Kyle walked slowly and confidently through the halls, headed towards the garden where Jasmine was waiting for him.
Nuna was following a few steps behind him, holding a tray of tea and snacks. She watched Kyle walk from the top down, with a lost look on her face.
Anyone who saw her would recognise the dazed look on her face, the gaze of a maiden in love.
Kyle could literally feel her gaze boring into his back. She could even trip, fall face-first onto the floor, and still keep staring at him.
Kyle sighed, "Focus, Nuna..." His voice snapped her out of it.
She shook her head, "Sorry, Ky... Young master." She corrected quickly. "I got distracted."
"So I see. And it's okay, you can call me Kyle even when we are outside." He chuckled.
"Bu...."
"No buts..."
"Okay." She said meekly.
Soon enough, they reached the edge of the garden. The east garden of Ravenshade Manor was a masterwork of landscape design.
White stone paths curled like flowing water through beds of blooming nightlotus, crystal leaf trees shimmered in the morning light, and a small koi pond bubbled near a shed with marble chairs and a table underneath.
There were a few servants here and there, tending to their duties. They would briefly nod to Kyle, not out of respect, but necessity.
He saw it in the way they looked at him; most of these people wore their hearts on their sleeves.
He did not care much for their opinion, but it irked him nonetheless. Sometimes, indifference was better than being pitied or shamed.
He tried his best to keep from frowning.
Kyle stepped lightly onto the path, his robes fluttering slightly in the breeze. He looked at the porch beside the koi pond again.
Four chairs surrounded the table, each chair was carved to cradle the body with sculpted elegance, and their cool surfaces looked inviting to touch.
His eyes fell on the figure seated on a porch near the pond, who was dressed in a fluttering black dress.
He approached with a calm smile on his face, feeling composed, until, for the first time in a while, he found himself genuinely breathless.
Even in a world where beauty seemed as common as grass, he had to admit, Jasmine Azure was something else entirely.
She sat with a grace that made the garden seem dull by comparison.
Her figure was slender but not frail, dressed in flowing robes of black and soft violet, embroidered with azure cloud motifs.
Her long, dark black hair cascaded down her back, up to her thighs, in waves that shimmered like moonlight.
A few strands framed her face perfectly, revealing luminous blue eyes that seemed carved from celestial crystals.
Her chest was a full D-cup, held up tightly by her dress.
She looked like an ethereal beauty. Far from mortal. Not just a pretty face. But a goddess born of cultivation and noble blood.
Even the gentle sway of her robes in the breeze felt deliberate, poetic, and effortless.
Kyle blinked, slowly regaining his composure.
He'd seen models, actresses, even divinely sculpted faces, but this?
Jasmine was on a whole other level. Being the perveted earthling that he was, Kyle found it difficult to keep his emotions in check. Well, more than his emotions.
And she was walking toward him now. They met halfway up the stone porch.
"Lady Jasmine," Kyle said smoothly, offering a practiced smile as he approached. She stopped a step away, then extended her hand in silence.
Kyle bowed slightly, lifted her hand, and pressed a light kiss to the back of it. "A pleasure to see you again."
"Likewise," She responded. But Kyle could not help but notice that she seemed restless. Or was he imagining it?
That was when Kyle noticed the other person in the garden, following a step behind Jasmine, a guard.
Her gaze held a barely concealed look of disdain. But he pretended not to notice, just casually nodding to her.
"If I may..." Kyle led her to the table below the porch, helping her into her seat, before walking to the seat opposite her.
He ran a fingertip across one armrest, feeling the stone's polished firmness, then slid into his seat. The marble was unexpectedly warm from the afternoon sun.
Behind Kyle, Nuna stood frozen, holding a tray with tea. Jasmine looked toward her escort, the armored lady. That was her cue to leave them.
The escort gave a subtle nod and turned away.
After a pause, Nuna bowed and set the tray on the marble table, then departed with the guard in tow.
The garden grew quiet, save for the rustle of leaves and the distant chirping of birds.
"May I?" Kyle poured a cup of tea for both of them and took the first sip, feeling the soothing taste hit him immediately.
Expensive tea. This has to be the best I've ever had. He thought.
Jasmine took a small sip from her own cup before setting it down in a clink.
She studied Kyle for a heartbeat longer, cleared her throat, then finally spoke.
"I heard you were… assassinated," she started, her voice trembling slightly. "And you survived."
Kyle raised an eyebrow at the bluntness but nodded. "So I've been told. But as you can see, here I am, alive and well."
"I… I was worried," she said, her voice softening. "Truly. When the news reached me, I—" She went silent. The words stuck in her throat.
A single tear welled in the corner of her eye, trailing down her flawless cheek.
Kyle froze, blinking in surprise, and not knowing how to react.
Huh?
What?
Is she crying?
Why?
Should I comfort her...?
Things were not going as he expected them to, and he had no idea how to react to that.
"It's alright," he said quickly. "I'm… I'm fine now."
But before he could say more...
"You could have died!" she shouted, her voice cracking into light sobs.
Kyle flinched as Jasmine suddenly broke down, covering her mouth with one hand, her tears spilling faster now.
Kyle set his cup down, suddenly reaching out to her with a hand. But then she turned slightly, visibly ashamed of the outburst, but the trembling in her shoulders gave her away.
"How could you just say it's fine…?" she whispered. "You nearly died, Kyle… you could have died."
He stared at her, stunned. Not by her volume. But by how genuine it all felt. She was not putting up an act, that much he could tell.
Her outburst was carried along by raw, genuine emotion.