Rubbing his feet together, alternating between the right and left going on top of each other, Luhan could feel the questioning gaze of his new master’s butler as they rode back to Oh Sehun’s mansion. His astonishment at another person besides the master in the carriage was apparent when he got back from running errands in the capital but being a professional, Luhan noticed the quick shift in demeanour of the butler Do Kyungsoo, yet his subtle gazes did not escape neither Luhan’s nor Sehun’s attention.

“Stop that,” Sehun said plainly.

“My apologies. Young lord, you have never acted so rashly before so I’m wondering what this is all about,” Do Kyungsoo responded politely with a hint of frustration.

Luhan shifted in his seat, covering up as much as he could with the little white sheet that was over him.

“You said we needed more help,” Sehun responded, not wanting any further comments from the tone of his voice that the butler either failed to notice or chose not to care about.

“Paid help, young lord. This…” Do Kyungsoo began as he took a look at Luhan pitifully, “…is not right.”

Awaiting an answer, Luhan stared back and forth between the two but it was plain as day that Oh Sehun was not going to bother answering the butler’s worries. An audible sigh was heard from the butler, but he wisely gave up the urge to push for more out of the silent young man in the top hat who was shutting his eyes like the world was just a bother.

Luhan wondered what could be waiting for him so far away from capital. He was scared and anxious but also full of expectations because Oh Sehun, despite his distant and stoic demeanour, seemed like a kind man. If Luhan was lucky, he thought he could get by with some heavy work, instead of the usual life that awaited young male slaves.

With that small hope in mind, Luhan intertwined his hands together offering a small prayer to anything that wished for his good graces and hoped that his life in Oh Sehun’s mansion would grant him at the very least a cup of water a day.

The mansion that the carriage stopped at made Luhan’s heart skip a beat. It was impressively large but the brick coloured walls and chimneys made it have a cosy warmth that reminded him of his home back in Eastern town. Luhan stared out of the window of the carriage admiring the surrounding area of the house when Oh Sehun’s voice stopped him in his admiration and snapped him back to reality.

“Let’s go, Luhan,” he said flatly, boring his gaze into Luhan’s face and ignoring the existence of the butler standing next to him outside the carriage.

Luhan nodded quickly and proceeded to get off the carriage. As his bare right foot landed on the gravelly path leading to the entrance of the house, Luhan winced at the pain and stumbled a little before falling lightly onto the butler.

Shock and the familiar sense of fear that Luhan was used to kicked in and he proceeded to kneel in front of the butler, ignoring the ache his knees were feeling.

“I’m sorry,” Luhan croaked, afraid that his little stumble would cost him the very simple life he wanted to have here. He wasn’t going to kick up a fuss or cause trouble. He would just do as he was told and simply exist. That was all he had to do.

Luhan felt himself being pulled up by a strong grip that made his upper arm skin sting and was surprised to see Oh Sehun glaring at him. It made Luhan look away quickly, afraid of the new yet familiar expression that was on his face.

“Don’t do that here. Not to him, not to me. Not anyone,” Oh Sehun said in a tone that warned Luhan. “Here, you are not a slave.”

Luhan watched as Oh Sehun walked away, his presence obvious and heavy, and Luhan’s thoughts began to examine the words that were thrown at him.

Here, you are not a slave.

Even as Oh Sehun’s back disappeared into the house, Luhan kept his gaze fixed to where he was. Despite the harshness in his grip and his expression, those words were the kindest thing that Luhan had heard in a long time.

A cough broke Luhan’s trance as he came face to face with the butler, Do Kyungsoo. “You must be hungry. Let’s go, Luhan. Ah, let’s get you dressed first.”

Meat, potatoes and vegetables. More importantly, meat. Luhan felt his mouth water at the sight of what he thought was an extravagant meal and he had to pinch himself to keep himself in check and not act like an animal, especially now that he was dressed in something that he never imagined even touching.

A silk white shirt, covered with a navy blue vest with deep yellow ts on the edges with a large black bow that doubled as a scarf peeking below the collar. The plain black pants fitted him perfectly and the shoes seemed similar to the shiny ones Oh Sehun was wearing.

“Sorry for the meal. It was short notice so I could only whip this up. I’ll make you something better for dinner,” the chef, who Kyungsoo simply introduced as Jongdae, said cheerily.

