Dan Se was back to training with the hwarang full-time. He did still come home to Mi Sook most evenings, but he was preparing to leave for an extended period of time on a trip with the king. So she debated what to do. Should she tell him that she was pregnant before he left? Or wait to break the news to him until after he returned? And possibly figured it out for himself like Jung Sook suggested that he might?
Mostly, Mi Sook was concerned that he would be distracted from his duties by her news. And she didn’t want anything stealing his attention in the midst of a possible conflict. In battle, Dan Se needed to be fully focused on his opponent. Not on his impending fatherhood.
In the end, that was what decided her. Mi Sook elected to keep her little secret to herself. For as long as possible.
––
The morning sickness was getting worse. Yesterday, the nausea had increased. Nearly overwhelming her stomach. But she’d managed to keep her breakfast down. She’d had no such luck today. She’d filled her chamber pot. Grabbing for it just in the nick of time.
But this had presented her with a new problem. If she was to keep her pregnancy a secret from the household, then she was going to have to figure out how to hide her morning sickness from them too. As she pondered this problem, Mo Won, the servant girl her father-in-law had hired from the village, instantly appeared, knocking on her bedroom door.
It seemed that the solution had presented itself to her.
––
Later that evening, Mi Sook approached her father-in-law. “My lord, I’ve taken a fancy to little Mo Won. Can I ask her to be my lady’s maid?”
His eyebrows skipped upward. “Your lady’s maid? But…she’s had no formal training. She’s a simple village lass.” He managed to keep his face impassive.
“That’s all right. I will train her. I believe she will suit my needs admirably. As you know, I rarely venture out of the house. And even then, it’s usually only to visit Lady Bit Na and Jung Sook.”
He suddenly smiled at her. His entire face was transformed by the light of that unexpected curve. “I would be happy to give the girl to you. You may break the news to her yourself. She is at your disposal.”
“Thank you, my lord.” She bowed prettily to him and went in search of the young girl.
She found her in the kitchen helping the cook prepare dinner.
“Mo Won, come with me,” Mi Sook commanded in a soft voice.
The girl glanced up at her in surprise but hurried to do her bidding. Setting down the onion which she’d been preparing to slice before following Mi Sook to her bedroom.
After they had entered the room together, Mi Sook closed the door firmly before turning towards the little girl.
“Mo Won, I have a special request to make of you.”
The girl’s eyes grew wide in surprise, and an expression of awe blossomed in her countenance. “Of me, ma’am?” she asked incredulously.
Mi Sook bobbed her head. “Yes. I need you to keep a secret. From everyone. Do you think that you can do that?”
The child nodded.
“Before I tell you the secret, I have another question for you.”
Large, guileless eyes stared up at her.
“I would like to make you my lady’s maid.”
The girl’s eyes grew even wider.
“However, if you decide to accept this position, I will require you to live here. In this house. With me. And I know that I would be taking you away from your mother….”
“That’s all right, ma’am!” the girl responded eagerly. “I’ll gladly live here if I can be your lady’s maid!”
Mi Sook’s eyebrows slid towards her nose. “Mo Won, how old are you?”
“I’m nine years old, ma’am.”
“Are you? And you’re sure that you can bid your mother farewell?”
The girl’s headed bobbed up and down vigorously. “Yes, ma’am! Thank you, ma’am!”
“Mo Won, I would expect you to move in here tonight.”
“Tonight?”
“Yes. And for the foreseeable future, I want you to sleep in the room next door.”
“Master Dan Se’s room?” Mo Won gasped.
“No. The room on the other side.” Mi Sook pointed in the opposite direction from her husband’s original room.
“Oh. Yes, ma’am!”
“And I need you to come see me first thing each morning.”
The girl nodded. “Of course, ma’am.”
“Which brings me to my secret…” Mi Sook hesitated.
And the child leaned towards her.
“I’m not announcing this to anyone yet. Not for the foreseeable future. But I need your help….”
“My help?”
“You already helped me this morning.”
The girl’s tiny brow furrowed as she recalled dumping the woman’s chamber pot. Then her eyes widened again.
“Mo Won. I’m pregnant.”
The girl’s sweet face lit up like a flash of lightning had just ignited it. “Oh, ma’am! Congratulations!”
“Mo Won,” Mi Sook whispered, “no one knows. Only my friend, Jung Sook.”
“Master Dan Se doesn’t know?” the girl queried. Surprised.
“No. And I’m not going to tell him for a while. But I do want to tell him before his father finds out. So it’s very important that you dump my chamber pot each morning without anyone else detecting my illness.”
The child beamed at her. “I can do that, ma’am! Easily.”
“You can?”
“Yes!”
Mi Sook grinned at her. “Fabulous.”
That little brow wrinkled again. “Ma’am? Did you want me to be your lady’s maid simply to hide your pregnancy?”
“I had this feeling that I could trust you to keep my secret, Mo Won.”
“You can, ma’am!”
Mi Sook’s lips split into a wide smile again. “I knew it.”
Again, that adorable forehead puckered. “But, ma’am, you don’t have to elevate me to lady’s maid just to convince me to help you. I can help you until you don’t need me to hide your morning sickness anymore. Then I could go back to working in the kitchen.”
“You don’t want to be my lady’s maid, Mo Won?”
“I…I don’t know what to do, ma’am. I’ve never had any training as a lady’s maid. I’ve always been a kitchen-maid.”
Mi Sook smiled sweetly at the little girl. “I will happily train you, Mo Won.”
That little face lit up again. “You will!?” she asked excitedly.
“Of course. We can even begin tonight.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” Mo Won’s cherubic countenance seemed to glow with delight.
Mi Sook gazed down at the child in consternation. Her gaze slipping over the girl’s sweet face. Why did Mo Won remind her so much of Han Sung?
