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°˖✧✿✧˖°
“Let’s get out of here…run away with me...”
The voice was enchanting and bewitching, calling to him, echoing in his mind like a familiar melody. It had become a regular occurrence, and although he could never truly pinpoint its source, the sound would always come back to him whenever he drifted away into his dreams.
The dream always materialized in the same way—he would be riding through the woods alone like he always did. But unlike in reality, he was always desperately chasing something. Through the foggy weather and the gnarled tree branches that never seemed to end, he would ride and ride towards a destination that was never reachable. He would hear that alluring laugh echo through the trees, before the voice would call to him, again and again.
“Run away with me…”
And every single time, even though he had no idea who was calling him, his heart would react the same way. He wanted it. He would risk everything to reach the person calling him, he would throw away his entire comfortable life for that mysterious voice, just as it wanted. It was no different from a siren’s beckoning call.
And every time, just when he was reaching that speck of light ahead, the dark gloom of forestry finally seeming to clear—
“Mark… Mark… … MARK! Wake up!”
Mark Lee jolted awake, pushing the sheets off his body in panic at the sound of his name being called. He sat up in a daze, to see one of his servants standing by his bedside.
“Young master, it’s already late morning,” the servant called Jungwoo said politely. “The ball is tonight and there is so much to do! And first off, you’re going to be late for your morning lessons if we don’t get you ready soon.”
“Alright, alright,” Mark groaned, rubbing his eyes, still half-asleep.
“Mark…are you okay?” Jungwoo asked carefully, as he placed down Mark’s clothes for the day. “Late night again?”
“Yeah...” Mark replied weakly, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. Normally, it would be uncalled for for servants to address lords and masters so casually, but their household had different rules—the servants were considered honourable and highly proficient, having been selected from strict processes. Thus, they were akin to friends and family, and were treated as equals amongst the household. Even in society, the servants of this house had a different ranking due to the prestige of it all.
Jungwoo let out a sigh as he crossed his arms. “This isn’t the first time we’ve tried to talk you out of those late night riding trips you have a tendency to do…”
“I know,” Mark said heavily as he sluggishly headed towards his bath. “I just… it makes me feel better. Like I can finally let go of the burdens and pressure for once and just… be one with the wind. Or whatever.”
Jungwoo seemed genuinely shocked by this statement. “Even the most rigid and obedient young master, who has always adhered to the rules—almost to a fault—finds a burden in his duties? That’s a bit of a surprise to me.”
“Well, I’m not perfect,” Mark said.
At this, the servant cracked a slight smile. “Well, this town would definitely disagree with that…”
°˖✧✿✧˖°
Mark Lee’s mornings were usually jam packed with lessons and training of various sports and activities. Although most of the brothers of the household had long relinquished such strict training or performed them to a much lesser extent in pursuit of more enjoyable hobbies, Mark had always insisted on keeping up with them to maintain his expectations.
“Maintain good posture. Be well-versed in all subjects. Always be proper.”
His household, often dubbed the “Golden House”, didn’t have such a desirable reputation for no reason: their lineage of Dukes and Duchesses has always valued skill, etiquette and well-roundedness. Although considered “brothers”, the boys living at the house were less direct brothers and more distantly related cousins who stayed under the same distinguished roof. From the moment they learned how to walk, the brothers of this household had always been strictly educated and trained. While the rules gradually relaxed as they got older, the youngest master Mark Lee insisted on keeping up with the regimes for himself. He prided himself on being the very image that his lineage enforced: skilled, proper and well-versed in all the subjects of the world.
And his efforts weren’t to no effect. The town had long been smitten by this image of the hard-working, kind and handsome youngest master. The gossip surrounding him was only good, always praising his diligence that was further complimented by his generous personality. It was no secret that everyone prayed and wished for themselves or their children to be a potential partner for the young master, claiming that whoever would win this prized position one day would be the luckiest person in the entire realm.
And perhaps with such great reputation, there was an even greater burden to maintain his image.
“Hey Mark, over there! Those ladies aren’t even trying to hide the fact that they’re ogling at you.”
One of Mark’s older brothers, Yuta, had accompanied Mark to the local market to help with a last-minute selection of floral decorations for the hall, and hadn’t stopped teasing him about the attention he so casually attracted since they’d left the house.
“Why me?” Mark spoke, as he paid for a bundle of fresh, fragrant tulips. “How do you know they’re not looking at you?”
Yuta shook his head with the most handsome, wicked smile (that he was quite well known for) on his face. “I noticed it when I was walking further back,” he said. “And besides, it makes sense. I’m old news. You’re practically fresh meat for them.”
“When will you stop making me sound like an object waiting to be owned?” Mark asked jokingly.
“It’s not me,” Yuta said pointedly. “It’s the whole town, brother.”
At that precise moment, a girl suddenly barrelled her way into their path, skirts flying as she fell over dramatically in front of them with a raucous scream.
“Oh no!” she cried, her intonation slightly off. “Lord Mark, I seem to have twisted my ankle because of you!”
Mark suppressed a sigh. Not again… Things like this often happened to him and his brothers. The number of “maidens in distress” who showed up at their doorstep on late nights or rainy days was more than just concerning. Yet somehow, every time it never got easier to deal with—they only seemed to be getting more and more shameless.
“Um…are you okay?” he managed to ask apathetically.
“No!” she wailed. “You must take responsibility! If you can’t afford to pay for the medication with money, then I’ll gladly take whatever other means you have!”
Yuta could only stare, horrified. “What? How would that even work?” he muttered.
“Ummm… that won’t be necessary?” Mark tried.
“Mark, PLEASE! I LOVE YOU!” Her screeching was getting louder and louder, gradually attracting more and more onlookers. Mark was at a loss of what to do, and he swore this girl was gonna grab onto his legs and latch onto him at any second.
“Hey, lady! You dropped your purse over here!”
Mark’s ears perked.
That voice?
The girl practically bounced onto her feet and rushed towards the sound of the voice. Halfway to her destination, she realized what she’d done. The gathering crowd had already started to tsk their disapproval, slowly dissipating at the unnecessary scene that was caused by one hopeless individual. With all the shame she had left, she immediately shrank away, finally looking mortified by her unbecoming actions.
“Well, that was lucky,” Yuta said, watching the boisterous lady gathering herself up and disappearing. “Another second and I think she would’ve straight up taken a bite out of you, Mark…Mark?”
Yuta suddenly realized that the spot next to him was empty.
Meanwhile, the youngest master was already far away, as he had pushed his way through the crowd, speedily heading towards the direction of the voice he had heard.
That voice…it’s so familiar? But he wasn’t sure where it was from...or why he suddenly felt compelled to find its source.
At that moment, just around an area where the crowd was thinner, Mark saw a person fully covered in a black cloak, heading away from him at a steady pace.
“Hey, wait!” he called hastily, as he instinctively reached out for the cloak flaring out behind. Barely grazing with his fingertips, he managed to catch hold of it, rendering the person to stop in the tracks.
“Sorry!” Mark said at once, quite aware of his spontaneity. The figure turned around, and Mark immediately caught a whiff of a sudden floral scent. The top half of its face was still covered by the hood of the cloak, and all he could see were a pair of velvety lips and a sharp chin.
“I just…” Mark took a breath before continuing. “Sorry, were you the one who saved me back there?”
The person hesitated, before a subtle smile appeared. For some reason, the minimal smile elicited a surge of something within Mark.
“I didn’t mean anything by it.” The voice belonged to a boy around his age. It was pretty and melodic. “I just saw someone struggling because of some brazen acts and thought quickly about it…but it’s an honour to have the distinguished youngest master of the town chasing after me like this.” The tone was slightly provocative, and it made Mark want to know more.
“Oh no, I just… I just wanted to thank you, that’s all,” Mark said carefully. “For…for thinking so quickly and getting me out of an awkward situation.”
“Well, it’s nice to hear the young lord owes me one,” the person replied lightheartedly. “But I promise I didn’t intend for it to be that way.”
Mark hesitated again, finding that he had trouble keeping up with the quick wits of this mysterious person. “I–I didn’t mean for you to—”
“Mark! There you are!” Mark suddenly heard Yuta call from behind him. “What are you doing over there? It’s already late! Doyoung is going to kill us!”
“Looks like you must go,” the cloaked figure said. “I’ll remember your gratitude, by the way. But I won’t keep you any longer.”
Mark opened his mouth. “But—”
The person did a little curtsy-like gesture, before turning away. “I’ll see you later, my lord.”
Before Mark could get another word in, the stranger was gone. Yuta had already reached Mark’s side and grabbed his arm, dragging him towards the way back home. Mark trudged along, lost in his thoughts, eventually all that remained were the boy’s last words to him.
I’ll see you later…
And Mark could only think one thing in response: But when?
°˖✧✿✧˖°
When Mark and Yuta had arrived back at the house, it had already exploded in chaos.
The first thing they saw upon entering the main entrance was brothers Johnny and Taeil tangled up in a long floral decoration that was clearly meant for the railings of the stairs and balconies. Servants Jungwoo and Jaehyun were arguing about something by a large painting that they were trying to hang up. Head servant Doyoung was scurrying into the main hall, carrying a bust that was clearly way too heavy for one person, rambling on about how it was supposed to be in the garden and not inside. This was all amidst a bunch of servants and people tripping and scrambling back and forth, rushing to get their ball set up in time.
“Where is Taeyong?! ” Doyoung shouted loudly.
“He’s helping in the kitchen!” someone yelled back.
“What is the head of the household doing in the kitchen?!” Doyoung practically screeched, now clearly struggling under the weight of the bust.
Mark approached him hurriedly, helping him place the bust down before he injured himself. “Is everything ok? We brought the flowers you wanted.”
“Oh, you’re back Mark,” Doyoung said tiredly. “They’re very nice, where’d you put the rest of them?”
“...I was supposed to buy more than one?”
The blanched expression Mark received in return was more than enough of an answer.
Evidently, the brothers and the servants of this household were less than organized. After all, the actual heads of the household, the true Duke and Duchess of this Golden House often left to stay at their vacation house far away in order to enjoy their older age, thus leaving all the duties and management to the brothers and servants. This ball was one such situation. Although it wasn’t their first time and they usually pulled through in the end, the planning and pre-events were still oftentimes… quite a mess.
“What exactly were you planning to decorate with a single bouquet of tulips, my dearest youngest lord Mark?” Doyoung asked, trying not to grit his teeth.
“Be nice to him!” Yuta stepped in, protectively hugging Mark around the shoulder. “You didn’t clarify! How was he supposed to know?”
“One would think that it was common sense,” Doyoung grimaced, the intensity clear in his voice.
The sound of glass smashing echoed in the background, followed by a cursing voice that sounded distinctly like Johnny’s.
Doyoung groaned aloud. “'Be the head servant', he said. 'It’ll be fun, you’ll get full control of things', he said,” Doyoung started muttering a spiel that both Mark and Yuta and everyone else had heard countless times. “Can anything else go wrong today? It might as well. How about you all just bring me your worst already? Come on, let’s just get it over with.”
As if perfectly on cue, the crashing sound of thunder erupted above them, immediately followed by the repetitive sounds of heavy raindrops splattering against the roof of their home.
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Fortunately, by the time the ball’s hour arrived, the rain had stopped and everything was more or less in place. Everyone was just about readied up and changed, the decorations in place, the food was prepared, the refreshments were ready, the band was in place, and Doyoung only suffered about three more migraines through the course of it all (which was less than usual).
In the minutes preceding the guests’ arrival, Mark was finishing getting dressed with Johnny in their living chambers, with Jaehyun’s help.
“So what do you think of this year’s season, Mark?” Johnny was saying, straightening out his coat and brushing off the sleeves. “Any opinions?”
“Not really,” Mark shrugged. “As per usual though.”
“We’re all waiting for the day someone catches the proper, steadfast Lord Mark’s eye,” Jaehyun said teasingly, holding out his coat as Mark slipped his arms through. “On a side note, I heard rumours that the boys of the Somnium house will actually be in attendance today.”
The comment caught Johnny and Mark’s attention. This was the household that also belonged to a prestigious Duke and Duchess, thus of equal ranking to the boys of the Golden House. Years back they apparently had some sort of rivalry or history between them. Although it was a long time ago, it had created a vague animosity between them that still hadn’t entirely faded away, or at least according to the tales Mark had been told growing up. The main story went, while the two households were desperately and shamelessly competing for attention from the queen at the time, a lady from the Somnium house had seduced and ran away with a gentleman from Mark’s household. Not only did the Golden House lose a lot of face that day, they also lost a vast fortune’s worth of treasures and heirlooms that the gentleman had evidently stolen to provide a new life from him and his beloved far away. Though they were never seen again, it was said to be the scandal of the century.
“Well, that’s okay, right?” Mark said casually, not entirely sure of the current connotations. “I mean, we did invite them.”
Johnny shrugged. “Who knows? The Somnium House hasn’t been in the aristocratic social scene for a quite a while now, because of the whole adoption business so… we can only make our guess.”
Mark nodded. A few years ago, the lady and lord of the house had discovered that they couldn’t conceive by their own means. Distraught but still wanting to continue their glorious lineage, they hid themselves away from main society for a while and scoured the land and cities to find and adopt children they deemed would be suitable to their name. Apparently, they had ended up with six boys, and while their names were known, the rest was mostly a mystery. Much to the town’s dismay, the boys had somehow adopted their parents’ sudden manner of being enigmatic and low profile through the years. Rumours naturally spread, about how they were likely unattractive or entitled or problematic, prone to hanging out with the bad crowds or whatever other tales people wished to weave about a once (and still) prolific household. That being said, the boys of the Somnium house were rarely seen in public, and no one ever thought they would ever participate in public balls again…
…until tonight.
“Well, it’s gonna be a huge commotion, I’ll give you that,” Jaehyun said. “I’ve been hearing their names all day: Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, Chenle and Jisung. People are likely gonna come just to catch a glimpse of those boys alone, just to see which rumours are true. It might even take some attention away from us.” He paused, before adding as an afterthought. “Hopefully, not too much though.”
“Why did they choose now of all times, I wonder?” Mark speculated out loud, as he straightened his cravat again. “The youngest one has been of age for a while now, no?”
“Who knows?” Johnny said, pacing back and forth, looking every part the upper-class gentleman he was. “Maybe something or someone triggered them to finally appear…”
“Whatever it is, better not get seduced,” Jaehyun said with a teasing wink and grin, alluding to the old tale.
Mark laughed. “What, are they a curse or something?”
“Guess we’ll find out very soon…” Johnny said, smiling.
The sound of carriages and voices could be heard from the outside. The boys all stood up, straightening themselves out one last time in the mirror before leaving the room.
It was time.
°˖✧✿✧˖°
If it was one thing their household was known for, it was their extravagant parties, decked out in their token colour and leaving everyone who attended with a lasting golden impression that left them craving for the next event.
And tonight was no different.
Despite the earlier scare of rain, multitudes of horses and carriages were drawn up to the gilded mansion with beautifully tended gardens and ornate statues and carvings. The exterior alone was a spectacular sight, with fountains and gardens maintained to an exemplary standard. Lush greenery decorated with fancy statues and sculptures set the tone for the glorious initial impression. An ample amount of attendants moved around, catering to the elevated guests who were flowing around in glorious evening wear with fancy dress robes and splendid ball gowns as they examined everything the ball had to offer. Tailored suits and twirling skirts were seen on practically every inch of the expansive public space of manor's exterior and interior. The inside of the manor was even more impressive, with lavish decorations tinted with shades of gold and floral accents. Chandeliers and fancy lights sparkled in every room. Everything was shimmering and polished, though the warm toned ambience made it far from gaudy. The ballroom was particularly impressive, with its floral accents and romantic, warm lighting. The live orchestral music pleasantly flowed through the halls, making it all the more welcoming and exciting.
In fact, the only thing more splendid and over-the-top than the scene of the ball itself, were the conversations that drifted by throughout the night, spreading through the lips of the well-dressed lords and ladies of the event.
“Did you hear the lords from that household are going to be appearing tonight? How exciting! I can’t wait to see if my guesses were true!”
“You’re worried about them when the Golden lords are literally right in front of you? Oh, this household is so prestigious I would die just for a chance to get one of the brothers alone for two seconds!”
“Not even just the brothers! Even the servants here are different. Jaehyun made eye contact with me last time we attended!”
“Oh, I can’t wait to see everyone! It’s going to be splendid!”
“I hope there will be discourse when the Somnium boys arrive…it would be so very satisfying if the tales were true!”
It wasn’t long before the young masters of the house also made their appearance, increasing everyone's excitement by a tenfold. Handsome, prosperous and second in rank only to royalty itself, these gentlemen were the true cream of the crop. Securing a gentleman from this Golden House would truly mean a prize for life. From the moment Taeyong, Taeil, Johnny, Yuta and Mark appeared in their classy, form-fitting formal wear with golden accents, they were never left alone, ceaselessly followed by the lords and ladies of the town. Even some of the servants were surrounded at all times—Jaehyun could barely make a single round with his drinks before getting cornered. It didn’t help that they they all still technically “available”, so everyone seemed to be out for the hunt.
And Mark, being the current favourite, barely had a moment to catch his breath.
“My lord, I heard you helped our daughter out of a sticky situation last week,” an older lady was saying as she followed Mark around the garden.
“I did?” Mark answered, trying to keep the exasperation out of his voice.
“If there’s anything we can do to repay you,” they would say over and over again. “If you are ever in that part of town and need lodging, we would be glad to accomodate you!”
“I think I would be good…” Mark would reply weakly everytime.
Naturally, it wasn’t long before it got absolutely exhausting. Mark used to never mind these gatherings. It was just another social event after all, and it was a time to see everyone get into their best, fancy appearances for an occasion, which could be quite refreshing in sense. But recently, it had gotten awfully pretentious, with everyone seeming to have a secret agenda and ulterior motives.
The last straw that night was some lady attempting to get caught in a perilous position with him by the entrance. No one bought it, but in the midst of the arguments, Mark managed to slip away into the part of the back gardens where he knew people were unlikely to frequent due to its distance from the main area.
Passing through the tight-knit greenery of well-trimmed hedges and trees, Mark took the moment to catch his breath and straighten himself out. Now that he was alone, he realized the evening air was actually quite nice, with a pleasant breeze and that refreshing smell after a rainstorm.
Abruptly, he heard a continuous string of cussing coming from somewhere behind him.
What? Who’s here?
Curious, Mark walked around the hedge to see who could possibly be out in this conspicuous area of the garden with him instead of at the ball.
The first thing he noticed was that the hunched over figure was also dressed quite immaculately, in a black tailcoat and khaki shaded trousers complete with boots that were…stuck? Upon a closer look, Mark realized that this person indeed had stumbled upon some patch of sticky mud that had been the result of the earlier rain, and was currently stuck all alone trying to drag his feet out of its unrelenting grip.
“Hey!” Mark called, rushing closer. “Do you need help?!”
The person looked up.
Mark halted in his tracks.
It was as if fireworks had gone off in his brain.
This person. He’s… The small face with a sharp jawline and delicate cheekbones peered out from a head of silky, dark hair. The soft, full lips were slightly parted in surprise due to the sudden encounter. And last but definitely not least, a pair of gorgeous, brown eyes looked back, acknowledging him, glowing brighter than any of the lights and jewels in the ballroom that night.
Mark’s breath caught in his throat.
A…fairy?
He had never seen someone so beautiful before.
And the effects this stranger was having on him, just from the mere sight alone, felt as if he’d been enchanted by a magic spell. Mark's pulse had quickened, he suddenly felt hot from under his clothes, and his senses had become heightened.
Moving as if entranced, Mark rushed over to the captivating person’s side.
“P-please, let me help,” he said as calmly as he could, immediately bending over to check out the situation. When he got closer, the subtle scent of flowers drifted by his nose, despite that there were no flowers in this part of the garden.
“Oh, thank god, someone came by,” the person said graciously. His tone was just as pretty and melodious as his appearance, and Mark found it extremely pleasant to his ears. There was something familiar about it, but he quickly dismissed it due to how distracted he was. Additionally, he’d already forgotten that this was the same voice that uttered a string of curse words only seconds ago.
“Wrap your arm around my shoulder,” Mark said, leaning forward. “It’ll give me more of a grip if we do it this way.”
“Okay,” came the obliging response.
Mark felt a warm pair of arms reach awkwardly around his shoulders. With a heave, Mark grunted and pulled the other lord free from the stubborn mud. Overestimating his strength, Mark lost his balance, and they both yelped as they rolled forth onto the grass in front of them.
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to—” Mark’s apology stopped in his throat as the sound of the most hearty and cheerful sounding laughter resonated in his ears. He looked over to see the other person laughing gleefully with his arms wrapped around his knees.
“Looks like you’re every bit as generous as the rumours say, my lord,” the person was saying, wiping away his tears. Mark couldn’t help but smile warmly at the sight, thinking that his expressions were insanely adorable, even if he wasn’t doing much at all.
“I’m sorry you had to see me like that," the stranger continued saying.
Mark laughed gently. “It seems like you know who I am, but I don't know who you are.” Cutie, Mark wanted to add, but kept it to himself. “What should I call you, if you don’t mind me asking?”
The two caught each other’s eyes, and Mark swore he could feel a spark in the air.
“Donghyuck,” he replied. “You can just call me Donghyuck, that's fine.”
Mark stood up first, brushing off his pants and hands before extending an arm to his new companion. “Donghyuck,” he repeated. “It suits you. You can call me Mark, by the way. No need for the titles.”
The person’s smile brightened as he grabbed Mark’s arm and pulled himself to stand next to Mark. Looking at him like this, he was even more mesmerizing up close. Again, Mark sensed there was something familiar about him, yet he could’ve also sworn he’d never seen him before in his life—he surely wouldn’t have simply forgotten such a mesmerizing person.
“What were you doing out here by the way?” Mark asked casually. “I’m sorry that was your first experience at our ball tonight.”
“It’s okay,” Donghyuck replied. “I decided to walk around the place before joining the others. I saw some pretty flowers and I decided to go check them out when… well, you know the rest. I’m glad you came around though. Otherwise I probably would’ve been stuck for a lot longer.”
“Right place, right time, I guess,” Mark chuckled nervously. “Well, despite everything, I hope that you find the hospitality is still good enough for you.” Mark’s tone remained polite and proper.
