I had been locked inside this brothel for a total of 2 months now and my man should be arriving home right about now. I had managed to retain my favour just as my mother had done before me and i had already managed to mark my targets in the revenge against my mother, which turned out to include the tutor's son that I had previously been close with during my schooling days. His friend who kept dropping in to see me was another matte entirely and i should leave him in the hands of my brother. I knew that my reputation was now going to be laced in doubt every single day that I had stayed in this filthy place, but no-one had the right to say anything if even my brother didn't question me at all. As for Seon-Ho, well, I was still unsure if he would place me and my now damaged reputation above his plans, but i still had every intention to break out of here by the end of this week at least and give them a few surprises that would put them in trouble without my help. But first and foremost, i had to find a way to get Hyeon out of here so she wouldn't get hurt because of me and I was lucky enough that my brother seemed to like her, much more than he ever did with Hui-Jae. He always watched her every single free moment that he got and I caught him waling up to her in her sleep sometimes. Kim Hyeon was the most gentle, refined, poised and softly spoken noblle-woman I had ever met. It sort of reminded me of myself when i woke up at the Nam yangban without a trace of my memories. I also missed it; being that gentle, naive and unaware of the dangers lurking around me…no. What i truly missed was my time as an epileptic orphan who grew up by the side of the only 2 men that I would ever need in my life, even if I was constantly humiliated by my fits. I missed my childhood, and i missed my father even more for not being around to guide me after training me so thoroughly to be the strongest person that i could be and use my intelligence to protect my brother at all times as the children of one of the most famous figures in history who was bound to have created some long lasting enemies overtime. I never did think in my life that it would be from the Royal Family itself.
"Mistress, we have arrived." i missed my servant that my man brought for me, but I lent her to Hwa-Wol who could have provided her with a much better life than I ever could have, since my life was always at risk and probably always would be without the protection of a husband. But i was in a dangerous place and it was always better to keep my enemies close, even this phony servant who was clearly a spy of someone who wanted to cause me harm, but I had so many enemies in this place now that I didn't know who was up to what yet, but I couldn't care less to be honest. Everyone against me here had the same master and my thought rested on the man who loved me but refused to admit it before I was pulled here. But things were different now as i was in the height of my favour; I was no longer going to sit with any man again and as for my 'lack of manners' that I had kept up for 2 months, it would serve as my bait to get me out of here. I had already built up my connections and now my only way out was for one of these rich men to buy my freedom, if they could go against the Third Princess Consort that was and keep me as an ally of some sort so that I could get the hell out of here and hopefully destroy any connections that i had with this place before Seon-ho found out that i was here for so long. He wasn't stupid just because he had stupid asking me questions; i could never reveal my father's secret education that he gave to me to anyone, even Hwi didn't know to the fullest extent so I could protect him better. But Seon-Ho had to figure it out at some point that I was delaying my stay here for a reason and even though i had a good reason, i could tell that he was getting rather impatient with me and my plans that didn't have anything to do with him at all. Which i could understand since I wasn't explaining anything to him, but hopefully everything would be over by the time that he figured everything out and then…then i would be waiting for the biggest apology from him before i could even consider being his wife willingly…but as for now, it was time for me to rebel so i could capture my enemies and go home with my brother and wait for my man to find me. My man, my soulmate, my lover, my husband...and the future father of my children, no matter how much of an arrogant jerk he was being about the whole thing.
Now when it came to my lack of manners, I could explain myself by saying that since I was thrown int a brothel against my will, nobody cared for the fact that the Emperor himself upgraded my status, but everyone around me here was still treating me like a lowborn, so I was still restricted in somethings due to my low status, such as having to enter through a side door for servants instead of using the main door for real kisaengs. But no-one in my family cared about such things, my father even less. So who was I to let him down, even if he wasn't around anymore. Forgive me father for where i am, but everything I am doing now is to get revenge for you, and for the mother that i never met, even though everyone says that I look just like her now.
