“I don’t understand why everyone is being so evasive,” Baekhyun whined.

It was the middle of the afternoon and he was skipping out on his tedious lessons with Mr. Shin yet again. After ditching his tutor – who was ready to skin him alive for forgetting some Italian phrase that was apparently integral to running a successful business – he had found himself at the stables, perched on the rail, watching Chanyeol brush the horses. He found himself there a lot. He told himself it was because he liked horses.

Chanyeol grinned lazily, that broad smile that showed all his perfect teeth and seemed to fit so perfectly between his cheekbones. “That’s because you’re the Kim’s heir, Baekhyun.”

“That’s my point!” Baekhyun exclaimed. “I’m going to be the head of this family eventually – if Mr. Shin and Madame ever decide I’m anything more than a country screw-up – and I need to know what’s going on! I need to know why everyone in this family dies young and mysteriously!”

Chanyeol shrugged. “It’s probably because everyone knows you wouldn’t believe them if they told you.”

That caught Baekhyun off guard. “What do you mean, I wouldn’t believe them? Do you know something that you’re not telling me?”

Chanyeol set down the brush he’d been using and leaned against the horse, eyeing Baekhyun thoughtfully. “You really want the truth, Baekhyun?”

Baekhyun groaned. “Of course I do!” he exclaimed. “I’ve only been trying to figure it out for weeks now!”

“Everyone in your family dies young because your family is cursed,” Chanyeol said simply, and he went back to brushing the horse.

Baekhyun stared at him for a long moment. “You’re messing with me,” he finally accused, pouting.

Chanyeol laughed. “I’m not, I promise. See? I told you that you wouldn’t believe it even if I told you.”

“Curses aren’t real, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun pointed out. “They’re part of fairy tales and horror movies. Not real life.”

“Believe what you want,” Chanyeol shrugged. “It’s your life that’s on the line, not mine.” But there was a little catch in his voice as he said it.

Baekhyun didn’t have a lot of time to think about what Chanyeol had said, however. Before he could even form an answer, Chanyeol glanced over Baekhyun’s shoulder and said, “Ah, Yixing is coming. I wonder what’s going on?”

Yixing arrived a minute later, a little out of breath. “There you are!” he exclaimed. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere! I should’ve known you’d be with Chanyeol.”

Baekhyun wanted to ask what Yixing meant by that, but his friend plowed on before he had the chance.

“You’ve got to come back to the house right away,” he said. “It’s important.”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes, hopping down off the fence he’d been perched on. “Yeah, yeah. Mr. Shin can wait another five minutes.”

“It’s not about Mr. Shin,” Yixing said impatiently. “Madame wants to see you, and you never keep Madame waiting.”

“Okay, okay,” Baekhyun said, feeling a bit more urgency now. “I’m coming. See you later, Chanyeol.”

It wasn’t until he and Yixing were trekking back up to the manor house that Baekhyun brought up what Chanyeol had told him. “Is my family cursed, Yixing?”

Yixing groaned. “Chanyeol opened his big mouth, didn’t he?”

Baekhyun was flabbergasted. “You don’t mean to tell me that you actually believe that, do you? Curses aren’t real!”

Yixing sighed. “Yeah, I know. At least, that’s what I believed until I came here.” He hesitated. “Weird things happen here, you know. Not to the staff or anything, but to the Kim family. I don’t know how else to explain it, Baekhyun. The amount of bad things that have happened to your family is…well it’s crazy. There’s really no explanation. Either your family is the unluckiest family in the entire world, or there really is a curse. But don’t even think about mentioning it in front of Madame. She’d probably kill you herself if you did.”

“But I’m technically her grandson,” Baekhyun pointed out. “Surely she wouldn’t actually hurt me.”

Yixing laughed, but it was not at all pleasant. “Haven’t you learned anything since you got here, Baekhyun? God, they’re really going to eat you alive. Let’s go. We’ve got to make you presentable before you see Madame.”

Baekhyun was worried about both his meeting with Madame and what he’d learned from his friends regarding his family history. He wasn’t sure which one of the two was taking up more space in his mind currently.

He met with Madame in the formal lounge, which seemed to be her favorite place in the entire house. She sat before the hearth, empty because of the warm day, above which hung an ornately framed photograph of her and a man, presumably his late grandfather. She was dressed to the nines, as usual, in clothes that his other grandmother – his real grandmother, in his mind – would never wear. She was smoking a cigarette, leaving bright red stains from her lipstick on the filter. Her eyes were hooded and she eyes Baekhyun as he bowed and took his seat opposite her.

“Yixing said you wanted to see me, Madame?” he said politely.

She sniffed disdainfully. “Is that the name of your servant? I don’t know their names, and I would advise you to do the same. You are of a caliber far above the working class – even though one would hardly believe it to look at you – and you should abstain from associating with those lower than you.”

Baekhyun couldn’t believe this woman, his grandmother. “With all due respect, Madame, but you’re the one who assigned him to me.”

She huffed – probably more in response to his talking back than to anything else – and straightened the silk shawl wrapped around her bony shoulders. “How long have you been at the manor, boy?”

Baekhyun inwardly seethed at being referred to so disrespectfully, but he put on a calm demeanor as he answered, “About three months, Madame.”

She sighed. “Not nearly long enough,” she lamented. “You need a good ten years of training to work the commonness out of you.”

Again, Baekhyun kept his anger inside.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have that kind of time to spare,” she went on briskly. “The businesses need a leader, and I’ll be damned if any of my nephews take control. That’s what this legacy is founded on, you know. The firstborn is always in charge.”

“Why can’t you just take control for a little while?” Baekhyun asked hesitantly. “At least until I can learn a bit more.”

Madame looked like she thought it was a good idea, but she shook her head. “I can’t. I am not the firstborn of the family. I merely married in. Besides, I won’t be around for much longer.”

“Are you planning on dying sometime soon?” Baekhyun asked without thinking.

She gave him a sharp look but didn’t answer.

He decided to press his luck, despite Yixing’s implicit warning against it. “Is it because of the family curse? Do you think you’ll die soon because of it?”

Madame’s eyes flashed dangerously. “What are you talking about?” she hissed, and Baekhyun recoiled at her anger. “Which member of the staff has been spouting such nonsense? Was it Mr. Shin?”

Although Baekhyun would have dearly loved to throw the insufferable Mr. Shin under the bus, he quickly said, “No, no! I found the records in the family library. I found the family Bible and everything. No one said anything to me. No one would even say anything when I asked.”

“As well they should,” Madame huffed, and she pointed her long, bony finger right in his face. “Listen well, boy. If I hear you mention any nonsense about a curse, you will regret it. Do you understand?”

Baekhyun swallowed audibly. “Yes ma’am. I understand.”