When I raised my head although I felt disappointed, I was a little happy that someone followed even if it wasn't who I was hoping for. I smiled at Dong Yi pulling her closer.

"Why are you not in bed? " I pat her hair while straightening the bent strands at the same time.

"Am here for my Lady, if My lady isn't asleep I can't." She replied sleepily, making me feel a little bad.

"It's ok, you can go back.. What about.. "

"Min Soo? he's snoring, I patted him back to sleep after you left..."

"Oh... Thank you..." I smiled disappointed at Dong yi for the wrong conclusion.

"What does my lady dream of that scares her?" She asked with sleep visible in her eyes,

I looked at the little teenager and pulled her closer to rest her head on my shoulder.

"Someone I am supposed to be helping.. ”

“What?! ” she raised her head to look at me but I returned her head back to my shoulder.

“Someone asked me to find someone, and I haven't.” I told trying to ease the off emotions I was feeling

“A man or a woman? ”curiosity pushed her to ask and after a short silence,

“a girl.” I answered,

“How does she look like? ” she posed still rested on my shoulder,

“She is beautiful or rather she was; she was about your age, maybe or maybe more. She wore long black hair to her waist, with eyes shaped like a half moon and a pearl shaped nose with lips like... like..... like... Hmm... Yeong Su's. ”

“What? ” she whispered in surprise and we look at each other immediately bursting into laughter.

I was relieved after getting a heavy load off my chest. As we chatted away into the night, I prayed and hoped for relief and a way back home.

In The Morning...

“Good morning, My Lady. ” Dong yi beamed as she walked to the bath holding a bucket of hot water with steam been raptured out of it.

“Good morning Dong Yi. where's Min Soo and Yeong Su?” when I noticed we were the only ones inside.

“Orabeoni Yeong Su has gone out for work and took Min Soo with him.” she answered while folding away the clean clothes.

She turned to me, “Come eat my Lady and your bath is ready. ” announcing before walking away, after a bow of course.

“Thank you. ” I appreciated getting up from the bed to the table. As I sat down to eat, Dong Yi came over with rolled paper and placed it in front of me.

I took it curiously and unrolled it to find the exact face that had been haunting my dreams. I stared at this sketched portrait with shock and surprise before looking at the sketcher.

“I used your description to sketch the face out maybe it would make you feel better or help you find the person faster and I brought you this... ” she went beside bed and pulled out from under her pillow, the bracelet I had left behind on the night of my abduction.

I looked at Dong yi speechless as I took the bracelet from her and laid it on the sketched portrait.

“My Lady, when I was drawing her, I noticed some similarities between this person and Orabeoni Yeong Su...” I sharply gave her my attention that was full of surprised,

“how?? ” she questioned staring deep into the eyes of the girl before her.

“My Lady, see, the eyes, the nose, the lips has the same look and shape as his, even when you were describing her, I thought it was him because his face came to my mind and though you gave me an incomplete description, when I was sketching, half way, I decided to use his features but the feminine pattern and this! is what came out, and seeing your reaction, I got the face correctly. ” she beamed and explained as she went back to the clothes she folded.

Looking at the portrait of the lass I had met, I understood it better now that all those times Yeong Su always looked so strikingly familiar was because of his resemblance with the lass.

And all those times I felt like I was losing my senses, that I was seeing two faces on one man, my mind wasn't playing games.

Rolling back the paper, I recognized that there was only one way to find out and I was definitely gonna take that chance..

“Hwang Yeong Suk” it read,

The tomb stone belonging to the assumed doppelganger. Was she really the one? Was Yeong Su the kid I had been searching for? And if he was, he so grown but how...?

“Time difference! Since it had been two years and seven weeks already. All that remained was indeed confirming if she was his sister.” I cleared the dried flowers away before pushing the fresh ones I was sure was Yeong Su's closer to the tomb stone.

How would he take the question or the picture? How would he react to it? But he was my only option now.

“It seems like you're enjoying this place...” I turned to see who I never thought I'd see again. Although I was surprised yet I was very happy. I rushed to him smiling wide as I looked at him admirably.

“I'm guessing you thought you'll never see me again..” he smiled and laughed when I shook my head to admit.

He moved closer with his hands behind his back and a big smile plastered on his face.

This man was to be thanked for most of the times I laughed, his goofiness was second none, especially his signature look of ‘a rain soaked rat’.

I offered him meat I personally cooked and water to drink as I sat opposite him, smiling while he looked around observing the place; the fireplace were the pots were neatly stacked.

Yi Sun was surprised that she could adapt so quick to this place after a taste of luxury at its best, what most noble women couldn't endure. He turned to look at her in a man's clothing, was she really happy here?

She seemed like it, and there he was worried that she might not want him since the King had grown fond of her with every luxury involved, but obviously now he knew that he had thought wrong.

Looking at the dishes displayed before him, his mouth began to salivate. With affirming that Yeong Su was still himself, good at taking care of others but himself just like his sister, but ever since she died, he stopped showing it.

Grateful that she is in better hands where the wolves in the palace wouldn't be so fortunate to tamper with, he dug in and moaned to the savory taste of the meat.

She smiled at him and his heart responded by missing a beat making it clear that even if he had stopped in his actions to chase after her for the King's sake, his heart hadn't accepted it.

“Like it? ” I asked him but he stopped chewing to look at me before he continued.

“So you finally decide to talk, that's an impressive impression...” he said taking another piece and I was flaggerbasted which was obviously with my eyes widened like I was about to create a portal.

“Since when did you know and how did you find out?” I folded my hands and leaned to my back.

