Donghae kept spending his time avoiding the guests. He was still scared of contact with Hyukjae. He feared hurting him if he got close to him. Yes, that one time at dinner went well but he was still scared. He didn’t want the other to collapse again.

Donghae read a lot. He kept getting books from the library. He wanted to find out more about what happened and what he saw. He wanted to know why. Why was he able to see that? All those mysteries kept Donghae away from the other when he really just wanted to hold him close. Donghae didn’t know if it was pity or what feeling it was that caused him to think that way.

When Donghae didn’t reside in his room he spent his time outside in the gardens, mainly in his pavilion. He still spent his time mainly reading. Sometimes he would take a break and listen to the birds singing.

After having been out to the gardens once, Hyukjae couldn’t help but want to go again and again. He didn’t like to be locked up in a room. Heechul always went outside with him but when the elder had a meeting with the Queen, Ryeowook accompanied him. It wasn’t easy for the two to communicate but it was possible. They used a certain sign language and sounds made with objects. They don’t ‘talk’ much but they do now and then. Over time they found out how to use Hyukjae’s eyes during their conversations. It doesn’t work all the time but sometimes Ryeowook manages to express himself in a way Hyukjae’s eyes can catch on to.

Today neither Ryeowook nor Heechul had time to keep him company so he made his way to his tree alone. He calls the tree his tree because he stays under it every time he visits the gardens. He doesn’t know much more of the gardens. Ryeowook did ‘show him around’ once but that wasn’t of much use since he couldn’t tell him what is where.

Hyukjae sat under the tree, eyes closed, as he listened to the birds singing. He would have followed the sounds but he decided against it after Heechul told him that there was a lake in the middle of the gardens and Hyukjae seriously didn’t want to fall in there. It wasn’t that he couldn’t swim. It was just that he didn’t know where he could get out again.

The young man enjoyed not having his eyes restrained. Having his eyes closed even without the blindfold on sometimes felt like a waste to him. After all he didn’t know when he was going to take the blindfold off next after he put it on again. Enjoying having his eyes unrestrained, Hyukjae looked around the gardens again. Again, he looked into that direction and saw something weird again. This time Hyukjae didn’t suppress his curiosity. He stood up to get a better ‘view’ of the