#i saw all the pretty flowers in fontaine and i was like yeah. that's perfect

[crazyyanderefangirlfan]

Rainbow eyes

'He won't find me here.' Thought a young fiery haired boy.

Diluc, Kaeya and their father arrived in seaside village in Fontaine for a detour. Their carriage got caught in an accident and had to have their wheel replaced. Crepus allowed his sons to roam the area but have to back before sundown. As soon as they went out, Kaeya suggested a game of hide-n-seek in the woods nearby to which Diluc eagerly agreed.

Right now, he was finding the perfect place to hide, unknowingly straying a bit too far.

"Hmm, maybe over he-AHHHHH!" The poor boy walked too far from the path slipped down, falling into a deep pond. He gasp for breathe, trying to swim to the edge but struggled. Just as he felt his energy began to drain, a large branch lowered down to him.

"Grab on!" A small voice called out. He held on to it, and was slowly being pulled out. Diluc and his savior panted heavily. After catching his breathe, he turned to thank them, and felt the words caught up his throat.

His savior was a girl, and she...was so cute. She had pretty caramel hair in small pigtails, fair vanilla skin and the most striking feature on her were her eyes, they reminded him a rainbow and change like a kaleidoscope.

She wiped the sweat off her brow and looked at him .She wore a white sleeveless dress with black ribbon around her waist and white sandals.

"Are you okay?" She worriedly asked.

"Y-Yeah." He answered.

"Good, I didn't want you to die due to your stupidity." She commented.

That irked him.

"Excuse me?" He squinted his eyes.

"I saw you walking around, clearly distracted and slipped. You like you not from here too, you should now better." She scolded.

"Hey! I-" he stopped himself, because he knew she was right. Shutting his mouth, he cast his gaze on the grass, grumbling.

Suddenly he felt something wiggling within his pants, he shout at feeling, also surprising the girl.

'What's wrong!?"

"There's something inside my pants!"

"Let me help!"

"EEHH!?"

The girl proceeded to grab pants and tried to pull them down, only for Diluc to harshly grab her hands.

"Its improper for a girl to hold a boy's pants!" He reasoned. Struggling to get her hands away

"But what if it lays eggs in your underwear?" She countered.

"What!?"

Thankfully for Diluc, all that wiggling helped the fish escaped, and now back in the pond

The fiery-sighed in relief and he let go of the girl's hands.

"Aww poor fish." She cooed.

"Your more worried about that?" he asked incredulously .

"It smelled your underwear." She snarked.

He was about retort when he sneezed. She giggle and grabbed his hand.

"Come on, Fish pants let's get you dry, my house isn't too far."

"What did you call me?" His narrowed his eyes

"Fish pants, it suits you." She giggled.

"My name is Diluc, not fish pants."

She hummed at his answer and proceeded to lead him deeper through the forest, coming at a small house. Entering the abode it felt oddly cozy. The girl let go of his hand and prepared the fire.

"Remove what you need and place them near the fireplace." She instructed, adding more wood. He removed his vest and shirt and placed them near the the hearth, next is shoes and socks. Diluc sat slightly close, rubbing his hand together for more friction.

"Soo... Where are your parents?" He asked.

"They're on a date." She replied.

"Aren't you a little young to be alone?" He questioned.

"I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself." She shot back.

Once satisfied with fire, the rainbow-eyed girl stood up and made her way into one of the rooms. She then emerged holding a towel, walking over to him and draping over his head.

"Oof, thanks." He said rubbing it on his head.

"Welcome." She took a seat next to him.

A comfortable silence took over, nothing but the sound of flames crackling could be heard. Now that she was closer to him, he noticed there was some kind of scent to her, like caramel and sweet flowers after the rain. It was nice.

"Hey." Diluc spoke up. She made a noise of acknowledgement.

"I never saw eyes like yours."

"My dad said I got my eyes from my great grandmother and I'm a spitting image of her."

"Hold old are you?"

"I'm 6, you?"

"I'm 10."

"Where do you live?" It was her turn to ask.

"In Mondstadt."

"What's it like there?"

"Open fields with strong breezes and...lots of dandelions."

