The chamber walls, alive with vibrant energy a mere hour ago, now closed in on Minjae. She wondered if I-On had noticed her involuntary denial.

"Do you have nothing to say, Choi Jina?" Kim I-On's voice cut through the silence.

Minjae secured the last needle between her fingers and swiftly scanned the floor one final time. Adding the needle to its pouch, she straightened.

"You're with child and mistaking me for someone else. What can I say, My Lady?" Minjae mentally patted herself for sounding so serene as if her heart was not threatening to cease its function. "If there is nothing else, I will take your leave."

The sooner she left, the faster she could distance herself from this disaster.

Kim I-On let out a long sigh. "I already feel better. Thank you, Physician Kim."

Minjae turned to leave, hoping to escape the suffocating tension, but her relief was short-lived. She was only halfway across the room when a soft call of 'Jina!' from I-On halted her. She spun around, masking her panic. "My Lady, you have my name wrong. My name is Kim Minjae-"

"Minjae...," Kim I-On enunciated the syllables, "if you insist."

Minjae nodded, feeling a knot tighten in her stomach.

"I must mention your resemblance with Choi Jina to my husband, Lord Jo Hee-bong. He is Lord Lee Seung's childhood friend. It will make for an enlightening conversation," Kim I-On said from her reclining position, looking Minjae straight in the eye.

Minjae knew the hammer had dropped.

"You will do no such thing!" Fear made Minjae's words cut the air like a scythe.

Kim I-On smiled, though it held no sign of a win. When she looked at Minjae again, her eyes were laced with sadness.

"The night of your wedding, when you took shelter in my home, your hand was injured. It was not from a hot spatula, was it?"

Minjae's knees buckled. The medicine bag slipped from her fingers as she sagged to the floor.

"It was burning charcoal, a punishment," she said, her voice flat, tired.

Kim I-On paled and swallowed. "Is that why you left?"

Minjae sighed. If only it had been that simple.

"Did you know what else I was envious of? You seemed to have everything the rest of us didn't. When your husband turned out to be the finest-looking man we had ever seen at your wedding, you could use the edge of the jealousy floating around to chop and dice the food on the table." Kim I-On laughed. "That night, I was angry at you for throwing it all away."

Other than exhaling shallow breaths, Minjae didn't reply.

"Your father banned our family, especially me, from ever meeting you again. I always wondered what happened to you. There were rumours that Lord Seung did not want to take you back. So I was relieved to learn that..." Kim I-On let it trail. "But even back then, something did not sit right. A month ago, right after I arrived, I invited the current Lady Choi home. She sent a curt reply saying she wanted nothing to do with me. It was hurtful."

Kim I-On struggled to lift herself, her pregnant belly making the movement difficult. Minjae quickly rushed to help, guiding her to a seated position. "Sometimes I feel there are five babies inside," I-On grumbled.

Minjae smiled. "There could be, but I doubt it. Your child could be just a big one, but you probably have a large water sac," Minjae postulated.

"How talented you have become," Kim I-On said, the pride in her voice held no trace of rancour.

"It was that or oblivion. I simply chose the former," Minjae said. "It's late, and you must rest, My Lady."

"You always called me Kim I-On." The gentle rebuke tapped the long-buried longing of Minaje to be loved by someone who knew the real her, rushing it to the fore.

"Times have changed, and so have we, My Lady. Rules of the past do not always apply to the present, and it will behove both of us to remember that," Minjae said stubbornly.

"You talk a lot more now. If I look back, I can count on my fingers the number of times you spoke in full sentences," Kim I-On's eyes twinkled.

A laugh escaped Minjae despite herself.

Kim I-On pulled the brass knobs of the ornate table drawer and retrieved a letter for Minjae. "She sent this. The Choi Jina I knew had exquisite calligraphy. This looked like it had been written by a child."

Minjae ran her eyes over the curt missive. Two short lines declining the invite were scrawled in almost illegible letters. "You should offer your services as an investigator, Kim I-On," Minjae said, her throat closing up. "I haven't met anyone for four years that I have been here. And now.." she swallowed.

"Do you want to talk about it, Jina?"

Minjae gave a slight shake of the head.

"You can, you know. I will take it to my grave," Kim I-On promised.

"Since when did you become so melodramatic?" Minjae tried to joke.

"Since my husband made me double my size," Kim I-On complained, placing a hand on her belly, and then laughed as Minjae blushed.