Donghyuck laughed gently again. It was a very pretty laugh, Mark thought. Much like the rest of the boy. He couldn’t tear his eyes away. He was just so different, so easy to approach. And Mark was finally curious about something for the first time in a long time.
“I’m sure you’ll find ways to make it up to me, my lo…Mark,” Donghyuck replied cheekily. “Thank you again. We should probably rejoin the others now.” He walked past Mark, slightly brushing his shoulders before making his way back towards the ballroom. Mark felt a slight tingle. He wondered if it was intentional as he glanced over his shoulder and watched the boy walk towards the ballroom.
“Wait!” Mark called, despite himself. Donghyuck turned around.
Mark continued talking. “Actually, I came out here cause I wanted a breath of fresh air. It became awfully stuffy in there for me…did you want to keep me company?”
Donghyuck looked surprised for a moment, before smiling again. “I’ll do you one better.”
Mark listened intently. Instinctively, he already knew that whatever this person suggested, he would probably agree to.
He nodded in the direction of the stables. “How about we get out of this place completely for a little while?”
Before Mark’s brain could even keep up, his legs were already running alongside Donghyuck towards the stables. Now and then, they kept checking over their shoulder to make sure no one was watching.
After running for a short bit, they finally rounded the corner and opened the gate to the stables.
“We're here!" Mark said excitedly. "Which one is y—woah."
The two lords halted in their steps as their eyes adjusted to see two bodies embracing in the dark, pressed up against the side of the stable. The two boys both immediately gasped at the interruption, scrambling away as they tried to hide their faces and bodies. One seemed to be still wearing the top half of the regular issue servants uniform, while the other was frantically grabbing at expensive-looking dress clothes.
"Oh no," Donghyuck said with a smile, as he stepped up next to Mark. "Looks like even this place has a case of loose stableboys. How cliché."
In the dark, one couldn't see that the young master's face had turned tomato red.
"T-that’s—we don't–uh," Mark stuttered to find his words. "I've never…we don't condone this behaviour. I'll find them tomorrow and have them dismissed for showing you such an unsightly scene."
Donghyuck waved his hand dismissively with a short laugh. "Don't worry about it. Technically, we're not supposed to be here anyway, so that would just out ourselves," he said. "Besides…it's all very natural. It would be more in your favour to forgive these things, and forget you ever saw anything at all. That way, perhaps karma would be on your side if you ever get caught in some scandal."
Mark cleared his throat, straightening out his cravat that was feeling overly suffocating for some reason.
"I like to think I'm more careful than that," Mark said pointedly.
"Really?" Donghyuck asked as he slowly made his way over to where his horse was kept. "No one has ever provoked spontaneous urges in this rigid young master?"
Mark kept his eyes fixed on the way Donghyuck's hips moved as he walked. "No," Mark gulped. "Why? Have you ever been… provoked?"
"Just as you should never ask a lady her age, you should never ask a gentleman his secrets," Donghyuck replied with a wink that Mark couldn't see but definitely heard.
The two finally located their horses and climbed on top. The evening breeze was so pleasant, and Mark was again in a place where he was at ease.
Only this time, he had company.
"Where to?" Donghyuck asked. "We shouldn't go too far, otherwise people will notice you're gone."
"There's a nice creek beyond the surrounding woods where I like to sit alone and think sometimes," Mark shared.
"Sounds wonderful. Lead the way."
The young lord Mark was in his element whenever he was on his trusted steed. It was the only time he felt something close to the freedom he always so desperately sought. And this time, there was someone next to him. Someone that made him so at ease within minutes of meeting. It was truly an enchanting, magical feeling, riding away into the mist after the rain with such an attractive person, simply on a whim. It almost felt like a dream.
Within moments, they arrived at Mark’s usual place. It was within the woods that directly surrounded their home. The creek was flowing a bit heavier than normal due to the rain, but it was still as soothing as normal. Surrounded by nothing by looming trees and dirt paths, it was the one place in the world where Mark felt like he could truly be alone.
Until now, he supposed, as he turned to look at Donghyuck who was tending to his horse.
And there was nothing else he would prefer.
Donghyuck finished tying up his horse and turned back to look at him. That slightly mischievous glimmer in his otherwise innocent eyes was so attractive, so addicting.
“This is very peaceful,” he complimented. “I see why you like coming out here so often. Thank you for sharing it with me.”
“Yeah, it’s my comfort place,” Mark said, as he carefully sat down on one of the rocks, facing the creek. “No one’s found me here before, so it feels like I’ve actually escaped for a moment.” He grabbed a rock and skipped it into the creek.
Donghyuck approached and sidled down close by, next to Mark. He leaned on the trunk of a tree, gazing out into the steady flow of water in front of them. “So, what did you want to do out here?” he asked. “I guess we have a while until people figure out you’re missing.”
Mark didn’t quite have an answer to that yet. The pretty boy had told Mark to take him somewhere and he did—he hadn’t thought much further than that.
“Ah, how about we play a game?” Donghyuck suggested.
“Did you have something in mind?” Mark asked, leaning forwards in interest.
Donghyuck thought about it for a moment. “How about truth or dare?” he suggested. “If you pick ‘truth’, you have to honestly answer any question I give you. And ‘dare’...well that’s self-explanatory. First one who gives in loses.”
A chill ran through Mark’s spine. He wasn’t sure why. Perhaps it was the dangerous nature of the game. Perhaps it was who he would be playing with it. Perhaps it was the unpredictable consequences that could come about. Whatever it was, a thrilling eagerness coursed through his body.
“Truth,” Mark blurted.
The reaction was much to Donghyuck's amusement, as he let out a little laugh. “You’ve got a bit of a greedy side, don’t you, my lord?” he simpered. “But sure, I’ll start it off for us. Earlier, you said that you come out here to escape—what on Earth would someone like you need to escape from?”
Mark gave his hair a ruffle before answering. “You know, the usual: people, lessons, responsibilities...whatever it is my brothers are screaming about at any given moment,” Mark spoke. He was opening up to this person he’d just met, and it was the easiest thing in the world. “Also, the townsfolk who are literally out for my blood, if you wanted a direct answer.”
Donghyuck snorted at that. “That sounds like an unusual problem,” he noted. “Although, it would be quite scandalous if any of them followed you and got caught with you out here...”
It was almost as if Donghyuck had insulted him. “I would never let that happen!” Mark replied at once.
The tilt in Donghyuck’s head and the way he looked at Mark made his heart skip a beat. “Well, I’m here with you,” Donghyuck said pointedly with a smile.
Mark could only look back into his eyes, slightly dazed. What is this enchanting creature?
“You’re…different,” he managed to squeeze out.
“How so?” Donghyuck pressed.
“Well…you don’t show up randomly at my doorstep at forsaken hours of the night?” Mark answered to the best of his honesty. Donghyuck threw his head back in that bubbly laugh again, much to Mark’s endearment.
“My turn,” Donghyuck said. “Dare.”
“Hmm…” Mark said thoughtfully, wanting to take advantage of the opporunity. “How about this: I dare you to tell me about yourself?” He fixated on the exquisite face before him. “I swear I’ve never seen you around town before.” Yet I’m so intrigued like this.
Donghyuck's eyes glimmered playfully. “I’m not sure that’s exactly playing by the rules, young master,” he replied. “But, what did you want to know in particular?”
“Anything you’re willing to share.”
“Hmm…ok,” Donghyuck said, thinking for a few moments. “Well, my name is Donghyuck. My favourite colour is black. My hobbies are music and singing. I've been playing the piano since I was five. I prefer dogs over cats, and savoury food over sweet food. And I…” His voice floated away for a moment, before he leaned forward, catching Mark by surprise.
"I'm really attracted to people who are kind of simple…and honest,” he hummed, his sultry tone going straight to Mark’s head and rendering him dizzy. “Is that enough information for you?”
“How honest?” Mark couldn’t help but say, clearing his throat.
Donghyuck let out a laugh. “My turn's over,” he said, as he pulled back. “It’s your turn now.”
“Dare,” Mark decided.
“Huh, what should I make you do?” Donghyuck thought aloud.
“Play nice…” Mark warned.
“Hmm… but now I kind of don’t want to…” Donghyuck said, with a little whine to his voice.
Oh, so he’s that kind of person. At first, Mark thought Donghyuck was someone filled with naivety and innocence. He was quickly realizing that there was much more to it than that. It didn’t matter—each new layer only seemed to make him more attractive.
The mischievous glint appeared again. “I dare you to pretend I’m a lady you’re trying to court, and try to seduce me right here, right now,” Donghyuck said with a laugh.
“Huh…alright…” Mark replied. Is he…underestimating me?
In one smooth movement, Mark moved over and pressed his arm against the tree Donghyuck was leaning against, bracing on his knees as he caged him in. To Mark's gratification, he saw Donghyuck gasp slightly from surprise, his breath hitching in his throat.
A grin slipped onto Mark's face. So he did underestimate me.
“My darling Donghyuck, you’ve been so good, so patient, waiting for me to act first,” Mark spoke slowly, lowering his voice into a husky whisper. He kept his own darkened eyes firmly focused on Donghyuck’s luminous ones. “It wouldn’t be so proper to act on your impulses, would it? But you can’t resist it any longer, can you? Then let me show you…" His voice lowered even more. Boldly, Mark let his lips drift right to Donghyuck's ear as he whispered. "Let me show you all the ways a gentleman can make someone lose their mind… ”
When he pulled back, Donghyuck’s eyes were trembling. “Oh my god,” he quivered. “Where did that come from? Perhaps the young master isn't so simple after all…”
“You asked me to do it,” Mark said, still not moving away completely. It was still quiet and peaceful around them, with only the trickling stream and rustle of branches as noise, but the ambience between them had suddenly become tense and dangerous.
“Have you done this many times before?” Donghyuck asked, pressing himself back into the tree to maintain any distance between him and Mark. His teeth grazed his lips. “Do you always bring unwary ladies to this supposed ‘secret spot’ and pull this act on them?”
“No more questions for now. I finished the dare,” Mark replied wickedly. “It’s your turn.”
Donghyuck only hesitated for a moment, gathering himself briefly before saying: “Truth.” He maintained eye contact with Mark. They were only inches apart. Mark could hear the quickened breaths between them.
“Tell me something you don’t want me to know,” Mark spoke at once.
Donghyuck parted his lips slightly, eyes hazing over. The visual alone was more than enough to make Mark act on the impulses that had been building up from the moment he’d spotted the other person in the garden.
“I….I don’t want you to know that… ” Donghyuck hesitated. “I really want to know...exactly how you would make someone lose their mind...”
Mark felt his own breath catch in his throat. This is very improper behaviour… what am I doing with a stranger I just met? But at the sight in front of him, the enticing, half-lidded eyes, the slight, pretty flush to those sharp cheeks, and especially those soft, full, luscious-looking parted lips…it all definitely made a lot of sense.
In fact, he would be more of a fool not to act on it, at this point.
“Your turn,” Donghyuck said suddenly.
We’re still doing this? Mark thought. But he certainly wasn't one to back down.
“Dare," he said, breathing heavily.
“There’s no one else here so…I dare you to show me what you meant just now,” Donghyuck spoke, his voice barely a whisper, his gaze intense. “For five minutes. And then pretend like it never happened.”
And somehow, Mark didn’t have to be told twice.
It was as he was under a spell. Fully spurred on by his darkest impulses, Mark pushed into Donghyuck and pressed his lips against Donghyuck’s mouth. The kiss was soft, yet deliberate at first. Until he heard Donghyuck let out a groan beneath him, which seemed to trigger something more instinctive in him. He took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, feeling Donghyuck’s body go limp in his arms. Overwhelmed by a floral scent that was absolutely intoxicating, the rush of pleasure poured through his entire body.
It was all very unlike him—he’d never done something like this before. It was wild. It was reckless. But it just felt so right .
Though Donghyuck had been so unyielding and confident before, he suddenly became completely pliant under Mark’s ministrations. It made Mark want to feel more, to touch more—he wanted everything that this captivating person had to offer.
But all he had was five minutes. So Mark kissed Donghyuck until he was out of breath, until both of their bodies were a shaking mess. The temperature was much too high, there were too many layers, so when they took a few seconds to catch their breath, Mark used that time to feel the outline of Donghyuck’s lithe body under the clothes. Soon, they were on top of each other, kissing each other desperately and hungrily with Donghyuck's back still against the tree, as they pushed and pulled against each other, feeling anything and everything they could.
“Has it been five minutes?” Mark asked between breaths.
“Do you still care about that?” Donghyuck sighed into his ear, pulling him back in.
They went at it for a few more minutes before, pulling apart, resting their forehead against each other as they finally caught their breath. Mark truly felt as if his soul had escaped his body. He’d never met anybody like Donghyuck, and what had just ensued felt like some sort of miraculous yet taboo dream all in its own.
“We should…we should get back,” Donghyuck said suddenly. “They’ll notice you’re gone. I’ll…I can leave first so they don’t suspect anything.”
Mark resisted the urge to groan, as Donghyuck gently pushed him away. Mark wiped at his lips, staring at the way Donghyuck moved towards his horse, seemingly still a little dazed from the situation as he swayed a little in his steps.
How am I supposed to focus on anything at all after this? Mark couldn't help but think.
“Wait!” Mark called, as Donghyuck climbed onto his horse. “I’ll…I’ll see you again, right?”
Despite still catching his breath, Donghyuck replied: “Of course, I’ll be at the ball.”
“Well, I meant…” Mark’s voice trailed off. What did he mean?
Donghyuck let out a smile. “That’ll depend on you,” he said suddenly. “But I’m not sure you’ll be of the same mind once you find out about everything.”
And just like that, Donghyuck turned his horse and rode off, leaving behind a confused Mark behind to speculate on what he meant.
Find out? Mark wondered, scratching his head. What is there to find out?
Too out of it to dwell any longer, Mark simply waited a few minutes before climbing on his own horse, heading back to the manor.
°˖✧✿✧˖°
“Where have you been?” Taeyong scolded immediately when Mark reappeared in the ballroom, as nonchalantly as he could. “And why the hell do you look like that?”
The youngest lord had reappeared halfway through the ball’s duration, wandering around looking as if he’d been hit in the back of the head with a rock. And despite his obvious attempts to clean himself up, there were still leaves and twigs stuck on various places on his coat, along with some dirt patches on his trousers.
“Did you roll around in the mud or something?” Taeil asked, bewildered.
“I fell,” Mark said simply, taking a sip from his wine glass to distract both himself and the others.
“Where? ”
“...outside?” Mark answered, as convincingly as he could.
Taeyong shook his head. “There’s no time for this,” he said. “I’ve heard whispers that the Somnium house members are showing up soon. We should prepare ourselves for whatever’s coming.”
“What could they possibly do that’s causing you to worry so much?” Mark asked, still too out of it to think clearly.
“There can be nothing good that comes out of folk who purposely choose to come ‘fashionably late’ …” Taeyong surmised.
“Don’t you do that all the time?” Taeil noted.
“Exactly,” Taeyong replied at once. “So we better be ready.”
Mark didn’t know how to gauge Taeyong's warnings. For one, his mind was still back in the woods where he had somehow managed to fool around with the most beautiful person he had ever seen in his life. And additionally, he wasn’t sure what to expect—what chaos could a group of mysterious boys who had never shown their faces around town before possibly inflict?
While they were having their conversation on the balcony overlooking the ballroom, something surged through the crowd beneath. When Mark looked back, he realized that everyone’s dancing had faltered, as their focus drifted towards the main doors. Whispers and concerned looks surfaced throughout—
Something, or someone was arriving.
The doors suddenly opened, and six gentlemen graciously appeared, clad in expensive dark robes, with masquerade masks covering their faces. Despite that their faces could not yet be seen, their aura alone was immensely attractive and imposing. Before long, all eyes were fixated on the mysterious newcomers.
Mark turned to Taeil. “Is that…?”
Taeil straightened himself up. “Let’s go greet them,” he said, as he walked with Taeyong down the stairs. Mark frantically followed suit.
Before long, all the brothers of the Golden house were also lined up in front of the new guests. The onlookers gathered, eager to see what would happen next. After all, these two houses once had a deep-rooted rivalry that hadn’t been addressed until now.
“Perhaps, are you gentlemen of the Somnium house?” Taeyong greeted them. “Thank you for gracing us with your appearance after so long.”
“That would be us,” the one standing on the far left said, as he walked up. “We’re sorry for being late. We had to deal with some…preparations.”
The gentleman reached up and pulled off his mask. Everyone gasped in shock. Whatever rumours of the adopted boys of the Somnium house being unattractive or unseemingly were immediately squashed. In front of them, was a handsome, regal looking young man with lovely, kind eyes and a gentle smile.
“I am Renjun,” he said, extending a hand to Taeyong. “My brothers and I were very glad to be here today… so grateful that we just had to bring some gifts of our own.”
Before anyone could react, the doors opened again, and a group of servants that did not belong to the Golden house started walking in, carrying objects in their arms. Like the rest of the guests in attendance, Mark’s eyes widened as he saw various priceless treasures embellished in gold, diamonds and all sorts of precious stones he couldn’t even identify. However, when the servants started removing the already placed decorations and replacing it with the new “gifts”, Mark quickly realized the intention of the seemingly kind gesture.
“This is…all too generous,” Johnny said, the ice in his voice indicating that he had also caught on. “We hadn’t realized that there was something wrong with our own taste.”
“That’s not the only thing,” another voice spoke up. Another gentleman stepped up, also removing his mask. Whispers erupted again, to the same effect. This time, the boy was youthful, but sharply handsome, with a certain cleverness to his look. “I tried some of the food being served outside earlier and it’s… a little bland. Some of our cooks have graciously decided to come along today and help. I’m sure your guests would be happier with that. I'm sure that's alright?”
Taeyong was stunned. “Something’s wrong…with the food?” The brothers were also left speechless. Never before had there been such an audacious claim.
“My name’s Chenle, by the way,” he said with a smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Just what are they trying to do? Mark thought, but when the next gentlemen spoke, it all became very clear.
Another one stepped up, pulling at his mask. “Well, the music has been sounding awfully dreary, hasn’t it, Jisung? Perhaps you’d like to make a suggestion.” The mask fell off to reveal a gorgeous face, framed with long lashes and large eyes with a charming smile. People were now stunned speechless.
The one being addressed also tugged off his mask. “Yes Jaemin, I think I will,” he said, as he made his way over to the band with Chenle. This one was the most youthful looking out of all of them, looking simultaneously cute and handsome in all the right ways. Eager eyes followed him as he walked away towards the musicians.
Mark, along with the rest of his brothers, found that he couldn’t react. These boys, as audacious as they were, had all the attention on them—they were taking over their party! And very effortlessly doing so.
“Now, now, let’s not be so rude as to interrupt such a regal gathering,” another one spoke, as he also removed his mask. A lady nearby almost passed out upon seeing the masculine, handsome face on the nicely built body which filled out his dress clothes a little too well.
“We’ve done nothing wrong, Jeno,” the one called Jaemin spoke up, walking over to him and placing a hand on his shoulder. “Though, I admit we’ve caused a bit of an intermission. Shall we continue with the festivities? I’m sure it’ll be fun to dance with everyone for the first time.” As he finished speaking, he threw a wink into the crowd, and Mark could hear people shamelessly squealing in response as if they had no class whatsoever.
“Well… this was all really unexpected,” Yuta spoke up, suppressing the urge to glare. He suddenly turned towards the last one that was still masked. “How about you? What are you still covered up for? Embarrassed by your behaviour all of a sudden?”
Jeno smiled graciously, his sublime aura making it hard to mistake as a mocking smirk. “On the contrary, my lord,” he said, reaching up to pull at his companion’s mask. “This was all his idea…”
The mask dropped dramatically to the floor.
Mark’s eyes widened, as the face was revealed. His wine glass slipped from his fingers and crashed to the floor, smattering to pieces and spraying wine everywhere.
It was none other than Donghyuck.
The pretty face, the stunning eyes looking back, it was all the same…the same face he had spoken to and flirted with only moments ago. But somehow, it seemed completely different. Whereas before Donghyuck’s aura had a gentle kind of naivety and a quiet allure, now he was completely bold, confident, as if he didn’t have a care for the world.
It didn't matter. Either way, his aura was immaculate.
“Donghy…?” Mark started, but quickly caught himself since some of his brothers were already staring at him, startled by his reaction.
“Hello everyone,” the newly unmasked one said with a smirk. “I’m called Haechan, it’s nice to meet everyone for the first time.” Everyone was completely and utterly in awe at this point by the six boys. And of course, if the effortless, beguiling beauty of “Haechan” had been so enticing to Mark, it certainly more or less had the same effect on everyone else.
Mark was much too stunned to say anything. It seemed like a mistake, but it wasn’t. Because right there, standing right in front of him as a member of their rival, was certainly the same person he’d encountered in the gardens, the same person he’d ridden off with into woods, the same person who he’d…
He felt his blood run cold. Was it all a twisted plan to put me into shame?
Suddenly, a flourish of the piano resonated through the ballroom, and the attention was diverted to a Chenle who was now sitting at the ballroom piano by himself, starting a magnificent, regal-sounding piece with the band’s accompaniment. The guests wasted no time in flocking around the newcomers, eagerly asking questions and desperate to get a conversation or dance in. Contrarily, the original hosts of the ball hadn’t moved. It was as if they’d been completely replaced. While the house was still theirs, the decorations, the music, even the food… it had all been taken over and surpassed in the blink of an eye. In fact, people were so fascinated by the new Somnium brothers that they were left standing alone in the midst of the ballroom.
“So…” Johnny spoke slowly and bitterly. “I guess the rivalry is very much still in play.”
“I can’t believe they did this,” Taeyong said, as he watched the guests whirl excitedly around the black-suited boys, all while completely ignoring their original fascinations. “And we let them get away with it.”
“Well, we did invite them…” Taeil interjected.
Taeyong sighed. “How could I ever predict something like this happening though? They never even showed up the last few times we invited them.”
“We’ll get them back,” Johnny said, as calmly as he could. “Surely, there will be more events. And more opportunities.”
Yuta wasn’t paying attention to the discourse. “Hey Mark…are you ok? Mark?” he said, shaking a blanched face Mark by the shoulders. The youngest brother’s eyes had become completely unfocused, staring into space, his face drained of blood like he’d just seen a ghost.
