Chapter 4
The Next Day.
Wook placed his cup of tea down and let out a sigh. His wife sitting across from him hadn’t touched her cup of tea. Her gaze was lost, as thoughts consumed her. Poor child. She must have been terrified. Lady Hae closed her eyes. She thought back to the previous day. How, after Wook had forced down the door, the girl was huddled in the corner; eyes wide, like a rabbit who had heard a howl of a wolf.
“You realise if we do this, people will talk,” said Wook.
“I am aware.”
“All right, I’ll sort the rest out.” He rose from his seat. Lady Hae could not help but feel a weight off her chest, although it was still difficult to breathe. A smile tugged at her lips. “Thank you,” she said.
She turned to him, her eyes gleaming for the first time in a while. Wook could not help but smile. “It’s the right thing to do,” he said. And just like that, he left.
Lady Hae turned to one of her maids. “Is the girl awake?” she said. They nodded. In a hurry, Lady Hae rose from her seat. The blood rushed to her head and the world began to spin.
“My Lady,” the maids called out, but Lady Hae caught herself in the nick of time. “I’m alright.” She waved her hand, calming the ladies. “Just help me reach the girl’s chamber. And bring me the items I requested.”
~~~
Nandita was pacing in her room. This is all wrong. This is all horribly wrong. Nandita scratched her head. She thought back to the day prior. How her best friend had appeared. How her best friend spoke to her in a language she could not understand. How her best friend’s eyes were clouded with uncertainty when she tried to talk to him. He did not recognise her. The Gods must have truly wanted Nandita to suffer by wanting to play such a cruel joke on her.
She plumped herself on her bed. She wanted to rationalise that Jaewook was pranking her. That all this was an elaborate scheme to get back at her. But the more she thought about it, the more the evidence piled against her. From the toilets to the clothes she wore, everything felt off. The treatments suggested by the doctors also seemed outdated.
For example, they would want to wrap Nandita’s chest with bandages. But thankfully, Nandita knew that could worsen broken ribs. She was grateful that she helped Jeevita with her nursing exams and that some things stuck with her. But that was one of many instances that reminded Nandita that she was a long way from home. She shook her head.
A knock echoed throughout the room. A voice called out. Nandita got up and opened the door. Poking her head up, she saw the Lady in Blue. However, the woman was adorning a lilac attire today. The woman sent a warm smile towards her. Nandita reciprocated and welcomed her to the chamber.
The woman sat down at the small table at the corner of the room. She gestured for Nandita to follow suit. Once seated, the lady began to speak. “How are your injuries?”
The blank stare was Nandita’s answer. “Ah yes,” she sighed, “You don’t understand.”
She tapped her shoulder, hinting at Nandita to shift her gaze to her own shoulder. Registering at what she was suggesting, Nandita took a moment to think of a way to communicate back. Her shoulder was still throbbing, but the wound did not seem infected. Nandita gave a thumbs up but was met with a puzzled expression. Registering the dissonance, she racked her brain for an alternative. She instead opted for a wide smile, hoping that would comply as “it’s healing.”
The woman seemed to accept the interpretation. She then clapped her hands and, from what Nandita could assume, one of the maids brought forth a book. A quizzical gaze appeared on Nandita’s expression.
“I’m glad it is healing,” she said. She opened the book. Inked drawings filled its pages. “Hopefully, we can use this and figure out why you were in the bathhouse in the first place.”
She pointed at the picture; a woman was wearing elaborate clothes, accessorized with ornaments in her hair. She then pointed at herself. “Lady Hae,” she said, “my name is Lady Hae.”
“Lady Hae?” Nandita repeated. The woman shared a smile. “Yes, Lady Hae,” she said.
She then pointed at Nandita. She furrowed her brows, discerning what was going on. Nandita pointed at herself, “Nandita,” she said. The woman gave a perplexed look. Nandita repeated herself much more slowly. “Naan-Dee-Tah,” she said.
