"Orabeoni? What is wrong with you now? You have been awfully quiet since we ran into our aunt Yeon and her daughter Hana? I didn't even have the time to offer to host them here in our hime after everything that they have done for us…" "She is angry at me, I can tell." "Who? Who is angry with you? What has happened? Did you offend our aunt?" "Her daughter…my goodness she has grown up, hasn't she?" "Yes; I have to say that out of every woman of nobility here in the kingdom, I have never seen such a prettier and polished woman. It must run in the family; to be a woman of a lowborn status and yet inherit every single etiquette, every single poise and every single other quality of a noble woman. I hear that she is proficient in several languages, she knows how to use her grandfather's weapons and she can carry out a tea ceremony blindfolded. What a shame that she hasn't inherited her mother's gift for embroidery…" "Really? Is that true?" "Why do you look so shocked?" "Seo Hana is one of the most educated woman in this entire kingdom and is proficient in everything apart from this basic task that all womenfolk carry out every since the first dynasty? Seo Hana…she must look down on simple women, or maybe even noble women who do not use their educated to it's fullest extent? Or benefit from it because 90% of noble women who have an access to an education would rather focus on the simple basic tasks of womanhood in order to attract a husband and not scare them off into thinking they are equals? Not even her mother Seo Yeon dared to dangle all of her achievements and wit over her husband's head; instead she made her husband a part of every single scheme, every single decision and every single situation that they have faced together. There is a good chance that her daughter aspires to have the same sort of relationship with her potential spouse, but she doesn't appear to have her mother's patience or her subtly. Maybe she is bold like her father and uses that as a test? Her father certainly never hid his true mature from his wife and she has stuck by him for almost 3 decades now…"
"What on earth are you saying, orabeoni? What are you thinking so hard about? Heaven'y you been stuck on the same page of your book all day today? Just what is wrong with you?"
Bo-Geom was right, I had been stuck on the same page of my book all day long since we had both returned from the market and I came across the very girl whom I couldn't get my mind off of. She had two very good-looking parents and my goodness did he inherit all of the right genes. I had already reunited with my baby brother and my cousin Hyuk a long time ago when I caught them recklessly sneaking into the kingdom, but he had inherited more features from my own father. But Hana…my goodness, she could put any man under a spell as soon as you made eye contact with her, which is what she did to me evidently. Perfection was the only way to describe her, and that fact that she herself was quite startled when she also met my gaze…she was a ripe teenager with hardly any experience, I could tell that much from how she was getting flustered and trying to avoid my gaze behind her mother's back. And the very fact that we had met again just before any other man had courted her or asked for her hand in marriage pretty much told me that fate had begun it's work in my life and I may have already found my life parent, just like my uncle did with my aunt…despite the fact that she was my cousin and a close one at that that shared half of the same blood as I did. This was incest, plain and simple…but my connection to a girl that I had only met for a few seconds was anything but plain and simple. I couldn't even explain what I had felt when I saw her again in that purple outfit with her rare accessories that only her father would have gifted her. In fact, I was the one who spotted them years ago when we were on a trip together in the kingdom in my youth and I was the one who suggested giving them to her as a gift. What irony that I would meet her with those jewels displayed on herself like that…it was almost as if she was born for myself only despite our close familial relationship….
"Orabeoni? You seem to have a letter come through for you…" "Is it from our aunt?" "How the hell did you know that?" "You know what sister? I think that you have been dressing like a man for so long that you have started to speak like one, and I know that your mother will not be happy about that. Take off all of your robes, take a bath and wear the new dress that I have bought just for you." "Just for me? Really?" "Accessories and shoes to match." "You know, you will make a great husband someday." A husband? Well, I hadn't thought about it so far, but after the events of today, why not? Especially when I already knew that my aunt was summoning me through the letter so that we could speak about this issue that happened today.
