24 You've Always Loved The View

Kyoya was quiet when both of them boarded the flight but Shouko didn't think too much about it. They went straight to the first-class cabin where they were the only ones in it. The stewardess welcomed them with a polite smile.

Even while he was quiet, Kyoya still didn't forget about his wife who sat beside him. He asked for a glass of warm water and a blanket before he carefully laid the soft blanket over her body.

"You woke up too early this morning," Kyoya passed the glass to Shouko who readily accepted it. "You can sleep if you want too. I'll wake you up once we've arrived."

Shouko hummed in agreement but she didn't feel even a faint hint of drowsy. Her excitement kept her mood elated but she just kept her quiet. Not soon after they boarded, the flight began taking off.

This cabin was especially quiet since they were the only ones in it. There was only the sound of pages flipping when Shouko tried reading one of the magazines provided by the airline. Feeling bored, she glanced around before her eyes landed on the man who sat beside her.

He was sleeping.

"Excuse me," Shouko called for the nearest stewardess who stood not far from their seats. Her voice was so soft, afraid of disturbing the man's slumber.

"Yes, madam?"

"Please bring another blanket for my husband," She requested with a smile.

"Please wait for a moment."

When the stewardess turned around to fetch a blanket, Shouko suddenly realized something. The words 'my husband' came out easily from her mouth. Her cheeks reddened in an instant.

She might be his legal wife but so far she still didn't have a deep attachment to him as a wife. She just treated him as a companion with whom she was comfortable to be with.

But, at this moment, there was a tiny seed of endearment that had started sprouting in her heart. Was it because of what happened last night?

Until now, Shouko could still clearly remember how his body quivered in fear when he hugged her as well as the helplessness in his voice. He was so vulnerable.

This man... I really do not know what to do.

"Madam, here it is," The stewardess returned with a blanket that was similar to the ones covering Shouko.

"Thank you," Shouko took the blanket from her and gently placed it over Kyoya's tall stature.

He was sleeping so deeply but when her hands accidentally brushed against his, his eyelashes fluttered.

It was close to 10 AM when they finally reached their destination. Sensing the change within the atmosphere, Kyoya slowly opened his eyes. He blanked for a moment when he felt there was something soft and warmth enveloping him. Kyoya looked down and saw a blanket.

This is...

Then, he saw her sleeping face.

As an understanding dawned on him, he couldn't help but smile.

"Shouko, wake up," Kyoya gently tapped her shoulders, trying to awake her.

"En...?"

Shouko stirred in her sleep. She squinted her eyes before her closed eyelids slowly revealed a pair of brown and clear eyes. The first thing that greeted her sight was his smiling face.

"Oh! You've woke up?" Her lips instinctively curved into a beautiful arc.

"Yes," Kyoya's smile grew more apparent, softening his sharp facial features. "We've arrived."

"Oh?"

Once both of them stepped inside the arrival hall, two men in black suits greeted them. Another one came with Kyoya and Shouko's luggage. The three bodyguards led them to the car that had already been waiting for them.

From the airport, it would take another hour before they reached the suburb where the beautiful lake was located. Kyoya actually contemplated taking a helicopter to save their time but after thinking for a long time, he decided against it.

He knew she was quiet repulsive with the idea if he voiced it out. She had done once before.

Their journey was smooth since most of the people were working at this time. There were not many vehicles on the road. The car slowly left the tall building and civilization behind, entering a wide road with lush greenery at both sides of the road.

"Wow~"

Shouko screamed in delight. She looked at the leaves of ginkgo trees fall from the air, creating a carpet of gold on the ground. The leaves flew and scattered once the tires drove past them, leaving behind a crisp and crunching sound.

"Do you love it?" Kyoya was elated as he was infected with the twinkle in her eyes. He was relieved seeing her delighted expression.

"Yes!" Shouko smiled widely. "I didn't expect their leaves have turned gold like this while the ones at our home were still green."

His eyelashes fluttered when he heard the word.

Our home.

His smile deepened.

"Shouko," Kyoya softly called out to her, trying to divert her attention from her side of the car window. "Look over my side."

Shouko's ears perked up hearing that. She turned around and once again she gasped in a pleasant surprise.

On Kyoya's side, an extremely exquisite view greeted her sight.

Thousands of diamond-like sparkles were laid grandly on the surface of a vast lake as the sun shone brightly against it. The dark blue lake appeared mysterious yet the color gradually faded close to the surface and showing crystal clear view of what lay underneath. On the other side of the lake, rows and rows of maple and ginkgo trees stood tall, their contrasting colors of shiny red and brilliant yellow created a picturesque scene.

It was truly a sight of heaven.

Seeing how her eyes sparkled like the glitters on the surface of the lake, an inexplicable sense of pride and joy enveloped his heart.

She was happy. That was all matter to him.

The car drove right into a yard of a two-story villa. Shouko silently looked at the villa standing in front of her. It was not as majestic as Rosy Mansion as its designs were more homely in her view. Light-colored walls, a balcony with French doors overlooking the lake, a vast yard with rows of maple and ginkgo trees.

The villa appeared simple yet refined.

"We've arrived," Kyoya helped Shouko unbuckling her seat belt. "Let's go out."

"Alright."

