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starrihan · 2 months ago

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Masquerade (Leehan Fic)

Plot -> Your parent's 25th wedding anniversary is coming up and to celebrate, they are hosting a masquerade ball at your manor. You still have to prepare and learn the dances for the ball, so how do you end up falling for your dance partner's servant?

Genre -> fluff, smut, renaissance AU, dialogue heavy, servant! Leehan x Lady! Reader, older brother! Taesan, lord! Sungho, afab! reader, kissing, fingering, piv sex, no protection (wrap it up!)

Warnings -> mentions of dead family members

Word Count -> 14,075

Notes: This is my first fic on here and I didn't expect it to be 14k words long 😭I proofread this like 3 times but its long so there may still be some mistakes. This is historically inaccurate, I only use noble titles that were prominent during the renaissance era. I took inspo from this song and a some inspo from Bridgerton. I hope you guys enjoy this~

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“Hiding behind a disguise, can you feel me watching you?”

Awoken by the bright rays of sunshine that flooded your room, you remembered how tired you were that you forgot to shut the blinds and draw in the curtains before falling asleep last night. With the masquerade ball, in celebration of your parent’s 25th wedding anniversary, coming up in just about a week, preparations were brutal.

This was the first masquerade ball that you would actually participate in. You’d attended many when you were younger, playing around with the other kids there that were your age but you were never expected to dance or had any role in them. Now that this ball was in celebration of your parents, your family, you were expected to be a great host. Not to mention that this was big for you, as wedding season was coming up. You had talked to your parents for a while about not wanting to be married so early so they never forced you, but being at that age, you knew that many families were looking to marry their sons.

Your father, Lord L/N, had accomplished so much in the short time that he was one, giving your family a huge name in the town. You were sought after by many families. This ball would be your formal introduction to the town as an adult and would garner many suitors for you. You shrugged off the thought for now and went to brush your teeth and bathe, getting yourself ready for the day.

You go downstairs and see a familiar figure sitting in the dining room, eating the breakfast that was prepared by the lovely maids that ran your parents’ manor. You take a seat across from him, grabbing a plate of freshly cut fruits.

“You woke up late, you know,” he says, chuckling.

You shoot him a mocking smile, taking a bite of an apple slice.

“We had a busy day yesterday. The tailor used the wrong measurements for my dress and now I have to wait 3 days before I can go back to pick it up. I’m stressed out about learning the dances since there’s only a week left before the ball and we’ve barely even started. My dance partner isn’t that good and I’m worried I won’t be good enough. Forgive me if I took an extra hour to sleep in,” you poured out to him.

Your brother, Dongmin, was older than you by just a year. He stood up from his chair and patted your head.

“It's gonna be okay Y/N. I’m taking you to practice later today at the Park residence. Their son, Sungho, is going to be your dance partner. I know he was interested in you so I arranged for his instructor to help you practice with him.”

“Thank you Dongmin. I’m sorry I’m so stressed. I appreciate you setting this up for me! I owe you one,” you smile up at him, getting up to ready for the practice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You’re taken to the Park residence, accompanied by Dongmin. Because he is your older brother, he sees you to all of your affairs since your father is always busy. And because he is your father’s son, he has to learn the roles of a lord should something happen to your father. Dongmin did, at one point, find someone who he had loved and wished to marry, but things fell through and he set aside his own feelings about marriage until he’s older, wanting to learn everything there is to know about lordship first.

Waiting for your arrival, the Duke and Duchess of the Park house wait outside. You greet them with a deep bow and courtesy of your dress. To their right, you spot their son, Sungho. You had seen him at previous balls throughout the years, but you guys had never formally met. ‘He’s really handsome,’ you thought to yourself, before turning to greet him as well.

“We meet again, Duke and Duchess. Thank you for having us,” Dongmin greets with a smile and a bow.

“What a pleasure it is to meet you, Duke and Duchess. It is an honor to be allowed here. Thank you for letting me practice here with your son,” you say.

They exchange smiles with each other before looking back at you and Dongmin. They formally allow you into their home and show you around.

A couple minutes into the tour Sungho says, “I can show them around and then take Lord Dongmin and Lady Y/N to the practice hall.” He smiles at the both of you before leading the tour himself.

He continues to show you guys around, occasionally talking about the history of the house and some specific details about the wallpaper and architectural workings of the house. You can’t help but be mesmerized at everything he is talking about. Finally, he takes you to the room that you’ll be practicing in. There seems to be a couple more people in the room making you sigh in relief that you weren’t the only one that needed practice.

“I have other matters to attend to. I will be taking my leave. Thank you again for letting Y/N practice here. I shall come to get her in a couple of hours,” Dongmin bows at Sungho before leaving, informing the Duke and Duchess of the arrangement.

You smile at your brother before he leaves, assuring him that you’ll be alright.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You step into the practice room and a seat. As you’re changing your shoes, you catch one of the servants in the room looking at you. He’s tall and lean, his almost shoulder length brown hair catching your eyes. He’s very handsome and he shoots you a small smile as he looks away. Your cheeks dust a faint pink before looking away from him, unsure of the feeling you just felt in your stomach.

The practice goes on and you’re constantly stepping on Sungho’s shoes. He lets out small chuckles whenever you do, never getting frustrated at you, which you appreciated. From the short time you’ve been practicing with him you could tell he was very sweet and gentle. He was able to guide you and keep you on track fairly well considering your efforts.

You’re given a short break from the practice in which you figure that you need to use the bathroom. You were okay to find it by yourself, but since this wasn’t your house, you look to enlist the help of Sungho. When you turn to look for him you realize he’s not in the room. You meet the eye of the same servant from earlier and he could sense that you needed some help. He makes his way over to you and bows,

“How can I be of assistance Lady Y/N?”

Your breath caught in your throat. He was, quite literally, breathtaking. And his voice was so deep and soothing. You almost forget that you needed help finding the bathroom. You bow back at him.

“Where is the restroom?”

Your voice comes out small at first, almost as if you’re too shy to talk to him. He stands in front of you while he directs you to the closest restroom that just so happened to be down the hall.

“I shall wait for you out here until you finish. Then I can take you back to the practice room. Please let me know if there is anything you may need.”

You enter the bathroom and try to calm yourself down. What was this feeling? Why was him talking to you making you feel this way? You wash your hands, touching up your makeup before stepping back to look at yourself in the mirror. After fixing your hair as well, you go back outside where you find the servant waiting for you.

“Thank you so much… uhm… What is your name sir?”

You ask, realizing that you never got his name. He’s about to speak when Sungho spots you from down the hall.

“Lady Y/N! So this is where you have been? I am sorry I left for a minute, I had to take care of something. Is everything alright?”

He looks at both of you and smiles.

“Yes, everything is alright. I was just taking Lady Y/N to the restroom. I insisted I wait for her so she does not get lost on the way back,” the tall man says while bowing at Sungho. “I apologize for not informing you beforehand.”

“Do not apologize, I wasn’t around for you to tell me. I’m glad that you took her and that she is okay. Shall we all head back to the practice room?”

And with that, you all head back, making small conversation on the way there. You walk behind Sungho and walk in line with the servant. His hand slightly brushes yours, to which you both apologize. He takes to walking behind you, forming a line. He doesn’t miss the slight blush adorning your cheeks after your hands brushed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After the practice is over, you sit down on one of the sofas by the window. You sigh out a breath of relief and relax a bit, tired after the hours of dancing.

“For your first time practicing, you did a good job,” Sungho says, offering you water. You thank him and drink the water a little bit faster than what would be considered lady-like. “Thank you so much. For the water and the practice, thank you for everything.” You’re about to put the cup of water down on the floor when the servant from earlier walks up to you.

