He gave Eden permission to comfortably look around anywhere except the study and rooms with crystal doorknobs, but Eden wasn’t the type to wander freely through someone else’s house. Seeing his passive attitude as he barely even looked around at the extravagant interior, Somerset said,
“Are you the type who doesn’t attend parties at friends’ houses? People get sick of them during junior and senior year. Don’t college students do that too?”
“I don’t.”
It was one of the reasons Eden got treated like a weirdo by people around him. He didn’t socialize more than necessary. Even his standards for what counted as “necessary” were harshly strict.
“What about a party just for you? Is that okay?”
“No.”
“I figured you’d say that.”
Somerset snickered as he climbed the stairs. Judging by that attractive smile alone, there were probably already truckloads of people who had fallen for him.
Eden himself had ultimately failed to reject Somerset’s invitation and ended up visiting his house, but he firmly drew a line between himself and everyone else. There was a clear difference in the fact that he only agreed after refusing four separate times. Someone who gave in immediately and someone who only accepted on the fifth attempt couldn’t be grouped into the same category.
Likewise, someone who didn’t drool over all the dazzling luxuries filling Quinn Castle had to be unusual too.
Privately raising his hand as the very person in question, Eden spoke indifferently.
“How far are we going? The drawing room is enough.”
“But I’m not satisfied with enough.”
Somerset turned around and looked down at Eden from two steps above him on the staircase. Winking playfully and gesturing for him to hurry up, he resembled a giant puppy.
Just as puppies naturally opened their hearts easily to people, Somerset lacked caution and was noticeably terrible at controlling personal distance. The five-story building he lived in had countless empty rooms, and there wasn’t only one drawing room either. Yet he’d still brought Eden straight to his own room.
For Eden, letting someone into the most private of spaces was an extremely high hurdle. He had never once invited a friend to his house growing up, and his family perfectly respected one another’s territory, never trespassing without permission. The rules of his secretive parents had been applied to him exactly as they were.
Standing with only the tips of his feet inside the spacious room, Eden asked,
“How many people have entered this room? What number am I?”
In defense of asking such a childish question, all he could say was that his brain must have cracked open his skull and escaped. He’d already prepared himself to humbly accept any teasing, but unexpectedly Somerset answered seriously.
“Well. It’s hard to count them all. Servants like Emma or Camilla have obviously all been in here. Not to brag, but I don’t know how to clean by myself.”
Standing there with his arms crossed against the backdrop of the obviously luxurious room, Somerset tapped his fingers as if counting before eventually stopping. Apparently, even he didn’t know the exact number.
Eden wanted to help with his calculations.
For reference, his escaped brain still hadn’t returned yet. At this point, he might need to put out a bounty notice to find it.
“Excluding servants. People who accepted your invitation and came in despite risking murder.”
“First.”
At the immediate answer, Eden let out a soft laugh. Naturally, he assumed it was a lie. Judging by the room owner’s usual behavior, he seemed like the type who would throw wild parties every day with people constantly flooding in and out. He’d literally just been talking about parties during junior and senior year.
“You can tell the truth. I won’t get hurt over something like that.”
“It is the truth. Really, it’s only you.”
“Did you move rooms recently?”
“No. This room’s always been mine. The history of Somerset Quinn is in here.”
So stop hesitating already and come in, he tempted.
“Count people who weren’t officially invited too.”
“Yeah. Even then, no one but you’s come in here. Why would I lie? There’s no reason to.”
That was the exact moment Eden’s runaway brain returned.
Closing up his loosened skull again, he forced himself to think rationally. Hadn’t he already experienced Somerset’s clumsy lies before? Suspecting someone as transparently honest as him was pointless.
The problem began after he grasped the truth.
It suddenly became difficult to look Somerset directly in the eyes.
Because his own face was undoubtedly displaying both pride and confusion at once.
First. The only one. One and only.
The realization that he alone was the person Somerset had invited here made him happy, but he couldn’t explain why, which only made things more frustrating.
