Mountain Rose

15. Vulnerable and Valiant

"Let's burn it, my past self. It would burn again to the deepest pits below, to the very last. Set fire to it, more fire to it, wonder what will remain thereafter?"

August D, Burn It

"You should have seen Viscount Kim's face when I did the test," I commented airily, stepping over a log in the path, "I think I'm starting to get the hang of this whole studying thing."

Yoongi ducked under a low branch. "I think he was more confused by the lack of a hangover," he said,, "I doubt it's your intelligence he's impressed by; he's underestimated you far too many times to underestimate you again."

"He's still not letting me win him during training, though."

"That's because it's his favorite sport. He can't lose it."

I paused, turning to him. "You know, there's something I don't get."

His eyebrows furrowed. "And what's that?"

"Why did he not resist me when I first came here? When I put my brother's sword against his neck? He could have easily killed me with it?"

That was something I could never wrap my head around. Before, Viscount Kim struck me as a whining simpleton who demanded that everyone listened to him.

Sure, he had the good looks and the build of a guard, but his ridiculous high voice and complaints were not enough to compensate for it.

Until I got to be his student, he was as interesting to me as a fly on the wall.

"Eunji?"

I blinked out of my reverie, catching up to him as he continued walking. "Hmm?"

"I said it's because he was pretending," he told me, "And also, what person would kill an intruder, what more a girl?"

"I would."

He had the audacity to scoff. "No, you wouldn't. Killing isn't all fun and games."

"Spoken as if you've left these walls and hunted down men for sport."

He scowled at me, annoyed. "I knew someone who had to live through a war."

I waited expectantly.

He didn't elaborate.

It was my turn to scowl. "You're not going to tell me, are you?"

He let out a chuckle, bumping my shoulder just enough to send me reeling a couple of steps. "I just know someone who had to live through a lot of slaughtering, that's all."

Then, as an afterthought, he added, "I mean, I knew someone."

"That person died?"

"Some time ago," he said quietly, "I cared for him very much."

We walked in silence.

I pressed my lips together, watching him. "You know, in my village," I began nervously, "It was widely speculated that tone of the farmer's sons preferred having male companions to female-"

Yoongi's head swivelled to look at me with an expression so gobsmacked, I almost laughed. "Eunji, for heaven's sake!"

I backed a little, holding my hands up in surrender. "I'm just saying, if you prefer having male companions too, I won't hate you for it!" I protested, "I'm not going to think of you differently or anything."