Chapter 99: Da-Eummal (The Next Day)

I woke up in the morning to my entire room being torn apart so viciously, I had wondered how I had slept through it. I hadn't really gotten any sleep since I had regained my memories, so I guess I had caught up with it all when this happened. I got out of bed and redid myself, trying to get what happened last night out of my head to no avail. It was like I was lost in a daze, I couldn't stop going over the parts of my body that he touched, even if he just grazed it. I had no idea why he was doing this to me now of all time but he had better stop it and think about the woman he truly loved...even if they couldn't be together he should know better than to stop messing me around. Why did he suddenly care about me all of a sudden after all the distance he put between us especially when I needed him the most?

I spent the morning re organising my room when I noticed a gathering of men outside my quarters, just as my brother's bodyguards were awaiting to change their shifts well outside of the mansion. I couldn't help but to notice Nam-Jeon standing outside of his office with a very smug look on his face and I couldn't help but sigh, I guess this old man hadn't learnt his lesson yet. As soon as I made my way outside they all came rushing at me at once. I knew that Seon-Ho liked to keep his practise weapons quite close to my quarters, so I was able to draw out an old sword easily and soon enough I was facing all of them on my own, until a familiar face showed up. I had recognised him as one of the prince's men who had probably shown up to check on me. Nam-Jeon had to have been pretty desperate to risk this chance to kill me when he knew that I was heavy guarded for my own protection. He at least had the decency to look afraid when this person from the palace showed up. He ordered his own men to keep him under lock and key in his own study while I made my way to the market accompanied by this man to put my first stop of revenge into action. If the Queen wanted Nam-Jeon to be humiliated then why shouldn't I help out? At least for my brother's sake if not mine...and Seon-Ho's...

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I had been training non-stop in the palace ever since I discovered all of her secrets in hopes that it would tame my anger like it usually did, but today I could have kept going for hours. I waited for Yeon to find me to at least ask my why I did what I did to her room, or to even check up on me. My fists alone were covered in scraps and bloodied bruises that almost matched the ones she had on her arms. I will never forget what else I discovered when she slept and I undid her clothes in the right places that she got punished from the jobs she worked at behind my back. It was almost impossible for a women to find work apart from becoming a maid so I had no idea how she managed toward so many jobs in so many places; in homes, giving tuitions, as a clerk's assistant and other small random jobs. I had a feeling that I was only exposed to a fracture of her intelligence if she was able to pull of what she did to my own father, so I could only imagine the kind of attention she had been attracting to herself and the problems that must have come with it. No wonder she was almost covered in scars, it wasn't wise for a woman in our era to display any noticeable qualities other than ones related to becoming a good wife. She must have made a lot of enemies if she was so eager to isolate herself as soon as her brother returned...as if I would give her a chance to let that happen.

I was so lost in my thoughts about her dairy I didn't even notice a servant calling out for me, panting in expiration until he had to almost poke me with a weapon. I asked him what had happened and the minute he relayed his message I was on my horse so fast I couldn't't even remember how fast I had ran across the entire palace courtyard to get to the horses in the first place.

The minute I arrived back into the mansion that I was soon to be free from, I got the most unusual welcome that pretty much anyone would receive. There were injured men littered all over the courtyard just lying there. The servants where still around although they were all over the place, trying to find their next place of employment. When they told me that it was Yeon who managed to defeat them, I had to once again take a step back and let this piece of news digest before my memories went back to how Yeon was able to defend herself with a sword when she confronted my father...so Yeon knew how to use a sword? That must have meant that she had been training...but how? How was she able to accomplish all of these things right under our noses? And who the hell was training her? A woman? They Seo's had always tried to keep their identities under wraps...whoever her trainer was, he must have known who her father was. She must have trusted him...maybe more than she had trusted me...

The moment I had entered through the gates I first thought that I must have come to the wrong place, in fact I had to rub my eyes a few times and look around properly to make sure I hadn't gone mad...my father's once prestigious mansion that stood tall in one of the most expensive neighbourhoods in the village had now turned into some sort of...market place where commoners had begun to raid the mansion for everything and anything of value whilst my father just sat quietly sat in his study with his eye stuck to the floor as he had always told me to do instead of looking directly at him for any reason at all. I then noticed Yeon from another room looking quite smug as she kept on directing people where to go to take the things that they wanted. She didn't even notice my arrival which was completely unusual for her, but right now I was basking in my own satisfaction of seeing my father being put into the same state that he had rendered me in for so many long years. He didn't even have his usual cruel remarks for me as soon as he saw me, in fact he didn't acknowledge me at all which was a huge relief for me. I no longer had anything to say to him at all although he did owe me a lot of answers. Yeon suddenly came over and placed her hand only arm ever so gently; despite the sudden hostility between us I knew deep down that everything she was doing to my father was more so for me than herself and her brother. I just wanted her to admit to me so we could both move on...together. I had no idea why she was holding herself back so much when I could clearly see that she wanted to run to me if she could. I took her hand into mine and gave it a small squeeze as a thank you, she looked surprised but she finally smiled at me, the first one since she had turned all of our lives around...until another noble man I had never seen before entered the residence and started calling out for Yeon.