“I’ve…I’ve been played…” he muttered to himself, not audible to the others.
“Mark?” Yuta asked again.
“He must really not like being outdone,” Johnny inferred. “I can understand it though…”
Suddenly, Mark broke free of Yuta’s grip and plunged straight into the swirling crowd. He had disappeared into the chaos of it all before any of the boys could react.
“Mark, Mark!” Johnny called again and again, trying to get him to come back.
“Oh my god, stop him before he does something stupid,” Taeyong said, scurrying after him.
“Why is this all happening?” Yuta sighed, exchanging tired glances with Taeil.
But Mark was long gone before any of his brothers could find him. He brute forced his way through the crowd, heading towards where most people were gathered, knowing that one of the six Somnium boys would certainly be at the center. The first one he found was Jeno, who was quietly chatting up several lords and ladies and once, looking every part an upscale gentleman in his fancy attire.
“Where is Haechan?” Mark said at once, not caring that he was barging in.
Jeno looked slightly shocked at the crassness of Mark’s actions, but quickly recovered.
“What do you need from Haechan?” Jeno asked curiously.
“Just tell me where he is!”
“I wouldn’t know. I’ve been just as occupied as he is, I’m sure. Though I last saw him chatting with some ladies by the staircase.”
Much to everyone’s surprise, Mark stormed off without saying another word, barreling towards the staircase. Within moments, he spotted his target, standing haughtily in the midst of a crowd of lords and ladies with one hand in his pocket. They were laughing loudly at something he was saying.
Again without much shame, Mark reached through the crowd and grabbed Donghyuck’s arm, catching his attention at once.
“Oh, Lord Mark?” Donghyuck spoke, eyes widened in a seemingly genuine surprise. “Is there something I can—”
“Come with me now,” Mark practically growled, clutching onto his arm before using all his strength to drag Donghyuck away despite the startled crowd. The captured lord let out a yelp, but had no choice but to oblige.
“Ouch! Control your strength!” Donghyuck cried, following Mark with dragging steps. “Be a little gentler with me, won’t you?”
Mark said nothing, purely focused on dragging his chatty captive through the halls of the manor. At last, he found a door leading to an empty room and pulled them both inside.
He slammed the door shut before shoving Donghyuck forwards, so that they were both standing in front of each other. They were silent for a moment, catching their breath before Mark spoke first.
“Why didn’t you tell me?!” he asked, his eyes glaring in anger.
“You never asked,” Donghyuck said simply. “And I never lied.”
Mark scoffed. “You sure kept a lot of the truth to yourself…”
“I played by the rules…more or less,” Donghyuck said, with a tilt of his head.
“Was it all just part of this… nonsensical plan to humiliate me and my brothers?” Mark asked carefully.
Donghyuck shrugged in indifference. It was almost like he was a whole different person from before. No… Mark thought to himself. Not entirely...
“Who knows?” Donghyuck answered. “I never really plan much ahead, that’s just not in my nature…” He trailed off before asking. “But why does it matter? Did you drag me here to ask if any of it was real or something?”
Mark’s silence was telling. Donghyuck snorted out a laugh that could only be considered mocking.
“Perhaps next time, you’ll treat this as a lesson to not follow random strangers into the woods alone,” Donghyuck said, clearly intent on provoking Mark further for some reason. “Be careful…if a scandal breaks out it could ruin you and your house forever. ”
“I’m not gonna let you get away with this,” Mark said, though he knew, and Donghyuck also knew, that it was mostly an empty, meaningless threat.
Donghyuck’s eyes glinted mischievously. “I think I already have, don’t you? After tonight’s party, everybody’s going to be talking about how our house took over the party and completely overthrew yours.”
“Why? What was the point?” Mark asked.
Donghyuck shrugged again. “It was just for fun. I guess I was just feeling a little chaotic. And I wanted to do something so people would remember us and know who we were again. Don’t worry, it’s nothing detrimental, and I shouldn’t have a reason to do it again. You guys are still the so-called golden boys, after all. You’ll be back to your prime status again in no time.”
“You’re…” Mark was at a loss for words again. “You’re really something…”
The other boy smirked again, an action that was starting to become awfully familiar to Mark. “Thank you, that means a lot coming from you,” he answered, almost politely. “Now if you’ll excuse me, we should get back because I have people waiting to speak to me.”
As he walked past Mark, he barely brushed against his shoulder again, and this time Mark felt the tingle for sure. Acting on impulse, Mark grabbed Donghyuck’s wrist again and pulled him back with a yelp, spinning him around and then grabbing onto him so that he was suddenly cradled in his arms.
Donghyuck opened his mouth. “Mark, what—?!”
“Was it really all for fun?” Mark asked gently, his voice lowered.
He watched intently, and there it was again. His suspicions were confirmed as that look in Donghyuck’s eyes suddenly changed into something softer again, something much more inviting and familiar. He felt the boy’s body melt into his arms, despite his resistance, even when Mark was doing nothing more than simply holding him and looking into his eyes.
“I knew it,” Mark said, trying to hold back a smile. “You’re the type to act like you’re such a bad person but you’re really not, are you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Donghyuck tried to be defiant.
Mark sighed, reaching up with one hand gently to stroke Donghyuck’s hair. “I don’t know if you can feel it like I do,” he spoke. “But I think…I can see through you just as much as you can see through me… and I think we both know this isn’t just gonna end like this.”
“Mark…” Donghyuck breathed, naturally leaning closer.
A sudden knock at the door caused them to spring apart.
“Mark!” It was Doyoung’s voice. “Mark! Are you in there?! Come out, Taeyong’s looking everywhere for you!”
Mark and Donghyuck both teared their eyes away from each other, clearing their throats and straightening out their clothes in attempts to relieve the tension.
“I–I’ll go out,” Mark said quickly, fixing his cravat into place again. “You can take as long as you need.”
“Y–yes,” Donghyuck replied, still turned away.
Mark squeezed his way out of the door before closing it behind him, still looking slightly flustered when he saw Doyoung on the other side.
“There you are,” Doyoung said immediately, eyes filled with concern. "Are you alright? Is everything okay?"
Mark cleared his throat again. “Yeah. Fine as ever,” he responded. “Let’s get back.” He led the way, forcing the slightly perturbed Doyoung to follow after him.
The party lasted until the peak hours of the morning, and Mark didn’t see Donghyuck again for the rest of the night.
°˖✧✿✧˖°
The next morning, the brothers and upper servants of the Golden House were gathered for a rather sulky breakfast.
“I think,” Yuta was saying. “We should host a revenge ball. We’ll send out invitations, but only to them. And when they come, we’ll have some sort of horrible surprise ready for them."
“That sounds like a crime,” Johnny said with a glare.
“Yes, have a little class, Master Yuta,” Jungwoo said, as he poured him some water. Discreetly, he threw him a nod of approval.
“We’ll get them when the time comes,” Taeil said, after finishing a mouthful of bread. “I wouldn’t worry too much about these kinds of frivolous things. What goes around always comes around. Plus, people won’t even be thinking about it in a week.”
“I beg to differ,” Jaehyun spoke from where he was standing. “The servants wouldn’t stop talking about it since last night. It’s all the town can think about—suddenly everybody’s obsessed with the Somnium boys and their abrupt return to society.”
Doyoung nodded grimly. “Using a ball that we took the time and effort to plan as their grand introduction was indeed a power play. Truly upsetting.”
“I’ve got another idea,” Yuta said suddenly. “Let’s get them canceled.”
Johnny furrowed his brows in confusion. “Canceled? What does that mean?”
“Let’s set them up and get them caught in some kind of scandal so horrible that their reputations will be completely ruined and they won’t be able to show their faces in society all over again!” Yuta said, concerningly bright.
“I love the way you think, master,” Jungwoo grinned, promptly receiving a smile in return from Yuta.
“Alright, stop encouraging additional bad behaviour,” Taeyong said finally. “By the way… Mark!” The youngest master jolted to attention at the sound of his name, nearly dropping his fork. “You haven’t been saying much at all today. Is everything okay?”
Mark looked ahead blankly for several seconds. “Yes,” he said bluntly, after those seconds were over.
He promptly received returning stares of silence.
“He’s not okay,” Jaehyun said at once.
“Speaking of which, Mark…” Doyoung spoke up suddenly. “What were you doing when I found you in that room? When you were gone for a little while and Taeyong was looking for you?”
“Oh yes,” said Taeil. “That reminds me—he was also gone for quite awhile before the Somnium boys appeared. What were you up to, Mark?”
Mark gripped his fork, not sure where to look, with all the eyes on him. He felt the pressure and guilt building and building, and before long, he felt himself breaking, not one to be good at hiding anything from his fellow brothers.
“I…uh…” Mark spoke slowly, hesitantly. “I might have been with…with one of the boys before they did their grand entrance at the ball.”
“WHAT?!” came several cries at once. The curious stares had turned into complete shock.
“In my defense,” Mark continued weakly. “I had absolutely no idea who he was. I think he told me his real name so…”
“Which one were you with?” Taeil asked, a slight smile appearing on his face.
“It was Haechan,” Jaehyun answered for Mark at once, mirroring a similar knowing smile.
“How do you know that?” Johnny remarked.
“You know the servants know everything,” Jaehyun said brightly. “And we all talk amongst each other. One of us saw Mark dragging Haechan across the hall. Can’t say anything about when he was missing for the first half though…”
“Haechan…” Taeyong played with the name on his lips. “Wasn’t that the incredibly charming, conniving one who plotted everything?”
“Oi, Mark…what exactly were you doing with him?” Yuta asked suddenly.
Silence fell around the table again, as everyone focused on Mark once again.
The youngest master looked like he was about to pass out. “Well…uh….” Mark scratched his head nervously, avoiding all eye contact. “I might have… flirted a little.”
Stunned silence again, before some of the boys broke out into wolfish grins and unnecessary catcalls.
“Oh my god, it really is a curse,” Johnny said, wide-eyed, alluding to the tale of betrayal they’d all been told since they were young. “Quick! Everyone hide all your prized possessions from Mark!”
“Looks like someone caught his attention after all,” Yuta said. “I guess it’s about time.”
“As the current standing household head who should worry about our social implications and such, I don’t think I can condone this,” Taeyong said. “But as your brother…I think I approve, Mark.”
"Now that I think about it," Jaehyun said. "Haechan seems like the exact kind of person Mark would fall for."
Taeyeong nodded agreeingly. "Smart…"
"Pretty," Johnny added
"Witty," Doyoung quipped.
"Alluring," Jaehyun mentioned.
"Pretty," Johnny interjected again.
"Funny," said Jungwoo.
"Talented," Taeil commented.
"Clever," Yuta said.
"And pretty," Johnny concluded. “So perhaps it's not a curse. Maybe it's just fate that your ideal person just chose now to appear in your life."
"As his predetermined rival though?" Taeil couldn’t help but smile at the ridiculousness of it all. "What kind of fate is that?"
“If you think about it from certain perspectives,” said Jaehyun. “It could be quite romantic…”
“What perspectives?” Doyoung sought for clarification.
"But it’s true," Yuta said thoughtfully. "It's not like he can court him normally. It might all be a trap. "
"I think you guys are all overreacting," Taeyong said. "You don't actually think Haechan's messing around with Mark just to steal his fortune or embarrass him do you? That's just a tall tale."
Yuta shrugged. "Who knows? It's more of a worst case scenario kind of possibility."
Mark sighed, burying his hair in his head. "So what do I do?"
"Loot all the treasure in this house and go elope with Haechan somewhere we can never find you," Taeil said nonchalantly, not even looking up as he helped himself to another serving.
Everyone stared at him. It was a moment before he looked back.
"I was kidding," Taeil reassured. "What I was really trying to say is, it’s not that big of a deal. Just let things happen naturally and see where it goes. Besides, even if it does get difficult, Mark's always been the type to like a good challenge.”
“I truly envy your way of living, you know that?” Doyoung quipped at Taeil. “It’s so very relaxed.”
“Well, he’s not wrong,” Taeyong said. “It’s certainly the approach that requires the least thinking for now.”
Yuta reached over and clapped Mark on the back, startling him slightly. “It’s alright. I know Mark to be a good guy. And a smart guy. I’m sure he won’t do anything rash.”
“Agreed,” Johnny nodded. “So let’s just see how it plays out.”
“Can’t be rational if you’re under a curse though…” Jungwoo mumbled ominously.
Doyoung gave him a shove. “What curse? Don’t speak of such ominous things! It’s obviously not real.”
“If it’s real, then why is Mark the only one affected?” Johnny asked.
“Because he’s especially vulnerable to the cute ones who can talk back to him,” Jaehyun said jokingly.
“Don’t just slander our precious Mark like that!” Yuta cried protectively.
The arguments went back and forth, but Mark said nothing. The reality was, he had tuned it all out a while ago. As he already knew exactly what he was going to do next…
°˖✧✿✧˖°
Immediately after breakfast, Mark hid from his brothers and skipped his morning classes.
“Ugh, I can’t believe I'm doing this,” Mark mumbled to himself as he continued trudging upwards.
The climb to the ominous Somnium house was treacherous. It was located atop a steep hill near the very outskirts of the town, surrounded by gnarled trees and rugged trails. Regardless, it was still an impressive mansion once you arrived…just the trek itself was a whole journey. Halfway through, Mark wondered if that was the real reason why the boys never left the house.
Although Mark wasn't entirely sure why he was doing it, he knew he had to. He had to see Donghyuck again. There was simply no other option.
At last he made it to the top. Taking a minute to recover before approaching the ornate doors, he managed to encounter a servant, from whom he asked about Donghyuck's whereabouts.
"Lord Haechan is currently at fencing practice," the servant replied. "So you won't be able to see him right now."
"It's an emergency," Mark insisted.
At Mark's aggressiveness, the servant had no choice. He led Mark through the gardens, which were just as impressive if not more than his own gardens from home. The gardeners here seemed to focus more on flowers, as a great variety covered the expanse of the land, leaving the most pleasant aroma in the air.
They reached the opening, where Mark saw Donghyuck at last. Despite it only being a few hours ago when he last saw him, Mark's body still reacted the same way. Upon seeing the lord standing there with his fencing sword, fitted in his boots, trousers and a loose, casual white shirt, Mark felt the familiar sensation that was no different from an adrenaline rush.
Donghyuck saw them approaching. If he was surprised, he hid it well.
"I thought I said no callers today, in fear of this place getting overrun," Donghyuck said pointedly, flipping his sword and stretching it across his lifted knee playfully. His dark hair fluttered delicately in the breeze as he acknowledged the servant.
"He insisted it was an emergency, sir," the servant replied.
"Hmm…What to do? I am a little busy now as you can see…"
Mark exhaled through his nose. He hadn't known Donghyuck for that long, but the provocative yet playful hints in his words had already become quite easy to detect. Didn't make it any less initally irksome though.
"I'll help you practice," Mark spoke suddenly. "If I beat you, allow me to have a moment with you."
That seemed to pique Donghyuck's interest. "Oho, you think you're good enough to beat me now, don't you?" he said haughtily, flipping his sword again. "You may leave us." He nodded to his servant, dismissing him.
The servant left, and then it was just Mark and Donghyuck again, staring each other down underneath the morning sun.
"Well," Donghyuck spoke, reaching over and throwing Mark a fencing sword. "I hope you're in good condition."
"I just climbed that ridiculous hill of yours," Mark said as he moved into position. "So forgive me if I'm not in my most optimal form."
Donghyuck laughed. "The hills can be treacherous. Well then… let's see how good your stamina is."
Mark thought of something, but decided not to say it out loud for now. Instead he smirked and said: "Whenever you're ready."
With no hesitation, Donghyuck lunged. Had Mark been a second slower, he would've lost right then and there.
"Oh, so that's how you play," Mark grimaced.
Donghyuck smiled, eyes shining in a misleadingly innocent way. "I think you've probably figured out by now that I usually don't play fair."
"How unfortunate for me…"
Mark took the opportunity to attack, but it was to no avail. Back and forth they went for a while. Mark couldn't help but notice that, despite that his form was much stronger and more bold while Donghyuck's were agile and angled, their moves somehow greatly complimented each other. It almost looked like a choreographed dance of some sorts.
Donghyuck took another sudden lunge.
"Ow!" he cried out suddenly, toppling forwards at the knee.
Mark's eyes widened as he dropped his sword and ran forwards.
"Are you okay? Did you hurt your ankle?" Mark panicked. He also dropped to his knees to check on Donghyuck's leg.
Suddenly, he felt the tip of Donghyuck's sword press into his shoulder.
"I win!" Donghyuck hummed gleefully, looking up with a smile.
Mark was speechless, before throwing Donghyuck the most annoyed glare. "Really? That's it?"
"I won!" Donghyuck repeated, standing up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get back to my own free time." He turned his back and sauntered away in that manner that Mark was so very addicted to staring at.
"Wait! You cheated!" Mark called after him, stumbling to follow him. "You can't just leave it like that."
"Technically, I didn't break any rules at all," Donghyuck said, still walking. He made a turn into the hedges of his garden. "You're the one who underestimated me."
"What do you mean, underestimate you?" Mark replied angrily, his tone rising. "You faked that! That was a normal reaction!"
"Just admit you lost and go home, my lord," Donghyuck sighed. "I've got other things to do…" He was still walking at a swift pace, although his destination was unclear as they'd somehow ended up somewhere in the hedge maze outside the manor.
"Why are you like this?!" Mark cried loudly and exasperatedly.
"Huh, are you that much of a sore loser?" Donghyuck jeered, looking back slightly. "You're acting kind of aggressive right now. Careful, you'll scare all the ladies away like that."
"You're…infuriating," Mark sneered.
"Thank you! That's an honour coming from someone as prestigious as yourself," Donghyuck countered at once.
In the midst of their arguing, they'd reached the clearing in the middle of the maze. If Mark wasn't so distracted by how worked up he was, he might've appreciated the glorious setup, with a magnificent fountain in the middle with an accompanying gazebo next to it.
"Seriously, what is the problem?!" Mark said with all the energy in his chest. "Why do you have to make it so difficult just to talk to you?"
Donghyuck finally paused and turned around, standing with his arms crossed in that arrogant pose of his.
"Have you even bothered to reflect on how you've been acting, my lord?" Donghyuck asked. "You came barging into my home, insisting to have a moment with me… how does that make you any different from the people you'd deeply scorned before?"
Mark paused, catching his breath. "You know it's not the same," he said firmly.
"Really?" Donghyuck scoffed. "Considering you've still been following me this entire time I find that hard to believe."
"Well, for one thing," Mark started. "I don't think even any of those ladies would be audacious enough to cheat at fencing in that ridiculous way you did."
"Oh my god, you're still on about that!" Donghyuck yelled, brandishing his arms. "It wasn't even cheating!"
"It was totally cheating!" Mark replied angrily. "What kind of gentleman acts like that?"
"If that happened in a formal competition that would've been entirely your mishap."
"That's not true!"
"Just admit you lost to me!"
"Over my dead body."
"Oh, so you wanna fight to the death now? I can make that happen."
"No thanks, because you'd probably find a way to cheat at that too."
"Bet your life on it then, right now."
"NO! What is with you?!
"What's with you? Why are you here at my house anyway?!"
"Why did you have to be at my house yesterday?"
"I was invited. "
"If you'd just stayed where you were supposed to be, none of this would've had to happen!"
"None of what?"
"This! The cheating! The anger! All of this!"
"Well, what do you want me to do about it?"
"An apology would be nice."
"Fine. I'm sorry for being better than you at everything."
Mark moved closer, huffing angrily. "I'm gonna wipe that infuriating smirk off your face."
Donghyuck flicked provocatively at Mark’s chest. "I'd like to see you try."
Suddenly, Mark let out an exhausted sigh. "Can I kiss you now?"
"What’s been taking you so long?"
All Donghyuck really needed to do was tug Mark closer by the lapels of his jacket. Mark didn’t say another word before he pulled him in for the immediately mind-numbing kiss they’d both been secretly anticipating. Practically crashing themselves together, Donghyuck’s arms moved to pull Mark in by the shoulders, his hands hanging listless behind Mark’s neck while Mark’s hands roamed downwards pressing into Donghyuck’s waist, hips and then his behind. Mark let that hazy feeling overwhelm him again, the floral scent overpowering his senses as they started to stumble around, the thrill of it all making them both go weak in the legs.
Eventually, they fumbled their way over to the gazebo, not breaking apart once, before Mark pushed Donghyuck down onto the conveniently placed pillows and soft blankets that had been sitting there. Mark was getting increasingly more and more aggressive the further they went. It was as if he’d gone mad, and he wasn’t entirely sure what had driven him to this. All for a stranger he’d only just met the night before.
“Mmm, Mark…” Donghyuck called his name softly, tilting his head back, dark hair falling into his eyes that were fluttering beautifully in his daze. Mark’s heart nearly stopped at the sight before him. Maybe that’s why I’m acting like this.
“What am I doing in broad daylight? I’ve really lost my mind because of you…” Mark groaned aloud, before undoing the ties at Donghyuck’s collar and kissing his way downwards. Donghyuck responded by nimbly undoing the cravat on Mark’s neck and tossing it to the side.
“If it’s any consolation,” Donghyuck breathed, arching his body upwards against Mark. “I’m starting to deeply consider inviting you over again…properly…” His fingers subconsciously drifted up to Mark’s hair, gently gliding through.
Mark moved lower, his hands lingering around Donghyuck’s tiny waist. “What can I do to confirm that invitation?"
Donghyuck’s eyes burned ferociously. "Just… don’t stop…" Donghyuck managed with a blissful sigh.
Mark flipped Donghyuck over so that he was pressed against one of the pillars of the gazebo. Then, he tugged at the fabric around Donghyuck’s waist, undoing and pulling his trousers down until they were caught on his boots. It was just enough to expose everything, as Mark’s breathing got heavier and his eyes became greedy. It had quickly become an obscene sight, with Donghyuck bent over, clothes disheveled and half disrobed, while Mark was barely holding onto any control. Unable to resist any longer, Mark leaned forwards and started working on slowly and steadily on opening up Donghyuck with his fingers. He nearly forgot how to breathe every time Donghyuck let out a mewl of pure pleasure.