"Sounds nice."

"By the way, what's your name." He inquired.

"I'm Calypso."

----------------

After drying off, Diluc and Calypso spent a good time playing together and getting know one another.

Diluc could feel another hot blush creping on his cheeks when the girl tackled him to the ground.

"Yay I win!" She happily exclaimed. He simply laughed.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to ask. Why were you in forest in the first place?"

"Oh, I was actually looking for a place to hide and-" A sudden shock of realization went through him.

"Hide-n-seek! I was playing with my brother. I forgot!" He remembered in panic

O-Oh! Then let me help get back, don't worry I know short cut." She quickly took his hand and lead him to a thick set of vines, she pushed them away revealing a small wooden door. Diluc reached for the handle but stopped mid-way, he turned back to her.

"Will... Will I see again?"

"If you slipped into a pond again." She smirked.

He rolled his eyes, and opened the door, Diluc looked back one last time, Calypso waved at him before closing it.

"Diluc!"

"Brother!"

Crepus and Kaeya rushed to the young red head's side hugging hum

"Where were you? I was worried sick."

"What happened? I got so scared when I couldn't find you."

"Umm well, you see.."

He told them how he met a girl with rainbow eyes. Kaeya was in awe but his father had doubts, after all eyes like those couldn't exist.

"And I'm going to marry her one day."

Crepus chuckled and patted his head.

"Of course you will."

Once they got home, Diluc eagerly told the staff about his run-in with girl, and like his father they did not believe him but patiently listened to his story.

But he was determine, to find her again and marry her. No matter how annoying she can get.

"I'm coming back for you Calypso, I swear it on Celestia and the Abyss."

Reblogs are appreciated

Tagging: @livingalifeofasimp, @bumbleklee, @wisteria-writings

A/N: I'm sorry for not updating The Rabbit of Night Raven, I'm working a chapter I promise. Writer's block is a bitch.

[fluffyspookychicken]

HOIOIAAO AWA USE THIS AS AN EXCUSE TO INFODUMP ANYTHING YOU WANT ABOUT YOUR GENSHIN OCS :Dc💖

Ahhh let’s go ! feel free to infodump about your oc too btw :) ( also your oc Amira is sooooo pretty like- I don’t have enough vocabulary to explain how pretty she is jfdhsjfds I’m looking at her respectfully 👁️👁️) Also I apologize in avance for any spelling mistake ! English isn’t my first language :’)

About Lilly:

She is a bow user with a dendro vision from Fontaine

She is really really shy and quite weak. But she is really smart and surprisingly good when it come to creat plan ! Also even if she is physically weak she is really good with her vision

Even if she is the older of my two oc (since she is 23) she is really small (roughly 155cm tall-) and younger looking

 Lilly didn't have the best childhood ever: her parents were travelers from Sumeru, the mother ended up being pregnant and didn't want to have a child with her in her adventure... so they dropped her into an orphan in Fontaine- Lilly as a child was extremely outgoing and was kind of that cliché of the tomboy (to be honest she is still a tomboy, it's just that the shyness hide to personality trait of her) and used to hang out with a lot of boys. However when they turned to teenager they kicked her of the group because she was "a girl" (something really stupid). After that she tried to hang out with girl wich ended up in a bad, really bad relationship with one girl(basically the girl was always really mean to her but made her believe it was for her own good). When she was around 15/16 she just straight up decided to be alone as she lost all trust she had toward people, this is when she got interested into flowers/botany and arts (which make sens since Fontaine is the hub of art and stuff) ! She really like painting flowers and she finds something comforting into taking care of flowers ( I think there is a quote in beastar that go like " I need the flowers and the flowers need me. We're all weak here so we have to support each other" and that sentence would explain perfectly Lilly mindset toward flowers). Also haha to add more angst to that... At one point when she was traveling to Sumeru with Lysandra she saw her biological parents, and she found out they had another child and they seem to live a happy life wich of course broke her heart since it made her feel unwanted again (but since I’m a sucker for the found family trope Lysandra was like “fuck that” and made her understand that she isn’t unwanted)

She really like listening to people and when she is travelling with Lysandra she really like when people talk about their adventure stories or about the history of where they are ! But she is too shy to ask most of the time :(

