As I heard it; Seo Yeon pretty much lost her favour from my husband overnight and was punished to transcribe a lot of Buddhist texts that she managed to have framed up as some form of achievement in the brothel that seemed to improve their overall image. As if that didn't make me angry enough to almost want to kill my husband when I had the chance as I relived the memory in the carriage now, but I did almost manage to have her sold off…if only my man didn't catch on in time. If only he gave up on that crippled girl, if only he wan't endlessly obsessed with her, even if was just for work and if only he gave me a chance to help him as she did. This made me question my past, for the harder I was holding onto him, the harder he was relying on her. What if…what if I had just waited for Seo Hwi, despite the difficult circumstances that I was facing at the time? If I had waited, I would have become his wife and sister=in=law to the girl that I had tried to ruin for a decade. Seo Hwi wasn't as wealthy as his friend was and I already knew without confirmation that he was sharing his wealth with others or even putting it to good use, but maybe instead of increasing my materialistic need for money…maybe I would have just received peace of mind instead. Would that have been enough for me? I wouldn't have too fight for survival every single day of my life or favour, and even though we wouldn't be wealthy, I would have received a sable life instead? I would have had a family now, a warm bed without worrying if anyone else had their eyes on it and a husband who would come home just to me. If only The Lord Nam hadn't seduced me with everything he had, then I would not have lived such an unstable and a non peaceful life from the moment that I left the brothel that I grew up in…the very same one that he burned to the ground just to possess her when he could have easily done anything else for the same result. It was different this time; he was sending us all a message that the game we have all played with each other was finally going to come to an end and that he had already made his final decision. But as long as they had mysteriously vacated the yangban, I still had a fighting chance and I knew that she didn't have any connections, no compared to myself. It was true that I still had enough people under me to live comfortably in other people's home, but it was now finally the time for me to regain everything that I had lost once and for all, just like how I almost succeeded in selling her off to the higher bidder in my brothel…
"…Seo Yeon, what do you want me to say to you? The Lord Nam has lost interest in you, so much so that he has kicked you out of your quarters and you have been caught with all of these gifts on your person by another man? What other choice do I have, other than to sell you off to him? He is here, waiting for you know with more money than I have ever seen in my entire life, how do you expect to compensate me for that kind of loss?" "But I do not belong to anybody but The Lord Nam! He is my man! He is my husband! And he will not allow me to do this!" "Oh really? So why hasn't he shown up to stop all of this? We have to report to him of any news concerning you, and when we did, he hasn't sent us any instructions at all?" That was supposed to hurt her, the fact that her man was so ready to abandon her. But when I got my pawn to give me a report on that day, she solemnly swore that Yeon didn't look shocked, surprised or hurt in the least. In fact, that bold wench had the damn nerve to roll her eyes at the madame that I had hired to manage the brothel right under my man's nose. In fact, he may have known all along as he certainly took advantage of the situation to fire the madame. A woman lost her livelihood and I lost one of my spies as soon as Yeon rolled her eyes and ran out before anyone could stop her from barging into The Lord Nam's office and waited for him to arrive on her knees until he showed up not even 2 hours later, as I heard I from a servant in his service that I had managed to bribe on my own. I remember even now that I was raining heavily that day and he sill didn't hesitate to leave the room I had just entered in order for him to practically fly to her on his beloved horse that was standing on its very last legs. Ha damned horse of his that they had in common, maybe I should have killed that animal so that they would have had no choice to reunite with that witch ever again.
"…well? What do you have to say for yourself?" "You know exactly what I am doing here; I am making your wish come true." "My wish?" "You told me, around the first time that we…that you would make me get on my knees and beg for you?" "Beg for me? To do what exactly?" "To marry me." "Do you hear the words that are coming out of your mouth girl? Are you sure of this? This is really what you want?" "You know that I have had no regrets in my life…apart when it comes to you and how I concealed myself in the beginning." "Seo Yeon?" "Would you accept that it was all unintentional though?" "Whether it was or not and whether I understand your reasons for doing so or not, you have committed a grave offence against me that I wish to stop punishing you for….but it all depends on you and whether you can take responsibility for your actions through your request for me today." "For those mistakes I made that saved my family but offended you; I am willing to be confined in your home forever…as your wife." "And what about this man who has been sending you gifts?" "I have no man in my life other than yourself and you know this. I was ready to live my life in isolation from the rest of the world after I left as your father's hostage but…the world had other plans in mind for me. I have never looked at another man…" "apart from my so=called brother?" "And if we didn't' find each other, then how could you have roped him into your plans to frame him? I stayed with him in his company so that we could both be rid of him once and for all." "So you were thinking of my benefit?" "As you do mine with all of the spying, the guarding and the stalking that you prevail upon me without my opinion, my consultation or even my agreement."