The moment he turned his head away, Somerset grew impatient.
“Don’t avoid me. Don’t look somewhere else. We’re talking.”
Reluctantly complying with his request, Eden covered his face with one hand. He spread his fingers and met Somerset’s gaze through the gaps, but it wasn’t enough to appease him.
“Don’t cover your face.”
“Wait. Just—just a second.”
“No. I want to see your face.”
The amber eyes aimed at him flickered like a predator’s. Unfamiliar with feeling like prey, Eden hesitated. As he subtly stepped backward, Somerset followed him.
“Eden. Don’t go. Actually, I waited outside for more than fifteen minutes. I’ve been thinking about you since last night. Take responsibility.”
How many people could actually reject him when he pleaded like that?
At the very least, Eden couldn’t.
Seeing Somerset swaying his large body with a dejected expression while acting cute made him surrender completely. Especially with the added gesture of both hands raised in defeat. Fine, maybe his skin turning pink could be blamed on pressing his palms against it, but what was he supposed to do about the corners of his mouth constantly twitching upward?
“Don’t say anything. I already know how ridiculous I look.”
Somerset rolled his lips inward and swallowed hard. On one hand, it was a relief the command had worked. On the other, it felt uncomfortable, like locking an energetic puppy in a cage when all it wanted was to run around and play.
After hallucinating drooping puppy ears atop Somerset’s head, Eden showed mercy.
“I’ll allow exactly one sentence.”
The ears perked straight up, and behind him a giant tail spun like a propeller. Because Somerset wore every emotion openly, Eden kept experiencing all kinds of bizarre symptoms. Rubbing his eyes to erase the hallucination, he waited.
By then, Somerset had apparently agonized over his choice of words before finally speaking.
“You’re pretty.”
Eden’s room was simple. He owned little, and overall the colors were muted. There were no interesting decorations to fill the empty walls, nor any hobby involving collections. He enjoyed reading, at least, but rarely kept books afterward.
According to Jim—a colleague of Serena’s who disguised himself as an ordinary friend—it wasn’t wise to leave traces of your life behind. Once you had something to protect, you became vulnerable to danger.
It wasn’t that Eden had intentionally followed his advice.
He simply lacked possessiveness, lived with a detached attitude toward life, and had been raised that way.
For someone whose room would probably be called boring if guests ever visited, Somerset’s space felt like another world entirely. Though he’d remained unimpressed by the lavish scenery of the mansion wrapped in wealth, now he carefully examined the room.
The room, wide enough to resemble a tennis court, was brightly lit by sunlight streaming evenly through multiple windows. Whether Somerset had a collector’s blood in him or not, various ornaments were placed throughout, while furniture drifting between antique and modern somehow harmonized together. Signs of use coexisted with immaculate cleanliness.
When Eden’s attention got stolen by the chandelier that dominated the room even more than the huge framed painting on the wall, Somerset complained sulkily,
“I hate that thing. One day I came home and it was just there.”
Apparently his mother, the homeowner, had caused the disaster. He also pointed to the bed while explaining how he’d fought with her over whether or not to install a canopy, eventually claiming victory and preserving the room’s current appearance.
Eden didn’t particularly have an eye for such things, but he offered a brief opinion anyway.
“A canopy would suit the design.”
“What? That’s your taste? Should I put it back?”
“It’s fine without one too. Enjoy the thrill of victory.”
“Yay!”
Somerset jumped excitedly and ran over to an oil painting frame.
It was the one Eden had deliberately pretended not to notice earlier.
“This magnificent person here is Somerset Quinn.”
The textured oil painting depicted the back of a man standing before a horizon soaked in sunset colors. His bronzed skin contrasted against ivory-colored pants, emphasizing the man’s back beautifully.
Eden was impressed. The painting’s quality was extraordinary, but Somerset’s narcissism was even more incredible.
“So when you wake up, the first thing you see is yourself.”
“The time has finally come to serve coffee to someone perceptive enough to understand my intentions.”
