Chapter 157: Discoveries (Balgyeon)

"The more different she looks, the more distinguished she is for sure. She isn't bad at all." "Back off man, I have made the introductions, but that is all. You can go back to Ae-Cha, so let me have this one, she is practically tailor made to become a teacher's wife." "No chance, I will have to speak to her brother about asking for her hand in marriage soon." "Are you kidding me? You already have a woriliateher ld of women at your feet, at least give me this one." "My Lords, if you do not approve of my outfit, then allow me to go home and change…" "Do not be ridiculous, your outfits cannot block your charm. We seem to have run out of alcohol though…." "Here we are, I managed to get some more for all of us." Ae-Cha finally rejoined us after disappearing to god only knows where. "Let us all find some seats." As I was standing the closest to her, I could already smell a familiar scent on her that made me indulge in some petty madness. Not only was this girl trying to get with every single man in her sight to find herself a husband, but now she was actively trying to seduce my man as well? Mine? Just who on earth did this woman think she was? She was wearing my outfits, my accessories and even my shoes. She was already trying to sabotage me and I wasn't going to let that happen. I already had a very hard time making friends as it was, because my brother and Seon-Ho really were all that I needed in this life. My brother's friends and Hwa-Wol had become a part of our extended family and, but I already had everything that I needed and becoming an orphan unexpectedly made me a lot more guarded than I ever was. I could not stand for my trust to be abused and I didn't mind making all of the enemies in the world to stand up for this morale of mine.

I could tell that she was looking around for my man to gain his attention somehow, even when I was partially drunk for the very first time. I could tell that she was going to pull some sort of trick, so I was determined to beat her to it. She was walking very close to me for some reason, probably to trip me up. So who was I to deny her this performance, although I wasn't going to fall for that trap. As soon as I could feel her foot getting closer to mine, I tripped up over it with my hand caching her jacket and ripping it off before the Young Master and his friend caught me simultaneously whist Ae-Cha literally fell flat on her face wither her jacket, which was a very scandalous act indeed. If a woman wasn't fully clothed at all time, she could be punished for public indecency which could land her in prison for up to a week.

"Yeon! What on earth do you think that you are doing!" "Hey! What is wrong with you? Why are you blaming others for you being so damned clumsy?" "Are you being serious right now? Did you not see her assault me just now?" "I am sorry, I feel like I am rather drunk…" "it isn't your fault Yeon, you have nothing to apologise for. Ae-Cha, if you cannot handle your alcohol, then maybe you should just leave!" "No! Why am I the one who should always leave! She should leave for once in her life! Or is she already too deep-rooted in your heart that you cannot bear her to leave your sight at all why can't anyone treat me equally to her?" "Are you already drunk or something? I haven't seen you take a sip though, so why are you acting like this? If you do not like the girl, then why are you even living with her? Should't you find another place to live then?" "I don't want to hear that! I want her to apologise to me!" "She just did! Didn't you hear her?" "For goodness sake, I didn't do it on purpose! Who even told you that you can wear one of my dresses, because I certainly didn't give you my permission! You are the one who stole my outfit, ruined it, and now here you are, shouting at me for you tripping over? Just what on earth is wrong with you? Maybe they are right and it is time for you to return home after all."

That seemed to shut her up after she started accusing me as if I had planned to humiliate her on purpose, she positively burst into tears before running away to fix my clothing that was now torn to shreds at the hem. "Let us find some seats and a good set of dancers to keep us entertained." I was still preoccupied with how uncomfortable I was feeling here, which urged me to take a look around the place. But the men had put drinks in my hands and I was getting distracted with all of the loud noises that were going on around me. I just wanted my man to find me, to hold me and to support me, but he was probably consoling Ae-Cha behind my back right now.

But the drama still wasn't over; her face completely dropped to the floor when she saw me sitting in-between her men and she almost cried again when she had to get another table by us when the men wouldn't let her anywhere near me at all. She was only working herself up as she kept strangely watching me drink for the first time, until it didn't take that long at all for me to get drunk. I felt like everyone was watching me at this point and I desired nothing more than to just go home already, but nobody would let me leave. And then we were greeted by some more men who studied with myself and Ae-Cha at the school, who kept on stealing our drunks which surprisingly annoyed her greatly. In the end, it was my brother who finally found me and ripped a new one into Ae-Cha for letting me drink at all. He berated her and accused her of trying to set me up before he yelled at the Young Master and his acquaintance that he worked with for the Third Prince and actually punch him in the face before taking me in his arms and dropping me off home on his back just like he used to do until we were separated all those years ago. "She is only drinking because she wants to! It isn't that serious!" "Two men are trying to get my sister drunk, and I shouldn't be worried at all! She should have been home hours ago as per my rules for her! So don't you even think coming anywhere near her again, or I shall pull her from your father's school ad heave her learn from home! And as for you, I can see your intention from a mile away, but I shall never give you my consent for her hand in marriage! Now be gone!"

