"So you want to keep the Seo's by you by marrying Yeon and giving her half of your assets over guilt?" Even I could hear the hint of bitter jealously in her voice that was making me uncomfortable in front of the man I had grown up with. But this was the first time I had seen where he didn't fly into a rage to defend himself or put the blame onto his brith circumstances. Instead he just smiled innocently at her as he made his points knows to us. "Yes, I would transfer half of my wealth of Yeon for nothing. But I do have my reasons as to why she deserves it, reasons that a woman like you would not understand." "And just what is that supposed to mean?" "Yeon helped me to be where I am today, so of course I would fulfil her every wish and desire that she has. She has restored my reputation in the palace depict my father becoming a traitor to the nation that I serve, the Emperor has strengthened his belief in me and I am now his right hand man. Instead of contempt and constant bullying that I had to put up with my entire life, Yeon has given me face and respect in my new status. She took care of me, she talked to me and listened Tony ideas without judgment and she always treated me as her closest being. So why can't I give her everything that I had since she worked to hard to give me everything I have desired since I was locked up in this hellhole by myself since my mother's death?" There was nothing that either of us could say to that; I knew that Seon-Ho's father had broken him but he would barely let me anywhere near his son as it was and he had a lot of power when he did what he did to us. I couldn't get any closer to Seon-Ho even if I tired and my efforts were spent on my sister; it was a regret that was going to haunt me until the day I died. I had no idea if something had happened between them already but it looked like Yeon had touched Seon-Ho in a way that I just wasn't able to. But I was aware of his lonely personality more than anybody else despite his efforts to hide it from me; once he opened up to someone like he had evidently did to my sister, there was no chance in hell that he was ever going to let them go, not in this broken lifetime that he was forced to survive in. And now I was stuck in dilemma myself; i hated the fact that my sister would be educated out of my sight when I barely had any time with her. But do I still find a groom for her? Should I just make a home for her and myself after she had finished her education? Or do I give her to the man who looked like he was willing to risk out precarious relationship to steal her from me yet again. But this time he was offering my lowborn disabled sister everything myself and my father could only dream of; marriage with every benefit that a noble woman would receive and more than her entire family would get in the lifetime. Good god on earth, this is exactly why I made her disguise herself into an awkward pre-teenage girl with no special talents at all to hide her intellect and progressive mind. Our father was right; as soon as a woman displayed even a fraction of their reasoning and intelligence, every man in her path would go out of their way to claim her in marriage. When I told Yeon I was going to look for a groom for her, this is not what I had in mind at all.
"Hwi?" "Just…give her the space she needs to complete her education and I will figure this out later." "Don't even think about putting this off, you know more than anyone how men react to an intelligent woman. They will not be able to take it and they will bully her worse than any woman could. It is a competitive world for her sex, and men would take any advantage over jealous women to do their bidding and you know it." "What the hell are you saying now?" "Educated women can only marry men they are educated alongside with. Look at the attention and new reputation that Yeon has throughout the kingdom, do you really think that they will let her be educated in peace? Her educational level almost matches mine and she has never even hd any schooling before." "So what do you suggest that I do?" "Agree to this marriage so I can send her over there under the protection of being my fiancé. A single woman being educated amongst men will only court a lot of disasters, and you cannot deny that many have approach you for her hand in marriage already can you? No mater how angry you are at me or how much you want to keep Yeon to herself, you know that you still cannot trust anyone in this world with her apart from me even to this day." "I…I…" "I have never let Yeon down in my care and I never will. And honestly speaking, you know I cannot be around anyone I do not trust. I do not have any hope of marriage myself or having my own family unless Yeon is the one who can become my spouse and give me the children that she herself has always wanted and you know it delisted her constant objections that come from her disability that I have witnessed myself."
"Enjoyed that, did you? Stealing my sister and enjoying the benefits she gave you? Good food? Good clothes?" "Good perfume, warm bedroom, hotter bath's, sleeping incense…I had to admit, I never thought the day would come where I would be envious of you, but here I am admitting it. And don't think that your dry jokes can make up for the fact that you hid you sister under those ugly big rags she had to wear and those pigtails she had until she was 16!" "Number one, it was for her safety, and number two it was my father's idea for her to act that way after his death." "And what does that mean now? Why are you and your father so damned paranoid about her?" "For the same reason that you are, or why else would you storm in here with such an attitude when my sister is perfectly fine where she is?"
