An Abandoned Noble in a Reverse World

Idly I flipped through the tabs on my holoscreen. Nothing was able to hold my focus. The dinner was tomorrow evening. I'm nervous.

It was no secret that I had belonged to a family on the higher side of society, which means I know exactly how monumental this is.

Granted it would be a big deal for any Ward stepping into high society with their Mistress for the first time, vital in fact. Not presenting well could end in further dropped status at home that in turn leads to being an easy target for abuse of every kind.

But with my past life and the access I had through Teddy's business training, it became strikingly clear there is much more at risk. 

This party is more than our debut it is our Mistress' first re-entrance after she was disowned. Making a favorable impression is essential for the further growth of her business, despite her blase attitude towards the whole thing she needs connections. 

"An old lover of yours?" Jimin lightly questioned behind me. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion before I realized that I had stopped my continuous flipping and was seemingly staring at the profile of a 90-year-old female.

Her appearance resembled the baby of a prune and a shar pei while simultaneously looking like she would at any moment collapse into a pile of dust. 

"Nope, not my type," I responded seriously. 

"Ah, of course," Jimin conceded his voice dripping with sarcasm, "you prefer your women rich and beautiful." 

I shrugged "What can I say I'm a simple man." Jimin grinned before rounding the couch to sit next to me. 

"Don't sell yourself short, you're tastes are a little more refined than that." He encouraged patting me on the back. 

"Oh yeah? Like what?" I retorted amused by the younger man's antics. 

"Hmm, let me think." He squinted his eyes as if in deep thought before snapping his fingers. "Ah ha! Got it." He leaned back against the opposite corner of the couch and pointed at me. "Not only does your partner have to be wealthy and beautiful, but she has to be smart." He paused dramatically, "Genius-level smart with insane athletic ability, and let's not forget what really matters a strong sense of empathy and justice." 

I froze, staring at Jimin with his sharp gaze and sharper smile. 

"Guys, have you tried on your outfits for tomorrow?" Teddy questioned absentmindedly as she walked in her fingers dancing across a keyboard no doubt trying to get some work in.

Since she hadn't been able to work much on her period she was trying to make up for it. Even if me and Namjoon were able to do most of it she still had to proofread and edit what we did before it got sent to the company. 

"I know the tailors are good at their jobs but they might not fit the way you want them to and measurements can fluctuate." She explained as she turned her gaze towards us. 

"Are you calling us fat?" Jimin asked a fake pout on his face. 

Teddy snorted rolling her eyes, "Not for a second, gorgeous." Jimin's face started to look a little flushed at the nickname. It didn't escape her notice a delighted smirk on her lips. 

"Of course," Jimin huffed trying to regain his composure as he stood, "I think I'll go try them on then." He explained as he speed-walked out of the room. The smirk on her face grew as she watched him beat a hasty retreat. 

Then she turned towards me raising an eyebrow as if asking "What are you looking at?".

"Have you tried on your outfit?" I questioned her.

She shrugged, "I did, but it's not as important to me. Men are supposed to be the eye candy." Teddy wasn't wrong.

Men are expected to spend hours on their appearance, especially at events. What other use could a man have besides hard labor and looking good? 

"Some lip gloss here a gorgeous dress there." She made vague gestures with the words before clapping her hands together with a "Boom and I'm done." I smiled at the exaggerated performance.

With my handsome face, it couldn't be helped that intense time and focus had to be spent on it. However, that doesn't mean I enjoyed all of it. Spending a short amount of time on appearance was one of the many things I envied about females. 

"Alright, alright I get it." I raised my hands in surrender. "How are you feeling about the other part of it?" The light-hearted atmosphere seemed to disappear with my question. "You know you're going to have to act..." I paused searching for the right word, "domineering, right?" 

Her jaw set, her eyes narrowing as she leaned towards me. The smirk on her lips was no longer playful, now it was mocking: practically a sneer. "Are you doubting me?" the words were hard a pressure emanating from them. 

Although briefly in shock I was not about to lose to my junior, I too leaned forward getting closer to her face. Closer to her lips, merely a coincidence of course. I tilted my chin up letting my eyes become slightly lidded as I smiled up at her. 

"Of course not, princess." The moment sat heavy between us. A light flashed behind her eyes, a look I couldn't quite understand. 

A genuine smile broke across her face as she backed up slightly. 

"Good boy," with those words she darted forward pressing a kiss on the tip of my nose. Mission accomplished she straightened before exiting the room, a small skip in her steps.

My gaze didn't leave her until she rounded the corner. Exhaling slowly I collapsed back onto the couch, one arm draped across my eyes as my brain tried to compute what had just happened. 

The poor thing was working very hard but was making little progress as the minutes ticked by. Why did my heart practically leap out of my rib cage with just an innocent little kiss? Was it innocent? Did I look like an idiot, slack-jawed practically drooling? Did she like me? 

There was something that kept surfacing though, Jimin was right.