"You stubborn brat…wait, stop! Where are you going! Stop!" "Forgive me, but since you have cut off our ties, then I no longer have to listen to you, isn't that right? Nam Seon-Ho?" This wasn't supposed to be this way; Yeon wasn't acting like I thought she was at all. My sister-in-law told me that she was upset when I left her and I had hopes that my sudden resentment towards her would make her change, but it didn't seem to have any affect on her at all. It was as if….no, it wasn't possible that she could see through me, not after all of this time and how many months we were apart. I left her because I couldn't risk her finding out that I had become a drug addict and after the mess that Hui-Jae had put me in, the very last place that I should be was anywhere around her at all. But even in my drug-induced state, I would rather destroy Yeon myself or keep her close by instead of leaving her alone where other men could feast her eyes on her and - god forbid- propose marriage to her. Wether I still loved her or I wanted to torture her until she changed back to the woman that she was under my father's roof, she was still mine to do as I pleased. But if Hui-Jae ever found out that I was still with Yeon, then she would kill her for sure, and Yeon's lucky streak of getting away with everything and anything couldn't last for the rest of her life, surely not.
"…what are you thinking so hard about?" "I am thinking about the home that you will marry me in." "Who says that I am still marrying you? After that stunt with the brothel?" "You will still marry me because we are tied together in this life for the rest of our lives. And I will not ask for much after you marry me, but I only have one wish; to live in a home with the biggest courtyard full of lush greenery with as many flowers and plants that I can grow." "What for?" "Because I already know that you will keep me locked up as soon as we marry, and you may not let me continue my embroidery business even though you should because I was the one who set it up in my mother's name. But I can tend to my garden, my garden that our children will grow up on and make many memories for themselves. I want a magical courtyard for them, so that they can use it as an escape without them wanting to run away from home like you did with my brother. I shall keep my babies as close to as possible, until I have to let them go as they grow up." "If you behave and keep up your end of the bargain, I shall let you run the business from home." "Well, thank you ever so much husband…" "you could sound a bit more grateful you know." "You will just end up letting me do as I please anyways, like you always do." "Do not count on it." "We shall see." Seo Yeon forgive me, give me time to sort out this mess that I am in and try to get sober, and I will treat you how you deserve to be treated."
"…Seo Yeon! How dare you do this to me! And to my family! Jus because you are unhappily unmarried, do you think that my girl should follow suit!" "Madame, I really have no idea what you are talking about…" "My daughter is more skilled than the main daughter! My daughter is younger and prettier than the younger daughter! My daughter has never been married before, so why!" "Madame, it is safe to say that both girls are no longer virgins, so what difference does it make if they are both married off into the same family? They originally wanted the main daughter in the first place and they will not take on your daughter without her, so aren't you coming across as rather ungrateful now?" "What? What did you just say? They wanted…the main girl first? And not mine? But why? What difference is there in the sisters? Is it my daughters illegitimacy?" "The groom's mother has specifically stated that she does not care about illegitimacy, she is even willing to go as far as to make your sister give up her abusive family. She will marry as the main wife and your daughter will become the concubine, but you are not in a position to decline, because this marriage will happen with or without her!"
"You bitch! Who are you to interfere in my family's maters!" "Madame! I have done nothing at all! It was your idea for your daughter to get herself pregnant before the wedding happened, how is it my fault that it didn't go the way you wanted? Just like how you yourself got pregnant before you were officially married?" "You…how do you….you are just jealous that she…." "That she what? Found the perfect match? Whilst I am unmarried? Madame, since childhood, I already knew that I could ever get married due to my disability, so I do not dwell on that issue and besides, and even if I did have the choice, then this family would be at the bottom of the list."
"What? Why? Why don't you want to marry into this family? Why not? Is there something wrong with them? Tel me!" "I will never marry into the palace." "You…you did this on purpose, didn't you! You cannot fool me! Your brother and his best friend work for the palace, but you have a problem with it? Why?" "Madame, why are you implying that I had any part in your family's affairs when this betrothal was granted? Because I was not and you know that." "Because you are a Seo! You should naturally back up The Third Prince due to his connection with your father and your brother, but you…you do not wish to marry in the palace?" "That is correct and my brother himself will never pressure me to do so, unlike some people."
"…you caused us to think that this was a good family due to your reputation alone, which prompted me to make this reckless move…but why? Why would you do this to me?" "For the same reason that you are spreading false rumours around about my brother's wife, who told you to do that by the way? Because I shall never stand around and watch my family being abused, especially when we have done nothing wrong. The Third Prince himself made it clear that myself and my sister-in-law were spies for him in that brothel and we were not touched, unlike yourself despite the empty noble title that you hold for yourself. Even if you sue me in court, you have no evidence against me at all!" "It was her! She went against me first! She didn't invite me to her banquet, so she attacked my family first!" "It was her first banquet! Of course she will make some mistakes! She didn't even have time to get used to her new village and the people in it before she was pressured to host her first banquet for everyone! It is funny how you cannot tolerate mistakes and yet you sold your daughter over for empty dreams!"
