It was a giggle. Kyungsoo could hear it clearly. Since when did his employer giggle?

“They have been holed up in there all day.” Kyungsoo shook his head, staring at the door.

“It is their honeymoon, leave them be.” Jongin tried to pull Kyungsoo away from the door, yet the other valet remained firm.

“Jongin, a routine is not to be broken. How am I supposed to ensure they both eat and are dressed properly when they no longer leave their bedroom? How am I supposed to feel like I can sufficiently represent one of the proudest professions on earth, the esteemed role of a personal valet, when I can’t even get my master to agree on a breakfast menu?” Kyungsoo sighed heavily.

“Well, I do believe the fact our employers are otherwise engaged gives us plenty of time to do other things. Perhaps?” Jongin wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Kyungsoo took the bait, turning bright red and slapping at his fellow valet.

“Jongin! I am being serious!” Kyungsoo finally turned heel and left, Jongin walking behind him.

Kyungsoo was trying to reconcile his new life, that of a personal valet to a very married person, to the actions of his employer. It was frustrating. After Luhan’s full recovery, Luhan had married Minseok in a private ceremony. No big society wedding, only a handful of people in attendance. The ceremony had taken place three weeks ago.

Minseok had suggested he and Luhan visit the D’Adderleigh estate for their honeymoon, which had surprised Kyungsoo. Other than their time as fugitives hiding in the cottage Minseok hadn’t returned to the place his Father had died for years. Yet something had changed in him during those years, Kyungsoo had to admit it. He was no longer living focused on a bleak and unforgiving past, he was living for a bright future. He was happy.

As soon as they had arrived at the estate the handful of household servants were given time off – Minseok and Luhan deciding they wanted as few people present during their honeymoon as possible. Kyungsoo had glared at his employer, daring Minseok to send him away. Minseok hadn’t, keeping Jongin and Kyungsoo on as the only two servants in the large country house.

“How much do you know about gardening, Jongin?” Kyungsoo remembered something that had bothered him that morning. The hedges in the front were starting to look a bit ragged and the estate’s gardener had been given time off like all of the other servants. Kyungsoo felt extremely uncomfortable at the thought of leaving the hedges to become slightly overgrown.

“Gardening? Nothing. I don’t know anything about gardening.” Jongin answered.

“I see.” Kyungsoo said tersely. “Come look at the state of the hedges with me, I am sure you can manage to trim them if you see how horrible of a condition they are in.”

The two valet’s walked out the front door, an action that Kyungsoo usually could not fathom undertaking. Jongin had pushed him towards it a few times over the last few weeks. “Kyungsoo, no one is here. Minseok and Luhan are not going to mind if you walk through the front door.”

“You mean Master Minseok and Master Luhan?” Kyungsoo had corrected him, however he took the chance and used the front door for the first time in his life.

As the two valets approached the hedges they noticed a lone rider and horse coming up the long gravel drive.

“I wonder who that could be.” Kyungsoo tried to see who it was, but couldn’t tell. As the rider neared he smiled. It was Jongdae.

“Kyungsoo, Jongin. How are you?” Jongdae waved. Jongin walked forward, helping Jongdae to alight the animal by grabbing the reins of his horse.

“Sir, what brings you here?” Kyungsoo was surprised to see Jongdae so far away from the city.

“I was visiting Lord Sehun. The young man seems very well in love with the idea of working for the Home Office and invited me to meet him at the Pressley estate to discuss the matter.”

Kyungsoo wanted to roll his eyes at the thought of Sehun doing anything worthwhile with his life but he held back.

“Are Minseok and Luhan in?” Jongdae stared at the big house.

“Yes, sir, they are. Though I dare say you may have some trouble getting them to emerge from their bedroom.” Kyungsoo blushed as he said the word bedroom, looking away so Jongdae wouldn’t notice. It didn’t work.

“Well, it is their honeymoon.” Jongdae laughed. “Hopefully they will see me if I ask nicely.”

Kyungsoo doubted it, but didn’t want to dissuade the man. He had come all this way, after all.

***

“I hate seeing you dressed.” Luhan whispered playfully, hugging Minseok around the waist. They had made it five feet from their bedroom, yet their minds were very much still inside.

