Chapter 156: Settlements (Jeongchagji)

He knew what he was doing when she kept looking over at me without a hint of any reaction at all. He had evidently chosen his pride and ego over myself and was willing to indulge in petty games instead of just taking what belonged to him in a fair manner. Wasn't that his job as a General Inspector? To be fair and kind? He could do that for everyone else apart from me? Just why on earth would he torture his future wife like this? Because he could? Because of the power that he held onto me? Was he really so stubborn as to be so…rigid and petty like this to keep me at a distance when I could just be in his arms right now and finally attain some sort of peace and tranquility? Why was he going out of his way to put me edge like this and make me uncomfortable without him?

"So this must be Seo Yeon?" Good afternoon, how are you?" "She is just as beautiful as she is polite it seems." "We were just discussing the upcoming banquet, we shall be sure to see you these surely?" "Of course, all of the princes and their men have to show up, as her brother will." "I can hardly hold back my excitement." "I am sure that you cannot, will this be your first banquet, Yeon?" "Yes, I suppose that it is." "She practically cannot sit still in her excitement." "Well, the way that she speaks pleases me to no end."

"Of course it pleases you, she attracts everyone's attentions wherever she goes." I could hear Ae-Cha sulking her way towards us on her first day that she was let out of confinement. She had overdressed for the occasion for sure and put on one of Seon-Ho's favourite outfits of mine. So this was the game that he wanted to play with me? By making me jealous in return? Really? "How nice is it to see you Ae-Cha." If Ae-Cha really had the ability to ignore the man who ruined her life in a dress of mine, that could only mean that she was getting false hope from elsewhere, and I wonder who that could be. "Seo Yeon is the top female student in our class and she is currently learning how to ride horses. Are you any good at it, Ae-Cha?" "I was never really good at it I am afraid." "Just as expected. Very well, let us fly these kites." "So what else can you do, Seo Yeon?" "I wonder what it is with all of these questions today?" "I am just curious I supposed." 'Well if you are curious, you can always ask my brother." "I did in fact, and I got the sense that he didn't like me asking at all." "He is just overprotective, as older brothers are." "She can do debates, essays, business reports and accounts and…" "so she can do men's work, can she?" "Let us fly these kites before I have to return home, where my brother is waiting for me." "She is more useful than those spoilt noble-brats it seems." "I want to learn how to rise a horse as well if Yeon can!" "Then you can have your father teach you I suppose!" The Young Master muttered under his breathe as I could also feel his gaze burn into me. But it was nowhere near as powerful as my man's, who could also make my knees buckle from a single touch.

Ae-Cha got in between the Young Master and myself so she got to be his partner, so I had no choice but to partner up to him and I had t admit that I was a little fearful that I was so close to another man. I tired to look around for Seon-Ho as much as I could, but he was nowhere to be found. But instead of feeling sad or missing him, I instantly got a bad feeling about this, but I couldn't back out now. And I needed a long-awaited break from a very long time ago, so I was going to make sure that I enjoyed my only day off to the fullest extent.

We flew kites for a while before we began to notice that we were attracting a little bit of a crowd due to the popular men that we were hanging with. Usually, Ae-Cha would take this sort of opportunity to show herself off and attract as much attention as possible, but she was being awfully quiet today and I was also getting a a bad feeling about it, but I really couldn't say why I was feeling this way…

"They didn't see me yet…" "..I am still a single lady, why didn't they see me at all?" "…what seductresses, they are not even that beautiful at all…""what cheap makeup are they wearing?" "The girls must be new and unfamiliar with the rules here…" "Where shall we go next?" "There is a brothel nearby, but the woman cannot exactly enter…" "we can make it so if we keep the girls outside; what do you say?" "Very well…" "Are you going to join us Ae-Cha, or will you go home?" "I live with Yeon now, so I shall go where she goes…" You had to be deaf, dumb and blind to hear the offence in her voice, but I wasn't focused on anyone but my man right now, even if he wasn't in my sight. Where was he? How was he doing? Had he eaten yet? Was he tired? Or was he working late? Was he keeping my brother company? Or were they still avoiding each other. Hwa-Wol was studying medicine in her quarters to help assist her husband after they had their first child and my brother was to return today from his mission with the Third Prince and Moon-Bok and I should be home to welcome them all, but I couldn't bear to be alone with Seon-Ho again, not just yet.

"Hey! It looks like somebody is getting married here! Let us make ourselves welcome, shall we." I couldn't explain how felt whilst I made my way into this brothel that I had never seen or heard of before, but it really did feel like I had been here before, which just didn't make any sense at all. And it was instilling a fear in me that I had not known before. I wanted to leave right away, but everyone had started drinking and although I had never been tempted to drink in my entire life before, there was just something in the air this place that didn't sit right with me and I was scared. But my men where nowhere near me and who knew when I would go home at this rate.

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I was the most beautiful young girl in this room thanks to my new outfit that the Young Master Nam had given me in return for my musical talent on the zither that had kept him company lately this past week. He gave me a completely new look, some new clothes and even a servant to follow me around in school and inside his manor. But no matter how hard I had tried, I still wasn't as close to him as the ex-kisaeng girl or Yeon much to my dismay. This Young Master was the most handsome man that I had ever seen before, even more than anyone I had ever met even during my life as the daughter of a noble-man. He was tall, dark, mysterious and just so…arousing to look at. Yeon really didn't know how lucky she was to have a man who literally gave her everything and anything that a girl could possibly want in life. But yet here she was, flirting with the two men who were supposed to be mine and leaving the Young Master Nam in the cold as I had my eyes on him from the entire time that we were flying kites earlier. I do not know which spell she had cast on all 3 men, but they all looked at her in exactly the same way, with both longing and lust in their eyes.

Everyone stared drinking almost immediately, so it was easier for me to slip away from the group that I had been with and sit all the way in the back corner where he was very slowly getting drunk. "Young Master? May I join you? You are drinking alone here and I want to accompany you…" "You girls should be in bed by now, it is quite late…." "I will not disturb you, I will just quietly fill up your cup and just watch you for a while. I know that I am not the person that you wish to see right now, but I want to thank you for housing me and not driving me away, despite my reputation. As long as you let me sit here, then I shall never leave you alone and just listen to the sound of your voice, then I shall be satisfied. Shall I bring you home and put you to bed?"

"I go wherever she goes, I cannot go home without her." "Why not? She is a grown woman who has worked head and has earned a day off and…" "she is a goddamned child who likes to play with me a lot." "What do you mean?" "She is a tempestuous orphan girl who is proving more difficult to handle than I could have ever imagined her to be. And as for you no matter how much I dress you up like her and wear her accessories, you can never be her, no matter what you do. But between us, there is nothing to be sorry about, so thank you for your company this past week." "Is that it?" "What do you mean? I have already thanked you, what more do you want from me? My…heart and body only pines for her and no matter who else appears before me, I will only ever long for her, which only proves how selfish that I can be. But you are not her, you can never replace her and you have long outstayed your welcome here…"

"Servant! Come over here and put hat stash in Yen's drink." "But my Lady…" "I cannot afford to be homeless again and miss out on this glorious opportunity. And do not worry; tis drug makes a woman feel their urges and loose themselves publicly, that is all. It isn't any sort of common poison. This will not kill her, just res easy. But the fun will start now is can change the Young Master's mind and allow me ti stay under his roof for long enough before I become his bride.