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Chapter 7
As I slowly tried to back away, Huibin grabbed the back of my neck and yanked me closer.
Even then, her gaze remained fixed on Sukbin.
“What a wonderful world this has become.”
Huibin spat the words out coldly.
“A mere water-carrying musuri receives royal favor, dresses herself in the robes of a royal concubine, struts around as the mother of a prince… and now it seems you’ve even forgotten how to greet your superiors.”
Her tone was icy and oppressive.
It was enough to make one forget that both women held the exact same rank: Senior First Rank Bin.
“…Have you been well, Lady Huibin?”
At last, Sukbin lowered her head.
Others probably couldn’t see it, but because I was much shorter, I could clearly see her expression.
Let me give you a quiz.
Question: What expression did Sukbin make after being insulted by Jang Huibin?
- She ground her teeth in fury.
- She teared up from intimidation.
- She sighed as though she’d given up on everything.
The answer was none of the above.
Sukbin…
She’s smiling?
Sukbin was smiling.
I saw it clearly with my own eyes—a crooked, mocking smile tugging at the corner of her lips, as if she found the whole thing ridiculous.
Honestly, that smile frightened me more than Jang Huibin’s appearance had.
“Unlike your wishes, I remain perfectly well. But tell me—how dare you try to drag one of my court maids to your quarters?”
“It was a misunderstanding. Had I known she belonged to Chwiseondang, I would never have laid a hand on her.”
The warmth Sukbin had shown moments ago was completely gone.
Her eyes were dry and detached now.
And the way she spoke—as though talking about an object.
It made me feel like filthy trash.
“Then why is Sukbin wandering around Changgyeong Palace alone?”
Huibin asked.
While Chwiseondang was located within Changgyeong Palace, Sukbin’s residence, Bogyeongdang, belonged to Changdeok Palace.
In other words, Huibin was asking:
Why are you loitering around someone else’s territory?
“His Majesty entrusted me with an urgent matter.”
“….”
An unexpected critical hit.
With that single sentence from Sukbin, the air instantly froze over.
I carefully stole a glance at Huibin’s face.
The ends of her red lips were trembling.
…Victory: Jang Huibin, defeated.
So this is the infamous palace power struggle. Terrifying. Absolutely terrifying.
Just standing beside them made my knees weak.
That was when I noticed the woman standing behind Huibin.
Who is that?
I had never seen her before, and she clearly wasn’t a palace maid.
Judging by the silk garments and the jangot draped over her, she was obviously an outside guest—a noblewoman.
She stepped forward.
“Lady Huibin. Rather than wasting time on trivial matters, should we not return to your quarters?”
For a woman, her voice was remarkably low.
Only then did Huibin speak again.
“Yes, Sukjeong. Let us go.”
…Sukjeong?
That Sukjeong—the mastermind behind Queen Inhyeon’s cursing incident?
At that moment—
Thud.
Something slipped from inside Sukjeong’s sleeve as she turned around.
The small object rolled across the ground and, of all places, stopped right at my feet.
T-this is…!
How could I even describe the shock of that moment?
It was a tiny straw doll shaped like a person.
At a glance, it looked like a shabby toy…
But—
It’s a curse doll.
The very doll mentioned in the historical records—the one said to have Queen Inhyeon’s name written on it, stabbed with needles as part of a curse ritual.
What do I do?
Fear surged through me instinctively.
Should I kick it away?
Should I sit on top of it and hide it?
Thankfully, Sukbin didn’t seem to have noticed it yet…
That was when—
“Oh my, dear. If only you had more toys to play with.”
Sukjeong crouched down to meet my eyes.
She picked up the straw doll lying before my feet and held it out toward me.
“You’re a good child, aren’t you? This belongs to you. Understand?”
A whisper meant for my ears alone.
Her voice sounded gentle at first glance, but the hand forcing the doll into mine was so strong it felt like it might crush my fingers.
“Lady Huibin. The poor child must have been lonely. Carrying around scraps of straw as though they were toys.”
Sukjeong smiled at me.
But her eyes gleamed viciously.
“Little one. Next time, I’ll bring you a pretty doll bride.”
…Forget the doll bride and all that nonsense.
