Jung Soojung stood at the front door of the Jung family estate, shivering from the temperature of the winter season. Any other fine day, she would have cursed at herself for forgetting to bring more layers of clothing, but all of that mattered not at the state she was in right now. She was much more concerned about the unanswered questions that were dancing in her mind right now.

          First and foremost, what was this about her twin sister getting pregnant?

          She could still remember the shock she had felt when she read the letter that Bona had sent to her just a few weeks ago. It was, of course, about her pregnancy, and Soojung was actually quite delighted to hear from her sister….that is, until she came to read the last lines of the message saying that the father of her child was in fact not her husband. The worst part was that the repulsive man just ran off and vanished out of nowhere. Soojung could only imagine the depressing effects that Bona was experiencing right now. Perhaps Bona loved the man, however, at the back of Soojung’s mind, he was most likely just some young merchant looking for a ravishing rendezvous.

          Being the responsible and caring sister that she was, Soojung quickly rushed out of the house that she was staying in, her widowed aunt’s house, just a day after reading the letter. Now, here she was, feeling the subtle snowflakes that were lightly falling on her body.

          “Oh, my lady!” an old, warm voice called out.

          It was a very familiar voice, a voice that Soojung had known all of her life. As she turned around to look, she gave Mrs. Lee a warm smile. “Why, it has been a long time since I have seen you!!” Soojung exclaimed in excitement as she quickly brought up her feet to skip to the old woman. “I have missed you so!” she cried before hugging.

          Mrs. Lee just smiled in sincerity. She was a short and stout woman in her fifties, known for her hearty character all around the Jung estate. Working for the Jungs since she was in her early 20’s, she was loyal and loving, and Soojung considered her as the mother she never had.

          “My dear, you have grown up. How long has it been….four or five years?” Mrs. Lee laughed. “My lady, words cannot possibly express how relieved I am that you are here!” her expression completely changed from happy to anxiousness. “Your sister, she….forgive me for saying this, my lady, but she has gone mad! Oh, you must understand that she has done something most unforgivable! Why, I have always known that she was quite the naughty one, but I never—“

          Her ranting was cut off by Soojung. “Yes, yes.” she sighed. “I think it would be best for me to see her. If you would please, Mrs. Lee, bring me to her.”

          Soojung sat on the cushion in silence while the tea was being served by one of their maids. She was now in her sister’s room, fidgeting uncomfortably on her seat. In front of her was Bona, sitting down as well with an obvious aura of gloom. What was she to say, anyway? She had come here fully prepared to scold her sister and perhaps help her with her present troubles, but now she couldn’t even bear to do that—not when Bona had such swollen eyes. Soojung supposed that she was quite ill at the moment, as well. Definitely, this was not the time for scolding. The best that she could do right now was give support to her sister.

          As soon as the maid had left, Bona quickly looked up to meet Soojung’s eye. “Oh, sister!” she cried, putting her hands to her face. “I don’t know what to do! I simply don’t! If….If he ever finds out that I….oh, my life will be ruined! Ruined, I tell you!!” she exclaimed as tears started to flow from her eyes.

          Bona was right. The predicament that her sister was in was certainly bad. She couldn’t believe that she had forgotten the fact that made the whole matter worse—the identity of Bona’s husband. Soojung shivered as she felt the chills run down her spine. She could only imagine the consequences that a noble’s wife would have to go through once she was found guilty of adultery. So many possibilities ran in her mind and she didn’t like any of them, especially the last one—death.

          Soojung couldn’t bear it. Bona’s the only family she has. With this, she suddenly felt a mixture of emotions—anger, sadness, and fear. “What in god’s name made you do it, anyway?!” Soojung angrily exclaimed in a higher tone. “Stupid, stupid! It’s because of you that….that….”

          Soojung couldn’t continue. She had only noticed that was beginning to hurt and that tears were threatening to come out. No, this wasn’t the right time to act with irrationality. She wasn’t going to let her sister escape from her questioning, however. “Tell me, sister, why did you do it? It is obvious to me that you loved the merchant, but, to really go so far as to….well….”

          By now, Bona was already wiping her tears. She took a deep breath before replying. “That man…he has never treated me as a wife!” she said with venom.

          Soojung could even feel the absolute detest that was flowing through what she had just said. “You mean, he has