“Of course,” Mark whispered down Donghyuck’s neck, unable to keep his breathing even. “You’re pretty everywhere. I knew it.” The pace was leisurely, almost lethargic, gradually building up Donghyuck’s pleasure. At this point, Donghyuck was making blissful high-pitched noises that were almost whimpers, and they were music to Mark’s ears. His eyes glistened with greed as Donghyuck's back arched even more into his lewd touches.
“Mark…” Donghyuck whined his name. “Please… ”
It was a switch in dynamic that made Mark’s brain malfunction: normally Donghyuck was the provocative one, the teasing one, whose words and manipulations danced circles around Mark. Now that they were like this, Donghyuck was suddenly docile and pliant, even willing to beg, and it made Mark want to all the unspeakable things to him.
“Tell me exactly what you want,” Mark breathed right next to Donghyuck’s ear before nibbling it gently.
Donghyuck didn’t answer immediately. He turned his head and moved so that his lips were suddenly on Mark’s again, tasting him as deeply as could, and feeling all the pleasure from every part of his body.
“I want to know…” Donghyuck said as they pulled apart. “...what it feels like to have you inside of me .”
It was all a blur after that. Mark had been hanging on by a thread the whole time anyhow. And so, he committed, and he found himself doing the very thing no one, including himself, ever expected him to do. Right in the mid-morning daylight, Mark pushed Donghyuck onto his back and made love to him right in the middle of an open garden where anyone could walk in on them.
It started off gradual, and careful, the overwhelming sweetness pouring in between their simultaneous gasps of pleasure. Neither of them were fully undressed, but it made it all the more enticing, as it was a reminder of their impatience and desperation for one another. The once heated gazes from the tension had also morphed into hazy, euphoric looks, mixed in with soft kisses and touches. It wasn’t long before they were practically drowning in each other, with Donghyuck’s delirious moans and Mark’s pleasured sighs merging into one.
It reached a point where Mark could no longer contain himself, and he accidentally surged with a sudden roughness into Donghyuck’s soft, tight body. Surprisingly, it elicited a favourable reaction from the other boy, which only urged Mark on even further. From that moment, everything changed, as Mark’s movements became desperate and hungry. The cries from Donghyuck got louder, as Mark held onto his body with all his strength, fucking him into the blankets and pillows beneath almost as if Donghyuck would disappear if he stopped. At a certain point, Mark grabbed onto Donghyuck's hand and entwined their fingers together, holding him down in this way as they continued to chase the rolling bouts of pleasure. As he continued thrusting roughly, purposefully, Mark pressed his lips against Donghyuck's smooth, unscathed neck of delicious caramel skin and licked his tongue all the way down to his collarbone. The action made Donghyuck arch even more, into his seething kiss, eyes fluttering shut in pleasure as the most enthralling noise escaped his reddened, swollen lips.
“Mark… Mark …” Donghyuck whined his name over and over again like a mantra. The sound was like a melody engraved into Mark’s brain. The visual was even more mind-numbing, with Donghyuck, the once confident and arrogant lord, struggling beneath him, half-naked, face flushed, eyes blown and lips parted in absolute euphoria. To contain himself, Mark bit down on the skin at the collarbone, making Donghyuck whine even louder as he drowned in the pleasure. He was writhing every part of himself that wasn't being held down, as if he was actually losing his mind. And then, when Donghyuck finally started moving his own body to meet with Mark’s movements, it was Mark's turn to completely go crazy. It truly was the finest example of debauchery in Mark’s life thus far, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Donghyuck, you’re so pretty… so lewd…” Mark groaned, after a particularly devastating thrust for the both of them. “Look what you’ve made me do…look what you’ve done to us…”
“I didn't—ah!” The words caught in Donghyuck’s throat as they grinded against the right bundle of nerves at the right time, and the sudden feeling surged through them both like a wave.
"Mark, please …ah!" Donghyck cried. "I'm almost—!"
Mark gripped Donghyuck's hand tighter, as he suddenly picked up the pace with voracity, groaning as he felt the sweat dripping from his body.
"Fuck, Donghyuck…" Mark hissed, as he looked down at the absolutely mesmerizing sight in front of him. Donghyuck was completely gone, eyes rolled back into his head, face tinged red with pleasure, and his flushing body completely pliant as Mark had his way with him. At the very last moment, as another moan hitched in his throat, Donghyuck's eyes fluttered open just enough for Mark to see the blown dark irises from within, fluttering underneath those long, dampened eyelashes, so tempting, so inviting, practically begging him to do worse with just that look alone. And it was all for him. Only for him.
"You're so perfect …" Mark groaned. "I just can't get enough of this… fuck …ahhhh…." He leaned closer, his voice dropping again to a sexy, husky whisper. "You're so good, Donghyuck. Come for me… "
Donghyuck let out a noise of pure ecstasy, as they gripped each other’s hands tightly, reaching their peak. It was overwhelming yet fleeting, feeling simultaneously complete yet not enough all at once. They stayed there for a moment, simply breathing heavily. For one crazed moment, when Mark happened to see the state of the depraved Donghyuck still underneath him, all dazed and satisfied, he was tempted to do it all over again, right away, right then and there.
Finally, Mark collapsed next to a similarly spent Donghyuck, the both of them panting heavily.
It took a good moment for Mark to regain his sanity again.
“Well…” Mark started to speak. “I do believe we’ve created a huge mess…both literally and figuratively.”
Donghyuck gave himself a second, before rolling over onto Mark’s chest, not bothering to button himself up quite yet.
"Hmm, my lord…” Donghyuck said with an elated sigh, drumming his fingers playfully on his chest. “Are you already worried about such things?”
"You're not?" Mark asked incredulously.
"Hmmm… if we were to be caught it would've been done already…probably around when I was practically screaming your name with my legs wrapped all around you."
The recollection of the recent memory was so casual, yet Mark couldn't help but twitch at the imagery that was still quite vivid in his memories.
"Ah…I guess so," he uttered dumbly. He paused, before saying: “So, um…how was it?”
Donghyuck's smile was teasing.
“What would you do if I said `mediocre’?” he said cheekily.
Mark groaned, his head completely empty. He genuinely wasn’t sure what he would do if that was the case.
“I’m kidding,” Donghyuck said, moving upwards to nuzzle the area around Mark’s neck and collarbones. “I would say the whole experience was very much like you as a person—mind-numbingly sweet, but straightforwardly rough under certain circumstances.”
“Is that… good ?” Mark asked weakly.
“Well…what do you think?” Donghyuck asked playfully/ Abruptly, Donghyuck pushed in for a soft yet lingering kiss on the mouth that went straight to Mark’s groin. It was as good of an answer as any. Finally, Donghyuck sat up, practically glowing in the light of the sun, and threw Mark a brilliant smile and wink.
Instantly, Mark was transfixed by the sight before him again. What do I think? I think you’re an angel, is what I think, sent to bless the rest of my life. Where have you been all my life anyway? I think I’d do anything for you. He swallowed the thoughts, opting instead to say nothing at all. As they both tried to clean themselves up as best they could with what they had, it truly sank in for Mark how ridiculous he’d been acting all morning.
“I still can’t believe I did this,” Mark sighed aloud, buttoning up his shirt and vest.
“Honestly, I can’t believe you did that either.” Donghyuck said innocently, as he also fixed himself together. “It seems you had skipped your morning duties, climbed the path to my house uninvited, insisted on seeing me, challenged then lost a fencing match to me, argued with me, and then proceeded to have your way with me outside in the garden maze.” The look he gave to Mark was simultaneously infuriating and endearing. “So much for your previously steady reputation as a proper gentleman."
Mark groaned in agony. “It’s not my fault. When you say it out loud like that…it sounds even worse I swear…” He reflected for a moment before saying. “Also, I didn’t lose at fencing.” He couldn't help but revel at how easily their conversation was flowing once again. It'd always been like this, now that Mark thought about it. From the moment they met, Donghyuck had never felt like a stranger for some reason. More like an old friend of sorts. He wasn't quite sure why.
Donghyuck rolled his eyes in a way that made Mark want to simultaneously choke him and kiss him again (and perhaps one day he would). “Whatever you say, my lord.” He said it in a tone that suggested he didn’t really mean it.
Mark glared at Donghyuck. “Are you trying to get me riled up again?”
“Considering what happened when I did it the first time…” Donghyuck drawled lazily, as he literally twirled his way over to Mark’s side again and traced a single finger against his jaw. “You wouldn’t really blame me if I were, would you?”
Mark groaned again, this time due to an entirely different reason. "You're going to be the death of me one day.”
“Coming from you, I think I’m gonna take that as the highest compliment,” Donghyuck smiled.
“It’s all your fault I’ve become like this…” Mark muttered dejectedly.
“If it makes you feel any better,” said Donghyuck. “I’m more or less the same when it comes to you.”
Mark was stunned. “Really?” Considering their outwardly dynamic, Mark would’ve never considered that was the case.
“Are you genuinely that surprised?” Donghyuck snorted in amusement. “Did you think I’d let anyone get away with your kind of behaviour around me? You were someone I had just heard about before, but when I met you in person…I…” Donghyuck drifted off when he took a glance at Mark who was still looking at him with the most tender eyes.
Mark was still staring in stunned silence. Is he…shy?
“Anyway,” Donghyuck said, clearing his throat as he straightened himself up. “I just thought you were amusing. That’s all.”
“Amusing?” Mark repeated. “Is that all?”
“What do you want me to say?!” Donghyuck started yammering defensively. “That, when I first saw you, you were so handsome that my heart started fluttering like some kind of smitten maiden and then you were so kind and earnest to me when you helped me out when I was stuck that I just wanted to tease you more and when you kissed me in the woods I thought I was dreaming and I couldn’t stop thinking about it the whole evening even though I had other devious plans to attend to— is that what you wanted to hear ?”
Mark was stunned silent for a moment. “Well…is it true?” he asked at last.
Donghyuck couldn’t look him in the eye again.
“It might be…” he uttered simply.
Suddenly, Mark buried his face in his hands, and dug his fingers into his hair, letting out a long sigh.
Donghyuck looked over in concern. "Mark, are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine." Mark answered tiredly.
"Then why did you do that?"
Mark took a deep inhale before answering.
"You're so adorable I don’t know what to do with myself…."
°˖✧✿✧˖°
“It’s going to be our little secret now, ok?”
It was the last thing Donghyuck said to Mark, with a wink and a smirk, when he left his home that day, his mind still up in the clouds. They promised to see each other again, whatever the circumstances, and that Donghyuck would find a way to contact him. And thus, for the first and most unexpected time in his life, the young master of the Golden house found himself in a secret relationship… with a lord from the rival Duke’s house.
He still wasn’t entirely sure how it had come to this. All he knew was that every time he saw Donghyuck, it would all suddenly make sense, and every time he was away from him, he missed him dearly. Those reasons alone were more than enough to justify his actions.
The first contact appeared as early as the next day.
The servants told Mark that they’d received a suspicious letter from an unknown sender labelled “FULL SUN”, and asked if he wanted it thrown out. He’d immediately stopped them and taken the florally scented envelope to his room to read the slightly messy handwriting in private.
To my favourite,
Meet me by my favourite at 8
In the place we first met.
Don't get caught!
-your sun
Mark was initially confused, as well as frustrated by Donghyuck's antics. Does he have to give me riddles?! He worked through it in his mind: the place they'd first met were the back gardens behind his house. It made sense, as no one was usually out there in the evenings. However, that place was expansive and he would surely be late if he checked every corner, especially if it was in a place that could be hidden away.
He scratched his mind.
Donghyuck's….favourite?
For a moment, he was worried he would have no clue. Wracking his brains, Mark inadvertently lifted the letter to his face, accidentally brushing it against his nose. The scent of the note immediately seeped through again, familiar and inviting.
…flowers?
°˖✧✿✧˖°
That evening, Mark ducked through the corners of his house, deftly avoiding the shadows that could belong to Doyoung or Jungwoo as he snuck his way out into the gardens. When the coast was clear, he broke into a run towards his destination, eager to see the person who hadn’t left his mind all day.
At last he’d arrived. Their gardens had a modestly sized patch of land dedicated to a field of sunflowers, which were currently in full bloom. He made his way through, and sure enough, there was Donghyuck at the very center.
Mark immediately broke out into a smile upon seeing his guise, running up and pulling him into a crushing hug. Donghyuck was fully suited up that night, dressed as a gentleman might on an evening outing.
“I missed you,” Mark sighed happily, inhaling Donghyuck’s scent.
“It’s been just more than a day,” Donghyuck laughed. “But honestly…I missed you too.”
Before Mark could contain himself, he found he was kissing Donghyuck again, hidden amidst the tall sunflowers, starting with his lips and trailing his way to his neck again. Though Donghyuck let out noises of contentment, he reluctantly pushed Mark away after a few minutes.
“Stop it,” he giggled. “Or it’s going to get messy again.”
“But I don’t want to…” Mark sighed, tugging at the clothes at Donghyuck’s neck.
Donghyuck pushed his mischievous hands away. “Mark, are you whining right now? I didn’t think you were capable.”
Mark gave up and rested his head on Donghyuck’s shoulder. “Honestly, what have you done to me?” he groaned. “Maybe it is the curse…”
“What curse?” Donghyuck asked, piqued.
Mark moved off Donghyuck and stood by his side, reaching out to grab his hand, casually entwining their fingers together. The cool, evening breeze caressed their hair and clothes as they peacefully walked hand in hand deeper into the garden together.
“You know, the history between our two houses and why we detested each other,” Mark said. “My brothers like to joke that perhaps someone from our house is cursed to fall for someone from your house and run away with all our fortunes.”
Donghyuck laughed, as his hand drifted up to Mark’s arm before looping in and pulling him close. Had it not been for the location and the time of day, they may have looked like any regular, loving pair out for a casual walk.
“Looks like you’re cursed with me then,” Donghyuck said gleefully. “Or perhaps…destined? That’s another interpretation.”
“It would certainly explain why I’ve been acting so unlike myself,” Mark said. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you, despite your aggravating personality and ridiculous antics.”
Donghyuck pouted. “Why would you say it like that?” he whined. “The mood is so good. What have I done for you to say that?”
“Oh, I don’t know, I hadn’t realized that taking over a party someone else hosted is regular behaviour around here,” Mark said pointedly.
“Good point,” Donghyuck admitted. “But I had to have a little fun. I wanted our entrance to society to be a little dramatic and memorable. In the end, no real harm done.”
They’d made their way out of the sunflower garden, and headed over to a fountain in the far end of the garden. It’d gotten quite dark outside, so there wasn’t too much fear of being caught. Mark drew Donghyuck over to the edge of the fountain, the both of them taking a seat.
Mark watched as Donghyuck reached out and traced his fingers delicately through the water's surface. Even with just a simple action, Mark felt that Donghyuck was quite lovely.
"Why did you wait so long to participate in society anyways?" Mark asked suddenly. "It's not like any of the rumours were particularly malicious…or factual."
It was a moment before Donghyuck answered, gazing out into the distance before them. "As I'm sure you know, our brothers grew up under very irregular circumstances," he spoke. "None of us are related by blood, not even to the people we call our parents. We came from nothing and were suddenly given everything. Even if there was nothing malicious to say, people would find something. For a long time, it felt much more comfortable just to be kept in the darkness. No one to harass you or follow you around. You could do anything with whoever and no one would ever notice. And especially for my younger brothers…it just felt nicer that way."
Mark's heart ached in empathy. "Yes," he spoke softly. "I think I can understand why you would want that…"
Donghyuck 's eyes remained distant and cloudy. "In this unfairly prejudiced world," he said. "You either stay safely hidden away, or risk getting crushed should you choose to expose yourself to the harsh expectations and judgments of society. For the longest time, we simply chose the former."
"Then why did you change now all of a sudden?" Mark asked.
At this, Donghyuck shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe because I was bored?" he laughed softly. "But in all due seriousness, we knew we had to amalgamate at some point. It just happened to be now…"
"At the expense of our party," Mark sulked.
"Are you still mad at me about that?" Donghyuck asked. "I'm not going to pretend I regret it but… if it means anything at all, you were the only thing that made me hesitate even a little.”
“Me?” Mark’s surprise was fully shown on his face. “Why’s that?”
“Well…” Donghyuck’s voice was soft as he leaned over, looking softly into Mark’s eyes. “Think about how much easier it would’ve been for us to do these kinds of things if all eyes weren’t on us. If I was just another random person on the street, who just happened to stumble across your path one day.” Donghyuck let out a dreamy sigh before continuing. “I can just imagine it now. You’d be so resistant and stubborn at first. I’d probably make you angry, a lot. But I would probably pester you a lot, any chance I got. Finally, you would give in and…”
Mark subconsciously leaned forwards, eye glistening expectantly as he looked intensely at Donghyuck. “And…?”
Donghyuck giggled softly and turned away, unable to maintain eye contact. Mark’s face melted into a soft smile, unable to resist Donghyuck’s incredibly charming and adorable mannerisms.
“Well, since you’ve made it so hard for us,” Mark said, reaching out to grab Donghyuck’s hand. “Let’s just do our best then.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Donghyuck said with a smile. “Let’s not get caught.”
“I think it should be easy enough for me to pretend I have intense feelings of hatred for you,” Mark said confidently. “You’ve always been aggravating to me anyways, just perhaps, in a way that's different from what most people are thinking.”
“Hmm, be careful, some people are good at spotting those kinds of things,” Donghyuck noted inquisitively. “How about to start, let’s absolutely avoid doing anything like this at all when other people are around.” Donghyuck lifted their hands that were still entwined and shook them as an indication.
“I see…” Mark said, something glinting in his eyes. “What else would you say we shouldn’t do?” He moved over abruptly and slid his hand slowly and suggestively over Donghyuck’s waist. “Do you think this would be okay?”
“Definitely not…” Donghyuck replied slowly.
“How about this?” Mark continued asking, as his hand trailed downwards, before lifting Donghyuck up entirely and pulling him into his lap.
“This is just…asking for trouble,” Donghyuck’s voice was barely a breath, his face mere centimetres away from Mark’s. “So no…”
“What else would you say we shouldn’t do?” Mark asked innocently, staring straight into Donghyuck’s gorgeous eyes. “You should tell me so that we’re both clear on it.”
Donghyuck’s breath hitched in his throat. “Definitely, positively, absolutely, certainly nothing like this.”
Donghyuck grabbed Mark’s face and kissed him with all the passion they were both feeling, the both of them sighing into it with pure relief.
°˖✧✿✧˖°
Mark practically skipped back to his room later that night.
For obvious reasons, he had a permanent stupid grin plastered on his face, even as he tried to appear at least a little discreet. Fortunately, no one was up, so he could afford that tiny little bounce as he walked.
He finally made it to his chambers, his mind still filled with thoughts of a certain somebody as he lit his candle in order get ready for bed.
“Why hello there, young master.”
Mark jumped and let out a string of explicit curses as the voice resonated throughout his room. He was not alone. He looked up to see three figures standing before him, arms crossed.
It was none other than the servants: Doyoung, Jaehyun and Jungwoo.
“Why are you guys here?!” Mark screeched quietly, so as to not wake others up.
“Why are you clambering back into your room at this hour?” Doyoung replied pointedly.
Mark wavered, suppressing the string of curse words that was running through his mind. “I was, uh, out for a ride.”
“Your rides never go this late,” Jungwoo said plainly. “Also, one of us reported seeing you prancing back in from the gardens.”
“What were you doing, Mark?” Jaehyun asked bluntly.
Mark stuttered again. “Uh…um…” He scratched his head. “Just. Walking.”
“Walking?” Jungwoo repeated. “Is that your new nickname for a certain cheeky lord with pretty eyes and silky hair ?”
All eyes were on Jungwoo. Mark was looking mortified, Jaehyun was confused at the choice of words and Doyoung’s mouth was hanging open in exasperation.
“H-how the heck did you guys even find out already?” Mark asked. So much for keeping it a secret.
“I already told you,” Jaehyun said. “The servants know everything. Plus, it’s hardly a long shot.”
"You're not the only one who understands what 'Full Sun' means," Jungwoo said.
“Also, you did mention you were flirting with him the other night,” Doyoung reminded. “And did you really think no one would notice you skipping classes and doing things that are completely unlike yourself?”
Be careful, some people are good at spotting those kinds of things. Donghyuck’s words echoed very clearly and precisely in Mark’s mind.
“Well…I guess that’s out of the bag then,” Mark mumbled disappointedly, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
“You could get in big trouble, you know?” Doyoung said firmly. “What would you do if it wasn’t us who noticed first, but someone with more malicious intentions towards you and your family?”
“I don’t know!” Mark groaned, throwing a pillow over his face. “Clearly, I wasn’t thinking about that!"
“Obviously, Doyoung,” Jungwoo reprimanded. “The only thing he was thinking about was how he was going to put the rival lord in his place, if you know what I mean...”
“That’s enough, Jungwoo,” Doyoung cut in. “You should be careful, Mark. If you get caught, we won’t be able to protect you.”
“I won’t, I won’t,” Mark said quickly. “We’ve both agreed to be more discreet in public settings.” A thought suddenly crossed his mind. “Wait…do my brothers know yet?”
“Not that we know of,” Jaehyun answered. “But they’re far from idiots. Keep sneaking out like this and they’re bound to find out eventually.”
Mark let out a sigh. “I guess it’s inevitable then..”
Doyoung’s eyes were wide. “Wait, does this mean you’re not going to stop?”
The response was immediate. “Of course not,” Mark answered, blinking innocently.
Doyoung and Jaehyun exchanged concerned looks, while Jungwoo simply exhaled knowingly, waving his hands dismissively.
“I guess it’s useless,” Jaehyun said. “The young lord seems to be in love.”
“Or in heat,” Jungwoo quipped.
“Whichever,” Jaehyun finished. “He’s not going to simply give up.”
“I guess so…” Doyoung sighed. “Just, whatever you do, don’t get caught. To be caught frolicking around with a person from the rival house at a time like this when everyone’s watching us…the outcome would be detrimental.”
“I know,” Mark griped. “You don’t have to keep reminding me. Trust me, I know.”
“Though, what exactly is it about this seemingly bothersome young lord that has gotten you this worked up anyway?” Doyoung asked.
Mark blinked. “What about him doesn’t work you up?” he asked, completely genuine.
The three servants stared back at their master in utter disbelief.
