Chapter 55: Dobal (Provoked)

"You brought in an epileptic lowborn orphan for your servants to serve as if my status was suddenly raised in your home. So of course they resent me; I've caught them putting hellebore in my water, my food was always served raw and I used to go to sleep hungry. So of course I took food from the kitchen; unless you saved me just to torture me like this" the look she gave me sent shiver's down my spine and in that moment I swear, I had never hated my father more in that moment for what he forced me to do to her and the brother that she forgot she had. I wasn't her brother but I knew how much Hwi loved her, cared for her and tended to her as her carer, and I vowed that I would make up for everything my family had put her through; starting with protecting his only living family member with ever fibre of my being. I told my father I would take care of this and that from now on, everything that concerned Yeon was my business before I took her by the arm and I dragged her back to her room so I could interrogate her properly.

Fall back, leave her alone, stop following her everywhere she went... I tried to tell myself this over and over again with little success. No, this couldn't happen right now. I had so many things to think of right now; I had to protect Yeon and her brother whilst simultaneously trying to protect my own interests but that wasn't even the worst of it. But her presence her alone was already eradicating the loneliness and burdens I had to suffer here once the mansion gates closed behind me. And what she did just now...I was actually more impressed with her than when I met the first woman I had felt any sort of attraction to in my entire life...but she despised me with just as much venom as my own father did. But Yeon...

And just like that, the minute I thought about warmth my mind instantly thought about Yeon without reason or even my permission at all. The way her eyes looked for me just as before that were full of...emotion that I was unaccustomed to. The way her eyes looked straight at me that day without a hint of hesitation or disgust for what I was...she looked at me like I was a man, and with the respect that I could only dream of possessing one day.

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He followed me all around the mansion that day and wouldn't stop until he got his answers from me about the maid, not even when I had reached my quarters and he had followed me inside without asking for my permission at all. "What were you talking about with the maid? What shouldn't I worry about? You know that your safety is my responsibility right?" "Can't you just leave it alone? I don't like people prying their noses into my business, and I do not like to have backups in my fights ok?" He gave me such an incredulous look that it was hard not to laugh at despite the mood that we were both in right now. "You should probably pick up your jaw, Young Master" I was still laughing when he finally realised what I was saying. He looked...startled and taken aback, which I could tell he was not used to at all. "What? Did I do it again?" "Yes...you did..." he trailed off in amazement as I made my usual rounds of apologies, this man did ultimately take me into his home and gave me so much; a roof over my head, food, warmth...and a whole bunch of things that I had never asked for before...so I asked him to always compare my mannerisms and speech to how used to be, but I was beginning to lose hope of ever regaining my memories and I had no idea how I used to behave with him before so I just got used to apologising to him if I behaved any differently towards him than I used to. But for some odd reason, I was starting to feel like he liked the way I was now. And even how he was being now was not what I was used to at all, most of the time he kept me at a distance, but it was when we were very rarely left alone with each other that he was a completely different person around me, and I still had no idea how to react, so what else could I do but to keep him at a distance myself? He could do it to me all day long but when I did it to him then he got unnecessarily bothered by it that always confused me. He still refused to answer anymore questions about my past life, he mostly walked straight past me in the company of others but he privately expected me to do what exactly? Even now he was getting so close to me that he was the one who was violating the moral laws between men and women...and he seemed so comfortable with it. I on the the other hand was engaged in an internal conflict between my mind and my heart, and even my body seemed to naturally gravitate towards me as I found myself getting close to him enough to place my hands lightly on his arms to calm him down with no ill-intention at all. Men and women were not allowed to freely mingle with each other never mind touching each other until marriage, but here he was pulling me in so close to him that my heart was about to jump out of my chest and I close to fainting in his arms. Did all men treat women who were close to them like this? Like they owned them?

"Yeon?" "What is it Dal?" "I have everything ready for tomorrow to help with the servants bonuses." "Thank you Dal, I really couldn't do this without you." "Is that all that I get? Just a thank you?" "Well what more do you want?" "I...want to talk to you. Alone, after we get this out of the way." "About what Dal?" "About something. Just you wait." "Dal..." "Young Mistress? Everyone is waiting outside for your instructions." "Alright, I am coming." I was still technically on punishment, but strangely enough, this had been the only time that I had achieved real peace of mind and think things through. The Young Master's work seemed to be improving after the downfall of his neighbour bully and the so-called 'concubine' still wasn't married yet. But that didn't stop the child in her belly from growing and soon enough, she was confined to her quarters where she tried to make endless trouble for me, and I had been lucky to avoid it all so far. And that was because of this food donation that I was hoping to put on for the servants as other noble families in our neighbourhood did. Because the servants of the Nam household were just as hardworking as anyone else, every single one of them...

