Chapter 139: A Jealous Maid (Jiltusim Manh-eun Hanyeo)

I didn't like this at all, how on earth did the young master find this lowborn orphan mutt again? Why was he chasing her as soon as she had left? Why couldn't he leave this girl alone when it was clear that she was below his standards...or maybe she had secretly seduced him under my nose? Who knows how that witch bewitched this man but as soon as he finished his work for the day he made it his mission to find her right after he cleaned every single plate she put in front of him. It was like he didn't know what food was before she fed him! I did everything I could think of to prevent him for leaving but in the end he actually flung me aside as he mounted on his horse to start roaming for her! What he was doing was beneath him but he had been like this ever since his father died, constantly either rooking for her and her brother or he was getting high as if he couldn't live without them! If only he put in this much time to find powerful connections and put himself on the path that his father painstakingly created for him, he would have already been at the top in the palace instead of chasing around Han Hui-Jae and this girl that she hated.

Han Hui-Jae was my boss, but practically anyone with eyes couldn't deny how much of a golden pot Nam Seon-Ho was; he was tall, muscular, ambitious, on the rise in the palace and he was drop-dead gorgeous. He would have had a following of women if it wasn't for his family background and his muddy past with his brother, which he was now clear of. And to be honest, my boss and himself had far too much in common to be a loving couple, like Mandarin ducks. They were both too ambitious, too hot-headed, too cunning and downright selfish. We had all heard the stories of how he had betrayed Hui-Jae in the palace and she still managed to have him wrapped around her little finger.

But he didn't know, no-one knew about the secrets that she kept from him that would destroy the lives of those around her that she was willing to give up for a better life. And all because she was playing the man who had killed her one true love. I had heard stories about her legendary beauty and rare intelligence before I was sold to the brothel by my parents after my half-sister ran away from home and she no longer was the subject of my mother's constant bullying. The son of the family was much too young to make any contribution to the family and she had squandered every last piece of silver her new husband's family had, just like she did with my own father. And now I was expected to carry on my family's debts and expenses...and yet here I was with the rising star of the palace whom I could easily seduce if my plans went well. I had no idea what he was up to with Seo Yeon, but I could already tell that it was far from everything that Hui-Jee was hoping. He self-harmed himself just to get into her home, but why? Seo Yeon was disabled, orphaned, penniless and had a brother who was perfectly capable of looking after her. So why did he manipulate every single step he took just to get to this lowly girl who didn't even want him by the looks of it. Whereas I was the one who was in desperate need of a man to start over a new life and who better than the man who had the rare privilege of having direct meetings with the Emperor face to face? Han Hui-Jae hated this man to her bones and Seo Yeon looked like she was also doing everything in her power to avoid this man once and for all. So why couldn't it be me? Why couldn't Nam Seon-Ho want me instead? Where did I lack to compared to these women? I mean, I knew that I wasn't the best hostess compared to Yeon, but Seon-Ho had money, so why did that even matter? He had money and he had properties for the taking and surely a lot of servants. So I should take my chance when I had it and hopefully in a month or 2, I would be the new Mrs Nam.

I was so lost in thought I didn't even realise that he had already left, so I had no chance of running after him now. But now that he was gone I could finally vent out my rage and resentment that I had been harbouring against this bitch who ruined and murdered the man who saved me from a gibang at a young age...and the man I always hoped would become my father-in-law. And she ruined his son who could have already climbed to the top & achieve even more than what his father did if he wasn't so...and myself? What about me? I had barely grovelled enough for me to stay by his side and take care of him but he didn't appreciate anything I did for him after she had abandoned him! I cooked for him, I cleaned up after him and his horse, and I followed him on foot everywhere since he didn't want to bother getting me my own horse? Why couldn't he see my efforts when I had nothing to gain, he wasn't even paying me? But all he could think about was this girl who probably kept her doors open for any man? I was getting so angry that could no longer control myself, and before I knew it I was tearing apart her whole place and ripping everything I could with my bare hands before I set her hoe on fire, just like how she had burned my hope and dreams down. She had gotten rid of the mansion that I had always dreamed of raising my family due to it becoming a donated building to the royal family, so I would never let her live in peace.

