Miss Nam gasped at what she witnessed, covered her mouth with her hand, and quickly hid behind the door when she saw Lady Rebecca approaching. She later peeked and saw how pissed Rebecca looked, spitting disgust all over her face.
"Why did I even do that?" Miss Nam heard Lady Rebecca say as she passed where Miss Nam was hiding.
Ever since that day, Miss Nam had observed Lady Rebecca constantly picking on Freen, even playing elaborate pranks to make her suffer. It escalated until Freen was visibly hurt from falling on the stairs due to one of Lady Rebecca's pranks.
Miss Nam knew she had to intervene. She approached Lady Rebecca, intending to tell her to stop, but Lady Rebecca dismissed her concerns and continued her cruel behavior. Feeling helpless, Miss Nam decided to seek help from someone who could put an end to Lady Rebecca's actions once and for all.
She found help and summoned Freen to talk to her.
"Miss Nam," she heard Freen's voice outside her office.
"Come in." Miss Nam looked up from her desk and saw Freen standing in the doorway. She motioned for her to take a seat.
"Prepare your things; I'm going to send you somewhere else," Miss Nam said firmly.
But Freen remained standing in front of her desk.
"What are you still standing there for?" Miss Nam asked, raising an eyebrow. Freen hesitated. "I'm sorry, Miss Nam, but I can't leave."
"Wh—"
"I choose to stay, Miss Nam; consider this my own way of coping with my situation. I know you are doing this to help end my suffering at Lady Rebecca's hands, but I want to handle the situation on my own terms. I believe that by facing this challenge head-on, I will not only grow stronger but also gain a sense of empowerment and independence." Miss Nam nodded, understanding Freen's perspective. "Very well," she said, her tone softening. "I respect your decision, Freen. Just remember that I am here to support you whenever you need it."
"Are you sure you can do the chores with your injury?" Miss Nam asked, concerned.
Freen smiled appreciatively. "I appreciate your worry, Miss Nam, but I believe I can handle the chores. I'll be careful and take breaks when needed."
"Oka—"
"AAAAAH... help!!! help!! help!!"
"Lady Rebecca!!" Miss Nam panicked, hearing Lady Rebecca's screams. She quickly rushed towards the sound, her heart pounding with worry.
"Lady Rebecca, what happened? Are you hurt?" Miss Nam and Irin asked in chorus at the door of the lady's room.
They all entered the room and saw me full of fright.
"Get this thing off of me, please! Get this thing off of me, please! Get this thing off of me, please!" Lady Rebecca cried out, clutching her bathrobe so tightly as she shook with fright, unable to move.
Irin and Miss Nam exchanged fleeting glances and quickly caught something off Lady Rebecca's head, but it jumped off her, and they all screamed in fear.
The frog jumped onto Miss Nam's chest. "Aaah!" She shrieked, reflexively throwing the frog, and it landed in Irin's lap. Both Irin and Miss Nam shrieked again, but this time with a mixture of horror and relief as they realized the frog was no longer on Lady Rebecca.
Freen picked up the frog effortlessly and calmly placed it away from the group. The tension dissipated as they all took a moment to collect themselves and laugh at the unexpected turn of events.
"Kokak," the frog croaked, hopping onto the floor and leaping towards the open window, disappearing into the night. The room fell silent as they all took a moment to catch their breath, relieved that the unexpected visitor was gone.
Lady Rebecca looked at Freen and saw something in her face. She definitely saw a hidden smirk, which made her heart beat fast. She felt something more was coming.
And she didn't make a mistake in guessing. Freen's smirk slowly transformed into a mischievous grin, revealing her true intentions. It was clear to Lady Rebecca that trouble was on the horizon, and she braced herself for whatever was about to unfold.
"You. Come with me," Miss Nam commanded Freen firmly when they recovered from the shock of the prank. Freen's smirk quickly faded as she followed Miss Nam, unsure of what consequences awaited her.
"Is this your way of solving the problem?" Freen looked around the room and saw no one but the two of them. She hesitated, pointing at herself, asking if she was the one Miss Nam was talking to.
Miss Nam gave her a poker face. "But I didn't do anything," Freen defended herself.
"So, are you saying that the frog is not your doing?" Miss Nam asked.
"No."
"How about the spicy cake?"
"Accident." Miss Nam looked at her with a poker face. How could Freen make such a mistake? She is an expert in the kitchen. Miss Nam was not convinced.
"What? I also make mistakes," Freen said defensively.
"And the lizard inside the hot milk tea?"
"She liked it. She even complimented it!" Freen proudly answered.
"Yeah, she liked it until the lizard became visible inside the teacup."
"Well, I didn't expect her to actually enjoy it. It was meant to be a prank." Freen shrugged, trying to downplay the situation. Miss Nam raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed with Freen's explanation.
"Oops," Freen said, realizing she had just exposed herself.
