Ecstacy of Love (vsoo)

19. I want you to serve me...Beautiful lady.

Edited

Jisoo's POV

A month passed in the blink of an eye, and somehow, I found myself wrapped up in the daily whirlwind of life at Park Mansion. It wasn’t a bad life—not at all—but it was different. The noise, the people, the expectations—it was all so much more than I had anticipated. But it had its moments of calm too, like when I was with Chaeyoung.

Chaeyoung. She was everything I didn’t expect from someone in such a high position. Friendly, sweet, and impossibly talkative, much like Jennie had been. I found myself drawn to her warmth, her playful nature. It reminded me of the days when things felt simpler, before everything became so complicated.

Today was her birthday, and the mansion was alive with the hustle and bustle of preparation for the grand banquet. My role was simple enough—help her get ready, assist with anything she needed—but it felt special to be part of this, to see her excitement as the day unfolded.

"Unnie, you have such a nice choice in clothes," Chaeyoung said, admiring herself in the full-length mirror. She was already wearing the sky-blue hanbok I’d helped her pick out earlier, her smile radiant as she twirled, catching the light in the room.

"You look beautiful in everything," I replied with a soft chuckle, brushing out the last tangles in her hair, but she rolled her eyes at me.

"You're just saying that because you’re my unnie," she teased. "But it's true. You could be the prettiest lady in the whole kingdom, not just some maid."

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at that. She always said things like that, and I knew she meant well, but it still made me uncomfortable.

"It’s true! You really should," she insisted. "You deserve to wear the crown, not those Bae sisters."

I let out a small laugh. "Okay, okay. Let me help you with that hairpin before you start on another one of your speeches."

With a dramatic sigh, Chaeyoung handed me the jade hairpin, and I carefully tucked it into her hair, securing it in place. It was stunning, matching her hanbok perfectly. As I worked, Chaeyoung began to pull out other clothes, offering me things to wear.

"This one, unnie," she said, pulling out a beautiful white hanbok from her closet, one that she had bought for herself but hadn’t been able to wear because it didn’t quite fit her tall frame.

I stared at the fabric, its simplicity and elegance. It was perfect. The soft, royal silk shimmered faintly under the candlelight, and for a moment, I felt like I could be someone else—someone worthy of wearing something like that.

I hesitated. "It’s too beautiful for me. I’m just a maid."

Chaeyoung frowned, her bottom lip sticking out in that pouty way she knew always got to me. "Stop it, unnie! I told you a thousand times, you’re not just a maid to me. You’re my friend, like my older sister. Please, just wear it. You’ll look gorgeous."

I shook my head, trying to refuse, but Chaeyoung’s persistence won out. In the end, I couldn’t bring myself to say no, and I reluctantly agreed.

I changed into the white hanbok, its delicate fabric falling perfectly around me. When I emerged, Chaeyoung’s face lit up with approval.

"You look perfect," she said, and I couldn’t help but smile, despite the slight discomfort I felt at being in something so fine.

"Alright, alright. You win," I muttered, smoothing out the fabric. I didn’t want to admit it, but it felt nice to be treated like this, even if only for a moment.

Chaeyoung beamed at me as she finished her own preparations. "We’re going to be the most beautiful duo at the banquet. Let’s go, unnie!"

As we made our way down to the banquet hall, my heart felt heavy. The laughter and music filled the air, but all I could think about was the life I had left behind. The mission I still had to carry out, the secrets I had to keep hidden. I had to keep playing this part, but somewhere deep down, I knew that pretending could only last for so long.