As every morning I head to the countess's room to comb her hair.
I open the curtains to let in the morning light;
I turn, and see the face of Lady Jung pale and drenched in sweat.
Panicked, I run out screaming for help, when I see my brother coming between the various waitresses.
"Hongjoong, have a doctor called !! The Countess is sick!"
I go back to the Lady's room and sit on the edge of her bed;
I put a wet towel on her forehead,
and she opens her eyes with obvious effort.
"Wooyoung"
She says in a broken and tired voice.
"No my Lady, I'm Hea, your son is not here"
It pains me to remind her this right now.
Her son has been missing from the palace for years now,
and for the countess it has always been a suffering.
"I want to see my son...let me see Wooyoung before I die"
"Please countess, stay calm, don't tire yourself ... now I call the earl."
My gaze ends on the wall in front of me, where there is a portrait of the only son of the Countess...earl Jung Wooyoung.
After a while Dr. Lee enters the room accompanied by my brother.
"What happens?"
He asks me while he puts his black leather bag on the bed.
"She's always tired, but this morning she can't even open her eyes.."
My concern is evident for the woman who saved my brother and me from the street,
so much that I feel Hongjoong put a hand on my shoulder to comfort me.
"Wait outside while I visit her"
"I need to get the earl back"
I tell Hongjoong as soon as we leave the countess's room.
"Earl Jung has not returned for years by his choice, it will not be easy to convince him."
Although we were not yet at the palace when it happened,
we know the story well.
The earl decided to join the army after his father was killed by a bandit, and he has never returned since..
"I must at least try"
°
The doctor finally leaves the room under the watchful eyes of all the servants of the palace.
Doctor Lee approaches me and does not hide a worried look.
"The Countess is very old and her heart is tired, it is a condition to which I cannot remedy"
I feel like faint and I lean on my brother's shoulder.
"How much do you believe she will live?"
Hongjoong asks in my place.
"She could live days, weeks or months ... I don't have any certainty"
After greeting the doctor;
I ran to my room to write the letter addressed to the earl, hoping he would listen to me.