"I don't know what you are talking about" he muttered in reply as his face was getting redder and redder by the second, and for some reason that I couldn't explain, I felt my heart drop into my stomach when I saw this. Only Yeon would get that reaction out of someone who was so rigid like Seon-Ho. "You know what day and age we are living in; which community would welcome an intelligent and educated woman? A woman who has been a social outcast since childhood because of the epilepsy that she developed from trauma instead of genetics? Do me a favour, go back to the school and watch her, take a good look at all of the scenarios that my sister will be pulled into due to jealousy? Ambition? Imagine the most beautiful of kisengs coming here and taking up all the customers of the other girls here? Wouldn't they want to kill her? Bully her? Make her life a living hell? And that's just the women, my sister is going up against men as well, men who have a lot to lose if they fail just like you did to me in the military exam."
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"Why does it sound like you already have a plan?" "Because I do and it was none other than Yeon who pulled it all together for me. Was your sister born on a lucky day or something? How is it possible that she is in the middle of almost everything? i can ask you that, since you have hidden so much of her from me." "She was always like this, even my father knew it when he saw the signs of how intelligent she was even as a toddler. She was born with so much talent, more so than any son of noblemen than we have known for decades, even centuries. But I had to admit, even though father always gave Yeon freedom, but there was part of him that always wanted her to have her own family, no matter how stubborn she is being about the issue, My sister isn't 100% the little girl she used to be, that is why. She is embarrassed by her own illness that the entire village has witnessed, no wonder she wants to start a new life somewhere new." "Yeon is only running away because she already has someone in her heart, but will not admit it." This rendered Hwi and myself silent but for very different reasons.
I also told him I knew about Yeon's new friend that Hwa-Wol wasn't too sure about, and the connection that she had to the Prince himself, as just as I had expected, made his mouth fall open before rolling his eyes as if he was sued to his sister being the centre of everything. "So what's the plan?" "What's wrong if I use myself as bait?" "On my own sister? Have you lost your damned mind?" "Ok, I'll just leave her in the hands of the Young Master who likes her very much, along with the 6 other concubines he has. Or some of the father's of her male colleagues who are already looking at her to add to their now lists of mistresses. All of her male colleagues are threatened by her intelligence already since she is the highest ranking student there, so even if they did propose to her via you, do you really think that they will treat her well? Anyways, it isn't about Yeon, for now. "Still…" "Better me than anyone else, don't you think?" "Not really." "And why is that." "Do you really think I'm going to let you anywhere near her with your woman that clearly wants to kill her like how she framed her for the palace poisonings? Yeon's safety comes before your plans, so you had better stay away from this and just do your part without interacting with my sister I mean it. I will take over for now." "And who will you use?" "You think my sister already doesn't have men lining up for her hand in marriage already? I can use any one of those men." He was deliberately testing me, and I knew it, but not even he could keep me away from Yeon no matter what his decision was as her older brother, it was far too late for that now.
"Hwi, i know you are upset about this and I really should apologise to you for this, but…" "But what?" "I will not because she isn't worth it." "What do you mean?" "She has turned into an ice queen since your absence and is capable of doing anything to raise her social status, including copying your sister and stealing her ideas, far more than you can imagine.
"So we get the girl, threaten the boy's father with a repeat of the scandal?" "That will weaken the Prince's hold on the scholar department, and in the meantime, the rest of you figure out how to dismantle the rest of the prince's men, before he gets us to kill each other. And of course, I have to record everything as proof to the King, who is the only one who can sentence the prince…" "But…" "But there is one more enemy we all have on our backs that we may not be able to control; the Princess Consort of your prince. My father died due to the failure of her enemies orders, but what do you think will stop her from scouting me to take down her enemies in the palace to save my own life? She might also start instigating you and myself to fight for good measure, she might even grant me concubines as the scholar department is on the Prince's behalf to control me. That is where the girls come in, of course." "And how do you suppose that will go?" He snapped at me and I had to really restrain myself from strangling him right there and then. "I own Ihwaru since I am funding it, so I might sell it to her where she can use the kisaengs as spies on her behalf to watch the Third Prince since he still goes there, due to her well-known obsession with him."
