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Nayeon had been travelling for days now. She ran out of food yesterday and was on her last drops of water. Her knee was feeling a little numb but she powered on. She heard along this road was a huge castle where, if you were qualified, you could get a job that paid more than some noblemen got in a month. Nayeon needed that money. Not for anything selfish but for her family who had been barely pushing through after her father’s death. They were in debt and running out of food. So Nayeon decided to run away in the night and now everything was riding of whether this castle existed or not. It had seemed like a good idea at first. Now Nayeon had to force herself to not think of her mother and sister who were down a helper. Even with Nayeon's help they were struggling, she couldn't imagine how they were doing without her.
To Nayeon’s relief, only a couple of hours away from previous spot, a castle stood. There were no gates or guards but Nayeon could feel a weird energy coming from it. It was surrounded by hedges, cut into all different sorts of figures, and beautiful beds of flowers. It was truly magnificent. Nayeon continued her way to the gigantic front door. When she reached it, she knocked on the right side of the door. She couldn’t imagine opening it, both doors must weigh hundreds of tons, but she hoped her knocks could be heard through the door, even if by accident when someone happened to pass there. To her luck, the doors did open but no one was behind them.
When Nayeon entered the castle she was greeted with luxury like she’d never seen before. Golden chandeliers, marble floors, paintings adorning almost every wall. Portraits of the people who had lived here, Nayeon presumed. There were also flowers everywhere and Nayeon was convinced she could hear an orchestra playing something peppy somewhere in the house. Nayeon walked slowly, twirling around to take in everything. This had to be the most wonderful place on earth. Whoever owned this place must be rich beyond imagination.
Nayeon was standing with her back to some huge staircase, staring up at a colorful mural on the ceiling. She didn’t even register footsteps at the top of the staircase.
“What is a pretty princess like you doing here? I certainly would have had some tea and cakes ready to be served if I knew such a beauty was going to be walking inside these walls.” A magical voice called out from the staircase.
Nayeon whirled around and her gaze met a dashing tall young woman wearing a suit. She had long blonde hair running down her back and strands flowing in the air as the woman walked downstairs. Nayeon immediately noted her warm eyes and bright smile.
“Oh- I- well.” Nayeon could only stutter out. “I’m definitely no princess, far from that actually.” Nayeon was starting to go fully red in the face, embarrassed and flattered at receiving such high praise.
“You could have fooled me.” The bright smile never left the woman’s face as she approached Nayeon. “A face like yours could only belong to a princess.” She grabbed Nayeon’s hand and laid a feather-light kiss on her knuckles. Nayeon was so surprised at the action that she jerked her hand back.
“Oh! Yes, of course. You could also be a queen.” The handsome woman tilted her head slightly to the side, making her bangs also sway to one side. She kept her hands locked behind her back.
“I am not a princess and I am also no queen.” Nayeon was quick to correct her once she got over the shock of talking to someone so clearly worlds above her in status. “I am but a simple farm girl. My family is in dire need of help since our father passed and I came looking here for a job after I heard some rumors.”
“Im Nayeon, at your service.” Nayeon bowed down as low as she could go. The woman in front of her kept mum so Nayeon tried to keep her position despite her weak knee starting to wobble. She had hurt it when she was just a child and the town doctor clearly hadn’t been as good at remedying it as he claimed since Nayeon could hardly stand to put pressure on it.
“You are in dire need of help, you say?” The woman said, pondering something.
“Well if it is money you’re after I can definitely help but I can’t possibly stand to make you work for me.” The blonde started walking back and forth in front of Nayeon, muttering to herself, trying to think up a good solution. Nayeon still tried to keep bowing.
“Oh my, please stop bowing, I am worried you’ll injure yourself if you stay like that any longer.” The dashing woman said in a bit of a sterner voice. When Nayeon stood up straight again she could see the genuine worry in the rich lady’s eyes.
“Has that been bothering you for long?” She made her way over to Nayeon and got down on one knee in front of her. Her brows furrowed and a frown appeared on her perfect face.
When Nayeon could only look at her in confusion, the woman’s lips tugged up in a slight smile.
“I mean your knee.” She clarified.
“How did you notice?” Nayeon asked, shocked. She was scared that the woman might deem her unfit to work and throw her out now.
The lady only tugged Nayeon a little closer by her dress. She guided one of Nayeon’s hands to her shoulder and grabbed Nayeon’s leg, slowly lifting up her dress to uncover her knee. Had Nayeon not been in such an unfortunate position she would have backed away a hundred feet already. She would have hit her but how can you do that to a noblewoman.
“No need to worry, I have no ulterior motive. I am a perfect gentlewoman.” The woman informed her softly. She ran her fingers over Nayeon’s knee and hummed in thought. “Be perfectly still for me for a moment, darling.”
