Chapter 11: Dul (2)

"Do not worry, My Lady, I can promise you that the Young Mistress is not a threat to you in any way. She is just an epileptic orphan with no backing, even Lord Nam cannot stand her." "They are family anyways, of course she is no threat to me at all. But as for the other maid, well, it isn't too late to meet her just before the Young Master leaves, right? Bring her here so we can end her reign just as the Nam's prepare to leave." Achieving what I had in only a couple of hours was no small feat at all; only yesterday was I still a maid from a neighbouring family living on a small salary, small portions of food, thin clothing and a leaky roof with no wood logs for the winter. And in a single evening, my luck seemed to have changed overnight; I met the dashingly handsome Young Master of the Nam family who was without a doubt the most striking man I had ever come across. Of course I was aware of what had happened in his childhood just like everyone else did and that was the reason that no woman of nobility would go anywhere near him, but it was a different story for powerless maid like me who had no hope of becoming a part of the higher class even if I was gifted everything in the world, so why not settle for becoming a concubine in a powerful home. And no mater how powerful the family that I was currently serving was, there was no-one who could reach the level of Nam-Jeon who had been absolutely untouchable for years. He was feared by all and his enemies were all buried and dead before they even had a chance to stand up against him. Kim Chun-Ae had also been well known for her role as the Lord Nam's right hand woman at somebody so young, but everyone in our entire village apart from her knew that the Young Master would never go for her. He just wasn't attracted to her at all and I didn't know what grand delusions she had, but it was time for her to get over her high horse and make way for someone new and fresh into the Nam household. And I wasn't going to let anyone else have a chance at taking away what god himself had so graciously given me.

I had found the young girl with the rather unfortunate face in the back courtyard where she had been demoted once again to work with the lowliest of maids. She had a look of pure thunder on her face that only blackened when she saw me and almost mistook me for that lowly epileptic cousin of the Young Master's. That made me extremely angry, but I was different from her. I was not going to put my emotions to show without thinking twice and let my reckless behaviour dig my grave for me. But her mere existence had become a thorn in my flesh and I could not abide her if I wanted to start reigning this home for myself. I had to establish myself by the time that the Nam's had returned so I had a solid footing in this household. And as for the lowly cousin, well, I wouldn't cross her if she didn't cross me.

"You...who are you...and why are you dressed like..." "Maid, bring me the soft cushion that the Young Master bestowed upon me last night." "You..." "Yes?" "When I heard that the Young Master had taken in a maid I didn't expect..." "What? That there would be somebody younger and prettier than you who could surpass you? After your reign of terror in this village? Who haven't you angered? Humiliated? Shamed in the name of your Master? Do you even know how many live you have ruined?" "What are you talking about?" "You had my sister burnt for a mistake that she made in your presence in my master's household, you had my brother exiled with his own Young Master years ago and now you have recently beaten my mother in anger in this very household. I have been waiting for such a long time for this day and now..." "so you intend to use the Young Master for revenge? And then what? Become his concubine? His wife? Do not get carried away, because it will never happen." "I do commend that young girl in taking you down, she realised how stupid you were to let anyone get a hold of you from the moment you speak. What? What are you laughing about?" "You...do you really think that you are any different than me? Just because you have been accepted, that you have won?" "What are you talking about? Of course..." "...I had my suspicions all along, the Young Master would never take in anyone. Yeon was the first and I believed that she was the only one...until you..." "I what exactly?" "He dressed you exactly like her. You even....you hair, your shoes, you even smell just like her..." I thought she was comparing me to the Young Master's deceased mother's, so I chose to cut her off and have my servants that I was allowed to bring into this household to beat her.

"You bitches! You lowly scum! Is this how you serve me! You all used to worship the ground that I walked on and now? You are all getting even bolder! Once the Master's return, he will sort out that slut once and for all!" She was loosing her mind as she spoke and I could only stay on my fur cushion and relish every single moment of it, even when her own maids had joined in on the fun. "...if I didn't take you in, god only knows where you would be right now! Who allowed you to touch me! I am not afraid of anyone of you...you only have a Young Master who lives in the brothels as a backer! The Lord Nam will skin you alive for this!" "Haven't you heard? He is going to sell you off today at the slave market on the way to the war for the little prank that you pulled yesterday!" "What are you talking about, you little slut! What prank? It...it was you wasn't it! You set me up to take my place! Who are you to accuse me of anything! Even if you are temporarily favoured now, it won't even last a month up on the Master's return." "And how are you so sure?" "Because he will not let her go, I see that now. If you harm her, he will punish you. If you make her work, he will make you do it instead whilst she is comfortable fed and kept. He will do everything that he can, day and night to keep you apart. You will always be the maid and she...she will always win." "I have a family of nobility as my backer and the Young Master has no better option than myself and no-one will stand in my way."

