“Is it hard to stay indoors all day long?”

Chanyeol asked Seora, as the two of them walked along the path edged by hydrangea bushes in their back yard. He was getting busy with work in the palace again, as his condition was quite better now, and even though the king ordered him to stay home for some time longer, he returned to work as soon as possible. His main intention was finding the spy placed in the capital by Shao Xuan, which he and his brigade suspected to be Jung Taekwoon.

“It is a bit boring, but since I have to stay in, I don’t mind.” Seora looked up at him and beamed. He watched her smiling in silence, and came to a stop on the path. “Go out and buy something you like tomorrow, Jongin will join you so you don’t have to worry.” He said thoughtfully.

Seora widened her eyes at him. “Chincha? Can I go out then?” she leapt closer to him, and clung on to his arm. “Omo, thank you so much my Lord! I will definitely make sure to return safe with Jongin and Haesol!” she said grinning at him ear to ear. Chanyeol chuckled at her, and took hold of her hand which was still on his arm. And holding it with his hand, he started walking along the path again. And Seora happily followed him, blabbering about every random thing that came into her mind.

* * * * * * * *

A maid girl came running to the kitchen and screamed, making all the kitchen maids jump in shock. “The Chinese merchants are here! Let’s go girls!” and she vanished again, and the rest of the maids too, stared running out of the kitchen in a hurry. Ying stopped sugar coating the dried fruits and called a maid who was walking past her. “Chinese merchants? What merchants?”

“Ah, you’re new, I forgot.” The girl explained. “Every year, Chinese merchants come here, and we by all kinds of fancy stuff from them. They sell jewellery, make up, ornaments and all kinds of fancy items.” She went on. “You should also come and see. Their products are really good.” She gestured her to join and strode out of the kitchen mumbling to herself. “But they’re early this year...”

Although she wasn’t interested in buying anything, Ying decided to go and see what was going on herself. She put aside her work and walked out of the kitchen door, to go around the mansion to the front yard.

Two Chinese men were standing in the yard with a several boxes of fancy items spread on the yard, and all the maids were swooning over everything and buying as much as they could afford, making the place much noisier.

Ying’s mouth went dry as soon as she saw them, two of Jung Taekwoon’s closest subordinates. She stood still at the side of the mansion, glaring at the two merchants, but not daring to get any closer. But one of them noticed her, and a sly smile crept on to his face. He raised an eyebrow at her, as if asking ‘Aren’t you coming?’.

Meanwhile the other man turned and saw her as well, and raised his voice in broken Korean at once. “That young miss over there! Aren’t you going to take a look at our products? We have red lip colour which matches perfectly with your pale skin!” he said aloud, holding a jar of lip colour in his hands.

Ying glared at him with clenched jaws, and slowly made her way there. She didn’t notice the tall figure that appeared at the front door just then.

“This red, it suits your complexion very well miss!” the fake merchant flashed a toothy grin at her. “Why don’t you take a look?” he showed it directly into the girl’s hands. At once Ying felt the piece of paper which was under the ceramic jar. She went white, but quickly managed to crumple it in her palm and she opened the cosmetic jar pretending to examine the product. She waited until two other girls pay the merchants for their rings, and she handed the jar back to one of them. “It’s too expensive.” She added curtly before quickly leaving back to her work in the kitchen. The tall figure which was the mansion’s young master, watched her in silence from the door, his hands crossed across his chest and leaning against the threshold.

Ying ran straight into her room and opened the crumpled letter in her hand.

“There will be a time the Hunter’s wife will be stepping outdoors. Our men will stay alert and inform you as soon as it happens. You just have to go and make something happen so the chief security guard is not by her side. Other guards we can manage. Just make him lose touch with her for a few minutes and our work will be done. No excuses like this time, or else I will be the next merchant who enter the mansion.

-Jung Taekwoon-”

Ying crumpled the note in her hands, and bit her lip in frustration. “Yingyun!!!” she heard her name being called by an older maid, and she had to run back to the kitchen, back to her duties.