I followed Hwi out of that room before we both suffocated to death; he had been acting differently towards Hui-Jee ever since he got his sister back, and that wasn't all. I guess the war and after everything I had put him through had worn through his soft nature, and I was more sorry for that than anyone else. Myself and Hwi were like fire and water, and I need his mellowness to keep me balanced and calm me down. "What's going on with you?" "Why do you care? My sister is the one that you're obsessed with." I could hear the bitterness and slight resentment in his voice that took me by surprise until I found myself bursting out with laughter. It had been a long time since he pouted adorably to me like his, in fact I was only the day before the military exam that he was upset about something or another that made him always put like his sister would.
He used to be quite effeminate before the war, around me at least, and now he was acting more like how I used to be these days. "What? What are you laughing at?" "I'm laughing at how adorable you've become, you haven't pouted like a little girl for years now." "When do I have the time for it? I've got my rebellious sister on one hand, my obsessive best friend on her case on the other, I've got the prince on my back and I've got Hui-Jee pulling what is left of me!" "Hui-Jee is your problem, there is nothing I can do about that. But you know that I am more than willing to help you out with the rest." "Seon-Ho…" "You know tat I am right; you Seo's have a legacy to your name due to your father, and soon everyone will want to have a piece of Yeon to control you." "So what makes you any better off?" "I have the Emperor's ear, I am alone in the palace with my traitor of a father's name hanging around my head so no-one will initially want me on any side, and…" "Look, I have to ask you…what happened? Did something happen between you and my sister? Why are you suddenly the one chasing her around all over the damned village?" Because of our history, it was so awkward for me to admit my feelings to him in regards to his sister, but I was still determined to have her no matter what the costs were. "She makes me a better person, and look what you have turned into without her as well; a miserable and impatient man. Why are you being stubborn with this when you know that deep down you still cannot trust Yeon with anyone apart from myself?" "You know damned well why. I know you hold a grudge against her, the last thing she needs to go through is one of your psycho-babble bullshit. She deserves a life of comfort…" "Comfort? Yeon? You know damned well she will work until her dying day, but I can still provide her more comfort than anyone. And if you let me help you, I can channel my grudges into the person who deserves it the most; the prince himself…" "I…i cannot let go of my baby sister yet…I am nowhere near ready to let her go…" "You will always have a place in my home, I will never stop you from seeing your sister. And even myself once you get rid of your new royal best friend, I don't tend to share my toys, you know that." "Seon-Ho…" "Yes?" "What lines are you prepared to cross to keep Yeonnie safe? You need to back out now if you cannot…" "I am not afraid to cross you again to have her, I can tell you that much. Becuase if you keep prolonging this, I will make you be the one to give her to me either way." "Do you really love her that much?" I didn't dare answer him, but I needed to get this plan on track already and I want't about to wait anymore. I lead him to a drug den where he clearly needed to relax.
"Don't worry, I won't let you get addicted like I am, I won't do that to your loved ones, but you clearly need to relax before you do something stupid." "I'm not sure…" "you have a hundred different responsibilities pulling you down into this weird depression you have." "And you are one to talk to me about depression? Have you seen yourself lately? Don't think that I haven't noticed just because I haven't said anything…" "…or approached me? Or spoke to me about anything at all?" "You know the prince is watching my every move, I shouldn't even be this close to you." "I am aware of this; don't worry, this move that I'm pulling now can be used against me by the prince." "Then why…" "I know that you are not skilled in manipulation like I am and nowhere near on the level of the Prince. That life isn't for you, especially not after everything you have been through." "So what are you saying?" "It is my fault that you got involved with that bastard, and soon many other men will steal my father's idea to hold Yeon as hostage to make you pick a side since you are my only political opponent. In front of the palace and the village; we are enemies, but if I marry your sister, we are family and they cannot turn us against each other like puppets. Only Yeon can save us all, and if you care about me like you say that you do, I need her to survive in the palace and you know it." "And why would I place her there?" "Because she was the one who got me there in the first place. Would you believe me if I told you that I was willing to elope with her and give up my life goals in the palace before my father died? And then I was going to find you and reunite you both? But she put me back in the palace, so she should be the one to help me shoulder the responsibilities of my work, no matter how faired you are for her safety. I took damned care of her in your absence; no harm ever came to her and I can do it again."
