Blue Flames | Cha Eunwoo

Chapter 3

Gliding into the room as if she was a feather in the air, Soojin's red lips were curved up into a smirk as she made her way over to Hyeonjung. Hyeonjung's heart was racing as she wondered if she had done something wrong. Soojin was unpredictable, cunning and most of all... manipulative. Her speech always remained eloquent no matter what the situation was.

"Hyeonjung, I have prepared a little trip for you today," Soojin's hand rested on her shoulder, making her feel slightly uncomfortable. "You will be spending the day with the king. Make sure to capture his attention. Do you remember my words? Be a parasite..."

"Yes Queen Consort," Hyeonjung replied with a single nod.

"Good," Soojin snickered, touching Hyeonjung's hair and observing it. Moving her hands down, she pulled away the collar of her dress to reveal her neck. "You have a beautiful neck. He has a fondness for women with a nice neck."

Hyeonjung gulped as she became even more uncomfortable. Just because she was a lowly maid did not mean she had no cares for her virtue. Wooing the king was one thing but displaying parts of her body for his attention was a little too much for her, however, she could not reject the queen's orders.

"Do not worry too much," Soojin noticed the discomfort of Hyeonjung but ignored it. As long as she got what she wanted, the feelings of others did not matter. "It is a formal trip. You will accompany the king on a visit to a noble family and I will remain behind at the palace, keeping his precious Sowon busy.

"What will be my duty on this visit?" Hyeonjung asked, curious to know why she was needed to visit a noble family.

"The king's younger sister, the princess, is to be of age soon. He will be looking for suitors whom will be suitable for her to marry." Soojin explained. "She will not be able to attend as she is held up with her studies at her own palace and you are taking my place as the king requires the opinion of a woman. His sister is precious to him, he wants her to be happy."

"Yes Queen Consort," Hyeonjung repeated.

"There is some time before you leave," Soojin looked her up and down. "If you leave looking like this, they may mistake you for a peasant and leave you behind. Follow me."

Without questioning any further, Hyeonjung followed Soojin through the palace, leading to her personal quarters. Gasping in shock, Hyeonjung was overwhelmed by the rainbow of colours that appeared before her eyes when Soojin opened the door.

"These are my gowns I no longer use," Soojin walked inside, picking some up and holding them against Hyeonjung's body. "They have been sitting here collecting dust. If you are successful, I will personally send out half of them to your family for your younger sisters to keep. They can wear them when they meet their suitors. The other half I will leave to you, however, if you are successful then you won't be needing these at all. I am sure the king would spoil his lover with many lavish things."

"Thank you," Hyeonjung expressed her gratitude, thinking only of how they would be helpful for her family. Her sisters could look like they live a comfortable life and her mother and father could sell or trade some for other things they would need.

"Now put this on-" Soojin tossed a gown over to Hyeonjung, which she caught after stumbling momentarily. "And run along. The palanquin should be outside any minute now."

Hyeonjung hesitated briefly as she thought about where she should get changed and it seemed as if Soojin had read her mind as she spoke up.

"Just get dressed here," Soojin scoffed, spinning her around by her shoulder and ripping at the buttons which held her dress together, making Hyeonjung gasp at her sudden actions. "Don't worry too much, it can easily be replaced. What can't be replaced is the time you're wasting."

She was right. As much as a despicable person as she was, she was always right. She was wasting time. With each second, Hyeonjung's future was becoming more and more uncertain. Soon it'd become unrecognizable. It was practically inevitable from the moment her life had become entangled with the Seo Clan. All she could do was grasp this sudden fate and use it as an opportunity. To become someone more assertive, dominant and maybe even daring. Never in her life had she imagined wanting to become like Seo Soojin until this moment. 

Seeing how Soojin could make anyone do her bidding for her, it was a power Hyeonjung could only dream of. Being able to control one aspect of her life... Even the thought of it was empowering.

"You're so voluptuous," Soojin complimented with a smirk, that seemed to be permanently etched on her face these days, running her hands over Hyeonjung's curves. "Perhaps a belt would help to show of your... assets."

Hyeonjung gulped, once again finding herself taken aback by the queen's constant insistence on displaying parts of her body. Once, Hyeonjung had dreamed of marriage. Maybe someone like her father, a hardworking man who cared for his family. If she were to lose her virtue due to the acts of Soojin, she'd be lucky to even end up with the town drunk. Having the wind knocked out of her as Soojin pulled tightly as the belt, tying it up without even regarding her opinion, she was once again reminded that she had completely no say in anything from now on.

From now on, she was nothing more than a marionette.