Chapter 57: Banhang (Rebellion)

I could see my sweet and innocent baby sister looking at me with her curious eyes after all of these years and it was completely undoing me on the spot. I already knew that she was up to something when she volunteered to put up a food stall for the servants, but now I knew that I should have never come here at all. I was even starting to pity the man who was responsible for all of this chaos between us; Seon-Ho must behaving a hard time trying to figure out exactly who she was compared to the awkward and extremely naive teenager that I introduced her to. But I had my reasons for that and there was no way for me to expect things to turn out the way they did. I had already lost my parents at a young age and I put my heart and soul into caring for my disabled sister when I could have easily sold her off like the rest of the lowborn that we were forced to become after being orphaned. She was my entire world in our poor as destitute lives where people like us weren't given a chance anywhere, and I had been on edge from the moment that she was ripped away from me. I was risking my life every single day in the hopes that she could regain her memories, and not just the ones that she had lost recently. I was her older brother and it was my duty to keep her safe, but only I knew how resourceful she truly was, and it was to the point that I had made her look different to everyone else so they wouldn't know- including the only other person that I had let into out world, and that had proven to be a mistake.

"Excuse me? I...wait! Please! Do not walk away!" I was completely covered in filth this time as the river was too crowded today for me to take a bath and I stank from a mile away. My sister, on the other hand, was dressed in a simple yet elegant and expensive dress and was perfumed from every single angle that she could be. I felt dirty in front of her, and ashamed of myself that I was the one who hadn't worked hard enough to change our fortunes to be the one responsible for her new rich lifestyle. Even though I knew that I did everything that I could do put the smile on her face that she had now as she tried to get a look at my face. But there was no point in conversing with her when she couldn't remember me at all. "I am sorry...I didn't mean to disturb you..." "I have been waiting for you to come back here for a long time now."

I had been thrown into poverty, thrown into being a carer at the age of 6, thrown into an unlikely friendship with someone from the polar opposite of my world, thrown into a war that I was not prepared for and now I had bene thrown into a very dangerous situation amongst some members of the royal family and risking my life every single day to keep Yeonnie alive. So I could not be more grateful for the fact that her memory loss had not altered her personality at all. She was still the kindest, empathetic, sweetest and pure girl I knew, like untouched snow. Despite the huge difference between us now, she still put her hand in mine just like she used to every time I would leave our home to buy us food or go to work. Just that alone was enough to reduce me to tears, even to the point where it was obvious that a grown man like me was crying on the street and she didn't say anything at all. And it really didn't help at all that she looked more and more like my mother with the little makeup that she was wearing now and her intricate hairstyle that she could never wear before.

"I have made up some food for you and your friends in the kitchens. Please come with me to collect it, I cannot do it on my own and it is the servant's day off today." "Did you...cook it personally?" "I have been learning how to cook since my first day here." She replied with one of her simple smiles that was beginning to melt the stone in my heart. Because of her epilepsy, I had never let her near any fires in case it triggered her, so I had to learn how to cook at such a young age. The fact that she was now cooking by herself and for me it seemed...well it was all beginning to overwhelm me a little. I was so extremely proud of her for overcoming her epilepsy and I couldn't be more over the moon about it. But she started pulling me away right into the lion's den and into the kitchen where she had trays of good food that I had never even smelled before lined up...just for me. Smoked rich beef, noodles, some mackerel and other fish that I had never tasted before. It was enough to make all of our jaws drop once the other men caught up with me and they immediately ran to the food like a pack of wild animals. I almost had to throw myself at my sister to protect her from these wild men that I had picked up in the war, but she in turn seemed to be amused by them. And once we all had grabbed our trays of food, she led all 4 of us men to her huge quarters which seemed to be bigger than our entire home without a hint of fear or shame. "Please, enjoy the food whilst you can. The master of the household is out today." "And what about Seon-the young master?" "He is busy with some trouble he is dealing with." "So he is home?" "Yes, but as you can see, he is dealing with some issues of the food stall for his servants." "Shouldn't...you be there with him? To sort it all out?" "Why should I be there when I am not the one causing all these issues?"