About Lysandra:

She is a claymore user with a pyro vision from Mondstats

She is part of the “my chara design absolutely doesn’t look like my vision” squad (her main color is purple, she is like the opposite of Beidou)

 Unlike her friend she is extremely outgoing ! It's quite rare for her to dislike someone (unless of course they did something really bad), she is that kind of character who will try to get along with everyone wich can be annoying to some-

She is the younger of the two being only 20 ! but she is the tallest as she is roughly 190cm tall. Also I suck at drawing muscles- so body wise she is meant to look like Noi from Dorohedoro :)

 She have 3 goal in life: 1st is becoming the strongest person alive (she want and will throw hands with Archon even if she know it will kill her) , 2nd is to become a well known adventurer and be the model of people and 3rd is to get a wife and maybe childs to share them her stories :)

Unlike Lilly again she had quite a cool childhood: her parents are really loving, she had some good friends and overall was great ! however Lysandra standed out a little too much and was what many old people called her "an oddity": Since she was a child she was extremely physically strong (like she had the strength of an adult as a little child-) wich actually scared some people- her strength only grew stronger as she grew up too the point where right now she can easily play around/fight with a claymore in only one hand- People often praised her for that as she could become the next great adventurer but thing is that she isn't really clever, she doesn't plan anything and jump straight into the action, wich is why her whole body is covered in scars and bruises (btw she wear her scares with pride , even if a lot of men told her it was unnattractive and that she won't ever get a husband..wich is great because she want a wife lmao)

She actually see Bennette as her little brother and do not care about his bad luck- after all she went thought bad stuff already, breaking her legs once more or getting struck by lighting is nothing- (you know that one vine “Hey, I’m a lesbian” “I thought you were american ???” I 100 % them)

Lysandra really like fighting but for her it’s more like a learning experience and not just for the thrill of thing. Fighting with people is a way to know more about them and creat stronger bond :)

About the two:

The way Lilly and Lysandra met is quite funny. On her 20 birthday Lysandra decided to get drunk...but like, badly drunk- so she ended up falling asleep drunk into one of those chart merchants use to take their goods… long story short she ended up in Fontaine and once she woke up she was just so insanely confused… she tried to asked some kind of help but people were a little scared of her because of her look- At one point she ended up spotting Lilly who was all alone painting flowers… She tried to talk to her but noticed she was really shy so she tried to make her feel comfortable- Thing is the two got interrupted by some treasure hoarder , Lysandra wasn’t impressed by them and used her vision but Lilly used her dendro vision at the same time- the two vision hurted badly  the mans ! Lysandra was surprised and the two girl quickly bonded over the fact they were vision holders… Lilly, who was still shy and insecure but hate to leave people alone, proposed to Lysandra to help her go back to Mondstats. On their way there Lysandra learned Lilly how to use weapons to defend herself (wich she ended up choosing the bow- Lilly wasn’t strong enough to hold Lysandra’s claymore), and Lilly helped Lysandra with a lot of thing such as cooking ( Lysandra suck at cooking) , planning, medecine , ext. The two girl quickly understood they where a perfect match for each other and Lysandra asked her to join her in her adventure… which Lilly accepted as much as she loved the comfort of her own life , she needed to step out of her comfort zone. Plus her life was boring and Lysandra kind of bringed a spark into her life of loneliness- and Lysandra needed someone to help her because being strong is great but if she die of something stupid well her strenght wouldn’t help- So yeah now they are a duo of adventurers who go around all of Tevyat and do stuff for people :) ! And I guess that would be enought for this post, sorry I always end up writting more than I say I will :’) Also unrelated but I’m 100% up for any other genshin impact oc interacting with mine so like anyone is free to ask how my oc feel about them/ how they feel about mine, ext !

[jeongyunhoed]

8 Stories, 8 Movies from the Golden Age (1930s to 1960s).

It’s the golden age and 8 men are the most sought-after actors in Hollywood. Lights, camera, action!

A tale of love and suspense, Park Seonghwa is haunted by the memory of his deceased wife, a shadow looming over the halls of his mansion. When he marries again, his new wife now comes to realize that even in death, his wife still remains.

