VASE

I love you.

The words sounded natural, yet they made Ares's heart beat until that was all he could hear.

Not even a second later, Eirene opened her enchanting black eyes and captured his, overtaking his every sense. Her gaze mingled with his over the bouquet of fifty red roses, creating an illusion of flowers flourishing around her.

She was more than breathtaking. The sight of her erased the knowledge of how to breathe from his head, like really specific amnesia.

Her cheeks were soft red. They made her look more lovely and lively. Ares didn't know if her skin simply reflected the colours of the roses or...

The boy covered his mouth in haste. Did she read his mind, or he said those embarrassing words out loud?

But it seemed to be neither.

The corners of her lips pulled up a little, and her eyes became soft. "Thank you. I've never received a rose. Nevertheless, a bouquet of them."

Ares panicked about what to reply with and scratched his head nervously.

"I actually got help from the clerk when I told her about you. I am very bad at choosing flower combinations..." He then stretched out his hand in haste and shook them. "Of course, I didn't say your name or anything. I just told her that there was someone..."

"Someone?" She asked with a hint of amusement. He could almost hear the pleasing chuckles from her.

Ares whined and hid his face behind a pair of hands. He was aware of what kind of colour his face possessed, and it was embarrassing. If she continued to look at him so tenderly, he knew he would die from bursting from shame and happiness overload.

The words he told the clerk that time were something he didn't think through, and his mouth spoke before he could think. Even the clerk couldn't control her lips and turned into a smirk when she heard the way he described Eirene.

The rest went like a five-minute cooking show where all the steps of waiting and mixing were skipped, and here he was in front of the woman he just thought

But that didn't stop him from trying to get back his happiness.

He hadn't learnt his lesson.

Who knew when he secretly and cautiously peeked at her, she'd still be smiling and gazing at him, catching him red-handed right there.

He instantly shut his eyes and tightened the space between his fingers, but it was too late. In the next second, he heard what he thought were angel giggles, charming and joyous, not only to the ear but to the whole body.

Ares sprung up from the seat. "Vase! We need to put them in a vase."

He knew more than well that if he buried himself in those red roses and only pop out his face, he wouldn't stand out, and he could actually become a rose and hide from her, but there was no point in hiding when the roses were not getting what they needed.

"Sure," Eirene said and removed the blanket, showing her white silk nightwear. Although she had stopped giggling, the smile and the soft eyes lingered.

But before she had the chance to stand up, Ares placed his hands on her shoulders and halted her movements. "You need to rest. I didn't come here so that you can do labour."

"It's not a labour."

"Even if it's not, I'm your servant for today, and you do not have to do anything other than take your day off and order me around. Please rest." Ares carefully obtained the bouquet off her hands, placed them on the table, came back and tucked her back into the bed. "I'll be right back. Please do not push yourself while I'm gone."

He heard the woman promise and chuckle as he closed the door behind him with the roses in his arms. He didn't try and walk away soon and instead lightly leaned into the closed door and looked at the bouquet straight out of romance comics.

But now that he had the flowers on him again, his heart began beating as if wanting to fly away.

Why was he restless all of a sudden?

On the way, he was worried about Eirene's situation and how she would accept him into the house, but now that worries were gone, weird feelings were stirring within him. It was uncomfortable, but under the surface, it was a tickly feeling he was scared to admit.

Ares covered his mouth when one possibility surfaced in his mind.

Maybe he was having a heart attack for real this time.

But soon frowned when he realised he wasn't feeling any pain. But his lips soon turned into an unsatisfied pout, and the lines between his brows deepened. There was pain but not what he imagined what a heart attack would feel like.

But the pain only appeared when he thought of a certain person. When he thought of Eirene, it was as if the cloud in his chest had turned into a giant block of ice that spat small bits of hail around his heart.

Ares looked down at the bouquet, questioning his feelings.

"Are you alright?" A manly but friendly voice spoke to him from above. It was Jaxon with a grey tray of something he couldn't see. "Are there something wrong with the roses?"

The boy straightened himself and shook his head. "Nothing's wrong. I came out to look for a vase to put these in."