"My husband will recognise you too," Kim I-On mused.

Confusion knitted Minjae's brows. "I am certain I have never met him."

"Remember the man who brought the news of Lord Seung's imprisonment to my brother the morning after your marriage? It was him."

Vague memories floated. Minjae could not remember the details of that day and definitely not the faces of the men she met on the way.

"I had my jangot covering me at all times," Minjae tried to recall.

"It slipped with shock when you learnt about the jail confinement of Lee Seung." Kim I-On's eyes danced with merriment as she recounted that Lord Hee-bong found out Seung had never set his eyes upon his wife. To make the man feel better, Hee-bong had said she was most plain-looking, only to lament to I-On's brother later that he could hardly break his friend's heart by telling him his wife was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen!

"Don't jest!" Minjae swiped at I-On's arm playfully, laughing despite herself.

"You think it's amusing when your future husband, who you have been half in love with from the time you toddled, claims your best friend is the most beautiful woman he has seen?" Kim I-On said in mock anger.

"I didn't know you were engaged; you never said anything," Minjae narrowed her eyes on her friend.

Kim I-On sobered. "I wasn't then. Lord Hee-bong frequently visited Oraboni. I always wanted him as my husband. But -" her voice trailed away as she bit her lip. "There was an informal understanding that he would marry Lord Seung's sister after your marriage was solemnised. Lord Hee-bong liked Lee Gil-ae."

Minjae's gasp was audible, and her face crumpled. She knew where this was going.

A sudden knock at the door shattered their reunion, a bittersweet mix of happiness and heartache, a vexing intrusion.

"My Lady, Royal Inspector Jo Hee-bong is here," one of her maids called.

They gasped in unison. Minjae looked around in panic, trying to figure out where to hide. "Quick, help me lie down," Kim I-On whispered. She reached for her handbok ties and pulled the silk in one swift motion, and the tunic parted to reveal her impressively pregnant midriff in all its nude glory.

Minjae's eyes widened.

Kim I-On placed a finger on her lips and shushed her. "Go stand in a corner."

Minjae obeyed wordlessly, burrowing her chin in her chest and clasping her hands in front of her.

Lord Hee-bong entered in a flurry of grey and navy blue silk, completely ignoring Minjae's presence and her deep, deep, almost back-breaking bow where her chin all but touched her knees. His eyes were fixed on his wife's half-naked figure.

"Kim I-On, I heard you have a physician attending to you. Are you all right?" Hee-bong sank beside I-On, clasping her hand and gently brushing a strand of hair from her face. The intimate touch spoke volumes about their bond.

A hollow ache settled beneath Minjae's rib cage, reminding her of her broken one.

"You worry too much, My Lord. Remember the physician Lord Seung recommended back in Hanyang? She gave me some healing treatment to help me sleep better."

Jo Hee-bong nodded. "How can I not be worried?" he asked huskily, placing a hand on her belly.

Kim I-On's eyes met Minjae's over Hee-bong's shoulder, her eyes crinkling in mischief at Minjae's flustered expression. She cleared her throat and looked back at her husband. "Why don't you come back later tonight, My Lord? You know I sleep better with you next to me." her voice fluttered sensually, underlined with unmistakable sincerity.

Jo Hee-bong chuckled and shook his head. "You are too tempting, but I will leave you to rest. I don't think you would get too much of it if I stayed. It won't be too long before our baby comes. And then I will have my fill of you, Lady Kim." He bent and whispered something in his wife's ear and chuckled when Kim I-On blinked, turning a fiery shade of red, and Minjae smiled at her friend's obvious discomfort at the conversation taking such an intimate turn.

Satisfied that his wife was not in some kind of dire situation or in any hurry to leave the world, Jo Hee-bong departed, giving Minjae's bent form an absent-minded nod on his way out.

With a loud sigh, Minjae brushed away the drops of sweat shining on her forehead. Once again, she helped Kim I-On sit up.

"That was quite a show," Minjae chuckled as I-On blushed scarlet.

"Men!" Kim I-On burst out with mock annoyance. "Never fails," she let out an exasperated laugh.

"Thank you, Kim I-On," Minjae blinked back tears, "for sheltering me once more."

"No more of that," Kim I-On rebuked, though Minjae didn't miss the glimmer of unshed tears in her friend's eyes. "Let's get something to eat. I am a firm believer in food making everything feel better."

