I was with my man and my baby in our bed enjoying a rare peaceful sleep before we got word of what happened to Yeon, and then my husband seemed to have disappeared into thin air. We were just enjoying each other's company as usual and i found myself extremely grateful when my man still took an active interest in me, even after i had birthed his son and my body wasn't what is used to be. I was so exhausted that all I did for the next 2 weeks was sleep and only wake up when my baby needed feeding, which was every 2 hours. I really did feel so bad for my man for neglecting him like this since I was the one to tended to his every need, no matter how small it was. I was the one who undressed him and washed his feet when he came home before filling up a bath for him, I was the one who made all of his meals as soon as he woke up, I was the one who made all of his clothes and our furniture by hand and i was the one who missed him like crazy. The day that he was arrested after apparently kicking up a fuss in the palace was the first time that I could stay awake for much linger than usual and I had to do my best to pry him from the servants that his sister had sent home with us to help me serve my husband. But I finally managed to get him back to my side along with our baby who finally slept contently in his arms ironically.
"Forgive me for neglecting you husband, it wasn't my intention…" "Rest up and heal soon wife, for you shall give me all the children that you can. The physician told me that you had a weak constitution in the first place, so i am not surprised that you are taking this long to recover. Just do your best for me, because I miss you very much indeed wife. I am used to taking care of myself, but I need you again…" "I am taking all of the medicines that I can, and I hope to recover soon. We should throw a banquet in your father's village in your son's honour soon…" "We shall go there as soon as you recover, since you will plan this banquet for us. hopefully, my sister shall arrive this week and she will help you with Chul so you can have more time to recover with Hwa-Wol's help now." "You know that she will spoil our child silly." "Yes she will, do you mind it?" "I will not raise spoiled noble babies like how I had to raise my siblings in the past." "I will tell her to be careful." Tell me when was the last time that brat listened to you at all?" "Not since my so-called best friend stole her from me once again." "Are you really still upset about that?" "How do you expect me to react to it?" "He has things in common with her just like he has with you, and you know that he can heal her. you already gave him permission to marry her, and you cannot change your mind now."
"Husband...now that I am like this, shall I find you a…" "do not even speak of it into existence wife, do not go there I am warning you. You will not be like this forever, so recover quickly so I will not have to sleep alone again." That was the very last conversation that we had before a servant burst in with the news from a letter that they had received from The Mistress Nam. I instantly knew that something was off about this whole situation when Hui-Jae's name was mentioned. i have never in my life seen my husband so angry, to the point where he started smashing everything in sight in anger. I did know that Yeon did plan to take her down, but it looked like i would now have to do that myself...even though I was now a mother to a new born who needed my protection more than anyone. i needed to take her down, but I couldn't do it alone. I will need Hwa-Wol's help sooner or later, but how could i get her to turn against her former childhood friend… husband, wait for me, for I will bail you out and have you home with your son who is currently crying his heart out for your return…
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"…i love you so much husband, please forgive me for neglecting you like this. It wasn't my intention…" "Rest up well wife, for you shall give me more children. I want another son and I want an equal amount of daughter's…" "so that you can spoil them just like you did with your sister?" "I will treat them far better than i did my own sister, just you wait." "That isn't possible." "You will see, i will have so many daughters that are devoted to me, just as my sister is endlessly devoted to our father, and myself for that matter." "Did you talk to her? About The Young Master Nam?" "You were right to prepare me for such a hard situation, so yes I did." "And? How did it go?" "She still isn't sure about it all, she will forever have her guard up around him, which will cause him to spiral out of control." "But they will never leave each other no matter what." "He isn't that great of a listener, that is the main issue, and he is so obsessive with everything that he has that he ties them all together." "She has healed him, but he still isn't that mature enough, not compared to everyone else it seems. Nanny, will you please put Chul in his bed…."
Chul, my firstborn, my pride and joy, my son that was gift to me from my father, and the son that cried his eyes out when I left my home without even taking a look at him again when I heard that my sister was in trouble. My son with skin as smooth as silk, who always fell asleep milk-drunk with a little smile on his face and my son who always had a smile for me when he saw me, just like my sister did. My son who could fit his entire body into my hands, my son who had so much hair on his little head and my son who was already giving his mother trouble. He simply was not content until his little bely was full and he was being rocked to sleep in my arms, despite the lack of sleep that he gave us.
