Having made up her mind, Hwayeong set the charcoal stick down, rose from her seat, and turned to face her maid squarely. With an oddly serious expression, she met Sohwa’s eyes and placed both hands on her shoulders.
“Sohwa.”
“...What are you plotting now? Don’t tell me you expect me to climb that wall too.”
Her anxious look made Hwayeong shake her head.
“Nothing of the sort.”
“Then what is it?”
“You’ve worked hard, haven’t you? You’ve been with me for years.”
“Do you even have to ask? I haven’t had a peaceful day in ten years.”
Hwayeong patted her shoulders gently.
“Yes, you’ve had it rough. Every time I got into trouble, Father scolded you too. You ended up doing plenty you never should’ve had to.”
“It’d take months just to list them all.”
She’d lost count of how many times Hwayeong had nearly scared her half to death, and even now, watching this rare display of seriousness, Sohwa couldn’t shake her unease.
Then Hwayeong suddenly gripped her shoulders and spoke again.
