"Do you see, my Lord Nam? I was right, wasn't I? About this servant's over-the-top devotion to The Young Mistress Seo? He doesn't even communicate formally with her; they talk to each other as if they have known each other for a long time. If he spoke this way to any other Mistress, then he would surely be beheaded, would he not? He is clinging onto her even now in your presence, won't you do something about their public tryst?" "Tryst? What a strange choice of words for the ex-mistress of The Third Prince? I would have thought that you of all people would be able to tell the different between a candid talk and physical romantic gestures being made?" "There are not that many coincidences in the world for you both to be together this much!" He is my servant Mistress Han, where else do you expect him to be?" "How shameless and rebellious of you to come up with so many excuses!" "Mistress Han, what exactly is the point that you are trying to get across here? That I am close to my servant? That my brother sent to me only days ago? So what? i am an unwed woman with no pre-contractions to anyone, so what exactly is the problem here? Not even my own brother watches me as closely as you do, you really have nothing better to do with your time in the palace? Shall i inform your mistress about this? And maybe watch her gave you hard work to occupy your time with instead?" "Now that we have caught you, you dare to quibble with your superiors?"
"Yeon, other than coincidences, what more can you explain?" Seon-Ho asked me with a very dangerous look on his face, as if he was unaware of the truth. But we both knew that was a lie, so what was he doing, deliberately falling for these traps? What game was he playing this time? And who was his victim in this game precisely? Me? Or The Mistress Han?
"If you are truly so concerned abut this issue, Mistress Han, then why don't we ask some of your very own servants as to why she was so severely beaten right before this incident came to light? Your servant that is closest to mine, to be exact. In fact, you had all of them in an uproar only hours ago, isn't that so?" "What does that have to do with this?" "Because i am almost certain that is was your servants who summoned you here to alert you of..whatever it is that you think took place, even though your servants normally avoid my quarters, so how could they have known anything was going on? Unless you yourself have attached a piece of random jewellery on my servant to pin us fr an affair? Or you have presented The Lord Nam with certain romantic letters that you couldn't have possibly got from my quarters since your Mistress has rejected my requests to have a stationary set of my own? And if i did, my status in the palace could not call for the rather expensive paper that you are holding in your hands in his very moment. You would be more aware of these things if you weren't aways disappearing to follow The Lord Nam around everywhere that he went. Just like how you constantly try to shame me wih my embroideries that even The Third Prince himself has praised me for?"
I tried to walk away with my head held high, but my ex-lover whom i hadn't touched in months now suddenly took my by the arms so violently that i feared he almost ripped it in half. "You were lucky his time, but you cannot forever evade my attempts to send you out of the palace, no matter what lines i have to cross." So it was me, i was the victim in his games and it looked like he meant his words. But this was my first time following him somewhere and I wasn't going to leave the palace and leave him behind, no matter what it would cost me either.
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"…when was this memorandum sent in?" "It was reported to be abut lunch time sir." "At the exact same time that this Companion Choi is reported to have sought out rewards for her brother. And it must the The Mistress Han who is feeding her this information, but from who…" "Lord Nam, The Young Mistress Seo has arrived." "Very well, bring her in here, for i cannot longer avoid this topic." "Lord Nam? You called for me?" "Seo Yeon, why exactly are you in the palace and why haven't you left yet?" "Why should i leave here without you?" If i didn't hear this for myself, then i wouldn't have believed it. Despite us growing up together, I never really knew how closed off of a person she really was despite her fake extroverted personality that she put on for years. But it wasn't until now that I realised that Yeon, the true Yeon was just as introverted, just as quiet and just how cautious she was. The only difference was that Yeon was skilled enough to create chaos in her wake without having to do much at all. I had been looking at her all wrong up until now and i needed to revaluate our circumstances, because being away form her was driving me crazy.