The friends celebrated their reunion with some delectable midnight snacks, letting the shared bites slide the veil of the new to reveal glimpses of their once carefree past.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Minjae regaled her with gossip on the island, especially Han So ye, who Kim I-On would probably never meet. "And I hope Lord Hee-bong never does either," Kim I-On's eyes became slits of displeasure at the thought, eliciting a laugh from Minjae.

"Lord Hee-bong loves you, Kim I-On," Minjae remarked, drawing a bashful smile from her friend. "He does. I am fortunate." I-On's eyes then grew troubled.

Minjae gave her a keen look. “What is it?”

"Sometimes you desire something so much that it comes true, but you might not be prepared for the price that comes with it."

"What makes you say so?" Minjae asked.

"So I did something I regret dearly. I prayed to make Gil-ae go away," Kim I-On's voice had a slight tremor.

Minjae clasped her hand.

"I swear on my unborn child, I never wished any ill on anyone, I -"

"Kim I-On, I beg of you, cease this self-reproach. You and Lord Hee-bong were fated by the heavens to be as one," Minjae declared, ironically reflecting the counsel Kang Do had imparted unto her in Hanyang. "Your union is the sole light amidst this chaos. I shall not allow you to cast a pall over it."

Kim I-On nodded, clasping Minjae's hands. "Stay here tonight. It's too late to go back."

Minjae laughed. "I am used to it, Kim I-On. I am no longer the sheltered Yangban girl you once knew."

"Why am I not surprised! Even back then, you dared to run away at night. I remember you wanted to leave for your grandmother's village. Is this it?" Kim I-On asked.

Minjae sighed, shaking her head.

"Who is the imposter?"

"I do not know, Kim I-On."

"Why would your father help another woman take his daughter's place?" Kim I-On bit her lip again, a habit she had whenever she was thinking deeply. "Unless it was to save face?"

Minjae stared at her friend.

She supposed that could be the most straightforward explanation, Minjae thought to herself. One that Seung was, unfortunately, most likely to believe over the truth.

"I do not blame you. If my father did that, I would run away too," Kim I-On said sadly.

"You weren't the only one jealous of her best friend. I envied you, too," Minjae said with a sorrowful tone. "Your father loves you dearly and would sacrifice anything to protect you."

"So, if I comprehend this rightly, you must keep your residence here hidden from your family."

Minjae inclined her head in assent.

"How disgraceful of His Excellency to deceive Lord Lee so, how little must he think of his family. Though I have heard....rumours that he does not like his wife," Kim I-On frowned. "Has it been awkward? Meeting Lord Lee like this? He spoke highly of you when he met us in Hanyang. If he only knew," I-On chuckled.

Minjae compressed her lips as her traitorous heart did an odd flip. "I don't want to speak about it, Kim I-On," she said.

Kim I-On looked at her speculatively. "Is there more to it, Jina?"

Minjae held her tongue.

"If and when you are ready, I am here. I meant what I said. I will take it to my grave." Kim I-On pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Three ladies from our school have also entered the island, though I doubt they will recognise you."

Minjae made a mental note to avoid them.

"I might have missed it if we weren't so close. It's hard to believe, given everyone knows Lord Seung's wife is on the island,' Kim I-On continued. "Do you remember that big girl, not big in this way," she stuck one hand above her head, "but big this way," she motioned to her girth by keeping her hands about six inches away from her waist, "is one of them. Remember the one whose rose looked like a torn kite that mice had snacked on? She is here too. Now, she might remember you."

Peals of laughter filled the chamber. Both women fell back on the warm, fuzzy memories of their childhood, when life was simpler, and work consisted of following a routine that guaranteed a roof on the head, food on the table, and dreams of a future that had a rosy haze.

∞

Minjae had a surprisingly good night's sleep. A slight smile played on her lips as the memory of the previous night with Kim I-On played in her mind. Even Kim Da Bom had remarked on her good mood that morning. As the family lined up to welcome the Royal procession through the island, she made a mental note to visit her friend again that evening.

The Procession was a show of benevolence by the Royal family, trying to ingratiate themselves with the public as they wound their way through the hilly terrain. It served less as a formal parade and more as an announcement of their presence.

Minjae had been gone for nearly a month, then back for two weeks. While the island remained unchanged, everything within and around her felt different. The Queen, Royal Consorts, the grand heir, grand princes, and princesses had taken up residence, accompanied by their court maids, servants, and a select few unmarried Yangban women from prestigious families.

