He kissed him back. Minseok kissed Luhan back, in front of a room full of the gossip mongering, hateful people that Minseok despised. And it felt great, amazing actually. Until the world so cruelly let itself be known, invading the world they had momentarily created for themselves, their kiss broken, both men pulling away to face each other.

The shattering of glass was the first call back to reality. Someone must have dropped their wine glass, perhaps shocked at Luhan’s surprise announcement.

The second call back to reality was via the words, said loudly on purpose so the entire room could hear: “To think, he ruins one man and then sets his sights on another. Poor Baekhyun, you escaped a rather unfortunate union – the Earl apparently has little in terms of strength to resist that scoundrel’s seductions. Disgusting.”

Luhan didn’t know who said it, but the fact it was said was enough. “If you dare to say one word against my fiancée I won’t hesitate to take action.”

Hence the third set of actions to wrench them back into reality occurred, a blur of movement as those around them tried to either distance themselves from the couple or stop what may soon turn into a flood of stupidity and reckless actions.

Heechul groaned, afraid if he didn’t do anything Luhan would be challenging half the room to a duel. He pushed past Baekhyun, who looked as though he had seen a ghost. Unmoving, uncharacteristically quiet, Heechul was only marginally afraid Baekhyun would do something reckless- like throw his glass of wine in Minseok’s face or have a very public meltdown in the middle of the room. No, Heechul could deal with Baekhyun later, right now he had to take care of Luhan, who suddenly fancied himself some sort of god among men.

“Are you okay?” Luhan asked Minseok, grabbing his hand.

“You are a bastard, you know that?” Minseok whispered, but the slight smile playing on his lips said that his words were far more affectionate than they sounded, though still tinged with a definite hint of anger, outrage, or a similarly annoyed emotion.

“I…does that mean your answer is yes?” Luhan grinned like the fool he was, once again failing to read the situation.

“I don’t think you were waiting for my answer, were you?” Minseok countered, which was entirely true. Luhan hadn’t even asked him to marry him, not in so many words, he had just announced it.

Heechul puled Luhan away first but Jongdae wasn’t far behind him, regaining his senses after the shocking announcement, pulling Minseok’s arm so he would separate himself from Luhan.

“Does your Father know of this?” Heechul spat, trying to keep his voice low. Luhan ignored him, suddenly realizing that Minseok might be a tad bit upset. He hadn’t asked him, he had essentially told him alongside the rest of the room.

Heechul wasn’t about to be ignored. He pinched Luhan’s arm hard, Luhan shouting “Oww, oww, oww.” As he rubbed the place where he was assaulted.

“Did you tell your Father?” Heechul asked again.

“I…no.” Luhan wasn’t worried about his father though, he was worried about what D’Adderleigh was thinking.

Jongdae was trying to gauge his own friend’s reaction to the strange turn of events. “I am guessing this wasn’t something you were aware of?”

“I didn’t know.” Minseok answered curtly, watching as Heechul wagged his finger in Luhan’s face, the rest of the room still staring at them.

“I really don’t like that guy.” Jongdae scowled in Luhan’s direction.

“Jongdae, it’s okay.” Minseok said quietly, trying to avoid having his best friend slap his…fiancée. Was that it- they were engaged now, weren’t they?

Heechul practically dragged Luhan over to where Minseok and Jongdae stood, summing up the next steps quietly. “D’Adderleigh, are you okay with being married to this imbecile?”

“I…” Minseok noticed that Jongdae looked like he wanted to pounce on Luhan and tear his hair out. “Yes, I am not sure that I have a choice at this point.”

“Thanks for forcing my friend into marriage.” Jongdae directed his words at Luhan, who started to protest. Heechul interrupted the potential fight, “There isn’t much we can do about it now old boy. I will let you punch him senseless after the party.”

Jongdae bit his tongue, resolving to take Heechul up on the offer. Luhan could use a punch or two.

Heechul cleared his throat, and loudly, all eyes on him, launched into a speech he didn’t know he would be making.

