“Something terrible has happened, my lady!”

Hyang-eum burst into Woo-hye’s room with a crimson letter in her hand. Although she was illiterate, she knew exactly what a red letter meant.

It was an announcement of marriage.

“Look at this! Seol Mi-hee – that wretched concubine – has finally done it!”

Woo-hye’s vision, shrouded in mist, turned red like a blooming red plum blossom. Her damaged eyes could only distinguish two things: light and the colour red.

“Calm down, Hyang-eum. If Nanny Gye hears you, she’ll serve us that awful rice gruel again.”

Woo-hye pushed the letter aside with the same hands she had used to weave a bamboo basket. As she did so, a breathtaking sight appeared, like the moon emerging from behind the clouds.

Hyang-eum, forgetting her anger for a moment, fell into a daze.

Like a single lotus blooming on water, Woo-hye’s beauty couldn’t be hidden by her shabby appearance. She had always been unusually pretty, but after she grew up, her beauty blossomed explosively.

Men in Doha often lingered around her house just to catch a glimpse of her face.

She was such a beautiful and valuable young woman.

Hyang-eum’s anger flared again when she remembered the man Woo-hye was to marry.

“Do you know who your husband is? Cheong-un! The villainous son of the head of the Taesang merchant guild!”

Now that she was twenty, it was only natural that the wedding preparations began.

‘But Taesang…’

They had expected her to be sent off as a concubine to some lecherous old man who needed a young maid to look after him. But this proposal was unexpected.

“Something must have happened to make the family desperate for money.

Taesang was the largest merchant guild in the Cheonhae Kingdom.

But merchants were merchants.

The upper class, who despised the merchants’ vulgar tendency to reduce everything to monetary value, would never accept such people as equals.

‘So they’ve found a match now.’

It’s only natural – once wealth is secured, people begin to seek honour.

It seemed that even the Master of the Taesang Guild couldn’t escape this universal law.

The family must have suddenly needed a large sum of money and found common interests with the head of the Taesang Guild – so they sent Cheong-un all the way to Doha.

‘Cheong-un is the black sheep of the family. To think that the head of the Taesang Guild has managed to form a marriage alliance with a noble family using a discarded peasant – he must see it as quite a profitable deal.’

Cheong-un’s reputation preceded him.

He was said to have at least three known illegitimate children, no real skills to speak of and a pompous vanity that made him an insufferable nuisance wherever he went.

‘I like it.’

Woo-hye thought.

She liked men who were simple, brutal and had no sense of their own limits – just like Cheong-un.

Of course, Hyang-eum didn’t share this opinion.

“The engagement gifts and wedding hanbok have already arrived outside. What should we do? Should we hire an assassin or something?”

Hyang-eum panicked, but Woo-hye responded with calm distance, as if it were someone else’s business.

“Marriage should follow the will of the parents. Just because I don’t want it doesn’t mean I can refuse. But first we need to know what the marriage letter says. Can you get Nanny Gye for me?”

Nanny Gye had been sent to Doha together with Seol Mi-hee to be Woo-hye’s nanny.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

At that moment, heavy footsteps echoed outside and Nanny Gye burst into the room without permission.

“So it was you, Hyang-eum, who stole the marriage certificate! You always do what you want.”

“Perfect timing. I was just about to call you, Nanny Gye.”

Nanny Gye gave Woo-hye a half-hearted bow, as if she had only just noticed her.

“My apologies, my lady. I was in such a hurry when I saw the letter was missing. If it hadn’t been for Hyang-eum, I would have brought it myself and read it to you before you even summoned me.”

She and Hyang-eum had never gotten along, and she took every opportunity to pick on her, often speaking ill of Woo-hye herself.

Of course, Hyang-eum glared like a wildcat.

“Are you crazy? Don’t you know the basic rules – that you can’t enter a lady’s room without permission?”

“It’s okay, the marriage letter came so suddenly, Nanny Gye must have been confused. That’s all.”

Feigning support while slyly pointing out her rudeness – Woo-hye’s cunning phrasing made Nanny Gye sneer. Still, she looked confident, as if to say, “What can you do about it anyway?”

“Go ahead and read the marriage letter for me, Nanny Gye.”

Standing in front of Hyang-eum, Nanny Gye read the letter in a clear voice and then summarised its contents.

“Master Cheong-un is expected to arrive in Doha tomorrow. Ah, and the wedding is in two weeks. Things will be hectic for a while.”

There was barely time to register the marriage at the local office and prepare the food. In the end, they would have to hold a shabby wedding with no one to congratulate them and become nothing more than an object of ridicule.

‘They must have timed it to give us no time to prepare.’

It was a Seol Mi-hee-like plan.

“We should prepare the groom’s room. Nanny Gye, I’ll leave that to you.”

“Of course, my lady.”

Hyang-eum felt sick to her stomach.

‘Groom, my foot.’

Even letting such a bastard sleep in the woodshed would be a waste.

But unfortunately, she was the only one who was seething. Woo-hye, the bride-to-be, was indifferent, and Nanny Gye was practically giddy with joy.

What good was noble blood if you were discarded by your own family? You’d end up worse off than a commoner.

Nanny Gye, who took pleasure in Woo-hye’s misfortune, laughed inwardly with vulgar satisfaction.

“What a happy turn of events. A household must have a man. The generous madam has found you a fine bridegroom so that you won’t miss your time to marry. You must be grateful and repay her kindness.”

The absurdity of her words made Hyang-eum feel like she was going to explode.

