Moon's Whisper, Heart's Echo

3.The Scholar

Nandi woke gasping, her throat raw as if she'd been breathing ashes. Dawn's grey light bled through the hanji screens, painting familiar shadows that did nothing to dispel the lingering terror. For a moment, she was back there – running through flame-lit corridors, Soo-ah's blood-stained face the last thing she'd seen before... Three strikes.

Then silence.

A soft knock interrupted her spiraling thoughts. "My lady?" Ji-soo's voice carried quietly through the door. "I heard... shall I bring tea?"

Nandi pressed her hands against her face, willing her heart to slow. "No, I'm fine. Just a dream."

"Of course." Ji-soo's tone suggested she believed neither statement. "Then you won't mind if I mention that Young-ah is already fielding three messengers from the Lim family? Apparently, their eldest daughter—"

"No." Nandi cut her off, throwing back her bedding with more force than necessary. "No more clients today. I need..." She paused, catching sight of her reflection in the small bronze mirror. Dark circles shadowed her eyes, making her look more haunted than the respected matchmaker she'd become. "I need air."

"Air?" Ji-soo slid the door open. Her expression shifted from concern to suspicion. "What kind of air?"

"The kind that doesn't involve marriage negotiations or birth charts or—" Nandi gestured the general direction of the stacks of correspondence threatening to overtake her sleeping quarters. "Just... air."

Ji-soo's eyes narrowed. "And where exactly does one find this particularly special air?"

"The spring." Nandi was already reaching for her simplest chogori, the pale cotton one she'd mended herself rather than replace. The fabric was worn soft with washing, nothing like the fine silks filling her wardrobe. "I'll fetch water, like any other woman in the village."

"Any other woman?" Ji-soo's voice rose slightly. "My lady, you have noble standing."

"Lady Nandi," she added pointedly, watching as Nandi tied her skirts with practiced motions.

"Min-joon?"

"Still asleep. The tutor won't arrive for hours." Ji-soo sighed, recognizing the stubborn set of Nandi's jaw. "At least let me send one of the kitchen girls with you."

"I'm a grown woman, Ji-soo-ya. I can manage a water jar."

With that, Nandi gestured a small goodbye with her hands as her friend shook her head in disapproval. The spring lay just beyond the property, where the path wound between ancient pines marking the boundary between their secluded world and the wilderness beyond.

The clearing opened onto a natural rock basin where crystal-clear water bubbled up from underground, feeding into a stream that villagers had partially dammed to create a deeper pool. In Nandi's early days here, she'd often escaped to this spot, finding peace in its isolation.

Upon arrival, she registered a crowd near the water's edge, which wasn't unusual for this time of morning. A cluster of women gathered, their laughter dancing with the sound of water splashing into earthenware jars.

She walked past a few girls, recognizing them from nearby households. Most were younger than her, daughters of merchants or servants. They didn't acknowledge her directly but shifted slightly to make room. She appreciated the small courtesy, however absent-minded it might be.

Nandi walked with measured steps, the handle of her onggi gripped loosely in one hand as she moved forward.

A man stood near, apparently the source of the gathered crowd's entertainment, though Nandi paid him little mind. These days, it seemed every other week brought some new traveler to the village, each causing their own ripples of excitement before moving on.