Chapter 10: Flowers

*3 days later*

The sound of horse clopping echoed through the small town. People looked out of their houses, trying to get a peek at the newcomers. Two carriages were coming down the main road in the town before slowing down at an inn. 

Yunho yawned inside the carriage cart and looked out the window. The sky outside was changing from orange to dark blue. It was probably late evening. The journey so far had been regular. There hadn't been any mishaps, and every night, they'd stop at a town and rest then continue in the morning. 

Yunho couldn't help but feel a tad disappointed though. Despite stopping at all those places, he wasn't ever allowed to explore them. Being transmigrated still gave him anxiety, but not having any experience in this world also did. 

The carriages came to a halt at the entrance of the inn. The horses let out a soft whinny. This shook off the remaining sleepiness Yunho had. 

"We're here!" Their coachman called out.

The butler sat up promptly and got out to help the other two out. Yunho took a deep breath of the chill air. He shivered and held his coat close. He was wearing a sable coat with matching fur on its trim. He could see his breath coming out in wisps in the air, and his eyes hurt. It was obvious that they were already in the north, so the lodge was not too far away. They'd probably reach there by tomorrow.

Yunho could hear the carriages leaving behind him. Over the three days, he learned that most towns had holding places for visitors to put their rides until they had to leave and take them again. The coachmen always parked the carriages there and stayed to keep watch of them overnight. He watched them roll down the stone road. Soft-looking clouds drifted by in the distance, and a light sprinkling of evening stars could already be seen. Yunho somehow found the sky far more beautiful than any he'd seen before.

"Young master, hurry inside! It's too cold to stay out here," Marella called out from the inn's entrance. Yunho was brought out of his trance. Suddenly, he was made aware of the cold again, looking at the warm light coming from the inn. He hurried inside the building and let out a sigh of relief as he felt himself warming up. 

There was a check-in desk in front of the group. A young man was standing behind the desk, reading a notebook. He looked up at the group and swiftly stood up.

"Are you all looking to book a room?" The young man asked. He spoke quite casually and took the pen off his desk.

A few of the servants gave Yunho a side glance. They weren't accustomed to his personality change and were a bit afraid that the man's casual tone would offend the youth and cause him to make a scene. The butler stepped up to the desk and answered for the group.

"Yes, we need about four rooms," the older man said, looking back at the group. "The young master can have a room for himself and we, servants, can share the remaining rooms."

The receptionist nodded and jotted something in the notebook. He took four keys from the rack behind him and placed them down on the counter.

"That'll be 2 silver coins a night for the four rooms," the man said.

The butler paid for the rooms, and the receptionist handed him the four keys with a smile.

"The rooms are upstairs. Down that hall is the lounge. In the mornings, they serve tea there," The young man said, pointing to the hall behind him.

Yunho looked towards where the man was pointing. He could hear faint chattering and light coming from the area. There was also a slight smell of smoke with the perpetrator likely being cigars. 

The group went upstairs, looking around for their rooms. There weren't too many rooms in the inn, so they were easy to find. The butler gave Yunho his key, and the youth entered his room. The room was simple with a medium-sized bed and a dresser. It, of course, paled in comparison to his bedroom back at the manor, but Yunho hadn't lived the "young master life" for long enough for that to possibly be his standard. 

Yunho could hear the others moving into their rooms. Outside had turned a rich blue, signaling the day's coming end. The youth took a deep breath. It was like a dream, all of this. He planned to escape the fate of the original Iris by leaving the manor and living on his own in the North, but that was all he had planned. Now that that was done, and the lodge was only a day trip away, what was the next step?

Yunho shook his head. These were thoughts for tomorrow. 

Yunho opened the door leading to the hallway and peeked his head out the door. He slipped out of the room and locked the door behind him. Yunho made his way back down to the bottom floor. The receptionist was now reading a book behind the desk and paid no mind to him.

The silver-haired youth turned to the hall behind the check-in desk and walked inside. It led to a moderate room with chairs and tables like the format of a lounge or one of those casual cafes. 

There were a few people in the room talking amongst themselves. There was a couple in the corner, a group of gruff men at a middle table, and a young man sitting next to a wall. 

Yunho spotted a stack of newspapers beside the entrance. He felt awkward just standing in the room like a lost cat, so he flipped through the stack, skimming the front pages:

"Grand Duke makes appe-"

"Hey, kid, you lost?" a coarse voice said behind him.

Yunho turned around and met eyes with the person beside him. It was the young man who was sitting by the wall before. Despite having a deep voice and a rougher appearance, the man was quite short. Yunho felt that there wasn't much difference in dimensions between his and Iris' body which he was glad about. That meant he was probably still 174 centimeters tall, making the man 172 centimeters or shorter.

