Completing a job isn't the hard part, it's the report you have to give afterwards.
You stand at attention, your back ramrod straight, sword sheathed to the hilt, barely concealing the fresh blood it is stained with. A single lit wax candle rests on your lady's desk, its haunting glow the only source of light in a room darkened by night. The moon does not shine tonight – perfect conditions for a job as messy as yours.
The fewer eyes, the better.
After what feels like hours of waiting, your lady
finally lifts her gaze from her papers. Everything about Lady Hwang is regal: her elegant posture, her fine hands that gracefully dip her quill in the inkpot, even the way she schools her expression to be one that is cold and calculating. She looks every part the head of the household she is meant to be, such that it is hard to believe she is only a few years older than yourself.
"My lady, I bear the report of my task." You bow deeply, as is expected of you. As it always has.
Lady Hwang waves her hand noncommittally, and you take it as your invitation to speak. "The target has been eliminated."
"The eyewitnesses?" Her voice is soft, but you know better than to underestimate the attention she's paying to you. It is a dangerous game, to work for Hwang Yeji. One wrong move and you could lose your head.
"All taken care of effectively."
"Hm, as always. Keep up the good work. You may leave to freshen up."
You bow once more before taking your leave. As you exit her office, Lord Hwang enters in a whirlwind of papers. "Sister, the informant's report has arrived." In his frenzy, he doesn't even notice your presence, throwing an envelope on her desk.
Yeji barely looks up from her work as she speaks. "If it's another description of the stagnant political climate, I will cut off that fool's hand myself."
"No, this time it's important. More important than whatever you're doing at the moment. Spare it a glance, I implore you."
As you turn the doorknob, you hear the rustling of paper. Any letter from the informant is always opened with haste, but in recent weeks their reports have become too quiet. Too consistent for your masters' liking.
You, of course, have no idea of the informant's identity, and you suspect your masters don't know either. All you know is that whoever they are, they've been feeding your side information from within the highest circles of society. A high-standing member of the gentry, at the very least. It is rare for someone of such a standing to align themselves with a cause such as that of your masters', and yet...
Your thoughts are interrupted by a quiet inhale from Yeji, the contemplative tapping of her pen breaking the silence. You swear you can almost feel Hyunjin's anxiousness radiating off him and permeating the whole room.
"This...this is groundbreaking," Yeji whispers, a cautious hope evident in her voice. Rarely is she so pleased. It must be a very good piece of information, then. You turn away from the door. "My lady, shall I prepare for my next task immediately?"
Wordlessly, she scans your figure with little to no subtlety. There is a strange light in her eyes, one that wasn't there before. It's the same odd look she has when she's crafted you a perfect plan, and you can almost see the cogs in her mind whirring away. "It would be best if we gave you a thorough bath. Hair oils, essences for the skin..." Yeji snaps her fingers, and a servant rushes in. "Prepare a bath for Y/n just as you would for me. Skin, nails, hair, everything has to be done. Cover every blemish, I won't allow for anything but a fair complexion. Oh, and send for the dressmaker as soon as you can."
You falter in your steps. "M-my lady? Is everything alright?"
"Oh, nothing. Take a good rest, you'll need it." Yeji waves you all away, and the servant ushers you into a private room.
This isn't the first time Lady Hwang's kept you out of the loop. More often than not, preparations begin for your next task before you even realise it's for your next task. You're not sure if it's because her brain simply works too fast for anyone else to comprehend, or if she enjoys making people think the latter.
Either way, an order is an order. Who are you to disobey?
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The scent of a creamy lather of soap lingers on your skin as you make your way back to Lady Hwang's study. With the crusted blood in your fingernails and hair removed, and an array of unknown fragrances and oils rubbed into your body, you feel almost transformed. The servant even pinned your hair up into an elaborate hairstyle, as per Lady Hwang's instructions. Only your clothing remains the servants' garb you wear every day. The amount of careful detail to your appearance is similar to what they usually have for a noble lady, and it makes you glow as though you were truly a member of the gentry. A far cry from reality, quite obviously.
