Han Eunhee is from a high class family...But it's not very noble. All her minister father cares about is ensuring that the national funds find their way into his pockets.
If he was loving and caring, it would be something she could overlook, but he...
Instinctively, I had immediately reached out to grab the child. It was awfully close, her face inches away from the sharp stone tiles. I helped her regain her balance.
"Are you alright?", I asked, the shaken up child. She immediately bowed to me.
"Yes, my lady! Thank you for saving me!"
"Its alright. Just be more careful, hm?", I advised. She nodded profusely, then ran off to join her friends. I straightened up just as Kyungsoon reached for my veil. It had slipped off when I moved so suddenly.
"Agassi, are you alright?", she inquired, adjusting it so it covered my head once more. I nodded, holding onto the fabric with a hand.
"Let's get back."
The moment we were safely in the gama, I stretched my right hand out to her.
"Treat this when we get back."
Kyungsoon gasped. There was a shallow but long cut on the back of my hand from a stone tile I wasn't able to avoid.
"Agassi! Why didn't you say anything? Aaish-", Kyungsoon cried, reaching out to grab the injured hand. Pulling out her handkerchief, she lightly dabbed and cleaned it as best she could. I smiled at her fussing.
"If I had revealed that I was hurt in front of that child, she would've probably burst out crying on the spot for harming a noble. Besides, it's nothing serious. Just needs a bit of dressing."
"Nothing se-", she sighed, exasperated. "You're so kind, agassi", she ended up saying. I felt my cheeks heat up a bit at that, but stayed silent.
After we got home, I headed straight for my chambers, eager to look through the new books I had just bought. Just then, a ball rolled across my path. What was it with children running in front of me today.
One of my little brothers ran after it, giggling. Grabbing it, he looked up and saw me. A smile slowly formed on his face and and I involuntarily smiled back. He raised the ball in his hands to me.
"Play?", he asked. I hesitated, but as I reached out for it I heard Mother yell out her son's name.
"Daeseong-ah! Come over here!"
She walked over to us and picked Daeseong up. Straightening up, she dusted him off a bit before reluctantly turning to me.
"Your father said to leave in a couple of hours. Or sooner if you want. Make sure you wash up and eat something first", she informed me. Her words seemed caring, but the lack of emotion in her tone made it clear that she didn't really care if I did what I was told.
"Thank you, Mother", I replied. She said nothing, just turned away and walked back inside. I watched her retreating back, my gaze briefly meeting my brother's curious one before I turned away to address Kyungsoon.
"Hurry and treat my hand. You heard what else she said, didn't you?"
"Yes, agassi."
I continued to my chambers. After a bath, I sat silently as Kyungsoon wrapped up my hand.
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Listening to the loud giggles of my brothers, Daeseong and Daejung, it suddenly hit me that they probably didn't even know who I was to them.
'How would I have treated them if they were my mother's?', I thought.
I blinked. This is why I hated being idle. My mind began to go in places I wished it wouldn't.
"I'm done. Your meal must be ready. Excuse me while I fetch it."
I nodded as Kyungsoon left. Sighing, I reached for the pile of books we purchased.
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It was mostly romance stories; collections of short stories and short novels. A few were incomplete, probably made in a series. I chuckled. No wonder Kyungsoon was so shy.
I used to read these myself, but I had slowly stopped after they all began to blend together. It wouldn't hurt to pick them up again, maybe new material had been released since my last experience.
My meal arrived soon after, and I quickly finished it before dressing up again. Grabbing the book I had decided on, I got ready to leave.
***
Walking down the familiar stone passageway to Gwi's palace, it struck me how different the place felt to me now as opposed to a year ago.
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The familiar sound of my shoes on the cobblestone. The way my eyes easily adjusted to the dim light of the torches lining the walls.
The sound of the metal door scraping the ground was something I was used to hearing. In fact, something I wanted to hear. It reminded me that I was going into a space in which I was... invited.
Welcome.
I was fine with keeping Gwi a secret. I wanted to. All my life I was never allowed to have anything of my own. Anything to call mine. It might sound twisted, but whatever relationship I had with this terrifying man... I craved it. Whatever he did, all I know is that he treated me well. That was all I really wanted.
I feared what would become of me if I lost that as well.
