Arranged Marriage

Week 3 (3)

"Shall we continue where we left off earlier?"

Karlyle's back touches the hallway wall. Ash is tilting his head and staring at him. What they left off earlier....what was it? Ash is so close that his brain stops functioning. The only thing in his blank mind is that their lips almost touched a few minutes ago.

".....What are you talking about?"

There's a lump in his throat. An unexplainable tension is enveloping his entire body. The goosebumps that he felt earlier spread through his lower back.

Ash doesn't say anything. He only looks at his face with a gaze that Karlyle can't quite make out. A breathtaking silence passes between the two. Just as Karlyle realizes he's holding his breath, Ash steps back.

"We decided to answer what we were curious about each other."

As if the moment just now was a wind passing by. It feels like there was some tension that was on the verge of exploding but then was forced to diminish. Slowly, he understands what Ash's referring to, and he realizes that he has interpreted it in a different way from his opponent. Shame rises in him.

Why....?

While he's busy with his thoughts not knowing what's going on in his head, Ash opens the door next to him. Karlyle takes a breath and lifts his back off the wall. Ash holds the door for him.

"Karlyle, you go in first."

Karlyle looks inside. It's the room that he accidentally entered once when he was small.

"Is this Marquis Gordon's study room?"

That means this is a place Karlyle isn't allowed to enter.

"You know this room? I thought Phillip didn't show this place to anyone."

Ash asks curiously. It isn't a very proud memory so Karlyle doesn't say more. That day, many things happened beyond his control.

"As I said, this is a place where no one can come, so it will be just the two of us. Or do you perhaps want to go back to the party, Karlyle?"

Since his purpose of attending this party is to make connections with Marquis Gordon, and that purpose has been done, he has no reasons to go back and interact with other nobles. At this time of the year, social parties are held to the point of exhaustion. He won't lose any money if he doesn't attend today.

"I don't need to."

"That's great then."

Ash smiled joyfully like a boy. When the word "boy" comes up in his mind, it also brings back an old memory he had of this place, which he has forgotten for a long time. He has spent his entire life without thinking about it, however, that memory must have come back since the person in this room with him that time was someone like Ash.

"I played here a lot when I was young. Ever since my mother passed away, Phillip let me and Natalie visit his place often. He was especially generous with us as well."

What a new story. Phillip Gordon's private life is abnormally secretive, and apart from big rumors, people know mostly nothing about him. He gets a lot of attention for being the best friend of the Duke. Everyone is probably very eager to dig up about him.

"Karlyle's expression is hard to read, but you are having a curious expression I suppose?"

"It'd be a lie to say no."

"The story isn't anything secretive like in movies."

Ash leads him to the window. Although it isn't a vast garden like Marquis Frost's residence, outside the window, he can see a garden beautifully harmonized with sculptures and lighting installed with Marquis Gordon's unique sense. A long time ago, there were fireworks here.