Grand Prince Bongrim was carried in an ornate royal palanquin chair, flanked by guards and soldiers. The streets were lined with subjects kneeling in reverence, their heads bowed low in respect.

Ahead of him rode the new Commander of Ganghwa, a pompous man of average height with a round face and flat nose. He had entered the island with fifty slaves, seventy-five servants, one wife, and five concubines. When a mere guard detained him for six hours at the entry point for not having the correct papers, he loudly complained about the taxing three day journey from Hanyang. Alternating between threats and entreaties, he still bore a grudge because he could not punish the guard for fear of Grand Prince Bongrim's wrath.

The Commander bent over backwards to accommodate the Grand Prince's whims. Following the Commander on horseback were a few Yangban men, handpicked by the Grand Prince himself.

Minjae dared a glance. Lee Seung sat on his black stallion, looking magnificent in his new position as General of the Royal Guards. It was a political appointment, the kind Seung had always hated. Technically, he superseded the local Commander in case of a war. Minjae wondered if the espionage racket had anything to do with the change. She felt a pang of guilt, as eager to uncover the perpetrator as Seung, even though she knew he no longer trusted her. No matter how she considered it, it hurt. She dared another glance.

Panic swiftly replaced all thoughts of guilt. Riding behind Seung, looking half proud and half uneasy, was her brother, Choi Se-min. Her father would never have agreed to send him to Ganghwa, which meant Seung had somehow manipulated the situation to bring him here.

Rage nudged its way to every pore, every crevice of her being. No one had ever told her that while a broken heart hurt, losing someone's respect was like having a piece of yourself ripped away. She should never have let her weakness for her brother show.

Dust caked her clenched fingers as the horses passed her.

Bastard!

She was so angry she felt faint. She opened her mouth to fill her lungs with air.

She needed to get away, to calm her anger and panic.

Minjae turned to Nam Dami, kneeling beside her, to tell her she was taking the rest of the day off.

The look on Nam Dami's face formed icicles of dread in her blood. Nam Dami stared at Grand Prince Bongrim, her facial muscles twisted into a macabre expression of pure, unadulterated hatred.

∞

"What is Lord Se-min doing on this island?" Minjae seethed.

"I don't see how it concerns you, Physician Kim," Seung replied, barely looking up from his book. A slight red flush stained his edged cheekbones, but other than that, he looked unperturbed.

Minjae had taken Gil-ae's help to speak with Lee Seung on the pretext of discussing his mother's health.

Inside his spacious office chamber that boasted of shelves filled with books and scrolls as well as a handful of knick-knacks, she felt insignificant, a far cry from the woman he had pledged his heart to.

"You gave me your word!"

Seung leaned back in his chair, his obsidian eyes revealing nothing. "You do not have to remind me. You got your wish."

"Then why is he here? I did everything you asked me to."

"Grand Prince Bong-rim asked for him," Seung said, sounding annoyed.

"It's to keep me in check, isn't it so? So I don't do anything that will jeopardise your plans."

The colour deepened on the column of his neck.

"I credited you with more humility, Physician Kim. Do you think I would have waited two weeks for you to find out if that were the case?"

"You would if you wanted to give me enough time to make a mistake and hold him over my head so I don't change my mind," she lifted her chin.

"You come to meet me days after we arrive, only to speak about another man," Seung said bitterly. "Is that not ironic? It begs the question, what is it about Choi Se-min that makes you so afraid and makes me wonder once again why his father has ordered his people to kill you at sight."

Minjae bit her lip in frustration.

"Now, if you can excuse me, Physician Kim, I have work to do, and I am sure you have more lies to concoct," he said, returning his attention to the ledger.

An elderly servant was polishing the column outside the imposing office door. The door was left slightly ajar, adhering to the etiquette of conversing with the master of the house. The sound of the friction mocked the silence that followed Seung's harsh words.

Minjae clasped and unclasped her fingers on her skirt.

"What did you expect me to do?" She finally said. "I lied to you, and I am sorry for hurting you. But you were cruel."

The lines of Seung's shoulder tensed, raw emotion rolling off the rigid lines.

