Twilight brushed restless clouds with dramatic shades of periwinkle, tinging their edges with gold and peach. Birds were beginning to leave the nests, some to forage for food, some to test their wings, and others to build a new nest.

Minjae stifled a yawn, resting the small of her back against a low-lying boulder. Dami pushed a bowl of wild jasmine tea into Minaje's hands. "You didn't drink anything, did you?" she stated reprovingly.

A little distance from them, a ferry undulated on the opaque surface of the bay, its hull outlined by the delicate glow of dawn, its aged but sturdy structural lines merging with the water's surface. The sails hung limp against the mast, catching the first whispers of the morning breeze. Two boatmen went about preparing it for the journey. They sang to themselves softly, their voices loud enough to carry over the water to the women but not loud enough to attract attention.

Minjae and Dami stood on a long, narrow stretch of land that jutted into the bay. The sandy, grainy surface of the land mass was wide at the base and dotted with occasional rocks and boulders. It narrowed as it tapered in the deep water, its tip playing hide and seek with the soft waves.

Captain Park and Ko Yoon took great care to ensure everyone in the group escaped the scrutiny of suspicious eyes. Lee Seung, too, had thrown in his might. It paid to have one of the most powerful men on the island on your side, Minjae thought with a smile. Ever since Seung had caught those two boys following her, KA had never bothered her again. Even though the children had led him to someone who turned out to be a Yangban admirer, Seung had his doubts, and so did Minjae.

She had been used to KA following her. However, she sometimes felt an unease of unknown eyes keeping an eye on her. She didn't know what their interest would be. Had they caught on to their operation? She prayed it was not so.

Nam Dami stood next to her, peering into the faint blue of the landscape.

Minjae took a long sip of the hot tea. "Why did you carry such a large pot?"

"I am sure you will not be the only one needing something hot in the morning," Dami replied.

Minjae looked at her petite companion. In the last few months, Nam Dami had been cagey around her. "You have been evading me. What have I done to make you so unhappy?"

Dami looked away.

"Nam Dami, I have never asked for the attention I get, and you know that better than anyone else. I cannot help it if I was born with this face any more than you can."

"Is it so unnatural to be resentful of something I cannot control, My Lady?"

"I suppose not, but I prefer if you spoke about it rather than simmer it in your heart until it's bitter," Minjae replied gently. "I can't read your mind."

"Have you realised you hardly spend time with us anymore?" Nam Dami griped.

Minjae's cup paused at her lips. Dami had a point. She had been too busy with her burgeoning relationship with Seung and the increased demands on her time due to the recent influx of patients to pay attention to much else.

"I owe my life to you, but that does not mean I always have to agree or be happy with you," Dai continued.

"I am sorry, Dami. I will try to do better," Minjae said, finishing the tea. "Give me some more of that."

Dami asked, "Why do you not like Cha Moon Sik?"

Taken aback at the suddenness of the question, Minjae exclaimed, "You want me to like that simpleton?"

"He is not a simpleton. He is sweet, kind, and has a generous heart that's hung up on you."

"Those are not the reasons I should like him, or anyone else for that matter, and neither should you," Minjae snorted.

"Then why don't you tell him? It feels like you keep him hanging, and he annoys everyone else."

"I have lost count of the number of times I have asked him to stop bothering me. Even Father has turned him down!" Minjae was losing patience.

Dami poured the hot tea into Minjae's bowl, holding the pot with thick quilt squares.

"Why in the world are you being Cha Moon Sik's advocate?" Minjae asked irritably.

Nam Dami coloured. "I am not."

Minjae studied her ruddy complexion. Was Dami trying to push her towards Moon Sik on purpose? Dami had a history behind her that none of them knew. Nam Dami was not her name, and no one knew where she came from. Her lack of country accent suggested she was bred in the city. The only other thing Minjae knew about her was that she had been rescued by boatmen from Hanyang. It was an unsaid pact. For them, her previous life did not exist. Minjae wondered what other secrets she carried.

"Do you like Commander Lee?" Minjae pried, holding her breath.

Dami's eyes widened like saucers. "Are you crazy? How can I even dare? He is a Yangban man so far removed from my station that even my shadow would think twice before thinking about him!"

Minjae let out a breath. "Since when did women in Ganghwa care about the station of men they liked?"

"You should know better than to lump me with the women on the island. I am an outsider and always will be," Dami said matter-of-factly, her voice carrying a faint trace of sadness. "However, you like Commander Lee, even though you can have no future with him. But I wish you would let that become known so others stop their futile chase for you."

The warm tea went down the wrong pipe. Minjae was still spluttering and coughing when Seung reached them.