Daphne

Warnings: Mentions of murder, death, suicide, and illness. Might have some innuendos, might not. But I’m putting these warnings out there regardless.

Other things to note: There are OCs. I might mention other idols (most likely NCT).

A/N: This has the same format as my Twilight Zone AU “The Other Dimension” where everyone in Ateez is here as well. So yeah, enjoy. Implied smut ahead...sort of, if you squint. But creepy San ahead. 

Masterlist

Part 2 

There she was, standing next to Seonghwa in front of a local justice in the nearest village by the sea later that day. A bouquet of small flowers in her hand, given to her by the children they passed by one moment, Seonghwa buying the rings that would make their relationship officially permanent in the local jewelry shop the next. She figured Seonghwa must have already been planning for this moment since he went to sleep days since their meeting, but she had never felt more certain. After exchanging I do’s with each other, the justice had made them official. She was now Mrs. Park Seonghwa. 

“How do you feel? Regret it yet?” Seonghwa asked her on their drive back to their hotel. 

“On the contrary, I feel like I’m on the clouds” She replied, reaching for his free hand and he kissed the back of hers. “Like I can do anything!” 

Seonghwa smiled, keeping his eyes on the road as he drove them back to the hotel where they now stayed together. They pulled up the driveway and hurried up to the suite where he brought her across the threshold, the two of them exchanging soft kisses that eventually turned into something more passionate. They consummated their marriage that evening and into the early hours of the morning. 

The following month, they were on their way to the Fontaine, the road curved and full of twists and turns that she had to grip the armrest of the car. The wind was hitting their faces and blowing in her hair, and she still felt like she was on cloud nine. They stopped in front of iron gates, with an arch over them that said “Fontaine” marking the path towards the house she had only seen on postcards. 

The path before them was lined with trees and shrubs that looked like they were in need cleaning up, and the blissful mood was met with a more somber one, a feeling of dread washing over her the closer they were getting. She could see the slight change in her husband’s expression the further they went. The loud rumbling of thunder echoed in the skies followed by rain and she put her jacket over her head to cover herself, Seonghwa unable to do the same as he stepped on the gas a little more. 

And there it was, the massive estate that she had only seen in pictures. The Fontaine was a large, white mansion that looked almost like a castle, and there were several other smaller houses that surrounded it. She figured it was the servants’ quarters as well as the garages that probably housed six or seven more cars like the one they were riding in. From the side, she could see that there was a swimming pool. This was Seonghwa’s home, the house he was born and raised in, and the home that the two of them were to live in. It was almost like an heirloom knowing how many generations of his family must’ve resided in the mansion. It was massive, it looked beautiful, straight out of a fairy tale, yet there was something about it that made her anxious. 

They pulled up into the driveway and entered the house, pushing open the doors that led them into the great hall. The lights were dimmed down, with the lamps and the fireplace being the only sources of light. There was a small crowd of the Fontaine’s staff gathered in front to receive them, all of whom looked very pleased, yet she was nervous to approach them. The closer they were, they saw one man, dressed a little differently from the rest of the staff, emerge from the crowd. He had upturned eyes, angular features, and hair that was just as black as Seonghwa’s. He had a stern look about his face and if she let her emotions get the better of her, she would’ve stepped back before approaching him. 

“Hello” She said quietly, dropping her glove, and he bent down to pick it up and gave it back to her. 

“This is Mr. Choi San, or San if you want to get down to more casual terms. He pretty much oversees everything here so you don’t have to,” Seonghwa introduced them. 

“Good evening,” She greeted him again. 

“Good evening, Madam,” He replied with a slight bow. “I have everything ready for you.” 

“Oh, well, that’s very good of you,” She said with a nod. His face betrayed nothing. 

“Will you be going to your room now? Or will you be having tea in the library?” He asked. 

She was still trying to find the words. He gave off a very intimidating aura. “I-well-” 

“The room first, San,” Seonghwa spoke. “Show her to her room so she can get out of her wet clothes, we ran into a storm on the way,” He said, and kissed her on the cheek. 