You knock twice on the door. Unsurprisingly, the door is left slightly ajar, and you push it open. The orange glow of early dawn trickles in through the large windows, bathing your mistress' figure in faint sunlight. She looks...ethereal. As expected, a single night's worth of washing and scrubbing can't turn you into a noble lady who's spent her whole life bathing in goat's milk and whatnot.
Yeji steps towards you, the ruffles of her rich purple gown fluttering as she walks. Every foot forward seems perfectly calibrated. As though she is the one in control, and always has been. She gestures towards a delicate periwinkle dress draped over the sofa. It's exquisite, with shimmering crystals sewn into the fabric, and a translucent layer on the outside that resembles a butterfly's gossamer wings when it catches the light. Elegant, sweet, resplendent. None of which suit you.
"Well? What are you waiting for? Try it on." Her tone is almost incredulous. As if you would have any reservations about putting on a gown so bombastically opulent for someone of your stature.
Still, you make quick work of your clothing, sliding the gown over your head with as much care as your calloused hands can manage. The dress fits perfectly, and in the glass window you catch a small glimpse of yourself. It's gorgeous. You look gorgeous.
It's uncanny.
Yeji nods, assessing your appearance with more scrutiny than expected. "Excellent. My judgement was correct." She takes out a diamond-encrusted brooch to match, fastening it into the fabric. "This is your new assignment. The Crown Prince is holding a bride selection, to choose his Crown Princess...and future bride." She hands you a sheet of parchment, with a long list of names. It has both hers and her brothers' names, as well as their parents', and every known ancestor. And beside Hyunjin's name is your own, written in beautiful script. The Hwang family seal is on the corner of the page, telling you everything you need to know.
"Your Grace, what...what is this?" you barely manage to stammer out. "Why am I listed as a member of your family?"
Yeji laughs, arms crossed as she smirks to herself. "Becoming the head of the household was no easy feat, but now that I can do such things with ease, it was indeed worth it. This will allow you to enter the selection as a noble lady of the Hwangs. Genius, aren't I?"
The parchment is cold in your hands. "My Lady? I'm afraid I do not understand."
"Don't you? You will slip into the palace as a bridal candidate, then assassinate the king when you get the chance. If the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, his son won't be pleasant to deal with either. Feel free to make him collateral damage, if necessary."
This is the true nature of your job, and your mistress' ultimate goal. For years, the king's tyranny has governed your kingdom, drafting soldiers into pointless wars, dragging fathers and sons into battle. Few returned, even fewer made it out in one piece. Yeji and Hyunjin's father died this way, and their mother had lost her life to heartbreak soon after. Meanwhile, the king gorged himself on the spoils of battles not his own, hosting revels and balls with renewed vigour each time. And if the rumours were not without truth, his eldest son Jay was no different.
But assassinate the king and his offspring? In front of numerous bride-to-bes and the whole of the palace guard? Not only would it be the hardest mission to date, but also...a suicide mission. Your mistress is essentially sending you to your grave.
You clench your fist, nails biting into the flesh of your palm as you try to bite back your protests. It would do you no good to go against Lady Hwang. And yet, your traitorous little heart hopes for her to spare you the dishonour of dying at the hands of the king's men.
Seemingly sensing this, Yeji sighs, her hands coming to cup your chin as she lifts your gaze away from the ground to her. "Y/N, many years have passed since our first fateful encounter. I've given you so much since then. Don't you agree?"
There she is, the Hwang Yeji you've come to know in the past 13 years. An eternally infallible, mortal devil. A schemer, born with power, learned in knowing exactly what to say and do. When someone like her is dealt an unfair hand in life, the thirst for vengeance only grows, and you know for a fact that she would do just about anything for a taste of what she's owed. So of course her mercy came at a price all those years ago. Till now, you can only imagine what it would mean to repay her. Gratitude is no simple business, not in a line of work like yours.
You swallow the building lump in your throat and drop on one knee, ignoring the way the fabric of your dress strains as you bend your head towards Hwang Yeji. Your mistress, your benefactor. Your saviour.
"Anything for you, My Lady. My heart and body is yours to control."
Her eyes flash, like a cat's in the dark. "Then prove it."
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a/n: am very sorry, this is gonna be a pretty heavy read yall😭i hope you'll enjoy it all the same! thx for making it this far🫶