After swallowing the meat and pushing it with water, he cleared his throat and looked at her, “I found you, so I know..” he lied and when he saw I wasn't buying it he began spilling the truth,

“I overhead you talking to your handmaid.” with a grin of accomplishment which made me scoff.

“How did you find me? and.... tell me the truth. ” I held his hand from taking the next piece which he dropped to sit back as if he wanted to talk, but he quickly grabbed it again and threw it into his mouth after did he set the chopsticks down on the table.

“I already said it before, I wouldn't lie to His Majesty.” looking straight at me, making me partially believe him.

“...But I found this beside you on the ground.” he put his hand into the left part of his shirt and brought out a folded piece of cloth and handed it over to me.

I received and unfolded it with anticipation just to see the new hair pin that was sent by an anonymous person at the wedding I had attended with Haneul and Hana. It came with an anonymous note with I threw immediately I read it, sorry...

“Yes, I knew what it was yet, but the designs on it and its making is very different from here. It looks like an advance kind which might explain where you're from, you don't look like you're from here, Ming or Japan or even like the foreign men I've seen in Ming when I visited with the King on the Emperor's coronation. You're just so different and special.. ” he drifted from his words and stared at me lost in Atlantic ocean, I hoped.

When I noticed the way he stared, I smiled a thank you to him as I folded the cloth and went on to keep it secret.

We spoke for longer time now which surprised me that I could rapport with the General like a friend I'd always had.

I did underestimate him but now he was over the bar because he seemed to know Yeong Su too. Well, maybe because I overheard him soliloquize ‘this kid hasn't changed even after all these years’ when returning his plate to the kitchen.

“Why didn't you return to the palace with His Majesty? ” his eyes fixed on mine and I looked at him still,

“I didn't want to.. ” I looked away to stop him from piercing my soul with his gaze.

“...Or because you found out who ordered your abduction? ” he threw in but his eyes was thrown from me to the surrounding,

“...And because of that you decide to stay away, or you're trying to protect those under your care, your handmaiden and the little boy.” he paused to read my expression before he carried on,

“but you don't have to worry about that anymore...” he assured with that expression that made him sound like a narcissist,

“What do you mean? ” I looked at him with a 'huh huh' ,

“She didn't tell you? ” I thought I was the only one who could change expression like weather,

“Who!?” I followed his leader curiously,

“Your handmaid. Choi Dong Yi. Where is she??” he answered with a nod to the left as if she stood there,

“She went for a walk... But what is she supposed to tell me? ” I tilted my head to the direction he nodded to,

“...Oh, look! His Majesty's calling!” he stood up to go but I resisted him asking him to wait. I gave him a wrapped item requesting he gave them to Seon Jo and he agreed.

I was walking him to the path down the mountain when he told me,

“Don't let it go to waste. ” walking slower than I,

“What? ” I stopped walking to look at him.

“Don't let my choice of not chasing you go to waste. I chose not to compete with His Majesty for you because, the only love he has ever truly received is from his mother... It would do the nation a greater favor if he experiences love from another woman. ” I was speechless as I watched him wave a goodbye that I reciprocated in my head.

As I watched him go, a lot of thoughts strolled into my mind.

“Noona!” Min Soo screamed when he saw me outside and I lifted my head up to see him in his scholar regalia afar off waving and running toward me. I joined him and caught him half way lifting him up to the sky, where I got the strength to do that, I have no idea.

“Good evening, Noona.” he greeted as he hugged my neck.

“Welcome home, Buttercup. ” he smiled at the sweet name before showing me his test scores that I took from him and read.

My eyes widened with happiness realizing he topped his class and a wonderful remark came with it.

“That's what am talking about, huh?! Dashing result from my dashing, adorable baby. ” I lifted him up as we rejoiced and celebrated. After putting him down, I asked,

“What about Hyung? ” looking around, noticing that Yeong Su wasn't with him,

“Noona Dong yi brought me back because he was still busy at the shop, so he asked us to eat and go to bed without him. ” I took his hand and led him inside as thought he had been odd these days, Yeong Su that is.

After dinner and bathe, Min Soo retired early saying something about being a junior scholar and responsibilities. Dong Yi had chosen to stay up to keep me company but I declined asking her to rest that I wasn't just sleepy yet.

It's been hours still he wasn't home and though I was sleepy, my eyes and mind were as wide awake like the stars above...

...I opened my eyes and saw Yeong Su squatting before me with an appreciative smile and then, I realized I had fallen asleep. I smiled at him placing my hand on his face which he held firm with his hands.

“You're hungry? ” I whispered and he nodded. I led him inside and quietly set his food while he putt away his tools at a corner before standing to stare at the kids sleeping on the bed. A quick smile crept into his face that i caught as I walked to him to hold his hand and pulled him to the table.

“How was work? ” I asked watching him eat.

“Good, I had a lot of new orders today, so I had to stay behind. ” in between the chewing he answered,

“Tired?” I asked feeling myself dozing off,

“Very! You? ” he asked looking at me with a smile hidden behind folded lips.

“I didn't do much like you, but am still tired. ” I answered as I hugged him from behind with a peck on his head with smelt like molten iron, so I rested my jaw instead.

“You should rest, I'll go to bed immediately I finish this. ” he suggested still chewing and I still hanged on him,

“Bathing?? ” I asked turning to rest my cheek on him,

“I already did at the lake. Don't worry you can go. ” successfully persuading me after giving my hands a rub and a pat.

“Ok, Good night...” I whispered after agreeing to keep the matter for tomorrow.