Yeon Sua

The world you were born into was never fair.

People were divided into two types: those who worked to the point of exhaustion, and those who gave orders. You belonged to the former.

The daughter of a family of butchers. Not the lowest status, but for the nobility, you were still little more than laborers. Your unusual features made you an outsider. Your dark eyes, high cheekbones, and appearance, unlike those of the locals, were the source of constant ridicule.

• Goblin.

You were called that way more often than by your name.

Over time, you learned to ignore it. Or at least pretend to.

At the age of sixteen, you were taken from your home and placed in the service of one of the most influential ladies in the capital, Yeon Sua.

Thus began your life in her vast estate.

The first months passed in fear. You silently did your work and tried not to attract attention. So you were uneasy when the mistress's gaze lingered on you more and more often. At dinner, in the yard, while you were working.

Too attentive.

You convinced yourself that she was simply looking at your ugliness.

Yeon Sua was known for her difficult personality. Rich, powerful, and dangerous, she rarely smiled and looked at people as if she could see right through them. So you tried to stay away from her.

But her glances became more and more frequent.

After a long day, when the other servants had already departed, you remained in the courtyard. Sitting on a stone under the night sky, you enjoyed the rare silence.

Nobody laughed.

Nobody demanded anything.

But suddenly footsteps were heard behind me.

You turned around.

Yeon Sua stood before you. Unguarded and unaccompanied, wearing a dark hanbok, with her usual displeased expression.

She looked at you silently for a few seconds, then frowned.

• Why aren’t you sleeping?

You blinked in confusion.

The lady raised an eyebrow.

• Hey, I'm asking you, idiot.