Luhan quickly shook his head. “This looks incredibly delicious. I can’t imagine anything better than this.”

Luhan wondered if he said something strange because both Kyungsoo and Jongdae looked at him like he said the funniest thing but he decided to not think of it too deeply. Putting a small piece of a cut part of the steak into his mouth, Luhan couldn’t help but close his eyes in delight before quickly picking up the pace and devouring everything on the plate.

“I guess you still got it, Jongdae,” Kyungsoo said playfully.

Jongdae sighed. “If only Lord Sehun was this enthusiastic about my food. I wouldn’t feel so on edge every day.”

Finishing his meal, Luhan took a sip of 3 glasses of water after Kyungsoo said it was fine for him to drink more than just a glass. Getting off his seat, Luhan neatened his outfit as he didn’t want to seem ungrateful for being allowed to wear such clothing.

“Hmm, you look like a noble dressed that way. I’m surprised these suit you so well. I just took these from the abandoned pile of clothes in the warehouse, but I’m glad they fit,” Kyungsoo said half mocking, half proud.

“But… these are such nice clothes,” Luhan stated softly, earning a laugh from both Kyungsoo and Jongdae.

“Lord Sehun’s standards are so high that clothes like these get thrown out by the dozens each day,” Jongdae said as he started slicing tomatoes in preparation for dinner. “If it doesn’t match his standards, they’ll be thrown away.”

Luhan felt a shiver run down the skin of his arms and back. Even though Jongdae was referring to the clothes, Luhan couldn’t help but feel like those words applied to people as well and out of all the people in here, Luhan was surely the lowest of the low. In other words, he would be the easiest to throw away.

“Oh hush. Don’t scare the boy. He looks like he just heard something terrible,” Kyungsoo scolded. “You must be tired, Luhan but before that, the young lord wishes to speak to you. Come.”

Luhan walked into the study, failing to steel his nerves as he caught a glimpse of Oh Sehun signing pieces of paper on the desk situated near the window to where the door was. Oh Sehun didn’t look up or say anything and continued on with the intense scrutiny of the documents in front of him. Luhan stood silently, hands interlaced behind, watching the tall, peeved man who was his master do his work.

Dressed in a simple beige tone dress shirt with a dark green, pin-striped vest hugging the widths of his chest and back, Oh Sehun looked very much the aristocrat Luhan expected him to be. Intimidating, good looking and strong, Luhan was starting to feel anxious over what awaited him. Despite the nice clothes and being able to eat, it was a faraway and nonsensical wish to want to keep things going just like this.

Luhan was still definitely a slave. Even if Oh Sehun said he wasn’t a slave here, it didn’t mean he was free.

Gulping down the little amount of spit he had in his dry mouth, Luhan swallowed his fear of the unknown and made an audible cough sound to get Oh Sehun’s attention.

Oh Sehun looked up with an indifferent look shadowing his face. “How long have you been there?”

“Not long,” Luhan responded, staring at the ground. He could hear Oh Sehun get off his seat and make his way to where he was. With another pair of glossy shoes in sight, Luhan felt every muscle in his body tighten.

“Who gave you these clothes?” Oh Sehun said sharply.

Luhan felt his eyes wavering in its sockets. Would saying the butler’s name end up getting Do Kyungsoo in trouble? Oh Sehun’s tone of voice seemed unforgiving though the anger in it was subtle.

“I… It was given to me,” Luhan said as vaguely as he could, hoping Oh Sehun wouldn’t press on the identity of his clothes benefactor.

A toned, fair hand came into view as it grabbed one end of the bow at Luhan’s collar. Luhan immediately looked up, the sudden memory of having a chain and collar in the slave house crawling back to mind. Oh Sehun’s face was a mere few inches from his, the way they were in the carriage and it made him hold his breath yet his gaze couldn’t shift.

“Don’t wear these from now on,” Oh Sehun firmly ordered, his sight going up from the bow and into Luhan’s eyes as if to hypnotise him into agreement.

“Yes, master,” Luhan said quickly, keeping his gaze locked with Sehun’s, afraid of what would happen if he made any sudden movements.

He saw Oh Sehun flinch and slightly frown after his response. “Don’t call me that either.”

