"Get up!"
I felt something hit my butt. I woke me up abruptly and have to get up so sudden I felt dizzy.
"Are you ill?!" I know it was my stepmother's voice but I remained my eyes shut. The world is spinning and my head feels like it was splitting in half.
"No." I answered without thinking but I felt my body fall to the bed involuntarily. "Ugh ..yes."
I put my palm in my forehead. I'm sweating and I feel hot. It must be a fever and I think a little bit of the alcohol from last night.
"Where were you?"
I opened my eyes. The room is bright already, indicating it's way passed dawn. Lady Choi had a broom in her hands, that explains the hit I got. Sulli and Luna are behind her. Sulli looks like she's ready to grill me for her breakfast.
"I uh.. got lost."
"I don't believe you." says Lady Choi. "You're hiding something from me. I can feel it. I demand to know what it is."
I have no energy for this. "Why don't you tell me so I can go back to sleep."
Sulli jumped in. "What about our breakfast?!"
I looked at her straight and with all honesty I answered. "You have two hands. Make it yourself." This is what I don't like when I'm sick. I tend not to filter my words.
She and her mother gasped. "You lazy little leech!" I saw Luna behind them covering her mouth with her hand to hide her laughter.
As if on cue, her mother called her. "Luna, go boil some water."
Luna looked at her mother in disbelieve. "Me? Boil water?"
Lady Choi nodded. Luna sighed, rolled her eyes and walks away. Muttering something like "Oh I just knew it!"
Of course it would be Luna who she commands to do stuff for her. Never her precious Sulli.
I closed my eyes again. I wanted to go back to sleep but I knew I can't anymore especially with this headache.
After a couple of hours resting, I had to get up because I don't think being sick is going to be an excuse for Lady Choi to miss my chores.
I was pouring water to our big jar containers when I saw Eommonie Byun running towards me. "Soojung-ah! They're going through your mother's clothes!"
I ran up inside. Sulli's holding up one of my mother's finest hanbok, Luna has my mother's glass slippers and Lady Choi is pulling Sulli's hair aside so she can see her daughter's reflection properly in the mirror.
They turned when I entered the room.
"Look who finally decided to grace us with her presence." says Lady Choi.
Luna slowly put my mother's shoes down, looking a little embarrassed but the other two stood still on their ground.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Trying on my dress." Sulli answers.
"Do you really think after that performance this morning I would let you go with us to the Ball?" Lady Choi said with a raised brow.
I've had enough of this.
"Do you honestly think that these games, these intrigues would win you a crown? To hunt royalty like some sport?! It's disgusting!"
"You're just jealous!" says Sulli.
I picked my mother's shoes. "These are my mother's!"
"Yes." Sulli grins at me, an all too familiar evil smile of hers. "But she's dead."