“Allow me,” he says, grabbing your cup and taking it away from you. Sungho doesn’t miss the way you look at him, staring for a bit too long for it to be normal. “Thank you,” you say to him now, not being able to look him in the eyes. He walks away without another word, bowing to you before he does.

As you get ready to leave, you receive word from Sungho that Dongmin can no longer come pick you up. You look at him, not knowing what to do now as you had no way back home.

“I can take her back. If you so let me, sir,” the servant chimes up. Having walked back with you and Sungho you realized that the tall male was Sungho’s personal servant.

“Could you please? I would do it myself but I have a lot of work to catch up on tonight.” He turns to face you, “Lady Y/N,” he reaches for your hand and plants the gentlest kiss on the back of it.

“I shall see you tomorrow for another practice session. Have a wonderful night m’lady,” he bows to you and you bow back. “Thank you again, I shall see you tomorrow.”

“Are you ready to go, lady Y/N?”

“Yes.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After saying your goodbyes to the Duke and Duchess as well as everyone else in the home, you go outside to meet him.

“Forgive me for the carriage we have right now is a bit small.” He says apologetically. The carriage, while smaller than other ones, was beautifully crafted. One of the finest carriages you have ever seen. Its black body and gold fixtures, perfect for a sleek entry and getaway and the windows big enough to comfortably peer out of on long rides.

“It is quite magnificent. Not too small at all, just perfect,” you say softly looking at the carriage in awe. He gives you his hand to help you into the carriage before closing the door and securing the lock. He hops into the front and gets the horses ready to move.

“The ride back will take about 45 minutes,” he informs you. As the horses start to move you look out the window, thinking back on the things you have yet to do. With only 6 days left you realize that there’s still so much you have to learn when it comes to the dance. As well as learning the names of all your guests and picking up your dress and mask from the tailor’s…

“I’m sorry m’lady?”

A deep voice pulls you out of your thoughts.

“I’m sorry! I seem to have gotten distracted by my thoughts. You were saying…?”

“Oh, no worries at all. I was only asking how you were feeling about all this? I heard it is the first masquerade ball that you’ll be attending as a hostess.”

“Well, if I'm being honest, I am quite nervous. Like you said, I am a hostess. There seems to be so many little things I must take care of throughout the night. Not to mention that I still am learning how to dance. I am very grateful for the Duke and Duchess letting me practice in their home, along with their son.” You feel a small weight lift off your shoulders, this being the first time you talked about your apprehensions towards the coming event with someone other than your brother.

“I was watching the practice, you seem to be learning fairly well. On par with the others also learning the dances. And Sungho is a good dancer, never nervous and he never falters. I heard he took interest in you, he has great taste.”

The last comment causing a small smile to form on your lips.

“He is very well-mannered and a fine man indeed. When I heard he took interest in me I was surprised. We had barely spoken in the past so him reaching out to my older brother was a shock. He is very handsome and indeed a gentleman.”

You couldn’t see it, but a slight frown had made it up to his face. He couldn’t figure out what caused him to have that reaction. He was happy for Sungho that he had found a potential wife, wasn’t he? He should be happy that someone was speaking about his lord in such a way.

The way you spoke about him could convince anyone that you have an attraction for him. But as much as he seemed so perfect, he hadn’t managed to make you feel anything other than a friendship towards him. It has only been a day but, if he was really interested in you, so much as to go as far as relaying his interest for you to your parents and older brother, surely he would have made his intentions more clear.

“Sungho is a fine gentleman, he would be lucky to have a lady like you, as you would be to have a lord like him.”

The rest of the carriage ride is spent exchanging small talk and a couple of laughs heard here and there. Once you arrive at your house, he steps out of the carriage and walks to your side and offers his hand to you. You take it, slowly stepping down, out of the carriage.

“Thank you so much for taking me back home… I still never got your name sir,” you say, remembering that last time you asked, Sungho had cut you off.

“Please, call me Donghyun. It was my pleasure bringing you home, Lady Y/N. Enjoy the rest of your night. I have been informed that I will come to get you in the morning.” He bows to you and bids you farewell, as you watch him ride off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“It's magic that I’m lost in your spell, but you don’t even have a clue…”

The next few days follow the same routine. Donghyun picks you up and drops you off for the next couple of days when you need to practice. The conversations you guys shared were always light-hearted and casual, as you told him to drop honorifics since you found out you were the same age. There was a sense of familiarity you got when speaking to Donghyun, like he was the person that could listen to you talk forever and never get tired of hearing your stories.

There were sometimes conversations that got a little too deep, much more than you would discuss with a mere acquaintance or in this case, the servant of your maybe-future-husband. You had never really spent time with Sungho outside of dance practice. Sometimes he’d take you to the courtyard of his house during breaks and on days where you had more time before practices. But things felt more intimate with Donghyun and you felt that you could let your guard down more when talking to him.

You always knew he was staring at you specifically during the practices. Always coming up to you first before asking any of the other guests if they needed anything. At first, you thought it was because he was Sungho’s servant and by extension, yours as well. But you didn’t see him that way. You always treated him with as much grace as you would a lord, unlike how you’ve seen others treat servants.

What neither of you knew though, was that Sungho had picked up on the subtle glances you’d shoot towards Donghyun, or the obvious stares he would give you. The way he would come up to you first, not even him. Or the way that you’d shyly tell him if you needed anything, always trying to hide a small smile on your face whenever he’d walk away. As much as he wanted to ask you to go out with him and get to know each other more, he believed it would be best for him to just help you with dance for now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today, you go to tailors with your mother and Dongmin. You hope that this will be the last time you have to go there for a while, praying that the dress and mask fit perfectly.

“How does this look? There was a lot of extra fabric I had to take in but I managed to size it without messing up the design,” the seamstress explained, looking at you for your approval.

You look in the mirror, marveled by the stunning shape and flow of the long, dark green dress. The beautiful off-the-shoulder dress enhancing your collarbones and complimenting your figure perfectly. The lace trimmings were exactly how you pictured in your head.

“It’s absolutely marvelous!” You exclaim. “This is just what I had in mind— even better in fact!” One thing about you, when you think something is perfect or well done, you become extra bubbly, contrary to your, usually, very calm demeanor.

Your mother and Dongmin both look at you in excitement, glad that you love the dress and that you had one less stressor to worry about.

“You look absolutely stunning darling. I’m sure Sungho will think so too,” your mother says, Dongmin agreeing with her. You couldn’t help but to think of what Donghyun would think of your dress if he ever saw it.

“My little sister, all grown up,” he exaggerates, “you look really beautiful. I’m happy you love your dress,” he says with the utmost sincerity. You’re beaming ear to ear, happy that everyone loves your dress.

“We’re gonna go pay for it upfront while you change back into your clothes. We’ll be waiting for you outside the carriage,” your mother says before walking away with your brother.

“You look magnificent. Like a princess.”

Your breath caught in your throat, making you speechless for a moment. You recognize the voice, turning around with a shy smile on your face.

“Donghyun! It’s lovely seeing you today! What brings you here?”

Today was a break from practicing. The tailors you went to were two towns away, making for a 6 hour carriage ride to and back. You didn’t expect to see Donghyun here, as normally he mentions to you on the carriage rides to the Park’s residence what duties he has for that day and the days following. He never once mentioned going to the tailors, especially not the one you went to considering there were a few in your town.

“I had to pick up some last minute items for Sungho. He’s been busy sorting his family affairs so he sent me here in his place,” he explained.

The truth is, Sungho knew you’d be here today. He didn’t really have anything that he needed but he knew that the chances of something happening between the two of you were slim. He picked up on yours and Donghyun’s mutual attraction towards each other, choosing to stay out of it and hopes that you two would kindle something of your own.