Right on cue, Emma appeared carrying a tray lined with antique teacups. Somerset took the tray from her and set it down on the tea table by the window.
“So your misunderstanding’s finally been resolved. Congratulations.”
Recognizing Eden, Emma spoke first.
“Thanks to you. Honest Emma’s testimony was the deciding factor.”
“I do excel in many areas. I even remembered your request to pour the coffee into ordinary mugs instead of antique teacups.”
“As expected! Emma’s the best. And I’m second best for considering my guest’s preferences.”
The two carried on their comedic routine as naturally as flowing water. Eden had neither the confidence nor the desire to imitate Somerset’s shamelessness, so he simply thanked Emma before breathing in the aroma of the coffee.
He liked that it smelled pleasantly rich.
The moment he lifted the mug beneath his nose, Somerset stopped him.
“It’s hot. Drink slowly.”
“I can handle it.”
“No. If you finish that, you’ll leave.”
After quickly escorting Emma out, Somerset returned and sat across from Eden, bouncing his leg restlessly. There was both dissatisfaction and impatience in his expression.
Eden once again savored the coffee through its scent before raising an eyebrow.
“Did I ever say I’d leave?”
“Could there be more? Want to stay longer? You can sleep over too.”
“You move way too fast.”
“I’m not moving fast. You should give me a chance to redeem our beer-joint date.”
“Like I said before, calling it a date was a mistake. Men who cling to mistakes lose their charm.”
Even after being criticized, Somerset remained completely unaffected. His resilience and elasticity were astonishing.
“Isn’t that lucky? My charm’s infinite, so no matter how much it drops, it’ll never hit bottom.”
He clearly possessed an innate talent for conquering people. The defensive mechanisms Eden had painstakingly developed over time gradually lost their power in front of him. Lips trapped under tension twitched their way free again.
“It’s hard to trust people who are too smooth with words.”
He spoke grumpily in an attempt to hide his smile, but Somerset took no damage whatsoever. Resting his hand on the table, he approached by tapping two fingers forward like walking legs. Eden narrowly avoided the advancing presence nearing his mug.
He wanted to dramatically gulp down the coffee in front of Somerset’s face, but it was too hot. Instead, he provoked him by merely lifting the mug and pressing his lips lightly to the rim before pulling away.
Somerset leaned forward.
Infinite charm burst outward from his broad shoulders and chest.
“If you stay with me, that misunderstanding’ll clear up. Don’t leave until it’s completely gone. Play with me.”
He coaxed softly in a low voice, as though whispering a secret code. The atmosphere sounded seductive, but in reality he resembled a puppy panting eagerly after dropping a frisbee at its owner’s feet. A puppy ready to sprint off and fetch it the second it got thrown.
What kind of frisbee did you want?
Curiosity rose in him, and he asked,
“What are we going to play?”
The answer came instantly.
“Anything.”
The confidence behind it was almost enough to leave him speechless.
Letting out a faint laugh, Eden set down his mug and hid his hands beneath the table so Somerset wouldn’t notice how they twitched constantly, searching for a chance to touch him.
He imagined combing fingers through Somerset’s wavy hair. Tracing around the smooth corners of his eyes. Gently tickling the bobbing line of his throat.
It was an intensely instinctive impulse, yet one that made him think about far too many things.
Do you feel the same way?
The question rose sharply all the way to the tip of his throat before he swallowed it down. Since it had originated near his heart rather than his brain, Eden dismissed it as an error and exercised severe restraint.
“Today, I’m just going to drink coffee and leave.”
Unfortunately, there had been an opening. And he’d voluntarily exposed it.
Pushed into it by Somerset’s protruding lower lip.
“But who knows about next time.”
Satisfied by the added remark, Somerset lifted his mug and lightly clinked it against Eden’s.
“I know. You’re going to play with me a whole lot.”
Eden felt a strange kinship with the coffee rippling from the collision.
Coffee trembling on the verge of overflowing.
He deliberately pretended not to notice that its fragrance had already overflowed completely and was spilling everywhere.
