After reading several transmigration novels back before Yuri transmigrated herself, she realized that black hair red eyes were pretty common characteristics among the characters in the stories. She can imagine the beauty behind this combo on the characters, but at the same time, Yuri felt like these characteristics were overwritten. To the point where she doesn't even bother imagining how "good looking" these characters with black hair red eyes were written by the authors, until this moment. Seeing him, made her remember all those vocabularies that the authors have used to describe their "good looking" black hair red eyes characters. Yuri felt like simply just "good looking" doesn't even match him anymore.
Lumen and Sabrina are wearing their simple "everyday" noble clothing, where their clothing doesn't have any sort of fancy patterns, but you can tell that the materials of their clothes are still one of the best one out in the market, screaming generational wealth. But for him, that person that Yuri is staring blankly at, his clothes are even more simple, more like what commoner wears in this world, but his demeanor almost made whatever outfit that he is wearing looks noble. Almost like one of those eye catching V*gue magazine models wearing the most basic and simple outfits, but still made them stood out among those couple of pages of high end advertisements.
A basic black pant with a plain black high neck shirt under his loosely fitted long sleeve black blouse, were all he was wearing. But his long sleek black hair that was loosely tied up, with loose ends hanging down onto his broad but lean shoulders made it seem like it was part of his fit. Maybe because he wore everything black from head to toes, Yuri felt like his skin is even paler than anyone that she have seen, but not pale enough to make him look sickly like those Victorian era nobles. However, his pale feature does make his eyes more prominent to Yuri, since that is the only color that she can see on him. A bloody dark red color iris.
The more Yuri looks at him, the more she realized that his features are what people called an androgynous beauty. Where the beautifulness of femineity mix with the handsomeness of masculinity.
--- A walking definition of THE "Face card"---
Yuri thought as she kept staring at him unconsciously. Soon, she saw a small smile ran across his lip, hiding behind the cup of tea that he was sipping on.
Like a honey trap that was laid out, not only Yuri, but Leah, Sabrina and also Lumen himself seem to have caught into his striking smile, looking at him with bewilderment.
"Now, why don't we get to the point ?"
A soft voice that has a bit of huskiness came out from his red thin lips as he slowly sips his tea.
"huh...?"
Sabrina looks blankly at the person that is sitting in front of her, leisurely sipping his tea
"Well, you guys haven't told me what you want me to get for yet, no? Or... did you guys told me to come here just for a chit-chat?"
He said in a teasing tone as his red eyes stare at those two people in front of him. He still has the same smile on his face, but Yuri felt like his eyes are not smiling, almost like he is looking at Lumen and Sabrina because he is trying to study them.
"O-Uh, No, No, Of course not..."
Seeing that Sabrina is still out of it, Lumen spoke out
"Two things. First thing, something that can make someone speak the truth. Second thing....something that can make the witch lose control of their power."
---Witch power? If I remember correctly, Vanessa is a descendant of a witch.....---
Yuri thought to herself as she kept taking quick peeks at that person. But that person didn't show any reactions, nor did he said anything back to Lumen. He just sat their sipping his tea slowly.
---He really likes the tea---
Yuri thought.
Seeing that he was quiet for a while, Sabrina was about to say something. But he opened up his mouth before she said anything.
"Sure"
Lumen and Sabrina look at each other while being flabbergasted by his indifferent answer.
"Um--Really? I mean-You can...find it?"
Sabrina said surprisingly
The person kept quiet, as his honey-trap like smile remain the same as he took a quick look at Sabrina's surprised reaction before he puts his tea cup down back on the table.
"Then...the payment?"
"Don't know. Haven't thought about it yet"
He shrugged his shoulder slightly, as Lumen and Sabrina look at each other again.
"Why? Scared?"
Yuri felt like his red eyes became a bit darker as he look at them, no...he is studying them.
"No, we're not expecting it to be cheap either way."
"Then, I guess we have a deal?"
Sabrina nervously nodded her head
"Yes...."
Watching a deal being set between them, was almost like seeing those two main halos fell into a blackhole than a rabbit hole.
"It seems like it getting late. Why don't you stay a night and head out tomorrow morning instead?"
Lumen offered to him.
"That will be great. Thank you."
Without saying much, Leah bowed quietly and start to walk to the door. And before she leave the room she told Yuri that was standing there quietly the whole time
"Follow me"
Yuri nodded her head without saying anything and right behind Leah.
There's total of three floors in the Duke's manor, where the master rooms are on the third floor, guest rooms are mostly on the second floor, while servant rooms are on the first. Leah left Yuri alone to take care of the guest room before bring that person in. Yuri first open the window of the room that he will be staying in, to make sure fresh air comes in. When she opens it, she can feel the cool autumn breeze that blows onto her face, rustling her loose curly ends that are on her face. Then she took a deep breath of the cool air.
"...Smells like rain..."
Yuri looks up at the sky, seeing gray dark clouds huddling over the moon that was once brightly illuminating the dark ends of the evening. Seeing that it is about to rain soon, Yuri hurried up before the night gets colder cause of the rain.
