Her Poison His cure: Behind The Mask

The early morning sun Pierce into the room, straight into my face. I frowned with my eyes still closed and slowly dragged them open, I stared around in confusion and groaned holding my head with my hand as I sat up.

Wait, this is my chamber. How come? am I not just having conversations with samsin a few seconds ago.

Aigoo don’t you see that the sun has risen, a voice whispers inside my head and that prompts me to stand up from the bedding and moved

to the window. I opened it and leaned in, the sun shining brightly to my face.

I suddenly gasped.

“No. Don’t tell me I had another dream” I mutter.

Of Course that is the only reasonable reason for my puzzle. I sighed deeply and smiled.

“She is caring” I whisper as I reconcile how my dream went by.

“Your highness. It’s time to wake up”

I heard court lady Chun’s voice as usual and the door opened immediately with court lady Chun and the maids coming in.

“It’s time to get ready, Your highness” Na ji hye announced and Court lady Chun signaled the maid to get to work.

I moved away from the window side and sat on the laid covered.

They surround me and begin my washing and dressing. After a few minutes they finished with my dressing and I waved them off leaving only court lady Chun and Na ji hye behind.

“Did Your Highness have something I must do for you?” Court lady Chun asked.

She must be wondering why I asked her to stay behind.

“Cout lady Chun” I called.

“Yes Your highness”

“I hope you take care of her”

She looked up at me with a guilty face and I saw her clamps her hand together nervously before she gulped down nothing.

“Y.. Yes Your h…highness” she stuttered.

This is unlike court lady chun to be stuttering or feel nervously which gives me a hint that something is wrong somewhere.

“Is everything okay?” I asked, my eyes roaming over her body and monitoring every action of her body.

“Of course Your highness. Everything is perfectly fine. Please do not worry” she rushed her word and bowed, then exited the room in a hurry like a person whose pants are on fire.

I released a loud sighed and gesture for Na ji hye to move forward which she did immediately and kneel beside me.

“Your highness. I think something is wrong with court lady Chun” Na ji hye said.

“You also notice that. I thought I am the only one who notice it”

“Don’t Your highness think that court lady Chun had something she is hiding and I am having some feeling that Your highness might get hurt because of it.”

“I also think that but court lady would never do anything to harm me”

“Your highness must be careful. No one is trustworthy”

“I Know but court lady Chun had been serving for a long time. If I could remember well, I think it is when I turn three. She had be like my second mother and had always watch out for me” I said sadly

“I understand where Your highness is coming from. I also trust court lady Chun but in this situation I can help but question her trust and loyalty.”

I nodded my head and sighed deeply. I am also doubting Court Lady Chun’s loyalty right now because my subconscious would not let those thoughts off my mind. I feel like court lady chun might hurt just as Na ji hye assumed but I quickly discard those thoughts not wanting to think like that of her.

An announcement from the door that some maid wanted to see me brought me out of my thoughts and after giving permission the two maids from yesterday entered.

They bow courteously.

“Did you have a good night rest Your highness” they chorused together.

“You are both welcome” I smile warmly at them.

“Thank you, Your Highness,” they said quietly.

“Let go” I instructed and Na ji hye went to the jar placed by the corner of the room and took it in her hand.

I stood up slowly, adjusted my skirt and walked out of the room with the maids and Na ji hye behind me. Courtlady Chun and the other maids tried to follow me but I discarded them with a wave of my hand, ordering them not to bother.

We walk along the hallway leading to the open vacade before continuing on the path to the palace prison. In no time we get to the premises of the palace prison, with the prison a few meters away from us.

“Your highness please excuse me for a minute” one of the maids said and bow courteously before leaving in a hurry to go back from where we are coming from.

“Where is she going?” I asked the other maid.

“To bring the food we will take to the guards” she replied calmly looking at the direction the maid went.

I inhale deeply and Puff out air.

I turned to face them and coughed lightly.

“What now?” I whisper slowly.

The maid handed over something wrapped and tied in a silk material to me and Na ji hye carefully dropped the jar with her before collecting it from her and untied it, bringing out a maid uniform. My gaze went to the maid and down to the uniform in Na ji hye hand.

“Your highness, we didn’t have much time. You need to change this.” The maid pointed at my dress, and quickly snatched the uniform from Na ji hye and shoved it into my hand.

“This is my uniform. You have to wear it” she added.

Heaven. Is this really happening? Actually the plan was to dressed me as one of the maids and I will go in disguise of the maid who take food in for the monster and the real maids will take Ku Soha place and together with the other maid, they will served the guards outside and keep them occupied incase I took time to come out so they won’t have any idea what going on but I am just not sure if I am doing the right thing.

Not wanting to give into the hesitation going on in my mind I quickly handed the uniform over to Na ji hye and without another words she began to take off my hanbok dress while the maid used her body to cover me. She turned back once we were done and nodded her head.

I looked at myself and sighed at my transformation. seeing my appearance I now look like one of the maids with the uniform I am putting on and it would be hard for the guard not to know that I am not a maid. I am sure they won’t recognize me because of the uniform and given to the fact that they certainly might not have seen me before.

I was still in my hesitation running mind stage when the voice of the maid brought me out of my thoughts.

“We should get going now, Your Highness,” The maid said.

It was the maid who left earlier. I guessed she came back when I was still lost in my thoughts and with her are two wooden buckets. I took a peek inside the buckets and Manduguk (dumplings soups) and Rice cake lay silently in the buckets begging to be eaten.

A separate small bowl was with the fist maid and she stretched the bowl forward to me. ” Here”

I raised my gaze up at her and scoffed. “What is this”

“This is what you need to take in with you. The monster breakfast”

Oh I forget what I will go with in disguise. I collected the bowl and opened it and there was a rice ball (Jumeokbap) inside.

“Won’t there be any side stew with it?” I asked, directing my question to the maid.

“No Your highness. It’s just Rice ball with no soup. That’s the order from above.”

Order from above my foot.Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.