“I see how surprised everyone is, and that was the plan!” He nudged Minseok and Luhan to smile, they did so rather awkwardly “My dear, kind friend, the Earl of Easton has finally found a man who he wants to spend the rest of his life with. What a very happy, wonderful occasion this is! An occasion that warranted the feeling of surprise, of sudden and unbelievable happiness, a feeling much like the beautiful relationship shared by my dear friends here. ”

A few of those in the room began whispering, clearly more confused as Heechul rambled on. Heechul noticed that Baekhyun and Chanyeol were no longer in the room, his gaze darting to where Baekhyun had been standing in an attempt to gauge what the man may do – or fail to do. Baekhyun’s leave did not surprise Heechul, and in a way he was thankful that the man wasn’t going to cause a scene.

“Please congratulate the newly engaged couple, who not only represent the joining of two illustrious lineages in our country’s proud history, but also represent a love story that is often not seen now a days. A romantic, pure love that no person here should dare question.”

More whispers, some snickers, and then Heechul, acting like nothing was being said around them, held his wine glass high to toast “Here is to the newly engaged couple, may they have a lifetime of happiness together.”

Junmyeon, who was as confused as the rest of the room, had wandered up to where Luhan and Minseok stood, ready to offer congratulations. When he noticed they didn’t have wine glasses in their hand he quickly fixed the issue, the men taking the glasses and holding them high.

“Here is to the lovely couple!” Heechul held his glass aloft before taking a sip, some of those gathered around them doing the same, albeit rather slowly amidst their building confusion. Jongdae sipped his wine as well, choking back his anger on account of the fact Minseok had just agreed to the engagement – even if Jongdae was sure he wouldn’t have done so if Luhan hadn’t acted so carelessly. And the thought he might have an opportunity to punch Luhan, that was the other reason he could muster a toast.

Minseok felt as though he needed more than a sip of wine, in fact he could use some time alone in a good wine cellar. But that was not to be. What was to be was a few people wandering up to congratulate him on his engagement, a majority of those in attendance staying away, likely gossiping up a storm, and Luhan hovering over him like he was afraid if he turned away Minseok would disappear.

It was, by far, the most memorable social event he could recall.

***

Mademoiselle Beauchamp stood in Baekhyun’s path as he neared the exit, he sidestepped around her, Chanyeol trailing closely behind him. He didn’t want an apology or even a statement of her condolences – or worse yet some sort of plan on how to break the engagement. No, what he wanted now was to see D’Adderleigh’s head on a spike.

***

Minseok was happy to see the outside of Mademoiselle Beauchamp’s, because that meant the party had come to an end. Their hostess had congratulated Luhan and Minseok as they left the party, though Minseok thought it was an extremely forced bit of kindness on her part.

“So where do we go from here?” Jongdae asked Heechul, the two men having followed the engaged couple out of the house.

“Well, I would hate for you to break his pretty face before his Father gets a chance so I dare say I lied to you old boy. You will have to hold your fists until another time.” Heechul explained to Jongdae, the two of them watching as Minseok and Luhan took a walk towards Luhan’s carriage.

“I am really, truly very sorry I acted so rashly.” Luhan was sweating, now that he was finally alone with Minseok he wasn’t sure the man wouldn’t tear him limb from limb “It is, I – I like you, very, very much.”

“So I gathered.” Minseok answered rather nonchalantly given the circumstances. He stopped walking and faced Luhan. “Have you considered what a marriage between us might mean?”

“Amazing ?” Luhan answered swiftly before quickly apologizing yet again “There is something between us, I know you can feel it as well. I would be a fool to think it is only a physical attraction. A marriage between us, I dare say, seems as though it was meant to be.”

Minseok desperately wanted to roll his eyes. Luhan, the same man who only the other day was questioning Minseok’s position in society was now spouting talk of soulmates? The Earl of Easton was certainly a man who changed his tone very quickly.