“This way, Madam,” He turned on his heel to lead the way and she followed him towards the two large marble staircases and up the right staircase and down to the only other door. There were portraits of Seonghwa’s family hung over the walls. San pushed the door open, revealing the room that she would be using from now on. “I hope you will approve of the new decorations in these rooms, Madam,” he said. 

She walked inside, in awe of what the room looked like. It had a large four-poster bed with a red velvet canopy. The ceiling was high and had a chandelier, and there were shelves full of books and a dresser in the corner as well as a large, white gold desk. Everything looked extremely opulent, yet she knew it was to be expected as it was the Fontaine and Seonghwa’s family was a very prominent one. “I-I didn’t know these were changed, what did it look like before?” She asked curiously. 

“It had different hangings, old paper,” San replied. “This room wasn’t used much, except for the occasional guests.” 

“So this wasn’t Mr. Park’s room, originally?” She asked this time. 

“No Madam,” San said. “He has never used the East Wing before. The West Wing has the only good view of the ocean.” 

She nodded, taking in the rest of her surroundings. “This room is very beautiful, and I’m sure I’ll be comfortable.” 

San gave a nod. “If there’s anything you want done, Madam, you only need to tell me.” 

“I guess you’ve been at the Fontaine for years now,” She said. 

“I came here when the first Mrs. Park was a bride,” San replied. 

She nodded again in understanding. “I hope we’ll get along, Mr. Choi, I just have to ask that you be patient with me, this kind of life is new to me and I want to do well here and make Mr. Park happy. At least I now know I can leave all the household arrangements to you,” She said. 

“I hope I shall do everything to your satisfaction Madam,” San said. “I’ve managed the house since Mrs. Park’s death, and Mr. Park has never complained.” 

“In that case,” She looked around. “I guess I could go downstairs now, maybe changing out of these clothes can wait, I want to see more of the Fontaine first.” 

“Of course, Madam,” San turned on his heel again, and she hurried to follow him. She could tell he didn’t exactly like her, but she figured it was because they had never met. Maybe he could warm up to her in time. “The room in the West Wing I was telling you about is on that side,” He gestured to the other room across them. “It’s not used now, it’s also the most beautiful room in the house - the only one that looks across the lawns to the sea. It was Mrs. Park’s room.” 

~ 

It became more apparent just how much San didn’t like her over the next few weeks. He never failed to mention how there had been another woman before her, the first Mrs. Park, the beautiful Daphne Yoo who was supposedly practically perfect in every way. It was clear how much of an influence Daphne had over the staff and understandably so, but even until now, until after her death, her influence remained. Her stationery on the main desk in the study, a letter “D” embellished on the linens, on the books, including the dog she used to own, a great dane named Lucky, who also slept outside her room. 

Even after her death, Daphne was all around the Fontaine, as if she had never left. 

She came down from her room for breakfast, knowing that San had already prepared everything in the dining hall until she skidded to a halt when she saw someone else in the study. It was a man, who looked a lot shorter than both San and Seonghwa, but unlike San, had a more approachable demeanor aside from an evidently handsome face. “Oh, good morning!” He greeted her, getting up from the chair. 

“Good morning” She said, bowing a little in response. 

“You’re Mrs. Park, aren’t you?” He said. 

“Yes, yes I am,” She nodded. 

“My name is Hongjoong, Kim Hongjoong, I manage the estate for Seonghwa. It’s very nice to meet you,” He smiled. 

“It’s nice to meet you too.” 

“A lot of stuff has piled up since Seonghwa was away, I had to get to them right away now,” Hongjoong said. 

“If you need help, you can tell me,” She suggested. 

“Help him?” Seonghwa suddenly appeared from behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist. “Hongjoong doesn’t allow anyone to help him,” He said, beaming as he held her close for a moment before pulling away. “But it’s good that you two have finally met, we should probably go over the estimates now, don’t we?” 

“I’ll get my papers then,” Hongjoong replied, walking over to a chair that had his briefcase. 

Seonghwa turned to her. “There’s a lot of food prepared in the dining room already. Eat a lot, hmm?” He said, pecking her lips with a smile. 