“Please refrain from too much touching in front of me, please.” Jongdae warned when the two entered the large study, Luhan still practically glued to Minseok.

“Jongdae.” Minseok ran over to hug him, Luhan doing the same. They both had a very great amount of affection for the man given the events of the last few months.

“How is Heechul?” Luhan asked as they moved towards the couch near the fireplace, Luhan making sure to pull Minseok down to sit next to him.

“Eager. As always.” Jongdae answered. Heechul had been taking him around town, rather oddly tame dates, of late. Yet at the end of the evening Heechul always made some sort of proposition, which Jongdae always turned down. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Heechul. No, in fact, he was starting to think he may actually like him – or dare he say it, love him. Though he wanted to take things slowly, he needed to be sure.

“Yes, he is the eager sort.” Luhan commented, his hand finding Minseok’s hand .He found it nearly impossible to not be touching his husband in some way shape or form every waking hour of the day. “Kyungsoo mentioned that you were visiting Sehun.”

“Yes, though I think the young man may be far too ambitious for his own good. He has the drive, though I worry he might be a tad bit too reckless to take on a case of any substantial import, at least until he has some more experience.” Jongdae had been promoted to Yunho’s position shortly after Baekhyun’s arrest. He now had his own office, his own men reporting to him and he couldn’t be any happier.

“How is your work?” Minseok inquired.

“Very well, it is going very well.” Jongdae smiled brightly, looking from Minseok to Luhan and back to Minseok.

Minseok tensed, sensing something as his friend continued to stare at him oddly. “What is it?”

“You can see right through me, old boy.” Jongdae sighed “I do have a reason to pay you a visit, and I am afraid that it isn’t just a friendly matter.”

“Is something wrong?” Luhan started to feel a bit nervous. Why was Jongdae there?

“I need your help, assuming you are willing to grant it.”

“Help?” Luhan and Minseok looked at each other and then to Jongdae. Minseok was not sure he liked the sound of Jongdae’s words.

“A certain nobleman has disappeared and the case has hit a standstill. I believe you both know him. Minseok, I think you met him in Normandy. Luhan, he attended the same school as you. One Cho Kyuhyun.”

“He is missing?” Luhan did in fact remember the man. He was a couple of years older than Luhan, but they had been friends when they were younger.

“Yes, he is missing, but the worrisome matter is that he is missing with a very important document, a document that has very large implications for the crown. I would like to ask for you two to help in the investigation when you return to the city, seeing as how you both knew the man.”

Minseok and Luhan didn’t dare speak, instead they stared at Jongdae. Another investigation? Another mystery? Could they bear it?

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a/n- And so it ends. *weeps* I hope everyone liked the ending, which brings me to an important subject – TIME TO TAKE THE AMAZING SUPER AWESOME SHOULD I DO IT AGAIN PLEASE WRITE A SEQUEL OR NOT BECAUSE I HATE YOU POLL! Please vote. I am more than willing to start a sequel and soon, because crime fighting Xiuhan is everything I have ever wanted. Unless of course no one wants crime fighting Xiuhan because I already made your hair turn gray and you are currently burning an effigy of me as I type this. So please vote ^^

Update [6/9/15] I have reviewed the results and a sequel it is! Please subscribe to The Crimson Feather, AKA the sequel to this fic.

As this story comes to an end I want to thank everyone who has read even the first chapter and stopped. Special thanks to those who continued, a lot of love for those who commented and up-voted. There are too many commenters to name, who gave me a ton of encouragement as I wrote and offered really awesome theories and ideas. I am forever grateful for how much you thought of the mystery, analyzing it and remaining curious until the end.

I wouldn’t be nearly as effective without ShiningRose, who is my constant fic writing buddy and partner in crime. More than once I sent her urgent texts to help me through the plot and she has been more than accommodating. Thank you chingu. Have I told you I love you lately?

Lastly, I want to thank Mr. Darcy. Because dayum. Maybe I should say Colin Firth. I love Regency Romance but seriously, this is one motivating factor indeed. Cheers! - <3 LC