“What?” Nayeon could only blush at her again. What was her deal? She was weird, that’s for sure. Rich people had a habit of being crazy. It must be the money. Being poor kept your head screwed on straight since you had no way of doing whatever you wanted. That’s what Nayeon believed anyway.
The woman put her hand on Nayeon’s knee, closed her eyes and chanted something under her breath. Nayeon welt warm tingles run through her leg and she swore she had seen a faint blue glow coming from the woman’s palm. When she let go of Nayeon’s knee and pulled back it still felt pleasantly warm.
“That should do it. You never have to worry about that pesky injury again.” The woman smiled with her teeth this time, very pleased with herself.
“How did you do that?” Nayeon whispered in awe. “That must be some sort of witchcraft.”
“Only the best kind.” The woman winked at her. “It’s a little trick I learned years ago. It comes in handy every once in a while. My friends can be a little clumsy.”
The woman offered her arm for Nayeon to take and then started guiding her to another room. It had a purple velvet sofa in the middle. It looked comfortable yet not in the slightest at the same time. A huge fireplace sat a little ways in front of it. This room was decorated similarly with paintings and flowers but a big rug covered nearly the whole floor, which was saying something considering the size of the room.
“You should sit down while I actually get you something to eat.” She guided her to a chair that looked similar to the sofa. “I assume pomegranate and mango tea is to your taste?” She asked kindly.
“I have never had such a thing.” Nayeon had to admit. Sure, she had tea but it was from the peppermint leaves they grew and dried back at home. Maybe chamomile once in a while but she wasn’t as fond of its taste.
“Ah, then you will get to experience it.” The woman in a suit carried on, unbothered by Nayeon’s answer. “It is my absolute favorite blend. I am sure you will fall in love with it.” She told Nayeon to wait for her there and started moving away in the direction of another room.
She abruptly stopped at the doorway though.
“My my, I owe you an apology.” She said, her tone suddenly regretful. “I let you introduce yourself and do not have the decency to do the same! And even after claiming to be a gentlewoman! How horrible!” Nayeon thought the woman was being overly dramatic. The back of her hand resting against her forehead and the other on her heart.
“Allow me to introduce myself.” She crossed her legs and bowed down even lower than Nayeon had, her hair gathering around her shoulders. “I am Yoo Jeongyeon, the master of this here estate, also known as the one and only wandering magician.”
“M-magician?” Nayeon had to ask. “I thought those were just in fairy tales.”
“Not at all. I’ve been practising magic ever since the ripe age of six. Some might say I even started a little too late.” Jeongyeon filled her in.
“You have to be joking.” Nayeon was in disbelief.
“I’m sure your healed knee is proof enough. Though if you stay here long enough you’ll notice all the other finer details.” Jeongyeon informed her. Her tone was still soft and filled with kindness.
“Now, as I said, stay here while I fetch you some provisions.” Jeongyeon turned around again and made her way out of the room.
Nayeon was too scared to move an inch. She didn’t want to break something. It took a good five minutes of Nayeon straining her neck to look at every detail of the room she was in and catch hints about the others. Soon after another woman joined her. She was just as dashing and Nayeon could tell just from the way she walked that she was filled with unlimited energy. Another privilege only rich people could have. If you were on a field you had to work until you physically couldn’t anymore. She didn’t know anyone who had energy left over after a day of hard work.
“Oh my, a gorgeous lady has entered this estate and is sitting here all alone.” This lady said as she sat on the most right side of the couch, as close to Nayeon as she could.
Dear lord, there’s another one, Nayeon thought. She couldn’t even mutter a reply before the woman continued on.
“Did Jeongyeon leave you here like this? Honestly, she has no idea how to treat a lady.” She shook her head, her short brown hair as if gliding along. What did they use to make their hair look so good? Nayeon had a lot of questions in her head.
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t slander me in front of my guest, Sana.” Jeongyeon’s stern voice boomed in the room suddenly, making Nayeon jump. Sana seemed unaffected as she slowly turned to look at Jeongyeon.
“Well, you’re the one who left her here all by her lonesome. It is only right I keep her company.” Sana’s eyes narrowed.
“And the only topic you could think of was my hostess capabilities?”
“I could barely open my mouth before you and your blabbering self ruined our moment.”
These two clearly had some sort of bad blood. What in the world might have happened between them? It was probably some stupid rich people problem, like one of them took the other’s partner or one tried to take a bath in the best bathroom right when the other one wanted to.
“Do I need to call Mina?” Jeongyeon lifted her eyebrows and Sana immediately backed off.
“Now, now. This isn’t that serious, no need to be dramatic, Jeongyeon.” Sana tried to backtrack.
“That’s what I thought. Go bother your own lady.”
Sana sighed heavily and looked to Nayeon as she got up.