"Servants! Stand down! And take these whores to the young master!" Out came the Young Master's servant Dal who looked furious for the very first time in all the years I had seen him accompanying him. And before I even had the chance to defend myself or my actions, I was dragged by Dal himself as if I was some sort of common maid and I was brought to the knees of the Young Master who himself looked furious. "It turns out that somebody of my status cannot arrive with the first troops, so I am stuck here for another day or two at most to deal with this nonsense. You are women for goodness sake, who told you maids to initiate a fight? On our day of departure? How insensible! Who is going to be held accountable for this?" "Maid? Did you just address me as a maid? After everything that we have talked..." "I specifically told you that you would eventually be my concubine if you were lucky enough. But how can you possibly carry out that duty if you cannot even do your job as a maid with an elevated status in this household? No wonder the neighbours were very eager to give you away!" "I...you...she was the one who had lost her mind! She was the one who pulled that prank to embarrass your father! She is the one who should be punished!"

"For somebody who is to serve the Young Master, you do have an awful habit of shouting back at him. Is this how you wish to serve him?" I could hear a young girl's voice behind the door of the Young Master, but she refused to step inside so I couldn't see her face. "The Young Master only appreciates well mannered concubines who know their place, and yet when you were brought forward to him, you didn't even give him your greetings or pay him any respects at all. Is that how a young woman who is supposedly fit for breeding should act? How ill-mannered and uneducated, no wonder maids do not last long as concubines at all." "Who is that! You bitch! Come out here and face me...!" Before I could even finish my sentence, I had been slapped to the ground by the Young Master himself who has such a darkened look on his face that had left me monetarily speechless and even frightened. But that was only a fraction of what I had felt when he stormed up to me and almost put his face right into mind before warning me that if I insulted his cousin again that he would actually flog me to death before dropping my body into the sea on the ship that he was about to board. "...Because he will not let her go, I see that now. If you harm here, he will punish you. If you make her work, he will make you do it instead whilst she is comfortable fed and kept. He will do everything that he can, day and night to keep you apart. You will always be the maid and she...she will always win."

"This was just a little fight between us women Young Master, it is nothing serious..." "if it is nothing serious, then no-one should be harmed. Young master, this young maid has been in your home for less than a single day and she already wants to kill somebody. This is unacceptable. If she was truly sincere about serving you, then she would have simply obeyed the rules and stayed indoors instead of causing such a scene." Dal of all people was now chiming in and I had no idea what to do next. I had no plan, no way of escape and if I wanted what I came here for then I was going to have to grit my teeth and just accept any punishment that would come my way for simply being too eager in my plot of rid myself of any obstacles before I settled in here for good. "You...shall beg my cousin for her forgiveness." "Young Master?" "Didn't you hear me? Both of you will beg for her forgiveness, otherwise I shall sell you both on the slave market myself!" I had to almost stab my palms with my nails to stop the tears of humiliation flowing down from my cheeks. Even though I had the right to exact my revenge upon that wench Chun-Ae, I was the one who made this mistake of executing it too early. And it was also my mistake for mishearing the Young Master's words; it seems as if I was going to start my new life by finishing up my duties as a senior maid so I could set a solid reign upon the other servants here, no matter what their ranks were. "A fault confessed is half-redressed."

"As for Chun-Ae, go on and bandage your wounds before you start work as a washerwoman, and this is the very last time that I will show you some leniency." "Young Master!" "Leave us! You as well! Go settle down in your quarters and do not stir up any trouble until I am back or I will sell you off."

After that whole debacle was over, I couldn't help but notice that the Young Master was just lifelessly staring at the door where his cousin had just spoken from. "Is everything alright, Young Master?" "I was hoping to pick some flowers from the garden before I left..." "Excuse me?" "But it looks like I will be caught in the rain if I do..." I had no idea what he was talking about, so I just decided to go along with whatever he was trying to say. "They do say that flowers who are wicked do usually capture one's heart." "Not as wicked as the green-eyed monster, you talk far too much than you read. Leave me now." "Young Master? What should we do about her? Yeon..." "As long as there has not been an exchange of betrothal gifts and information for the astrology Masters, this will not and never be a true marriage." "And if the neighbours start to try to reason with you? They may take it to court..." "She will be out of here before then. And as for Yeon, she seems perfectly capable of looking after herself." "Has she done something wrong? Why are you so angry at her?"