"Young Mistress, this way please." "Have you gone blind? Why should the most favoured girl in here use a side door as if she is some sort of peasant?" "Your Young Mistress isn't a serving kisaeng, and she is still an orphan with no backing apart from receiving some gifts. And how dare a maid such as yourself question the rules of such a high establishment? It serves you right to be slapped!" The servant of the brothel Madame had always been a thorn in my side, especially as she carried out most of my torture in my first 2 weeks here. I had been enduring her slander and insults every single day I was under this roof and now, the time had come for her to receive her karma, which came in the form of a tight slap that drove her to her knees right in front of me.
"You…how dare you…!" "Is this how the maids of a dump like this are taught to behave? As if they are dogs, fighting for scraps of attention! In front of the guests as well! Why? If you are looking for a man yourself to escape your Master's service, all you have to do is to dress up like a kisaeng and serve them on your knees…" "you…i have never been so insulted in all of my life…! The Madame is the one who sets up the rules, so why are you taking out your anger on me? You are just an orphan yourself as I am, so you should know your status well…" "…as should you, don't you agree?" "As her the rules, you can only enter through the servant's door and not the main one." "And as a mere servant here, you still have to address me with respect, and you dare to raise your voice at me? Is this also in the rules? Or haven't you learnt from that slap yet?" I didn't even give her the chance to reply as I shoved her aside and I made my way through the main door in front of the crowd of guests that were watching us with my fake arrogance on full display, setting another 'weakness' trap for everyone who wanted to buy my freedom tonight, if any at all. I could only be thankful that my big brother wasn't around to witness me displaying such unpleasant and disrespectful behaviour, I think i would much rather hang myself from a rope rather than seeing any trace of disappointment in his face towards me.
"So this is the famous new girl that we have all heard about? The one who is kowtowing so hard in front of her seniors?" "Is this how lowborn greet their betters?" "Forgive me, for i was raised in the country side with very little education to show for myself. I may not possess the right manners, but I still express myself whole-heartedly, I hope that you all do not mind." "You have clearly gone through many hardships at such a young age, I suppose that this could be forgive, even though it wouldn't have killed anyone here to have taught you any better." "That is right, the whole point of this banquet was to pull in new support and fundraise this place, but what is the point if they will not even teach these girls etiquette and manners to please and serve us? What a waste of time this was, and to think that i had brought my whole office here to find some form of entertainment for them? How degrading and embarrassing this is indeed!" "My Lords! Please, be patient with us! We have a might fine girl that is ripe and ready to be sold off by the highest bidder! She s indeed a noble-woman that has all the mannerisms and fine etiquette that you expect and wish for! We will bring her out after we have fed everyone well, I can promise you that…on my life." "Very well, we shall take your word for this, let us all feast well until our bellies are full and our appetites increase." I was placed at the head of the table where everyone had their eyes firmly set on me and every move I was making, even as I was eating alongside everyone else. But I couldn't help but notice that the senior kisaneg that I was trying to make a deal with was the one who was sent to find Hyeon, only to return back to the banquet looking flustered and panicked with fear in her eyes. I guess that this was the reaction that she had to finding my brother and future sister-in-law missing with her room laid bare with nothing left, except a bloody bedsheet and a bag full of fake money to pay off her debt here, not that they could do anything with that. My brother couldn't exactly complain to his boss about his wife and what she was putting me through, but he was still untouchable as a man of the Third Prince and even if they lodged a complaint about a missing kisaneg, it would only bring up more questions than answers if anyone investigated where Hyeon tad been taken from without paying a penny towards her fake debt at all, leaving the Third Princess in a rather right spot.
But a missing kisaeng wasn't all that she had to answer for as Hyeon and my bother would help take down our 'beloved' cousin. She was also going to answer for the poisonings of the tutor who had helped turn my mother in and his son who I had just found out had murdered Sung-Rok, my man's closest man and only trusted servant, even if he wasn't particularly close t myself or my brother. But i was going to go after anyone who caused my man pain, especially after the death of his father when he no longer deserved it. Maybe this will also help to soften tensions between us when he eventually figured out where I was and how long I had been here for without trying to escape even once.