“Of course, he must have a lot to attend to as the Marquess. I’m sure he would’ve come here on his own if he could,” you begin, “but thank you, for the compliment,” you look down at your dress, glad that he also took a liking to it.

“Will you be attending the ball?” You asked, hopeful of his answer.

“I unfortunately will not be in attendance. The whole family will be at your masquerade ball and therefore I must look after the house along with the others.” He sees you visibly sigh, smiling to himself at the thought of you missing him at the ball.

“That is very unfortunate, I was hoping to see you there.” You don't know what got you to be so forward with him, but you saw the slight smirk tug on his face as you said it. Realizing the implications of what you just said, you look away in embarrassment, but part of you hoping that he would miss not being there too.

The silence between you two is a little awkward now, not knowing what to say to each other. Donghyun clears his throat, remembering that he had something to tell you.

“I was going to tell you this tomorrow on the carriage ride over but Sungho will not be here for tomorrow’s practice.”

“Oh, who will my dance partner be then?”

“Me.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The whole way home, you’re thinking you can’t wait for tomorrow to come. While Sungho is a really good dance partner, you were excited to be able to dance with Donghyun. The thought of being in such close proximity to him had you grinning like a fool.

“Who are you thinking about that has you so giddy?”

Dongmin’s question breaks you out of your thoughts, heat rushing to your cheeks as you’ve been caught thinking about Donghyun. You hesitate for a moment before starting to speak, only to be cut off by him.

“I bet it’s Sungho, right? You’ve been without him for one day and you’re already missing him. Mayhaps you are in love?”

You pause what you’re about to say, thinking about his words carefully. Is this what that is? Are you in love with Donghyun? You bite the bullet, asking Dongmin a serious question.

“If I miss him and can’t stop thinking about him, does that mean I am in love? If I want to be closer to him when we are together, does that mean I’m in love? If the little things and small interactions make my cheeks flush red, does that mean I’m in love?”

You’re rethinking all the interactions you’ve had with Donghyun so far. The little glances and stares you take at one another. The brushes of your hands when walking with each other. The wanting to hold his hand longer when he helps you in and out of the carriage.

“I’ve felt that before. I would say yes, that would mean that you are in love.”

Dongmin had a lady who he was going to marry about a year ago. You can tell he had loved her dearly. When it was found that father had fallen ill, her family had moved back to where they were originally from. While the relationship was short-lived, only lasting about a month, you could tell that he had been in love just by the way he looked at her.

“So this is what being in love feels like…” you trailed off.

Of course, he didn’t know that it wasn’t Sungho that you were talking about. You had thought about telling him, knowing that he would understand and support you no matter who you loved. But you believed that now wasn’t the best time, not knowing yourself what your actual feelings were.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Upon arriving home, you’re given some news by your father.

“You will be staying overnight at the Park residence tomorrow. I have already spoken to them, and they have so graciously agreed to keep you for the night. You still need practice but there will not be anyone here tomorrow as they will be thoroughly cleaning the manor for the ball in 3 days. Please go pack your stuff before they get here.”

You eagerly pack your overnight items. Making sure you have everything properly packed you sit in your room until it is time to go. You hear a soft knock on your door.

“Come in!” You shout, knowing it’s Dongmin on the other side.

“Are you all packed up and ready to go?”

“Yes, I just double-checked and made sure I had all of the stuff I will be needing. What brings you in here?”

While Dongmin was a great brother, he wasn’t exactly known to you for being the one to make sure you were all packed and ready for your own affairs.

“It is Sungho that you were talking about in the carriage, right?” He bites his lower lip, looking up at you, waiting for your response.

Your eyes meet his as you look at him in genuine shock. You didn’t know if it was because you were surprised that he would ask you such a thing, or if it was because you were shocked that he knew that it wasn’t Sungho that you were talking about earlier.

“Of course I was talking about Sungho. Who else could I be referring to?”

You ask with as much confidence as you can muster up in the moment. You hoped he wouldn’t press the situation further, but you knew your brother.

“If it really were Sungho, you would be talking about it more often, not just thinking about him silently in carriage rides.” He raises a good point.

“On top of that, if he was as eager to be with you as much as you think about him, he would be the one coming to get you personally.” You hated when he could see right through you.

“You can tell me honestly, who you were talking about. You know I’m on your side no matter what.”

You would be lying if you said that the idea of you telling your parents the truth hadn’t crossed your mind. But you were worried about what it would do to your family. How it would look if the first daughter of the Lord was to marry the servant of the son of the Duke? You didn’t care as long as you were happy with him, but you know it would be a big deal to your parents and big deal to the Duke and Duchess as well.

You didn’t realize how overwhelming the situation actually is until you felt a couple tears rolling down your face. Dongmin’s gaze on you softens when he realizes that he was right. Pulling you in for a hug he reassures you that it will be alright, but you need to talk to him so he could talk to your parents for you.

“His name is Donghyun. He is the personal servant to Sungho. He is the one who brings me there and back everyday. I don’t know how it happened but it just did.” You start from the beginning.

“He was always at the dance practices but he caught my eye the minute I saw him. He was really handsome and super sweet. I was thinking about him in the carriage today because I saw him at the tailors while you and mother were paying the expenses of my dress and mask. He said I looked magnificent, like a princess.”

You wiped the tears from your face slowly, recalling the precious moment, laughing a bit as you realized that holding in that information weighed heavy on your mind. Relieved, you look up at Dongmin who is smiling from ear to ear.

“My baby sister is in love.” Is all he says before pulling you in for another hug.

“I’ve spoken with him a few times while we waited for you to finish getting ready. He seems like a fine gentleman. And he makes you happy, which is what’s truly important.” He laughs before helping you bring your stuff down.

You look up at him and smile, feeling pure bliss as you were able to come clean about it all, and from being able to have Dongmin’s full support. While your parents’ opinions were important, Dongmin’s opinion mattered more. He was the closest person to you, your best friend.

“I am excited to be there for the night. And tomorrow, Donghyun is going to be my dance partner.”

He looks at you with a mischievous grin, almost scary.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” Expecting you to slap his arm, he preemptively runs away, escaping your wrath at his rather crass comment. You can only giggle a bit before following him downstairs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With all your stuff loaded into the same carriage as the first night, you bid your farewells to your parents and brother. You enter the carriage with Donghyun’s help, eagerly awaiting your arrival to the Park’s residence. You feel the cool air blow past your face as the slightly chilly autumn weather provides a beautiful scene for you to look at.

“It is quite breezy outside Lady Y/N. Are you sure you want to keep the window open? Wouldn’t want you to catch a cold now,” Donghyun remarks, concerned about your well-being.

“Actually it feels quite nice. Being in these clothes all day can get a little warm. Plus, it’s nice to get the fresh air in here.” You appreciate his concern.

A couple minutes of silence go by as you think about earlier in the day when he said you looked like a princess in your dress. You can feel a blush coming on remembering the look on his face when he saw you.

Donghyun was surprised when Sungho said he had forgotten that he needed some things in preparation for the ball. Sungho was usually on top of his belongings. He always knew what he needed to do, when to do it and what he would be needing for any events. Of course, Donghyun would never question him in that way, and instead just did as he was told. He was completely unaware that you would be there. He knew that you were going to pick up your dress that day but he didn’t know where you would be. When he entered the tailors he immediately went to someone, asking for Sungho’s things. There weren’t many other people in the shop at the time, since it was pretty early in the day. He had just finished paying for everything when he heard your familiar voice. He looked around for you until he spotted you, a couple feet away from the changing room. Without thinking he went up to you,

“You look magnificent. Like a princess.”

The words playing over and over again in your head.