Honestly though Minseok couldn’t claim to be that terribly upset about being engaged to Luhan. There was something between them, something he couldn’t ignore even if he tried. Three years ago he had resolved himself to be single forever, that love and him were not meant to be. Yet in such a short period of time he found his thoughts flooded with Luhan, a man who seemed to be the exact opposite of anyone Minseok had ever considered falling in love with. Yet here they were, engaged.

“There is a lot we are going to have to work out.” Minseok spoke firmly, “And something tells me your Father may not think this is the best idea in the world.”

“Ah, yes, My Father.” Luhan frowned for a moment “I dare say he may be more agreeable than we think. My parents have constantly pushed for a love match on my part.”

“What of Baekhyun?” Minseok brought up the painful subject, wishing to at least bridge the topic.

“We were never engaged. He never loved me and I never loved him.” Luhan, truth be told, did feel a bit guilty at how he had strung Baekhyun along. Yet he told himself Baekhyun was a mature person, he would understand. It was for the best “What of Lord Sehun?”

“He will probably be overjoyed that his name is no longer tied to mine.” Minseok answered, only guessing at how Sehun would react to the news. He didn’t want to think of his ex-fiancée’s reaction right now, however, so he quickly asked Luhan when he would speak to the Duke in regards to the engagement.

“I will speak to my father first thing in the morning, hopefully before he learns of it from someone else.” Luhan changed the subject, returning to logistics “Then may I see you? Perhaps come to your home?”

Minseok nodded absentmindedly, his mind flooded with a thousand thoughts of what had changed.

Luhan planted a chaste kiss on Minseok’s cheek before entering his carriage, Heechul quickly following. Minseok watched as the carriage lurched and then quickly went on its way, Jongdae sidling up and throwing an arm around Minseok’s shoulders as they watched the carriage move down the road.

“Are you okay?” Jongdae asked, still extremely worried about his best friend.

Minseok sighed. “He is certainly an interesting man, isn’t he?”

“I still want to punch him.”

“I am sure you do. I am sure you do.” Minseok remarked, believing that a small line was probably forming of people who shared the same sentiment.

***

The Duke of Hayden, sitting behind his oversized mahogany desk in his cavernous personal office, was an intimidating sight. Luhan often laughed at how servants and visitors shifted nervously when addressing his Father in his office, the man practically radiating an air of authority and prestige.

Luhan was not laughing as he slinked into his father’s office that morning, feeling much like a dog with his tail between his legs.

 “Son, for what do I owe this pleasure?” The Duke looked up from his book of accounts, giving Luhan a surprised look.

Luhan breathed a slight breath of relief. His Father must not have heard of his scandalous actions the day prior. Luhan sat down on the opposite side of the desk from his father, clearing his throat “I have a very important matter I need to discuss with you.”

“Is that so?” The Duke raised one of his eyebrows, curious “Spit it out boy, I hate waiting in suspense.”

“I…well…you see…” Luhan stuttered. He began wringing his hands nervously.

“Yes?” The Duke leaned back in his chair, Luhan jumping at the slight creek of the furniture, each little noise threatening to give him a nervous breakdown.

“I announced my engagement yesterday.” There, he did it. He said it. He closed his eyes tightly, flinching.

“To Baekhyun, I assume.” The Duke did not sound happy.

Luhan opened his eyes slowly, still remaining tense as if he was trying to brace himself in case something was thrown at him. “No, not to Baekhyun….to D’Adderleigh.”

“D’Adderleigh?” The Duke was shocked, completely taken by surprise, “When did you start fancying D’Adderleigh? Or is this another form of foolish rebellion on your part?”

Luhan panicked and began stuttering again “No…n-no, not rebellion. I, well….you se-see we met and I ….he, I li-like him very much.”

Silence. A long, torturous silence. Luhan stared at his Father, The Duke remaining still. Then he burst into laughter, loud boisterous laughter. “You mean to tell me you wish to be married to the Viscount D’Adderleigh?”

“Y-yes.” Luhan blushed “What is so funny?”

His Father kept laughing, in a few deep breaths he regained his composure “Son, you of all people. I never could have imagined this day!”

Luhan was confused. “I don’t understand.”

