Soft sunlight peeked through the curtains, warming up Bom's fair skin; the countless amount of small cushions and fluffy blankets surrounded her petite body making her feel like sleeping on a cloud. A large hand was slowly  her hair causing her to hide a bit deeper into the cushions. It felt good, really good; Bom was sure she could die in this state but then she felt another arm slowly encircling her waist. 

"Bommie, it's time to wake up."  The girl opened her eyes at the sound of a low voice, immediately meeting the dark orbs of the Lord's son's eyes. His gaze was soft; long, black hair thrown messily on the cushions and mixing with hers. His hand still going through her long locks and the other still placed securely on her waist. White shirt ed half-way, showing his toned chest; the sunlight coming from behind, giving the illusion of a halo. "Come on, I'm going to show you around."

"Umm, Master. You could've just sent a maid to wake me up. You didn't have to bother coming."

"And let someone else see you like this? Pretty unlikely! Come on, I'll help you in getting ready."

"But... I think Lisa... she..."

"I have let her help and look at your body yesterday, and it won't happen again. Get up, we've got a lot to do today." Soo Hyuk stood up and in a few steps approached the wardrobe. Then he chose a simple, baby blue dress made of silk and a matching white belt. When Bom noticed him picking underwear, she blushed furiously and hid under the blanket. She peeked from underneath just to see the heir's amused smile. "Come on, Bom. The body is a gift from God, there is nothing to be ashamed of." He took her hand and walked her to the mirror. With a few pulls of the strings attached to her sleeping gown, the material fell to the ground leaving Bom's body exposed to Soo Hyuk's eyes that stood behind her. His hand resting on her hip, his lips nearly touching her neck, hot breath lingering on the delicate skin. "You're beautiful Bom, so beautiful."

In a blink of an eye, he walked away from her and grabbed the light chemise that a few moments later found its place on Bom's body. The same thing happened to the drawers, corset, and crinoline. 

"Can you still breathe?" She heard a concerned voice of the older boy. "It is not as tight as my sister is used to wear but I figured you have never worn a corset before."

"Ah, yes I can breath, but it's a bit hard."

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it. I'll ask Lisa to help you with hair on the toilette while I'll be getting ready as well. I'll see you in a bit." Soo Hyuk left and a few minutes later the younger maid entered the room with a hairbrush and diamond hairpins. 

###

They walked through the beautiful garden, Soo Hyuk pointing at different parts of the mansion every few minutes and telling her background stories about each of them. During the walk, Bom had enough time to look at the older boy from a much closer perspective. The beautiful garden did not affect the heir, his stare blank while looking at the architectural wonders of the mansion, voice emotionless when talking about the place he called home. His cold demeanour made most of the servants keep the safe distance with the only exception of BamBam not caring about any of his master's weird behaviours. She also noticed that his eyes came to life when looking at his sister, lighting up with affection. It never happened with other people, not even his parents.

They approached the older girl and Chaerin smiled brightly. "So you have finally decided to bring her to me? Very well." 

"Master, what is Miss Chaerin talking about?" 

"Oh yes. Bom, today you are going to start your lessons. You'll learn how to read and write, how to behave and all the etiquette you need to know when going out. Chaerin here is going to help you with this." 

"Don't worry Bommie, I'll take care of you. After all I have spent my entire life learning those useless skills" the beautiful girl grabbed her wrist and pulled her softly into the building.

Inside, there was a beautiful library, with an endless amount of books on shelves, stairs, and ladders leading to them. They took place next to the gigantic table in the middle, sitting on soft cushions of antique chairs. Bom felt so small and insignificant, surrounded by all luxuries that were available in the world, by all those goods that her family and she could not even dream of. Minwoo would love it here, with all the knowledge in the world stored on few pieces of paper that he could look at any time and turn into something amazing, But her, a mere village girl that could not even read or write felt like nothing but being suffocated. In moments like this she went back to the time when she talked with Minwoo for the last time and wished even more that on that bed it would be her dying instead of her brother. 

"So... what are we going to do today?" She looked up shyly at the oldest Lee child. 

"Well, I thought that we should start with a reading lesson and then maybe go through the dinner etiquette? It should take my mother off your back, at least for now. And I'm sorry about her, she's just not... as liberal in her thinking as my brother."