He didn’t know where he had gotten the courage to say that to you, but your reaction was priceless. He knew when he had first seen you at the practice room that he had an attraction to you, but seeing you in your dress, a shocked yet shy expression on your face, he knew that he had fallen for you. His face held a soft expression, reflecting pure awe and fondness at the sight of you in front of him. He felt a little swell of confidence when you looked away all bashful.

Replaying the whole incident in your head over and over you failed to realize, again, that Donghyun was asking you a question.

“Are you lost in your thoughts again, m’lady?”

“I thought I told you to drop the formalities? We're the same age and you are not my servant. I shall provide you the same grace and respect as if you were my own colleague.” You chuckle, finding it cute that he was still being formal with you.

“I appreciate the offer but you are still a lady. The daughter of the lord, might I add. It would be dishonorable of me to refer to you as anything other than a lady.”

It was his respectful manner that drew you into him more. You found it very attractive that he stuck to his morals, deciding to drop the conversation of formalities.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shortly after the conversation, you arrived at the Park residence. Donghyun had helped you out of the carriage and grabbed your belongings for you.

“Allow me to show you to your room, Lady Y/N.”

You follow behind him quietly, greeting the Duke and Duchess and everyone else along the way. He set your belongings down onto the ottoman in the room you were given.

The room was painted a soft, baby blue. Beautiful crown moldings adorned the lining of the ceiling and floor. There were two big windows beside a big bay window. Across from the canopy bed in the middle of the room was a vanity complete with a big mirror and all the makeup products you would ever need. Next to the bed was a door that led to your own personal bathroom, fully stocked with everything you would need in there.

“I want to apologize sincerely on behalf of the Duke and Duchess and Lord Sungho. We have assigned a lady’s maid to you but she will not be here until the morning. Again, my deepest apologies,” Donghyun says, bowing to you for longer than normal.

“Because Lord Sungho is not here tonight, I shall see to it that I handle your requests personally. Please let me know if you need anything.”

He stood close to the doorway, awaiting your response.

“That is completely alright. I understand that because the Duchess is the only lady of the house, it makes sense that there are not many ladies around. I appreciate you and your efforts.”

You bow back to him, smiling as you look around the room again. You touch the bed frame, the baby blue curtains of the canopy matching the walls of the room perfectly. You sit on the bed, sinking into the soft mattress. You look at Donghyun,

“This room is so perfect. Who should I thank for setting it up so perfectly?”

A small blush creeps onto his face as he looks away.

“I was the one who prepared the room for you. I asked them if I could be the one to do it…”

You look at him in awe, the familiar feeling of your heart racing once again at the thought of Donghyun doing this specifically for you. You walk up to him and smile. You grab his hand and look into his eyes.

“Thank you so much for setting this up for me, Donghyun.”

He felt like he never wanted you to let go of his hands. The tips of his ears becoming red at your close proximity, feeling like his heart was going to beat out of his chest. He had never been drawn to someone in his life, especially not like this. There was something about you that made him want more. Fighting the urge to hold your face in his hands, he looks away from you.

“There is no need to thank me. I am glad you like the room. I will leave you to do your nightly routine as it is getting quite late. I shall see you in the morning.”

Normally, servants weren’t supposed to kiss the hands of the people that they serve, but he couldn’t resist this time. He turned over your hands, placing gentle kisses onto both of them.

“Have a goodnight, m’lady.”

Your eyes plead with him, not wanting him to leave, but you know he has to. As he leaves the room, you feel a wave of sadness hit you, already missing his presence. Feeling rather hot from the intimate interaction, you head to the restroom and draw yourself a bath, getting ready for bed as you knew you had a whole day of practicing ahead of you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You woke up the next morning to a knock on your door. Opening it up, you realize it was the lady’s maid that was assigned to you. You both exchange greetings and bows before she helps you get ready for the day. Drawing your bath for you and setting aside the makeup that she will be doing on you for the day. She even had a dress pressed, steamed, and ready for you to wear for practice today.

Because the ball was only 2 days away, you had to wear dresses that were of similar style to the one that you had picked out in order to better dance in your actual dress. The first couple days were practiced in more casual, everyday dresses to help you learn the steps first.

You go down to the practice room eagerly. You already know your way around the manor by now but your maid accompanied you anyways. You step in and immediately take notice of Donghyun standing where Sungho normally does. You’re more excited seeing his face and rush to stand across from him.

“Good morning Lady Y/N.”

“Good morning Donghyun.”

Normally, you would feel anxious and nervous before starting. At this point, you barely stepped on Sungho’s shoes when you practiced with him but you still had trouble following the beat and got the timing of the moves wrong every now and again. As you get into position to start the dance, you notice that you’re not nervous. It was as if Donghyun’s presence instantly had a calming effect on you. You place one hand on his shoulder and he places a hand on your waist, your other hands interlocked as that is how the dance starts.

During your other practice sessions, Donghyun would solely focus his attention onto you. This meant that he knew at what points during the songs you falter. He knew the very beats that caused you to step on Sungho’s shoes every time. He used his knowledge to help you not mess up. He would match your pace before correcting it and therefore made you feel more at ease. Not once did you step on Donghyun’s shoes.

As the end of the practice session drew near, you felt sad knowing that you wouldn’t be dancing with Donghyun at the ball. You felt bad for Sungho, knowing that he was assigned to be your dance partner, and that you would likely spend most of the night dancing with only him, only for you to not want him. Part of you wished you liked Sungho as much as you liked Donghyun, but you knew you couldn’t control your feelings.

“You did amazing today m’lady. You have come very far.”

“It is all thanks to you. Not once did I step on your shoes like I normally do to Lord Sungho. I feel a lot better about the ball, but I am still apprehensive.”

“I could understand feeling that way. But I am sure you will be great that night. This is the last practice we are having. I am glad that I could help you perfect your dance.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“It’s tragic ‘cuz after tonight, my heart will never be the same…”

You freshen up after dance practice. It’s now around 4 in the evening and you leave the room to find Sungho waiting for you. He greets you with a bow and kisses the back of your hand.

“My apologies for not being able to practice with you today, Lady Y/N. I heard from Donghyun that you did well today.”

He says, smiling at you, catching the light blush that appears on your face at the mention of Donghyun’s name and his compliment towards you.

“It is alright, I understand you have other matters you must attend to. I think the practice went alright. I’m a bit nervous since the ball is 2 days away but I’m sure when the time comes we will be great.”

You smile back at him.

“You’ve been practicing all morning and afternoon. I can imagine that you are hungry. I came here to tell you that dinner will be ready in about an hour. For now, would you like to accompany me to the park nearby? It's quite lovely outside today.”

“I would love to.”

And with that, you both walked out to the park, you holding onto his arm. What you didn’t notice was Donghyun had watched you leave with Sungho.

He knew that there wasn’t a way for you two to be together, but why was he so jealous that you were with Sungho? He knew that Sungho had taken interest in you and he knew that it would make sense for you to want to be with him. Part of him felt like you were going to pursue your relationship with Sungho because you had no reason not to. He could only assume that your interactions between you and himself were regular for a lady to a servant but he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more behind your actions.

The way you would speak to him so softly and the way your eyes always scanned the room for him first. When you asked him if he would be attending the ball and your visible upset expression when he said no. Or the way you let him kiss your hands last night and he swears he saw you lean in and pout your lips when he left. Did that all mean nothing? Was he just making things up in his head?

He walked away after seeing you with him, needing to clear his head. How had you gotten him feeling like this in just a week’s time?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Your stroll in the park with Sungho was very peaceful. You guys walked around, making small conversation here and there about the autumn weather and the upcoming ball. You were able to talk with him freely, feeling like you guys were akin to close friends. But that’s all you felt with Sungho, friendship. You found a bench underneath a tree that you decided to stop at. You smoothed out your dress before sitting down.

“The weather is just lovely today. Not too cold yet.”

