indeed murdered Lady O, why kill the woman who had offered her the gift of equality?
Inspector Han’s commanding voice broke into my thoughts. “Do you know why you are here?”
“Because I am Lady O’s personal servant, sir.”
“She had many personal servants—but only one who blatantly lied.” After a beat, he folded his arms and took a step closer. “You informed a damo that you’d woken up early to see if your mistress had had a good night’s sleep before raising the alarm. But you knew of her disappearance long before then, didn’t you? A witness saw you leaving the mansion soon after Lady O’s disappearance.”
“I … I was asked to keep an eye on her.”
“Asked by whom?”
“Lady O’s mother.”
“For what reason?”
“It is indecent to say—”
“This is a murder investigation, Maid Soyi. Do not withhold anything from me.”
Her gaze flicked to me, as though she had sensed my arrival from the start. “As I told the damo, my mistress had a lover. And when I saw her sneaking out at night, sir, I followed. She had mentioned Mount Nam often, so I wondered if she had gone there.”
“Tell us what you saw.”
“I was walking down the street. It was the curfew hours, so everyone was asleep. I took the long way around to search as many alleys as possible, and walked toward Mount Nam—” She stopped. Though tied to a chair, she managed to sit straighter. A sudden clarity lit her eyes as she looked up. “I remember now. I saw someone.”
Everyone fell still, no longer whispering and speculating among themselves, and the silence amplified the sound of a young nobleman fanning himself. He stood with his manservant near the front, garbed in a robe of violet that glowed in the sunlight. He had shining jet-black eyes, arched brows, and a seemingly perpetual smirk; condescension seemed carved into his face.
“What did this person look like?” Inspector Han asked. “Answer me and do not leave anything out.”
“It was a man on a horse. He was wearing a blue robe. There was something suspicious about him, seeing him roaming at curfew. But it was too dark to see his face clearly, and he rode off before I could approach him.”
There was an intake of breath among the spectators, and everyone but the young noble frowned. He was still fanning himself, and the corner of his lips rose higher.
“And what time was it when you saw this man?”
“A little before dawn,” Soyi answered.
“Why were you still on the streets so long after midnight?”
“I searched for my mistress, and when I couldn’t find her, I returned to the mansion. But then I thought of how furious Matron Kim would be at me. She had ordered me to watch over her daughter. I grew so fearful that I went out again, to look for my mistress one more time. I was determined to even search Mount Nam.”
Inspector Han arched a brow. “You could have easily shared this. Instead, you ran away. Only two types of people run: children and the guilty.”
“I heard someone had seen me leave the house, and I was afraid.” Her once neatly plaited hair now hung loose, and through the black strands, she peered up at the inspector. “My mother was executed for a crime she didn’t commit. I was afraid the same would happen to me.”
“So that is your reason. And you would say you were on good terms with your mistress?”
“I…” She paused for the briefest moment. “I was.”
“Then is there any reason as to why Lady O would have specifically referenced you? Why she expressed anger toward you in her diary?”
My hand leapt to my throat. Diary? The police had never discovered Lady O’s diary. The inspector was bluffing, but Soyi seemed to believe it. The whites of her widening eyes made her pupils look even blacker. “She … she wrote about me?”
“She did, but about what?”
“I … I don’t know.”
Time slowed as I clutched my collar, wanting to know the truth—and yet frightened of it. Could I have read a person so wrong that I’d looked a murderer in the eye without even sensing it?
“As bad as things are,” he whispered, “you could make them less so by telling the truth. But once I find the truth, no one will believe anything you say. Take control before it is too late. Think about what I have told you.”
Soyi looked sideways and locked her gaze on me, her eyes bright and feverish. “I swear, I would never hurt her.”