Emperor of the Dead

Chapter 6

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Aeryn Branche and Mirae Han
November 3, 1800

"Yes," she said, straightening her posture and trying to make herself look presentable.

The door opened, revealing the woman in Sehyun's drawings. "Hello, Aeryn Branche. You must be wondering why I came to meet you."

"Yes."

"I heard a little about you from Suzy. I wanted to know what you were like for myself." The woman walked in, kicking the random things on the floor. Under her breath, she whispered, "He's such a pig."

Aeryn smiled nervously at the ground. Sticking to the assumption that the woman was Han's mother, she said, "I've heard a little about you. From your son, that is."

"All good things I hope."

"Yes, of course." Aeryn twirled her fingers. She wasn't used to being put on the spot, and even if she was, her behaviour wouldn't be any better. Aeryn looked up, making eye contact with her feline eyes and shining skin. It was a miracle someone with a son as old as Han looked his age. "What is your name?"

"Han Mirae--sorry. I mean Mirae Han." The woman smiled brightly, almost nothing like the few sentences Han had said about her. He spoke of his mother as if she didn't live on the ship, but finding out that she did by a chance meeting wasn't how Aeryn planned on meeting her if at all. "I'm not used to introducing myself in English. I haven't practised in ages, so please forgive me if I am rusty."

Aeryn nodded her head. "Definitely."

"Don't mind me asking, but why are you in my son's room?"

"Um, that, well, he saved me actually. I was resting over here and I woke up recently."

She raised a brow. "Saved you? I doubt Sehyun would ever do something like that."

"How come?"

Mirae played with her fingers. "Come on out. Let's chat over some tea, shall we?"

Aeryn followed Mirae out of Sehyun's room and into the dining room. On the way, everyone bowed their heads at Han's mother, but rather than instinct, it felt as if they had to remind themselves to show respect. As if they hadn't met Mirae Han in months. As if she stayed in a secluded part of the ship most of the time and seldom came out.

"Take a seat, Aeryn," she said, gesturing at the seat parallel to her.

Aeryn bowed her head slightly and sat down.

Han's mother asked a servant to bring tea for both of them, and within seconds, two teacups with steam flying out of them were placed in front of them.

After an odd moment of silence, Mirae said, "To answer your question, I've seen Sehyun watch people suffer in pain and do nothing about it. I've seen him laugh, on the contrary."

"Even though he's a doctor?"

Mirae coughed, not expecting those words. "He isn't a licensed doctor. He picked it up as a hobby a while ago and gave up on it rather quickly compared to some of his other hobbies. I've never seen the boy pick something up and finish it, nor have I seen him answer a yes or no question. It's rather frustrating."

Taken aback, Aeryn scratched her ear, her neck. Had Mirae not spoken to someone in a while? That's what it felt like.

"To be very frank with you, the only reason he would have to save you is if he became fond of you or needs you much like a player needs his pawns in a game of chess."

"I see..." For a pirate captain's mother, she was eager to reveal her son's dark sides.

Mirae, spotting Aeryn's uncomfortable posture, patted her shoulder across the table. "I'm sorry if I am making you uncomfortable. I haven't spoken to anyone in ages. On top of that, Sehyun hasn't spoken to me in ages either. Ever since we've come on this ship to help his father, he's been angry at me and his father for that matter."

"Help his father?"

Mirae shifted in her seat much like how Aeryn's mother used to before sharing a rather large story. "Listen, Aeryn. You're neither friend nor foe to Sehyun, but I do hope I can help you understand him. You see, he only has five people he speaks to and considers only three of them friends. I want to help him expand his circle a bit more."

Aeryn blinked a few times. She'd already come to the deduction that Sehyun had issues with forming relations from the way he spoke of humans, but hearing it from her made it a problem rather than his personality. "Alright."

It was certainly odd that Han's mother would do something like this, but giving her ears and some of her time wouldn't hurt.

"Ask me what you want to know."

Aeryn froze. What should she ask? On any other day of the week, she would have had questions popping up within seconds, but at that moment, the only thing she could think of was cows.

"No questions?"

"Could you tell me what you meant when you said he come here to help his father?"

She drummed her fingers on the wooden table. The candlelight fell on her face perfectly, leaving Aeryn in a shadow. "Sehyun's father sent me a letter a few days before his eighteenth birthday, asking me to bring him onboard the ship. He simply said he was suffering from severe back pain and wanted Sehyun to take over for a few days. But those few days turned into years, and now we're bound by contract to stay in this setup until he dies, Sehyun dies, or he appoints a new captain."

"A contract? He made you sign a contract?"

Shaking her head, she said, "Yes. Can you believe it? Making his own family sign a contract!"

Aeryn now found herself wanting to question why Mirae offered so much information so easily. Was she drunk? Had she eaten an off-putting medicine? Or did she truly believe that sharing Sehyun's past with Aeryn would do something for the better?

But before she could inquire further, a voice came from the deck.

"I'M BACK." 

Mirae excused herself from the table immediately, but instead of going to the main deck, she went upstairs into a tiny room and closed the door, not wanting to ruin her son's day by being the first face he saw when he returned with his best friend.

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WORD COUNT: 1000