As Do Kyungsoo rambled away on the estate’s history and the functions of various areas of the house, Luhan still couldn’t get rid of the feeling he had after leaving Oh Sehun’s study to go on an estate tour. The way his heart plummeted to his gut at Oh Sehun’s disgust at being called master by him was strangely hurtful and Luhan wondered if he made a grave mistake.

Slaves were told to always call their buyers ‘master’ as that was what had always been agreed upon. Slaves were to be obedient and any form of retaliation would end up in punishment or death. So, why would Oh Sehun who bought him, for 50 gold coins no less, look horribly repulsed by him calling what he was to him? It was Luhan’s biggest predicament in his 16 years of life because not calling Oh Sehun master might get him killed, but calling him master would make Oh Sehun probably punish him.

“Luhan? Is everything alright?” Kyungsoo asked, tilting his head to look at Luhan’s face.

Luhan nodded quickly and gave a small smile. Do Kyungsoo’s gaze rested on Luhan for a few seconds before he turned his gaze forward and pointed, making Luhan look forward. “That’s the garden. It’s fairly new so not much has grown but we are hoping to be able to cook vegetables grown here by next year since the town is so far away.”

There was a prick in Luhan’s chest as he saw the small enclosed area for farming and gardening as it reminded him of his family but he kept his composure and blocked off the emotions that was bubbling within. As they made their way to the few rows of plantations, Luhan saw a thin but strong man digging at one of the rows.

“Luhan, this here is the gardener, Lay. Lay, Luhan,” Do Kyungsoo said curtly.

“Nice to meet you, Luhan. I heard you were a looker, but they undersold you,” Lay said jokingly.

Luhan blinked at this person’s abrupt friendliness but he still smiled as Lay seemed like a good person.

“You… saying the word ‘sold’ when you know… never mind. Anyway, how is everything going?” Kyungsoo asked, his disinterest apparent.

“It’s good. In a few weeks’ times, the kitchen will have their very first scallions to cook with. Isn’t that exciting!” Lay said enthusiastically, making Luhan laugh a little. “Do you want to see, Luhan?”

Luhan nodded, quite happy to be in a familiar setting. They made their way to some freshly planted young scallions and Luhan couldn’t help but frown.

“These aren’t the correct type of scallions for the winter,” Luhan said, not meaning to say it out loud. Realising his unmannerly conduct, Luhan turned to face Lay with his eyes wide but was surprised to see Lay smiling.

“Oh, you noticed. I’m experimenting to see if this method I created can help vegetables grow in the winter even if they’re not meant to,” Lay said proudly as he stared at the young plants. “I’m surprised you noticed. Are you interested in gardening?” Lay asked, a smile teasing his lips.

Luhan looked down and nodded slightly. “I was raised in a farm…”

“Oho! We have that in common!” Lay exclaimed enthusiastically. “Should I ask the young lord if I can have him as an assistant?”

Do Kyungsoo scoffed. “You may try but I doubt he’d let such a young boy do rough work. Especially rough work under you.”

Luhan felt the sparkle that was dancing inside him fade away, remembering how he was here as a slave and everything he did was to be dictated by Oh Sehun. It was unfair but Luhan knew better than to get resentful when it would only cause him more harm than good.

Looking forward to dinner that was promised, Luhan almost skipped over happily to the kitchen quarters where the maids and Chen ate but before he could take a step off the stairs, he was blocked by a smiling Do Kyungsoo.

“Luhan,” he said kindly, “the young lord wishes to have dinner with you.”

With an audible ‘huh?’, Luhan coughed in embarrassment when Do Kyungsoo pressed his lips together in amusement. Not wanting to keep Oh Sehun waiting, Luhan followed Kyungsoo closely behind as if hoping to find a hiding place in his shadow.

“Young lord, Luhan is here,” Kyungsoo announced before turning and leaving the dining area, closing the door on his way out.

Luhan stood two seats away from Oh Sehun who was seated at the end of the table. Biting his lower lip, Luhan waited for Oh Sehun to say something, but only silence accompanied Luhan’s crackling nerves. Before he could burst from waiting, he made his way next to Oh Sehun’s seat and plopped onto the ground in a kneeling position.

