The Love They Never Had

"Forgive me Young Master, but I…" "What is it now? What do you want? And why do you keep showing up around me?" I immediately started calling for her and I ordered a servant to bring her to my room. But before the servant left, The Lady Min of all people calm rushing into my room and started making a fuss over me as if she was the one who tended to me all along. I felt so disgusted by the fact that she was so blatantly taking credit for other people's work that I instinctively pulled back from her grasp so quickly that she fell over and started straightening herself out before the girl could throw herself at me. I kept calling out for Yeon but no one was answering me, not even the servants. The more demeaning the silence was the more angrier I was getting when I noticed The Lady Min's maids were all surrounding Yeon's quarters. I felt my blood boil when I saw this, already having an idea what was going on. They all tried to stop me but when I unsheathed my sword they all seemed to take me seriously then as I pushed them aside and I kicked the door in, only to see Yeon being forced out of the room with a gag in her mouth and her cheeks were bright red as if she had been slapped around a few times.

I felt as if karma had hit me right there and then when I saw the only innocent person that I knew being punished and pushed around for absolutely nothing at all. I felt the anger I had been suppressing for years build over as I knocked everyone to the floor and I grabbed her in my embrace before calling the servants to have all of the maids thrown into s shed we had The Lady Min came running after me and looked at me in shock before having the damned nerve to ask me what I was doing to her maids and why I was carrying Yeon in my arms. I just pushed her away and I locked Yeon up in my bedroom for her to calm down. I then took The Lady Min by the arm and I threatened her that Yeon was to be left alone. She was in my care and nobody was allowed to touch her, even my father, and I promised her that I would find every which way to leave this farce engagement if anything happens to her again and walked away back to my job, leaving her speechless and humiliated. Yeon, however, looked so entirely frustrated with me that she yanked my hand while I watched him from the window, hoping and praying that he wouldn't come near us and actually tried to bite me in anger. This completely took me aback; it didn't hurt me or anything but it was just so unlike her…but it was also one of the rare times that her walls were completely down around me and she looked just as vulnerable as I felt in her rare pent up anger. It was something that we both had in common since I was just as stuck here as she was. I let her get on with it instead of saying anything at all until she just gave up and looked just as defeated as I did, before she took my hand in hers again and started to message it.

That was a funny thing about her; she was far from being an angry person, so when she did get like that she did not know how to stay angry for long. And I love that about her, it just really showed me how incorruptible she really was. I dismissed he servants in the kitchen and we just ate alongside each other in silence, although I had noticed that she was struggling to feed her self since her hands were bruised and cramping up constantly at this point. I had no idea what possessed me but I suddenly took her bowl from her…and I started feeding her herself. She looked completely surprised and embarrassed but I warned her I was going to force feed her if I had to. Tensions were high between us but it could never fully destroy our relationship, whatever that was right now. She still cared about me and I did…always would about her…a lot more than I could have ever imagined it turned out.

And that wasn't the last of it; Da-In was a woman…girl who knew how to hold grudges which was the complete opposite of Yeon. It was only because I had work that The Lady Min found the opportunity to put Yeon to work and make wedding embroideries and all of the decorations herself and didn't even realise until a week later when she had began to avoid me. I took my usual peek into her room and I saw her hunched over a pile of decorations with her hands weak, bruised and shaking as if she hadn't rested in days. I still wasn't used to her being as bold as she was but I could definitely not take even a single tear coming out from her when I had used even my own life to make sure that she lived in the comfort that she deserved that not even her brother could provide for her. Yeon…she had become like a hidden gem underneath those baggy rags she used to wear; her posture and mannerisms where more suited to the noble lifestyle than even I was.

I came bursting into the room and I had her locked under my gaze as I snatched the decorations from her and I tore up every single one with my bare hands in front of her to the point where I was tearing up my own hands but it didn't matter for once. Harming myself for my father was completely useless I saw that now, but if harming myself for her guaranteed me of her love for me…it was almost like the most effective drug that I couldn't help but to be addicted to. There were actually times when I stopped hiding my scars in front of her so I could see the concern she held for me and experience her tender care whenever I wanted. I was like the boy who cried wolf but I had been brought to this condition by the hands of my own father so I might as well get something out of it. I then dragged her out of her seat by her arm and I dragged her to my bedroom where The Lady Min was still waiting for me and making a mess of everything under the pretext of 'trying to act like a housewife.'

She primped herself from the moment she saw me, and it reminded me of how Yeon use to be when she saw me, but she took far longer to the point where she was making me wait on her. And that was when I realised that Yeon…had been completely genuine with me from the start…

That was another thought that kept me up at night, the guilt I had towards both siblings were different but they were just as bottomless as each other. In a way…I had become infatuated with Yeon I wasn't going to deny it…to myself at least. But looking back on her crush on me even before she had lost her memories, she still took care of me like her brother…as much as I let her back then anyways. And now my feelings towards here were becoming so strong that I had lost control of myself a long time ago when it came to her; the more she accepted me for who I was without asking me any questions, and understood me without either of us having to even vocalise our thoughts…the more I was without restraint or care for the societal etiquette that I had tried to abide by for most of my life…everything that I had worked hard for…maybe I could even give it up for her…

"My Lord! You're finally home! Have you eaten? Are you cold? Shall I send something from the kitchen for you?" Every word she spoke felt like nails being scratched upon a hard surface; her voice was too loud from over excitement, and she could barely contain herself as if she had been waiting on me all day long. "Contain yourself woman! Do not embarrass me! Have you forgotten all etiquette due to your travels to foreign lands?" I couldn't help but hiss at her but watching her crestfallen face madam more than satisfied. "Your…guest…you cannot be possible talking about that…" "…the guest in my home that you are trying to work to death? Lady Min, is it possible that you possessive no unique skillset for yourself that you have to pawn off your work to others? If this is so…how do you honestly expect me to marry you? A dull wife who…will not even let me touch her…when I want to." I circled around her to make her as uncomfortable as possible. "Don't be ridiculous! Which noble woman will give herself up like a whore before marriage? That is equivalent to committing suicide!" "Who would want to marry such a dull woman? I understand…some…no, most men will abandon their engagements after a woman is spoilt…but not every man is like that." I shot Yeon a look at this point to make sure that she knew I was talking to her and about her. "Some men…once they touch a woman, then that woman belongs to them for a lifetime without question." I circled Yeon this time who looked startled and was blushing brightly, even more so when I wrapped my hand around her slim waist momentarily before Da-In noticed at all.

"Since you lack so much you had better start working on your skillset from now. Unfortunately…there has been a mishap with the decorations that Yeon has had to make by herself. Since it is so important to you, you can start all over from scratch by yourself! No one is allowed to help you! Let's go to the kitchen Yeonna, I know how hungry you must be. We can eat to together, I need some company anyways now that my fiancé will be kept occupied." I had expected The Lady Min to violently lash out as us, so even if held Yeon I kept her at a distance so she wouldn't get hurt at all. I stood in front of Yeon when she tried to slap her…but when she realised her mistake, she didn't apologise to me at all. I didn't care about her at all, but it was enough to render me into tears that I couldn't hold back. But Yeon…The Lady Min was screaming all sorts of insults at her right now and trying to pull at her and push her around, but she just stood in front of me, frozen on the spot as she wiped the tears from my eyes without uttering a single word or giving me a pitiful look. In face…she had her own tears falling from her eyes as she wiped away mine so gently that I never wanted her to stop.

I was beginning to suffocate amidst the insults at this point so it was Yeon who took me away to the kitchen without saying a word tonight as I had her favourite meals prepared in hopes that she would open up to me again.