⬦ goetic hotel

@❛ ☼﹕joohyun b。 Seokmin could feel his heart get depleted at the sound of his penalty. Even though he was just barely in accord with the deals, it just feels wrong for him to become someone else's slave for an unknown mandated time. He gives the gown a subtle glare for ruining his moment and life before he glances up at the young noble lady. She was elegant in her way, and Seokmin could acknowledge that. He didn't know whether it was her beauty or her cold essence that caused his heart to race. He shrugged the thought away from his mind and shook his head lightly. 'You must be out of your sanity, Lee Seokmin.' 

"Oh well, my young boy Seokmin is very good at handling food. He's good at making anything edible. He's like my son, but he helps a lot in the kitchen. So if you're okay, I would love to recommend his place in your kitchen, My Lady. I'm sure you will love his homemade food as well," informed the Duke in the most polite way possible. He stole a glance at Seokmin and nodded his head to assure him that things would be okay. Seokmin, who witnessed the scene, can only nod his head in return with a small, assuring smile.

"My lady, I'm sorry for interrupting." Seokmin bravely tries to say something, as he wants to at least go home and meet his mother first. "Can I go back home and meet my mother first?" There are a few seconds of silence before he continues to speak. "If you are scared that I will run away, then come with me. I need to talk with her because I might be gone for a while, and I don't want the kind Duke to inform her in my stead," he said with a low tone of voice.

@❛ ☼﹕seokmin l。 Joohyun was tired of putting up fanciful fronts and attending these sorts of soiree's. It was something she had enjoyed thoroughly at one point in her life, but now that her family has cursed their familial name, she has no use for attending them any longer. If it weren't for her political standing, she would always decline-- because for some reason, things like this incident are bound to happen to her.

The witch raises her chin before bowing her head respectfully as the Duke turns to ask the servant for his own decision. Well that was certainly.. new. Since when was it average practice to inquire permission from your house folk as to what their tasks would be? Her eyebrow twitches faintly and she finally turns her head to regard the male who had dumped the soup. He was as tall as she had noticed on first glance, long legs that were well in shape leading to a slim waist and broad chest, arms that were slender while still holding muscle- no doubt from his work in the kitchens. His face- her eyes linger on his facial features for a beat too long, and she finds herself pulled from her awe-filled gaze by the woman seated beside her giving her arm a gentle touch. She snaps her attention back to the Duke, having missed his question entirely. Clearing , she gently inquires for him to repeat himself, blatantly ignoring the redness hinting at the edge of her ears.

"It has already happened, lord Duke. Surely enough, that will suffice until I feel he has paid his dues for the price of the dress." Her tone was polite, but not filled with emotion or warmth like that of the Duke before her. It was something she had not been able to change since the moment she executed her parents. That side of her had been put down that night as well, tossed to the wolves as their bodies had been. "Seokmin, is it? What is he good for, kind Duke?" She askes about what he would be able to provide her with, finally accepting the handkerchief from her butler and gently beginning to try and remove the majority of the wet glops of soup still upon her side and lap.

@❛ ☼﹕joohyun b。 It feels like his life flashed through his eyes when he realised she was a duchess, and there was no denying that she was the winter leader of witches. The pale and beautifully white skin adorning her features could melt anyone, to be quite honest, but apparently not Seokmin since he feels worse at the moment. This moment of weakness calls out for the Duke in charge, as he also apologises to the beautiful maiden.

"Will you be okay if I assign you to follow this lady and finish any tasks she requires you to do so as a settlement of the debt?" asked the Duke in slow and soft-spoken words. There's no hint of anger at all, as the old man is aware and understands that it wasn't on purpose and that the accident did happen. Seokmin, hearing that question directed at him, was a little taken aback at first. He was thinking about his sick mother at the house and frowned at the thought. "Don't worry about your mom. We will take care of her. You can ask the lady if you want to visit her, but only for the required time. It's not forever. You'll still be our family," assured the old man, causing Seokmin to sigh softly. Not too long after, he nodded. The elder patted his back before he turned to look at the leader with an apologetic smile on his lips.

