The man you have been talking to during the tour was Mr. Persimore himself.

The words uttered by the old man kept repeating inside his spiraling mind. At the brink of an embarrassing meltdown, Briar found himself slowly walking back to the office lobby with his whole face frozen in astonishment. Fingers between his teeth. Sweat glistened down his forehead. It felt like he was marching toward his impending death by shame as he neared the wooden door. A foot away from announcing the biggest mistake he has ever made since he chose never to eat any meals that contained an eggplant.

The man you have been talking to during the tour was Mr. Persimore himself.

It wasn’t too late to run away and never show his face in this museum again.

“Briar? Are… you all right?”

Glancing up from the marble floor, Briar stared at his bewildered aunt standing behind the door she opened. Both stared at each other in concern and confusion. Briar was the first to break the silence, stepping up to his aunt with a finger over his lips in a shushing manner.

Yes, it wasn’t too late to make a run for it.

“Briar, what on earth—”

“Aunt Marge.” The urgency behind Briar’s whisper caused the woman to raise her eyebrows, wondering what made him resemble a white sheet of paper. “I… I think we should leave. Now."

“Leave? But we still have to thank Mr. Persimore for his hospitality… Even if you just rejected his request to court you, we can’t just leave and pretend—”

“Aunt Marge,” Briar repeated with much more panic in his tone, gesturing to the exit. “I believe this is the best time to go—”

“Mr. Solentine, are you heading home now?”

Briar shut his eyes for a second at the soothing voice resembling the shores in a calm morning coming from inside the office. Resigning his fate and accepting the fact he has indeed made a fool of himself as the real Mr. Castriel Persimore emerged from his room.

Dashing looks and mesmerizing cobalt eyes graced his view just as he averted his vision away. He indeed was a handsome man whom Briar mistook to be an ailing old man due to his assumptions.

It was too late to pray for the ground to swallow his pathetic soul up. All he could do now was hope that the real young sorcerer wouldn’t notice such a blunder.

“Y-yes, I did mention to your, um, Professor Hundley? Was that his name? Anyway, my aunt still has an important gathering to attend and she mustn’t be late! Thank you so much for your time, Mr. Persimore. It has been a pleasure.” Turning to his aunt, Briar expected compliance and utmost support at his decision to get out. Yet, he stood there shocked at how she extended a hand out for the handsome man. All smiles.

“Oh my… So, you are the Castriel Persimore, right? Am I not mistaken? The old fellow wasn’t the one who sent those invites, but you?”

Oh, dear.

Excitement in her eyes, Lady Margareth glanced at her dumbstruck nephew while gesturing at Castriel Persimore as if he was a god who descended from the skies. Briar suspects she has abandoned their plans of leaving upon knowing Mr. Persimore was young and so much better than the old man.

Any amount of confusion he may have had was not evident on his face as Castriel shook her hand with a small smile. “Yes, my lady. I am Castriel Persimore. The professor was the one who led the tour earlier, for I wanted to talk to Mr. Solentine alone.”

Lady Margareth was ecstatic, clapping her hands in obvious mirth. An exact contrast to Briar, who stood still as everything played out in front of him.

Stunning. Castriel Persimore was indeed a man who befitted such spectacular compliments. However, his attractiveness would only erase Icarus from Briar’s mind for merely a few minutes. Icarus Lir still haunts his head despite being in the company of another.

“Is that so? You should have said so earlier! I truly thought the old fellow was you! I almost wanted to reject the offer of having him court Briar since he was… well, not the perfect age to get married.” Then Briar was dragged out of his mute thoughts when his aunt took him by the arm. “Yet, here you are. Why don’t you two chat for a bit while I go—”

“Aunt Marge.” Briar interrupted abruptly. Not paying any heed to the surprised museum curator next to them. “I thought you had a party to attend tonight? You might run late—”

“That can certainly wait, my boy. Any party can be held anytime, but deciding on a lifetime partner won’t!” She gave Castriel a small bow, handing Briar’s arm to him. “I’ll leave you two now.”

And she went.

Castriel was the first to test the waters, nodding to the door.

“Let’s go somewhere no prying eyes can see, Mr. Solentine.”

Deserting the open office lobby where eyes could feast on gossip, Castriel led Briar down the hallway and out to a secluded balcony. A table with two chairs sat in the corner. A potted plant decorating its surface. Fresh air ran past them as they sat themselves down. Briar was nervous about what may transpire.

“How are you, Mr. Solentine?”

“I-I’m all right. Just a bit tired. You don’t have to keep calling me Mr. Solentine. Briar is fine.” The young master answered, fingers fidgeting. Now that they were alone, the intimate atmosphere did not help calm his nerves. Yet, there was no way out. “How about you, Sir?”

“Castriel is fine, too. Sir is just a bit too formal for someone who is trying to court you.”

“All right.”

Then, it was silent.

Darting his eyes at the equally silent man to the little garden the museum had below them, Briar bit his inner cheek in trepidation. The afternoon glow painted on the ivory colors of the statues in the garden. Tunes of birds chirping filled the air as they flew to the skies. The sounds of the bustling town were drowned by the running water on the fountain. What was with the sudden quiet atmosphere? Were they not supposed to discuss an important matter? The young master turned to his side and made a face.

He wasn’t like this earlier… Is it because he put two and two together? That I mistook that professor for him? Ah! The embarrassment is killing me!

“As I suspected, you are indeed a very beautiful man.” Came the sudden compliment from the museum curator, which caused Briar to turn back to him in astonishment. “The first time I laid my eyes on you, I was intrigued that I had to find you.”

In a blink or two, Briar merely smiled. Having heard similar sentiments in other creative forms. His suitors were indeed magnificent in their unique expressions but shared the same outcome.

