The Secret of Min's Castle

Chapitre 6

Dear readers,

Today has been an emotional day.

After my meeting with Min Yoongi, Mr Noh left me to prepare dinner. He was alone in this big house, taking care of domestic chores.

As I tried to find my way back to the entrance hall, I had the chilling feeling that something was wrong. I'm sure you're familiar with the signal sent by our 6th sense to warn us that something is wrong.

Eyes, yes, I had the impression that someone was watching me. A suffocating feeling of being at the mercy of a gaze from which I couldn't hide. My only reflex was to run to the nearest door.

 Safe at last, I tried to revitalize the situation. In this castle, there were only five inhabitants and me, no one else. I must have been dreaming, tiredness must have made me more sensitive.

As I caught my breath, I finally realized the place I was in. It was a room of portraits. Among them, the most imposing, sitting atop the main wall. I hardly realized it was the portrait of Min Namjoon, Yoongi's father and the master of the house.

The painting was so realistic I couldn't help but curtsy in greeting. I understood where Min Yoongi's taste for Western clothing came from. This man must have been tall, very tall. He appeared to be a scholar. Indeed, he had chosen to have his picture taken surrounded by books. One detail intrigued me. A seagull was painted, discreet but placed in such a way as to make it clear that it was an important element.

The painting was signed and dated "April 11, 1811". It had been painted only a few months after Monsieur Min had met my father...

I continued to admire the paintings. I was touched to see a representation of the triplets. They were so young when their father died, only 1 years old. They'd never known any family and would never have the chance to remember their parents.

Suddenly, an oval painting caught his eye...I thought, "But I know this child, I've met him before..." It was a painting by Yoongi, then aged 12. His face was the same, he just didn't have that sorrow that I find in adult Yoongi. "Where did I meet you? Will you ever come to me, will I ever be able to help you?

All these paintings were memories of a time that had come to an abrupt end 10 years ago. Who could have imagined what was to come.

 A thought occurred to me: why is there no representation of their mother?

Apart from an obvious detail on the wall, two paintings were missing. There were still the nails, and the signs. The first said "Madame Min Yoora, 26th birthday", the second simply mentioned "LA mouette".

The absence of these two paintings could not be a mere coincidence. Who was "the seagull"? Why was this animal also featured in Min Namjoon's painting? And why was there no representation of Lady Yoora?

Suddenly, a sound caught my attention and soothed my thoughts. I could hear 4 small feet discreetly approaching me.

"Madame Lee," said Teahyung, who seemed to be the most confident, "can you help our brother? Jimin continued, "Yes, Jungkook is crying, we don't understand why. They both looked panicked. I decided to follow them without the slightest hesitation. Part of me wanted to protect these little ones, and I was glad they trusted me.