* * * * * * * *

“Finally out of that prison like house after a century!!!” Seora sighed in relief, as she looked around the street which was packed with town folks. Haesol giggled as she walked beside her mistress, and Jongin followed the two girls close behind, along with three other guards. “But we have to be quick Haesol, arasso? We must pick something quickly to wear for her highness’s birthday banquet and go home as soon as possible.” She added in a concerned manner. “He’s worried a lot about me, so I can’t fall in trouble and worry him more.”

Haesol watched her mistress’s face turning worried and smiled. “We don’t have to worry my lady, we have Jongin and other guards with us, they’ll take care of anything that can happen... Oh, my lady isn’t that the latest dark blue silk they have been talking about?” Haesol suddenly pointed at a silk fabric hung down from the ceiling of a shop they were passing by. “Omo, that looks so majestic my lady!”

Seora turned to look at the way her maid was pointing, and her eyes also widened. “Come on, let’s check it out.” she grabbed the maids hand and started walking towards the shop, but soon came to a stop hearing a voice behind her.

“Greetings my lady,”

Seora haltered and turned her head around. A few feet away from her guards, was standing a pale girl, nervously standing there with her eyes casted downwards. “You are...” Seora turned around since her face looked familiar. “Oh! You’re that Chinese maid from Sehunnie’s- I mean, Captain Oh’s house aren’t you?” she beamed at the girl. “What brings you here?”

Ying bowed again and looked up. “Our lady needed some white silk for her embroidery work, so I’m here to get them. I was going to buy them from here as well, but I heard just now from an Ahjumma that there are better quality Chinese silk in a store near the harbour. I was going to go there my lady.” She explained.

“Oh, is that so?” Seora muttered. “Why? Aren’t their fabrics good? I thought they sold such good quality stuff.” She said pointing at the store she was about to enter. Ying bit her lip and shook her head. “I heard they sell damaged material sometimes my lady.” She said sounding concerned. “It’ll be a waste to spend a fortune if the fabric is going to be damaged.”

Seora looked at Haesol. “Haesol shall we go there with her as well? To that store she mentioned just now?”

Jongin stepped in this time. “I’m sorry my lady, but if it’s near the harbour, it’s too far and too crowded. It’s not safe for you to go there at the moment.” He said warningly. Seora looked up at him and nodded slowly. “I think Jongin is right too.” She thought for a while. “Then how about this? Haesol can go and check the store while we stay around here, and Jongin can go with her as well.” she suggested.

Jongin shook his head disapprovingly. “I have to stay right beside you my lady-”

“I’ll be fine alone my lady.” Haesol quickly stepped in. “I can go with her,” she pointed at Ying and said. “I’m not alone then.”

Seora saw a hint of sadness and hurt in Haeseol’s eyes, and quickly looked at Jongin again. The guard just looked away, busy scanning the crowed street. Seora was sharp enough to sense the sudden tension in the atmosphere. “Alright then, Haesolie be quick and return okay?” she let go of the maid’s hand which she had been holding all the time. The maid bowed to her and left with Ying, who bowed and walked away as well.

Seora looked up at Jongin. “I think you should stop being rude to Haesol.” She remarked. Jongin widened his eyes at his mistress. “When did I my lady? I’m just doing my duty here.” He shrugged airily. Seora shot him a glare and looked away, to cross her arms and loo around the street stalls.

* * * * * * * *

“So Ying, are you planning on staying at lord Oh’s mansion for a long time?” Haesol asked as the two girls walked along the road to the harbour. Ying shook her head with a smile. “Only until I find a job and a place to stay. I can’t be a burden to them forever.”

Haesol nodded. “Living in a foreign country must be hard, even without your family. You’re so lucky that you found such a kind family...” she suddenly noticed a huge store, where silks of every colour was displayed at the entrance. “Ah, isn’t that the store Ying?” she turned around.

Ying was not around. “Ying?” Haesol whirled around and scanned the whole street behind her, but the Chinese girl was nowhere to be seen. “Ying!!!” she raised her voice and called again, starting to walk back the way she came. “But she was here just a second ago...” she muttered to herself.

The maid had walked only a few steps back, when a pair of burly arms caught her from behin