“I’ll do my best,” She said. 

“Later this afternoon, probably, why don’t we take a walk around here? Just you and me, there’s still a lot you have yet to see” Seonghwa smiled. 

She smiled back. “Okay, I’ll be ready.” 

“Good,” He pecked her lips again before joining Hongjoong over to the desk. 

She watched the two of them talk for a moment until she excused herself to leave and enter the dining room. As she had expected, the long table was now laden with a lot of food, from slices of toast to large, silver, pots of coffee that was served in cups that were likely passed down from one generation to another. This was her life now, living in an estate like the Fontaine by the sea, while her husband was often busy with work but promised to make time for her later. It was moments like these that assured her that she belonged here, in the Fontaine, with Seonghwa. 

~ 

As Seonghwa had promised, they were taking a walk around the Fontaine later that afternoon, with Lucky on a leash. He showed her the servants’ quarters that seemed to be as elaborate as the main house, as well as the garage that had his family’s collection of cars, some of which were especially rare models nowadays. A gust of cold wind from the sea hit them, and Seonghwa was almost losing control of Lucky’s leash, as the dog was beginning to get restless. 

“Keep warm, my darling,” Seonghwa said to her while he tried to maintain control of the dog’s leash. 

“I’m trying. It’s not going to rain now, is it?” She asked, trying to help him with the dog and taking the leash from him instead. 

“You can’t be too careful,” Seonghwa replied. 

“It’s really wonderful here,” She said. “I love every bit of this place.” 

The dog had gotten away, making her nearly fall over and Seonghwa catching her for support. “Lucky!” He called out with a whistle. “Lucky! Here! Not that way! Lucky, come back!” 

“He went down those steps by the cliff, where does that lead?” She asked, watching the dog move down. 

“It uh,” Seonghwa paused, trying to whistle again to get the dog’s attention. “It leads to a cove where we used to keep a boat.” 

“Then let’s go down there, Seonghwa,” She said, tugging on his arm. 

“Oh no, no, we don’t need to go down there, it’s not very interesting, just a stretch of sand.” 

“Seonghwa, please, we have to go down there,” She insisted. 

He shook his head slightly. “We’ll go down there next time, not today.” 

They heard a howling from where the dog came from. She tugged on his arm again. “Seonghwa, is that Lucky? There must be something wrong, he probably injured himself.” 

“No, he’s fine. Just leave him be,” He replied. 

“I really think I should go down there and check up on him,” She said, pulling away, carefully moving towards the steps to the sound of Lucky’s howling. 

“Come back! Don’t mind Lucky!” Seonghwa was calling out. “He’s just fine, he knows the way home!” 

Even then, she couldn’t leave the dog behind. What if Lucky really was in danger? At least she would be there to see if he was alright. “Lucky? Lucky?” She called out the closer she got, until she saw the dog in front of what looked like a small cottage. Lucky was scraping and pawing at the door. “Lucky? What are you doing here? Are you looking for something in there?” She said, grabbing the end of the leash again. “Come on, let’s go back, Lucky.” 

The door of the cottage slowly opened, and behind it was an old man, looking down at the dog. “He comes here looking for her,” He said. 

She stepped back in surprise at the sight of him. “Oh! I didn’t-I didn’t know this was occupied-” 

“I know that dog,” The old man said. “He comes from the house, he’s not yours.” 

“No,” She shook her head. “He’s Mr. Park’s dog.” 

“I know that dog, he comes here looking for her,” The old man said again. 

“Who? Whose cottage is this?” She asked. 

“Mrs. Park,” The old man replied. 

“Oh,” She said, and turned back to the dog, tugging on the leash. “Come on, Lucky, let’s go home,” and the dog whimpered a little. 

“You won’t tell anyone you saw me in here, will you?” The old man suddenly asked. 

“You mean you don’t belong here in the Fontaine?” She asked. 

“Yes, but I wasn’t doing anything bad, I was just putting away the shells I collected,” The man replied. “She’s gone in the sea, isn’t she? She’s not coming back.” 