“Perhaps the curse is truly and gradually being fulfilled,” Jaehyun mumbled.
“You guys stay here, I’m going to go hide all the remaining family treasures,” Jungwoo joked.
“You guys are not adding anything helpful to the situation. At all,” Doyoung reprimanded.
“Are they even wrong at this point?” Mark sighed weakly, rubbing his eyebrows in frustration.
“Mark! Have some dignity in yourself!” Doyoung yelled.
“Perhaps it’s Lord Haechan’s dignity we should be more worried about,” Jaehyun noted with a smile.
“Oh yes, that reminds me of the important thing,” Jungwoo said suddenly. “Have you…done anything with him yet?”
Mark nearly fell off the bed. “W-why would that be the important thing?” he stammered. “W-what do you mean done anything with him?”
The three servants once again exchanged mixed glances. Mark watched as Doyoung begrudgingly took some money out of his pocket and handed it to both Jaehyun and Jungwoo.
Mark could only gape.
“You guys were already taking bets on me?!”
°˖✧✿✧˖°
Despite Mark and Donghyuck’s “best” attempts to keep it under covers, people did gradually start to figure it out after the servants did.
The first of such incidents happened at the Somnium house.
It was after Donghyuck had sent another one of his riddle letters, and the rendezvous point happened to be the library in his manor. The justification was that it was a room that not very many people frequented (not that Mark ever took much convincing anyway).
On that particular afternoon, Mark somehow found himself on a ladder with Donghyuck, caught in a…deep embrace . As per usual, he barely remembered how it started—they’d been arguing about something, and perhaps Donghyuck went to grab a book to prove it. Somehow, it led to Donghyuck gripping onto the ladder with white knuckles and stifling his cries of pleasure as Mark passionately fucked him against it, both of them shamelessly expressing how much they were obsessed with one another. When they weren’t whispering each other’s names, their tongues were shoved into each other’s mouths, desperate and yearning.
“Mark…” Donghyuck breathed. "Don't—nghh—move like that.”
“Why not?” Mark purred into Donghyuck’s ear.
“It makes me… ahhh ….I can't hold my voice back— haa!" He threw his back fully in pleasure, revealing his long, slender neck once more.
"God, Donghyuck, why are you so…” Mark groaned, as he lowered his head, trailing his fingers down Donghyuck's exposed skin before licking hotly along his neck. Donghyuck stifled another moan and gripped Mark’s hair tightly in response, again arching into every single touch and affection that Mark had to offer.
Abruptly, the door to the library opened.
They pulled apart in shock. But it was futile. Without even considering the flushed, dazed expressions and the states of undress, Donghyuck’s legs were still completely tangled around Mark’s body and his trousers were still dangling from his ankle—they were far from a state of decency.
“OH MY GOD!” came Jisung’s cry, dropping a book from his hand and covering his eyes at the obscenity before him.
“WAIT, DON'T LOOK!” Mark yelled desperately.
Jisung turned away, screaming. "WHAT THE HELL?!"
Donghyuck’s concern was different. “YOU BASTARD,” he growled. “SINCE WHEN DID YOU READ?”
Jisung let out an inhuman sound that was somewhere between a screech and cry as he ran out of the library.
“He’s going to tell everybody,” Donghyuck groaned, slamming his head back against the ladder. “Well, not everybody. He’s going to tell Chenle and then Chenle’s going to tell everybody.”
“Maybe we should really stop doing this in public spaces…” Mark muttered, as they finally managed to pull themselves apart, fixing themselves up as best as they could to look decently presentable.
Donghyuck huffed defiantly, straightening himself up. “Would’ve been more useful if you decided that beforehand. ”
“You’re the one who said we should meet here. ‘No one reads in this house’ , you said.”
“I said we should meet here. I didn’t tell you to do that thing you did with your—”
“Anyways,” Mark interjected. “Don’t we have some damage control to do?”
“Oh, yes, we should get on that.”
The two careless lords barreled their way down the halls of Donghyuck’s manor. It didn’t take them long to find Jisung in one of the living spaces, already sidled up next to a simultaneously amused and disgusted Chenle who was having his afternoon tea.
“Why, hello there, Lord Haechan,” Chenle said cheekily. “You didn’t tell me Lord Mark came.”
"It's not what it looks like," Mark said quickly, rather uselessly.
Chenle and Jisung threw him the dirtiest looks. "My lord, with all due respect, I heard you were literally inside of him," Chenle said in pure disgust. "I'm not sure how else that can be interpreted...although all of a sudden I'd like to see you try."
“Please don’t tell anybody!” Donghyuck gasped before they even caught their breath.
"You indulge in such ridiculous behaviours and I'm not allowed to talk about it? Come on, let's play fair," said Chenle.
Donghyuck glared at him, while Mark cried out: “We’re serious! We’re screwed if anyone finds out!”
“Should’ve thought of that before you fornicated on the unfortunate library books and scarred poor Jisung for life,” Chenle shrugged.
“See, that’s what I said,” Donghyuck jeered at Mark.
“Excuse me, whose side are you on right now?” Mark snapped back at once.
“So, are you two, like…in an amorous relationship or something?” Chenle asked nosily.
“It’s none of your business.” Donghyuck said, at the same time Mark said: “Yes.” They both exchanged looks: Donghyuck’s was exasperated, Mark’s was perplexed.
“Oho, looks like there’s some domestic misunderstandings going on here,” Chenle chuckled in amusement.
“Just…don’t tell everyone, ok?” Donghyuck restated.
Chenle waved his hand dismissively. “I’m not stupid, I know it wouldn’t be good for us if news breaks out that you’re messing around with him.” The way Chenle pronounced “him” irked Mark the wrong way. “That being said…Renjun, Jeno and Jaemin are all going to know by tonight so we can all mock you and your idiotic decisions together, just so you’re aware.”
“Is…that okay?” Mark asked Donghyuck concernedly.
Donghyuck sighed. “We have no choice, that’s literally the best we’re going to get.”
“And also, if you two don’t want to get caught,” Chenle interjected. “Please stop with that vulgar behaviour. There's no need to be that desperate for each other. It’s very unsightly.”
“Agreed,” Jisung mumbled, still sounding traumatized.
“I have noted your opinion, my kind lord,” Donghyuck said sarcastically.
“You know I’m serious,” Chenle said, not caring. “Now that we all know, if you must continue in this house, please just do it in your private spaces. On second thought, why did you choose the library if you brought him here already anyway?”
“That’s a great question,” Jisung grumbled saltily.
“It wouldn’t have worked as well with the wordplay in the letter…” Donghyuck explained. “Nevermind, you guys wouldn’t get it.”
“Donghyuck,” Mark called suddenly.
“Yes?”
“Where’s your bedroom?”
“It’s over th—” Donghyuck hadn’t even finished pointing when Mark grabbed his wrist and dragged him away with a yelp. Chenle and Jisung could only watch them disappear in bewilderment, the distaste evident on their expressions.
“They’re definitely going to get caught,” Jisung said.
“Without a doubt,” Chenle agreed, without even looking up as he continued sipping his tea.
Naturally, the next to catch a whiff of whatever Mark and Donghyuck were up to were Mark’s own brothers.
They were at lunch one day, when one of the servants came in with a subtle surprise.
"This was delivered to our house this morning," she said, holding out a navy blue cravat with a golden lining. "It was given to me by a servant…from the Somnium house. They said they found it in the gardens."
Mark spat out the bread he was eating. Doyoung, Jaehyun and Jungwoo stole panicked looks at one another.
The servant handed the cravat to Taeyong and left.
"Why…would this be at Somnium house?" He looked at it in confusion, flipping it this way and that. "It's unmistakably one of ours."
"Don't look at me," Johnny declared at once. "I have no reason to go up there."
"I don't believe any of us do," Taeil spoke up. "Unless someone really wanted to pick a fight…"
"Mark," Yuta called suddenly, making him flinch. "Didn't you tell me recently that you'd misplaced a cravat?"
A frozen silence drifted through the room, as Mark stared straight at his plate, trying to avoid looking at anything but anyone else.
"Umm…yes?" Mark said hesitantly, knowing it was the better answer than to lie.
"Mark, what were you doing in the gardens of the Somnium house?" Taeyong asked directly.
"Walking," Jungwoo blurted before he could help it. Jaehyun threw him a dirty look. "He was out for a walk!"
"Walking?" Taeil repeated incredulously. "How'd you end up walking all the way up there?"
Johnny was in deeper thought. "What on Earth would beckon you to go up there alone…and drop your necktie in the process?"
Taeyong's eyes widened. "Mark!" he yelled suddenly. "Were you…did you fight with somebody?"
"Uh, technically…yes," Mark answered honestly. He ignored Doyoung's facepalm at the side.
"Why, Mark? You know better than that!" Taeyong scolded. "We're better than scraping with people just because they did something distasteful once."
"Who did you fight with, by the way?" Taeil asked, grinning. "And did you win?"
"Don't encourage him!" Taeyong yelled.
"What? I just wanna know."
Mark had gotten unusually quiet again, almost as if he was zoning out (when in reality he was convincing himself that he was anywhere but there).
"Mark!" Johnny called, snapping him back to attention.
"It was Haechan!" he blurted in panic.
Practically everyone's mouth dropped open.
"Of course, it was Haechan," Taeil surmised. "He was the ringleader behind it all. It would make sense why you would retain strong, personal feelings toward him."
"Mark, you should try harder to control yourself around him," Taeyong sighed.
"He knows," Doyoung spoke bitterly.
"Wait a minute…" Yuta spoke up suddenly. "Didn't you say you flirted with him the other day?"
"That was before he found out he was a rival lord though," Taeyong said. "Must've been a hell of a fight if your cravat got pulled off and left behind. I'm surprised you didn't get any visible bruises..."
Fortunately for Mark, Taeyong wasn't looking at him.
Unfortunately for Mark, Johnny and Yuta were looking at him—Mark had turned tomato red, and was all curled up in his seat, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible.
The gears suddenly clicked.
"OH MY GOD!" Johnny exclaimed, standing up, pushing his chair out, wide-eyed, pointing to the cravat. "OH MY GOD!" he said again, pointing to Mark.
Before he could get another word out, Jaehyun and Jungwoo grabbed him and clasped a hand over his mouth.
"What is going on?" Taeyong asked, completely confused by the sudden outbursts.
Meanwhile, Yuta was leaning into his hand that was propped on his elbow, the devilish grin appearing on his face as he looked at Mark.
"Longer late night rides, huh?" he said, just so Mark could hear. "Looks like our youngest Markie isn't so innocent after all. And outside in the gardens? Lord Mark, you’re just as bad as our stableboys!" He gave Mark a shove, who had become so out of it he fell out of his chair with a resonating clatter.
"Why are we fighting?!" Taeil said suddenly, also confused.
"Everyone calm down!" Doyoung screamed desperately.
"Who threw that bread?!" Taeyong exclaimed.
"Mark, wake up, Mark!" Yuta called, shaking him.
"Mnmmmprffhgh!" went Johnny.
"Don't say it, Johnny, DON'T SAY IT!" Jungwoo yelled, hand still over Johnny's mouth.
"Say what?!" cried Taeil.
"Taeyong, catch!" Jaehyun said, throwing another bun at Taeyong as a questionable attempt to distract.
“Let go of Johnny, I don’t think he can breathe!” Taeyong yelped, getting up and running over.
“What is happening right now?!” Doyoung cried miserably.
Somehow during the midst of the chaos, Taeyong and Taeil forgot about the original issue. Johnny and Yuta, who had figured it out, decided to help Mark out by keeping quiet after the incident—they figured it would lessen the dramatics if the oldest and standing head of the household didn’t know for now.
The last and final incident occurred during a midday promenade, out in the broad open daylight. Mark had simply been out for a regular walk with Johnny and Taeil amongst the townsfolk.
“Did you hear, the Somnium house is hosting their first ball next week?” Taeil brought up casually. “Taeyong received the invitations this morning.”
“Oh, interesting,” Johnny said, casually shielding Mark’s expressions from Taeil’s view. “Have we decided what to do?”
Taeil shrugged. “Not sure, but I think Yuta and Jungwoo are already thinking of some elaborate revenge plan.”
“That’s…not concerning,” Johnny said with a frown. “Oh, speak of the devils…”
Similar to the rest of the townspeople on their walk, Mark’s attention was drawn to a group of three boys who’d just appeared near the hilltop of the path. It was none other than Renjun, Chenle and Donghyuck, evidently taking their white bichon frise out for a walk. At their appearance, all eyes had turned to them, and whispers and giggles started to cascade through the scattered walking crowd, akin to how it had been at the ball. Clearly, the Somnium lords were still quite the hot topic, just as Donghyuck had intended.
Despite the numerous times he’s seen and been with Donghyuck, Mark failed to suppress the shiver that shot right through him when he saw Donghyuck’s guise appearing in front of him underneath the morning sunlight.
Mark suddenly felt Johnny give him a nudge. “You gonna be okay, brother?” he said quietly so only Mark could hear.
“W-why wouldn’t I be?” Mark replied.
“I don’t know,” Johnny said with a coy look. “You just looked like you were staring directly into the sun for a few seconds there.”
“O-oh,” Mark said. He proceeded to clear his throat and said: “I’m fine.”
“If you say so,” Johnny smirked.
Mark tried to focus on literally anything else as they continued their walk, politely greeting the other lords and ladies as they passed by. His attempts to not turn and look for Donghyuck only lasted for a few moments. When he glanced around the next time, he found himself stricken by a particular view.
“Who’s that talking to Donghyuck right now?” he spouted suddenly, catching Taeil and Johnny by surprise.
Taeil followed his gaze. “Oh, that’s the son of the Viscount that lives close to us. His name is Sungchan. He’s rather timid when it comes to outings but…he’s a nice, rare sight when he does come out, isn’t he?”
“He is,” Johnny answered quickly, eyes flickering cautiously to Mark. “Why do you ask, Mark?”
“No reason,” Mark said, as calmly as he could. But his eyes were focussed on the scene unraveling in the distance. He felt something frigid run through his veins when Sungchan said something that made Donghyuck throw his head back in that bubbly, attractive laughter of his. And when he saw Sungchan reach out and casually brush against Donghyuck’s arm with his hand, all of his sensible reason evaporated in an instant.
“Go on without me,” Mark said abruptly. “I’ll be right back.”
“Mark!” Johnny called, as Mark brushed past both of his brothers and headed for the offending scene. He didn’t dare call again, in fear of becoming suspicious.
As Mark got closer to Donghyuck and Sungchan, he didn’t even notice Renjun and Chenle step into his path before they spoke to him.
“Hello, lover of brother of mine,” Renjun said quietly. “Just what do you think you’re doing over here?”
“I should be asking that about your brother right now,” Mark whispered harshly.
“Are you trying to create a scene right now?” Chenle snarled. “Don’t be stupid right now! We’re in the middle of broad daylight!”
The resonating sound of Donghyuck’s laughter echoed in the air again, leaving Mark unable to register anything that had been said.
“Move,” he said coldly, before pushing past the two brothers and heading straight towards his target once again.
He didn’t know what he was planning to do when he got there. He just knew he wanted it to stop. Because Donghyuck was standing right there, his pretty Donghyuck, laughing so brightly at something that someone else had said, letting someone else touch him. It should’ve been nothing at all yet it was—
The floral scent flooded his nose.
“Mark?” came Donghyuck’s voice.
In front of him, was a bewildered Lord Sungchan who was clearly surprised by Mark's sudden appearance. Right next to him, pressed against his shoulder was a Donghyuck with an unreadable expression, looking at him curiously with the familiar bright eyes Mark so deeply adored.
“Lord Mark…” Sungchan greeted politely with a bow. “What brings you over here?" His civil demeanour was impressive, considering Mark had appeared in a rather imposing and abrupt manner.
"Nothing in particular," Mark said as calmly as he could, trying to keep the grit out of his voice. "What business did you have with Donghy…Lord Haechan this morning?"
Sungchan seemed startled by the address. "I was merely accepting an invitation from the Lord to attend his ball in a few days," he replied. "We were discussing what to expect."
"I don't see what's so funny about that," Mark replied coldly.
His utterance left the two gentlemen in front of him speechless.
"Um…sorry, my lord," Sungchan said sheepishly. "Have I…upset you in some way?"
"Don't worry about it," Mark spoke quickly. "But next time…" He leaned in and dropped his voice to a whisper. "Don't go around touching things willy-nilly that don't belong to you."
Without another word, Mark suddenly grabbed Donghyuck's wrist and pulled him away, right in front of all the watchful eyes. Sungchan could only watch in stunned silence, a subtle glimpse of understanding flashing through his eyes before he nonchalantly returned to his walk.
Meanwhile, Mark didn't seem to care about anything else as he dragged Donghyuck off the path and into some densely packed trees by the side of the road. When they were finally out of the way, he finally turned to the object of his desires.
Evidently, Donghyuck had been trying hard to hold back his laughter the whole time. He finally let it out. And for once, Mark was not sharing the amusement.
"Is this funny to you?" Mark asked.
"Oh, Mark, what was that all about?" Donghyuck asked. "There wasn't enough reason to create such a big mess."
Mark narrowed his eyes. "I saw him touch you."
"He gave me a supportive brush on the arm," Donghyuck said. "He never touched me… at least, not in the sense you do." His subtle switch in tone sent a shiver through Mark.
Donghyuck's voice dropped to a whisper, as he looked straight into Mark's eyes. "He's never ran his fingers all over my body in the most tender ways, he's never known what I feel like in my softest places, and he's never brought me to euphoria just from using his lips alone. Is that good enough for you, my lord?"
Mark let out a huff and shut his eyes, trying to control the sudden shift in his aggressive motions. "You didn't have to say it like that…"
"And you didn't have to drag me off in front of everyone, but look at where we are," Donghyuck said pointedly.
Mark exhaled, coming back down to Earth at last. "I'm sorry, I was out of line," he admitted. "So, now what do we do?"
Donghyuck thought about it for a second. "Hmm…not everyone's gonna fall for it but…rough me up?"
Mark's eyes flashed in eagerness. "Right here? Right now?" he said, looking around the open space.
Donghyuck gave him a jolting punch in the shoulder. "Not like that, you lech! Why on Earth on that be helpful right now?!" he scolded. "Act like we got into a fight!"
"O-oh, right."
It was quick work: they ruffled each other's hair and tugged on each other's clothes a bit. Donghyuck even rubbed dirt on part of his clothes to make it look more convincing. They left the grove yelling at each other, their pent up energy translating easily into anger as they caught the attention of anyone who would watch.
"Next time, don't say stupid things and take advantage of people like that!" Mark was yelling.
"Well, maybe if there was something in that big head of yours besides empty space, you would've seen it coming!" Donghyuck retorted angrily.
"Cheater!"
"Idiot!"
"Whoa whoa, what is going on here?" Taeil spoke as he rushed to Mark's side, with Johnny quickly following from behind. Mark looked to Donghyuck's side and saw that Renjun and Chenle had also joined him.
"Did you pick a fight with him again?" Taeil sighed, amidst the surging whispers amongst the townsfolk. "Mark, you should know better."
Taeil promptly turned to where Donghyuck, Renjun and Chenle were standing. "We're really sorry about this. I'm sure Mark didn't mean to put you all in such an uncomfortable position."
Chenle snorted in the back. "Oh, we're not the ones he's putting into uncomfortable positions," he mumbled, promptly receiving an elbow from Renjun.
"It's fine," Donghyuck stated, maintaining a convincingly exasperated act. "Just…don't let him near me."
"Oh, I would do everything in my power to do that if I could," Johnny said weakly.
"The next time I see you…you're gonna get it from me," Mark growled suddenly, eyes glinting. "I won't let you get away."
"Is that a promise?" Donghyuck shot back, reflecting the look in Mark's eyes.
Nearly all of them picked up on the context. Renjun covertly feigned a retch in the back, Chenle could only look on in disgust, while Johnny appeared to be falling further and further into dismay.
Meanwhile, Taeil was visibly puzzled by the direction of the conversation.
"Umm…so is everything alright now or…?"
°˖✧✿✧˖°
It was a few days before the long-awaited ball hosted by the Somnium house. The entire town was a whirlwind of excitement, gossip and anticipation, eagerly expecting the day when the infamous family would finally open the doors to their home for the first time in so long. The shops and boutiques were crowded with people seeking out the best dresses and jewelry, wanting to appear at their utmost finest for the occasion.
Though they wished it was otherwise, a similar atmosphere had overtaken the Golden house as well. The atmosphere was quite tense, as the masters of the house questioned how to present themselves at the event. The entire town would be expecting a response to the last provocation, and they were suddenly under pressure to address that. While Yuta and Jungwoo were continually discussing elaborate revenge plans, Taeyong and Taeil were concerned over how to present themselves in the most proper manner without appearing lesser to the rival house. Meanwhile, Mark found he wasn’t really worried about those concerns at all. Naturally, his first and foremost worry was how he was going to conduct himself around Donghyuck, and just how much of an act they were going to have to put up.
On one of these particular mornings, Mark decided to return to his chamber, after witnessing Yuta and Jungwoo talking about some complicated scheme apparently involving “fake blood”. This was when he saw a little unaddressed envelope sitting on the desk of his room.
Hmm…? How did this get here? Looking around cautiously, he nonchalantly picked it up and opened it.
His eyes widened at the contents.
Dear Lord Mark,
I know what you’ve been doing with my precious Lord Haechan.
He deserves better and you better leave him alone.
If you don’t put an end to your forceful antics by the end of the ball,
I will expose everything and make sure both of your families are put into disgrace.
Trust me, I have more than enough evidence.
I will also do this if you let anyone including my precious lord know about this arrangement in any way.
I hope you choose properly. Or else.
Realizing there was a second page beneath the letter, Mark’s hands shook as he revealed it.
It was none other than a letter that Donghyuck had once written to him in the past. Though it was torn in half, the scrawling writing was undeniably Donghyuck’s, spelling out sweet phrases of affection and a rendezvous point that was supposed to be meant for Mark and Mark alone.
Don’t get caught.
It had been the one and only condition to their relationship.
It was only then that Mark realized how truly fragile this single condition had been all along. He stood there alone, gripping the accusatory pages, shaking uncontrollably and at a loss of what to do.
°˖✧✿✧˖°
“Cheer up, Mark, what are you looking so sullen for?” Taeyong spoke.