"I'm sorry for this accident to happen to you and your dress, my lady. As we both agreed to settle this debt, I will have my boy, Seokmin, stay with you and do everything you'll ask him to do until you think it's enough for you and the amount of the dress's price. Will that be okay for you? Or do you want something else as the settlement?" asked the Duke softly.

Seokmin bit his lips as he kept looking down at the ground with both clenched fists on his side. He has to accept this no matter what, because it's his fault after all.

@❛ ☼﹕seokmin l。 The invitation the the Duke’s festival had reached the Duchess seven days prior. She prepared a handmade gift for the expecting wife to the Duke, as is customary of their culture, a beautifully crafted silver pendant resembling the moon. In all reality, she hated such occasions. While at least this one would be less about single women showing off in front of stuffy well-off lords, it was a festivity nonetheless, which naturally meant Joohyun would be in a poor mood.

She had arrived on a timely manner, already feeling the eyes of familial winter witches lingering against her fair skin as if she were going to fly away from the gentle breeze. Instead, the fresh air rustles through the layers of her skirt and fan her raven locks against the back of her neck, hidden from the direct sun-rays by the parasol her butler was holding above her. She had grit her teeth before placing an icy cold smile on her lips and entering the premises.

All in all, this event was harmless. She was having as best of a time as she was destined to, forced to make small talk with the Duke and his wife as they await the next course of the truly decadent meal they would be having tonight. She had just been gently chortling along to a poor joke from the man of the night itself when a certain heat tingles at the edge of her senses. Alarmed, the Duchess turns her head to land directly upon the splotches of soup staining her gown, harsh orange seeping into fabric so blue it could almost counter the subzero temperature behind her stare as she shifts her line of sight onto the culprit. A tall, darker toned man stood brushing the liquid off of his pant leg until it seemed the hush within the room finally came as a sign something was wrong. The realization was palpable over his expression and when he rightfully begins to grovel.. something akin to disgust bubbles deep within Joohyun’s stomach.

She was in public though.. and as a public figure of power, this mistake must be handled professionally. Wiping any form of a reaction off of her stony face, she lifts her chin after briefly inspecting the damage done to her gown, addressing the Duke himself directly. “Kind Duke, what shall we do in order to settle this new affair of ours? You see.. this gown, of which is now no doubt ruined, cost a fortune and was handmade by the finest seamstress in Illias. Your servant has made a grave mistake today, but instead of punishing him as is fit for ruining the attire of a Duchess, I wish to come to a solution that would affect both of us positively.” She waves off her butler whom was approaching with a wet cloth, planning on making her exit shortly after finishing the conversation at hand. Her eyes did not travel to the offending male just off to the side, not a single time did she waver in her gaze.

@❛ ☼﹕joohyun b。 The sounds of traditional music are welcoming the invited guests into the hotel hall. Seokmin was entrusted to become a helper on these occasions. Usually he will help make the food in the Duke's household because it's his responsibility to do so, but this time the Duke was asking him to help serve the guests instead. It's a festival to welcome a newborn baby by the Duke's daughter, which Seokmin happily received.

He was brought to light regarding the presence of the winter witches leader herself as she agreed to come over. Seokmin takes note of that in his mind but doesn't really care about it since he only wants to do his job accordingly. Furthermore, he doesn't even recognise her face, and he didn't think he would ever meet the leader since he knows higher-class people like her wouldn't really want to be around lower-class people like him.

He was carefully lifting the hot soup using a small tray to be served on the table, but just then, an unexpected thing happened. His leg tripped over the chair and accidentally spilled the soup over someone else's attire. The surroundings suddenly get quiet. Seokmin rubs his leg before his eyes go wide as he finds out he spilled the soup on the person's dress, quickly standing up and bowing his body 90 degrees towards the female.

"It's my mistake, and I'm being careless! Please forgive me, my lady."