I watched as she slowly turned away from me and her hand leaving mine as she went to attend whoever it was who was calling for her. I tried to keep my composure but the minute she was out of my sight I had a servant find out everything he could about this man by then end of the day as I made my way back to the palace to oversee my new office. I had planned to take her along with me but I was informed that this man had taken her on horseback to the market without informing anyone so I made my way alone and angry.

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I tried to ignore the look he gave me when I turned around, and the butterflies in my stomach when I felt him squeeze my hand extra hard when I tried to let go. I had met up with an acquaintance of mine from one of my jobs I was still currently working at. He was one of the up and coming scholars who were already drafted to work in the palace and was actually the son of the man who was going to be educating me. I had chosen him as my tutor months prior to what I did when I had come across him during my work when he was a dinner guest of one of my employers, an we had remained close ever since. I looked up to him as my teacher, my mentor and even as a grandfather. He introduced me to his son after we had gotten to know each other we had kept in touch. He had actually helped me out quite a lot in terms of protection under their family name, he helped me out with provisions I needed and a lot more. He had recently been teaching me horse riding, much to my misfortune as I thought I was still one of the shortest women in the village, and I had a sensitive body.

We stopped off at the market place where we decided to eat lunch together and talk about our future plans, he wanted me to come visit him in the palace due to the privileges my brother now had for me. As much as my brother and Seon-Ho were involved in the palace, I hoped that my testimony was going to be the last time I had ever entered that place. Ever since what happened to my father, I wanted absolutely nothing to do with the palace, no matter what benefits my brother got from the prince who refused to let him go for some reason. I had made my excuses but he wasn't giving up. We barely sat down for 5 minutes before a servant from the mansion found me and told me that Seon-Ho was wait for me in the palace himself. The butterflied had erupted in my stomach again as I found that he had sent more than one servant to fetch me. Clearly wasn't giving me any options to reject his offer and didn't anatto make a big scene in the market where I was already attracting attention from everyone. Almost the entire village started crowding around the Nam mansion licit was an open exhibition and word had gotten out about who I was and what I had done to the big bad corrupt noblewoman who wanted to overtake the throne for himself when he had no claim to it at all.

I was surprised that he had managed to collect me in his very own carriage that he was given and a little shy for some reason. The palace was the last place I wanted to be but at the same time I wanted to see the fruits of my hard labour pay off, and I was excited about his new future away from all the negativity he had been suffocating in for years. As we approached the palace I saw that he was actually waiting for me with a look on his face that I couldn't really decipher. Curiosity drew me in as I momentarily forget my hostile war with him and I held the hand he had reached out for me. I didn't even realise we were holding hands until all the servants we passed started whispering about it, and before I knew it I felt my face getting hot. I tired to wrestle my hand away from him but he wasn't letting it happen as he practically dragged me across the palace to show off his new office, in which he was a senior for once. It was a rare feeling but I could tell that he areas felt...lighter and maybe even happier. He didn't smile that much but when he did it was very contagious indeed and in just a few minuets we were in hysterics. I forgot myself again and I found myself holding onto him while I was laughing...holding onto him as in I had wrapped my arms around his waist as if I was pulling him into a very intimate hug.

I didn't know what the hell was wrong with me and why I kept touching him freely but...it felt completely natural. As for him, I felt him freeze momentarily and I felt his eyes burning onto me as I tried to let go but he wasn't having any of it again. Just what was this guy doing? Shouldn't he be berating me for continuously getting so close to him? And when I finally built the courage to look up at him, all I could see was a very intense look in his eyes that made me tremble deep into my soul. I started panicking at this point but he just pulled me closer to him like that time he got drunk "where are you going" he asked me in a dangerously soft tone that I had never heard before in my life "I'm sorry...I...I should go". He got to the door before me and slammed it shut with one hand and turned me around with the other, wrapped it around my waist and pulled me in so close that I landed on his very wide chest "you're the one who keeps touching me and then keeps pulling away from me? Are you trying to arouse me on purpose?" I opened and closed my mouth in shock, I couldn't believe that he had used that word to me of all people! He was lying, he had to be, and it wad things like this that made me want to isolate myself completely. But when he got even closer to me and asked me if I didn't believe him before showing me...I had lost myself to him completely, no matter how selfish it was of me to love him and to want him. He didn't even give me the chance to leave before he grabbed my face into his hands...and he started kissing me. But it was a forceful kiss, and I could feel the anger he was keeping from me. There was no stopping him, until we had servant knock on his door which he was blocking with his back. It was at this moment that I tried to leave again the minute he opened the door, I ran so fast that there was no chance of him catching me before the situation we was in just a few seconds ago progressed...and it most definitely was going to if someone hadn't interrupted us....