Taeyeon has never heard of such an evil scheme for all her life. She knew high borns were cruel and evil when they wanted to play their game of success but killing the family of his bride on her wedding day was such a disgraceful act of dishonour that Taeyeon simply couldn’t let Shin Yunsuk hurt that servant and get away with it. The people in Hwang Estate, especially the people in Rosegarden, need to know the truth about the fate of their family chief.

Taeyeon would never forgive herself if she did not help Mi Seohyun to get away from the hands of Master Shin. Even if she had to deal with his Golden Army and his countless men, Taeyeon had to make sure Mi Seohyun escape Midsummar safe and sound.

“You are...going to take me to the gate?” She asked, confused, looking at Taeyeon sternly.

“Yes.” Taeyeon answered. She heard her best friend sigh.

“You can put yourself in danger, are you aware of that?” Mi Seohyun asked, her voice still sounding surprised by her words.

“I’ve put myself in danger the moment I fought those guards to help you.” Taeyeon replied. “It was a decision that I made up consciously knowing what could follow afterwards.”

“Look, I don’t want to bother you or anyone…” She stood up, shaking her hands in a negative sign. “And I wouldn’t feel alright if something happens to strangers that were willing to help me somehow.”

“I wouldn’t feel alright if Shin Yunsuk’s army manages to catch you when I could have helped you get away from him.” Taeyeon retorted it. “Besides, it won’t take much work to get you to the gate. I just need to stay beside you in case a soldier from his army comes along and protect you. After you’re reunited with your fellow servants, I would come back to my little boring routine.” She smiled, trying to ease the situation for them both.

“Captain…” Heechul stood up, his voice becoming a little serious. Taeyeon looked at him. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

“You’re going to tell me I shouldn’t do it?” She advanced his talks. It was really easy for Taeyeon to read Heechul sometimes.

“Yeah…” He agreed. “You’re going to mess up with Shin Yunsuk’s men when we need to stay in this city for at least a month?”

“I’ll be alright, Heechul.”

“A month?” Mi Seohyun frowned her brows. “Why are you guys gonna stay in this hell for a month?”

“We’re short of money.” Taeyeon answered, honest. “We need to find ways to get some money during our stay so we could continue our journey.”

Mi Seohyun did not seem to like that idea so much. “You don’t look happy with that…” Taeyeon commented.

“Well, this place surely is not the best for people like you to hang around here for so long.”

“People like us?”

“This place is no friends with bastards, slaves and servants.”

“No place is friends with bastards, slaves and servants.” Taeyeon replied. “We can handle ourselves just right. Midsummar ain’t our final destination.”

Mi Seohyun looked at her with curiosity. “I don’t know if you are either really brave or really naive.”

“Sometimes it is both.” Heechul was the one answering, getting an eye roll from Taeyeon.

“Oiy,you’re my best friend, you should stand by my side and support me not the opposite!” Taeyeon complained, not liking that Heechul could make Mi Seohyun doubt of her character.

“I support you when your head is on the right matters.”

“My head is on the right matters!” Taeyeon backed up. “Protect Mi Seohyun from Shin Yunsuk is the right thing to do!”

“Do you really think so?”

Taeyeon nodded. “It might not be easy task… but it is the right thing to do. You know it is, Heechul.”

Heechul sighed, looking away. “Alright.”

Taeyeon smiled, showing her teeth.

“You do you.” He said.

“You ready to run away from Midsummar, Mi Seohyun?” She asked the servant, looking at her serious. Mi Seohyun stood silent still.

“You really gonna help me?” She asked Taeyeon, looking at her surprised.

“Damn sure I will. I’m not trying to ruin your escape plan. Nor am I trying to do something wrong with you. I want to help you get away from Midsummar, and if you think you can take a little help from a bastard for a couple of hours, all you gotta do is stick around me, okay?”

Mi Seohyun accepted her gesture, nodding her head. “Thank you.”

Taeyeon turned her face to Heechul. “You stay here in case the boys return. I will take Seohyun to the southern gate of the city and be sure she could escape! I shall return by the evening.”