“My lady was originally betrothed to the young master of the Gyeon family! You snatched him away and gave him to Dan Gyu-yeong, and now you offer this kind of marriage…!”

“Hyang-eum.”

At Woo-hye’s silent interruption, Hyang-eum closed her mouth, looking hurt.

How could she not know how Hyang-eum felt after all their years together? Hyang-eum was the person Woo-hye loved the most.

She gently patted Hyang-eum’s arm, a silent gesture telling her not to worry.

Nanny Gye announced, her voice tinged with amusement,

“I’ll take care of the wedding gifts myself. Once they’re sorted, I’ll decorate your room as a bridal chamber, so please keep that in mind.”

“Alright. Thank you for your efforts.”

The moment Nanny Gye left the room, Hyang-eum muttered irritably.

“That woman doesn’t seem to care about Master Cheong-un at all. If he’s the kind of scoundrel people say he is, he’ll probably swindle away all the household’s wealth!”

“That’s why she’s glad he’s coming.”

“What? Are you saying Nanny Gye benefits from Cheong-un coming to Doha?”

“Maybe?”

“Maybe? …You’re teasing me again, aren’t you?”

Woo-hye smiled softly and pulled Hyang-eum into a warm hug.

“Don’t worry. No matter what happens, I’ll protect you, Hyang-eum.”

Hyang-eum let out a deep sigh.

“I’m worried because something might happen. And it’s not me something will happen to—it’s you, my lady!”

“All right, all right. Don’t get angry – help me collect the baskets. I have to go to the pharmacy right away.”

Weaving bamboo baskets, one of the few things she could do without her eyesight, had been Woo-hye’s regular part-time job for years.

“But you went there not long ago. You just started to recover and now you’re going back?”

Hyang-eum didn’t like it when Woo-hye visited the pharmacy. She usually came back with a high fever and collapsed for days.

“Cheong-un is coming tomorrow, so I have to prepare.”

“That’s true, but… good.”

Seeing that her mistress had made up her mind, Hyang-eum reluctantly gathered the baskets and left the room.

Nanny Gye, who had been moving the wedding gift boxes around the courtyard, perked up at the sight of the baskets in Hyang-eum’s hands.

“Are you going to the pharmacy?”

“Yes. I want to sell the baskets early, before the wedding gets too busy.”

Only a few years ago, Nanny Gye had been suspicious of Woo-hye’s visits to the pharmacy, fearing that she might somehow be treated and regain her sight.

But when she saw Woo-hye getting sicker after these visits, she was more than happy.

When Woo-hye was ill, it was easier for her to sell the lady’s jewellery for silver in secret.

Even if she did it openly, there wasn’t much Woo-hye could do – Nanny Gye had full control of the household. Still, she had to be careful not to overstep her bounds.

Seol Mi-hee was the kind of person who would turn a blind eye to small acts of embezzlement in return for loyalty – but if she ever felt that a servant was getting too full of herself, she would replace them without hesitation, no matter how loyal they were.

Nanny Gye may have been foolish, but at least she had the good sense not to kill the goose that laid the golden eggs.

“Don’t worry about things here. I’ll sort everything out carefully and write it all down in the book.”

“All right, I’ll be back soon.”

Woo-hye let out a small laugh at Nanny Gye’s transparent intentions and stepped out of the house.

***

Mokcheon Apothecary

Seven years ago it had been a small pharmacy – but now it had grown into the largest herbal medicine shop in all of Doha.

“You’ve arrived, Lady Dan.”

Mr Wang, a long-time employee who was practically a fixture at the pharmacy, greeted her warmly and took the basket from Hyang-eum.

“You’ve made so many already?”

“It won’t take long. Where’s Mr Mok?”

“Mr Mok.”

She said, referring to Mokcheon, the owner of the pharmacy.

“He’s in the storeroom. I’m sure he’s already noticed you’ve come.”

Woo-hye nodded slightly and went to the storeroom where Mokcheon was. It was a familiar place and her steps were sure and unhesitating.

“I’m here, Mr Mok.”

Mokcheon, who had been cutting medicinal herbs with a steady scraping sound, lifted his stern face to look at her.

“I told you not to come so early. You know it’s not good to get those poisonous needles too often.”

“I couldn’t help it this time. I’m getting married soon. The groom is Young Master Cheong-un of the Taesang Guild.”

“You mean that scoundrel?”

“Yes, that scoundrel.”

Woo-hye chuckled as if she found the whole thing amusing, while Mokcheon rubbed the corners of his eyes and wore an expression that seemed to say, “What kind of nonsense is this?”

She couldn’t see the look on his face, but she could still feel the storm of emotions stirring inside him.

“Since you’re like a father to me, you must come to the wedding and give me your blessing. Do you understand?”

Mokcheon didn’t answer. Just as Woo-hye saw him as a father, he saw her as a daughter – so he couldn’t bring himself to offer even empty words of congratulations.

“Come sit where the light is.”

The one thing Woo-hye could see clearly was light.

Mokcheon led them to a place where the candles were burning brightly, then came over with a jar of medicine. The jar was filled with needles packed tightly together.

Mokcheon plunged the needles deep into Woo-hye’s body and then pulled them out.

Soon beads of sweat formed on her forehead.

“Your vision will return for about half a si-jin from now on.”

(A si-jin is about two hours, so about an hour).

As she opened her previously closed eyes, the hazy, clouded world became clear – objects came into focus.

With a pale face, Woo-hye looked up at Mokcheon and gave him a gentle smile.

“That’s more than enough.”