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"I cannot believe that I once again lost my right to manage this household! I was just getting comfortable and moving into my new quarters..." "But Mistress, you cannot neglect these things even for a single day. Now the cousin has taken back the authority and she has halved all of our portions just to feed whom? The damed servants? Doesn't she know how to do anything properly! Or is she only targeting me?" "My Lady you still cannot do anything to her. The Young Master seems greatly interested in the servants and she is only helping him. I have no idea why he is interested in such lowly people, but your heir will hopefully win over the approval of the master and this household will finally have an heir. Then he will have to pay attention to you." "It isn't just because of that! I have been so distracted in trying to find my servant that I haven't had any time in worrying about this household at all. I only made a single mistake and she was able to catch it so quickly." "And yet she can arouse the greatest suspicions from us in only a few words, she is not to be underestimated. Conflicts occur between us all the time and she hasn't been severely punished yet at all, they cry with scheming tears and laugh with conflicting minds, just like a pond of still water beneath the turbulent flow surge...Mistress? Why are you looking at me like that?" "And just where did you learn that from?" "From the books that we...you have been going over here in your quarters." "My cramped quarters where anyone can put their hands on anything anytime and anywhere at all." "It isn't your fault, who knew that the Young Master would give his quarters away to that girl when you asked his father for this place." "That is also something I do no understand; I thought that he always hated his mother? So why doesn't he trust me to be alone in this room? He even sends his personal servant to watch over me when he can at every waking moment." "Exactly; we are cramped up in her while the cousin still has the pepper-painted room." "What a cheap slut, she must be desperate to show off about the only man who would ever pay attention to her."

"What is all of that noise outside? How many servants does it take to simply set up a food stall?" "They are all excited, what can I say?" "Well, nobody did this for us back when I was...still, they shouldn't make this much noise! It will effect my baby as well! Why is everyone being so inconsiderate around me?" "Mistress..." "Summon her to me here now. And..." "And?" "Buy me some rice wine as well." "What do you want that for?" "Isn't she giving away some pudding or another? Fine, since she wants to half my portions, then I will do exactly the same thing to her. If I didn't get this special treatment when I was a servant, so why should anyone else? If no-one is respecting my position in this household then who are they to be given such luxury as monthly delicacies?" "You would have been better supported if the Young Master wasn't sitting in a jail cell right now under guard..." "Stop it! Do not mention his name ever again! No-one can know about that." "We should at least have a trusted physician by our side, just in case..."

"Greetings to the concubine." "Do you know your offence, child?" "Which offence? Being accused of theft? Or bragging to the entire manor of my pepper-painted room?" "You insolent bitch!" "My Lady, I am currently busy with the preparations of the food stall. May I know why you asked for me?" "All of this servant's work is disturbing my rest! You even had someone hang up a sunshade for the servants? What will be next? Will you be giving them titles of nobility?" "Well if you can get one, why can't anyone else do it?" "You...a crowd of lowly people making so much noise and constantly disturbing me. It truly is deserving of death! But they are just servants, so who else can I punish other than their Mistress!" "Well, at least you finally acknowledge me of being a Mistress instead of being a slave for once." "That is it! I am ordering you to kneel for four outside these quarters of mine!" "You mean the quarters of the Young Master's mother, or do you intend to steal that as well?" "You!" "Ok, I will kneel down to pacify your anger." "Since you know you're offence, you may kneel." "I just said that I will do it. But I am not doing it for you." "What do you mean?" "Young Master Nam treasures the servants so dearly; can you imagine the sheer embarrassment he will feel when he releases that the maid who threw herself at him to become a combine in the first place now lords over the people of her past profession as if they were inferior to her? Even through she was the one who sold herself into herMmaster's bed..." "ENOUGH!" "The home that you have made yourself a part of is still not yours since you are not legally married despite being pregnant with the Young Master's child. He himself is breaking his own bones to work himself up from this place and you didn't even think twice about restraining yourself to seduced him to keep your own place secure here. You never thought about him outside of your own selfish greed, so why should anyone in this manor take you seriously and respect you?" "SHUT UP! I AM THE MASTER HERE AND YOU ARE JUST A DISABLED ORPHAN! Now I will show you the difference between us! Only a motherless girl like you has no idea what following rules and decorum means, so I will teach you today lest you get under my skin again!"