My Lifeline - Jaywon Shortstories

Bal Masqué Pt2

It was a shame that the mask the Duke was wearing only covered his eyes, because the latter felt the blush spreading on his cheeks quite rapidly and he wished he could have hidden it.

His dance partner seemed to enjoy the tension and he did keep his lips on Duke Yang's hand a second more than necessary.

He was about to let said burning hand go and the Duke had to dig deep inside himself not to scream.

"It was an honor as well" he heard himself saying.

The mysterious young man in front of him bowed and left the dance floor and a confused yet smiling Duke.

By the time the Duke had realized what had happened, the next song had started. He quickly stepped aside.

He looked around, trying to find the piercing eyes again.

"My Lord" said a voice behind him.
"Yeosang!" replied the Duke.
"Sir?" asked Yeosang, quite surprised by his master's expression.

In fact the Duke had a spark in his eyes that Yeosang had never seen before.

"Have you seen that?" he asked, walking further away from the dance floor until they were closer to the wall.
"You did dance perfectly Sir" confirmed Yeosang.
"No, not the dance!" replied the Duke, still looking around, hoping to find his dance partner.
"Oh, him?" asked Yeosang. "If I may ask, my Lord, who was he?"

The Duke bit his lower lip.

"You haven't recognized him either, have you" he mumbled. "I don't know who he is. But I need to know."
"Should I look for him, then?" asked Yeosang.
"Would that be okay with you?" asked the Duke.
"Sir, I am here to cater to you every need" replied Yeosang.
"Well, I also want you to enjoy the party" replied Duke Yang.

Yeosang didn't reply straight away. His lips did curl in a shy smile before he could do anything else.

"Is he here too?" asked the Duke in a whisper.

Yeosang's cheeks turned to crimson red.

"You know what, you look for Wooyoung and I'll look for this mysterious man" concluded Duke Yang.
"Are you sure my Lord? I'd be more than happy to help you look for him" replied Yeosang.
"I know you would, but it's not everyday you get an opportunity to talk to Wooyoung like that, right?" said the Duke.
"Thank you my Lord" said Yeosang, bowing at ninety degrees.
"It's normal" replied the Duke, apparently unaware that masters didn't normally do that.

"Nonetheless if there's anything, I'll come back to help you" said Yeosang, before bowing again and leaving.

The Duke smiled. He had never told Yeosang that, but he was his favorite person in the world. They had grown up together, as Yeosang was the son of one of the maids.
When the Duke had taken the title, he had had no hesitation so as to whom would be by his side.

He didn't like the fact that Yeosang was his "servant" however there was no other way to do it in this mind numbing hierarchy.
This is why the Duke always made sure Yeosang had a good life and never asked too much of him.

"Some Champagne, my Lord?"

The Duke was brought back to reality by the waiter.

"No thank you" he said.

Just before the man walked away, the Duke took a step forward.

"Excuse me, may I ask if you have seen a young man with faded blond hair, piercing eyes and dark green and blue mask around?" he asked without catching his breath.

The waiter stopped to think.

"I did see him earlier, however not lately" he replied. "I know that some guests are taking a walk in the Royal Gardens, if that helps you."
"Thank you!" replied Duke Yang.

He breathed in, ready to go outside.
He had looked everywhere in the Ball Room and his dance partner clearly wasn't here anymore, which could only mean one thing.
The waiter was right.

~

The air outside was at the perfect temperature. A light breeze shook the trees' branches, refreshing the Duke.
He had already met two groups of guests outside, however no one seemed to have seen his dance partner.

The Duke continued looking for him nonetheless.

He needed to see him again.
He needed to know his name.

Mostly, he needed to focus on his search and stop imagining inviting him to have tea back at his mansion.

There was only one problem with the Duke's plan.

The Royal Gardens were gigantic.

And a single person randomly walking trough it didn't have much chances of finding someone who apparently didn't want to be found.

The Duke sighed. He had just found yet another fountain, with no mysterious man around.

I wonder if Yeosang is having better luck than me
I do hope so

As he was about to walk back to the castle, the Duke heard something on his right.

Was that a.. door?

He changed directions and walked towards the sound. He had reached sculpted bushes and looked in between two of them, only to notice a small hidden construction.

The Duke stepped backwards and circled the construction, trying to find a way to reach it in between the bushes.

When he finally managed it, the door was being opened once more.

The Duke looked up and froze.

"It's you" he whispered, looking at the mysterious man in front of him.

The young man didn't move either, apparently as frozen as the Duke.

"Who are you?" asked the Duke. "Why did you leave?"

The man seemed to hesitate. For the first time, the Duke saw something else in his usually piercing eyes.

"My name is Jay" he replied, his soft voice lightning up a fire in the Duke's stomach. "I left because I'm normally not allowed to dance."

The Duke frowned.

"What do you mean not allowed?" he asked. "Fear not, I won't tell anyone."

The man sighed.

"I'm not allowed to mingle with aristocracy. At least not in that way" he whispered.

The Duke slowly understood.

"Who is your master?" he asked.
"Prince Kim" replied Jay.

The Duke's eyes widened. Had he really danced with one of Prince Kim's servants?

"Why.. why did you dance then?" asked the Duke.

Jay sighed again and his hands moved upwards.

Duke Yang held his breath as Jay revealed his face.
He had already seen him countless times.
It wasn't just any servant. This Jay was Prince Kim's right hand.

"Because I wanted to dance with you" he whispered, looking into Duke Yang's eyes.