I let out a coughing fit, and Lucas patted my back, asking if I was alright. Once I finally calmed down, I looked up at him with a blank expression. “What did you just say? Who is pretty? Me? ……Do you perhaps have poor eyesight?”
“Pretty…?”
Vincent threw out the question, his voice laced with doubt. I snapped to my senses and turned to look at him.
“Who is pretty?”
“The Master’s maid.”
Lucas attacked with conviction, his reply landing without a shred of hesitation. I stared at him again. *Are you crazy?* I asked internally.
“……Pretty?”
“Yes.”
“Really? Truly?”
“Yes. Truly.”
Lucas answered while looking right at me. When our eyes met, he offered a refreshing smile. I wondered if he was teasing me, but I didn’t see a hint of dishonesty on his face.
Vincent, who had been silent for a moment, muttered under his breath.
“Pretty, huh…….”
“She is someone whom pure white suits exceptionally well.”
“So you think she’s pretty.”
“Very much so.”
They were perfectly in sync. For once, Vincent showed signs of being flustered.
But I was the most flustered of all.
I couldn’t understand Lucas’s words. Had he actually seen my face properly? If he hadn’t, I wanted to brush my bangs back right now and show him. *Where exactly on this face do you see beauty? Yes?* I wanted to ask if perhaps his tastes were a bit unusual.
“Right. So you think she’s that pretty.”
But I couldn’t ask, not with Vincent there. He looked somehow dazed. However, I didn’t have the luxury of examining his condition.
“Yes. Pretty enough to fall in love at first sight.”
My mouth fell wide open at his shocking words. Vincent’s eyes widened in surprise, too. Only Lucas continued to wear a refreshing, handsome smile.
*What do I do? This man is strange.*
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I don’t know if I should say this, but…”
Instead of asking, *Are you insane?*, I waved my hand toward him. Lucas leaned over slightly. With the distance narrowed, I covered my mouth with my palm and whispered so only he could hear.
“Do you happen to have unique tastes?”
“I haven’t really thought about it, but I’m on the average side.”
“Then why are you saying such things?”
“About what?”
His reaction was as if he truly didn’t know. I gasped in frustration, glancing toward Vincent. He had been silent for some time. His face remained calm, but I felt I could catch a glimpse of the myriad thoughts swirling within him. If nothing else, I knew he had mentally categorized my appearance.
“If you do that, people will misunderstand.”
“Who will?”
“The Master.”
“Is there something to misunderstand?”
I don’t know why this man is like this. I was about to retort immediately, but I hesitated. *Wait, do I really need to correct him?* Come to think of it… there was nothing bad in it for me. I wanted to be remembered as a pretty face by Vincent.
*Right, I’m not doing anything wrong.*
Even though I was surprised, it was a compliment I might never hear again in my life. Honestly, it felt good. It was the first time I’d ever heard that I was pretty enough for a man to fall in love with. Even if he’d said it out of courtesy, it was something any woman would be happy to hear.
“What kind of misunderstanding would it be?”
“Nothing.”
I lowered my hand and straightened my posture. Lucas tilted his head. I cleared my throat and spoke so that Vincent could hear as well.
“I am quite shy. I know you meant well, but in the future, I would appreciate it if you only said such things when I am alone with you.”
“I will do that.”
“…….”
It was funny that I was being so shameless, but Lucas’s response was just as absurd. Vincent narrowed his eyes slightly at the exchange. Still, I hadn’t lied this time. I decided to lean into the shamelessness.
“Where are we going for our walk?”
“We are going to the forest.”
After finishing the remaining tea, we headed toward the forest behind the annex. It was quiet here, and the air felt clean. As I looked at the trees reaching for the sky and the leaves budding on bare branches, Lucas veered to the side.
“Lucas-nim, that’s not the way.”
“This path will be more worth seeing.”
He pointed to the left, where no real path existed. *What should I do…* I looked up at Vincent; he felt my gaze and nodded. It was permission.
And so, we followed Lucas deep into the woods. Without a path, the going was rough. I cleared away branches and warned them of obstacles. Vincent held my hand tightly, following carefully.
The place we arrived at was an open space circled by dense trees. My jaw dropped. *My goodness.* I had no idea such a place existed.
“Wow—!”
“It’s pretty, right?”
Lucas asked at my reaction. I nodded repeatedly, unable to tear my gaze away from the spectacle.
A magnificent display of flowers was spread out before us.
I hadn’t seen a flower garden while coming here, yet here it was—a vast, hidden patch of white, fresh blossoms swaying in the breeze. They seemed to welcome us, cradled by trees as if being protected.