There was a slight breeze here and there but the weather itself was warm enough to wear you didn’t need an overcoat.

“It is really wonderful. I hear the weather is supposed to be good all weekend. A perfect time to have the ball. I am actually really excited for the ball. I can’t wait to dance with you.”

You felt a pang of guilt hit you. Sungho had feelings for you that you were upset you couldn’t reciprocate. He spoke up again,

“I hope you're excited to dance with me too but… I have a feeling that you’re not.”

You looked at him like a deer in headlights. You tilt your head and feign confusion.

“What do you mean, my Lord? Of course I am excited to dance with you.”

He had a knowing look in his eyes and his expression softened when he realized you must’ve been nervous at his question.

“I mean that I know you don’t feel for me how I feel for you. You made it a little obvious.”

You look away from him, lost for words.

“I’m sorry. You’re right, I do not feel for you in the way you have for me. I’m sorry for not telling you earlier…”

Your voice trails off, wanting to say more but not wanting to expose yourself in the process of explanation.

“I know you have feelings for my servant, Donghyun.”

You look at him yet again, but this time with a shocked look on your face.

“How did you…”

“Again, you made it pretty obvious. So did he. I noticed since the first day of practice that you two would exchange glances at each other. I had to remind you to keep eye contact with me.” He chuckled.

“I also figured when he offered to take you home the first night as well. Donghyun has a fear of driving a carriage after a minor accident he had years ago. We never make him do it, so I was surprised when he asked. I had a feeling then that something was going on. After that point, I had arranged for him to come get you because I knew it would make him happy. I also didn’t need the items I had him pick up for me at the tailor but I knew you’d be there so I sent him. I didn’t tell him that you’d be there but he started talking about his encounter with you when he came back. He could not wipe the smile off of his face.”

You looked at Sungho in awe that he would do that for his servant.

“After that, I knew for sure that he was harboring feelings for you. And when you came here to stay the night, I had heard from your brother that you were excited to stay over and that you didn’t once mess up while dancing with Donghyun like you had with me for the last 4 days.”

You sigh, relieved to know that Donghyun had truly felt the same way about you that you had about him.

“You don’t think it’s wrong that we have an attraction to each other? Surely this wouldn’t go over well with the Duke and Duchess.”

“I could handle them, and besides, I have other women that have reached out about their interest for me.”

He says laughing, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

“I feel that we have gotten close like friends over this past week. I would be more than happy to know that you would make Donghyun happy.”

Looking up at him you smile.

“That makes me feel so relieved. Thank you for understanding and being so kind about it. I was so nervous about having to turn you down. And while I do appreciate you thinking I could make Donghyun happy, I don’t even know how I would go about seeing him again after this. He won’t even be at the ball.”

Sungho takes your hand in his, soothing it.

“You will find a way. There is always a way.”

He says almost cynically. He had a plan. You give him a hug and you two take to walking back, as it was nearing dinner time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After dinner you head back to your room to pack up your belongings. You hear a knock on your door.

“It’s Donghyun. May I come in, Lady Y/N?”

You smile and almost run to the door to open it in excitement.

“Hello Donghyun, what brings you in here?”

You ask while inviting him inside and closing the door behind you.

“Sorry, it’s a bit of a mess in here. I was just packing up my belongings.”

You say apologizing for the messy state of the room.

“It’s no worries at all. I was coming around to ask if you needed any help with packing or if you needed anything. I will be bringing you back so take your time, there is no need to rush.”

You can only look up into his eyes, suddenly becoming very aware of your height difference and how close he actually was to you. The tension in the room was palpable, like you could cut through it with a knife.

Everything Sungho told you at the park was replaying in your mind. You kept thinking about how he kissed your hands the night prior and the feeling it left in the pit of your stomach.

Your eyes were looking all across his face. His eyes that were big and sparkly and how you could get lost in them for hours. How perfectly his nose was shaped. His thick lips that looked so plump and kissable. His hair that was styled so perfectly, its length helping sharpen the look of his jawline. He truly did look like a work of art.

Unbeknownst to you, he was staring right back at you. Taking in all your features. His eyes looked first at your hair, then your nose, your cheeks, your forehead, your eyes, then your lips. They lingered at your lips for a while before looking back into your eyes.

“Lady Y/N…”

He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to ruin the moment between you two but he didn’t want to do anything either of you would regret.

“Can I kiss you?”

You place your hands on his shoulders and lean up to kiss him. His hands go straight to your waist, stabilizing you while he reaches down to meet your lips. It's like a flame lit between your bodies, not wanting to part from each other. You both start off slow. You take your time navigating through the kiss, your hands wrapping around his neck, pulling him in closer. Donghyun’s hands are roaming your body, wanting to feel as much of you as he can, respectfully. He’s aware of the implications that this kiss holds, but remembers that you’re a lady, and fights off any other naughty thoughts that are running around his mind. He doesn’t know that you’re thinking similar naughty thoughts. You both continue like this for a bit before pulling away, needing to catch your breath. You’re left breathless and needy, an unfamiliar feeling bubbling in your stomach, wanting more.

You're both looking into each other's eyes, the magnitude of your actions hitting you almost instantly. You pull away from each other slightly and take a deep breath.

“That was my first kiss.”

You say to break the silence.

“Mine too.”

He says and you giggle a bit. He starts laughing too, lightening the mood.

“I’m sorry for asking to kiss you. I realize how inappropriate that was.”

He looks away shamefully only for his attention to be pulled back to you when you speak up.

“Don’t apologize. It was more inappropriate for me to have just pulled you in like that. But I did enjoy it. I enjoy being around you, Donghyun.”

It’s his turn to blush, not being able to stop the bright smile from appearing in his face, his eyes smiling just as big.

“I enjoy being around you as well.”

“I know. Lord Sungho told me all of your efforts to come pick me up and drop me off were because of your feelings for me. If it wasn’t obvious by now I have feelings for you as well.”

You sit down on the bed and pat the seat next to you for him to sit down as well. You take his hands into yours before continuing to speak.

“Lord Sungho was telling me about your feelings for me. He told me he could sense that I didn’t have feelings for him because I was constantly looking at and searching for you.” You confess.

“He told me that he supports us figuring out whatever this may be between us.”

“But how? I am merely his servant and you’re the daughter of Lord L/N. I don’t know how this could work between us.”

He looks down sheepishly, realizing that there was no way he would be allowed to be with you. You take his face in your hands, caressing his cheek with your thumb.

“If the worry is about my parents, leave it to me. Do not worry about that. You would need to talk to Lord Sungho and your family.”

“That wouldn’t be too hard, I don’t have any other family. My parents were poor and could barely afford to live. We were taken in by the former Duke and Duchess and my parents worked for them. I grew up with Lord Sungho and we are best friends, but I am also his servant. My parents died a while ago, so really, it’s just me.”

He talked so calmly and openly about his past, as if he was telling you just another regular story. He smiles at you, melting into your touch.

“I’m so sorry for your loss, that must have been really hard.” You stare into his eyes, your expression softening at his confession of his parents’ passing.

“Thank you. Now let’s get you back. You have a ball to prepare for.”

He helped you bring your stuff out. It was to both of your surprises that Sungho was standing outside waiting for you by the carriage.

“I hope you’re okay with me bringing you back, Lady Y/N. I cleared my schedule for tonight.” Even though you really wanted Donghyun to drop you back, you knew that you would see him again eventually. You nod to Sungho before bowing to Donghyun and parting ways, Sungho helping you into the carriage. You see Donghyun smiling wide at you, waving you off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The carriage ride began quietly. You couldn’t help the goofy smile that splayed across your face thinking about your kiss with Donghyun. The way his hands held you so firmly at first, like he was scared to grip you any harder. Then after getting into it for a bit, the way he squeezed your figure like he never wanted to let you go. The heat you felt between your bodies, like it was meant to happen for the two of you to be together.

