The Girl of an Old Mansion

21. Night of Revelation

As the sky turned dark and an inky black sky appeared, the furrows between his brows grew deeper, as he sat with anxiety written all over Lord Yong's face.

Lord Yong had decided to disclose the complete truth to Si-ri before it was too late. He bought some gifts for Si-ri and stepped towards the dense forest with a torch.

Standing in front of the mansion Lord Yong knocks on the door. Si-ri rushed towards the door, sensing it must be her father and hastily opened the door. Si-ri was grinning from ear to ear and hugged her father.

"I missed you a lot, didn't you miss me?" asked Si-ri, making a puppy face.

"Do you really think your father could forget you? I missed you so much and prayed for your well-being," Lord Yong cupped her face and said.

"It seems you have brought something for me, come in.'' As soon as they walking, Si-ri gets busy groping Lord Yong's bag. He had bought some of Si-ri's favourite things and his daughter was delighted to see the lovely gifts.

Every time Lord Yong saw Si-ri's smile, he felt like his life was worth living. Her smile was like watching flowers bloom in spring and like watching the glittering stars in the clear sky.

Lord Yong was lost in his thoughts whether to reveal the truth or not? What would be her reaction? "It will surely agonize her, she'll be shattered, ruined. If it was not for the curse I would have never revealed this truth till my last breath."

Lord Yong slowly walked towards Si-ri and sat in front of her, while she was occupied by the charming gifts. He gently caressed the girl's forehead and said, "My child, only five days are left for your eighteenth birthday. As I promised you on your birthday that I'd tell you everything, share the truth behind why you have been prisoned in this dark mansion and the truth behind your curse. But, instead of revealing the truth on your birthday I'll tell you everything right now. This will be really unfortunate and terribly surprising for you. I honestly wish I didn't have to tell you all of this but trust me this is a last resort and I cannot hide this from you anymore."

Looking at her father's dejected eyes and trembling lips while talking, Si-ri knew that the news was worse than she had expected . A storm was waiting to engulf her in its colossal currents. Si-ri looked grim and disquieted but she eventually chose to walk back onto those unturned pages of her life that were forbidden for her in the book of time. It's the time to reminisce about the unopened chapter of her life.

"I have prepared my mind beforehand for this day. I know it can come out as a terrible one, still I am eager to listen to that unfortunate tale of my life. You can speak up father," said Si-ri in a calm voice.

Lord Yong was in a daze, as if he was pondering on the pages of the past. He closed his eyes and began to see some terrible visuals then opened his eyes in panic and fear. Si-ri was sitting on the ground laying her head on his lap waiting for him to speak up.

Lord Yong started to tell the whole story.

"It was the time when our Noam was reeling under the spell of scorching heat. Queen Iseul had seen a weird dream or I should call it a nightmare, that a black shadow entered her belly and called me to check in hope of good news. But again she had to disappoint. Rumours were prevailing in the whole Noam, that the Queen was barren and on the other side, frequent attacks of the enemies in order to conquer Noam, because it was an heirless country was an opportunity for them and that too was dissolving stress in the air of the palace."

"The Queen wanted an heir at any cost. She summoned a Shaman, Mi-sook. The shaman had already been exiled from the Noam as convicted of sinful deeds against the Royal family. Even after many warnings from the King and other officials, she did not pay any heed and eventually summoned Mi-sook in the palace. From here the foundation of an unfortunate event started to set its roots. The heart wrenching saga of misfortune had started, that was being scribbled with the bloody quill of Mi-sook."