The Four Kings & Me

Chapter 11

Ryang Empire, 1854
Ning Village 

Note: I used Google Translate on the words below.

삼촌 (samchon)- uncle

숙모 (sungmo)- aunt

조카 (joka)- nephew

(agasshi)- Miss, a female member of the noble family

왕세자 (Seja)- Crown Prince

Jung-ki POV…

Hanuel, Sung-jun, and I were sitting in the dimly lit makeshift sitting area, talking about what was taking place back at the palace, when we heard a soft knock on the door. We all unsheathe our weapons and move further into the shadows. I stood in the dark corner next to the room Nyota and Min-sook were sleeping in. Hanuel stood behind the door, and Sung-jun stood on the other side of it. We came face to face with a short hooded figure when Sung-jun opened the door.

“Who are you?” Sung-jun asked, aiming his sword at the base of the unidentifiable figure's neck.

“Seong Yeon-ma.” A soft-spoken female voice uttered. 

“What are you doing here?” He then asked with his sword still to the woman's neck.

“The queen sent for me to come here.” She replied, at the same time she removed the hood from over her head.

My eyes almost bugged out of their sockets when I looked at a face that looked exactly like my mom's. They looked so much alike that she could easily be mistaken for the queen if she ever stepped foot into the palace or walked the grounds of Ryang. 

“Umm, sorry, Agasshi.” Sung-jun apologized at the same time he withdrew his weapon from her neck. The woman waved his apology off, then stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. 

“Sung-jun, who is this woman?” Even though I already knew the answer to my question, I still felt the need to be sure of who she was for Nyota and my safety. I didn't want to trust my intuition and allow harm to come to Nyota when it could've been prevented.

“She's the Queen's identical twin sister, your sung-mo.”

“It's good to see you again, Seja.” She says, bowing towards me.

“Again!? When have I ever met you and where?” I asked while staring at the woman.

“You don't remember meeting me because you were still a baby when I last visited the queen at the palace.” She replied, stepping closer to me.

“Haneul, did you know that Umma had a twin sister?” The look of surprise on his face gave me the answer to my question before he even responded.

“No, Seja.” 

“No one in Ning Village knows that I am your mom's identical twin sister. They don't even know that I am part of the noble household of the Seong. They probably don't even know that I exist.”