"Hmm?" Mark pulled his head back from his gaze out the window. They were seated in the carriage along with Johnny and Doyoung, all decked out their most expensive dress clothes as they headed for the ball. It should've been a glorious night, of fine wines, vibrant dancing and long-waited socialization
But all Mark felt was anxiety.
"Relax, there's nothing to be so tense for. It's just another ball," Taeyong reassured, rubbing Mark on the shoulder.
Doyoung sighed deeply. "I hope you made sure the people in the other carriages know that…" he said tiredly, referring to whatever Yuta, Jungwoo and others may be up to.
"We'll be fine," Taeyong said again. "No getting into anything unnecessary."
"It might be a bit too late for that…" Mark mumbled, as the carriage finally finished its climb to the hilltop.
The setup was expectedly grandiose, the usual gloomy manor was decked out in full glamour, brightened up by fancy lights and lavish decorations. It was almost enough to make Mark forget about what would inevitably happen, but when he caught a glimpse of some gnarled trees and dead branches in the distance, he couldn't help but feel uneasy again.
As Mark stepped out of the carriage, an explosive noise like a gunshot rang out into the air. He amongst other ducked for cover until he heard a familiar laugh.
“Let’s go party time!” came Jungwoo’s shout from a distance. Another firework blew into the air, cascading over the manor in a golden light.
“Oh no…” Taeyong groaned.
“Are they…planning to take the party outside?” Doyoung asked incredulously, as vibrant music, bards and dancers suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Somehow, people were actually gathering around Yuta and Jungwoo, who apparently were plenty good in making a huge commotion. “What, has our rivalry been reduced to some kind of party sabotaging competition? "
“You know what, I’ll deal with them later,” Taeyong sighed.
“Where’d Mark go?” Johnny asked suddenly.
Sure enough, the youngest master had disappeared into the shadow of some nearby trees. Using the dim light, he pulled the letter out of his pocket, reading and rereading it again as he had many times before, wondering if he could think of any way out. But he reached the same conclusion everytime—it seemed hopeless.
He shut his eyes and leaned dejectedly on the tree behind him, clenching his fists in frustration.
At the very least, I’ll have until the end of the ball… if I just prolong it…
The young lord’s behaviour became unusual that night. He was no longer smiling nor enjoying himself despite the lavish nature of the ball. Instead of his usually courteous and polite nature, he was suddenly lingering around the walls and hiding in the shadows, only greeting others when approached. It was almost as if he was avoiding something, or perhaps, someone in particular.
Mark was making his way along the walls again when someone grabbed his arm. He turned around, expectant.
“Lord Mark,” Jeno spoke. “I haven’t been able to speak to you all night.” He gave a quick bow which Mark promptly returned. Jeno was even more handsome than normal that night, in his navy blue dress clothes that seemed to highlight his features perfectly.
“It’s a lovely party, Lord Jeno,” Mark replied stiffly. “You guys have truly outdone yourself.”
It’s rather paling in comparison to what your brothers are apparently pulling off in the front though,” Jeno replied. He suddenly moved closer. Lowering his voice, he said. “Why haven’t you talked to Haechan yet, by the way? He was looking for you. Did something happen? Normally you two would’ve snuck off somewhere together already…”
Mark tried to control his expression. “It’s nothing. I was just…otherwise occupied.”
“Doing what? Studying our wallpaper?”
“I’ll meet up with him soon.”
Jeno tilted his head, giving Mark a careful observation. “Are you sure everything’s alright?” he asked carefully this time.
I will expose everything and make sure both of your families are put into disgrace.
The words echoed clearly and vividly in Mark’s mind. He squeezed his eyes shut once more, resisting the urge to say anything more.
“I’ll be fine,” Mark said firmly, whether it was to Jeno or to himself.
Jeno nodded. “If you say so..” He turned away, before taking one quick concerned look back at Mark. “You can find us if you need anything, Mark.” He spoke his final reassurance before disappearing back into the crowd.
Mark felt suffocated all of a sudden. Acting out of pure spontaneity, he put down his wine glass and rushed outside towards the back of the house. He started walking aimlessly, hurriedly around the back gardens of the Somnium house. It was dark, it was cold, but he didn’t care. Anything, anything at all to get away from the crowd that suddenly seemed so overwhelming and stifling all over again.
And within that crowd somewhere, someone was watching, waiting for his demise. Forcing him to part with the one thing that had become so precious with him in the recent days. And he knew, deep inside, that there was probably more than one person like that. He would never get away from it: the ridiculous expectations and cruel nature of the people around them. \
It’s so unfair. He wanted to scream. Why? Why does it have to be like this?
The emotions bubble up into a rage. Unable to contain it, Mark grabbed an empty vase nearby and smashed it into the ground with a roar, desperate to release the anguish inside.
“Mark?” a voice called suddenly.
Mark’s eyes flashed upwards. Even before he saw who it was, his eyes had already clouded in melancholy,. for it was a voice he knew all too well.
Because there was Donghyuck, in all his glory, running straight towards him. Tonight of all nights, he has to be more beautiful than ever, Mark thought, as his breath hitched in throat at the sight before him. His dark hair had gotten longer and silkier, bouncing around his lovely face. Although the lighting was dim, he could barely make out the pinkness in his lips and the pretty flush on his cheeks. And he was heading straight to him, with such an expectant and bright look in his irresistible eyes.
Donghyuck…my Donghyuck. Mark’s heart ached deeply, more than it ever had before. More than anything else in his life, he wanted to pretend he’d forgotten about the letter, that it didn’t exist at all.
Donghyuck got closer, and suddenly his smile faded gradually. Not only was Mark not returning the excitement, he wasn’t saying a single thing, and his eyes were very much focused on the ground.
“Mark…is everything okay?” Donghyuck asked gently. “I heard a loud noise coming from over here. Are you okay?”
Mark said nothing.
“Mark,” Donghyuck said again, reaching out to touch his arm. “Mark, what’s wrong?”
Mark snatched his arm away abruptly, causing Donghyuck to gasp. It felt like a knife was slowly pushing into Mark's chest—all he had to do was twist it.
He deserves better and you better leave him alone.
“Donghyuck,” Mark said suddenly, without looking up. “Let’s not do this anymore.”
He heard Donghyuck’s confused voice shaking. “What?”
“I don’t like you,” Mark said firmly. “I never did like you. It was all part of my plan to keep you in check.” He did his best to fill his voice with hurt and menace.
“Mark…what are you saying?
“And you let me. It was nice taking advantage of your naivety but...I've really gotten tired of you recently.”
"Mark, stop. Let's talk about this properly."
“If it’s any consolation,” Mark spoke venomously. “At least you weren’t a bad lay.”
At that last vicious comment, he finally looked up.
There it is. There’s the expression I thought I would see.
And indeed, Donghyuck’s appearance was devastating. It was as if all the light had been extinguished out of him. His eyes were shaking, and his expression was distraught. His lips opened and closed as if he was trying to say something but didn’t know what to say. If anything, he probably hadn’t even properly registered everything that had just been said.
“You can leave now,” Mark uttered, believing it all to be over.
But somehow, despite all the verbal lashing he’d just endured, Donghyuck still hadn’t moved. He simply remained there, his wistful eyes firmly watching Mark.
Finally, he uttered something.
“Mark…” Donghyuck called. “Why are you crying?”
Mark blinked. He reached up to his cheek, and sure enough, a single tear had slipped out of his eyes. He hadn’t even noticed it during the turmoil of emotions. But Donghyuck had.
“Mark…” Donghyuck said again, stepping closer cautiously. “Are you sure you meant what you just said?”
“Y-yes,” Mark stuttered. But it was not convincing at all, as he reached up to wipe his tears away.
This time, Donghyuck fully stepped in to gently dab away Mark’s tears with the back of his hand. “You know…only a truly bad guy would cry through something like this that they caused themselves...”
Mark said nothing, subconsciously rubbing his cheek against Donghyuck’s hand, relinquishing the familiar feeling.
“And I don’t think you’re a bad guy, Mark,” Donghyuck said softly, the smile slowly appearing back on his face, although it was still tinged with sadness. “I think I know you a little better than this act you’re putting up…so do you want to tell me what’s really going on?”
“I can’t...” Mark replied hoarsely.
“You can,” Donghyuck reassured, leaning forwards and kissing him gently, daringly on the lips before pulling him into the warmest hug possible. “We’ll get through it. I’m here. With you. Together.”
It was as if someone had taken Mark’s heart and crushed it, only for Donghyuck to gently mend the pieces back together again within seconds. And so in that moment, there was nothing more Mark could do but stand there in Donghyuck’s calming embrace until his tears stopped. His restored heart surged with feelings of love, of gratefulness, of wonder that Donghyuck was able to see though him before he could even figure anything out for himself.
“You know…” Mark said after a while. “I’m so glad I met you.” He let out an exhale. “I’m so sorry. I'm sorry, you even had to hear those words from me...”
Donghyuck couldn’t help but let out a soft, relieved laugh. “Thank god…this is more like it."
“Seriously,” Mark couldn’t help but chuckle to himself as well. Now that Donghyuck was on his side, everything suddenly seemed so ridiculous. They stayed like that for a few more minutes before pulling apart, just far enough to remain inconspicuous.
“So, do you want to tell me what’s going on?” Donghyuck asked. “Or do I have to kick your ass for saying all those hateful things for no apparent reason?”
Wordlessly, Mark removed the letters from his pocket and handed them to Donghyuck. It didn’t matter anymore, Donghyuck had figured him out anyways, and at least now, they could figure it out together.
Donghyuck scanned the contents, his eyes betraying his shock and concern.
“I see…” he said, stricken. “This is…” He folded the letters up and turned to look back at Mark. “I can see why you did what you did. Had it been me…I would’ve probably done the same.” He paused, and added as an afterthought. “Only better, of course. You would’ve actually believed me.”
Despite the urgency of the situation, Mark narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?” Mark protested with a whine. “You told me to admit it! It took everything I had to say those things!”
A daring smile crept onto Donghyuck's face. “You looked so cute crying though, my lord. In hindsight,” Donghyuck teased.
Mark batted away the hand that was reaching out to pinch his cheek. “I know you, " he grumbled. "Don’t act like you wouldn’t have cried buckets if you had to do the same thing to me."
“I will neither confirm or deny that,” Donghyuck said. “Anyways, let’s FOCUS! There’s a crisis at hand.”
Mark snapped back immediately. “Our brothers,” he said. “They’re going to suffer because of us…”
“Yes, we can’t let that happen at our expense…”
“Should we just pretend that we’re no longer together?”
“Were we ever doing otherwise? We were found out anyway.”
“It's true that we weren't exactly screaming about it in the first place...”
Donghyuck sighed, tilting his head backwards. “Why is it I can only think of one solution right now…?”
“You have a solution?”
“It’s…not a good one.”
“Try me.”
Donghyuck caught Mark’s eyes.
“ Let’s get out of here. Run away with me... ” Donghyuck stated.
Mark’s eyes flashed in recognition.
That voice.
That voice, calling to him, beckoning to him. Alluring and hypnotizing. It came to him in a rush of broken memories. He finally realized where it came from.
“Run away with me…”
“My dreams,” Mark blurted. “You’re the voice… from my dreams.”
“Huh?” Donghyuk was confused. "What nonsense are speaking about at a time like this?"
“Don’t worry about it, I’ll tell you all about it someday,” Mark said, a complacent smile appearing on his face. “For now…let’s go.” There was only one thing he knew for sure about that voice—and it was that he would always listen to its every beck and call, nor matter what the command. And now, knowing where it came from, and glancing at the Donghyuck in front of him, it somehow all made sense to Mark.
Surprise appeared on Donghyuck's face. "Really? You would do it with me? Just like that?"
"Why not? Seems like we don't have a choice."
And then suddenly, Donghyuck was holding onto Mark’s hand as he led them running over to the stables. It was reminiscent of the night they met. They would be riding away into the evening again, but this time, there would be no time limit, no end. It would only be Mark and Donghyuck. Alone, but together. For as long as they wanted.
“One thing,” Mark spoke, as he climbed onto a steed that Donghyuck had picked out for him.
“What is it?” Donghyuck asked, as he mounted his own horse.
“I haven’t stolen anything from my house yet,” Mark said bluntly, his eyes blinking honestly.
Donghyuck laughed. “Don’t worry, darling. I’m sure we’ll find a way to make it work.”
In the next instant, they were riding down the back side of the hill, avoiding the ball and whatever his brothers were plotting towards the front side of the manor. Mark chased after Donghyuck through the gnarled trees and dense woods, the scenery flying by representing a surreal combination of his reality and dreams. The thrill of it all and his heightened senses along with the cool, night breeze made him feel euphoric, as if he finally discovered that freedom he had been searching for all these years. Mark rode a little faster, so he could see Donghyuck’s barely visible form with what little lighting they had around them. He looked beautiful, graceful and handsome all at once as he rode through the wind, his hair flying out behind him and framing his glorious face.
It was unclear what time they had left the manor, but they rode and rode until the morning light came. The black sky gradually became dark blue, then blue, before the sounds of birds sounded through the air and a glimpse of the sun on the horizon peeked through. By this time, they had long reached the far outskirts of town, with only farmlands and empty fields stretched out before them. When the sun finally peaked through at the arrival of dusk, they decided to give themselves and their horses a break. Upon encountering a sandy lakefront, they dismounted and took care of their horses before running out past the grass and collapsing on the sand together, still fully dressed in their fancy clothes.
“Oh my goodness, it’s beautiful…” Donghyuck said, propping himself up to stare out at the sunrise above the water.
“It sure is,” Mark sighed satisfyingly, staring at Donghyuck.
"It's a little chilly though, now that I'm not moving," Donghyuck said, rubbing his arms.
"Do you want my coat?"
"Give me a second, I think I have an extra cloak in one of the horse's pouches…"
Donghyuck left for a second before coming back, covered in a black cloak that flared out behind him.
For the second time, Mark's eyes flashed in recognition. “That cloak…” he uttered. The memory surged, of the voice calling out in the midst of the market, and the allusive person who had rescued him but hadn’t shown his face.
“You were the one who saved me that time?” Mark gaped suddenly.
“Saved you?” Donghyuck asked, confused for a moment as he curled up in his cloak and sat back down next to Mark. “Oh, you’re talking about the market incident. I wouldn’t say it was saving you… it was more like, some idiot was throwing herself over you and I found an opportunity.”
“Why did you pretend not to know me then?” Mark asked. “Why did you act like the garden was our first meeting?”
Donghyuck thought about it for a second. “It just…didn’t feel right. I didn’t plan for the garden encounter to happen either. You just happened upon me. I’ve heard about you for a while… yet for some reason, I always thought that you shouldn’t know me. That things would be ‘safer’ that way, somehow. Even if I wasn’t quite sure what it all meant.” He paused, before continuing. “And considering everything that has happened since we met, I suppose my instincts were spot on.”
Mark laughed bitterly at that. “I suppose they were. As they always are…”
He couldn’t help but reflect on how his own instincts had been completely opposite. Despite what he'd been taught and his pragmatic nature, Mark had been yearning and wanting to know more about the person that was Donghyuck, even to the point of thoughts of him consuming his dreams before they even knew each other existed. Donghyuck, on the other hand, who was contrarily open and much more spontaneous, was trying to resist something that felt dangerous, something that warned him to stay away, even if he ended up being caught in the end anyway. Somehow, they still ended up together, despite that they both had their own reasons to stay away.
Almost like destiny indeed. Mark couldn't help but think.
"Do you regret it?" Mark asked suddenly.
Donghyuck scoffed. "Look at the state we're in. Do you have to ask?"
"It truly doesn't get more desolate than this," Mark grimaced. "Thanks for being here."
“It’s still cold,” Donghyuck complained suddenly, trying to curl himself up inside his jacket and cloak.
“The sun is coming out,” Mark replied gently, patting at Donghyuck’s head. “It’ll warm up soon.”
Donghyuck let out an exasperated exhale that took Mark by surprise. “Mark,” he drawled his name. “Do you still not get it?”
“What?” Mark blinked, confused as Donghyuck slowly crawled out of his cloak.
“Warm me up…” he said quietly, barely audible.
Mark was stunned. “What?” he said again.
“Warm me up, you idiot,” Donghyuck repeated, a lot louder this time with an added pout.
Oh.
“What do you want me to do?” Mark said, the mischievous grin slipping onto his face again.
“Tch, you only get stingy at times like these...” Donghyuck whined.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about."
But obligingly, he leaned in and kissed Donghyuck full on the mouth, before reaching over and gently pushing him down onto the now discarded cloak beneath. As per his request, Mark’s hands started roaming all over Donghyuck’s still clothed body, enthusiastically making sure he felt every touch and stroke of his fingers. They didn’t go any further than that, but it was more than enough to feel others’ breathing again, to remind of their passion for each other and that perhaps, they could truly conquer everything if they were simply together.
They parted after a long awhile, with Donghyuck letting out a throaty whine that made Mark want to do a lot worse (though he managed to resist). They laid there on the sand with their eyes closed, in each other’s arms. They listened to the sound of each other’s breath and heartbeat, enjoying the peace while they still could.
Gradually, the sun went from peeking at the horizon to halfway above the waterline, as an indication of the time that had passed.
“So,” Donghyuck broke the silence first after a while. “When should we go back?”
“Soon,” Mark replied quietly.
Even though they’d both agreed to run away, somehow, it was mutually understood that neither would truly carry through with it.
“What are we gonna do when we get back?” Donghyuck said. “People might’ve noticed we were both missing by now…”
“I wonder what’s going to happen when everyone finds out,” Mark contemplated.
“People are going to cuss us out, then probably physically throw their daughters and sons at us, demanding and asking why they’ve been cheated out of a chance of marriage into our households,” Donghyuck spoke bitterly. “After which we and our brothers will be slandered to nothing of course.”
Mark sighed deeply at the thought. “Do you wanna fake one of our deaths and act like we tried to kill each other all night?”
“Normally I would hit you for saying such things,” Donghyuck murmured. “Somehow faking our deaths doesn’t even sound like a bad idea anymore.”
They were both quiet again, tired as they wracked their brains for a solution that didn’t seem to exist in the first place.
After a while, Mark let out another exhale. “I wish there was some way we could just charge our way through it all by ourselves without anyone else suffering the consequences of our actions…”
Silence.
Mark tilted his head to look at Donghyuck. "This is the part where you do your genius moment thing and go 'Wait, Mark—say what you said just now!' and solve all our problems."
Donghyuck laughed harshly. "If it were that easy I would've told you much before I suggested we run away/"
They drifted into the same, lingering silence again, as neither knew what to do next.
"We should…probably go back soon," Mark said at last.
"Yes, otherwise the real scandal will be a result of our brothers losing their minds," Donghyuck agreed.
"Unless…"
"Unless?"
Mark's eyes glimmered with a mischief he usually didn't possess. He grabbed Donghyuck's hands in his own.
"Unless you actually wanted to run away with me?" he said with the most charming smile. "I've got nothing but the clothes on my body right now but I’ll be sure to give it everything I’ve got."
Donghyuck bent his head, laughing shyly. The way his eyes melted into that pretty smile was so beautiful Mark wanted to scoop him up and commit to his proposal right then and there.
"I would go anywhere with you, if you really wanted me to," Donghyuck replied softly, reaching out to stroke Mark's cheek. "But something tells me you wouldn't want to leave everything behind either."
Mark sighed, leaning into Donghyuck's touch. "Why do you only become so generous and thoughtful at times like this?"
"Because I'm the best. And so are you. So you deserve only the best…Let's go back."
Mark nodded, letting out a final exhale. He was reluctant to let go of this peace that had been so temporary, but knew he could no longer prolong it.
"Let's do this. Together." he said firmly.
Donghyuck's smile was sad, but reassuring.
"Yes. Together."
°˖✧✿✧˖°
Mark and Donghyuck rode back side by side on their horses. Their pace was steady and reluctant, both knowing that as soon as they reentered the town, any remnants of hope and peace would come to a shattering end. And surely, as Donghyuck had said, people would've noticed they were gone by now.
They rounded about Donghyuck's manor first, as it was closer to the outskirts of town. It was eerily quiet, considering how raucous it had been only last night.
Mark and Donghyuck lingered for a little, letting their horses circle around the front of the base of the hill.
"So, I guess this is…goodbye for now? I suppose?" Mark said slowly.
"Yes, let's just explain ourselves to our brothers first and discuss everything else later," Donghyuck said somberly.
Mark hesitated, an uneasy feeling stirring inside. "Just for now, right? I'll see you again?" For some reason, he felt that if he left now, things would all be different the next time he saw Donghyuck.
Donghyuck's eyes were so devastatingly mournful, even if he tried to hide it.
"Yes," he said softly. "You'll definitely see me again. I promise."
Mark nodded slowly, the promise reassuring him the tiniest bit. Mark and Donghyuck gave a final lingering look to each other. It was fleeting, but so tender, with so much communicated in that single glance.
"I knew it."
Mark and Donghyuck looked up towards the unexpected voice.
"A…servant?" Mark spoke incredulously.
"What the hell...?" Donghyuck uttered, as they watched a figure apparently emerge from the trees surrounding them.
"So this is what you have decided, Lord Mark." The way he said Mark's name sent terrifying chills up his entire body. "I knew you wouldn't be smart enough to choose the selfless decision for once in your life." Every word he spoke was venomous, filled with an intense hatred.
"Have you been waiting for us out here?" Mark asked concernedly, spinning his horse so that it was facing the servant.
"I've always admired Lord Haechan," the servant said, ignoring Mark completely. "Ever since before he was known. I worked so hard to become a servant of the Somnium house so I could keep a watchful eye on him from afar…until the time was right.”
Donghyuck couldn’t hide the disgust appearing on his face. “And what time would that be exactly?”
“It doesn’t matter anymore, does it?” he snarled, his composure changing as he changed his focus to Mark at last “You took him away from me!” Mark flinched at his monstrous expression.
“Listen, whatever you may have heard…” Mark tried cautiously.
His face became even more grotesque when he spat out the next words. “I saw you two! Behind the manor that day.”
Whatever little confidence the two lords had immediately dissipated from their faces, replaced with subtle flushes and avoidance of eye contact as they cleared their throats awkwardly.