“No,” She shook her head. “She’s never coming back. Come on, Lucky, let’s go home,” She tugged on the leash again, leading the way back to where Seonghwa was. The closer they got, the more she saw Seonghwa already on his way back to the house and she hurried up the steps and towards him. “Seonghwa! Seonghwa! Wait!” She said, the dog now following behind her. Seonghwa stopped to wait for her and she had already sensed that his mood had changed. “I’m so sorry it took a while.” 

“I told you not to go there, you knew I didn’t want you to go there, but you went anyway,” Seonghwa muttered. 

“But why not? There was only a cottage down there, and a strange man-” 

“Don’t go back there again, do you understand?” Seonghwa was stern this time. 

“Why not?” She asked. 

“Because I hate the place!” Seonghwa snapped. “If you had my memories, you wouldn’t go there or talk about it or think about it!” 

“What’s wrong? Oh I’m so sorry, Seonghwa-” 

He sighed and looked down, apologetic as he calmed down and shook his head. “We should’ve stayed away from this place,” He said. “We should never have come back to the Fontaine, it was stupid of me to even think of coming back here.” 

She stepped closer. “Somehow I’ve made you upset, haven’t I?” She asked. “Oh, I can’t stand seeing you like this, I love you very much, Seonghwa, so, so much,” She said, her eyes welling with tears. 

He cupped her cheek. “I’ve made you cry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” He said softly, wiping the tear that fell down her face. “I tend to snap unnecessarily, haven’t I?” Seonghwa sighed and kissed her. “Please forgive me, let’s go home, shall we? We’ll have tea and forget this happened.” 

She nodded. “Yes, I’d like nothing more.” 

~ 

They didn’t return down the path that led to the cottage, and she now knew how upset Seonghwa had gotten knowing that she went there. She had accidentally opened up the past to him, and even if he kept assuring her for a week on how things are fine, there now seemed to be a barrier between them. It was that barrier that made her a little uneasy whenever she brought up the sea. She entered the library to get a book to read, where Hongjoong was, going over piles of papers. 

“Please carry on, Mrs. Park, you’re not disturbing me,” He assured her with a smile. “Let me know if there’s something you’d like to know about the estate.” 

She turned around to face him. “Oh, well, I was-I was down at the cottage last week, and the place seems to be nearly in ruins, in need of repair or something,” She wondered if she could ask it. “Are all those things in there, Daphne’s things?” 

Hongjoong nodded. “Yes, yes those are all Daphne’s things inside that cottage.” 

“What did she use the cottage for?” She was becoming more curious, and Hongjoong was the only one she felt who could tell her. 

“The boat used to be parked there,” He replied. 

“The boat?” Her eyes widened slightly at the revelation. “Oh, that was the boat that she was sailing in when she drowned?” 

“Yes, it capsized and sank and she went overboard,” He answered. 

“Where did they find her?” She asked. 

“Around 60 kilometers away, washed up at another beach, they only found her two months later,” Hongjoong’s tone was a lot more somber now. “Seonghwa had to go to identify her, it was horrible for him.” 

She nodded. “I can imagine so,” She looked down at the book she took out from the shelf. “Hongjoong? Mr. Kim? Please forgive me for being a little too curious but, can you tell me just one more thing?” She asked carefully. 

“Of course, Mrs. Park,” He said with a slight nod. “If I can answer it, please let me know.” 

“Tell me,” She paused, unsure if she wanted to know, yet a part of her wanted to. “What was Daphne really like?” 

Hongjoong sat up, a small sigh escaping his lips as he tried to recall his memories of seeing her. “I guess she was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,” He said. 

~

Hongjoong and Seonghwa went up to the capital to take care of business another week later, leaving her alone at the Fontaine. It made her realize how the estate still had much to show her the more she wandered around the halls, stopping to look at portraits and photos of Seonghwa and his family. Knowing that he wouldn’t be back until the next day, she took it upon herself to tour the mansion some more, but always stopping short when she reached Daphne’s room, but as day turned into night, she heard voices coming from the West Wing, near her room. One, she knew was San, and the other was of a stranger. 

“I don’t think it wise for you to be back here, Mr. Wooyoung,” He said. 