“Roger, Captain.”

“Let’s go, Mi Seohyun. We need to get you outta here!”

And with no other second to lose, Mi Seohyun started following Taeyeon beside her.

~~*~~

Taeyeon could notice the servant was still not feeling safe with her by side. She could totally understand that… why would a servant trust a bastard boy? Taeyeon wasn’t a boy, nor she would even dare to hurt an innocent woman like Mi Seohyun, but she knew her disguise as a man was strong enough to make people believe she was indeed male, and subsequently dangerous.

Looking around her surroundings searching for any golden tunic soldier, Taeyeon walked silently. She noticed her flat shoes all dirty due to the red dust of the city.

“Can I ask you something?” Seohyun suddenly asked while walking at her side, Taeyeon nodded.

“Sure you can.”

“You’re not afraid of what could happen to you?” Taeyeon looked at her. “I mean, you are messing up with Shin Yunsuk after all and he is rather merciless. Any wrong move with him and you’ll die. You know that, right?”

Taeyeon sighed, looking away. “I’m not afraid of death.” She replied, lowly. “I have no family, no title, no army, nothing. I’m like a ghost. A wandering ghost.” She answered, sternly. She noticed Mi Seohyun blinking her eyes, taking her words in “I’m a bastard, what is there to lose?”

“Your friend.” Taeyeon blinked.

“My friend?”

“Your best friend. You can lose him. Or he can lose you. You are not afraid of that?”

“I’ll be alright.” Taeyeon backed up, dismissing that idea. “We’ll be alright. Heechul and I know how to take care of ourselves.”

“You have a very uplifting spirit for a bastard born.”

“When you’re deep in the rock bottom, there’s only way you can go, and it’s up!”

“Sometimes it is downwards further, six feet under!”

“You’re very pessimistic.”

“You’re very optimistic.” She retorted it. “I used to be like you.” She added, sighing. “I used to believe the world was good and nobles had honour in their hearts. I used to believe the poems I read in the books on our shelves were inspiring and magnificent.” That made Taeyeon frown her brows. She didn’t know lowborn servants could know how to read poems. Hwang Estate must treat its servants and common people fine if they all know how to read high end books. “It took me weeks living in Midsummar to realize reality is not like those poems and ballads were.”

“Took you a week living here to realize that?” Taeyeon asked, raising her brows. “Didn’t a whole life of servitude taught you that?”

Mi Seohyun did not answered. Taeyeon blinked. “Master Hwang must treat his servants fine if Hwang’s servants are compostured like you.” Mi Seohyun blinked her eyes. “Makes sense why people looked so favourable of him.” She added.

“Hwang Minhyuk was a good man…” She started saying, her eyes getting emotional. “A loyal and honourable man. And so were all his children.”

Taeyeon nodded her head. “I’m sorry for your loss, Mi Seohyun.” She spoke with honesty. “Some lords are to their people. Others are good. And the ones who are good are often the ones attacked the most.”

“Hwang Minhyuk didn’t have many enemies…” Mi Seohyun continued. “It was hard to picture such an act of betrayal from another Master Lord of this level.”

“Sometimes you don’t need many enemies to make you fall… you just need one committed enough.” Taeyeon replied.

Mi Seohyun wiped her tears with her hands. “I’m scared...” Taeyeon felt her guts twisting inside, uneasy. It’s always like this. The stupid lords playing their stupid game and the poor people suffer in their place! Taeyeon hated that.

“I’m scared of what’s gonna happen… to me… to Rosegarden… to all of us…”

Taeyeon closed her eyes, not knowing what to do to comfort her. Maybe nothing she would do could really comfort that servant. She lost her lord masters, she lost her homeland and from now on she would become nothing but an endangered servant. Would powerful people even care to listen to her words? Would other noble lords hear her cries? Believe in her over the words of Shin Yunsuk?

Taeyeon knew the answer was no. It would always be no. “I’m sorry…” She apologized once again.

“With Hwang Minhyuk gone…” The poor servant continued. “There’s no hope for us all.”

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