“Look at that sachet pouch. Good heavens.”

“And that fabric as thin as a dragonfly’s wing? I heard the Master of Garyong sent it himself.”

“Even for a wedding, no one would prepare gifts like these. Honestly.”

“What kind of man is he, I wonder? The Master of Garyong—the one who bought the first night of the woman who would have become Queen if that tragedy had never happened.”

“So many people wanted her. If she ended up belonging to that man, he must have paid an unimaginable sum.”

The voices of the other courtesans, filled with envy and admiration, drifted ceaselessly through the open doorway.

Gayu, who had been staring vacantly into the distance, slowly lowered her gaze to the pile of gifts in front of her.

Among them was a crimson liquid contained in a transparent bottle unlike anything she had ever seen before.

There were also rolls of fabric that were so light and delicate they seemed finer than a dragonfly’s wings.

There were also dazzling jewels, each one beautiful enough to adorn those garments and with names she did not recognize.

These were treasures far too extravagant to have been sent merely to purchase a courtesan’s first night.

It was no surprise that the other courtesans were so jealous.

Gayu looked at the gifts with indifferent eyes. Then, sensing someone drawing near, she lifted her head.

One of the nearby courtesans was making her way towards her.

She was a woman whose beauty inspired admiration at first glance.

The others had told Gayu that she was Yeon-hwa, the most sought-after courtesan in the pleasure house.

Approaching with a faint smile curving her lips, Yeon-hwa took a graceful seat beside Gayu.

The rich scent of perfume drifted over with her.

However, the face she turned towards Gayu was filled with undisguised mockery.

“Surely you’re not planning to ask the Master of Garyong to take your hairpin tonight?”

“…”

“You may have become a government slave, but you were supposed to be crowned Queen today.”

Her lips curved faintly as she spoke.

“Don’t tell me you’re actually willing to do that just to stay alive?”

“…”

Yeon-hwa frowned, seemingly frustrated that Gayu remained expressionless despite her obvious insults.

Even the way her elegant, sharp eyes twisted with irritation was beautiful.

“If it were me, I’d rather take my own life. Wouldn’t you all agree?”

When Gayu remained silent, Yeon-hwa turned to the courtesans behind her and addressed them in a playful manner. The gathered women immediately burst into laughter.

It was then that…

Gayu’s pale, blue-tinged lips slowly parted.

“No. I won’t die.”

“…What?”

Shock spread across Yeon-hwa’s face.

Gayu stared back at her sharply, clenching her teeth.

Her bloodless lips trembled, but she forced herself to speak.

“Because no matter what I have to do… I need to survive.”

“You have no pride at all? You’re willing to sell the body that was meant to become Queen just to stay alive?”

“Yes. Even so, I have to live.”

“Why?”

Yeon-hwa asked.

Her voice was filled with incomprehension.

“Why do you want to live that badly?”

A faint, painful smile briefly crossed Gayu’s face as she looked at the people staring at her in stunned silence.

Then it vanished.

“Because there’s someone I absolutely must see before I die.”

Just then—

The head mistress of the pleasure house stepped through the crowd of courtesans.

“What are all of you doing here?! Why aren’t you hurrying and getting her ready?”

Perhaps the unexpected spectacle was a welcome distraction from the monotony of their daily lives. The courtesans had gathered around Gayu, chattering endlessly amongst themselves. At the head mistress’s sharp reprimand, they quickly dispersed into small groups.

Only then was Gayu afforded a brief moment of respite.

A weary sigh escaped her lips.

Being the subject of everyone’s curiosity felt strange.

So did being left alone like this, wearing a face that no longer felt like her own.

Both were burdens she found difficult to bear.

With empty eyes, Gayu gazed at her reflection in the bronze mirror.

For the past hour, she had been at the complete mercy of the pleasure house’s women. First, they had immersed her in a bath infused with unfamiliar fragrances, and then subjected her to endless grooming and adornment.

While the stylists worked on her hair, they maneuvered her slender body this way and that.

Like a doll.

Her lifeless eyes remained fixed on her reflection in the mirror.

The woman staring back looked like a complete stranger.

Her dark, delicate eyebrows had been carefully shaped into graceful crescents. Beneath them, her long, elegant lashes had been lined with dark powder, making their shape appear even more striking.

The pale powder covering her face heightened the contrast of the crimson blusher brushed onto her lips and cheeks. This vivid red resembled fresh blood, accentuating the fragile pallor of her complexion and lending her an almost heartbreaking beauty.

“You need only do as he commands.”

“…”

The head mistress, who had been admiring the finished result with satisfaction, spoke in a cold voice.

At last, Gayu’s eyes slowly shifted toward her.

Meeting those large eyes, glossy with unreadable emotions, the woman curled her lips into a smile.

“And remember this well.”

“…”

“You are no longer the cherished daughter of the Jin family who was destined to become Queen.”

“…”

“You are nothing more than a government courtesan now. The lowest creature in the world.”