“Oh, nonsense, it’s just like coming back home,” The other voice said. “I have to say though, I feel like the poor relative, sneaking through back doors. Oh well, bye, Sannie.” 

“Goodbye, Wooyoung, and be careful,” San replied. 

“I will, don’t you worry about a thing,” He said. 

She opened the door, making them look at her. The man who was about to leave through the other door had a grin on his face, while San remained stoic. “Oh, hello,” He said, just as cheerily as she had overheard him. 

“Good evening,” She greeted back. 

“Sannie, your precautions seem to be futile now, the mistress of the house was hiding behind the door after all,” He said, patting San on the shoulder a little too hard. 

“I-I wasn’t really,’ She shook her head. “I just heard voices coming from this room-” 

“Sannie, how about you introduce me to the bride, hmm?” He patted San again. 

“Madam, this is Mr. Jung Wooyoung,” He introduced them, and they bowed to each other in response. 

“Won’t you stay and have some tea? San can probably bring in some for you,” She said. 

Wooyoung chuckled. “That’s a charming invitation. How about that, Sannie? I’ve been asked by the mistress of the house to have some tea.” 

“It’s rather late, Mr. Wooyoung,” He said. 

“Oh, well, you’re right, it is rather late,” Wooyoung said. “And we wouldn’t want to lead the bride astray, now would we? Well, bye now, Oh, Sannie seemed to leave out an important part of our introductions, I’m Daphne’s favorite cousin,” He revealed. “Bye!” He waved before leaving, and she watched him go down the stairs, San following him. 

She turned around as soon as Wooyoung was no longer in sight, and there it was. The door to Daphne’s room. She had long wondered if she should open it and see what was in there, yet a part of her didn’t want her to and only for her to leave it alone. But San wasn’t around, no one else was around, and her curiosity was becoming stronger the closer she got to the door of Daphne’s room. Without another thought, she turned the doorknob and pushed it open. 

She didn’t know what she was expecting, perhaps furniture all covered up in white sheets, dust gathering in the nooks and crannies, cobwebs splayed over some other furniture. Yet it was the opposite. There were fresh flowers in the vase on one table, a silk dressing gown on the chair all laid out along with slippers. She could hear the waves crashing in the sea, and smell the sea air coming in through the curtains. 

The door closed behind her all of a sudden, making her jump and turn around, feeling her heart almost jump out of her chest in surprise. It was San. “Would you like anything, Madam?” He asked. 

“No, no,” She was trying to shake off the feeling from earlier. “I was-I mean, I just came in-” 

San walked up towards her. “You’ve always been curious about this room, haven’t you? Why didn’t you ask me to show you? It’s a beautiful room, isn’t it? The most beautiful room in this house if I do say so myself,” There was something about the way he said it that made her feel so uneasy. “Everything is kept just the way Mrs. Park liked it, and nothing has been changed since that last night.” 

She was growing a little more uncomfortable the more he went on about Daphne, and he walked past the sheer curtains towards her dressing area and opened the door. “This is where I kept her clothes. You’d want to see them, wouldn’t you?” He said, taking out one piece of clothing. “Feel this wrap, it’s very soft, isn’t it? It was a Christmas present from Mr. Park. He was always giving her expensive gifts,” 

She reached out to feel the material. It was incredibly soft. “You wouldn’t think she’d have been gone for a long time, would you?” A chill ran down her spine at his words. “Sometimes when I walk along the corridors, I think I can hear her behind me, her footsteps quick and light, I could figure out that it was her. It’s not only in this room, it’s in all the rooms in this house,” San put away the wrap and closed the door, approaching her this time, but she backed away. 

“I can almost hear it now,” He said, in an almost-whisper as he closed his eyes. “Do you believe  the dead come back and watch the living?” 

She felt goosebumps at his question and backed away some more. “No, no, I don’t believe it, Mr. Choi.” 

“Sometimes, I wonder if she doesn’t come back to the Fontaine, and watch you and Mr. Park together,” San took another step forward, making her step back. “You look tired, Madam, why don’t you stay here and rest? Listen to the sea, it’s very soothing,” He sounded cold. 

“I won’t listen, I won’t, I won’t,” She shook her head, covering her ears in horror.