It was just meant to be dinner. Oh Sehun only wanted to get to know the boy who he bought thoughtlessly and find him work that suited his skillset. From what Kyungsoo and Lay told him, he was quite knowledgeable in plants and farming, so he wanted to ask if Luhan would like to help Lay in his agricultural research.

So, what was this?

Out of the ten dining chairs in the room, the young boy decided to sit on the floor next to him as if he was being punished.

Sehun was truly baffled and unsure of what to do.

“Luhan,” he said as he stared down to the top of the blonde head of hair beneath him. “What are you doing?”

At the question, the blonde hair flowed slightly as the boy moved his head to meet eyes with Sehun. “Sitting. Until you finish eating, master…?”

“Just Sehun is fine,” Sehun said before pointing to the seat next to him. “You can sit here.”

Seeing Luhan blink ferociously, Oh Sehun could only try and guess what was going through the mind of this young child. Did he think he was a slave here? Did Kyungsoo not tell him that is not the case?

Sehun felt a throbbing in his forehead from a combination of working and this strange situation he was in because of Kyungsoo. Luhan finally sat down near him and Sehun snapped his fingers and food came in automatically from the maids, placing it in front of him and Luhan.

“Young lord… I… don’t think I should eat this,” Luhan stated. Sehun stared at the profile of beautiful, pale boy in front of him and found it amusing at how his words were saying one thing but it was obvious in his brown eyes how much he wanted to eat the lamb chops in front of him.

“Eat,” Sehun said, wanting both of them to eat while the food was still hot. Luhan turned his head to meet eyes with Sehun as if wanting to confirm what Sehun allowed.

Amusing, Sehun thought, and looked down to Luhan’s food before going back to his bewildered face beckoning him to eat.

A smile traced Luhan’s lips and he picked up a fork and knife in each hand, making Sehun smile slightly as well. They ate in silence after that but it was comfortable and Sehun could feel the stress he built up throughout the day slowly fading away.

“We’ll be going to the tailor’s tomorrow to make you new clothes. We’ll leave at dawn,” Sehun said in passing before taking a few sips of water. He felt oddly self-conscious as he realized Luhan was staring at him as if wanting to say something.

“Young lord…”

“Sehun is fine,” Sehun repeated.

“But everyone else calls you… that,” Luhan explained.

“Because they work for me,” Sehun responded, making Luhan have a troubled expression. Internally sighing, Sehun wondered how he was going to remove Luhan’s thoughts of being a slave.

“I heard from Lay you’re quite useful with plants,” Sehun began. “Would you be interested in helping him with gardening?”

Putting up the glass of water mid-air, Sehun was momentarily stupefied when Luhan gave him a wide smile that slightly crinkled his eyes.

“I would like that a lot,” Luhan responded, eagerness radiating off every word he said.

Putting his glass down, Sehun kept his stare fixed onto the delighted face in front of him. “Then I’ll let Lay know. You can start the day after tomorrow.”

“Thank you… young lord.”

“Sehun is fine,” Sehun repeated.

“I’m your worker now so…”

“No.”

After an hour of picking fabrics and buttons of different colours, Luhan was exhausted and was glad to be able to sit down while Sehun explained the designs he wanted to the tailor. Luhan couldn’t help but stare at Sehun as he leaned over a counter looking over something that the tailor was explaining. He was wearing a dark grey jacket with a dark teal vest underneath, matching dark grey pants stretching down his long legs.

Sehun, even as a noble, was incredibly stylish and seemed to be very interested in creating clothes from how scrupulous he was over the different buttons in front of him. Luhan didn’t understand it himself, but it was an interesting trait to see on the usually stern Sehun. Without realizing, Luhan found himself smiling at Sehun’s back.

“Luhan,” Sehun said suddenly.

“Y-Yes?” Luhan stammered, feeling a little embarrassed at his thoughts.

“Stand there,” Sehun ordered, pointing to a spot nearby where a standing mirror was.

Luhan obeyed and went over. Both Sehun and the tailor came over and began staring up and down like examining an ancient artifact.

“Um…” Luhan began, since he couldn’t bear with it anymore. “What are you doing?”

Sehun remained silent a few seconds before tiling his head seriously. “Making clothes for you.”

“Eh!” Luhan squeaked without meaning to. “Why…?”