That was another side to my sister that nobody else knew about, with probably the exception of Seon-Ho now. Despite her purity and empathy, she also had the rare ability to expose anyone who tried to harm us with only a few words and bring them to their ruin. She wasn't a mean or unfair woman; she was just fair in it's truest sense and didn't hold back at all. She could smell a rat with dishonest intentions from a mile away and right now I needed her skills to carry out this seemly impossible mission that I had been burdened with so I could bring her home with me. I wasn't anywhere near as smart and witty as she was; and despite my father's swordsmanship being passed down to me, I was only a simple blacksmith and I was not equipped to deal with the schemes and tricks that the royal family members carried out on a daily basis and other men of nobility, just like the scum of the earth who did this to my family. "Please eat everything, otherwise I will not let you leave. How is the food?" "It is really delicious. Thank you so much for doing this for us." "You're welcome, I am trying to give something back to all to the Nam's servants after all of their years of service." I couldn't help but to wince at that statement, but I guess that in her eyes, that was exactly what I was. "But why?" "Because it is important to the young master that I do this." "Are you...is he making you ...do things? For him?" I honestly regretted loosing my temper at him when we were reunited in the war, but using my sister like this was my biggest fear and the fact that it came from him was almost pushing me to smother him in his bed with his pillow at this point. That man could set me on fire and I wouldn't bat an eyelid, not after everything that we had been through. But any involvement with my sister that was deemed inappropriate by society's standards would push me too far. No matter what our reputation or family was like now currently; a woman's reputation was her lifeline in this cruel life of ours. Even using her to do his dirty work like he was doing to me was really testing the limits of my patience in my already frail and fragile life. And I had every intention in the world to make him pay for it, or so I thought until I heard him make his way into these huge quarters. At first, I was rather confused about how Yeon easily let him in like that without asking for permission at all. But when I saw him make his way around easily without making eye-contact with me, it dawn on me that he might have actually gave his own quarters away to my sister. But why? Why would he do that? He never did anything for anyone unless it benefitted him....and how was he so calm about me meeting my sister so openly in his father's absence?

"How long are you going to stay here for? There is a whole scene playing out in front in case you haven't noticed." "I have noticed, but what do you want me to do about it? Even if I do, you will just allow her to stay, no matter what right?" "Yeon." "She is your problem, brother. You sort it out for once." "You know that I cannot do that without your help." "Since the concubine wants to be in charge, why don't you let her try and sort it out? I am still on punishment, am I not? How can I flaunt that authority if she doesn't get the chance to?" "Understood. And Yeon, do not take too long. Wrap this up quickly and carry out your punishment." "Yes, brother." Nam Seon-Ho, the cold man who lorded himself in front of me to relay his father's messages was now transformed into...something rather tamed and quiet around my baby sister, which was totally unusual for his usually brash personality. He kept his beady little eyes fixed on her the entire time with various looks of anticipation, resolution and even approval. I had no idea what they were talking about, but it sounded like he was waiting for her approval or orders about something going on in his own household before he just stormed off.

"Why are you all looking at me with your mouths open? Please finish off your food whilst I bring you dessert." Dessert? I hadn't ha done of those in well...ever. I could never afford to buy anything sweet for us and here she was, baking it at home like a kitchen maid? She wasn't even acting like a woman of nobility who had servants to do everything for them.

"Are you all thinking what I am thinking?" "What? That you never told us that your sister was a damned good cook? Even better than some of those private chefs in the city?" "Or how she seems to have the young master and this entire household wrapped around her fingers? Even the maids seemed to be looking to take simple orders from her earlier on when we were in the kitchen." "Forget matchmaking in these higher up classes, anyone would be lucky enough to marry that young girl, bless her hands." "Shut up! She isn't getting married to anyone! I mean...because of her epilepsy, I cannot let her..." "Your sister hasn't had a single fit since she woke up here, so you do not need to worry about that. And she has everything that she can possibly want in this life and more under this roof of mine, so you can stop taking peeks at her to draw you in. Finish your food and leave before the guards report you to my father, and even then I will not be able to save you."