The woman copied her. “Your name is Nandita?”
Nandita nodded, but in all honesty, she had no idea if that was what the lady was asking. She gave an awkward smile and the woman gently reciprocated. “Well that is a start,” she said.
Sharing an awkward chuckle, the air around them was uncomfortable. Nandita's throat dried up. She tried to think of something else to say, but it would have been futile. The woman wouldn't have been able to understand her anyway. Thoughts slowly consumed Nandita. She needed to do something. Anything. The silence surrounding the two was becoming unbearable. But it too ended before Nandita was ready. As it was shattered by the sound of rumbling.
Nandita’s stomach rumbled. Her cheeks flushed and she quickly held her stomach. The woman’s, or Lady Hae’s, smile widened. “Are you hungry?” She flipped through the book until it landed on a page where there was a child next to a table filled with platters and platters of food. She pointed at it.
In a sheepish smile, Nandita nodded her head. The woman let out a soft chuckle. She turned to one of her maids and spoke, her voice soft. The maid bowed before leaving the room
The lady turned back to Nandita. A large parchment of paper was presented. It was a map. However, it looked nothing like the one Nandita had known. Scratchings could be made out to be words, but they did not resemble anything Nandita knew. Nandita took a long look at the map, but nothing registered a familiarity. She looked back at Lady Hae and shook her head. The woman sighed and rolled the parchment up.
She switched back to the book and turned to a picture of the child. This time the child was with two adults; a mother and father. The woman positioned the image in front of Nandita, whose hands traced the image. Her heart sank. Thoughts about her family circled her mind. Nandita’s lip trembled, her eyes watering. She had gotten over the initial fact of abandoning them. But that hadn’t meant that her soul ached every time she thought about them. She looked back at Lady Hae and gently shook her head. The woman’s expression softened. She closed the book. “That’s enough for today,” she said.
They sat in silence. Nandita could not meet her gaze. A hollow throb sat at her belly and Nandita was sure it was not hunger. Her mind wandered back to her life in Seoul. She reminisced about her bedroom. You could tell she spent hours and hours of studying, as her tiny room was cluttered with textbooks. She thought about Eunhyuk and Junseo. She desperately tried to carve their faces into her memory. The idea of never seeing them again tormented Nandita. Maybe there was a way to get back to them?
Nandita thought long and hard. Tears quietly falling down her cheeks. If there was a way to return, the Gods would make sure she couldn’t. The laws they wrote were the reason her soul was damned. Because of Nandita’s actions, her karma had been disrupted…
Her karma? That was it! That’s the answer!
Nandita wiped her eyes. Her posture stiffened; determination permeated her body. All Nandita had to do was try and reconstruct her karma. If she did enough good deeds, maybe there was a way for her soul to be saved?
The sound of a knock from the door brought Nandita out of her thoughts. The aroma of food flooded the room and Nandita’s stomach growled once more. The maids removed the book and map and began to set the table. Nandita’s mouth watered. She didn't know where to start.
To her surprise, the meal was different from what she had expected. It contained a bowl of broth, a bowl of rice and many side dishes of vegetables. Those were common back in Seoul. However, that was all there was. No meats, no fish, nothing of those sorts. Nandita blinked; grateful as she didn’t eat meat either.
They placed chopsticks in front of her and Lady Hae. Nandita racked her brain, trying to remember the correct etiquette, but she had no idea if it would apply right now. She waited for Lady Hae to start eating, before trying to hold the chopsticks.
But Nandita struggled. Her hand could not coordinate at all. She kept fumbling around. Frustrated, and very hungry, she placed the chopsticks down on their rest and resorted to using her spoon. Lady Hae smiled and took note. “I can see you are not from around here, that is for sure.”
Nandita’s cheeks heated up. She had no idea what the woman had said but it didn’t seem malicious. But that didn’t cover the fact she had failed to use chopsticks. She mentally cursed.