"Oh, that's okay. I mean I'm quite shocked by this situation myself. So, should we get started?" Bom noticed that the older girl gave her a fond look and blushed. 'It held nearly as much affection as Soo Hyuk's when he looks at her' she thought.

"Yes, let's start with our Hyukkie's favourite childhood story!"

                                           ###

5 hours, this is long it took Bom to go through 1 children's book. And if she has to be honest it made her discouraged. Chaerin taught her basic letters and has patiently helped her in reading. Bom was proud of herself when she has read one sentence without stopping for a longer period. But this feeling went as soon as it came when she heard the flawless reading of the older girl. She felt dumb, or how the Lady would phrase it, 'like a mere peasant'. But every time she felt like she doesn't want to continue she looked and Chaerin and saw this look of determination as well as small flames of joy in the other's eyes. It made her continue, work hard even if she felt mentally and physically exhausted. She also thought about Minwoo. Would he be proud if he saw her trying to read, learning the skill he tried to pass to her for so long from someone else? What about her parents, Dara and Chanyeol? Are they healthy are they safe? All of those thoughts spinning around her head made her feel dizzy. Even her 'teacher' noticed something is not right as her sparkling eyes wandered around her face with concern. They didn't however have time to say anything, as soon Soo Hyuk entered the room with his usually stoic face. 

"How are you ladies doing?"

"Pretty great. Bom has managed to learn all the letters and even read one of your favourite childhood stories. That's really impressive for the first lesson." Chaerin answered with a small smile.

"That's amazing! I knew my Bommie is not just pretty but also smart." The heir ruffled her softly, not to destroy her hairstyle. "I have a favour to ask. Could you please, starting from tomorrow, concentrate more on the training? The season is approaching soon and I wouldn't want Bom to feel uncomfortable, and I promise I'll take care of her education!" 

"What is the season?" Bom asked, but never got an answer.

                                         ###

After dinner, Bom exhaustion reached its peak. All she wanted is going back to her chambers, fall asleep, and never wake up, but Soo Hyuk had other plans. After whispering something to Lisa he grabbed her waist and led to the east wing of the mansion. He showed her all the rooms located in this part of the building, including a small dining room, saloon, and chambers. What didn't go unnoticed was the way the young boy avoided talking about the small room at the end of the corridor. Bom, being the curious creature she is decided to ask what's behind those doors. She was expecting a simple answer, but what she got instead was a cold "this room is off your limits." She has never heard Soo Hyuk speaking like this. To others, maybe, but to her he was always so nice, warm, and charming; so the cold tone of his voice made her shiver. Despite her curiosity, she has decided to never enter that room, not if she doesn't want to see this side of the heir ever again. 

Soon the cold tone was replaced with another, much softer one, and Soo Hyuk's arm again found its place around her waist. He led her to a room that turned out to be a steamy bathroom with a huge, marble bathtub filled with water, scented oils, and rose petals. The future lord took her to the middle of the room to stand on a fluffy carpet and slowly started untying strings keeping her dress in place. 

"You worked really hard today, Bom, so I have decided to prepare a bath for you. It'll help you relax." 

When every piece of fabric was removed from her body, the older boy lifted her bridal style and put her into the bathtub. The warm water surrounding instantly relaxed her stiff muscles, soft scent soothing her senses making her even sleepy. 

"Master, I could... do it by myself." 

"I know, but I want to take care of you. Please, let me." Seeing the nearly desperate look in the other's eyes Bom just nodded her head. Soo Hyuk took one of the cotton cloths surrounding the bathtub and started to clean her body in a way that one could describe only as fondness and affection. When he finished, he let Bom stay in the water for a bit longer while tenderly brushing her hair, and lifted her again to dress her up in her sleeping gowns. Then he again carried her bridal style, this time to her chambers, and placed her on her bed, lying next to the girl with one hand caressing her face, the other playing with her fingers. At that moment, the only thing she could feel is the heat radiating from Soo Hyuk's body and the weird sense of security that she got from a man that at this moment was nothing more than a beautiful stranger.

a/n:

if someone wonders about Lee Soo Hyuk's hair then it's basically his hairstyle from "Scholar who walks the night".