"Hmm. Let me remind you that Lady Rebecca is not like our kind; if something happens to her, our lives will be at stake too. You are not a kid anymore; be responsible enough to know your actions have consequences. It's important to think before you act, especially when it involves someone as important as Lady Rebecca. Your actions could have far-reaching consequences for all of us." Freen nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. She realized that she needed to be more mindful and accountable for her choices in order to protect not only herself but also those around her.
"Freen, I am serious. Do not do anything like this again. I don't want people to misunderstand what you are doing. Do you know what's happening now? The king found out that he was being poisoned by a handmaiden. The handmaiden was sentenced to death, but she managed to escape, and they are currently looking for her. It's a chaotic situation, and we don't need any more complications. Your actions could easily be misinterpreted and create unnecessary trouble for both of us. Please think before you act and consider the consequences of your actions."
"And you were a friend of Mr. Kirk. He just recovered from an ambush, and he sent a message that he needed a hand to help him in his everyday life while recovering."
Freen gasped at hearing the news. Kirk was like family to her. She felt sad that she could not go to visit him because Kirk lived in a place no one could pinpoint. She just knew that the man was a relative of Lord Nop.
Miss Nam let Freen go after their talk. She knew the kid was smart from her observations. So, she was confident Freen wouldn't do it again, as she saw regret on the kid's face.
Freen was so sad about what happened to Kirk that she wasn't in the mood to do anything. She just walked onto the lobby absentmindedly.
While walking down the hallway of the mansion on the way to the kitchen, she met Lady Rebecca, who was grinning at her. Freen nodded to her in respect.
When she got close to the young lady, the young lady deliberately tripped her, knocking her to the floor. But instead of retaliating like she always did, Freen just stood up, cleaned her clothes, faced me, apologized, turned her back, and continued her way to the kitchen.
REBECCA'S POV
"What's with her?" I asked Irin in confusion because of Freen's behavior. Usually, she did naughty things to annoy me whenever I pranked her.
Irin just shrugged her shoulders.
Is she changing the game? Pissed, I followed her and pushed her against the wall, but she just let herself be pushed.
I was about to slap her. I smirked when she held my hand, not letting me slap her. This was the Freen I knew—a fighter.
But she didn't do anything; she just looked at me blankly.
"Wh-why are you?"
She just let go of my hand, dried her face with her hands, and left me stunned.
It's the first time I've seen her cry, and I don't like it. I never thought she would be the type to show vulnerability. It's unsettling to see her in this state. I wondered what made her cry. Freen was not the kind to just cry over small things.
A day passed, and I hadn't seen Freen, and the pranks on my meal had stopped too.
I was having dinner, and the food didn't taste good at all, so I didn't finish it and went to my room, gloomy. I don't know what was happening to me. I should be happy that no one was annoying me.
Another day came without Freen, and it was already killing me. I was still thinking about what happened to her and why she was crying that day.
Did I go overboard?
"Irin."
"Yes, my lady?"
What should I ask? I am shy to ask.
"My Lady?"
"Let Freen do my meal today; I didn't like the taste of food yesterday," I commanded.
"I am sorry, my lady, but Freen can't do that at the moment."
"And why?" I was confused.
"You didn't know?"
"I didn't know what, Irin?" I asked firmly. My heart was already beating fast from anxiety.
"Freen is sick; Miss Nam is planning to send her away to have proper rest as her injury got worse. And her mother was accused of being an ally to the handmaiden who poisoned the king."
"What?!" Irin covered her ear as I shouted in shock.
"Yes, it's quite shocking news. Miss Nam made the decision to send Freen away for her own well-being and to protect her family from further harm."
I quickly walked out of the room, ragingly heading towards Miss Nam's office. I slammed the door closed, making Miss Nam jump in her seat. "What is the meaning of this?" I demanded, my voice trembling with anger. "How could you send Freen away without even consulting me, and why didn't you tell me about what happened to her mother?"
Miss Nam sighed and looked at me with a mix of sympathy and frustration. "I understand your concern, but Freen's condition was deteriorating rapidly. It was a difficult decision, but it was necessary for her to receive proper medical care and for her family's safety too."
"You think by sending her away she'd be safe from the king's suspicious mind? Wouldn't you think it'd be more dangerous for her to be separated from her family during such uncertain times?" I questioned, trying to understand their reasoning.
Miss Nam paused. "While it's true that Freen's absence may raise suspicion, we had to prioritize her health and well-being. We are doing everything we can to ensure her safety and reunite her with her family as soon as possible."
"A proper medical care? By sending her away alone? Don't you think it's safer for her if she stays here with us?"
"Safe with you? You are the one who made the situation worse; you brat let her work alone on the grass field with her leg injury in the middle of the day under the sun, of which you are also the cause. Tell me, what safety are we talking about?"
I wasn't able to answer. Instead, I wanted to walk out of the room and run, crying like a child, realizing what I had just done to Freen.
"Where is she?"