She, quite proudly, had learnt to use chopsticks when she moved to Seoul. It took a few attempts, but she learnt much quicker than her sister. It was one of the few things Nandita could beat Jeevita in. It was a small win against the world in Nandita’s eyes.
But apparently, this body had never learnt how to use the utensils, which made sense, as it probably never had. Nandita made a mental note that coordinating may take a while to learn.
A dark thought brushes Nandita’s mind. The soul for this body had a life, well before Nandita took over. Her family must have been worried about what happened to this poor girl. She was covered with injuries when Nandita took over, so there was no certainty that she would have survived.
Maybe her family was attacked too? If so, were any of them alive as well?
Nandita shuddered. If the past for this body catches up to her, then Nandita will deal with it then. There was no point in stressing out and thinking of scenarios that may never occur. She pushed the idea away from her mind and concentrated on her meal.
Lady Hae’s eyes glanced up to Nandita, her heart aching a little as she watched the girl. Her mannerisms were unique and would take time to adjust to. But Lady Hae didn’t mind. She was grateful to this girl.
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The idea of almost losing Wook, when only hours before she had lost someone else dear to her, was unbearable. She had to repay her debt. Otherwise, she would never find inner peace. A small thought expanded in her mind. Maybe this girl was a sign? A blessing in disguise, perhaps? If so, then we should not ignore it.
A smile resurfaced on her face. We should keep her safe.
~~~
The King sat at his throne while awaiting the arrival of a visitor. A sigh escaped his lips. One of his Royal Advisors ridiculed the competence of the Crown Prince. His words boiled the King’s blood. He pinched the bridge of his nose. He tried to do everything to appease the aristocrats of this society, but it seemed to be failing him in the process. I need to think of a solution and think of it fast.
The doors opened. King Taejo’s attention shifts to the entrance of 8th Prince Wang Wook. He bowed as he reached the throne.
“Thank you for agreeing to see me.”
“Why have you requested an audience, 8th Prince Wook?”
“Apologies, Your Majesty, I understand you have your duties to attend to, so I will not keep you long,” Wook said. “I would like to seek permission for you to release the foreigner into my care.” The King cocked a brow. “May I ask why?”
“I wish to repay her for saving my life.”
“An outsider entering the Royal Bathhouse is forbidden and should be punished. It is only because she saved you and the Princes, that she has not been executed yet.”
Wook gulped. He did not want to anger his father, but he also wanted to appease his grieving wife. “Yes, I understand, Your Majesty,” he rose from his bow, “But are you not curious as to why she was there in the first place?”
“And you believe that you can find out?” the King scoffed. “I heard she only speaks in a foreign tongue.”
“I am sure I can uncover the reasoning behind her arrival.”
Taejo crossed his arms, his brow furrowed. The dissatisfaction with Wook’s request only added to his foul mood. But there were more things to worry about. But if he let Wook manage some of his concerns, he could commit more of his time to other problems. The King let out a sigh. He needed certainty. “Is there more to this reason?”
Wook hesitated. He thought back to his conversation with his wife. How frail she had become over the passing months. How full of life she seemed this morning when she proposed the idea. He could not let her down. Not again.
He took a deep breath, the words on his lips felt heavy, but he knew it would get the work done. “I have reasons to believe that the girl may possess medical knowledge that may help Lady Hae.”
Taejo’s expression softened. He had heard about the illness Lady Hae was suffering from and understood that Wook was trying to complete his duty as a husband. He let out another sigh. Age must have been wearing him thin these days. “And under what record is this shown?”
“She seems to be refusing the treatment from the doctors and conducting her own.”
A pause was left in the air, as the King deliberated on what to do. He let out another sigh. “Very well, I shall release the girl under your care.” Wook could feel a smile tug at the corner of his mouth. But in an instant, it left when the King uttered the next words; “On the conditions that she must serve Lady Hae, and that you must find out who she is, why she was at the Bathhouse and what her intention may be upon arriving in Songak.”