“Because you need them,” Sehun said as if it was a known fact.

Luhan bit his lower lip as he thought before speaking. “But… I have this…”

Referring to the clothes he was wearing at the time, he noticed Sehun scrunching his face in disagreement. “Those are old and a failed product. The stitching, colour and design are no good. I can’t allow you to wear such a thing.”

It was Luhan’s turn to tilt his head in confusion. Failed product?

The tailor was softly laughing at the side. “I believe your acquaintance here does not know you run a successful textile and clothing company, young lord.”

Luhan widened his eyes Sehun’s way and saw Sehun nodding in understanding. “I see. I must’ve forgotten to mention.”

“Wow, as expected of the young lord’s vision. Nothing can compare!” the melodious voice of Do Kyungsoo cooed as he looked at the beautiful new clothes Luhan wore.

Luhan felt embarrassed even though the compliment wasn’t even directed towards him but he never had such clothing even back when he lived with his family. Now, he had over a dozen outfits to choose from. Such abundance was so foreign to Luhan, he wondered if it was okay for Sehun to be spending this much on a slave.

Lay whistled in approval. “Blue suits you very well.”

Looking at himself in the mirror, Luhan felt strange as he eyed the sky-coloured vest with light gold stitching and same-coloured buttons that went over a comfortable but lavish silk blouse that reminded him of a cloud. Light blue pants that went to his knees completed the ensemble with plain white tights covering his lower leg. After Kyungsoo worked his magic with his hair and applied some face products, Luhan could barely recognize himself.

“Isn’t this a little too much, Kyungsoo hyung?” Luhan asked stiffly. After staying at Sehun’s house for the past two weeks, he had grown close to Kyungsoo, Jongdae and Lay who were always kind towards him.

Kyungsoo clicked his tongue. “You look magnificent. Although…”

“It’s a little too much for gardening. To be honest, all of the clothes the young lord made for you are too lavish for planting onions. Especially this,” Lay muttered, holding up a velvet green jacket with bold gold details around the collar flaps. “Where does the young lord expect you to wear this?”

Kyungsoo pulled the jacket away from Lay’s grimy farmer hands. “I’m sure an occasion will arise.”

Luhan sighed, because Lay’s concerns were not unfounded. Nearly all the clothes seemed more fitting for a noble than for a mere slave like him. From silk, velvet to some exotic fabrics all the way from the Southern lands, it would’ve been a shame to let them get dirty from all the gardening work he was set to do.

“Ah, the young lord said to report to him on the clothes. Let’s go,” Kyungsoo said in haste as he practically dragged Luhan away, barely managing to put on his dark brown leather shoes.

A few knocks on the door to the study later, Sehun’s voice could be heard allowing them to enter. Kyungsoo simply bowed before leaving Luhan alone, standing awkwardly once more. He hadn’t seen the young lord since they made orders for his clothes as he departed on a business trip soon after, so this meeting was quite a discomfort.

“Come,” Sehun simply said, eyes gripped on the documents in front of him.

Luhan bit his lip and wondered where he was supposed to go to. Afraid of the consequences if he didn’t come close enough, Luhan made his way towards Sehun’s desk and stood right next to his seat. Sehun instinctively turned at the presence of someone next to him and Luhan soon realized that being too close was also a problem in itself.

Sehun only wanted Luhan to stand in front of him to see how the clothes fitted and if they were up to the quality Sehun wanted. It was his own hidden agenda but he wanted to venture into creating clothing that would cater to young men who weren’t adults yet as his research showed they were very appearance conscious, on par with the young ladies. Seeing how Luhan was a young boy with quite a good physique to test his clothing, he thought he might as well make use of what he had.

So, what was this?

In this large study, the young boy decided to stand a mere few inches from where Sehun was sitting. Turning to the side to look up at the boy, Sehun felt his chest slightly squeezing at the sight.

Luhan’s styled blonde hair that contrasted with the blue vest, yet complimenting the gold buttons and the innocence that was displayed in his expression created a large wave in Sehun’s heart that he had to look away momentarily to compose himself. Pushing his seat back and standing up, Sehun slowly took in the view in front of him from the top of his head to the brown shoes at his feet.

