Gardenia of Blooming Desire

"Get me my blue vest, the thin one," Aster ordered. He attentively fixed himself in front of the mirror. He frowned when he heard no answer, nor footstep behind him. He turned around, but this new servant girl suddenly fell backwards.

"What's wrong?" Aster frowned.

The servant girl was obviously dumbstruck. This was her first day serving Young Lord, as he was out of the duchy for two years prior. She thought the rumor about Young Lord's matchless beauty was over exaggerated, since most nobles were vain. But now...

She gulped again and again just to calm herself down, but it was too much. Young Lord was staring at her with obvious displeasure, but she couldn't help but to tremble.

'How... terrible...'

Young Lord had pale skin, short and wavy bright golden hair, his facial ratio was perfect, straight small nose, small natural pink lips, beautiful curved eyebrows, long eyelashes, and his eyes...

Young Lord had deep blue with golden circle around the pupils, and he had a mole under his left eye. Whenever Young Lord blinked, his thick lashes trembled. Whenever he showed sign of displeasure, his brows would scrunch slightly, and he would squint, naturally magnifying the drowning blue and shining golden circle in his eyes.

Young Lord's mystifying eyes seemed to sip all of her energy, making her tremble in both fear and amazement. That pair of eyes submerged her into crazy fantasy.

They said Young Lord was breathtaking, but had hint of cuteness on him. However, looking at this, there was no hint of cuteness, he looked really cold, but at the same time, undeniably tempting.

Aster grimaced and called the guards, "Guard, take this servant out!"

Two guards who were also stunned shook his heads few times and dragged this servant girl out.

Aster rolled his eyes, he took the vest himself from the wardrobe and went to the dining hall for lunch. It had been one year and a half since his departure from this duchy, but everything looked the same. When he entered his room for the first team in almost two years, nothing had changed.

It seemed that his mother really took care of everything for him. Aster's lips curled up and he hastened his pace to the dining hall.

When he entered the dining hall, his mother, Grand Duchess Camille was sitting peacefully while reading some letters. She saw Aster in the corner of her eyes and her eyes instantly lit up.

"My son, I have ordered the cooks to cook all the foods you like! It's been a while since we ate together!" Grand Duchess chattered excitedly.

"Yes, mom. Thank you," Aster smiled and sat beside her.

Before Grand Duchess started talking about the plan for tomorrow, she noticed something on Aster's shoulder. "Why is there a dust on your vest, who let this?"

Aster sighed, "I took it by myself, I didn't have time to brush it."

"But I already assigned a new servant for you, right?"

"She... well, just like what happened to the previous three servants you send to me consecutively, she also fainted."

"I see," Grand Duchess' eyes had a blot of black around the golden circle, she said, "She dares letting a dust on your vest. I will punish her immediately my son. Maybe I should cut all her fingers as a warning..."

"No, mom. Remember, you already killed the first one, cut the hands of the second and third, this one would be the fourth if you do that," Aster really disliked his mother's violent behavior to servants and slaves, but what she did was quite the norm, thus he couldn't say much.

"I guess, her fault wasn't too severe, I will spare her then." Grand Duchess murmured, "This is because you have grown to be a stunning young man."

Aster chuckled, "It sounds like you are praising yourself, mom. I look exactly like you."

"Yes, you look almost exactly like me, except for those eyes..." Grand Duchess' smile faded and she gazed deeply at her son's pair of deep eyes. It never changed, the shape and the feature never changed. Although, Aster inherited golden family's golden circle eyes and also her eyebrows, the shape of his lashes, his eyelids, and that signature deep eye wasn't like hers. It was very similar to her husband's eyes, Grand Duke Harion, and it irritated her.

Aster knew what was in his mother's mind, he casted his eyes to the side and tried to shift the conversation, "About tomorrow party, how many invitees confirm their attendance?"

"I sent many invites and almost everyone confirmed their attendance," Grand Duchess smiled, "Well, King of Rhea, Gamasiel cannot attend due to important matter, thus, his brother will be representing him."

"About... Rosalie and Charles?"

"Rosalie would attend, but Charles was still on the long campaign in the south."

Aster's complexion brightened when he heard that Charles couldn't attend the party. The last time Charles attend a party, which was autumn banquet in Grand Duchy, he almost killed Ramuja. Currently, Aster was still powerless compared to Charles, thus, having this kind of news was relieving.

'At least, my reunion with Ramuja will be free from interruption.'

"I see, thank you, mom."

Grand Duchess chuckled, "What are you saying? Tomorrow will be your seventeenth birthday, everything have to be perfect!"

Aster replied with small smile. Then, they ate their lunch.

Aster stood up from the chair after lunch and about to leave the table, until his mother suddenly grabbed his wrist.

"My son, did you invite someone special with recommended letter to the party?"

'Invite someone? The only one I invite is Ramuja, but I don't use the silver letter for him,' in fact, Aster wrote it personally, stamping his own personal wax, and sprayed bits of perfume in it. His letter was simply one of a kind.

Aster shook his head.

"Mom, I don't use my invitation to anyone. You know that I don't have many friends." Aster frowned. He got stack of unused silver letters, commonly used for young nobles on their birthday to invite friends, lovers or family members. He had been hoarding his silver letters since he was young. The last time he actually sent one was to Charles and Rosalie, when he was six years old.

"You don't plan to invite someone? Or already sent one?" Grand Duchess asked. Her gaze deepened, as if she was probing something.

Aster shook his head helplessly, "I told you, I don't have any friend."

"I see," Grand Duchess smiled and loosened her grip, "Well, I still have to manage the party preparation, you can go first."

Aster nodded and left the room.

Grand Duchess' smile disappeared instantly after Aster left the dining hall. Her expression was grim, because she knew that her son was lying. Aster did invite someone personally, but he didn't use the regular Grand Duchy courier.

Aster might've used his subordinate or with other means, because the letter was able to bypass many shadow guards around the Grand Duchy without being noticed. Thus, it was too late when Grand Duchess received the news about this letter.

Grand Duchess gritted her teeth.

'Perfect, he is about to hit seventeen and already have many secrets.'

'And it seems that his dirty dog has been living too well.'

***

Aster parted his lips and called out a name softly, "Jain."

A silhouette flitted through the window and a tall shrouded man appeared in front of Aster. He took off his veil and kneeled, "This subordinate is present in front of Young Lord."

"My letter to Ramuja and his safety has been secured, right?"

"Yes, I have dispatched few of my disciples to trail his wagon. He should be here tomorrow," Jain nodded. He still didn't understand his master's fascination about this lowly slave, but he dared not question him.

"Good, my expectation about you never fails me." Aster smiled. "About my party, you have to attend tomorrow, but as a regular servant whom I employed personally."

Jain raised his head, "Does that mean Young Lord would take this subordinate and Irion here?"

"Yes, I've talked about it with Irion," Aster took a letter from the desk and handed it to Jain, "But I have another plan for him. I only give this letter for you, you should be my only direct employee."

"Young Lord, this subordinate is very grateful," Jain held the letter tightly, "But wouldn't this limit my movement when I'm executing your order?"

"I trust your ability, and this is to protect you." Aster walked to the balcony and stared at the flower garden below, "I will explain it later, you should leave now."

Jain had more questions to ask, but he zipped his mouth and disappeared.

Aster stared blankly at the flower garden below. That garden was the rendezvous for him and Ramuja. Although they just knew each other and stayed for only three months, but those three months were very warm for Aster.

'He who cares about me, a friend... a lover...'

Aster's smile deepened, his golden circle dilated slightly, he uttered one word that made him happier each time he said it, "Ramuja."