"I am sure you are wondering why i disappeared so suddenly after…" "After you lured me into an open space to declare your love for me before coincidentally being ambushed by soldiers and leaving me on my own to live through the misery of my reputation being destroyed in the palace? I am just curious about one thing if you do not mind me asking; you have concealed our activities to your father and my brother. So how was a mere Concubine able to find us so quickly? Unless you let The Mistress Han find us before you abandoned me on my own to join my brother? And for what? What did you say to my brother to convince him to leave me here in the palace? What is it? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I simply forgot how perceptive you could be, it positively sends chills down my spine. I also forgot what you looked like in pure white…" "Stop it! Do not even think of coming near me! After you abandoned me! I hate you! You told me that you would never eave me no matter what! And you…no…stop...!" "Servant! lock the door so that Seo Yeon cannot escape!" "You bastard! you cannot just have me whenever you feel like it!" "Are you sure about that, Seo Yeon…?"
"…tell me again, why did you call me over?" she asked me once we had finished up our private activities and she had started redressing herself and after we had just slept for a few hours. I, on the other hand, was nowhere near ready to wake up yet from this dream that I hadn't tasted for months now, and i wanted us to savour every single moment when we were together. "Look at the documents on my desk." "What on earth is this? Why does this say that my brother was impeached? For what?" "For not giving into The Third Prince's request to take over for The Concubine Choi's brother. And to put the pressure on him, his men are calling your brother disrespectful, but lucky for you, The Third Prince still holds him to high esteem and will not let anything serious happen to him. But as for his followers, they have to show The Third Prince the upmost deference to show obedience, so they will get to your brother here and there. And no matter how high contributions your family has given to this nation, we are all subjects to this Royal Family…until you marry me, that is." "But no matter how lowly we are in this kingdom, The Seo Family is still mighty enough to only bow down to Lords and Emperors. How dare the Concubine's brother become arrogant enough to despise of his peers like this? And why is he interfering in matters of etiquette rather than tending to his own duties silently?" "And that is why i was with him, to ensure that nobody was making his life more difficult than it needed to be." "But?" "the only thing that can secure your family's life of ease is to marry me and you know it."
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How? How was it possible that she found out my servant? Were people really talking about me that much? Did someone have spies set up in my chambers? Did she set up spies to gossip about me? She will forever humiliate me for thinking about myself instead of worrying endlessly about every single move I made that would impact the family. Yeon was right, I did have private aids that I had more than one use for, but that wasn't anyones business other than my own. Lots of women of nobility had private servants for that sort of thing, but I hadn't managed to win over my future husband despite my Mistress's plan for him to marry Seo Yeon. That wretched bitch, I had completely underestimated her at the wrong time. Who would have thought that a useless disabled orphan could cause so much damage? I had so many plans to make if Seon-Ho didn't find out before the marriage and now who knows if he wanted anything more to do with me?
"...my Lady, The Lord Nam is currently having a private meeting with The Young Mistress Seo…" "I do not mind waiting for him to be free…" "My Lady, he is currently recovering from a cough and it is rather windy today, so it might be best for you to call upon him another time. i have strict instructions to keep you away until his meeting is over." "Very well, if she can provide him company enough, then i am at ease…" "But My Lady, you yourself have been standing in the wind for so long now, it will just make your own cough worse…" "i deserve it for still trying to compete with her, even though it never works, no matter what i try. but i still cannot help myself; the rising star of the palace is my only hope left in this world, and i cannot just let anyone take him away from me, most especially a disabled mutt like herself, it just isn't natural at all, even though i am the one who looks like a fool every single time."
"But what on earth was going through his mind, My Lady? He knows that you are unwell, and he should have informed you earlier if he was going to be this busy? But he would rather have you waiting outside in the cold..." "What do you think they were discussing?" "Seo Hwi has been recently impeached, due to his distinguished and honourable background on account of his father. but now that he has been publicly demoted, I really wonder how she can hold her head high in the palace. Maybe this will be the push that she needs to get out of here once and for all, especially as it was our mistress's brother who lead his impeachment. The Lord Nam is a dangerously ambitious man, he will soon realise what a risk he is taking to carry such a volatile little girl in his heart when he has me." "Her freshness of a flower should expire now and it will make him come to you My Lady, just you wait..." "My Lady?" "Yes? Is The Lord Nam free to see me now?" "My Lady, he has sent me to inform you that there is no longer any need for you to wait upon him anymore. you have already served your purpose…" "No! Wait! please listen to me! please...why? Why must she steal from me?"