And my wife, my poor wife that i left on her own without any help whatsoever. My delicate and fragile wife whose birth left her body completely exhausted and she needed to take her medicines on time…she had been such a good wife to me and despite the lack of physical contact now, it was my turn to take care of her instead and I was loving it. i really missed being needed and now that i had the chance to repay her love with mine, i was taken away by the people that my friend and sister constantly warned me about. And i will never forgive The Third Prince for taking me away from my family, just as he kept taking my father away from me in childhood. I was going to keep well out of the palace business, but not after this, I was going to personally help my soon-to-be brother-in-law take him down once and for all…
"...calm down husband, calm down before you harm yourself…" "Wife? Are you here? Where are you? Where is our son? Did you really bring him here?" "How could you possibly expect me to sleep without you by my side, husband? And how do you expect our son to sleep anywhere other than your arms? How?" "But you are ill, how can you possibly be on your feet right now? Do not harm yourself, do not strain yourself..." "I have the help of your friends, do not worry about that. Moon-Bok is healing me as fast as he can so that i can have my family back, including my sister-in-law. So you tell me what i need to do in order to free you both…" "And Seon-ho? Where is he? What is going on with him?" "Husband, there is something that I need to tell you about him, but promise me that you will not get angry. And one more thing, you can never tell Yeon about this, or it will destroy them both." "Wife? What is going on?"
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"…well well, so I heard that The Mistress Nam has arrived and…" I didn't even let this lowly bitch Hui-Jae finish her sentence before I found myself putting her in her place by slapping her so hard across the face just as the Official Ministers were making their way in the palace, the same Official Ministers that her Mistress failed to win over in The Emperor's court and were surely looking for any way to discredit The Concubine Choi from her temporary rise to power in the absence of her husband. "Servant, who allowed you to address me so casually? Can it really be that after all of these years in the palace, that you still haven't picked up any manners at all? Is this why The Third Prince s easily discarded of you after you failed to give him an heir?" "You…!" "Go, collect my trunks and settle them into the palace for me." "What on earth…have you lost you mind? what on earth do you think you are doing right now?" "Didn't your Master inform you of anything? The Third Prince offered me his quarters the next time that i set foot in the palace alongside Hwa-Wol and her husband so that i can set my husband free." "...Hwa-Wol...she is here? With her daughter…." "She is here with both of her children, and we have no servants assigned to us yet and we are expected to dine with The Emperor for breakfast in he morning. so go and collect our thins and unpack them for us." "You bitch! Who do you think you are talking to! I am not a servant…" "Oh really? what are you then? A Mistress? A Concubine? A Princess? Or a kisaeng that fallen from favour, betrayed her childhood sisters for a man who used her and dumped her when he became useless to him? Right after playing two best friends against each other and still not managing to attain either one of them? and after all of that, you managed to pull yourself into a place that is lower than what you started out as? A kiseang usually finds a man to buy her freedom before marriage like Hwa-Wol, or she stays as a kisaeng until she dies, but nobody has heard of a kisaneg that fell so low as to become what you are now, which is what? A maid of a concubine? Let me reiterate that; a maid is what you are after all of the efforts that you have gone through to rise to power. I have already gotten Concubine Choi's permission for you to serve us during our stay, so stop putting off our commands."
"I am the Young Mistress Nam!" "Is that so? I am aware of such a woman, but she is the sister-in-law of Nam Seon-Ho who is living your fate in reverse. She was the maid of the Young Master Dal who became his lawfully-wedded wife after she bore him a son, and she will be on her way here soon to look after the Imperial nieces and nephews of The Emperor, along with Seo Yeon!" "Seo Yeon will never enter the palace! And she will never reunite with The Young Master Nam ever again!" "Are you sure about that? Well, I can only hope that you are better in bed with him than she is! and just for your information, the area under your feet isn't your palace at all, no matter how much you think it is. You have absolutely no power here, no compared to the daughter-in-law of the late Seo Geom..." "No! i am the Master here! I am the Master and you are the slut that rose up from a damned brothel! and now I am going to teach you the differences between our statuses! Come over her! Come and...are you crazy! How dare you hit me…!"
"If you wish to act like a tyrant, then you can fuck off back to the brothel where you left our sisters to rot in, Hui-Jae! Everyone here is the servant of the Royal Family, including yourself! And you indeed have become a servant Jae, so come to collect our things, alone."