SHYL 05

Chapter 5

The next day.

I woke up with eyes swollen from crying, only to be given a crucial task.

I had to pay a morning visit to Jang Hui-bin, the mistress of Chwiseondang.

I was quite nervous and anxious.

How do I win her favor? What should my first words be?

More than anything, what if she turns out to be the monstrous villain recorded in history…?

Filled with all sorts of worries, I scurried over to Jang Hui-bin’s bedchamber, when—

“She says not today. Her Ladyship is unwell.”

“……Yes.”

I was turned away at the door.

Grasping Hui-bin’s state of mind was urgent, but there was nothing I could do.

In the end, I had to put it off for later and move on to my next mission.

The second task was also a round of greetings.

Specifically, going around to the court ladies of Chwiseondang and introducing myself.

“Hello. I am Hwang Bong-bong.”

I neatly folded my hands, bowed at nearly ninety degrees, and greeted them politely.

My head wobbled a few times from the weight of my hair ornaments, but I used my innate sense of balance and managed not to fall over.

“Right. We met yesterday, didn’t we? I’m Suk-yeong.”

“I’m Sun-rye. Seol-hyang is my younger sister.”

“Hey there, little one. My name is Chuk-saeng.”

Fortunately, the two young child court ladies from yesterday were nowhere to be seen.

The other Chwiseondang court ladies were all kind to me.

Though my head was spinning trying to memorize their names and faces.

“Hee-yu……”

After finishing the greetings, a sigh escaped me.

“You’ve worked hard. That’s enough for now.”

Seol-hyang skewered a yakgwa (honey cookie) and handed it to me.

Just when my sugar was running low, how perfect.

“Don’t do anything foolish. Just rest.”

“Yes.”

I squatted down in front of the empty quarters, nibbled on the yakgwa, and finally had some time to myself.

I need to memorize the hierarchy of Chwiseondang.

At the very top of this little world called Chwiseondang was, of course, Jang Hui-bin.

Next in power was Head Court Lady Han, the head of the court ladies.

Below her were Court Lady Min and Court Lady Kim, and then the court ladies Seol-hyang (my roommate), Suk-yeong (the one who gave me the yakgwa), Sun-rye (2 meters tall), Chuk-saeng (the “king potato” one)…

Among them, my status was that of aegi-nain (child court lady).

It was higher than musuri (lowest-rank maids) or bija (apprentice), but still, I was far too young.

In the end, that meant I was at the very bottom of the Chwiseondang hierarchy.

“……When will I ever grow up?”

I muttered weakly to myself, when suddenly—

“You’ll grow up soon.”

A clear male voice came out of nowhere.

The day before yesterday was the beginning of spring…

Jang Hui-bin’s bedchamber.

The woman leaning against a padded mat slowly counted on her delicate, jade-like fingers.

Hui-bin was calculating the days.

Was the last time His Majesty came before the snow fell?

No, was it even longer ago than that?

Or was it October, when crimson leaves kept falling like futile love?

Ever since he raised the concubine ranks of the Choe and Bak families, he hasn’t set foot in Chwiseondang even once.

Suddenly, her heart began to pound. Her chest felt tight, and breathing became difficult.

Only after repeating deep breaths for a long while did she finally breathe easier.

“Ah……”

Hui-bin brushed her gaunt face and opened the hand mirror lying on the floor.

The face of the woman in the mirror.

Hui-bin stared at her own reflection as if looking at a stranger.

“How strange.”

It had already been twenty years since she had fallen fiercely in love with the man who was the sovereign of Joseon.

Twenty years was a long time.

Flowers never stay red for ten days.

Despite the saying that even virtue fades, her beauty was strangely unwithered.

Though it could not be exactly the same as when she was twenty, no one in the palace dared to challenge her beauty.

“My face has not changed with the passage of time……”

The woman in the mirror murmured.

“Yet why has your heart changed?”

If human hearts are bound to change, shouldn’t both hearts change?

How is it that only one heart leaves, while the other remains?

And yet, Hui-bin rummaged through the mirror case and took out her rouge box.

Just in case he might come.

She painted her dry lips red with rouge.

“Lady Hui-bin. It is I, Head Court Lady Han. May I come in for a moment?”

Hui-bin, who had been dabbing on the rouge, lifted her head.

“Come in.”

Once seated, Head Court Lady Han delivered her message.