“You… flatter me, Castriel. Compliments I shall take, but I have heard them a thousand times so I don’t know what to say…” Briar mumbled, standing up from his chair to lean against the marble rails of the balcony. Admiring the people down below. “Although, I must be honest… I am intrigued by you as well. A man of a wealthy status such as you wouldn’t be caught dead reading books or adventuring out there. Especially building a museum such as this! You certainly surprised me.”

“Are… your other suitors like that?”

“Most of them,” Briar replied softly. “Doctors, lawyers, businessmen… you name it. They all share the same characteristics; putting money and status above it all. Humans…”

“I take it that I’m the first museum curator who has asked for you…”

“And probably the youngest of them all as well,” Briar spoke with a chuckle by the end, eyeing him from the side. “Which leads me to believe that you were born with a silver spoon. Let me guess, you are also the only child. A son who is pampered by his parents… Giving him anything he wants and due to that, has become successful in his field of work and sorcery. Your father may have wanted you to inherit the family business but chose not to force you since he loves you. Is that how your life story goes?”

Not expecting the man to respond, Briar was pleased to hear him hum in agreement.

“Close. I wasn’t born with wealth because I was adopted. All I knew is that I grew up in an orphanage in another town before my parents came and took me with them here.”

“And may I assume it was because of your… gift?”

“By gift, do you mean my intellect or my talent for alchemy and sorcery?”

Cracking a smile, the young master laughed at the exchange. “Both. If your parents are human, they must have seen through your appearance back then. Seeing your worth and all.”

“I suppose. My parents are human, as you said.” Castriel, whatever was running in his mind, stood up from his seat to join Briar by his side. “And with how you spoke, I take it that you aren’t human yourself.”

Propping his chin on his hand, Briar grinned at the dashing man. It was far easier to mask his uneasiness than to show it. “How can you say so? I have the appearance of a human. The voice of a human. The language is spoken by humans. How can you say I’m not one of them?”

“In all my years of exploration,” Hand reaching up to touch Briar’s braided hair, Castriel’s smoky eyes seemed to stare into his soul. All Briar could do was hold a breath. “I have never encountered someone who shares the same hair color as you. Red, brown, black, blond, and even silver… I’ve seen them all. But never a deep enthralling blue.”

A telltale shiver ran down Briar’s spine at the implication, still trying to smile. “I see. Then, I guess you haven’t traveled far enough to see people like me then.” Brushing off the hand still fondling with his hair, Briar scoffed. The tips of his ears are red and his cheeks are warm. “An explorer, really?”

“That… I can not deny. I am still a novice for I have only traveled to five countries so far.”

“And besides, you are human and a sorcerer at that. Can’t you do your magic and see if I am human or not?” Briar knew he was teasing, making it obvious to anyone who may walk in on them. Despite this fact, he was confused when Castriel nodded at his suggestion.

“Indeed. Yet, I am barely human for I am mixed race. However, I have mingled with them for so long so I would be able to tell. All right, if you could be so kind as to remove all your clothes, I shall start inspecting—”

“P-preposterous!” Red and sputtering, Briar instinctively covered his body as if he was naked like the day he was born. “And o-out here in the open? Have you gone mad? And what’s this with being mixed race? So you’re not a human being after all? N-no, I won’t take off my clothes. Are you kidding me?”

“Yes, I was merely making fun of you.”

“Saying that with a straight face doesn't help at all!” Sighing, the young master folded his arms across his chest, all serious. “Castriel, I’ll cut to the chase. You are indeed attractive and witty, but I want to see past your face. I can’t love through appearances alone—I need to know who you are, inside. Past all the facade you may don on which is impossible for we have only met today. And I…”

I love someone else.

“We can do that. Get to know each other better.”

“But, I am running out of time.” He responded quickly, averting his gaze away.  “I’m afraid, the moment we would be on our… shall we say, the eleventh date? By then I may die and never see you again. If that happens, we both wasted our precious time for who could marry and love the dead?”

“You will… die?” Bewildered, Castriel leaned forward, causing Briar to take a step back. “I wasn’t aware that you had a disease or you were ill. Is it… is it serious? Is there no cure?”

Silly. It is not a disease that will not just cause my demise, but also my fate.

“There’s no use telling you yet. Only a fool would disclose his weaknesses to a stranger.”

“I apologize,” Castriel mumbled, creating distance between them. “However, we wouldn’t remain strangers for long, starting today. Wouldn’t that be a good start?”

“What made you decide to choose me?” Briar had to know. He always wanted to see what made suitors waste their time the day to seek his attention when they were infatuated with his appearance alone. Never interested in what he had to say. “You live a bit far off. I can’t imagine how you stumbled upon seeing me. Care to explain?”

“At the beach on one fine evening.”

Wide-eyed and senses sharp, Briar gripped the marbled rail tightly at the revelation. Thoughts piecing together, he gritted his teeth in frustration and anxiety.

I see. So this was his game all along. Asking for me. Luring me into coming here and saying I am not human. Seeing me at the beach—

“Oh? R-really?” Briar’s throat felt dry, mind weighing between fight or flight. “You saw me?”

Castriel nodded, cheeks faint with pink. “When I saw you strolling across the sand, eerily peaceful with your beautiful disposition… One can not feel infatuated and curious at the same time for a human as breathtaking as you couldn’t have walked on earth but should be adorned in the heavens. In that moment of weakness, I found that my heart and mind could not rid of your image. I must know you and share the same space to satisfy my increasing intrigue. Meeting you here, in the flesh, solidified that fact.” His platinum blond hair shone under the glow of the afternoon light as he knelt on one knee. “Briar Solentine, would you give me the honor of lending me your precious time to prove my worth?”