Music is my voice...

Goodbye normal teenage clothes...

Nani enters her grandmother's mansion and breathes in the air she will be consuming for most of her life. She doesn't feel nostalgic, because she was never allowed to be in the mansion till now.

One of the maids leads Nani to her room, Nani hands the maid filled with her normal teenage clothes, she will no longer be needing them now. She looks over at her bed to see a light pink kimono layed out for her to change in. She sits on the bed, awaiting for a maid to help her get changed into the robes. The servant walks into the room and directs Nani.

"Mistress please strip for me..." The maid asks Nani, Nani does not argue and waits for her next direction.

"Please hold out your arms for me," The servant says.

Nani continues to follow her directions until she is fully clothed and sat in front of a mirror. The maid brushes her hair and sticks a flower hairpin into Nani's hair. Nani gets up and slips on her slippers.

One of the butlers leads Nani into a waiting room. Nani finds her grandmother sitting on a silk pillow under a short legged table. Nani's grandmother silently points to the empty pillow across from her, motioning fo Nani to sit there. Nani obediently and quietly follows her grandmother's instructions.

Nani's grandmother pours them both a cup of tea before speaking up.

"I see you have cut your hair," she says before sipping her tea.

"Yes, grandmother, though it was not by choice," Nani says, bowing her head.

Her grandmother sits the cup down gently and continues, "Would you please tell me the story?" She asks Nani patiently.

Nani nods and speaks quietly, "I was wandering the streets on my way home from school, a man tugged me into an allyway and attacked me. The only way I could get out of his grasp was to cut my hair with my aunt's pocket knife she gave me before I left as he was holding me by my hair," Nani states before taking a sip of tea.

Her grandmother stays silent, contemplating. Nani tries to muffle the sound of her squirming in her seat.

Her grandmother finally breaks the silence, "That is unfortunate,"

Nani silently nods in agreement.

After "catching up a little," Nani is told that she may explore the house a little bit, but not to break anything. Nani follows orders and tries to find her grandmother's gardens.

Once she finds the gardens she looks around, the hedges are nicely kept and the trees are not over grown. There are little squares of different flowers, some of them mixed so the flowers will breed even more beautiful species'.

Nani walks around to enjoy the outside before dinner, after dinner her future will be planned and signed on a piece of paper...

~~~~

Lee Xoian, a garden keeper around Nani's age, a year older, is taking care of one of the honey suckle bushes when he hears someone walking around the garden.

Mistress only visits on Fridays, and even then not long... Lee thinks to himself.

He picks himself up from the ground and dusts himself off. He looks over the bush he was trimming and sees something he will never forget.

He sees a girl in a kimono with a butterfly on her finger. She smiles to herself and brushes her hair back behind her ear. The butterfly gracefully flaps off of her finger and lands on her nose, seeming to kiss her.

"A butterfly's kiss is said to be good luck," Lee says, startling the girl. The girl stumbles towards Lee, almost falling onto the ground. Lee's reflexes kick in and he catches her. She looks up at him, making a warm blush creep up his cheeks. Lee  clears his throat and helps the girl back on her feet. The girl in the kimono bows in thanks.

"I am Lee," Lee tells the girl politely.

The girl looks up from her bow and straitens her back, "My name is Nani," She says.

Lee files through his memory, knowing he has heard her name somewhere...

"My granddaughter will be living in the mansion, so I expect you to treat her as a noble." Mistress tells the servants of the mansion.

Lee remembers this and bows low, "It is nice to meet you, mistress," Lee says through his bow.

"N-no need to bow down to me..." Nani says, her cheeks flushing pink.

Lee doesn't notice and tries to excuse himself.

"Please don't leave, I do not want to be treated as if I was a tyrant queen," Nani says panicky.

Lee stops and chuckles, "I see mistress,"

Nani interupts him, "And don't call me mistress, it's just Nani,"

"Yes, m- Nani..." Lee says, testing her name out on his tongue, he liked her name, it was cute.

Nani and Lee wander around the gardens for about 2 hours, telling jokes and talking about how it was like before coming to Korea.

Lee is from China, he came to Korea to work for his mother. He would be going to the same prep school as Nani, his schooling and housing is payed by Nani's grandmother. He sends all of his earnings back to China to help with his mother's treatment.

A servant came into the gardens to inform Nani that she would be eating dinner with her grandmother to discuss things. Nani left to eat dinner with her grandmother.

~~~~

Kikomo didn't really care for her granddaughter, Nani. She just needed a successor. She would eventually marry her off to a Japanese noble.

She wished that her son had followed he directions and married the woman she wished him to. But he went off to marry a Korean musician.

Kikomo is interrupted from her thoughts when she hears he granddaughter enter the dining room. She won't have to practice being a quiet lady that's for sure.

"Sit," Kikomo tells her granddaughter. She is obedient.

"First we will be talking about your enrollment into your school,"

Nani nods as her food is being set in front of her.

"You will be starting Monday," Kikomo tells Nani.

Nani nods and eats quietly.

Kikomo tells her about her business lessons she will be receiving on Saturdays and that she will have Sunday off.

Kikomo only hopes her granddaughter will last long enough to become the successor of her company...

Oooh... Do you think Lee will be a new love interest??? Is some twisted love triangle gonna go on?!?!

I'm feeling a little energized today! Probably because I have been drinking hot cocoa! Anyways~ See you little snowmen in the next chapter!!!

heeheehee...