As soon as Shouko alighted the car, a gust of cool autumn breeze blew past her, tousling her hair into curls as she smelled the fragrance of the earth. It was a comforting scent. Her cheeks pinked as her body gradually came in contact with the refreshing air.

"Are you cold?" Kyoya gently grasped one of her hands in an unhurried manner. The way her eyes gleamed in joy brought a smile on his face. "Do you like it here?"

Shouko looked around, taking in her surroundings.

This place felt more peaceful. Even though she was comfortable in Rosy Mansion but this villa, the serene lake in front of it and the lush greenery surrounding them, all of them brought another sense of tranquility to her.

Then, she answered honestly while looking directly at the man's expectant eyes. "Yes. I love it here."

His eyes raised into a soft smile.

Both of them went inside the villa, their suitcases had been brought inside by the bodyguards.. An elderly woman in her late 40s was waiting for them. Her countenance brightened once she saw the husband and wife.

"Young Master, Young Madam, both of you are here already."

Shouko smiled gently toward the older lady, she felt welcomed by her attitude.

"This is Mrs. Shimizu, she's the only housekeeper here," Kyoya introduced the older lady to Shouko. "Since this villa is a vacation retreat, there would be only us here. Mrs. Shimizu would come to attend to our needs and go back home later."

Shouko nodded in understanding. Once again she paid her attention to Mrs. Shimizu. "Hello, Mrs. Shimizu. Please take care of us."

"You're too considerate, Young Madam," Mrs. Shimizu waved her hands. "I'm glad to see you again. Young Master has briefed me about your condition. Please be at ease and enjoy your getaway."

"Thank you," Shouko smiled, finally understanding why did this older lady look so excited to see her.

Since it was quite early for lunch, Kyoya led Shouko to upstairs. Mrs. Shimizu was still preparing the ingredients for the meal in the kitchen. Along the way, he began to introduce the villa layout to her.

"This villa has four bedrooms upstairs with ensuite bathrooms, a balcony for the master bedroom, a lounge downstairs as well as a porch," Kyoya pushed open the door on his right, revealing a room to Shouko. "You could stay here. I'll be sleeping in the room next to you."

He then pointed at another door to his right.

"You don't have to give me this bedroom," Shouko tried to refuse. She knew the room that he planned to let her stay was the master bedroom of the villa. "I could just use any room."

At their home, he let her stay in the master bedroom in order to help her familiarize herself with her surroundings since most of her belongings were in there but since they came to this villa, she didn't need such a vast room for herself. He should just use it for himself.

"You've always loved the view," Kyoya answered shortly. "The lake view is beautiful regardless it's day or night."

Shouko smiled helplessly. Since earlier, that was his reason for doing anything.

They came here because she loved the view. He bought the villa because she enjoyed the scenery here. And now, he had even given her, someone who didn't have any recollection of this place, the best room because of the same reason.

Feeling bad if she continued to resist, Shouko finally accepted his goodwill. "Alright, Kyoya. Thank you."

Kyoya smiled again.

Shouko noticed that ever since they were in the car heading to this villa, his smile appeared more relaxed than usual. Seeing him like this elevated her mood.

It was good if his heavy expression from yesterday could be replaced with delight.

Both of them went inside their respective rooms. Shouko began to unpack. She changed into a set of comfortable home clothes. Mai and Noriko were right. The air here was much colder than in the city. Shouko wore a loose cashmere sweater paired with a matching long skirt. She appeared much more petite in the baggy clothes.

While she was unpacking her clothes, she found something unfamiliar to her. Shouko took the black wool scarf from inside the suitcase.

This was clearly a man's scarf. Perhaps Mai had mistakenly taken Kyoya's and placed it inside her luggage. It was easy to make a mistake since most of his clothes were still in the built-in closet of the master bedroom.

He might need this, Shouko thought.

Shouko stood up, walked to the door and went to the room next to hers. She initially wanted to knock on the door but she realized that Kyoya had forgotten to close the door properly. Her lips parted, wanting to call out to him when her eyes suddenly focused on the silhouette standing near the windows.

It was him.

Kyoya was looking out of the windows. He was in the middle of changing his clothes but he paused and was now staring at the lake through the windows. His naked back was facing her, showing his broad shoulders and narrow waist. His pale white skin was backlighted by the sun penetrated through the windows, making him looked translucent.

As the blush began to redden her cheeks, another realization came that made her eyes widened in shock.

On his back, there were countless scars.

That...

Shouko instinctively took a step back before she quietly left the place without him noticing her presence. Both of her hands pressed her mouth, afraid of letting out even the quietest sound. Once she got inside her room, Shouko weakly leaned against the wall before she slowly slid down.

Hot tears began to threaten to fall down as the image of his back was still clear in her mind.

There were long and narrow scars on his upper back. Those shiny and pale scars with jagged edges, she was afraid to think of what had happened that led him to suffer having them.

'Young Master has been abused since young.'

At that moment, Old Toshio's word echoed in her mind.

Don't tell me... that scars...

It can't be... right?

Shouko let out a choke, her eyelashes trembled as her cheeks were dampened with her warm tears. She lowered down her face and wrapped her hands around her knees as she cried. The sound of her sobs echoed softly in the room. Her entire body quivered.