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I figured the best course of action was to bring back Bo-Geom with me to smooth over whatever lecture was in for me from my beloved aunt whom I had never intended to upset. She was beloved by everyone before Hana was even born and I practically made it my mission to buy as many gifts as possible for everyone to reduce their anger. First I needed to see my parents before anything and explain the situation from them, even though it was already likely that my aunt had gotten to them first. My mother would be in hysterics as usual and my father…well, I have never seen him get angry in my entire lifetime so I was actually beginning to fear his reaction the most. And what of my uncle? What if they thought the worst of me? What if they thought that I was some sort of freak for thinking about my own cousin that way? A girl who was still far too young when I left the village? My uncle…what if all of his aspirations in mr had failed now because of this? Nobody treasured their daughter more than my uncle did to his girl, he would quite literally pluck the stars and the moon from the skies for her. What if he wanted nothing to do with me after this? No, he was a man that was 10 steps ahead of everyone and he must have anticipated that this might happen. If he was truly angry at me, then he would have already surely had me arrested and tortured in the palace dungeons already. He would burn the world for his wife and daughter, and he wouldn't hesitate to harm the people close to him for the family that he never thought that he would have growing up…
"…son? Are you even listening to us? It isbn't like you to be so spaced out, you remind me of my sister when she pulls that same face as you when she is trying to think hard." "You say that she has fallen ill? And that is why she hasn't turned up to this banquet?" "Why? Did you want something from her?" "I just wanted to see her, and Bo-Geom I am sure, she missed her terribly since she only has memories of our aunt in the kingdom…" "Well, how long are you staying for?" "Unfortunately I can only stay for up to 2 days father as I have a lot of training that I cannot miss out on." "How much longer will you stay in the kingdom boy? Don't you know that I need you here also?" "Father you can always send me the administrative documents to sort out for you whilst yourself and Geom and even Hyyk help you on the land. But helpfully if things go my way, I can return to the village full time by the end of the year if I have not secured a job straight away." "So you have thought about us beyond your military career? I am surprised…" "Father, please do not do this. Don't I alway send you half of my pay? I actually have some new ideas that we can implement into this place to make it more of an official village, which is the goal eventually right?" "And that is?" "I will tell you all about it after I have visited my uncle briefly; wait up for me father and make sure you bring Geom with you." "He is sulking in his chambers because you did not greet him first personally." "My goodness, hasn't he grown up yet?" "How can he grow up without you my son?" "Mother please stop crying, I am here now aren't I?" "You have hardly touched the desserts that I have made for you." "That is because you have made Geom's favourites mother, not mine. I never had a sweet tooth like he did."
The palpable silence between us after that was a little too much for me to handle despite my uncle trying his best to train me in the art of isolation. That was always the only field of study that I failed constantly, so I figured I would make my way over to see my baby brother who did still indeed sulk like a baby when things didn't go his way, only to come across Bo-Geom on the way who was clearly looking for me. "Sister? What is the matter?" "Orabeoni, I think that something has happened to our aunt." "What makes you say that?" "I offered to tend to her because she is ill, but our uncle is actively chasing away any medical attention that she might need. He has never been that dismissive of me before, and…" "We all know that he would never hurt his wife, but we also all know that he had kept her indoor a few times with less appropriate methods…what do you think it is? Could you smell or see anything in her room?" "I have a feeling that he might have used a paralytic substance, but I have no idea without seeing it…" "Is there a general cure for such a thing? And if there is, can you make it? How long will it take?" "Luckily for you I have packed up all of my medicine, so I can most likely have it made by midnight…" "You get on that whilst I visit the boys for a little while…" 'Very well, I shall have Hana help me out if possible….but she is in charge of looking after her baby brother temporarily, so it looks like I will have to wait until he falls asleep…." "Really? Hana wil be there as well?" "What is wrong with you?" "What? What are you talking about?" "Aren't you a little late to be on the verge of puberty? Why does your voice always go an octave higher when I mention the girl? Or have you already forgotten that she is your cousin?" "Just forget it." I mumbled and fled before she could see my face turning pink at there mere mention of that girl's name. That was another problem that I needed to tackle whilst being here; do I avoid her? Or do I talk to her? Shall I just observe her for now? Yes, that was the most sensible solution for the time being; I also had this matter of my aunt to tend to as it sounded like Hyuk was completely unaware of the situation at all. And if that was so, then we seemed to have a bigger problem on our hands, but I needed to take care of the situation before I got my father involved and possibly change the course of their special friendship that has survived decades at this point.