"I'm pretty sure that you have a powerful wife waiting for you at home, no matter how much she stalks you." "she…is not my wife and she never will be." "Your concubine then or whatever" "No! You don't get it…she's not even my concubine. Legally…she's nothing at all…she's just…" "…someone you took in to make Yeon jealous?" I finished incredulously. I could barely recognise him to be honest, this was not the man I met when I met his best friend Hwi and this was most certainly not the man who pursued me as…as if it was expected of us. But looking at this man now and how angry he was getting that the woman he had never considered as anything more than a sister for a decade and had kept her at a fair distance for the entirety of her stay, was now so far away from him…he looked like he was a man possessed…
I do not really know why but in that moment I swore that I felt a tinge of…jealousy? From what I had witnessed they had barely got to spend any time together and he was already raging like a mad man when he had no rights to her at all…as for myself and Hwi…"you cannot be serious. You are using the girl who tortured my sister and you thought that would make her want to stay with you? And here you are, asking me to marry Yeon alongside that poisonous little…how on earth do you expect me to take you seriously when you want to take the most precious thing I have and do what exactly? Torture her with that witch around her because I hid my sister's true nature from you?" "You are really going to just leave her there? Penniless?" "Be quiet, you are inhaling opium for the first time and you're starting to panic." "Didn't you panic for the first time?" "I was completely numb when I first came here, and I have been numb ever since…" "Yeon left? So have I, to be honest." "I don't know what spell your brat of a sister put on me, but it's worked. And now you get to enjoy the irony of me chasing her around like she used to do to me."
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"What on earth are you planning? Not just with my sister, but with the prince? The Emperor? The whole damned palace? I know you, and I know that you're only persistent when you are after something." "Killing the Prince is almost next to impossible, but I want him kicked out of the royal heirdom. Even if he does rebel against his own father, he cannot ignore that fact even after his father's death and neither the counsel that will support him. And even if he succeeds, the men who will want to pull him down will use that as an excuse to dethrone him. And if you want to be free of him, then you will help me with this, along with the men that you brought back from the army." "And then?" "Then my next target is the Emperor himself." "Have you lost your damned mind?" "He is the one who poisoned his own son against him, he is responsible for turning him into what he is, believe me I know that well. He will turn the rest of his sons just like him to go up against him and loose them all." "And then we will have no heirs to the throne?" "Not unless I get to the prices first; all of them." "And how are you planning that? What? What are you looking at me for?" "Which prince who is vying for the crown does not want to be taught by the son of the greatest swordsman of our time?" "You sneaky bastard, you already have mine and my sister's roles played out before you even formally asked for her hand." "If we don't go for them, hey will kill us all. And frankly, I don't want to face my father-in-law with his children's blood on my hands." "So you're doing this for my father as well?" "Why did you think that I helped you bury him? Or reached out to you after that? It was because of him as well, I have always admired him, I have just never talked about it with you." The Seo's were still sensitive to heir parent's death so I barely brought it up, but every word that I spoke was true. "He…my father would have liked you." "He would have been a much better father to me than my own one. But let's not talk about that anymore, just shut up for a few moments and get high."
This was a new experience for me and Seon-Ho was right, I didn't know how to let loose. That god-damned brat of a sister of mine had left huge a huge hole in my heart, and all I could think about was all of the different scenarios that she was entangled in and keeping from me. Deep down I knew in my heart that everything that Seon-Ho was saying was completely true. He was the only one I could trust wit my sister, he was the only one who could give her all the protection and comfort that she needed, but I was just conflicted between the both of them. My resentment for Seon-Ho was slowly disappearing, most especially when I saw for myself how much he took care of my only living family member and the absolute centre of my world. And from what I had seen before Yeon exposed his father and afterwards, he had actually made him a better man, in terms of work anyways. But he was walking around the village like a broken-hearted little boy who had just been abandoned by his mother all over again even though Yeon wasn't that far away.
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