Chapter 144: Seo Yeon

We ended up leaving on horseback; he wouldn't even look at me or say a word but he held a tight grip on my belly the whole time. I leaned my head on his shoulder and he looked guilty and scared like something was eating away at his mind. He showed me the wing he had built for me and I threw myself on him, drunk on happiness and he just held me...tighter and tighter until I started to panic and beg him to let go of me. When he heard this he picked me up in his arms and stared at me for a long time before he just threw me onto the bed coldly as if I was a pillow. I began to get scared, but before I could beg him to tell me what was wrong he gave me such a look that sent chills down my spine; I recognised that face...the face his now-dead father used to make. He pulled me into a rather painful hug and warned me in a low voice that I should not have left him. I tried to explain that his first wife would be a much better choice but his fingertips dug into me so deeply I couldn't speak anymore. We went through the same routine as we did on our wedding night and he kept a dagger under his pillow, holding me in my sleep so I couldn't move as well as having the door bolted from the outside.

My first encounter with Chun-Ae after the wedding was a bad one to say the least. Seon-Ho finally let me out of the bedroom to find something to eat while he slept. It looked like she had been waiting outside of our bedroom all night long, listening to every sound we made "Seo Yeon; from the first time I saw you I disliked you. I loved him so much. I learnt all about his likes and dislikes and spent hours trying to be everything he needed and more since he was brought into the Nam mansion. Can you compare with me? Or my new noble status? Unlike yours that was returned to you as a favour from your husband? He was born into my world to do great things...despite his low-class whore of a mother. But you manipulated him to go through his darkest times. I could have done something a long time ago if yo hadn't stolen every opportunity from me!And now time and time again I find myself humiliated and shamed because of the lengths he goes through to make you his as if you're the only woman he can see! Can you compare to what I can provide him just from our association alone? He almost ruined me over and over again for your mere entertainment, even my cousins who are now lower in status than you ever were! Since we both know you cannot, why did you steal him from me? Why are you taking my husband away from me now you lowly bitch?" She slapped me again before I knew it as I was still in a daze over what I had just been through in my marital bed.

"I stole him from you? And your cousins? Since when did he belong to either of you? You sound just as delusional as them! Seon-Ho never acknowledged them...and he's done everything he can to distance himself from you and you still chased him....even when you had kidnapped me with Hyo-Sonn. I did everything you asked me to to distance myself and you still saw his reaction to the whole thing. I hid myself for years and he keeps finding me. Not only that, he keeps controlling my jobs, my freedom...but for the sake of some unjustified revenge, you constantly bring misfortune and shame upon yourself Your deluded obsession over a man who is loyal to someone else is the cause of your own ruin. This isn't fair to anyone, even to the man you say you love. And he even knows how you feel about him. I've known Seon-Ho for most of my life...he is justified in running away from the likes of you. In fact, you have only pushed him towards me even more...you personally gave him to me."

I seemed to have hit a nerve as she drew out a dagger she kept in her robes and tried to lunge at me! Only for Seon-Ho to come out of nowhere to catch her arm in time and throw her onto the ground before I could even blink. I could tell she was not used to being treated this way from him by the shriek that came out of her mouth before she turned on to my husband with wide eyes "Seon-Ho; what right do you have to admonish me? Do you know how many people are willing to take me off of your hands for my name alone? Do you understand the benefits I can give you if you married me instead of humiliating me and making me your partner in raising a god-dammed orphan brat?" He looked at her dangerously, no doubt after hearing her confession before grabbing her with such force I could hear her wince "are you delusional? You are nothing more than a palace maid, what imaginary life and benefits can you give me? Just get lost. From my home. From my life. And far way from my wife as possible. Your desperate stench makes me nauseous. Yeon...get back into bed, right now" he had fetched a servant to bring me some food to our room before grabbing me by the arm and throwing me back into our bed, but not before slamming the door on her face.

We both dressed each other the next morning as he took me to the palace to meet prince Bang-Gan still a little tense from last night. I know he was worried about today as he couldn't help but act a little rough when getting me ready. He then grabbed my hand as we made our way to the Palace anxiously. I tried to calm him down but nothing was working. He held onto me tightly as we got into the carriage and I just placed my head on his shoulders as if everything was normal. He finally looked at me with a worried look but I just smiled him as usual, reassuring him that I wouldn't let anything happen to me or to us before I started grilling him about the guests that came last night to take his mind off of things. That finally got his attention as I began to confront him with everything he had hidden from me about the situation, including my guesses on what he and my brother did that delayed them from attending their own wedding. He looked uncomfortable and irritated as I ignored him for the rest of the journey until we reached the Palace "you always know everything don't you" he muttered under his breathe and I couldn't help but laugh a little.

I walked ahead of him until he ran up to catch me and dragged me once again to apologise, embracing me from behind so I couldn't move until we noticed a eunuch looking for us. I stepped on his foot so I had a chance to escape. We followed the eunuch to the prince's residence which seemed to be the most isolated one unsurprisingly, all the way at the end of the Palace. We both waited for a little while before the Prince walked out without so much as a look but he ordered us to follow him. So we had no choice until we had to do so until we spotted Bang-Won and the King in the Royal Hall but he was denied entry. He had a sinister look on his face as he took us to another hall fairly close by as he started conversing with me quite loudly so everyone in the area could hear us. "Well, congratulations on your wedding Mr General. I see that you love your wife so much that you cannot bear to part from her for even this small meeting? Well no matter, what I have to say to her is no secret anyways. So...Seo-Yeon, I've noticed that you are a woman of many talents, you have worked many jobs. And even your brother is in the palace alone with your husband. And you were right last time...we are similar. So, I want you to continue work with me in the palace as my lady-in-waiting."

He first looked to my husband who was trying to hide his anger then to me but I kept my composure. I already figured this would happen; his brother had mine so of course he wanted me by his side as insurance so his younger brother could't harm him as he valued Hwi too much. But not even my man could get me out of this one, who could defy a prince? We spared a glance at each other; thankfully we had my brother and Jeong-Beom here so I had protection, as well as a husband that no once dared to defy. "I'm grateful to Your Grace for bestowing this honour to me...however..." the Prince burst our laughing, confounded by my rejection as anyone in his position would. "Oh, you do make me laugh Seo-Yeon, you do truly defy all the normalities of this rotten society we were brought up in like me. They say that daughters take after their mothers and sons after their fathers but you are definitely all your father. You were also a noble who was demoted to commoner and regained that was well by securing your marriage to one of the most powerful men in the country...and you dare to defy a Prince?" I knew he was making it hard to for to reject him purposefully...so who was I to oppose him? In fact...this was an opportunity that I needed. So I looked at him straight in the eye and I accepted.