“My son, who very much cares what others think of him has engaged himself to the scorn of high society! Because he likes him!” The Duke’s laughter declined into a chuckle before he stopped his jovial actions all together.

“Does this mean you approve of the match?” Luhan asked hopefully.

“Seeing as how you announced it I don’t have a choice, not unless you would also like to be dragged through the mud in front of everyone.” His Father turned serious again “What of D’Adderleigh? Was this his idea?”

“NO! It was mine….I didn’t even really talk about it – I mean, a lot, in depth, before I announced it.” Luhan did not want his Father to be angry with Minseok. No, that would be horrible.

“That poor fool. I am guessing he agreed to it?” The Duke asked.

“Yes, he did.”

“I see. I will have to talk this over with your Mother of course.”

“Of course.”

“Though I dare say I approve of this match more than the last. At least this turn you seem to have genuine affection for the man.”

Luhan was overjoyed. His Father had all but approved the match. His smile appeared without him meaning for it to, his happiness overwhelming him.

“Though you must understand, son, there will be consequences for your actions.” The Duke admonished him, Luhan’s smile fading away “You made this announcement without prior approval. It appears that you also cast Baekhyun aside rather quickly. Was it not only the other day that you were still pushing the match? Pray tell me you let him down gently?”

Luhan swallowed. No, he hadn’t let Baekhyun down gently. He hadn’t let Baekhyun down at all. He had simply made an announcement of his engagement to Minseok in front of Baekhyun without a word of warning to him. Very bad behavior indeed. “I did not discuss the matter with Baekhyun.”

It was the Duke’s turn to sigh heavily “Your allowance will be reduced by three quarters until you can show me that you can act in a manner that is befitting your rank and title. You also need to apologize to Baekhyun before I will even consider speaking to you about reinstating your funds”

“What of the wedding?!” Luhan protested. He had to pay for a wedding after all.

“What of it? You were the one to announce it, I would assume that you have calculated out all of the necessary costs and have an idea of what arrangements will need to be made.” His Father answered matter-of-factly.

Luhan had to agree quietly, not daring to admit he had of course done no such thing.

“Wonderful. Now please refrain from causing your parents any more trouble for the time being.”

Luhan stood up, bowing, he slowly took his leave, now definitely feeling like a dog with his tail between his legs.

“One more thing before you leave.” His Father called out “I will ask your Mother to invite your…fiancée…over for dinner soon. Please inform him the invite shall be coming.”

***

Minseok had spent a restless night tossing and turning. Kyungsoo noticed how terribly unrested Minseok looked, worried he suggested that he make him some particularly strong tea with breakfast. Minseok had taken him up on the offer and was now fighting a serious caffeine rush.

His anxiety was already high due to his worry over Luhan’s father’s response - the chemically induced energy was not necessarily a welcome addition to his high strung current state.

“You seem on edge today, sir.” Kyungsoo remarked as he laid out the day’s newspapers, next to Minseok’s favorite chair.

“Yes. I do, don’t I?” Minseok said lamely. He would have to tell Kyungsoo about the engagement soon, and that was also something that he was dreading. His valet tended to have abandonment issues and the thought of Minseok being married was likely enough to drive Kyungsoo into a feverish breakdown over how he was going to be cast aside once Minseok was wed.

The knock on the front door made both Kyungsoo and Minseok jump, even though Minseok was expecting it. Kyungsoo went to answer the door, returning after a moment to announce that “The Earl of Easton, sir. I am not sure what business he has.” Kyungsoo looked confused. Of course he was confused, he had no idea his employer had anything to do with the Earl.

Luhan was soon walking through the door to the parlor, his expression unreadable. Kyungsoo bowed politely, taking his leave. Minseok did not miss his servant’s quizzical expression.

“How did it go with your Father?” Minseok asked, wanting to get the most important topic out of the way.

“He all but said yes.” Now Luhan was smiling brightly. He approached where Minseok sat, and in one swift movement pulled the man to his feet, crushing him in a tight embrace. “You have no idea how happy I am.”