She made sure the pillow and the comforter are fluffed up so that he can be more comfortable when he sleeps. Although the room is already cleaned, Yuri still made sure that it was spotless. Not long after, once Yuri finished Leah told her that she can go back to her to room.
After the quick bath and the change to her white night gown, she started to hear droplets plopping on top of her window. Yuri cracked open the window, just enough to see the rain pouring down into the soiled Earth. Then the slight breeze blew the scent of rain and wet soil to her nose.
Yuri then pulled out the chair and sat on it as she hug are legs together. Her freshly washed long and curly dark brown touches her knees as the cooling sensation of the rain droplets that escaped through the window crack, touches her toes. Her deep brown eyes stares out blankly to the window, watching the rain pour down harder and harder.
From what Yuri saw tonight, it seems like that person is a merchant, an infamous one also.
"I wonder if he is one of the main characters of this world...With that face, I doubt he is just a guest role though..."
Yuri let out a huge sigh, out from her heart.
"But...Sabrina called him Mr. Merchant instead of his name. Unless that is his name, is seems like his role in the 'original' plot of this world was insignificant enough for him to not have a name."
A movement from upstairs cut her thought. Yuri realized that the room that she prepared for him is directly right above her room. Since the walls are thin in this mansion, in which she is not surprised, she can usually hear noises from the room that is right next to her. So she is not surprised that she can hear noises from above also. But then she heard something similar to door opening and closing from above.
"Did he just left his room?....This late at night?"
Her curiosity got her stood up from the chair and walked out of her room with her bare feet without noticing, while softly and quietly closing her door to make sure not to wake anybody up.
She walked into the dark quiet hallway, then peeked through one of the big glass windows that lined down the hallway. The window faces the luscious green garden that Sabrina gave a lot of love and care.
Yuri saw a face that she starts to become familiarized with, walking into the garden as the rain pours down on him. She is not sure why, but seeing him about to disappear into the dark garden where tall luscious bushes could cover him, she quickly went out to the garden before she misses him entirely.
The moment she walks out into the garden, chasing after him, the cold rain has started to seep under her nightgown, into her skin, as her bare feet walk over the mushiness of the cold wet soil. She walks deeper and deeper into the garden, trying to find even a slight hint of his silhouette. As she walks deeper, she has reached the pavilion where Sabrina usually goes in the middle of her day. When she looks closer she saw a person with a tall, well-built but lean stature leaned lazily on one of the pillars of the pavilion. He closes his eyes as the side of his head rested on the pillar also.
---It almost seems like he is waiting for somebody...does he know somebody in this mansion?---
Yuri asked herself. With a relieve but confused emotion that she is feeling in her heart, she went up to him, into the shades of the pavilion.
"Sir..."
Yuri called out gently to him. He didn't say anything nor did he even budge from his position. He continues to keep his eyes close. Thinking that he didn't hear her the first time, Yuri went up to him closer.
"Sir"
Yuri called out gently again, but no answer. This made her furrow her brows together and went even closer to him, close enough to know the height difference between her and him. He is around a head and a half taller than her if he stood up straight. This made Yuri estimated his height to be around 190cm, as Yuri herself is around 165 cm tall.
"Sir"
Making sure that he can hear her properly this time, Yuri spoke louder. Finally he start to open his eyes slowly, eventually, his red eyes stares directly into her deep brown eyes. Looking him up this closely, Yuri became even more enticed by his facial features. More like she felt like his facial features are too well structured and surreal. As much as Mikel, the crown prince, and Lumen, her employer, are both extraordinary handsome, they both still look very...humane. But this person, is a whole different level that Yuri doesn't even know how to explain. Especially his sly eyes that were tainted with a bloody red color. At this moment, in her heart, Yuri apologized to all those black hair red eyes characters that she had read about back in her other world, for calling them "common good looking". Because the person standing in front of her nothing near "common".
She is not sure why he is staring at her so intensely, but also softly at the same time. It's like there are unexplainable emotions in his eyes as he looks at her. Yuri felt like things are getting a bit awkward since both of them just stood in front of each other quietly, but she also doesn't know what to say. She can't ask why he came out in the middle of pouring rain, since she did that to herself also, and it was to follow him.
Yuri was trying to avoid his sight by turning her face away from his vision, as she is trying to think up what to say. Then, a warm touch brushes against her cold wet cheek. Yuri was startled but more on the confused part of the sudden touch, which made her turn her face back to his line of vision. His slender finger than softly brushes against the three moles that are under her eye before he big hand cups over her face gently. Then soon, his other hand also cup the other side of her face gently, like he is holding on to something that is fragile and precious....
Yuri stares at him blankly with no emotions, as her mind became blank and empty itself also. He took a huge step closer to her, where their body are practically touching. He bends his head down to look at her, and she looks up to see him.
"Your face...it's cold"
He whispered loud enough for her to be able to hear him as both of his hands are softy caressing her cheeks.
Maybe it's the rain that is making her mind hazy, or maybe its the coldness of the wind and rain together that is making her not thinking correctly, but she slowly raise up her hands and grab onto his as she gently push it toward her cheeks while snuggling into his warm palms.
"...and you are warm"