“I am terribly sorry. Your first impression of me might not be the best. I hope you stick around long enough so we could get along on the right foot next time.” Sana also grabbed her hand and pressed a kiss to it. Nayeon could only stare with wide eyes this time. That could not be normal. Did they do that with everyone?
Sana bowed deeply before leaving the room.
“I apologize as well. There was no need for you to see that. I usually don’t lose my temper like that.” Jeongyeon looked honestly remorseful as she looked at Nayeon. “I did bring you food though.”
Plates with cakes and sandwiches along with a teapot and two cups floated right by Jeongyeon and were placed carefully on the table. Nayeon only stared with her mouth agape. Magic was definitely real.
“Help yourself, you must be starving.” The food served itself in front of Nayeon.
If she wasn’t so hungry, maybe Nayeon would have half the mind to be scared of all of this. But she wanted to eat and the smells were positively mouth-watering. She dug in, trying to take it slow and not show Jeongyeon she was some sort of pig. Jeongyeon occupied the spot Sana had sat in moments prior and leaned against the seat, one leg moving over the other as a teacup floated into her hand.
“I hate to bring business into our meal time but I must ask.” Jeongyeon started. “You are in need of money?”
“Yes.” Nayeon tried to quickly swallow her food down so she didn’t speak with her mouth full. “My family is in a difficult spot right now and we barely make enough money to pay for our living expenses not to mention feed ourselves.”
“Truly a tragedy.” Jeongyeon hummed sadly.
She didn’t say anything else, clearly thinking of something with a far away look in her eyes. Nayeon didn’t want to interrupt her so she stayed silent as well, enjoying the tea and sandwiches. They stayed like that for a while. Jeongyeon only spoke up when Nayeon had finished her cup of tea.
“Did you enjoy it?” Jeongyeon looked at Nayeon.
“Huh? Oh, the tea! Yes, very much. I’ve never had tea with such rich flavor.” Nayeon blushed since she was caught off guard.
“It is great, right?” Jeongyeon seemed to be happy that Nayeon liked the beverage. “The blend is extremely difficult to get. Only one of my great friends can make it like this but she lives so far away. It is not every day I can visit her. Teleportation takes a great amount of energy.”
“Teleportation?” Nayeon had to ask.
“Yes. Going from one spot to another in a matter of seconds. A dangerous spell to use when you’re not an experienced magician. Almost cut my head off once, luckily the window was open where I teleported.” Jeongyeon happily shared her knowledge and experiences.
“That sounds horrible!” Nayeon exclaimed.
“Ah, magic comes with sacrifice. I never worried about it too much.” Jeongyeon waved off Nayeon’s concerns.
Only when Nayeon had finished her plate with sandwiches and cake, did Jeongyeon bring up her original concern.
“It is money you need, yes?”
“Yes, miss Yoo.”
“Jeongyeon is just fine.” Jeongyeon squeezed Nayeon’s hand for a moment. “Am I right to assume you wouldn’t accept a hand out?”
“No! Definitely not!” Nayeon immediately yelled. “I want to earn this money. It would not feel right otherwise.”
“You’re a virtuous woman.” Jeongyeon’s eyes seemed so warm that Nayeon felt her whole body heat up at their intense gaze.
“It’s nothing. My mother raised me right.” Nayeon looked away from the woman.
“Tell you what. Be my apprentice for a month and I will make sure you have enough money to live a comfortable life.” Jeongyeon suddenly stood up.
“Only a month?” Nayeon looked at her with wide eyes.
“It is no easy job, I assure you. Though I’m sure you can handle it.” Jeongyeon reached her hand out. “Do you accept? You would have to stay here effective immediately if you do.”
“Yes! Of course I accept! This is what I came her for!” Nayeon also stood up in excitement and placed her hand in Jeongyeon’s.
“It will be a pleasure to work with you.” Jeongyeon shook Nayeon’s hand and then pressed yet another kiss to it.
“If that’s settled then I will call for Jihyo to take you to your new room. I’m afraid I have some things to take care of today so I can’t do it myself.” Jeongyeon took a few steps back from Nayeon.
“Jihyo! Come take my new apprentice to her room!” Jeongyeon yelled loudly. It was loud but Nayeon was convinced it couldn’t have sounded out in the whole mansion.
Of course, she was wrong. A minute later a short woman scurried in the room. She was wearing a dress that flowed down to her ankles and Nayeon could see it had big pockets clearly filled to the brim. The clothes were still fancy by Nayeon’s standards but she could tell they weren’t as expensive as Jeongyeon’s.
“A new apprentice? Have you taken to making deals with ghosts, Jeongyeon? I told you that wasn’t a great idea.” Jihyo’s voice sounded stern as she entered. She abruptly stopped in the doorway when she saw Nayeon. “Oh. It’s a real human.”
