Chapter Two
It was a ripe autumn night.
Darkness had settled quickly.
Once the crowd that had filled the village for the festival had gone, a deep and unnerving stillness took its place.
Lady Yeon had grown used to that sudden silence. Enduring long, quiet hours alone had become her way of life—without planning, without choice.
But sometimes… that silence was broken in the most unpleasant of ways.
“You’ve worked hard again this year, sister-in-law.”
It was at moments like this—when Jinho Han, the youngest of the Han brothers and her brother-in-law, greeted her with a slimy smile.
Jinho and his older brother Haejin were nothing alike.
Jinho was larger, and his face carried a permanent scowl, as though irritation had been carved into him. The left side of his upper lip always curled, giving him a look of constant contempt.
His narrow eyes never smiled with sincerity. A hooked nose jutted out from a small, mean forehead. With each passing year, he looked more and more like their late father, the greedy Lord Han Seok-jin.
You didn’t need to ask why the old man had passed down his secrets of wealth-building to this son. It was obvious.
Her husband Haejin may have been sensitive and frail, but he was never greedy. It was hard to believe they were born of the same womb.
“I heard you even offered a cow this year,” Jinho said with a mocking smile. “Thanks to that, the feast went smoothly. Much appreciated.”
Yeon replied with courtesy, not warmth. “One of the cows had lived its life. I’m glad it could be used for a good cause.”
“There’s nothing better than serving your purpose,” Jinho smirked. “Whether beast or man.”
She countered softly, “One hopes to live a life better than an animal’s… but sometimes I wonder if that’s possible.”
“Oh come now. You’re the very model of a virtuous wife. You’ve fed the whole village for years—they say not even the king can do that. You have the heart of a general!”
It was open mockery. But Yeon had no choice but to let it pass.
“I only do what any decent person should.”
“Yes, yes. Now that I’ve paid my respects, I’ll take my leave.”
He bowed slightly, insincerely, and his cloak swept cold air behind him as he turned away.
Though Yeon’s feasts were open to everyone in Guryong Village, Jinho’s household was the lone exception.
It wasn’t Yeon who barred them.
They stayed away out of fear.
And with good reason. The first year she held the festival, one of Jinho’s servants came uninvited—and was beaten so badly by Jinho that he walked with a limp to this day.
No one wanted to risk their life again. They learned to keep their distance.
In truth, that was exactly why Yeon began hosting the annual feasts.
To protect herself—from Jinho’s cruelty.
While her in-laws were alive, Yeon had been a mistreated daughter-in-law. But in their way, they had still shielded her. After all, with Haejin gone, he had become the new heir, and Yeon, the heir’s wife.
Jinho had been cautious back then.
But after their deaths, he no longer held back. With no one left to restrain him, his true nature surfaced.
And then, men claiming to be her husband Haejin began appearing from nowhere.
It wasn’t hard to guess why. With a fortune like the Han family’s, who wouldn’t be tempted?
Some of them looked uncannily similar.
Some knew childhood stories that only family could know—proof that they had done their homework.
But Jinho’s vetting was brutal. His interrogations were thorough, his punishments merciless.
Those caught in their lies rarely escaped. And even if they ran, Jinho eventually found them.
And once he did—they didn’t leave whole.
He would have their ankles broken, or their lips torn at the corners. That kind of retribution wasn’t even kept secret.
A nobleman will do anything to protect his family’s name.
Watching this unfold, Yeon came to a grim realization:
“Jinho doesn’t want Haejin to ever return. And that cruelty—someday, it could be aimed at me.”
The thought chilled her.
If Haejin never came back, then Yeon would be nothing more than a burden to the household.
Even a woman as beautiful as Yeon, if she lived as a burden, was no more than a corpse that breathed.
Her powerful birth family could only protect her so far.
Just as she hadn’t been allowed to choose her husband, she couldn’t rely on her family forever.
Yeon had always known how bleak marriage could be.
She had watched her older sister Seol-yeon suffer it firsthand.
Seol-yeon wrote poetry so beautiful it put her brother’s friends—and even their father, Lord Gong—to shame.
But Yeon never once saw her sister allowed to compete with men as an equal.
Women weren’t allowed to rival men, no matter how skilled they were.
After marrying, Seol-yeon’s brilliance became a burden. Her husband resented being outshined. His parents treated her as a threat to their son’s future.
What had once been a joyful, free childhood in a loving home… became the very reason for Seol-yeon’s sorrow.
Had she never known freedom or love, perhaps she wouldn’t have suffered so much.
Yeon often thought of her sister—and sometimes, in frustration, she lashed out at her older brother Ji-hwan.
“Brother, men can abandon their wives or walk away. Why can’t women do the same? Especially women from noble families?”
“You’re too young to speak such nonsense!”
But even Ji-hwan had no real answer. His stomach churned too, thinking of Seol-yeon’s fate.
“Men of noble blood live the easiest lives,” Yeon once scoffed.
To that, Ji-hwan had replied seriously, “Then I swear—I’ll marry you to someone who will let you live in peace. Father and I already agreed.”