"You…you all did this! You made me fall for your family traps and expose my own history! That is why my husband wants to divorce me! As soon as my daughter is forced to relieve my own position in my household with hers! You are just like that bitch my husband married! She married him knowing that he loves me the most, but she just had to keep giving him children! And after giving brith to a bitch like her daughter that everyone wants, I would kill anyone who stands in my way!" Watching this woman coming undone didn't really bother me anymore as this has happened to me more than once. But it was the fact that she was a mother that was making me a little sad; even if she did the wrong thing, she still did it for her own daughter, and it was making me wonder if my own mother would have fought this hard for me if she were alive. Would she approve of Seon-Ho? First as my brother's best friend and then his lover? Would she approve of our marriage? Would she care for him as a second mother? And would my father also care for him as a second father? And help me heal him much faster so he wouldn't be this stubborn in his anger all of the time?
"…anyone who blocks my path would be kicked away by me! What are you…what are you really scheming against my daughter! Someone! Anyone! Seo Yeon is scheming against my family and she will harm my daughter…!" Seon-Ho finally woke up and was able to send for the servants to drag the concubine away just as he got himself dressed. I hated how he had been acting recently, but he was still my person and I needed him by my side now are then ever since my brother got himself a wife that he couldn't keep his eyes and hands off of. So it was very unlike me, but as soon as I saw him heading out without saying a word to me or even looking at me like he used to, I jumped up right in front of him to block the door entrance, refusing to let him out of my sight.
And finally, finally this act seem to bring a small but amusing smile on my face as it stopped him in his tracks. 'What do you think you are doing, Seo Yeon?" "Where do you think you are going, Nam Seon-Ho?" "I have work to do…" "Do it here, you have enough space in my chambers and you know it." "And what do I get in return for this honour?" "My company and my devotion until you take me into the palace." "Take you to the palace? Do you really want to go?" "You know that I do not want to." "So then? Or are you still going to keep silent about your plans even now?" "You know that my family and our friends cannot rest easy until The Third Prince is dead, not just deposed of." "That is my plan." "And it is my plan to." "Compromise with me; we will both work on a plan that will reduce my stay in the palace." "Stay out of the palace and trust me, and I will stay here with you instead of bringing you to your brother?" "Compromise with me now; let me help you for the duration of your stay here and I shall not step in the palace. There will be no need for me to step in the palace at all. But before any of that happens, let me see my brother and my nephew, I miss them so." "Why don't we just shift there for now? There is no need for us to stay near a brothel anymore." "I have one more move to make with your sister-in-law with this family, then we can leave, deal?" "So what happens now?" "You undress yourself and carry out your work in my study whilst I make us both some lunch. We will work on the plan to bring The Third Prince down together and I will make my last move by tomorrow latest." "We are not back together yet Yeon, you have a lot of work to do to regain my trust again." "And until marriage, let us take a break from our intimacies please, or let it happen naturally at least." "And what about the girl who is waiting for you in the palace?" "Things are not what they seem Yeon, just remember that and think nothing of it." "And how can I trust you myself?" "Because with or without love, you will become mine eventually, but whether it is as a main wife or a concubine is up to you." "You wouldn't dare to make me a concubine." "I have to share you with the world if I make you my main wife, and I can have you all to myself if I make you a concubine." "You need to let up your restrictions upon me when that happens." "That will only happen when you regain my trust, because I have no intentions of letting the world see how brilliant you are, how beautiful you are and how ripe you are. You belong to me girl, whether you like it or not and despite who I surround myself with, because you know that it is all about work for me." "And me? Am i work for you?" "This is your last mission for me for a long while hopefully, I can handle my new office myself, but you are free to polish my work and no more."
"Let me ask you something; if my parents were alive…" "I know you have no reason to believe me, but I would do things properly if they were alive and I would have waited until marriage to touch you. Not treating you properly with the respect that you deserve is a regret that I will always carry with me until the day we die. But with your unstable status, i need assurance that you will always come back to me." "Do you mean…getting me pregnant? That is the only reason that I can think of why you have been so relentless with me in bed since we first…" "I guess I cannot hide it anymore, so you are right. i have been trying to get you pregnant and I have had that intention since I first held you in my arms." "How are you so sure? That I can even get pregnant with my condition?" "Because there is only a 5% chance of a child inheriting that condition and even in the worst case scenario, we will know how to treat it and…what is it? why are you looking at me like that? And why are you crying?" "Are you really telling me right here and now that you are willing to let go of your high standards of perfection when it comes to children? Your children?" "Yeon I…i don't know, I can only try for your sake. But all I do know and i have known for years is that I will only have any children with you, and nobody else." "I know that you are already giving me everything I want and beyond, but please promise me something." "What is it?" "You know how unkind our society is to girls but please, even if I only manage to give you girls, please let me keep them all. Please, allow me to become the mother that I had never had to our daughters, please husband? I know why you are choosing me as the mother of your children and that not all of the reasons are about our love, but I also have a condition for my marriage." "which is?" "The father of my children has to carry on out my father's legacy and rule of educating daughters equally to the sons, even when it comes to swordsmanship as a family of that specific trait. So, will you agree?"