Mountain Rose

08. The Newest Guest

"I think spring is coming again. Almost sick of the cherry blossoms; they bloomed overnight. I hate it, but spring is coming again."

Eunji, Spring

The rain fell in violent sheets almost immediately, prompting me and Father to run out from the weather, as the master's viscount stared at us with an expression full of disgust.

He led us into corridors upon corridors, not saying a word. He need not bother, what with the roar of rainfall filled whatever silence that had transpired after the beast had stormed off.

I was still reeling from the shock of it all; the master of the household was an extraordinary feat in itself, and I had yet to find some kind of explanation to justify the existence of such a man, such a monster, all in one form.

What other fantastical things lay within these walls, that remain undiscovered?

What secrets hid among these floorboards?

Would I be able to learn them all?

Would I even be able to accept them all?

My mind was steadily tiring out by the minute, and the only thing that I was certain about was the fact that I had prevented Father from going through this devastatingly strange and terrorizing fate.

He had interlaced his fingers with mine, holding tightly as we followed the viscount, and I was aware of how much he was holding in; I didn't dare look at him, for fear that it would break my heart as I realize that I would never see him again, not after the sun rose tomorrow.

We abruptly came to a halt. "This is where you'll be staying," our begrudgin guide said curtly, as a cluster of maids exited the room, "Your father's is next door, for tonight."

There was something in the way he said that, that made him glare at him.

The last person to exit was the woman from earlier, the one Seok Jin had referred to as Yoo Kyung.

She gave a short bow, gesturing to the interior. "Forgive our haste," she told me, as I stepped into the room, "We will furnish it properly in the morning, but for now, if you require anything, there is a bell on the vanity you can use to ring for assistance."

I looked around. It was well lit with candles, illuminating the large space that I clearly did not expect to receive as the palace's new inhabitant. Everything that was in here was a token of luxury, from the painted rice paper partition walls, to the heavy-looking wooden furniture whose buttons looked too gleaming to not be gold, to the paintings of flowers hung on the walls, and the soft blankets that were neatly folded in the corner.

Even the floor was sufficiently warm, just the way I like it.

"If you would like a bit of air," Yoo Kyung said, going over to a sliding door at the end of the room, "We have a balcony overlooking the forest. However it can get quite chilly at night; allow me to show you."

She opened it, and I sucked in a breath as a strong gust of wind slapped against my face. I could see the storm cascading angrily over the dark shadows that were the trees, the sound of the wind howling in my ears as she shut the door.

I blinked. "This is my quarters?"

She nodded. "Is it satisfactory?"

"Yes, more than satisfactory," I breathed, running my hands over the vanity, turning back to her, "But, am I not a prisoner? Do I not sleep in some sort of cell?"