Body & Soul 🇰🇷 Part 2

Chapter 197: Nam-Kyu/ Hana

Life had been pure bliss since I entered the Nam mansion, even if it meant becoming something I never wanted to be; someone's wife. For the first time in my life I felt like a proper wife and noble-woman as I secured myself in Yeon's wing along with her clothes that still couldn't compare to my own, along with her various scents, jewellery that seemed to carry a specific pattern, her shoes that were even smaller I size than mine were...and other random things she like that only low-borns like herself could tolerate. I couldn't help but to feel disgusted; she was one of the luckies women in our era, to come from such lowly beginnings to seducing her way to become the army general's wife, she was basically the second most powerful woman in our nation to the royal family and she had barely achieved anything with her position at all. She was one of these truly naive, selfless people who probably just wanted to be the perfect woman rather than gain power for herself... I had definitely underestimated Yeon, who else could have created those situations with myself and Hyo-Sonn? If it wasn't for her, Hyun-Ki wouldn't have been castrated, I wouldn't have landed myself in a joke of a marriage, Hyo-Sonn wouldn't have been a constant victim like she had been for the entirety of her life...Da-In would have gotten her happy ending maybe...and I could have had him as well, even if it had been for a day, or two, or more. But one thing was clear, I couldn't go back to that home by myself or I would have been done for. My now dead cousin had powerful ties in the palace as the Queen's lady-in-waiting and must have known a lot of her secrets so that she could aid me in my plan to come back to Seon-Ho. The King wasn't in a good state but nobody could get through to him at all; the weaker he became the more he wanted to hold onto his power that was slowly slipping away and only Seon-Ho wold help him with that. I guess he had become the Queen's new target, and everyone knew that his biggest weakness was his family. Well, when a man refuses to take in concubines and have relations with any other man or woman they were exposing their own weakness.

So I demanded that I took Yeon's place as his main wife, although he had been too busy in the palace to fulfil our...marital duties that I couldn't wait for. I got myself drunk on the luxury I had been depraved of for so long, I made my presence in the palace knows as I followed my husband to his word without his knowledge for surprise visits, I made my appearances at functions...but no more than a couple of weeks in my new home and with that miserable Yeon finally gone, I found myself wanting a lot more for myself and my new family. I could get rid of Yeon but his children were recognised by everyone so I had no choice but to accept them as my own once their studies in the palace were going to continue. I had realised this soon after my first encounter at the palace and we had to pay our respects to the Queen and everyone kept asking us where the twins were. I was completely floored by this and I had no idea what to say, even when the royal children themselves went up to Seon-Ho to ask him where they had gone and he just told them to ask me instead. With all the rumours about them, I really didn't think that they were genuinely this well-liked. In my world, not a single soul was genuine at all, even children. I had thought everyone would despise them for having a low-born mother but I guess I was proven wrong. So after serving a meal to my husband, I found him in his study and I told him that he could bring the children back under my care, but he would have to do me a favour in return, and we had to try for a baby ourselves soon. I couldn't read the expression on his face, but I think he was happy? Now that butch was out of the way he could finally have fun and realise that she wasn't the only woman who could exist in his world. I went to the children's rooms so I could observe their likes, their tastes, and their aspirations they had posted on their walls. Hyuk clearly wanted to follow in his father's footsteps whilst Hana and all sorts of creative quotes on her walls, from artists to author's. I made a mental note to go into town tomorrow to shop for all new things for them...and with that I could finally have a family of my own. He would see how good of a mother I could be, we could have a baby of our own and maybe he could forgive my brother and bring him back to me...and I could finally be a genuine proud wife just like Yeon was. I told him all the time how much I loved him and how grateful I was that he gave me chance to prove myself to him how much I deserved to be a wife. Now I just had to wait for him to bring home his children so I could finally become a mother...

...and that was the last I saw of him, until my home was completely surrounded by soldiers who caught me in a misunderstanding. I was getting ready for my first night with my husband and I had a male servant dress me as all the other servants were busy elsewhere. He had no choice but to dress me, and that was when the soldiers came bursting in and had practically grabbed me as if I was a piece of litter and dragged me to the main hall as my husband had finally returned home with such a dark face on him I actually took a few steps back in fear. Some servants then carried his daughter and nephew inside who now looked like half-dead street rats along with someone I never thought i would see again. I was so confused i didn't even notice the way my husband was looking at me until I felt him strike me to the ground and accused me of abusing his children? Harming them, starving them and even leaving them for dead? I still had no idea what was going on until he shouted at me to be taken away somewhere I didn't recognise until they recovered? Before i was practically kidnapped , the little girl pointed at me and confirmed to him that she was the one she saw pulling the kids around and throning them outside of the mansion? I couldn't even prove my innocence before I was dragged away to god know's where completely in the dark about what was going on right now.

*******************

So the first time myself and Chul feigned illness in my father's home it didn't exactly go to plan, and it killed me to hurt my father like this but I had at least left him with a lasting memory that we would not want to relieve ever again in his life. So I hid myself for a while in a new friend's home that I had met recently on one of our outings in the palace with my brother and cousins. Myself and Chul stayed with her and her family whiles I made scarce appearances in the palace so the royals would see us and hardly anyone else. But as soon as we saw my father's men doing house searches we immediately put our plan into action; I immediately ran to the other building whilst Chul prepared himself and waited for my uncle to come as close as he would before going up to him in a poor state which I knew would put him in a furious state. My mother had always shielded us when my father got into his...dark moods, but she was't around anymore and I was the one who had to protect him now while she looked after my baby brother. So even if it meant seeing my father at his worst than so be it. Soon enough I heard my father call out for me in a tone that I prayed to god I will never have to hear again. I opened my eyes long enough to call out his name...and then I really did pass out due to exhaustion.