden embroidery of hexagons, your noble family’s emblem. As for your esteemed guest, I believe a plain dark gray dress would be a perfect match to his slightly tan skin”.

The tailor finished taking Kyungsoo’s measures, and started to pack all his things. The Duke put his hands on his hips and looked at the painter, who had been extremely silent for the whole time. He looked at him as he was trying to imagine that color on him

“I agree, yours is a shrewd suggestion. I am looking forward to see these garments; and remember, they have to be ready in a week and a half”

“Of course My lord, I am going to take all the possible measures to complete them before that day”

Having settled this, and after having come to an agreement about the price of the garments, the tailor left, and Kyungsoo was still standing. He looked at the painter, with his hands on his hips

“so this is the first formal event you ever go to, right?”

The younger nodded, and the Duke tilted his head on the right

“Jongin, has anyone ever taught to you how to dance?”

This time Jongin shook his head, feeling embarrassed

“this won’t do…”

Kyungsoo’s tone betrayed his serious face; he then crossed his arms on his chest and smirked. The painter didn’t like where this was going one bit.

“Come Jongin, it’s time for you to learn”

 

 

 

 

 

Kyungsoo watched amusedly how Jongin was shifting his weight from one foot to the other, looking at the ballroom and  waiting for him to start talking. The Duke stretched the silence a bit longer, just to see him struggle a bit more.

“So, let’s start from the basics. First of all, the most important thing about dancing is definitely posture,”

Kyungsoo walked to Jongin’s left side and put his left hand on his left shoulder and his right hand on the younger’s back, in between his shoulder blades; he pushed a little and Jongin got the hint to straighten himself. Kyungsoo then put two fingers under the painter’s chin and lifted his head, looking him straight in the eyes

“you cannot slouch when dancing; it leaves a bad impression both on your dancing partner and on the ones looking at you. Even more; you cannot slouch at all during a formal event; don’t waste your good looks like that. Keep your head held up, feign confidence even if you don’t feel confident at all: remember, you are going to the ball as my guest, which means other nobles are going to analyze you to see if you fit in our society; pass this test, and you might be offered some jobs that could benefit your career”

Jongin nodded, and Kyungsoo was satisfied. He pulled his hands back

“now, have you ever heard of waltz?”

“I did”

“have you ever seen it?”

“no”

“do you know how it works exactly?”

“Not really… I heard it is a couple dance?”

“it is. No, let me show you how you need to embrace your partner”

“em-embrace?”

“as you said, it’s a couple dance, so you need to hold your partner. Now, I will act as a lady in our training sessions, as the roles in this dance are slightly different”

Jongin looked confused

“you will understand soon. So, ladies are going to hold you like this”

He took Jongin’s right hand in his left, ignoring the sudden quickening of his heart rate, and put his left one on the painter’s right shoulder.

 “while you need to hold ladies like this”

and this time Kyungsoo grabbed Jongin’s left hand and guided it to his right side, coming closer to the other man to allow the painter’s arm to slightly encircle him. At this point Jongin blushed, and started looking anywhere but at Kyungsoo’s eyes. The older man too felt a bit hot in the face, and hoped his own blush wasn’t showing. He cleared his throat

“well… so… you need to hold the lady who is dancing with you firmly but also gently; you need to keep her at this distance, no more, no less. If you keep her too far away from your body, it will be troublesome when dancing, on the contrary, if you keep her too close, you will offend her, since it is an extremely rude gesture to force a woman who is not your wife against your body. Now, it is all about footwork. You need to lead the dance, to move the body of the woman in your harms as you would if it was part of yours; it is your duty, as the man, to start the dance, so now, take a step forward with your left foot”

Jongin did as he was ordered, and in the same exact moment Kyungsoo took a step back with his right foot

“perfect, now, go to your right”

Jongin carefully stepped at his right and Kyungsoo mimicked him with his left foot

“excellent, now, join your feet and pause. Now, take a little step with your right foot.. good, now a bigger step to your left.. great, now again, join your feet and pause. This is how you dance waltz. As you see, it’s you that needs to take the initiative for each step, I am only following your lead. From now on, all you need to do is keep repeating these movements in sequence, so again, your left foot first, now to the right, join and pause. Now your right foot, to the left, join and pause. Again, un, deux, trois, un, deux, trois, un, deux, t-“

Jongin stepped on Kyungsoo’s foot, and the latter winched

“Oh my, My Lord I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to! Are you hurt?”
“Jongin it’s all right, I am not hurt. And for the last time, call me Kyungsoo”

“I’m truly sorry”

“don’t be silly, it’s nothing.. let’s try again”

They went on like that for about two hours, Jongin stepping on the Duke’s foot whenever he moved off time, apologies continuously spilling from his mouth immediately followed by Kyungsoo’s ‘it’s ok’, ‘it’s normal, it is your first time after all’ and many ‘stop apologizing for God’s sake’.