I had no information about what happened from that day, apart from the fact that my man seemed to be pleased with her answer and took her right back to the brothel where the man I had paid for to marry Yeon was waiting for her and he was in a foul temper upon her return. I had no information about what they both got up to after they were alone, but I knew that upon entering the brothel hand in hand, The Lord Nam only sat back in a chair as he watched the scenario between the two parties play out in front of him.
"My Lord Nam? Forgive me, but I have no idea why you have come with my fiancé…?" "Your fiancé? That is funny, I do not remember anyone giving her to you?" "The girl is an orphan as she told me herself, she has no family to give her away." "Is that so? Seo Yeon, what do you have to say about this?" "My Lord, why are you…" "My Lord Nam, I have already recounted everything to you and you have my word that I have no relations with this man at all."
"My Lord! Please ignore this woman! She must have gotten cold feet due to my sudden proposal and…and we have a very well established relationship and…my superior in the palace even knows about it all…"
I remember that my man at the time still hadn't regained his status in the palace after the disaster that happened with The Third Prince, but he still had power in his own right just as Seo Geom did away from the palace. He had plenty of men and servants working for him more out of loyalty at that point in time rather than the money and he was always kept busy with some other business that he always kept private from me. So he already had the connections to reach out to that so=called superior and had explained everything to him in detail, causing that man to be fired from his job and shamed in front of his family, which resulted in their exile from the kingdom shortly he was found hanging from his chambers that very same night when everything happened. It was one of the mos chaotic nights of our lives as that man was a very important pawn to my man's own superior whom he was sill butting heads against and he didn't hide his contempt at all. He sent men to our home to raid it as he stayed with that girl in the brothel all night long in her embrace without a hint of resentment towards her at all. It was one of the most humiliating nights of my life and no words of reasoning or promise would calm him down. That man took every item of luxury that I had picked out myself to live in comfort in exchange for a useless man's life and I could have not been more furious about it and I had no intention of hiding it when he finally returned home 2 days later with a very content look on his face.
"…you…where were you? Tell me right now what happened with that man in brothel! Do you not see how my clothes are torn! My items have been stolen from me alone with my dignity and you! Where were you! What could have kept you so busy for 2 whole days!" "Why are you asking me about a man that you set up to fail against me? If my superior indeed humiliated you, it was because of your arrogance and stupidity. Who exactly do you think you are? How can a mere brothel woman dare to be alone with other men and plot against them? He is not angry at me, he is angry at you! You were the one who betrayed him, not me, so I have nothing to account for to him!" "Why? Why are you doing this to me? Why are you never on my side? After everything that you have put me through just to be with you again? Nobody will approve of your coupling with her! You will be put to great shame if you even think of bringing her here into my home! Everyone thinks that she is dead and you will bring her brother a lot of trouble if you take her from that place where she lives under a false identity! She will be persecuted and you…" "If she fails and falls, then so do I. If she is being criticised, then I also deserve the same treatment. Every single time I distance myself from her, something always goes wrong and I cannot endure this anymore! I already have the most important support and that is all that I need!" "Do you really not fear that I can make her suffer in front of you?" "You can do that if you wish, but you cannot stop me from inflicting the same torture upon myself, especially with the copious amount of opium that you drug me with." "I drugged you with it…and you still could not let her go. Even at the risk of your own life…you will ruin yourself for her? She cannot protect you and serve you as I can!" "You are the one who cannot serve me like she has for these past few days let me tell you that; the girl has tired me out so much that I need to take a nap." "She is simply using you! Why can't you see that! She didn't even come to see you when you were imprisoned and tortured for weeks on end! Why give-up your stable life for an unruly and unmarred slut like that! I beg of you on my knees for the first time in my life to forget her! You are my fiancé and I can do more for you than she can! I will always hurt those that go after you and…" "Nothing that you do for me will make me change my mind about you. The only reason why she hasn't killed you herself is due to her endless mercy that she has for her own sex; she is far too humble and courteous to even raise her voice against you. She has prestige and elegance that you can never posses, and she can win the hearts of my allies instead of wasting the proving to be better than the opposite sex like yourself. Your title that you purchased means little at all and you can never be her, not ever."