"I no longer know who and what you are, Physician Kim. Unless you have come to recount, in meticulous detail, every step of your journey or have developed a sudden interest in turning yourself into the authorities and confessing your deeds, I have no interest in speaking to you." He cast the book aside with disdain. "Mark my words. I shall uncover all that you hide. And when that day comes, I doubt I shall find anything but treachery and deceit. Prepare yourself to atone for every deplorable sin you have committed."

"I thought you believed I was not a spy," she said.

Seung shrugged. "I was wrong. You are simply terrible at it."

"Or maybe I am not one," she said softly.

He picked up a quill and dipped it into a white porcelain inkpot with uncluttered and delicately inlaid designs. "Minjae, I have no desire to continue this conversation. I have done all within my power to spare you, and you would do well to be grateful. If you value your life and that of your family, refrain from any foolish actions. Now, leave me in peace," he said dismissively.

"Why? Why did you save me?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

The quill stilled on the paper.

"Get out, Minjae," Seung gritted his teeth.

Minjae waited to feel the surge of anger course through her, but instead, she felt a hollow of a great loss that took her breath away.

Ever since returning to the island, she had refused to think about what conspired in Hanyang. Minjae threw herself into relentless chores and sank into oblivion by the time her body hit the mattress every night. Even her nightmares had ceased visiting her, and a perpetual cold blankness had replaced them.

The hole where her heart used to be had been consumed by nothingness. Suddenly, something warm and alive filled it. It made her reckless. It made her want to live in the moment, forget everything that had happened between them.

"Do you really want me to leave, Dari?" Minjae's voice trembled with vulnerability.

Seung's gaze lifted slowly, the cool indifference in his eyes melting away. She saw the exact moment when heat replaced it, reflecting the same intensity that burned within her.

His massive frame unfolded itself from the chair. Slowly, with a panther-like grace, he circled the desk, walked to the door, and pulled it shut.

Her throat dry, she stepped back until his arms caged her against the edge of the desk.

"It's not the first time I have been impressed by the paucity of your good sense. What would I not give to find out what whirls in that pretty head of yours," he said huskily, in a voice all too familiar to Minjae's ears. Blood rushed to all the inappropriate places. "Once, you could not wait to discard me from your life. And yet, here you are today. Why are you not leaving, Kim Minjae?"

Her breath fell short. The sharp edge of the desk dug into her lower back. She braced herself against it.

His eyes travelled to her parted lips and then to her heaving chest. Dark flames licked his irises when he raised them back to her face.

"Since you asked me, yes, I want you to leave. The alternative is I will push you on all fours and have my way with you because my body craves for you like a drunkard. We both know you like to let everyone know how much you enjoy it, which might displease both my mother and my wife," Seung's tone was affable, starkly contrasting with his smouldering eyes, his lips so close to her skin that they left puffs of fire. "Unfortunately, my kind-hearted mother might also force my hand to give you the status of a concubine. Inviting pit vipers into my home is not my idea of a peaceful life."

"Hate me all you want, but please do not sully what we shared, Dari," she choked out the words.

"What did we share, Minjae? You gifted me your virginity and then made me wonder if it was part of a larger deception to lull my senses. So enlighten me about what we shared," His voice was raw with pain and rage.

Minjae closed her eyes, her senses picking up his heavy breathing, the tantalising male scent of his, the burning desire in his tense body, the rejection of his heart and the ridicule of his mind.

"I will leave," she said, her voice sounding foreign.

"Good decision," he gritted.

He turned and returned to his chair, leaving Minjae feeling more lonely than she had ever felt.

Reaching into his drawer, Seung pulled something out.

Shimmering green and opal.

He tossed it at her, the bracelet sliding over to stop at the edge of the table. "It's yours, take it. I do not need it any more."

Time slowed into that one moment of shattered pain, enveloping them both, tainting their memories with the indelible ink of heartbreak.

Minjae had never been a woman of many words. When the dam broke, words flowed like the anguished torrent of a once-shackled river.

"Dari, do you recall when I shared with you, given another chance, I would make different choices? That excruciating desire has not changed, and I wish I could undo my past. Through these arduous years, in the darkest of times, you were the beacon that guided me, showing that goodness still exists in this world. I refuse to let you snatch it from me. For without it, I am left with most heinous thoughts." She lifted her gaze, no longer indifferent but brimming with pain and the longing of countless sleepless nights. "For it makes me wish you had never followed me that day, that you had let those men have their way with me, that you had never saved me. That you had let me perish."

Seung turned white, his breathing turning shallow.

Minjae left before she could further humiliate herself.