They weren’t flashy. They were modest. The mansion gardens were certainly more extravagant, but this place held a different allure. It was a beauty untouched by human hands. Just looking at it made my heart feel clean.
“How did you know about a place like this?”
“I discovered it when I was wandering around out of boredom a while ago.”
“It’s truly beautiful. So, so beautiful.”
At my excitement, Lucas laughed, saying he was glad. I scanned the snow-white field, fascinated by the density of the blooms.
“Master, Master. The flowers are so pretty.”
I shook Vincent’s hand as he stood behind me. He peered around, searching for what I was talking about.
I smiled brightly and led him into the garden. The stems were long, brushing against my waist and Vincent’s thighs as we moved.
“We are inside the flower garden now.”
“Are there many?”
“Yes. Very many. They cover everything around here.”
I explained the scene step by step: the trees guarding the perimeter, the flowers filling every inch, the pure white petals that looked like they would stain your skin if you touched them, the wind brushing past, and the blue sky stretched out above.
It was a beauty completed by perfect harmony.
“It’s strange that they only bloom here. I saw a few on the way, but they weren’t clustered like this.”
“I see.”
“If you could have seen them with your eyes, you definitely would have been in awe.”
“Your reaction is enough for me.”
Unlike my excitement, his response was calm. Still, I smiled, happy. It was only after I had said the words “truly beautiful” dozens of times that he, too, nodded.
I guided his hand to the flowers. He followed where I led, bending his waist awkwardly. The petals brushed against the tips of his long fingers.
“I want to jump in.”
“Then you can.”
“But then the flowers will all be crushed and die.”
“You can jump in carefully.”
*Is he joking?* I wondered, but his gaze remained fixed on the blooms. His hand brushed them again, and then again, before he carefully stroked the petals. He seemed to like them.
I knelt beside him and buried my face in the flowers. They smelled of earth and life.
“They smell good, too.”
“All flowers smell the same.”
“Even so.”
I kept smelling the blossoms, and Vincent kept touching them. Lucas watched us with a satisfied face.
“Do you like it?”
“Very much!”
“How about you, hyung?”
“It’s not bad.”
At his positive words, Lucas’s smile deepened.
I tilted my head back, looking at the field spread far and wide. The refreshing scenery made me want to run free. I jumped up and shook our joined hands. Vincent gave me an inquisitive look. I pulled gently, and realizing my intention, he straightened his waist.
I led him further inside. Vincent followed, and behind him, Lucas.
“Master, please open your hand.”
I waved my free hand through the blossoms. Lucas laughed at the sight and reached out his own, letting the flowers graze his palm. I laughed happily.
“Master. Hurry, hurry.”
“Hyung. Hurry, hurry.”
“…….”
At our urging, Vincent hesitated before lifting his hand. Slowly, he spread his fingers. White petals drifted into his palm and slipped back out. Perhaps he felt the sensation, for he opened his fingers wider. His hand was soon filled with white.
I looked at his dazed face before turning to pick up my pace. The flowers tickled my waist, and the breeze ruffled my hair. I wanted to run. I started to sprint, and the footsteps behind me quickened. At some point, I was flying through the field, as if I were becoming a flower myself, as if the wind were carrying me away.
When I finally stopped, I realized I had reached the edge of the field. It was quite vast. I was panting, catching my breath, when Lucas popped up beside me, leaning over with his hands on his knees.
“You’re quite fast.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to start running.”
Seeing Lucas gasping, I realized I had been sprinting. I had just gotten too excited. It must have been a sudden ordeal for the two following me.
As I apologized, he waved his hand, insisting it was fine. But it was clear he was exhausted; he looked up at the sky and let out a long, ragged breath.
Then, Lucas burst into a sudden, bright laugh. It was a laugh that felt genuinely happy.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve run like this. It feels good, doesn’t it, hyung?”
Lucas looked back. Only then did I turn to Vincent. He stood behind us, drawing in shallow, wheezing breaths. His golden hair was disheveled in messy tufts, and his cheeks were flushed.
The hand I was still holding was damp with sweat. I approached him, flustered. “A-are you alright?” He didn’t answer, only blinked, looking as if he were in a dream. Then, he slowly looked down at his own hand.
Behind me, Lucas laughed again and flopped onto the ground. Startled, I turned to look at him. His joyful laughter rang out. *Right?* He asked again.
I looked back at Vincent. His lips, parted while he caught his breath, stretched into a long, slow curve.
“Yes.”
His emerald eyes, which had been fixed on his palm, crinkled at the corners.
“It feels good.”
His expression looked strangely refreshed.