“Mm, it looks good. What do you think?” Sehun managed to say.

Eyes looking into each other, Sehun noticed Luhan’s habit of keeping eye contact when he was in his presence. One would think he was someone full of confidence with the way his eyes stayed locked on, but the colour on his cheeks betrayed that image. It was like that in the carriage too.

“They’re great. But…” Luhan said, seemingly unwilling to continue on.

“Go on,” Sehun said, curious over what Luhan would say. He had been obedient from the beginning, never sharing his opinions so it was surprising to even hear the word ‘but’ come out of his mouth.

“They’re… not very suitable for farming,” he continued carefully. “But they’re beautiful!”

Sehun felt himself smile at Luhan panicking. It wasn’t a huge problem but it seemed like a whole weight in Luhan’s mind.

“Mmm that’s true. I apologise. I’ll ask the tailor to make some appropriate for your work,” Sehun said, knowing how Luhan would respond in an even more panicked state once he said this. Sehun was eager to see it.

“Ah! No! I… I didn’t- These clothes are already wonderful! Please excuse my rude comment!” Luhan stammered and declared in a panic, making Sehun burst out in laughter that was quiet but was enough to shock Luhan who was standing stick straight.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I just wanted to tease you a bit,” Sehun said after he calmed down. He made his way to a trunk at the other end of the room and called Luhan over. Inside were over a dozen clothes made of sturdy material that was comfortable enough for gardening and outside work. “These are for your work. The clothes I gave you before this are for when you have to come with me to town or elsewhere.”

Sehun saw Luhan eye the clothes in the trunk in fascination. “This is a little too much, young lord.”

“It’s Sehun,” he repeated once more. He was used to others calling him such a title but hearing it from the young boy he selfishly bought because of his own misplaced self-righteousness didn’t seem right. “You will be helping Lay a lot so please don’t think too much of it.”

Luhan pressed his lips together as if to protest but turned to face Sehun, sincerity peeping through his eyes. “Then, I will make full use of them. Thank you, S-Sehun.”

Sehun felt his left brown twitch slightly from being called his name by someone other than his family. He always felt disgusted when daughters and sons of other noble families pretended to be close to him and call him by his first name but hearing the soft tone of this young boy’s voice saying it was not bad at all. It was strangely pleasant and put Sehun in a good mood.

“Then…” Luhan began, making Sehun be aware of controlling his expressions. “I should return some of the clothes from before. I’m not even sure when I will be wearing such clothes but of course, when I’m with you, I will dress appropriately.”

Sehun felt a scowl etching his face. “You do not have to be so afraid of me. Those clothes were made for you so please keep them. As for occasions of when you will wear them, there will be plenty from now on.”

Luhan blinked at him in confusion. “Plenty?”

Sehun nodded once. “After all, besides gardening, you will also assist me. With business and with other affairs, if need be.”

Luhan looked frantic. “I’m only a slave. I have no place— “

“Stop,” Sehun said sternly. “In this house and from this point forward, refrain from using that word. You are Luhan. I did not buy you for you to be a slave. Those things… disgust me. You are an employee of my house and you will be treated as such. You will be paid and treated the same as others. Do you understand me?”

For the first time, Luhan did not keep eye contact and had his gaze straight down.

“Luhan?” Sehun beckoned, a little harsher than he intended making the young boy flinch and cast his gaze upwards. Tears were noticeably forming in Luhan’s eyes.

Sehun stared wide-eyed in shock because it was not his intention to make Luhan cry.

“I’m sorry, youn— Sehun. I’m just… really happy,” Luhan said quietly as he kept his gaze to match Sehun’s. “I was afraid of what would happen to me but… everyone has been kind. It was only me who was being unreasonable and thinking uselessly. I shouldn’t have viewed you in such a way. It’s shameful, especially since you’ve only showered me with kindness from the day you saved me. I thank you, sincerely.”

Sehun blinked at Luhan’s eloquent words. “Ah, that’s…”

“I’ll work hard and pay off my debt to you, Sehun. Thank you for bringing me here,” Luhan said softly, his determination apparent.

Sehun, bewildered at first, now felt his expression soften at the words Luhan said and smiled tenderly. “I look forward to it.”

Author's notes:

Sorry! Day job kept me busy but here's the second chapter!