Chapter 34: When fire and ice meet...

Mrs. Adlerian's auburn eyes narrowed with affection as she leaned against Yuki's door, staring at her son and daughter who were sleeping soundly despite how radiate that morning was.

A small smile crept onto her lips before she strutted towards the two. When she attempted to wake them, the siblings snuggled together and pulled a blanket over their heads instead of waking up. Mrs. Adlerian was both annoyed and touched by the nostalgic display. She yanked the cover that shielded them and then smacked Jacek's arms which were wrapped around Yuki's stomach.

Jacek shot up, his disheveled countenance expressing his doubt of the world, confusion of his birth and uncertainty of where he was. After sitting blankly for some time, Jacek slowly gained an ample amount of his consciousness. He looked at his mother in puzzlement, "Why hit me that hard?" he rubbed the arm which still stung.

"Why are you lying in your sister's bed?" Mrs. Adlerian scowled.

Jacek rolled his eyes. He was very upset about how his mother treated him and hoped his displeasure was evident on his face.

"I am still unwell, mother."

"And?! Evading your sister's space will make you better? Sometimes I wonder who is older between you two…" Mrs. Adlerian sent her son a judgy look before trying to wake Yuki who was still sound asleep.

Immediately after Yuki fully awoke, she rushed into the bathroom in order to prepare herself to leave home for work. She had overslept, which meant it would be harder to get a carriage to her shop as the sun was fully up.

"Should I come with you?" Jacek asked as he was leaving Yuki's room.

"Rest up and make a thorough recovery. I am only going to check on the plants we left unattended for today," Yuki said loudly from the bathroom.

…

Yuki adjusted the brown bonnet on her head a fifth time since she left home. She squinted and shielded her eyes with her hand from the brightness of the sun. Yuki was moderately anxious as she stood beside the road, awaiting a carriage. It was already fifty minutes pass ten when she left home and she had been standing at the exact same spot for more than an hour.

As it got sunnier by the minute, Yuki's eyes were irritated by the brightness and heat of the glaring sun. Beads of sweat ran from her hair down her face without pausing. "Ms. Adlerian…" a familiar voice called to her.

Yuki looked over at a carriage that stood not too far from her. Treyton peeked his head out of the carriage and beckoned for her to come in; she did.

While wiping her face with her little handkerchief, she looked at Treyton gratefully. "What brought you to these parts?" Yuki questioned.

"I came to see you two, but Jacek told me you had left for the shop and was sure you were still by the road," Treyton responded.

Yuki nodded. Jacek had come to her rescue as usual. "But, how did you know were we lived? Even godfather does not know where I live, did Jacek tell you?"

"Tis a secret…" Treyton smirked playfully. He had his muscular arms crossed as he scanned Yuki's nonplussed expression with amusement.

Yuki held Treyton's gaze. She was not expecting a joke out of him, especially when he had been so stern when they were returning from Gouna. His expressions and playfulness were back to how she knew them to be. If she did not know better, she would have assumed he was all better and that he may have forgotten his problems after returning to the duchy.

But Yuki of all people knew that trauma was not so easily brushed off or forgotten. It was after thinking in such a way that Yuki noticed the subtle dejection in Treyton's eyes; it was always there. Yuki wondered if she had such a look in her own eyes too, she and Treyton were quite similar after all.

Yuki feigned a slight smile as she looked at Treyton.

"Will you need my help around the shop? I feel responsible for Jacek's absence. I can help around the shop, if you will have me?" Treyton inquired, looking intently at Yuki.

Feeling the sincerity in his voice, Yuki gave the idea a thought. She truly needed help around the shop after her short break. And while she hoped her customers would not come around, she knew it was but wishful thinking to assume none would visit the shop. "Will it not be a bother to you?"

"Not in the slightest. I am quite interested in getting myself busy," Treyton said with a meaningful smile.

"Alright then, I apologize forehand for the trouble."

⸎⸎⸎

While Yuki swept and dusted the dirt the shop had collected on her brief break, Treyton cautiously trimmed some flowers as Yuki had instructed him to. His attention was undivided when he snipped the overgrown stems of some peace lilies.

Yuki was quick with her hands. She completed most of her tasks in very little time and then moved to others. When the shop was utterly cleaned, Yuki set up the place to receive customers if they came by.

When all set ups were done, Yuki went on to assist Treyton in his tactically challenging task. "Did I trim this right?" Treyton pointed to a couple of roses he had trimmed.

Yuki's lips parted from each other and chose to remain parted as her eyes beheld an atrocity, she could not help but wonder about. Yuki picked up a red rose whose stem was not longer than two inches. Its thorns were clipped off as well as a good number of its petals. Yuki slowly looked from the pitiful flower to Treyton's clueless face.

Just by looking at her Expression, Treyton deduced he had done terribly at his job. He stared at the flower he had taken so much time and effort to trim before looking back at Yuki, "Did I do it wrong?" he asked innocently.

Yuki was not angry nor disappointed nor distressed that he had ruined her beautiful flowers. Candidly, she was surprised he took a look at the flower in her hand and looked like he saw no fault in its weird appearance. While gazing upon Treyton's puzzled, guiltless and offended face, an unintended laughter escaped her mouth.

Yuki covered her mouth when the laughter betrayed her composure. However, as her eyes fell on the other roses Treyton had trimmed, Yuki released the leashes that restrained her amusement. Her laughter echoed throughout the shop.

Treyton stared down at Yuki who had clutched her stomach from laughing too much. Her appealing laughter reverberated in his ears. The sight of her spontaneous conduct and expressions as she laughed had Treyton mesmerized. His eyes, heart and expression softened as he looked at Yuki without battering an eye.

Abruptly, Treyton's expression clouded. His grey eyes darkened while his jaw clenched. His fingernails dug into his palm forcefully as he looked away from Yuki and at the entrance of the shop.

Yuki, who was at the time stooped, felt a sudden chill against the back of her neck. Her amusement and laughter fled the shop. She slowly straightened her back so she could see Treyton's face. Though his expression was not as intense and murderous as the time by the stream, Yuki still shuddered to a degree. She followed his gaze and looked towards the door as well.

Standing gracefully at the entrance of her shop was a customer she was not expecting. It was Kaithenn. Though his face was devoid of any readable expressions as usual, Kaithenn appeared a bit hostile as well as he stared back, not at Treyton, but at her.

The atmosphere in the shop was both fiery and icy altogether. And the tension that came to be as the two men locked eyes was unnatural.

Yuki who was caught between the powerful auras of both men and found herself weakened greatly. Her knees shook slightly under her long dress as her heart started to beat at an unsteady pace. Meanwhile, her vision slowly lost the ability to see clearly which made her become wobbly as time slowly passed.

Yuki was in no state of mind to speak, comprehend or think. Her consciousness swayed, causing her to lose her balance. Just as she stumbled; she was pulled into an intimate embrace. 

When she gained a little awareness, Yuki lifted her face and locked eyes with a set of beautiful black ones that gaze down at her intensely. She was held firmly in arms which were not unfamiliar. Her unstable heart was instantly calmed by Kaithenn's hypnotical gaze, shortly after acknowledging whose arms she was in, Yuki shut her heavy eyes and succumbed to her dizziness.