“What he heard were your caveman grunts, my dear lord Mark,” Haechan mumbled nonchalantly, contributing nothing to the situation as he suddenly became super focused on fixing his sleeve. “It’s definitely over for us now.”
“Me?! ” Mark hissed back. “You’re the one who's always screaming—”
“Mark—!”
“Exactly!”
“Focus! We’re about to be ruined here!”
Fortunately, the servant was too caught in his own malice to even notice the two lords bickering despite the urgency of their situation. In fact, he was so distraught by the situation (despite it being a full result of his own doing) that tears were starting to stream down his outraged face.
“I love you, my lord,” he was saying in his hysteria, clutching his hands to his chest. Somehow, despite all this, his voice was concerningly steady. “How could you do this to yourself? To me? To everyone who cares about you—”
“Okay, listen,” Haechan spoke up, as calmly as he could as he climbed down from his horse. “Please try and listen to me—”
“Don’t.” Mark said suddenly, his voice firm and assertive. “Don’t get close to him.” Before Donghyuck realized it, Mark was already standing protectively in front of him.
“Mark—”
“For him to go this far without any consideration for you at all,” Mark said, his tone unusually cold. “He’s much too far gone to be reasoned with.”
The servant snarled viciously. "How dare you!"
Suddenly, he charged at Mark, releasing all the pent up rage he’d been reserving for the Golden lord this entire time. Not expecting the brazen lack of civility, Mark was unable to dodge in time and the hit scraped by his jaw, causing him to stumble backwards slightly.
"Mark!" Donghyuck screamed, reaching out to grab Mark. "Stop! Don't—!"
"My lord, why do you keep protecting that pathetic excuse of a human?!" the servant exclaimed, his expression becoming more and more wretched by the second.
"Would you listen even if I told you?!" Donghyuck retorted angrily.
The man's face twisted completely. "My lord Donghyuck. My beautiful, precious lord Donghyuck." The way he called his real name sent shivers up Donghyuck's spine. "You need to wake up. I don't know what kind of things he entices or deceives you with…but you've been acting no different than a common whore because of him. "
Donghyuck suddenly felt Mark's warmth disappear from his hold. Before Donghyuck could react, Mark lunged at the servant. The cowardly man tried to brace himself, but he was but a servant with way too much time on his hands. Naturally, he stood absolutely no chance against a lord of a prosperous family who had trained almost every day of his life. Mark's swing was purely out of emotion, a release of the bottled up feelings of everything he'd kept inside him—ever since meeting Donghyuck, ever since having to keep his affections hidden all this time, and especially since receiving that cursed, idiotic letter that threatened to take it all away in a single, unjustified instance.
The servant was hit squarely, with the sound of a sickening crunch. Donghyuck cried out in shock. Blood spurted from the man's face, before he crumpled bonelessly to the ground, screaming in agony.
"MY NOSE! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" he screeched loudly, hands gripping onto the orifice that was still endlessly bleeding.
Donghyuck grabbed Mark's arms, eyes filled with panic. "Mark! What the heck was that?!"
Still heavily breathing from the spiked adrenaline, Mark responded simply. "He's lucky he’s not dead. Because that’s the other way to solve this problem."
"What are you talking about?! Now he has reason to accuse you, you idiot! Also, as soon as he comes around, he's definitely gonna expose us now! You've definitely pissed him off now."
"I don't care," Mark breathed. "He can say whatever he wants to me but for him to say anything about you at all, he deserves it."
The response had Donghyuck silent. He hadn't expected his heart to flutter now of all times.
"Oh, Mark…" he couldn't help but let out a soft, enamoured laugh, despite the fact that there was still a man screaming in agony in the background.
"Donghyuck! There you are!"
"Mark?! Is that you?!"
Mark and Donghyuck turned in the midst of the chaos to see several gentlemen appearing from a distance. They both felt a mix of emotions upon realizing it was, of course, none other than their brothers: Taeyong, Johnny, Doyoung, Renjun, Jaemin and Chenle. From the tired looks in their eyes and their unchanged attire, they'd evidently stayed up all night searching for their missing brothers.
"What happened?!" Taeyong exclaimed as he ran up to them. "Who did this?!"
"Mark, what's going on?" Johnny asked.
Donghyuck glanced desperately at Mark, who was staring at his toes while Jaemin helped the servant to his feet.
“You…you gonna pay for this…” the servant growled to the best of his ability, before being taken away by Jaemin into the house to get medical help. “As soon as I recover, I will ruin the both of you!”
The remaining eyes were vehemently fixed on the two questionable lords, demanding answers.
"It was all my fault," Donghyuck blurted quickly. "I was the one who kept Mark away all night to mess with you guys. I went too far, so he retaliated and my servant got hit in the crossfire."
"That's not true!" Mark jumped in at once, quickly glaring at Donghyuck before continuing. "I tricked Donghyuck into staying away all night to give his brothers a scare and I punched the servant in the face because he caught us."
Annoyed, Donghyuck mumbled under his breath next to Mark. "First of all, you could not trick me—" Mark elbowed him to cut him off.
The brothers were very confused, but Taeyong was the most confused of them all.
"Are you guys…fighting each other? Or defending each other?" Taeyong asked slowly. "Just someone please tell me the truth already. You guys owe us at least that much, we've had an extremely long night."
"I'm responsible," Mark and Donghyuck spoke simultaneously, as if they rehearsed it.
"Enough. Mark, please just tell us the truth," Johnny repeated sternly. He narrowed his eyes on Mark, reminding him of what he knew.
Mark stuttered. "Um, I–we—"
"I told you guys it's not Mark's fault!" Donghyuck cut in. “It's Mark! He can't connive something to save his life! And he certainly doesn't punch people for no reason. Listen to me!"
“That is true,” Johnny said out loud. “But something’s not adding up…..”
“Donghyuck, tell us the truth. Now.” Renjun said firmly. At this point, Jaemin had also rejoined them, and the pressure to come clean was even higher than it was before.
Mark and Donghyuck quickly stole glances at each other again, silently trying to communicate on what to say next.
“Stop sneaking looks,” Jaemin snapped suddenly, catching them. “Answer it properly.”
“Why…?” Taeyong started to speak, also noticing something.
“Give us a second!” Mark said suddenly, completely panicking.
“What is so difficult? The truth, Mark,” Doyoung insisted.
“I…um…” Mark faltered yet again.
“Don’t try to avoid it again,” Johnny said. “We’re all very tired.”
Even Donghyuck, who always had a response to everything, was crumbling under the circumstances. “We’re—that is, Mark and I—ah…”
“WE ALL KNOW THAT YOU TWO ARE FUCKING IN SECRET SO JUST TELL US THE TRUTH ALREADY! ”
The screech was boorish, unexpected, and resonated through the air loud and clear. All eyes turned to the Lord Chenle who had screamed from the top of his lungs in frustration, a broad variety of expressions on each of the faces. Some were in horror, some were exasperated, some were in relief. One in particular was very confused.
“I really hope no one else heard that,” Renjun sighed, rubbing a hand on his forehead.
Doyoung cleared his throat. “Also…not all of us knew,” he said weakly, gesturing to the head of the Golden house. Taeyong was shocked still, a wide-eyed expression frozen in place.
"There, there. Give it a second to process," Johnny said, quite unbothered.
“Okay, okay, enough!” Jaemin interfered, waving his hands frantically. “Now that that’s over with, can we finally know everything that’s been going on?”
Mark squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. He turned to Donghyuck, and after seeking reassurance at the sight of Donghyuck’s eyes, he nodded as confidently as he could. “Let’s get it over with.”
Not sparing a detail, Mark and Donghyuck reiterated the events that had occurred within the recent days. With the exception of Taeyong (who was still processing the idea of his littlest brother having a secret affair with a son from the rival Duke’s house), the gentlemen listened intently, a cross of concern and thoughtfulness laden on their faces. It finished with Mark showing them the evidential letter that anticipated the demise of them all.
They were silent for a long moment. It was unclear whether they wanted to reprimand or console Mark and Donghyuck. The truth was likely somewhere in between. Regardless, Mark felt a huge sense of relief now that it was all out in the open. This was further reinforced when he and Donghyuck caught each other’s eyes and managed weak, subtle smiles.
“Well, all I can say is, that creepy little man is definitely fired,” Chenle said the only conclusive thing in his head.
“So…it doesn’t even matter if anyone heard Chenle screaming just now,” Jaemin said ruefully. “The whole town’s gonna know as soon as that craven recovers and makes his way to the printing press…”
“If only we’d done something to prevent this when we caught you back then!” Doyoung said, in his normal, panicked manner.
Taeyong finally piqued a semblance of consciousness. “Wait? You knew this whole time as well?!”
“Everyone figured it out except you and Taeil!” Doyoung whipped back.
Taeyong immediately slunk back into his out-of-body mode. “Oh my god...” he whispered. “How could I have been so blind?”
“Okay, but now what?” Johnny brought them back to focus. “None of that past matters anymore. It only matters what we’re going to do now—we likely only have a few days until the entire town tears both of our names to shreds.”
"I know it's far too late now, but I get this feeling that ending the relationship was not an option? At any point?" Chenle suggested.
"Over my dead body," Mark said, unreasonably aggressive, even going as far as to puff out his chest.
Donghyuck patted him on the chest to calm him down, his eyes reassuring and smitten. "Honey, relax..." Mark managed to soften a little, while Chenle merely rolled his eyes, despising the whole situation.
“Should we just stand our ground against it?” Renjun suggested. “Acknowledge nothing until it breezes by?”
Doyoung shook his head slowly. “There’s never been a secret affair that’s left the involved parties unscathed in the past. That’s just been the nature of our nosy, entitled neighbours. Not to mention, none of the past exposures have involved two persons of such high social rankings either other than, well…you guys know.”
“What does it matter if it’s a few slanderous comments?” Jaemin said suddenly. “It’s nothing we haven’t heard before.”
Chenle sighed. “Our wealth, our prosperity, and our well-being is all directly linked to our social status and relations to royalty—something that wouldn’t exist if there’s no society to support us in the first place. The people are certainly going to feel deeply betrayed by this one, considering it’s literally the current favourites. It could even reach the ears of the royal circle, who could revoke our statuses overnight…”
They fell back into their silence, doing just as Mark and Donghyuck had done only hours ago, wracking their heads desperately for a solution. No matter what, there seemed to be only one, and Renjun was the one who announced it first:
“Is it time to simply accept our demise then?” he said with a long sigh.
Johnny nodded slowly in reluctant agreement. “Whatever happens…at least we’ll get through it together.”
“At the very least, we have a few agonizing days, most likely,” Doyoung uttered weakly. “He’s probably not going to release the news until he recovers at least a little.”
“A few days…” Donghyuck whispered suddenly. Only Mark noticed, as he turned to look at him.
“What are you thinking?” Mark asked, gazing at him intently. “Did you think of something?”
Donghyuck looked up. When Mark noticed that a subtle glimmer had returned to Donghyuck’s eyes, a hopeful feeling welled up inside of him again.
“Everyone!” Donghyuck called suddenly, catching the attention of all the brothers.
“What do you say we paint our own narrative…” he announced slowly. “...and go out in a blaze of glory?”
°˖✧✿✧˖°
“What a fitting end to us, huh?” Donghyuck spoke grimly. “Coming to the end where it all started.”
“For what it’s worth, Lord Haechan,” Mark exhaled. “It was a great run.”
“Are you ready?” Donghyuck asked, brushing off the sleeves of his suit.
“As I’ll ever be,” Mark replied, straightening the lapels of his coat.
“Good luck, my lord.”
“Same to you.”
Lord Mark and Lord Haechan turned their backs and walked in opposite directions. They were dressed in opposite colours today, Donghyuck in his signature black of the Somnium house while Mark was in an ambitious white suit, though it was still lined with golden trims as was the usual style of the Golden house brothers.
Eventually, Mark found his brothers. He stood next to Taeyong, as Yuta gave him an encouraging grip on the shoulder. Taeil and Johnny were lined up beside them, with stern expressions on their faces. Jaehyun and Jungwoo stood in waiting, while Doyoung was by the door. When Taeyong nodded, Doyoung pushed the door open.
"It's showtime," Taeyong declared.
A brilliant white light shone through as Doyoung opened the door, accompanied by the sound of vibrant music and chittering of the crowd. The brothers exited the private halls and stepped into the public area. Eyes were on them at once, as they entered with bright smiles on their faces, greeting everyone they passed and mingling about.
The venue of the Golden manor was the most glorious it had ever been. Although it had only been a few days since the last ball of the Somnium manor, it appeared both houses were perhaps planning some sort of temporary public truce, as they spontaneously declared they would be hosting a joint one together.
It was unlike anything ever seen before. Everyone in attendance was in absolute awe. Whatever extravagance the guests were normally used to had increased by at least two-fold. Decorations were lavish, with giant sculptures and tasteful art, complete with floral accents that, upon walking by, had clearly been freshly adorned and placed with care. Everything was glistening, sparkling, and splendid, a clear and true testament to the prestige and status of the families involved. Due to the timing and nature of the invitations, it also happened to be a very exclusive event—one that people would be talking about for a long, long time due to the unforgettable grandeur of it all.
Yet somehow, despite all the glamour and exquisiteness of the ball, the finest attraction of it all remained the lords of the Golden and Somnium households themselves. Clad in black and white, their effortless and unique beauty alone shone far above any tangible decoration within the manor—no one could keep their eyes away. Any other day, they were already handsome and eye-catching enough, but that night, with the dazzling smiles and impeccably charming mannerisms, it was almost as if they had something to prove.
Most noticeably, Lord Mark was more engaging and outgoing than ever before. Normally reclusive and reluctant at such events, this lord was suddenly dancing every dance, greeting everyone who caught his eye, holding conversations at length and even engaging in playful banter with certain lords and ladies who dared to make their intentions a bit more obvious. Although unusual, it greatly pleased the guests—he was finally giving them what they wanted after so long.
At one point during the night, people had started whispering and giggling about the fact that they had seen Mark out on a balcony with a viscount’s daughter for quite a long time. She was certainly one of the prettier ones, known to be a notorious gossip within her fastidious social circles, and also from a well-respected family. Word had it that she had been long wishing for a marriage into a prominent house for a while now, and that she had her eyes on the youngest lord of the Golden house in particular. Perhaps, her wishes were finally getting fulfilled on this glorious night?
It was a truly romantic scene, with the lord and lady on the floral decked balcony, the clear moonlight shining over them and setting the mood. The lord’s laugh was dazzling as he leaned into the balcony, his large, handsome eyes fully fixated on the lady as she smiled delicately at his jokes.
“It’s been wonderful, my lord,” she simpered. “You must have an event as grand as this one more often. A great reflection on your character and wealth, I must say.”
“You’re flattering me,” Mark laughed. “I didn’t do much. It was mostly the servants and the eldest brothers who planned these things out. Of course, this time we had help from the other household as well.”
“Oh, Mark, you truly are as humble as you are handsome,” she said.
Mark kept his smile fixed on his face. “You’re too kind,” he replied politely. “By the way, I’ve got a question for you…”
“My time is gratefully yours,” she responded eagerly.
He paused, almost dramatically, before speaking. “How do you feel about forbidden love?”
It was painfully obvious that her heart skipped a beat at his sudden comment. “Forbidden love? Why should it ever be forbidden?”
“You know, when there are certain…conditions, that make it difficult or rather, even acceptable in our current society.”
“I don’t think our society prevents much anymore,” she replied honestly. “But my lord, what are you suggesting?”
“I’m not suggesting anything. I’m merely asking because you seemed clever enough to have this conversation with.”
The effortless compliment sent a subtle blush to her cheeks. “Well…in that case, if you want my honest answer…I don’t think there should be anything forbidden about love. Love is love. Regardless of the circumstances, one must persevere and find a way to make it work if it is true love.”
The response seemed to greatly satisfy Mark, as he elicited a soft, quick laugh. “I have to say, despite everything, I’m actually somehow quite glad to hear that from someone else. In fact, I’m extremely grateful we were able to have a conversation tonight. I genuinely hope that I will hear from you again in the future.”
The positive words spurred a blazing smile onto the lady’s face again, however, this time, there was a bit of confusion laden in.
“I mean, of course you will hear from me,” she said. “And, despite what? I had thought that you were asking if—”
“Mark? There you are.”
The lord and lady turned away from each other to see that another lord had stepped onto the balcony. This newcomer lord was undoubtedly and consistently a breathtaking vision, as he always was, with wind gently flowing through his perfectly silky dark hair. A calm expression was laden on his beautiful face, with his long, lean figure fitted perfectly in the expensive black fabrics which were adorned by the Somnium gentlemen for the evening.
Mark’s voice softened entirely. “Haechan,” he called, turning fully to face him. He cleared his throat. “Lord Haechan...you’re here.”
“Yes. I’m here, my lord,” Donghyuck replied in a tone just as gentle. He bowed lightly, his eyes twinkling with a certain mischief and allure, never leaving sight of Mark. And Mark was returning the same look, shamelessly gazing at Donghyuck with such a tenderness that it could melt any cold heart.
And the lady saw it all.
“Oh my gosh…” she said quietly, covering her gloved hands to mouth before anything even happened. She watched intently, silently, eyes wide open, as Donghyuck approached Mark.
“So this is where you’ve been hiding,” Donghyuck said. “There are people waiting for you, you know? Though I don’t blame you. It’s a beautiful night out tonight.”
Mark was still gazing at Donghyuck. “Yes…I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so beautiful before," he said softly.
“You should come back inside though.”
“Hmm, is there a reason I should?”
“Does there have to be?”
“If there’s no reason then it shouldn’t make a difference whether I stay or go.”
“Have a dance with me.”
The last sentence hung in the air. Their gazes remained fixed on each other, even when Donghyuck extended his hand. The lady standing by the side was still watching, mouth covered and eyes shining and she took in the entire aura that the two lords were blatantly, carelessly exuding. Then, Mark took Donghyuck’s hand in his own.
“I never thought you would ask,” Mark said with a smile.
It happened quickly, so fleeting, almost like an illusion. But she saw it. She saw Lord Mark bend forwards and press his lips against the top of Lord Haechan’s hand, no different than a courting gentleman would to a prospective partner. And then suddenly, they were gone, leading each other back into the ballroom. Frantically, she practically grabbed her skirts and ran to find her friends. When she finally saw them, she caught them with her blazing, exciting eyes.
“You’ll never believe what I just saw!” she started sharing eagerly. And of course, they were all ears.
By this time, Mark and Donghyuck were nearing the dance floor, walking hand in hand the entire time. It wasn’t immediate, but they were already catching a few looks and whispers, as guests witnessed the Golden and Somnium lords together.
“Is that…Mark and Haechan?”
“Don’t they hate each other? What’s going on?”
“Are they going to dance together?”
“Are they going to fight? I’d watch that.”
“This is one strange rivalry…”
Somehow, Mark and Donghyuck did a great job of ignoring all the comments. For now.
“By the way, what took you so long?” Mark was whispering to Donghyuck, as they took their place, waiting for the music to start up again.
Donghyuck laughed mischievously. “Forgive me. I just wanted to see how you flirt.”
“We’ve been through this! Also, you, of all people, know how I flirt!”
“I meant with other people, I guess?”
“Well then, how was it?”
“It wasn’t bad. I think I could potentially fall for you if I were some rich lord's virtuous daughter with a tendency to bat her eyelashes too much.”
Mark exhaled with an eye roll. “You’ll always manage to be insufferable.”
Donghyuck grinned back. “And you wouldn’t like it any other way.”
(♫ must listen!! ♡ *:･ﾟ✧)
The music suddenly flourished brilliantly, a perfect orchestra of strings and percussion. And suddenly, one of Mark’s hands was holding onto Donghyuck’s, and the other gently touching upon Donghyuck’s waist. They started moving, turning slowly and steadily, never tearing their eyes away from each other for a second. Two handsome, refined lords of high ranking stature, one dressed in white, the other in black—it was certainly an eye-catching sight. Their gazes toward each other were soft and gentle, filled with a tenderness that could only be understood between them.
At the beginning, Mark could still see the background that was the ballroom. With every turn, every step, he could still see the blur of the guests’ faces against the lavish golden backdrop, completely focussed on them, staring, judging, whispering. He could see a few of the brothers lurking around, watching in concern, worried about how things would eventually unfold.
But as the song carried on, Mark gradually found himself drowning out everything else but the symphonious, melodic music and the person in front of him. A small smile had appeared on Donghyuck’s lips, and that combined with the sparkling look in his lovely eyes made it impossible to focus on anything else. And before long, Mark couldn’t give a damn what people were thinking or saying. He wasn’t even sure if they were the only ones left on the dance floor at a certain point. It didn’t matter. All he cared about was the beautiful person in his arms, following him, stepping with him, and wanting to be him.
Every time the music flourished, Mark could feel the same swelling in his heart, as he looked at his Donghyuck, his precious, beautiful Donghyuck who had become so much to him in such a small amount of time. With each perfectly matched step, they followed each other, the yearning between them intensifying, as if they were the only ones left in the whole world, dancing together within a dream that could fade away at any second. It was all so bittersweet and fragile, yet simultaneously a sensation that they wouldn’t trade away for the world. Their handsome faces remained intently fixed on each other as they danced, their gazes steady yet fiery, as the thoughts flooded through Mark’s mind.
You’ll always be my favourite, my one and only, my soulmate who I’ll never let go of, even if everything falls apart tomorrow…
Just as Mark’s heart was about to explode, the piece came to a finish. Reluctantly, they pulled apart, giving each other a final nod before letting their fingers linger on each other as they left in opposite directions. When Mark finally looked around, he realized that indeed, all eyes had been on him and Donghyuck, and they were filled with suspicions and conjectures.
Mark did his best to hide a smile.
Just as he predicted.
Afterwards, Mark politely declined anyone that tried to approach him for a conversation, saying that he needed to take a quick breath of fresh air. As he made his way around, he couldn’t help but listen in on some of the things people were already starting to say.
“Oh my…what is going on here? The Somnium lord and the Golden lord?”
“I thought they hated each other…but what was with that look between them?”
“Has there been…something going on?”
“What a picturesque image though…”
“You’re delusional! They’re rivals! This is just for show!”
“Yes, they look quite good together, but…are they?”
“They must be together!”
“There’s something going on, I’m telling you!”