“You’re not usually this quiet on carriage rides with Donghyun, are you?”

Sungho giggles, breaking you out of your thoughts. You blush at the thoughts you were having.

“No, but, I have a lot on my mind.”

He can hear the smile through your voice.

“Is it the ball? Or something else?”

“It is the ball amongst other things. I’m scared but also excited. I know I was dreading it at first but I think I’m going to be sad when it's all over.”

You respond honestly, albeit, leaving out the biggest piece of information you were just thinking about.

“Now that all makes sense. But tell me really, what were you ACTUALLY thinking about? Thinking about the ball would not make you smile and giggle like you just did. Does it have something to do with Donghyun? Did something finally happen between you two” Sungho is glad you can’t see the smirk on his face.

“Lord Sungho! How dare you ask such a question!”

You can’t help the chuckle that leaves your lips, flabbergasted at his boldness.

“Oh come on Lady Y/N. You have already rejected me as a possible future husband. The least we can do is remain friends. I feel that we have become very close throughout this whole process. Not to mention that I have basically played the part of cupid in your relationship with Donghyun, whatever that may come of it.” He has a point.

“Fine. I suppose we can stay friends,” you say sarcastically, but actually you're really fond of the relationship you’ve grown to have with Sungho. It seems that your relationship has grown to be closer to that of a sibling relationship.

“But, we drop the formalities when we’re alone! Being called Lady Y/N by you feels too proper now that we are on a friend-to-friend basis.”

“Alright fine, I will drop formalities with you, but you still have to call me Lord Sungho,” He says, joking but he swears he can hear you roll your eyes at his comment.

“But okay, okay! Tell me what happened. I know Donghyun went into your room before you left.”

“It wasn’t anything much! We talked for a bit…”

“Aaannddddd?”

“And we kissed”

You hide your face in your hands, embarrassed after having said it out loud. Sungho bursts out laughing and then apologizes afterwards for laughing.

“That’s it? I’ll have to have a talk with him when I get back.”

“That’s not all! We talked after about what would come of this. We both obviously want to be together but he was worried about what my family would say since he’s your servant and I’m me. We don’t even know how we would be able to meet, especially once I tell my family that you and I are not going to pursue a relationship together.”

“Don’t tell your parents that we will not be together, yet. If you say that we do want to pursue a relationship together, that would make it easier for you to see Donghyun at our manor.”

“But what about you? I don’t want to hold you back from pursuing someone else because of this.”

“Well, unless you plan on hiding this relationship for years, I won’t be missing out on much if it is only for a few months.”

He laughs and you sigh. You feel so grateful for Sungho and his willingness to do this for you, even though you never asked him to. It shows how much he cares for both you and Donghyun.

“Plus, this is the least I can do for Donghyun. He has done so much for me, I owe him at least this much.”

You love how humble Sungho is. He never took for granted what he had and how he was so selfless, always looking out for others. Your respect for him only grew more.

“I could never ask you to do this for me, but thank you so much. I will owe you after this as well.”

There’s a shared silence between you two for a bit before you break it again,

“What did you mean when you said you would need to talk to Donghyun when you get back?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Sungho brought you home, you felt it inappropriate to let him leave with anything other than a hug, which surprised both your parents and Dongmin.

“I will see you at the ball, Lady Y/N. Have a great night.”

He kissed your hand and left. You walked into your house, not missing the confused smile on Dongmin’s face. He helped you take your bags back to your room where he shut the door. You immediately knew that he was going to want to talk about that hug.

“I thought you liked his servant? Why are you hugging him in front of our parents?”

You sighed, explaining everything to him, even the kiss you shared with Donghyun. He felt like he could tear up at your confession.

“You’re being so dramatic Dongmin.” You slapped his arm and he could tell you were being serious about this.

“So he really offered to do that for you, huh? What a good man he is. Good luck explaining all this to mom and dad in a few months.” The both of you shared a laugh at his statement, not wanting to think about what that moment would look like.

After telling him all of the information from your stay, he leaves you to yourself, where you ponder what the next two days will hold. The whole time you prepare for sleep, you’re thinking about Donghyun. About his hands, his face, his eyes, his lips. You miss the feeling of his lips on yours. You think about when the next time you’re going to see him will be. You hope that Sungho will invite you back to his house after the ball so you could see him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Who are you? What is your name? This is a two-faced game…”

The day of the masquerade ball arrives, and you’re as nervous as ever. The setup in the ballroom at your house was complete. The tables were beautifully decorated with gorgeous centerpieces and plates of hors d'oeuvres. There were plenty of drinks ranging from water, to juice to alcohol. The dance floor was polished to perfection, so much so that you could see your reflection if you looked down at it. The only thing left was for you to calm your nerves.

You looked around, thinking about all the events leading up to this day. How you didn’t know how to dance prior to this. How nervous you were when you kept stepping on Sungho’s shoes. How your attention flew to Donghyun the moment you stepped into the practice room. How you met Sungho and ended up falling in love with his servant.

Shaking your head, you focus now on greeting the guests as they enter the ballroom, remembering that this day was to celebrate your parents and your family. Everyone had masks on, so you were worried about not being able to recognize some people at first. You put on a smile, and it grew a 100x bigger when you saw Sungho and his parents. Of course if there was someone you’d recognize, it would be him. He greets you like normal and walks in, admiring the way everything was set up. He decides to stand next to you while you greet people, talking to him in between the guests’ arrivals. He whispers in your ear,

“Donghyun was right, you do, look beautiful,” he says, smiling at you and admiring the dress.

You blush at the thought of his name, and the fact that he was gushing to Sungho that you looked beautiful in your dress.

“Thank you.”

You could feel eyes on you. Even through the masks, you knew that people were staring at you. You assumed that you’d get stares from other potential suitors, but you didn’t think the feeling would be this overwhelming. You were still nervous but having Sungho by your side helped you a little. After about an hour of walking around, greeting and talking to guests, you decide to check in on your brother and parents.

“How is everything going over here?”

“Hey Y/N! Everything is good around here. How are you holding up? There’s been a lot of suitors coming up to talk to us about you.” Dongmin responds.

“Have there? I’ve been feeling a lot of people staring at me and it's overwhelming, honestly. I didn’t expect there to be so many people wanting to get to know me.”

He wraps an arm around you and pulls you into a hug, assuring you that it’s going to be alright and that it's only for one day. You congratulate your parents on their anniversary and the big success of the party before you head back to the dance floor with him. Before the main dance of the ball starts, there were a couple of slow songs that people took to the dance floor to do. You knew these, as they were not that hard, but you had a line of suitors waiting to dance with you. You dance with them one by one, silently wishing it was over after every dance. During a break session you head to a table to grab a snack. You spot Sungho at a table by himself. You walk up to him and let out a deep breath that you were holding. Sungho can sense your tension.

“It’s that bad, huh?”

“They’re all very nice. But I have no interest in them. And I’m worried about the actual masquerade dance. Practicing with you was amazing and I thank you, truly, but I cannot hide the fact that I am nervous.”

“I know, but you will do amazing, I promise.”He sounded too sure, like he was plotting something. Your break was short-lived however, as a couple minutes later they called for everyone to join the dance floor for the fabled masquerade dance. Your heart beat sped up as you got into position with Sungho by your side.

Panic set in once the music started playing. Things were going smoothly at first, the music slow enough for you to keep up. You focused on not stepping on Sungho’s shoes, like you often did during the practice sessions. He could sense your nervousness and gave you a small smile.

“Hey, look at me. You’re doing great. Just keep looking up at me and let your body move on its own, don’t think about it too much.”