“A letter has arrived from Suk-jeong of the Gam household. She says she will enter the palace tomorrow afternoon.”

“Suk-jeong? Oh. I was just curious for news. How timely.”

For once, Hui-bin’s expression brightened.

“Is this about the ritual offering?”

At Head Court Lady Han’s question, Hui-bin nodded.

“Yes. Didn’t the Crown Prince’s illness improve thanks to that last time? I also have my damhwa (shortness of breath), and since spring has begun, I intend to have her perform a ritual to pray for blessings.”

“Indeed. As soon as the ritual was held, His Highness rose from his sickbed. I was quite surprised myself.”

“Exactly. Suk-jeong is trustworthy. She is my brother’s only concubine and, after all, my own hands and feet.”

“Yes, my lady. Then I shall prepare refreshments accordingly.”

“Do that.”

Head Court Lady Han withdrew from the bedchamber.

Hui-bin’s gaze turned back to the still-open hand mirror.

Last time, Suk-jeong confidently said she would find a way to win back His Majesty’s heart.

Hope rose, and her anxiety faded. Her breathing calmed.

Her lips, stained a deep red, slowly curved into an arc.

If his heart has already changed, then all she had to do was make it change again.

From the beginning, his heart had always belonged only to Jang Ok-jeong.

“You’ll grow up soon.”

Oh my, you startled me.

I was so surprised by the sudden voice that I sprang to my feet.

A boy who looked about thirteen or fourteen was standing a few steps away.

Gasp, seeing that outfit in person. Is this for real?

I nearly said it out loud.

The four-clawed dragon embroidered in the center of his dark blue robe, the tall iksanggwan (winged cap)…

In Joseon, only one person could wear that outfit.

Meaning, this boy was…

The eldest son born between Sukjong and Jang Hui-bin, Crown Prince Yi Yun.

The one who would later ascend the throne and be known as King Gyeongjong.

First, let’s not get too nervous.

I quickly made a judgment.

Based on my knowledge as a history student, Yi Yun’s character was on the decent side.

Right here in this palace alone, there were two other rulers who would be remembered for generations as ill-tempered tyrants.

Compared to them, Yi Yun could be called a sage.

“Hello, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

I bowed as politely as my body would allow.

As a child court lady with no one to rely on, there was no harm in making a good impression on the Crown Prince.

“You must be the new child court lady at my mother’s residence. But to be this tiny……”

The Crown Prince nodded knowingly.

“I see. So you were thinking that you want to grow up quickly.”

Clearly, the Crown Prince also saw me as a harmless little child.

In that case, I had no choice but to live up to his expectations.

“Yes, Your Highness. That’s right. I’ve been waiting to get taller.”

I stretched my arms and legs to emphasize the hardships of living in such a small, insignificant body.

Heh. A soft laugh escaped the Crown Prince’s lips.

“It would be nice if everything happened just as we thought, but there’s a saying: ‘More haste, less speed.’ Sometimes, you need to wait quietly.”

“In whose lifetime am I supposed to wait?”

My true feelings slipped out before I could stop them.

“Then shall I tell you a good way?”

“Yes. Please tell me, Your Highness.”

“Eat well, sleep well, play well…”

“Ugh.”

I don’t need you to tell me to study Korean, English, and math religiously and get a perfect score on the college entrance exam.

When I let out a deep sigh, the Crown Prince chuckled softly.

He’s not much different from the recorded image of Gyeongjong.

I recalled the traces of him I had encountered in historical records.

The Yi Yun of history was a monarch who, to put it kindly, was lenient, and to put it harshly, indecisive.

As Jang Hui-bin’s son, he had distinct features, but his impression was far from intense—he had the calm look of a scholar…

What stood out most were his eyes—somehow sad, melancholy eyes.

He did become king, but he died after just four years.

A person who lived his entire life in the misfortune triggered by his mother’s death.

The fact that I was meeting a figure I had only known through records stirred the curiosity of a history geek.

“Why are you staring at me so intently?”

“Oh, that, well…”

At that moment, I was fighting a battle within myself.

The battle between me, the true-blue history geek, and me, the lowest-ranking child court lady in the palace.

Should I ask, or shouldn’t I?

Should I ask…?

“Your Highness the Crown Prince. By any chance, do you like persimmons or crabs?”

……Ah, screw it. I don’t know anymore.