"Are you all right?" Seung automatically caught her by the shoulders. Minjae nodded, her eyes watering, her throat wheezing.

Nam Dami respectfully bowed to Seung. "She drew air with the tea," she explained needlessly.

Dami patted Minjae's back to ease her discomfort. Seung extended his handkerchief, which Minjae accepted gratefully.

Seung gave her a quick once over, making sure she was breathing properly. Her eyes were still watery, but she already looked better as she took a quick sip from the bowl Dami held to wash away the sudden scratchiness of her throat.

Seung couldn't help but notice the change in Minjae's appearance. Instead of braids tied with ribbons on top of her head like usual, Minjae had her hair in a bun at her nape, held in place by a carved wooden binyeyo. He wondered if she had intentionally donned the Yangban look for this visit. She looked regally beautiful in the light and dark blue hanbok, her navy jangot completing the outfit. His eyes met hers momentarily, and a current crackled between them. His heart chirped like a magpie. She returned his appreciative glance with a shy smile.

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Captain Park's arrival rudely interrupted their private moment. He offered Seung a stiff bow and a dry smile while greeting Minjae and Nam Dami with extravagant warmth.

Seung blistered but kept his annoyance to himself. He halfheartedly heard them exchange mundane gossip about the locals while they all gratefully sipped the tea Dami had thoughtfully brewed for them.

"The newly retired Minister's family is an annoyance," Nam Dami said.

"I heard he has brought in more than two hundred men and women," Captain Park said.

"His sons are a nuisance. They keep the company of some local ruffians and have been troubling the butcher's wife in the outskirts," Minjae said sourly.

Seung's ears perked up. He looked at Minjae. "Have they been bothering you?"

"No. I don't visit the families on that side of the town," Minjae said.

"Thankfully, they mostly stay away from here because it's often below them to mingle with army and navy men," Captain Park added. "Also, they don't like to be in the bad books of the Governor or the Mayor and are wary of all her champions in the village and the garrison, so they know better than to bother Physician Kim or any of the other women within this village."

The yangban families on the island mainly kept to themselves and treated their servants well. Seung had an inventory of all the families and closely monitored most of them. However, it rankled that he had so little in common with the village people while Captain Park had somehow made friends with most despite his prolonged absences at sea.

Seung was still smarting when the group they were all waiting for arrived. He drew in a lungful of cool, crisp air to reorient himself. He had all day to savour Minjae's company, and he consoled himself with a smile.

Four pairs of eyes turned towards the girl walking towards them. Han So Ye and Ko Yoon were supporting her by the arms.

Seeing Han So Ye in Minjae's presence was a tad uncomfortable. Seung shifted closer to Minjae without trying to seem obvious. Han So Ye greeted him with a respectful bow, with no sign on her face they had ever met before. Still, Seung slid a wary glance at Minjae.

Minjae wasn't paying attention. Her gaze was transfixed on the girl, a look of horror etched on her beautiful face. Now that he knew how sensitive she was, meeting such victims must always hit her hard. Seung followed her line of sight.

The girl looked in bad shape. Though her clothes were clean, they hung loose on her hollow frame. She looked to be about sixteen, maybe seventeen. Her cheeks were sunken, and she had bruise marks on her forehead and neck. He could imagine her body being covered with them as well. The girl was having difficulty walking. He felt a sudden wave of compassion rise within him. In the northern borders, he longed to save countless women from a fate worse than death, but he had seldom succeeded. He could only admire the courage of this handful of men and women who made a difference.

The subject of his scrutiny looked up towards them. Her eyes fell on Minjae and then on him. The girl made an incoherent sound, her face turning white as a sheet, her eyes bulging in fear as if she had seen a ghost. Seung was puzzled by her reaction. Instinctively, he stepped forward, his mind registering a familiar face, a distant echo bouncing off his memory walls.

Woo Sa Ri. The name rang in his mind.

His absent wife's maid.

The realisation hit him like a blow in the solar plexus. With it came disbelief.

"I know you," he blurted out, hastening toward her. "You're not mute!"

The girl's expression turned distraught, and her face dissolved into a mask of terror as she looked at him. She began to sink to the ground, shaking her head vehemently. Ko Yoon and Han So Ye struggled to keep her upright, a look of anger and dismay lining their faces.

Seung was so engrossed in the tide of unpleasant memories that his anger and shock blocked out everything else momentarily. "There is no way she is mute. She is a slave in one of the most powerful families in Joseon. This could be a trap -"

From his periphery, Seung saw a whirl of blue pass him.