He was always good at calming you down, settling your nerves during practices, but it wasn’t helping now, not after you practiced with Donghyun. You wished you were dancing with him. He was able to calm your nerves in an instant. You didn’t once mess up during your practice with him.

Sungho was nice, he danced well and he was undeniably handsome. He was perfect in every way. You wished he could calm you down like Donghyun could. You look up at him and smile, trying to calm yourself and focus but the only thing on your mind was him. Keeping up for a bit, you were doing better but your blood ran cold at the next announcement:

“Let’s switch it up tonight! Everyone, please take a step to your left and meet your new partner!”

You take a step back and part with Sungho, watching as he spins with his new partner. He mouths to you, ‘heads up,’ before spinning away. You looked around frantically, confused. You were at the edge of the dance floor. Everyone seemed to have been able to find their partners except for you. You proceed with the steps by yourself, trying to keep up with the now quickened pace.

Suddenly, you spin and someone interlocks their hands with yours.

“May I have this dance?”

You can instantly recognize the almost shoulder-length brown hair, the thick lips and the eyes that still glimmer even through his mask. His voice is especially unmistakable. You felt a wave of relief wash over you.

“Donghyun!?”

You whisper-yell back at him. You focus for a second, straightening yourself out and talking to him during the parts of the dance that you guys are close enough to hear each other.

“I mean this in the nicest way possible but, what are you doing here? I thought you couldn’t attend?”

Really, you were having more trouble hiding your excitement. You no longer felt panic but confidence. Donghyun was always able to make you dance better.

“It was Lord Sungho’s idea! He wanted us to be together tonight!”

You hold in your laughter at his child-like glee. His smile making it impossible for you not to smile back at him. With your new found confidence, you are able to finish the dance without making any mistakes. The dance ends with Donghyun’s hand caressing your face before you two part ways for dramatic effect. After the dance, you both look for Sungho to thank him but he already beat you to it, walking up to you and Donghyun.

“I know I'm the best, no need to thank me.” he says all cocky.

“Well I was going to thank you but nevermind.” you playfully roll your eyes at him, not being able to conceal your smile.

Donghyun laughs at your interaction, Sungho having already told him about how you two agreed to drop formalities whenever possible and act more like friends than failed partners.

“I’m kidding. You guys did beautifully. I’m so happy for you guys!”

Sungho and Donghyun exchange knowing looks, laughing together afterwards. With the main dance being over you were able to relax for a bit. The party was still very lively and busy, with everyone now settling down to eat and mostly drink for the rest of the night. After talking with a couple more people and congratulating your parents once again, you tell them you will be going to lie down in your room for a bit. With their approval, you take it as the perfect opportunity to slip away from everyone with Donghyun, into your room.

“I’m so happy you were able to come! It truly was the best part of the night!”

You say to him after closing the door, giving him a hug. He sighs into your embrace, nuzzling his face into the crook of your neck, inhaling your scent and letting out a contented sigh.

“You look even more beautiful today. I didn’t think it was possible. And you did great out there. I'm so proud.”

You blush at his words and pull out of the hug, planting a soft kiss on his cheek.

“You look very handsome. I don’t ever want to stop looking at you. And thank you, it was all because of you I was able to relax and do well tonight. No offense to Sungho but I was praying that I could’ve been dancing with you from the start.”

He smiles at your words before tilting your head up towards his, leaning down to give you a kiss. This one felt different to the one you shared at the Park’s residence. That one was more needy and sloppy, both of you not knowing how to deal with the emotions that had built up and were coursing through your veins. This one was more slow, emotions flowing steady through the way your lips parted and met each other yet again. Donghyun was taking his time kissing you, slowly moving down your face to your jaw, then your neck and to your exposed collarbones.

You let out pleasured sighs at his actions, not wanting him to stop.

“I think I know what's going to happen, but I’ve never done anything like this before…”

You admitted shyly. He stopped his kisses on your neck before stepping back to look at you.

“I understand. I have never done anything like this before either. But if you allow me, I know I can make you feel good. Do you trust me to do that for you, Lady Y/N?”

If the way his eyes were pleading with yours to say yes wasn’t enough, it was his hands holding your so softly and the way that he wanted to take care of you that did.

“I trust you Donghyun.”

He smiles at you before kissing your lips softly, hands going behind your dress to unzip it. After slipping out of it, you were left in a short, white slip-on dress. He walks you both to your bed where he has you straddle him. He runs his hands up your exposed thighs gently squeezing them a bit.

“If you want to stop at any point, just tell me and I’ll stop, okay?”

You nod your head eagerly as you pull him in for a kiss this time. He repeats his actions from earlier, kissing you for a bit before moving down to kiss your neck. You moan as he leaves wet kisses on your collarbone. He runs his hands up your arms before placing them on your waist, moving towards your chest. He puts his hand over your clothed breast, giving it a playful squeeze, wanting you to be okay with it before doing more. Upon hearing you moan again, he takes it as a green light before squeezing it more, rubbing his thumb over your covered nipple.

Your face is hot and you know that you’re blushing out of embarrassment but you don’t want him to stop. You pull the straps of your slip off, fully exposing your chest to him. You look away in embarrassment, not wanting to see the look on his face.

“You’re so beautiful, and so perfect.”

He grabs your jaw making you look at him again before connecting your lips. He lifts you both up off of the bed only to lay you down softly, never leaving your lips. He takes off his dark green overcoat, which he picked out to match with you when Sungho told him he would also be attending. He unbuttons his shirt and, to his surprise, you’re staring right at him. His toned and lean body makes his slight abs visible, even in the darkness of your bedroom. He smirks,

“Do you like what you see?”

He says playfully to which you feel your cheeks burn for the 100th time. He fully takes his shirt off, throwing it on the floor before making his way down your body. He runs his large hands up and down your legs before pausing to ask you a question: “Have you ever touched yourself before?”

He looked up at you with those big sparkly eyes that crinkled in the corner when a slight smile made its way onto your face.

“It’s quite embarrassing to admit, but yes I have, but not much.”

“That’s not embarrassing to admit, I appreciate your honesty, but please guide me, so I can make you feel as good as I can.”

He gives you the sweetest smile before slipping your dress up a little, now face-to-face with panties that have a clear wet spot around them.

“I didn’t know I made you this excited so quickly,”

He didn’t seem like the type, but his words were cocky, chuckling as he ghosted his fingers over the wet patch. You played into it,

“They were like this after our first kiss too. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, about you,”

You whispered to him which only spurred him on. He slowly slipped your panties off, discarding them next to his shirt, before rising a little to meet your lips. He guided two of his fingers down and hovered them above your clit.

“Tell me how this feels…”

He gently rubs your clit in circles, barely applying any pressure at first. He takes your slight whimper as a good sign and adds a little more pressure, kissing your neck as well. You grab onto his arm, clutching it as the pleasure in your core builds. You allow yourself to make some noises, the music outside loud enough to drown out your moans. You absentmindedly grind into his fingers, wanting more. Taking that as his sign, he moves his fingers away from your clit and slips them up and down your wet folds, collecting your slick.

“Let me know if it becomes too much”

He slips one finger in slowly. They were a lot longer than yours were and a lot thicker too. You nod your head at him to move and he slowly pushes a finger in before dragging it back out.

“F-Feels so good.”

He added another finger after a bit, making sure you were ready to take him. You buck your hips up into his fingers when he hits your sweet spot.

“Right there, it feels so good!”

You arch your back more, feeling immense pleasure build up within you. Suddenly, he takes out both fingers, to which you whine. He removes his pants and boxers before climbing back onto the bed and pressing a soft kiss to your forehead.

“I want you to finish on me. Are you ready, Lady Y/N?”