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"What is going on with you sister? Why did you drink today?" "Brother, I am afraid…" "Afraid of what? Tell me?" "Brother…stop leaving me on my own. Please stay with me. I am so afraid of loosing you all over again. I hate you for leaving me alone. Why can't we be like before I lost my memories? And I need you to find someone and marry so you carry on our father's bloodline before something happens to us again. I love you so much brother. And I still need you around me. Please let us live together."

She was saying so much that it was hard to hard to keep up with wha she was saying, but she was making my silently cry with the words that I could make out. My poor sweet sister, she still wanted me around to look after her like the good old days, even when she was a grown woman now. I could feel her squeeze me as tightly as she could in her drunken stupor and she kept putting her little nose into my hair. She did always have a habit of telling me that smelt just like father and that was why she liked to sleep close to me sometimes, not that I really minded. I preferred her company to anyone else since she always came up with an excuse to fuss over me, tend to me and shower me with affection since there was no-one else in my life to do it. Nobody saw me like my sister did and even though I knew deep down that no-one could care for her more than Seon-Ho did, maybe I was hesitating because I was jealous a little? He already stole her from me once and now he was infatuated with her. She now had other proposals lining up for her at an alarming rate and I knew that I needed to make a choice soon. Seon-Ho had schemes surrounding my sister and I wasn't happy about that at all. But in a rather short time, I could already see that he was torn between his own selfish ambitions and the feelings that he had for my sister which were growing every day and slowly suppressing his plans. Maybe there was hope for him after all that he could treat Yeonnie well after all.

I managed to get to Seon-Ho's residence after him just as I put my sister to bed. She was completely knocked out by the time that I tucked her in as I finally made up my mind to face him properly ever since…well, the military exam I suppose. "Sober up, we need to talk." "Can't it wait until morning? Just let me sleep this off." "Very well, I shall just wait for you to sober up whilst those two hand in marriage petitions to the Third Prince to marry my sister. I can only refuse a handful of times until he pressurises me to marry somebody in his court to keep me at his side, just like you predicted." He barely looked at me sober before he pointed to a document that he kept in his robes. And it was a damned marriage document of all things. "Are you kidding me? What if I hadn't of agreed to this?" "Then I would have collected both of your thumb-prints while you slept and sent it to the Emperor himself." "That had better be a joke." "Yeon's talents are shining every single day and one day, the entire world will want her. But you are Seo Geom's children, and it will always bare political motives and dangerous ones at that. You introduced her to me all those years ago because you trusted me to keep her safe, and you know that you still can, even if we are to be enemies in the palace. My new feelings are just a bonus…" "How can I trust you not to choose your plans over my sister?" "You can trust me because my plans will never come into fruition without her, so how can I choose them over her? I wouldn't even dream to think of what I have now if I didn't keep her with me and raised her in your absence."

"So you would have signed these without my consent, right?" "You know me well enough to answer that question on your own." "Well since I am now, I get to set some of my own terms on the marriage that I give consent to…" "There is no point yet." "What do you mean?" "I am trying to marry her quickly, but we both know that she will not marry unless you do first. Your marriage is more important to her since you will carry on your father's bloodline." "Nevertheless, I am adding on my conditions to this document and I want your thumbprint on this thing." "Well? What are they then?" "You will never keep me from her, or the other men that need her." "I wasn't going to stop you in the first place, and I shall allow her contact with the Liadong men and their partners and that is all." "I want her to be financially stable as well." "I have already drawn up a contract where she will receive a quarter of my wealth, along with small properties in her name and a monthly allowance." "The issue of you taking on concubines for your dreams…." "It will not happen, I have an alternate plan for that instead." "Which is?" "I am buying the brothel that we were just in and I am currently finding a woman to run it for me. The kiasengs there will be my spies and nothing more, I shall never even meet them if you are uncomfortable with that." "There is one last thing." "Yes?" "Keep my sister away from the palace, even from her future job if you can. Such a place isn't meant for her, even if you aim to stay there." "What is this about Hwi, how comes she hates the place so much?" "My sister has always blamed the palace for my father's death…and I have reason to believe that she is right."