Thinking back on those words now, Yeon sighed.
She had once been bold. Fearless. Even a little reckless.
What had happened to her?
She had followed the path expected of noble women… and in the process, lost herself.
But she couldn’t let it stay that way.
When her in-laws died, and Jinho bared his fangs, Yeon understood that she was on her own.
“I have to win the people to my side. Only the court of public opinion can protect me now.”
So, instead of relying on a husband, Yeon placed her trust in strangers—the nameless, faceless people of the world.
If Jinho ever tried to slander her or harm her, she needed witnesses. Allies. And that couldn’t be built overnight.
So starting the year after her in-laws passed, she opened the storehouses wide.
She fed the people. Poured them wine. Let them laugh and drink until they couldn’t stand.
Those who once gossiped behind her back…
Those who speculated that her husband must have left for a reason…
Those who clucked their tongues and blamed her misfortune for driving him away…
She invited them all. And slowly, things changed.
Now, people rarely spoke ill of her.
At least, not in the village.
If outsiders dared, the villagers would shut them down.
Because somewhere along the way, Yeon had become their lady.
“Unlike her greedy in-laws, she’s lived like a widow for nine years—yet still shares her wealth with the people…”
That was how they saw her now.
She had fought tooth and nail to reclaim her dignity—and in part, she’d succeeded.
But…
She was tired.
She had survived nine long years with no one to lean on.
And though people said ten years could change even mountains… she wasn’t sure she could last one more.
If tomorrow was as hopeless as today…
Then what was the point?
She just wanted to love and be loved. To cry one day because of someone, and smile the next because of the same person.
“Am I asking for too much?”
They said heaven helps those who help themselves—but to Yeon, it felt like heaven was the only thing left to blame.
“How much longer can I hold on…?”
“It’s getting cold. Let’s go in, milady.”
It was So-hwa’s voice that pulled Yeon from her thoughts. The night had grown late—nearly midnight.
“So-hwa… you’re still up? I just wanted to sit a little longer. Don’t you love the scent of golden osmanthus?”
“Haaahm… With the crowds finally gone, it feels so empty now, I can’t even smell anything. What if you catch a cold?”
“You worked hard, too. Rest tomorrow.”
“Do you think the people understand your kindness? All that food and wine… I hope they know it wasn’t just for show.”
“Who knows what’s in people’s hearts? Still… I believe if I keep trying, someday it’ll matter.”
“If we’d known it’d come to this… wouldn’t it have been better to accept the Crown Princess position nine years ago? Life in the palace might be cruel, but at least you wouldn’t have had to lift a finger in a wealthy home. I can’t help blaming Lord Gong for turning it down.”
Again, that old story.
Yeon gave her usual reply, a half-smile on her lips.
“…You’re right. Maybe I should’ve thrown a bigger tantrum back then.”
“Back then, you were so cheerful—even if a little silly.”
“And they said I wasn’t ladylike enough!”
“That’s why I miss that spirited young lady so much.”
So-hwa’s eyes shimmered with tears. She wiped them quickly, hoping Yeon hadn’t seen.
She didn’t want to hurt her mistress’s heart any more.
Yeon’s mother had died soon after giving birth. So-hwa, still a child back then, hadn’t understood the meaning of loss.
But she remembered one thing clearly: everyone in the family wanted Yeon to grow up bright and carefree.
“You should’ve cut ties back then. Just stayed in bed and refused to marry.”
“Remember how suitors used to line up outside the gates just to catch a glimpse of your face? You could’ve made a book out of all those love letters.”
“Forget it, So-hwa. The past… I’ve already let go.”
Of course Yeon had wondered.
“What if…? What if I had chosen differently?”
Such thoughts came in waves, sometimes carrying her far away from reality.
She still treated So-hwa like a sister, but she knew—deep down—that So-hwa was a servant.
There was no world where they could walk side by side as equals.
A world where women didn’t have to hide their strength, where they could duel with men, lead them, love them freely…
“Is the world the same for women everywhere?”
On nights when she had those thoughts, her dreams often turned rebellious.
Dreams of grabbing a man’s hand without shame, running with him into the wind… Of wiping sweat from his brow while he gently touched hers.
They’d gaze into each other’s eyes without fear, laughing as equals.
But she never saw his face clearly. The sunlight in the dream always made it too dazzling.
And then—
Creeeak.
The doors of the annex flew open. Steward Jang burst in, breathless.
“Milady!”
“What’s the matter?”
“Ahh—hah—!”
He panted, eyes darting in every direction, as if checking for spies. Then he quickly ushered Yeon and So-hwa inside.
Once Yeon was seated, he dropped to his knees and whispered:
“He’s… he’s returned!”
Yeon blinked.
“What do you mean?”
“He… he’s at the county office! It’s him this time—truly him!”
Yeon stood up in shock.
“Returned? Who?”
She felt stupid asking. Who else could it be?
Only the one who left… could return.
Only her husband, Haejin.
Still, she couldn’t quite believe it.
“Haejin Han, milady… And this time, I swear—it seems real. He’s being held at the county office right now!”