You nod your head quickly, wanting nothing more than for him to already be in you, but you’re nervous.

“Please be careful, and go slow. I’ve never done this before…”

“Don’t worry, I will make sure you are alright.”

He lines himself up with your entrance, biting back a groan as he slowly pushes himself in. You hiss a little at the intrusion, the foreign feeling causing you slight pain. His face morphs to one of worry to which you quickly reassure him that you’re okay.

“I’m okay, you can go ahead and move…”

His thrusts are painfully slow, not wanting to hurt you anymore. He can feel you squeezing his biceps, a little pride swelling in his chest. He takes this chance to dip down into your neck, leaving open-mouthed kisses but making sure not to leave any marks.

Your moans grow loud and are more frequent, a result of him speeding up his pace. You sit up slightly causing him to hit into you deeper. He groans in your ear,

“You feel so good around me, I don’t think I’ll be able to last much longer,”

The feeling in your stomach is familiar, similar to the one Donghyun had caused earlier when he was fingering you. You assumed this is what it meant to be close, feeling the pleasure tighten and about to burst.

“I feel it, please don’t stop Donghyun!”

You let yourself be a little louder that time, knowing it would fuel him to go faster— and he did. Moments later you’re coming all over him. He thrusts a few more times before pulling out and using his hand to finish himself off, cumming all over it.

Your breathing is shallow and quick, your throat dry from all the moaning and kissing. Donghyun runs to the bathroom connected to your room and washes his hands before grabbing a towel to clean you up. You wince at the process, still sensitive from before.

“Thank you for cleaning me up, Donghyun. That was amazing.”

“You were amazing. I didn’t know I could feel that good. I didn’t go too hard, did I?”

You shook your head before pulling him in for another kiss. You thought about what he had said before when you first kissed. How he hadn’t kissed anyone before either.

“No, it was just perfect. But I have a question for you. Last time, you said you never kissed anyone before. So how were you so good at what you just did?”

It was Donghyun’s turn to blush and avoid your gaze.

“That night that we kissed, Lord Sungho had asked to speak to me after he got back. He asked about what had happened and then he asked me if I knew what to do afterwards. When I told him that I had never done that before, he explained to me what the next process would be like…”

“Oh my, I’m sure that was embarrassing for you, having to talk to him about such an intimate thing?”

“Not really. We practically grew up together, besides the fact that I am his servant, he doesn’t treat me like one. We’re like brothers.”

He smiles to himself at the thought of Sungho treating him more like a brother than a servant.

“Of course we have to act very formal when others are around, but when we’re by ourselves, it’s like the class gap doesn’t exist.”

“That’s so beautiful. I’m glad he doesn’t make you feel like you’re just a servant. You’re so much more than that.”

You get up, wincing slightly at the ache between your legs, suddenly aware that you were still very naked. You look back to see Donghyun staring at you with a bright smile, eyes disappearing because he was smiling so wide. You say playfully,

“Stop looking at me! I’m naked!”

“I know, I’m the reason why.”

You laugh at his joke while slapping his arm.

“You’re cheeky”

“Maybe just a little bit.”

He laughs and gets up, putting his clothes back on and helping you back into your dress.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Welcome to my Masquerade…”

You could still hear the music outside, and the faint voices of people over it. Slowly, you both slip out of your room, you first and Donghyun leaving a few minutes later. You catch the eye of Sungho and Dongmin as you enter the ballroom. Dongmin says something first,

“You’ve been gone for a while! I was looking for you, where have you been? There were many people asking to speak to you.”

You hope they don’t catch the way your breath hitches before answering,

“After the dance, I told mom and dad that I would go to my room to lie down for a bit…”

Now it was Sungho’s turn to speak,

“If you were lying down, why are you a little sweaty and your hair is messed up?”

Before you could answer, Donghyun walks into the ballroom, walking up to the three of you.

“How is everyone’s night going so far?”

Donghyun says, adjusting his mask. Dongmin and Sungho exchange knowing looks, Sungho smirking up at Donghyun.

“It’s going fine. We were looking for Y/N because there were many people wanting to talk to her but we couldn’t find her. I was going to ask you to help us find her but you disappeared too.”

Sungho tilted his head to the side, waiting for Donghyun’s explanation. He had never lied to Sungho before, but he was quick on his feet.

“Oh, I’m sorry I couldn’t help you look, I was in the restroom. But I see that you have found her and I’m sure there are plenty of people still waiting to talk to her now.”

You look up at him in disbelief, holding back a laugh as you feign seriousness. Dongmin tongues his cheek, also holding back a laugh. He grabs your arm, guiding you to the next person that wants to talk to you, whispering to Donghyun,

“I know what you guys did, fix your shirt,”

Donghyun looks down, realizing that his shirt was sticking out from underneath his overcoat, not tucked into his pants. He looks up at Sungho, who's already shaking his head at him.

“If you guys are gonna be sneaking around like this, at least get better at being aware of your state afterwards… but then again, I am proud of you. Did you do everything I told you to do?”

Donghyun smirks, fixing his shirt before answering,

“Have I ever not done something you’ve told me to do?”

Both men share a laugh as they watch you struggle to hide your disgust at the next suitor you’re talking to. You make eye contact with Donghyun for a second, to which he winks at you, mouthing a ‘good luck’ before shooting you a thumbs up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After the ball ends, you and your family see the guests off, saying your goodbye’s. The last family to leave is Sungho’s. By now, your family lets you see him off without them needing to be there, so they say their goodbyes before heading back inside. Sungho’s parents give you the same courtesy, waiting in the carriage for Sungho and Donghyun, who drove the carriage here. Dongmin insisted he stay outside with you.

“Well, I’ve had a lovely evening, Lord Dongmin, Lady Y/N. I hope to see you soon at our manor. I’m sure someone else would like to see you there as well.”

Sungho brings your hand up to his lips.

“Next time you come over, be sure to bring Lord Dongmin with you, we have much to discuss.”

Dongmin and Sungho exchange hugs and talk amongst themselves while Donghyun comes up to you.

“I have also had a lovely evening with you, Lady Y/N. I hope to see you soon.”

Donghyun kneels before you, placing a kiss onto the backs of both your hands, the grandest request of courtship.

“I wish to court you from here on. Please think of me until we see each other again.”

You tear up a little at his confession, placing a soft kiss on his cheek, hoping that Sungho’s parents weren’t looking out the carriage, wondering what’s taking them so long.

“I will be sure to visit very soon. And I promise, I’ll think of you everyday.”

With that, the four of you bid each other farewell, you and Dongmin making your way back inside.

“That was so risky, even for you. You’re lucky nobody caught on.”

“I was nervous the whole time but it just felt right. I hope you’re not mad at me, big brother.”

“Why would I be mad? My little sister is happy! And I’m so happy for you. Not to mention how me and Sungho have built quite the friendship over this past week, especially tonight.”

“Thank you Dongmin. I really like him. I’m glad you do too! I hope you guys can build a good friendship as well.”

He pulls you into a hug and you finally feel at ease, after the preparation, the practice, talking to so many people and the actual ball itself. Not to mention that your and Donghyun’s earlier affairs had your legs slightly shaking the rest of the night. You feel yourself relaxing into Dongmin’s arms, the exhaustion from the entire week finally catching up to you.

“Let’s get you to bed. I know you must be tired.”

Dongmin scoffs before picking you up, carrying you to your bed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I know this is so long but I hope you guys enjoyed reading! Again, its my first fic on here so please be nice! my asks are open so if you have any questions feel free to ask!

#starrihan #leehan #leehan smut #kim donghyun #kim donghyun smut #donghyun smut #bnd #boynextdoor #bonedo #bnd smut #boynextdoor smut #bonedo smut #smut #kpop #kpop smut #Spotify

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