It was Minjae. She grasped the girl's arms, preventing her from sliding to the ground. Minjae cupped her face gently and shook her head, perhaps imploring the girl to trust her, possibly to soothe her fear.

"My Lord," Captain Park interjected respectfully, "with all due respect, she is indeed mute."

"Dari," Han So Ye added, "my physicians confirmed it last night."

Seung ignored them. A muscle ticked in his jaw. He kept addressing the girl, even though in the back of his mind, Seung knew he was intimidating her, that he needed to back off. "How did you come here?"

The girl visibly shrank into Jay Yi's embrace, terrified. She hid her face in Minjae's neck and started crying, her sobs heart-wrenching.

"If this is another of your Mistress's foul tricks-" he began.

"Commander Lee!" Kim Minjae's piercing voice cut through. "Stop! Please. She has no past. You've never met her." Minjae turned her head to look at him, shielding the girl protectively. Her face, covered with tears, held an emotion so strong that it hit him like a whiplash.

Seung fell back, his heart thudding painfully.

Seung looked around him. Four pairs of accusing eyes stared back at him.

Minjae had implicitly believed in him when she included him in their small, secret group. Like a green cadet, he had compromised the victim's safety by blowing her cover. Seung could read Minjae's disappointment from every muscle in her stiff body.

"I am sorry," he looked away, awash with the humiliating realisation that he had messed up, even though he knew that a million questions raging in his mind were not misplaced. Minjae expected better of him. Heck, he expected better of himself, too.

"Commander Lee, it's better I accompanied Physician Kim with the girl," Captain Park said in a kind voice.

Minjae didn't turn, nor did she object. She had her back to him, still running hands on the girl's back while murmuring soothing words to her, who was sobbing heartbreakingly into her shoulder. Nam Dami went to Minjae and extricated the girl, giving her a warm, reassuring embrace. Together, they walked towards the bobbing boat.

Seung could kick himself for being so juvenile. Even if Woo Sari was pretending, he should have been more discreet. Seung had made a rookie mistake. He had let emotions overrun his common sense. "Minjae -" he called after her, desperate to stop her and apologise for bungling this so badly.

Minjae didn't look back.

A gentle hand on his shoulder restrained him. "Let her be, for now, My Lord. She is angry and upset," Captain Park said quietly and left to follow the women.

Throat clogged with emotions, Seung watched the ferry turn a corner and vanish from his sight.

"Nothing means more to her than rescuing these women, Dari," Han So Ye said gently.

Her sing-song voice suddenly grated on Seung.

"I do not need you to tell me what is important to Minjae," he said coldly. "For all I know, she could be walking into a trap. There is no way that girl is a victim. It cannot be."

Han So Ye studied the gorgeous man under her lashes, taking in his pale face, the angry clench of his jaw, and the hauntingly deep eyes seeped in pain. He looked so far removed from the indifferent young man who had strolled casually to her bed chamber all those months ago that if she didn't know better, she would have thought that encounter to be a figment of her imagination.

"Dari, I apologise. I did not mean to overstep," Han So Ye bowed her head. "However, our people endure great pain and risk their lives to rescue these women. Do you not think they would take enough precautions, especially as she was our most challenging case?"

"Maybe she is being used as bait to catch you all! What other information do you have on her?"

Soye tilted her head, crossing her hands under the sleeves of her hanbok respectfully. "We have a rule. Only the people who rescue them know. And they never share the history. It's better for all of us. Joseon is a small country, and most citizens are tightly regulated by the Office of Censors. It's a dangerous game."

Seung shook his head obstinately. "There has to be a mistake."

Ko Yoon stepped in. "There was no mistake, My Lord. The girl was rescued from Tosan. We have no idea who she could be. She had been in captivity for at least four, maybe five years."

Seung's heart dropped. She had come to see him around that time. Was it coincidental? He wanted to believe it was all a sham, a ruse. But deep down, he knew—the girl had not been pretending.

"How can you be sure she is mute?"

A bleak look crossed Han So Ye's perfectly made-up, mannequin-like features. "She was mutilated, possibly as a punishment for escaping. In captivity, she was treated like an animal by the underbelly of perverts."

Fissures of unease prickled down Seung's spine.

"She is also pregnant," the break in So Ye's voice was unmistakable.

Seung closed his eyes. "I am sorry."

"I do not know what upset you, but whoever she is, Dari, I hope you keep it to yourself. People who owned her are ruthless gamblers and slave racketeers. Our entire operation will be in danger if they get wind of it."

Worse, we might end up being their targets. Han So Ye didn't say it, but Seung could hear it loud and clear.