"No, I was just looking for something to do," Yunho replied awkwardly. It was the truth. He didn't want to hole himself up in his room with only his thoughts as company.

The man laughed and rubbed the stubble on his chin. He hummed almost as if in thought.

"I know a good place for a young man like you. It's a place where you can see flowers of all kinds. Yes, it should be open about now," The man said, still rubbing his chin. Yunho felt that the man, despite being young, sounded like a sleazy, old man. But he couldn't exactly place why.

"Flowers? But isn't it the North? Except a few, won't flowers wilt here?" Yunho asked, suspicious.

"Even in the dingiest, coldest towns, there ought to be flowers. And where there's flowers, there's places to have a good time with them," The man replied with a laugh. 

Yunho furrowed his brow. Something about his words was…off. But they were talking about flowers, right? 

"Well, tell me about this place," Yunho replied. He was admittedly curious and promised himself he'd leave if he found anything suspicious. 

The man gave him a description and brief directions to the establishment. Yunho left the inn and went on his way. The cold chill caused him to slightly tremble. Stars twinkled in the sky, dotting the blue sky with white. 

Yunho was surprised to see that the streets were busier than when they came. There were stands selling items and the bustling atmosphere of a marketplace. Yunho continued walking until he made it to the building that fit the man's description. He raised an eyebrow. 

The building was in a more secluded part of the town. It had no visible windows and held a slight scent of perfume at the entrance. The only signifier that it was a legitimate establishment was a sign by the entrance that read: "Madame's House of Beauty" in swoopy calligraphy. 

It was an odd name and location for a botanical garden but what did Yunho know? He was just interested in seeing a few flowers and possibly taking one with him. It wouldn't be an adventure, but it would be some fun before he went back to the inn and retired for the night.

Yunho pushed open the door and was greeted by a wall of perfume. The smell attacked his nose along with the scent of alcohol. There was a check-in counter, similar to the inn. A woman stood behind it. She had large, pinned-up black hair and a red lip, and the neck of her dress was cut outrageously low. It was like she didn't feel the cold outside. 

What kind of garden was this? Yunho didn't see a flower in sight, and it smelled like alcohol. The woman's red lips curled up. 

"How may I help this young master?" The lady said, placing her hand under the chin. 

Yunho was already a few steps away from leaving when he heard the woman speak. He sighed. 

"Nothing. I think I got the wrong place. I was looking for a place to watch flowers?" The youth answered, inching closer to the door. 

The woman looked surprised and then laughed. 

"Ah? And you think you've found the wrong place. Surely this place has a "flower" for you? I have many girls here. At least one must be able to give you the service you want," The woman said, rapping her fingers against the wood of the table. She winked and started again, "Trust me they're very skilled."

Yunho's brain froze. Service? Skilled?! What kind of service could we possibly be talking about?!! The youth's face grew a tempting red, and he bolted out the brothel's door. He took a deep breath when he made it outside. The cold air stung his lungs, making him cough. 

His mind was still racing. So that's what that sleazy man from the inn meant by "flowers"...but how was he supposed to know? Who even refers to women that way?! Yunho's face burned red again, thinking about it, and he began to run again. He'd wasted too much time. He should go back to his room before the butler checks on him and gets worried. 

The youth was set on this when he bumped into someone forehead-first. Yunho rubbed the spot that collided with the other person. He looked up. The person before him was presumably a man. They were tall and upright like a poplar tree. Yunho had bumped into their chest, but it was hard and sturdy. The figure was cloaked in black, and their face was obscured. 

Yunho couldn't help but just stand there dumbly for a moment. This, paired with the shock from earlier, was causing Yunho's brain to go into overdrive. There was a beat of silence until Yunho realized how silly he looked and brought himself back to reality. But the man was already gone. 

Yunho found himself looking in the direction he could've gone. Who was that…? Yunho shook the question off. Now wasn't the time to chase after mysterious men, he had to go back to the inn. White gems of stars adorned the blue velvet of the sky. Twilight had come. 

—

Yunho lay in his room's bed, listening to the soft whooshes of the wind outside. 

He had made it back to the inn with some effort. When he came back, the butler and a couple servants turned out to still be awake, and the old man questioned him about his whereabouts. Yunho, of course, didn't tell him about the 'entertainment house' and just said he went to the night market. No one seemed to see past the small fib. The butler advised him to take someone with him the next time he wanted to explore. 

Yunho agreed. He would be lying if he said that being by himself in the unfamiliar town didn't freak him out a little bit, but then again, everything in this world was unfamiliar to him. 

Yunho snuggled deeper inside the bed. He had tuckered himself out today, and tomorrow morning, they'd have to be back on the road again. The tender youth's eyelids fluttered down and his eyelashes brushed his flushed cheek, managing one last slurred curse against the man from the lounge before he slept.

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End of Chapter 10