“Yes, Jihyo. She’s a real human.” Jeongyeon rolled her eyes. “I’m not stupid enough to talk to ghosts. They couldn’t possibly help me with magic, Jihyo. It would be useless to summon one.”
“You are most certainly stupid enough.” Jihyo deadpanned. Though she sounded incredibly tired of Jeongyeon’s potential antics, Nayeon could tell there was a hint of fondness there.
“Now is not the time. Please escort Nayeon to one of the guest rooms. I have to go now.” Jeongyeon didn’t let Jihyo continue to make her look bad. She turned to Nayeon with another warm smile.
“Rest up for today. You must be dead tired from travelling here. I’ll start teaching you some basics tomorrow.”
“Alright.” Nayeon easily agreed. Having a bed to sleep in right about now sounded too good to pass up.
“Have a good afternoon.” Jeongyeon told her and then looked at Jihyo. “Show her the bath too. That might be relaxing.”
“I was planning to anyway. Go now, Jeongyeon. You might be late otherwise.” Jihyo stepped up to Nayeon while she shooed Jeongyeon away.
“Looks like it’s just you and me. I’d introduce you to the others but you look like you need a week long nap.” Jihyo smiled at Nayeon. She seemed to ooze a sort of calming aura, making Nayeon feel relaxed around her instantly.
“That sounds nice.” Nayeon gave Jihyo a tight-lipped smile.
“Follow me. Everything is on the second floor. Trust me, after a bath and a good night sleep you’ll feel like a whole new person. The beds here are all very comfortable as well.” Jihyo told her as she led Nayeon up the stairs. “This mansion is absolutely massive compared to the fact that only four people live here, five if we include you now. It’s just that Jeongyeon has always had a flair for dramatics and she needs everything to be the best. She swears by ‘the bigger the better’. It wouldn’t be so bad if it didn’t lead to horribly giant explosions.” She continued rambling.
Nayeon listened quietly, absorbing every new piece of information. She gulped loudly when Jihyo mentioned explosions. That sounded dangerous. What had she gotten herself into? Jihyo suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Nayeon with an apologetic expression.
“Sorry. I swear you’re in good hands. Jeongyeon would never let any harm come to you.”
“Um, if you say so.” Nayeon couldn’t lie to Jihyo. She didn’t feel very confident in her new position.
“Don’t worry. Magic isn’t as hard as it seems. I label everything Jeongyeon brings in the castle too so as long as you can read you’re fine.” Jihyo gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder.
Nayeon didn’t get to say anything else since they stopped in front of a big door. Jihyo opened the door and signaled for Nayeon to enter. The room was huge and a giant bed was in the middle of it. Another door was in here too, presumably leading to the bathroom. The room looked pristine and well taken care of. The walls were a lavender purple, coincidentally Nayeon’s favorite color.
“This is it. You’ll find some clothes in the dresser.” Jihyo said. She was standing by the door, looking at Nayeon take in the guest room that she’d be living in starting today.
“This room is beautiful.” Nayeon whispered. She felt tears prick her eyes but she held them back. It would be embarrassing to cry in front of Jihyo only because she’d never been offered such luxury.
“I’ll show you how to work the bath.” Jihyo awkwardly coughed. Nayeon blushed when she realized she wasn’t as subtle as she thought.
Twenty minutes later Nayeon was alone and naked in the bath filled with hot water. Jihyo had left her right after she showed her how to fill the tub and gave her some towels and soap. Apparently, Nayeon will be woken up in the morning when she’s needed. Right now though, she got to enjoy a real warm bath. Nayeon had never been in one, not that she cared to admit that to Jihyo, or worse, Jeongyeon. Water wasn’t something to be wasted and heating it up only cost unnecessary firewood. Now it didn’t matter, Nayeon guessed. This mansion didn’t seem to lack anything, having clean water to use must have been nothing to worry about.
Nayeon pulled her knees to her chest and hung her head. Tears finally dropped down her face and mixed in with the soapy water as she realized that she would never have to worry about starving, aching muscles from an uncomfortable bed made out of hay or being dirty while smelling like sweat and dirt and forcing herself to clean it off with freezing cold water that didn’t do much but leave her shivering and her teeth chattering. Not as long as she was working for Jeongyeon. She couldn’t stop crying even as she dried herself off with the softest towels she’d ever touched and fell asleep in a bed that could easily fit her whole family and still have enough room to turn around without worrying she’d hit someone in the stomach. To be honest, Nayeon cried even harder as she was buried under a soft heavy duvet, head resting on a pillow that felt like a cloud, feeling warm and safe in for the first time in years. In a complete stranger's home no less.
Nayeon hoped that, soon enough, her family could afford even a little of this comfort. As long as she worked hard and didn’t mess up. Nayeon was determined not to mess up.