The heavy aroma of fresh milk and dry hay filled the dairy's interior, but as Fuyu and Susan crossed the threshold into the private quarters, the air shifted into something more stagnant and intimate. Diana had already slipped away to the back to finalize the evening's yield, leaving Fuyu standing in the dim light with a face that still burned a vibrant crimson.
Susan glanced at him, her lips curving into a faint, knowing smile. She had never seen the boy so thoroughly dismantled by a few teasing words. Even when he was engaged in the most "naughty" or shameful activities beneath the blankets at home, he usually maintained a certain cool, mercenary detachment. But here, under the bright eyes of Diana, he had looked like a common, blushing schoolboy. "Is he blushing because he likes Diana?" Susan mused silently. "Hah... a young boy indeed. His heart is as easily stirred as a shallow pool."