Minseok struggled against the taller man, his face buried in Luhan’s shirt making it hard to breathe. Luhan finally understood he was all but suffocating Minseok, so he broke the embrace, though still keeping his hands on Minseok’s waist.

“You really do get whatever you want, don’t you?” Minseok couldn’t help but see why Luhan had been called society’s golden boy to begin with.

“Most of the time. Though my Father did cut my allowance. Significantly.” Luhan explained his punishment.

“If I was him I would have disowned you.” Minseok remarked, Luhan stomping his foot at his words. “How could you say that? I announced my engagement to you!”

“Very easily, in fact. You acted rashly, in a way that you should have known was inappropriate given your lot in life.”

“So you are suddenly focused on the wrongs and rights of society?”

“No. I am focused on making sure you realize how foolishly you acted though, given the fact your parents seem to care about the wrongs and rights of society.” Minseok admonished.

“You are no fun.” Luhan pouted for a moment before leaning down to plant a kiss on Minseok’s lips. Minseok didn’t move to escape it, closing his eyes as he felt Luhan’s lips meet his own.

“Oh..heavens, sir!” Kyungsoo yelped from the doorway, a tray with tea and scones in his hands. Minseok pushed Luhan away, blushing. Minseok cleared his throat, trying to stop his composure in front of Kyungsoo.

He had debated telling Kyungsoo in private but he knew he needed to say something sooner rather than later. It may be beneficial for Luhan to be present as well, so Kyungsoo could understand that Minseok’s fiancée was a kind and good man, if not exactly the most intelligent man at times.

“I- Kyungsoo, there is something we need to talk about.” Minseok started, his anxiety building.

Kyungsoo was shaking as he set the tray down on the table, managing to cast more than one interested glance at Luhan. The Earl sat down, taking a scone off the tray he acted as though nothing had happened.

“Kyungsoo, The Earl and I are engaged.” Minseok tried to keep his voice from faltering, but he knew his words sounded less confident than he wanted them to. He watched as his valet looked from Luhan to his employer and back to Luhan.

“En…engaged?” Kyungsoo repeated the word as if he didn’t believe what he had just heard.

“Yes. But please do not be afraid – nothing will change with your employ.” Minseok smiled, trying to look cheerful.

Kyungsoo was still looking from Luhan to Minseok and back to Luhan. “You are marrying him?”

“Um, yes.” Minseok thought Kyungsoo might faint. He took a step forward, putting a reassuring hand on Kyungsoo’s arm and squeezing, trying to let his old friend know it would be all right.

“It is a pleasure to meet you.” Luhan stood and offered a slight bow before sitting back down. Minseok was thankful Luhan was polite.

“W-w-where are you going to live?” Kyungsoo asked, his wide eyes having grown wider.

“I am not sure yet. We need to discuss the details.” Minseok explained.

“Sir, who is your valet?” Kyungsoo asked Luhan, his bottom lip quivering.

“My valet?” Luhan looked a bit confused at the question. “Um…Roberts…no, wait. Adam something or other.”

Kyungsoo burst into tears, looking at Minseok he choked “He doesn’t even know his valet’s name! He doesn’t even know his v…a….le…t’s name!” Kyungsoo turned and rushed from the room.

“I was afraid of that. Please excuse me.”  Minseok turned to follow after Kyungsoo, but not before scolding Luhan “Learn you valet’s name for Christ’s sake.”

“What?! I know what he looks like!” Luhan protested, watching as Minseok chased after his servant.

------------------------

a/n- And here we have the immediate fall out from the engagement. Poor Kyungsoo! And Luhan *shakes head*. Still, I don’t want people to think Luhan is a moron, so please don’t. He is..just a bit challenged when it comes to anything Minseok related (kind of like in real life *runs away*).

I will return with more of the overarching mystery next chapter, so get ready for some more clues as the whodunit heats up. There will be too, probably not next chapter but the one after (for all you s. Wait, I am the one writing it, I guess I need to reevaluate who I am calling a ert).

Thanks as always to all of the silent readers, commenters, subscribers, and super extra thanks to the up voters! Until next time - LC