Wook bowed once more. “Thank you for gracing us with your kindness, Your Majesty.”
Taejo acknowledged him, allowing Wook to leave the room. As the doors closed behind him, Wook placed his hand on his chest. His heart beating erratically as the weight of what had transpired finally settled on him. Wook gulped. He acknowledged the idea that asking for this may require a favour from the King. But it never occurred to him that those would be the only conditions. It seemed too simple. He thought long and hard as he made his way back.
If I need to fulfil the King’s wishes, I need to find a way to communicate with this girl.
~~~
When night had taken hold, Lady Hae finally entered her chamber. After her meal with Nandita, she spent the rest of the day praying for the deceased. Although it was not a strenuous activity, her body was exhausted. She attributed it more to do with the sorrow inside her heart. A soft, sad frown displayed itself, as she thought more and more about it.
Bringing this girl into her home would not take away the grief that filled its walls. But it would allow Lady Hae a chance to atone for her mistakes. She thought back to that day. She could barely remember the argument she had with her younger cousin. All she remembered was her storming out and, in a few hours, heard that she had died. Drowned, to be exact.
The room began to blur as tears fell down her face. The thought of her laughter never filling the walls of this home hit Lady Hae, like a punch to the gut. She crumpled over. The grief consumed her. Choked sobs left her mouth. She cradled herself, wanting to hold her cousin again. She had failed. Failed to keep her safe. But this time she will do things right. She clutched her chest as she composed herself. Her mind wandered back to the girl.
“Nandita.” The name felt heavier as it left her lips. But it was enough to ground her back. Wiping away her tears, Lady Hae sat on her bed. She steadied her heart rate. She couldn’t afford to be in this state. Not if she wanted to help Nandita. But she could not do anything without the King’s blessing. If he decided to execute her, there would be nothing Lady Hae could do but follow His Majesty’s order. A sigh escaped her lips. Her heart prayed that Wook would be successful with his endeavour.
Footsteps outside her room door brought her out of her thoughts and grief. She rose from her seat and made her way. Her face was greeted with her husband’s. “Ah, you have returned. Welcome back.”
“Apologies for returning late,” he made his way inside the room, taking a seat at the small table. “I did not expect you to be awake at this hour.”
“I know, I was thinking.”
Wook shared a sympathetic gaze with his wife. Her eyes were red and puffy, which bared a more striking resemblance against her sickly, pale skin. The loss of her cousin had taken a toll on her already fragile body. Wook shook his head. He should’ve been here to comfort her. But a part of him felt it would be deceptive. He was not close to the deceased and he worried that his words to comfort his wife would only add salt to her wounds. She needed support and love to get her through this. One of which Wook could not deliver. He looked back at his wife. He hoped that following her request would help her heal. “You should rest, it’s not good for your health for you to stay up.”
“I know. But I could not help but wonder about His Majesty and if he accepted our request.”
Wook shared a warm smile and ushered her to sit beside him. “Well, he has graced us with kindness once more and accepted the request.”
Lady Hae's eyes widened as the weight of Wook’s words finally settled. A smile danced on her lips. Her heart fluttered as the good news sunk in. “This is wonderful. I’m sure Nandita would love to stay with us.”
“Na…Nandita?”
“Yes, Nandita. I believe that is her name. I went to see her today—”
“—Wait, you left to see her? My Lady, you should not strain yourself.”
“It is alright,” she waved away his concern, “I wanted to see if I could communicate with her. And I was successful. I don’t believe she is from around here at all and I don’t think she has a family either.” Wook shook his head, his mouth agape. “How did...how did you communicate with her?”
“Well mainly through gestures and the help of a children’s picture book.”
“Pictures?” he muttered to himself.
And just like that, the pieces fell in place.
~~~
End of chapter 4.