"Oh. Well, you can find them..." The manager paused briefly before continuing, "maybe in the kitchen or in the garden outside. As you can see, there are many plants in and out of this house but it maybe hard for you to find them since many are pots."

"Thank you."

Jaxon smiled at him and opened the door to Eirene's bedroom. "You're welcome."

Ares hastily bailed out from the scene and guessed his way to the kitchen with a lot of getting lost and confused by ending up in the same place.

The kitchen was very equipped, but the design was very calming with lots of wooden structures and colours. The white kitchen with bits of green and wood here and there was clean and organised. Herbs and air plants added life and accent. She surely had great taste.

"Excuse my intrusion." Ares muttered under his breath before placing the flowers on the counter and started looking for a vase he could use. "Okay, it's not here..."

As he raised his head from the cabinet, he caught the sunlight shining brightly through one of the large windows. He walked towards the source of the light as if that was the most natural thing to do and found a garden filled with blooming flowers and wild animals such as birds and rabbits.

The animals were so relaxed. Some dug the dirt up and play with others, while some slept on the green grass and enjoyed the sun without caring about their surroundings. The garden no longer belonged to the actress but to them. It was their home.

As Ares gazed at the sight that reminded him of the place he used to live in up until university, one of the sleeping like a log under the sun, parked its ears up suddenly and opened its eyes straight in the direction of him.

He didn't dare move, and neither did the rabbit. They held a staring contest that resulted in the boy having an uncontrollable sense of discomfort. "I'm sorry... ma'am, sir..."

"What are you doing in my house?" A girlish but annoyed voice came as a reply.

Ares backed up a few steps back in shock. His mouth hung open, and his hand was over his heart. "You can tal-"

"Who are you talking to?" The same voice questioned him from behind. Which made him finally realise the rabbit was never talking, but the girl with crossed arms and unhidden irritation was.

"Hello." Ares greeted Theia. Just like the last time he met her, she still had the red sunglasses on her nose bridge that didn't help soften her sharp glare.

The girl cocked her head to the side and made a business smile. "Hi. I still haven't gotten an answer."

Ares timidly lowered his hand and his gaze. How was she so intimidating? She was like his mother when his father bought something useless or ridiculous.

"I came here to meet your mother?"

"Hmm." The girl chewed the insides of her mouth before examining him and their surroundings. "Are you the one that brought the rose."

"Yes... And I came here to find a vase for them."

For the next minute, Ares felt as if the girl in front of him was sucking his life span, slowly. He was like a gazelle in front of a beast who hadn't eaten for a very, very long time.

After what felt like an eternity, Theia spun around and search the cabinet silently while he stood there like a dead tree.

Not even a minute later, she propped a glass vase from a cabinet. "Here. This one is free."

Ares walked from the spot to cautiously receive the vase. "Thank you..." He was careful not to get too close to her. Although he knew it was bad to judge someone too quickly, he couldn't help but think of her like a venomous snake. She was scary and intimidating.

Theia watched his every move until the flowers were in the vase. "I have a homework to do. See you later." She turned her back to him and walked away from the kitchen, not forgetting her purple bag on one of the seats.

Ares followed her with his eyes until he saw Jaxon enter the kitchen from another door she exited.

"Looks like you earned her trust. It took me a full two and a half years and loads of food to get her to tell me that. You should be crying with happiness." He chuckled at himself but stopped halfway and mumbled, "Was it the beard? Or the scars?... Anyway, the tea is getting cold. You should go back. I'll deal with the flowers."

The boy walked out of the kitchen in apology for making Jaxon come all the way to the kitchen and leaving the sick Eirene all alone.

He was about to get lost again in the maze of corridors, but this time he managed to find his way back in a few minutes thanks to Jaxon's guiding him from the kitchen.

Just as he was about to knock and apologise, a lady looking to be in her sixties or seventies, pulled the door open from the other side, almost colliding with him.

Ares immediately stepped aside and gestured. "Sorry. Excuse me. You can pass."

The lady with her straw dangling from her neck to the back, gave a meaningful gaze back into the room before she exited. But right after he passed by her, she stopped him. "Are you perhaps the grandson of Scarlet King?"