“…”

“Though I suppose it’s a miracle of fortune that someone with Jin blood is still alive at all.”

Jin blood.

At these words, a desolate and bitter smile appeared on Gayu’s otherwise empty face.

A deep pain lingered within the smile, too profound to be concealed by layers of white powder.

What had she ever gained from that cursed bloodline?

Or was there anything left for her to lose?

“The preparations are complete.”

The head mistress gave a satisfied nod.

“Cover her eyes now.”

At the head mistress’s instruction, she carefully examined Gayu’s completed appearance. One of the women stepped forward holding a thin veil.

Then she raised it toward Gayu’s eyes.

“Why…?”

For the first time since all of this began, a weak voice escaped Gayu’s lips.

Her slender hand shot up and seized the wrist of the woman attempting to cover her eyes.

Her tear-bright eyes lifted toward the woman, filled with faint anger and confusion.

“I don’t understand why my eyes must be covered.”

The lips that had remained firmly sealed until now finally opened.

“Am I not even allowed to see the man who bought my first night? Do I not have even that much right?”

The headmistress let out a quiet sigh as she watched Gayu struggle to speak; fear overwhelmed her.

How could she possibly survive in a place like this when she was unable to let go completely?

Looking into her beautiful, tear-filled eyes, the headmistress spoke coldly.

“This, too, was ordered by that person in advance. He instructed us not to allow you to see his face without his permission.”

“…Why?”

“How should I know? I merely do as he commands.”

“…”

“Have you already forgotten what I told you? That you no longer have a choice?”

“…”

“You live as a dog does, obeying whatever its master commands. No… it would be more accurate to say that you live according to the wishes of whoever pays.”

At the head mistress’s languid words, Gayu’s chest rose sharply.

Watching her struggle even to breathe, the head mistress continued without the slightest trace of concern.

“If you cannot accept that, then there is only one alternative.”

“…Death.”

“Haa… haa…”

Gayu glared at her through bloodshot eyes, struggling to catch her breath.

A faint smile tugged at the head mistress’s lips.

Only now was she beginning to understand her reality.

“If you’re told to undress, then undress. If you’re told to spread your legs, then spread them. That is all your existence amounts to now. If we were ordered to cover not your eyes but your very airways, we would do that as well.”

Her smile deepened slightly.

“Why? Because we’ve been paid.”

Even then, the bloodshot eyes, their veins standing out vividly, did not shed a single tear.

They only stared at the head mistress like a venomous snake, brimming with poison and fury.

But the head mistress paid no heed to such a gaze. As though it meant nothing at all, she casually nodded to the woman holding the veil.

The thin cloth descended over Gayu’s eyes.

She clenched her teeth.

And then, darkness as black as night swallowed her whole.

_

Seated on the crimson bed in the courtesan’s chamber and surrounded by the lingering scent of musk, Gayu remained perfectly still.

Behind the thin veil, her eyes trembled.

The soft glow of the lamp seeped faintly through the fabric, obscuring her vision.

That blurred light reminded her of the moonlight on the night she had turned away from him after saying the cruelest words she could muster.

The night she had turned away from him after uttering those words.

It looked just like the gentle light she had barely been able to see through her tears.

“Heh…”

A laugh escaped from deep within her throat.

Her shoulders shook.

Her whole body trembled.

She hated herself for thinking about him at that moment.

She hated it, and she hated herself for it.

She found it absurd.

For over ten days, even while experiencing a nightmare beyond her wildest imagination, her heart had remained unmoved.

Yet now, merely recalling him caused a painful tightness in her chest.

It was as though it was reminding her that she still had a heart.

Just then—

“Miss Gahee.”

The door opened, and a small voice filled with concern reached her ears.

Miss Gahee…

At that unfamiliar name, Gayu’s entire body trembled violently.

“So you must become Jin Gahee for me.”

The first time her father called her by her first name, it was not hers.

The man who had never once properly addressed her had, for the first time in her life, addressed her as someone else.

With her dying half-sister’s name clinging to her like a living hell, she nearly became the old king’s woman.

“Pfft.”

Hearing that horrific name, Gayu twisted her pale lips.

That young girl, who knew nothing of the circumstances, always addressed her that way. With a title that never seemed to fit—Miss.

“You are not like me, Gahee. That is why I will call you Miss.”

Juju was a young girl with big eyes. She was seventeen years old when she was sold to this courtesan house.

Was it because of her father’s gambling debts? She had almost become queen, but now she was merely the daughter of a traitor.

Even the government courtesans ignored her and kept their distance. Yet Juju had followed her from day one, unlike the others.

This was probably because they had started their first day in this unfamiliar place together. Still young and small, Juju only ran errands for the kitchen, but she looked after Gayu nonetheless and followed her around.

Even now, it was clear that she had come to check on her under the pretext of fetching the liquor table herself. The faint scents of liquor and meat wafting past her nose confirmed it.