They were both exhausted, now sitting in one of the many benches that were placed alongside all the room’s perimeter. It had been a long while since the Duke had last entered the room, and so he looked around with nostalgia. He remembered the times when his parents used to hold balls in there, noble couples dancing in circles around, a triumph of colors of women’s dresses. Back then, during the night the room was lit by the golden chandeliers hung by the ceiling and by those hung by the wall every few meters; now the room was illuminated by the sun coming through the rectangular windows on the left, and the light couldn’t quite get to every angle of the room. The windows also lead to the balcony, favorite escape of those nobles who felt oppressed by all the crowd inside, from which the garden and the stars where visible. The Ballroom was a display of wealth, studied in every detail to impress whoever entered the place; the ceiling was high and frescoed with floating Greek Gods sitting on fluffy clouds, as for the structure, the room was designed like two rectangles, one bigger made of the actual walls, doors that brought to the rest of the castle and the windows,  while the other one, - smaller only in its width- was inscribed into the first one, delimitated by a sequence of arches resting on pillars garnished by ribbed columns. The second rectangle created two corridors at its sides, ‘cutting’ them from the bigger one; while the central part was meant for nobles to dance,  these corridors were made for talking and resting, and that’s why the benches were positioned there.

 

Jongin must have noticed the sudden gloomy mood of the Duke because he rested a hand on Kyungsoo’s shoulder

“Kyungsoo, I knew I was bad, but please don’t give up on me yet, I promise I will exercise more at home”

Kyungsoo laughed, understanding the good intentions behind his words

“I am not giving up on you silly, I just remembered something of a long time ago”

“You keep calling me silly”

He pouted childishly, looking down

“because you are silly, you won’t stop worrying about non-existent problems. For example, right now you are thinking you are not good at dancing, but I can assure you that, for being a beginner, you did fairly good. You are far more coordinated that I expected”

Jongin bashfully smiled at the compliment

“that’s not true Kyungsoo. I just happened to have a great teacher”

The Duke looked at him disbelievingly, arching a brow

“You have never danced before, you don’t have the instruments to judge whether I was good or bad”

“But I learned what you were teaching me, so doesn’t that make you a good instructor?”

“that only means you are a good student. I believe I should hire a dance instructor to be sure you will learn all the necessary about dance before the ball”

“No!... I mean, it’s not necessary Kyungsoo, you have done more than enough for me already… I don’t want you to spend more on me… I’m sure you will be equally able to teach me everything… but of course if it is not a nuisance to you…  because if I am then I would be only grateful for the dance instructor”

The Duke couldn’t help but smile at the other man’s sweetness, and truth to be told, he too  preferred to keep teaching him personally. He would have never admitted it, not even to himself, but having Jongin so close to his body made him feel happy, a feeling he hadn’t felt for a long time and of which he was rapidly becoming addicted to. He was scared by his feelings towards the younger man because he still couldn’t comprehend them, and that’s why he was even more attracted to the painter, because he wanted to understand, label the warmness spreading through his body whenever the other man as much as glanced at him.

“No nuisance Jongin, I could use some practice too since I haven’t really danced in a long while; I have even avoided doing so during the balls I went to, afraid I would step on some lady’s foot!”

They grinned at each other

“Thank you, Kyungsoo”

“no need to thank me, really. So it’s set, see you tomorrow at five for another lesson, Jongin”

They both got up, and Jongin was about to bow, but Kyungsoo stopped him

“no, let’s just shake hands as a greeting from now on”

Jongin gaped, but then soon after he regained his composure. Finally he noticed the hand Kyungsoo had extended, and he hesitantly shook it. Kyungsoo squeezed lightly, and Jongin smiled

“See you tomorrow, Kungsoo”

 

 

---

 

 

A.n

I haven’t proof read this (I will NEVER read again this story omg)

Thank you for reading this crappy thing even though it’s not complete AND it so…. Thank you again