I had personally witnesses him chasing the kiseng bitch like any normal courtship but now I realised that he himself was confused. It really didn't take long for me to realise exactly how...possessive he was over her. Despite the sins he had committed against her that we all knew about in Ihwaru, he really acted as if he was entitled to her; as if she was his prize for all the hardship that he had suffered through. And now here he was acting like a total jerk to her because there was a part of him that wanted to deny her to torture her because...he was actually furious with her for doing what she did alone with no help at all or even confiding in him when he was the one who lied to her for how many years? Had he really just come all this way to stare at her as intensely as he did and try worm his way into every single aspect of her life and take over so she could only depend on him? For revenge? No matter how hard it was for me to swallow, I couldn't deny what was going on in front of my eyes...he had become completely obsessed with her. A part of him wanted to possess her for himself and another part of him wanted to torture her so she wouldn't show herself to anyone else apart from him. But I wasn't going to let that happen, and I was going to make of it by setting this place on fire so we can find somewhere else to live away from Yeon had hopefully go back to the capital where I could plan my new life with the Young Master. *****************

There never was a dull moment around this woman who was still a complete enigma to me, I had to admit, because when I saw who she worked for I had to almost pick up my jaw off of the floor. And I saw the amused look on her face when she walked into the shop so I knew that she was doing this on purpose but I had no idea why she would do this after everything they had been put through...

The Seo's were not completely orphans, they did have an uncle on their mother's side, but they cut her off when she chose to marry their father, so they had always been at odds. It was even said that this lowlife piece of crap even raided their home as soon as their father was boiled alive in a cauldron in the town square, so the Seo's returned to a home that was stripped bare of everything valuable they could use for themselves except a few of their father's practise weapons. But as for his daughter, Kim Aerum and Yeon, they were like water and fire ever since, actually they had never gotten along at all according to Hwi. It was always Aerum who bullied Yeon whenever she could for her fits and the circumstances that she had fallen into, and as for her parents they completely looked down on them. So why was she working in one of his embroidery workshops? Wasn't it enough for her that she had brought my father down, now she was looking for new targets? Now she was after her own cousin now? I was completely torn between my morals and my curiosity of the side of her that she had hidden from me. She had humiliated my father every single day under his own roof before he was executed as traitor in the palace much to my own satisfaction although I could never admit that to her. In the end I just let her get on with it and watch the show.

I watched her make her way to one of the workshops after her schooling and started embroidering, taking no safety precautions at all. I only watched her for a little while until I managed to get the full workers schedule and I carried on with my own work. And I still had my mind on her peaceful and calm demeanour when she worked which was the complete opposite of what I had experienced with my father. Not even Hwi smiled as much as Yeon did, and she was just so patient and understanding of everyone around her that it was hard not to be drawn in my by her. She radiated good positive energy that I tried to hold onto as I delved back into the world of corruption, jealousy, greed and selfish intentions that churned my stomach inside and out. I had gotten what I had worked so hard for indeed, but ever since Yeon did what she did...well I was beginning to question it all. In the period that she left I did have a lot of time to actually think about what I wanted for myself for the first time. At first I really didn't want to admit it, but it took me a long time to realise that even my dreams were centred around my father's approval. Of course there was a side to me that wanted to live up to my mother's wishes and make this world a better place if I had a chance to...but seeing how Yeon lived freely and how intelligent she was to use every day resources as useful utilities honestly opened my eyes to a new side of life I had never seen before. Even as a lowborn, Yeon wasn't an ordinary as I initially thought, in fact she was far from it. I still had a lot of resentment towards her which was honestly beginning to ease away every time she looked at me, conversed with me, tended to me and did things for me that no one ever had or wanted to. But I would only hold back on my own private revenge...all she had to do was surrender to me completely. No matter what she did or how far she went, I would be there with her and her brother every step of the way. And if she didn't come to her senses in time...I'd have to make her mine, no matter what it took...but little did I know that the very servant who hated Yeon the most and was practically obsessed with me would give me everything I wanted by her own hands.