“I just heard a rumour that they’ve been together for years now, and they kept it a secret all this time!”
“To be honest, I’ve known about this for a long time…since I saw them together first! I see them walking around town together all the time.”
“I’m still convinced they hate each other. There’s no way…”
“I heard from Jaehyun himself that they live double lives as bakers somewhere in a different town.”
“That rivalry was much too intense to be just a rivalry…”
This time, Mark couldn’t help but fully let out a smile, as he strolled outside with confidence, heading straight through the back gardens that were hidden away from the rest of the crowd. He stepped with purpose, a hopeful feeling welling up from within.
And finally, when he reached the fountain that was hidden behind some garden hedges, he found the only person who mattered sitting there, waiting for him.
(♫)
“Hello stranger,” Mark called, with a smile.
Donghyuck looked up. The brightness in his eyes never really changed. Mark felt like he was staring straight into a pair of vibrant stars shining within the dark irises every single time.
“You sure look perky,” Donghyuck commented, returning the smile as Mark sat down next to him on the stone fountain’s ledge.
“Well, we did our best, we can only hope it works out now,” Mark replied. “Though I think it might, because people are already saying the most absurd things.”
Donghyuck laughed. “Well, that sounds like our neighbours alright.”
“How did you know it would happen like this?”
“I didn’t know. In fact, we still don’t know if it’s actually going to work. All I know is, we took a gamble, our town loves good gossip, and that, perhaps it was a blessing in disguise when you punched that asshole in the face and bought us a few days.”
“It’s brilliant though. This way we can control the exposure exactly as we want,” Mark complimented. “You really are a genius.”
“I know,” Donghyuck accepted gladly with a mischievous look. “Aren’t you glad you have me around?” He snuggled closer to Mark.
Mark grinned as he put an arm around Donghyuck and tugged him even closer. “You already know that.”
Mark was about to lean in and kiss him on the lips when he suddenly felt Donghyuck’s hands pressed up against his chest, holding him away.
“Hmm, something wrong?” Mark asked in pure concern.
“Someone might be watching…” Donghyuck replied in warning.
“That’s never stopped you before…” Mark whispered huskily, his eyes already getting hooded as he leaned in again. Perhap, there was just something about a Donghyuck that was shy for once…
But Donghyuck pulled himself away again. “It’s different this time! This is how we got in trouble in the first place!” he chastised. “And, people are getting awfully curious, so maybe someone followed us here!”
“Wouldn’t that just make our ‘acting’ even more convincing?” Mark pressed on, arms now fully wrapped around the shoulders of a squirming Donghyuck. “Let's make them really confused.”
“There’s really nothing confusing about your tongue being down my throat, you fool!” Donghyuck protested, still pushing away.
“I can put it somewhere else if you prefer…” Mark whispered hotly right into Donghyuck’s ear, completely unhinged at this point.
Donghyuck was blushing profusely, trying to resist with what little strength he had. “Since when were you like this?!”
"I don’t know, you just showed up tonight looking all… irresistible and all,” Mark murmured, as he shoved his face into his lover’s neck, shamelessly inhaling the scent of flowers and Donghyuck.
Donghyuck yelped as Mark’s ministrations became a little too aggressive. “Mark! Stop! We’re gonna fall into the fountain!”
“Then stop flailing so much, Donghyuck.”
“Mark!”
The push-and-pull went on for a few more moments until Mark decided to give Donghyuck a break. Instead, he settled for grabbing both of Donghyuk's hands in both of his own as he held them close to his chest.
A sudden thought occurred in Mark’s mind.
“Hey…we’ve done all that we can here, right?” Mark said suddenly.
“Yes, more or less,” Donghyuck answered. “Why do you ask?”
“...how much angrier do you think our brothers would get if we snuck away again for the rest of the night?”
“Oh, Lord Mark. Since when did you come to me for advice about whether or not we should break the rules?”
“Do you not want to?”
“You know I never follow the rules,” Donghyuck said with a smirk. “And, if it’s any more convincing, I do believe we reached their anger threshold a long time ago so…it can’t possibly get any worse.”
Mark was already standing up, brushing his clothes off and straightening himself out. “I love the way you think.”
Donghyuck laughed. “I know, you already told me.”
Before Donghyuck could get up, Mark suddenly bent over and scooped his legs and body up, carrying him a princess hold. Despite the yelps from Donghyuck, Mark started running out from the garden hedge, still firmly carrying the noisy lord in his arms.
“We’re totally gonna get caught again,” Donghyuck groaned, though he looped his arms around Mark’s neck to make himself more comfortable.
Mark laughed. “I’ve never met anyone who’s more worth it than you.”
Donghyuck said nothing, and simply nuzzled himself into Mark’s chest again as a response.
°˖✧✿✧˖°
The town was full of whispers and watchful eyes for the next few weeks. It'd been awhile since a topic had been so hot. Suddenly, everyone was making up their own stories and putting in their own two cents about the Golden and Somnium houses, particularly about what the true nature of the relationship was between the two rival lords Mark and Haechan.
The grand ball invitations had been (intentionally) small in number and rather exclusive, and so only a few people had truly been able to witness the happenings in person. Even then, those who went had differing opinions. Some swore by the effortless chemistry between the two, and that there was definitely a romantic interest between them. This was the story most believed by a prestigious social circle surrounding a certain popular viscount's daughter. Others were still in doubt, swearing they saw nothing but malice, or at very most "forced civility", between the two.
Before long, the rumours got out of hand and suddenly everyone in town had their own opinions, even if they'd never seen the lords in person before in their life. There was so much conjecture and theories that soon no one knew what to truly believe. People who never even attended the ball would swear they saw the two lords smooching through a window of the manor. Some would claim to be related to the staff and servants of the households, and said that the two lords were always caught doing naughty things in less than suitable places. Others still were firm that it was a seething rivalry, with nothing more than contained animosity between two hard-headed gentlemen. It was indeed difficult to tell what was the truth, though that did not take away from the topic's high entertainment value.
And so, when a certain broken nosed man ran down to the newspaper presses one morning in a crazed manner, with what he claimed to be “secret letters” written by Lord Haechan himself that he'd procured when he was a servant for the Somnium house, no one paid him any attention. Miraculously, it wasn’t even the craziest story they’d heard—some townsfolk had gotten real creative in their story-telling.
Even when the “scandalous” rumours reached royal ears, it was proven to be too frivolous to heed any true attention, so everyone carried on as normal. Nothing was perfect, of course. While the number of shameless lords and ladies throwing themselves at the prosperous lords in hopes of a chance of marriage did decrease, there was also a select group who were fraught with anger, distraught or some other negative emotion of which they didn’t hesitate to project and express onto the brothers of the household. As Doyoung had warned, these scandals were hard to escape from completely unscathed, and so the lingering damage was handled as best they could, with what they had.
Mark and Haechan’s brothers were rather quiet about it all, choosing not to comment when asked about it in social circles. The servants, however, had a different mindset, along with a eagerness to entertain. Each had their own version of the story that they liked to tell amongst themselves—Jungwoo’s involved Mark asking Haechan to court him by offering him a rare animal from a foreign land. While some people somehow still believed Jungwoo’s story, no one believed Jaehyun’s. According to him, Mark had prepared and cook a personal meal for Haechan in order to commence the relationship.
As for the scandalous lords Mark and Haechan themselves…they had become rather inconspicuous. The townspeople would see them around individually now and then, either out for a stroll or performing their lordly duties. They were always polite and appeared no different on the surface. Occasionally, people swore they would spot Mark and Haechan wandering around together, cloaked in black and walking side by side tightly with their shoulders pressed, always trying to remain inconspicuous. Nothing was ever confirmed. Additionally, when they were in attendance at the same balls and events, they never danced together in front of everyone ever again. The most they were ever seen to interact was a civil conversation here and there. This, of course, only added to the speculation and mystery regarding the extent of their relationship.
And although the truth was usually somewhere in between, no one ever realized the extreme reality of Mark and Haechan’s relationship.
This “extremity” was very evident to Mark one morning, as he fully realized how in love he was his supposed rival lord. It was difficult not to, considering the situation he was in.
It had started when the sun had only risen, though now it was shining bright, high in the sky, casting its hazy, luminous glow through the translucent curtains of the guesthouse bedroom window. The entire room was decorated with fresh flowers that had made Mark dizzy upon just walking in, and even more so now that he was taking in the enchanting sight before him.
The Somnium house had a little cottage-like house near the side of the manor, located deeper in the gardens. This was where the two had been passing their nights together for the past while, when they weren't needed at the main mansions. It was cozy, well-maintained, and always adorned with fresh flowers thanks to the servants. As well, they could wake up every morning with a picturesque view of the gardens to start the day. And of course, it seemed to be a better compromise for the noise complaints they'd been receiving whenever they stayed together in the main mansions.
"What are you guys even doing until those ungodly morning hours?" Renjun would groan whenever his sleep was disrupted at the Somnium house.
"I hear everything," Jaehyun would say, regarding the Golden house. "They argue so much! Then they would laugh a lot. And then they start singing. Loudly. And then they argue again. And then…fighting."
"Are you sure that's fighting noises you're hearing?" Jungwoo would prod, at which Jaehyun would say he was trying to be discreet.
In the end, the spare guesthouse was a splendid arrangement for everyone involved.
That particular morning, Donghyuck had woken Mark up in a rather unorthodox—but definitely not undesirable—manner. That, in turn, somehow led them to the state that they were in now, with Mark lying flat against the bed and Donghyuck on top of him, legs settled around his hips, holding him deep inside and grinding with a rhythm that brought them both surges of pleasure every time.
Donghyuck was beautiful when he was like this—completely naked, eyes fluttering and back arching as he leaned into the motion, the sun’s glow cast about his sweat-sheened caramel skin making him look all the more ethereal. Mark had long become beyond obsessed with this vision. He couldn’t get enough.He wasn’t even sure what he’d done in his life to deserve such perfection, especially as the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes. In the beginning, their acts of making love had been so rushed and desperate that it was almost rare for them to both be completely undressed. Now it was all different. They could afford to take their time, prolonging the bliss through the hours of the days.
Mark's hands gripped tighter into Donghyuck’s hips when he started to lift himself up all the way up and then push back, eliciting a guttural groan from Mark’s throat every time he fully sat back down. It was truly heaven sent. It was too much. Especially when Donghyuck started maintaining a salacious rhythm that made Mark’s entire body go tense with pleasure.
“Ahh—Donghyuck...!” Mark managed to utter. “It feels too good…”
“I’m…glad…” Donghyuck said between breaths, still keeping up the pace despite his airy, needy voice. “You also feel really good inside me…”
Unable to resist, Mark suddenly got up and pulled Donghyuck into an open-mouthed kiss, all while making sure the movements didn’t stop. He started thrusting upwards and meeting Donghyuck where he couldn’t, and before long they were both a moaning, desperate mess, sending each other to the brink of pleasure.
“Mark—!” Donghyuck called weakly at some point. “I’m gonna—”
Mark shoved Donghyuck down, thrusting back into him with a merciless speed that had Donghyuck crying out loud, as tears started streaming from his eyes. At last, Donghyuck pulled Mark in for a lasting, searing kiss as they both reached their climax in the same moment.
Before allowing himself to simply collapse on top of the still shuddering Donghyuck, Mark carefully kissed his way down Donghyuck's gorgeous, exposed self. He started with the lips, then trailing an open mouthed one down his neck that made his arch a little, before going all the way down to his chest, stomach, thighs and legs, before finally sitting up and taking in the sight before him.
"That was…amazing," Mark said simply. "You were amazing. I could do this all day."
Donghyuck was still catching his breath, but couldn't help but protest. "Spare me, my merciful lord! I am but a virgin with not as much stamina!"
Mark raised an eyebrow. "Are you really saying that? I was the one who woke up to—"
"You better not complain about it considering you enjoyed it so much just now," Donghyuck shot back at once. "You were practically begging."
"Was not!" Mark retorted, mostly out of habit (though he knew what the actual truth was).
Donghyuck slowly crawled up to a sitting position. "O-ow! My tailbone feels like it's been crushed by an ox."
"Look who's complaining about pleasure now," Mark teased, though he immediately reached a soothing hand out to rub at Donghyuck's back. "Are you okay though? Can you still go for a ride with me later?"
"I just did…" Donghyuck pouted.
Mark exhaled. "Be serious for a moment. I heard the conditions are perfect today."
"I will, I will," Donghyuck sighed, starting to loaf around again. He ended up splayed across Mark's lap, arms outstretched. "Just give me a bit."
The two continued to lounge around for another while before finally getting up to continue with their day. They cleaned up, got dressed in their riding attire and made their way out of the guesthouse. As they walked arm in arm towards the stables, they bumped into Jeno and Jaemin who were also getting their horses ready.
“Oh, if it isn’t the scandalous lovebirds themselves,” Jeno said with a smile upon seeing them. “Good morning!”
“Lord Jeno is up before lunch time on a day off?” Donghyuck jabbed quirkily as they walked up. “What’s the emergency? Did you finally get caught doing something bad?”
“I’m not even going to comment on how ridiculous and hypocritical every single thing that just came out of your mouth was,” Jeno said with a smirk, as he mounted his horse. “I’m just as surprised the two of you made it up in time. You’re normally hours late to every single event recently. Even dinner.”
“Couples are like that in a honeymoon phase,” Jaemin commented, already on top of his own steed, effortlessly mimicking the appearance of a fairy-tale prince. “Can’t get them away from their passionate desires. How frivolous.”
“You two better remember these words when you get into your own romantic problems,” Donghyuck jokingly retorted. “Don’t come crying to me when your entanglements become even messier than mine.”
Jeno and Jaemin quickly exchanged glances, before Jeno mockingly replied: “I don’t think that’s possible, my dear brother.”
“We’ll see when that time comes,” Donghyuck smirked.
He received an eye roll in response, before Jeno and Jaemin promptly set out. Mark and Donghyuck quickly saddled up and did the same, riding through the wilderness in the direction of Mark’s home.
The sun was high and bright in the sky, and Mark couldn’t help but feel that sensation he’d always craved deep inside. That freedom, that completeness, it was all there, and it was because Donghyuck was next to him. In a way, it was exactly like his dreams prophesied. But where his dreams had been grey and ominous, his reality was somehow a lot brighter and hopeful.
They rode for a while. Before long, they’d ended up in the denser woods, by the creek where Mark had first led Donghyuck on the night they met. Just as before, they tied up their horses and took their break, sitting down by the gently flowing water, taking in the peacefulness that somehow had become frequent for the both of them now that they were together.
“Ah, it’s been awhile,” Donghyuck observed casually. “Yet it feels like just yesterday that you and I got into this dramatic changing point in our lives."
They sat quietly for another few minutes, staring emptily into the monotonous flowing water.
“You ever wonder if it would be easier if we were just…normal?” Mark said suddenly. “If people weren’t watching us all the time?”
Donghyuck laughed softly, a tinge of sadness to it. “Well, no matter what, all those things that make us ‘abnormal’ also make us who we are,” he said. “People are always watching us because we choose to stay in this lavish and extravagant lifestyle. But…I’m not going to deny that it might be easier. Perhaps…perhaps that’s why our ancestors ran away in the first place.”
Mark nodded. “Perhaps.”
He suddenly felt Donghyuck punch him in the shoulder. “What are you looking so melancholic for? I’m still here, aren’t I?”
“I know…” Mark said. “And I’m eternally grateful for it. But…these days, I keep thinking about how I want to take away all the hardships in your life. Yet, at the same time, I wonder if being with me is also a cause of a lot of these hardships.”
Donghyuck placed a soft hand on Mark’s arm. They looked up at each other, their gazes still as gentle and affectionate as ever. “Mark, what are you saying?” Donghyuck spoke. “First of all, it’s impossible to live a fully painless life. And secondly, I’m with you because I want to be, more than anything else.”
But Mark was still not convinced. “I just…I just want you to be happy, Donghyuck, I want you to never feel pain again. If I could suffer in place of you, I would definitely do it.”
Donghyuck was stunned. “Where is all this coming from?”
Mark swallowed. “The other day, I remembered all the cruel things I’d once said to you. And I realized that…not too long ago I was the cause of your pain myself. And it’s just…it’s not a good feeling.”
“Mark,” Donghyuck called softly, pulling him into a hug. “I’m fine now. That day…it was out of your control. You did what you had to.”
At Donghyuck’s warm, comforting touch, Mark felt a single tear slip from his eye before he could help it. “Donghyuck…” he whispered. “Never hurt again. Please. For our sake. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
He felt Donghyuck tremble in his arms. “I promise to try,” he said. “Same goes for you as well.”
When they pulled apart, Mark noticed that Donghyuck’s eyes were also watery. Although Donghyuck always looked pretty to Mark, he hated to see him in a melancholic state. Gently, he reached out and brushed the tear away with his hand. Donghyuck closed his eyes and leaned into the touch.
“Donghyuck…” Mark said softly.
“Hmm?”
“I love you. ”
Without opening his eyes, Donghyuck hummed pleasantly,
“I love you too, Mark. ”
Their hearts felt like they were at a bursting point again. Unable to resist, Mark leaned forward and captured Donghyuck’s lips in a kiss again, almost as if to seal a promise. The kiss deepened along with their swelling emotions, the both of them feeling an unexplainable ache in their hearts. Despite all that had been resolved, the future was still unclear, and if society ever chose to turn against them again at some point, their promises would become increasingly difficult to fulfill.
But for now, just for now, none of that mattered. All that mattered was that they were able to exist like this, together, in the same time era—and they’d somehow miraculously found each other.
"Gosh, what are we being so melodramatic for?" Donghyuck said, as he pulled away, wiping at the corner of his eye. "We're both still right here."
Mark laughed softly. "I know, right?"
"I'm cringing all over. Let's do something else."
Mark was focused. "What do you suggest?"
"Well, I was actually thinking..." Donghyuck said slowly. "We actually haven't danced together since that big ball."
"So?"
"...ask me to dance with you," Donghyuck spoke cheekily, eyes shining bright.
"Why do I have to do it?"
"I did it last time."
"You're so calculating about every little thing, aren't you?"
Donghyuck pouted. "Are you really not gonna do it?"
Mark sighed, getting up and brushing off his pants, and then his hands. Promptly, he cleared his throat before extending a hand to the Donghyuck that was still seated.
"Lord Haechan, would you please humble me with a dance?" he uttered, in his most gentlemanly voice.
Donghyuck's smile was brighter than the sun itself. He grabbed Mark's hand, and was immediately pulled into his lover's arms.
"It would be my honour."
Even without a glorious ballroom nor extravagant music, Mark and Donghyuck were absolutely delighted, as they were spinning around in each other's arms again. Mark loved the way Donghyuck's waist and hand felt underneath his own fingers, grateful for Donghyuck's suggestion. The sound of their arguing over which steps to take was followed by the sound of their laughter, only to repeat all over again, as they danced around and around and around, surrounded by nothing but the thicket of the trees and the flowing creek next to them.
It was in such simple moments like this, that nothing could make them happier. Simply because they had each other.
°˖✧✿✧˖°
One evening, Mark was reading by the fire in the guesthouse, while Donghyuck was putting away some things, just to tidy up the place a little bit. As he reached for something on one of the higher shelves, he accidentally knocked over a decoration which in turn toppled over a bunch of items onto the ground.
“Ow! That hurt!” he exclaimed, shaking his hand to relieve the pain.
Mark immediately noticed from the couch. “Are you okay?!” he asked, already making to stand up as his eyes flickered upwards in concern.
“I’m fine, don’t worry about it. I just hit my finger on that stupid book. Who even keeps a book up here? It was placed in such a weird way I didn’t even see it,” Donghyuck complained as he reached forwards and picked everything up.
As his fingers drifted over the cover of the old book cover, Donghyuck noticed something.
He grabbed the book and flipped through the pages, his bright eyes widening more and more as he quickly scanned its contents.
“Mark, Mark!” he called excitedly, immediately running over. “Look what I found!”
“An old journal?” Mark asked, as he took the fragile book.
“Look who it’s by!”
Mark opened the cover. There, on the very first page, were the handwritten words:
THE DAILY LOGS OF LORDS MARCUS AND PETER
“Marcus and Peter?” Mark asked. “Am I supposed to know who they are?”
“No, but if you flip through the pages…they’re our ancestor lords who ran away together so many years ago!” Donghyuck said excitedly. “This entire time, we thought it was a lord and a lady, but in fact, it was two lords!” Donghyuck snatched the book back, quickly skimming through it again. “This diary dictates their entire journey together! That’s amazing, I can’t believe it’s here of all places. We should read it together!”
Mark couldn’t help but smile at Donghyuck’s cute eagerness. “What? You’re not planning on getting any ideas of running away again, are you?”
"No promises,” Donghyuck said. “Ooh, I wonder if they documented any erotic things in here…"
Mark immediately scrunched up his face. "Why would you want that?"
"Why? Are you afraid I'm gonna instead fall for Lord Marcus' techniques or something?" Donghyuck asked teasingly.
"Considering he's probably my very dead distantly related ancestor...I think I'm good."
“Fair enough,” Donghyuck replied cheekily. “But I think, in all due seriousness, it’ll certainly be good to know. They probably went through hell compared to us, considering the time and how it quite literally went down in history…even if it is just fabled history.”
“Certainly sounds like it would’ve been tough,” Mark grimaced. “Looks like we have a bedtime story though.”
“We do!” Donghyuck replied contently, nuzzling against Mark’s chest. “You can read it to me first later!”
Mark grinned, as he nonchalantly ran his fingers through Donghyuck's hair. “Look at you, a grown up lord of a prominent house being so happy over finding a new storybook.”
"Why do you think it ended up in this guesthouse anyway? Didn't they run away?" Donghyuck wondered out loud, as he leaned back on Mark’s shoulder.
Something suddenly flashed in Mark's mind. The interior of the guesthouse they were staying in, but slightly different. A wide open door. Then, a completely different house entirely, one he'd never seen before. A person with dark hair sitting on a bed, facing away from him.
Was that...a memory? A dream?
He glanced at Donghyuck. His beloved was looking quite peaceful, almost as if he was already ready to fall asleep.
Mark gave a soft smile as he gently threaded his fingers through Donghyuck's hair.
"Guess we'll just have to read to find out."
*:･ﾟ✧THE END*:･ﾟ✧