⁝ lee manor

@❀ lee bokyung Hyunji urged her horse forward, her cloak billowing behind her as she rode through the relentless rain. The downpour was heavy, but she welcomed it, finding a certain solace in the rhythm of the raindrops pelting against her. The world around her was a blur of grey, the landscape shrouded in mist and shadows, but Hyunji's mind was clear, focused on her destination: Lee Manor.

Despite the many friends she had made over the years, Hyunji often felt a gnawing loneliness that no amount of companionship seemed to dispel. Yesterday had been a stark reminder of that. Her birthday had come and gone with little fanfare. Only her trusted handmaidens had remembered, their quiet, heartfelt wishes a small balm to the sting of being overlooked by so many others.

As she approached the grand gates of Lee Manor, the familiar ache of solitude pressed against her heart. The manor loomed ahead, its imposing structure a stark contrast to the dreary weather. She dismounted, her boots squelching in the mud as she handed the reins to a stable boy who had rushed out to meet her.

The rain continued to fall in heavy sheets, soaking through her cloak as she walked up the steps to the manor's entrance. The maids of the Lee family were quick to open the door for her, their expressions polite but distant, as if they had been expecting her. One of the maids went to announce Bokyung of Hyunji visiting the manor.

@❀ kim hyunji [ dated jan 2nd 1870 ]

The start of the year was always a hassle to deal with, different festivities and family gatherings, and the weather was always just so cold. However, Bokyung wouldn't let the first day of the year pass by without telling a good friend of hers, or someone she has basically took under her wing, a happy birthday. In fact most often than not, she preferred to actually spend a short while with the other on her birthday and give a gift. Hyunji didn't have a lot of female role-models in her life, and Bokyung somehow stepped into the role many years ago, when the young girl was just fifteen years old, so Bokyung was quite familiar with the others family, or at least what she sees of them. They were often busy, too busy, to pay the youngest daughter any mind, and the jeweler didn't like that at all, though she knew it wasn't her place to speak out.

Despite all this, Bokyung had hoped that the younger had at least spent some time with her family on the day of her actual birthday. She had reached out an invitation for Hyunji to come to her place the day after so she could have somewhat of a proper celebration.

The day of the second came, and Bokyung could feel her heart sink, the skies were covered in dark clouds, heavy rain off and on since the morning with strong winds. Bokyung waited outside the gates of her family home, it was a calm hour, and though the two both lived in the family district, she wondered if the younger would still be coming, the motherly instincts in her had certainly hoped not.

The winds have calmed down for a moment and the rain was stopped for a good thirty minutes, just around the time that Bokyung had asked Hyunji to meet her, it was a good window of opportunity to meet the other, so just in case Hyunji had decided to head out, Bokyung walked out in the direction of the others home, to see if she could meet her halfway, and make sure the other is staying safe in this weather at the very least.