Her heart, however, was tangled in confusion... a knotted thread impossible to unravel.
Countless whispers, unanswered rumors, and…one word that clung stubbornly to her mind.
"The youngest son of the Kim family…?"
She murmured, fingers brushing over her wrist beneath her sleeve.....where there was nothing but bare skin.
Under her touch, her pulse beat steadily. Calm, yet distant.
As though reminding her that her fate was no longer entirely in her own hands.
Just then, an afternoon breeze swept past, carrying with it the faint scent of jasmine… and something else, subtle and enticing.
"Ahem!"
The sudden cough jolted her. Her heart fluttered like a startled sparrow.
She sprang to her feet, hastily straightening her clothes, hands fumbling as they grazed her burning cheeks.
And when she lifted her gaze, her eyes met those of a man whose expression was calm yet mischievous, so inscrutable she couldn't tell whether he was teasing or serious.
"Y-young master…!" she gasped,raising a hand to her lips as if to keep her voice from escaping.
He smiled.....a smile half-playful, half-rouguish.
"Yes, it's me. No need to look as though you've seen a ghost.With a handsome face like mine, you should be the one looking away."
Soran blinked rapidly, torn between irritation and laughter.
"Of course, my lord," she shot back dryly."I wouldn't want anyone accusing me of fainting at the sight of my master's face...especially one who looks as though he's stepped out of an ancient painting."
He laughed....a warm, deep sound like distant thunder softened by summer rain.
"Mind your tongue," he teased."Or I might start thinking you enjoy being near me."
Soran's eyes sparkled with daring mischief.
"If that were true…Then perhaps you should behave a little more respectably, shouldn't you, my lord?"
The young master stepped closer, his hands clasped behind his back, and a faint blush coloring his cheeks despite his composed façade.
"You probably don't know…I'm not accustomed to such bold words."
Soran smiled in return.....a gentle smile laced with quiet challenge.
"And I… am not accustomed to the gaze of a nobleman who can make a lady forget how to breathe with just one glance."
The two stood beneath the ancient tree, its long shadows stretching across the earth.Unspoken words hung between them.... light as air yet heavy with meaning.
At last, the young master leaned slightly forward, bowing his head with the grace of an actoropening the curtain to a play.
"Let us consider this our first meeting…Though I fear… it will not be our last."
Soran bowed in return, a faint smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
"I hope so as well…"