I was practically in full panic mode.
And when I raised my trembling head—
I met Sukbin’s meaningful gaze, fixed intently on both me and the curse doll in my hands.
Why the hell am I the one holding this thing?
Wasn’t this basically…
a death flag?
“However.”
Sukbin spoke.
“That doll looks rather strange for a child’s toy. Tell me, child. Where did you get it?”
The question came straight at me without giving me any room to escape.
What was I supposed to say?
Was Sukjeong going to help me at all?
…Of course not.
The moment I saw her turn away as though she had no more business with me, I knew.
Looking at Sukbin quietly staring at me, I answered.
I had no confidence in it, but I figured I might as well gamble.
“This is Bombo-mi’s friend. Her name is Boomboomi. I found Boomboomi near Seonjeongjeon…”
At that instant, Sukbin’s expression stiffened slightly.
“That’s enough.”
She cut me off sharply.
Whew… thank god.
Saying I found “Boomboomi” near Seonjeongjeon had been a spur-of-the-moment idea.
North of Seonjeongjeon was Bogyeongdang, Sukbin’s residence.
In other words, what I was really implying was:
I found it near your quarters.
“Lady Huibin! Then I’ll go play with Boomboomi now!”
I shouted as brightly and cheerfully as possible.
I don’t know anything, I just want to play, was the concept I desperately hoped would work.
“Very well.”
Huibin granted permission.
I immediately bolted away at full speed.
Clutching the grotesque doll in my hands as though it were some precious treasure.
My spine felt damp with cold sweat, and my hands trembled violently.
The wind scraping across my cheeks felt as cold as Sukbin’s gaze.
“Ha…”
After choosing a deserted path and walking for a while, I finally stopped to catch my breath.
I had somehow escaped the immediate crisis through quick thinking.
But Sukbin’s icy stare and Sukjeong’s crushing grip kept replaying in my head, deepening my anxiety.
“This is exhausting. Seriously…”
It finally hit me.
This world I had fallen into wasn’t some exciting historical experience or a novel guaranteed a happy ending.
It was a brutal reality.
And the biggest problem of all—
There are too many dangerous elements.
Sukjeong’s appearance was undeniable proof that the ticking time bomb had already begun moving.
On top of that, I’d somehow gotten on Sukbin’s bad side at first meeting, been branded as the owner of a creepy curse doll, and antagonized court ladies who might very well be spies…
Can I really survive this?
I let out a heavy sigh and stared at the curse doll in my hand.
The biggest issue right now was figuring out what to do with it.
I was lost in thought as I walked when—
Waaahhh!
A loud baby’s cry suddenly rang out.
“Oh dear, our little prince! Please don’t cry! If you cry, my heart aches too! There, there! Hush now!”
A court maid carrying a baby appeared from around the corner.
There was no real reason to avoid her, but I instinctively hid myself.
I didn’t want anyone seeing the heavy emotions weighing on a face far too mature for a child.
Fortunately, the maid didn’t notice me.
But wait… she called him a prince.
The tiny child was dressed in fine silk robes, and the earmuff-like winter cap covering his neck was trimmed with fur.
If there was a young prince in the palace at this point in history…
Ah. Yeoning-gun Lee Hwon, Sukjong’s youngest son. He should be around two years old now.
I finally realized who the baby was.
Despite the nursemaid’s desperate attempts to soothe him, Lee Hwon refused to stop crying.
Then—
His bright, round eyes locked directly onto me.
“….”
At the same time, his crying abruptly stopped.
“Oh my goodness, Your Highness! Are you finally feeling better?”
Even as the maid cooed and bounced him gently, Lee Hwon continued staring straight at me from where I hid behind the corner.
Why does he keep staring at me?
I felt curious, yet strangely unsettled.
Lee Hwon was an astonishingly beautiful little boy.
Normally, seeing such a cute baby would naturally make someone smile.
But I couldn’t.
Because—
Prince Yeoning Lee Hwon dies young at twenty-one.
That historical truth clouded my mind.
…There are too many people in this palace destined to die.
At that moment—
Kya-haha!
A bright peal of laughter rang out.
Just moments ago, Lee Hwon had been crying as though the world were ending.
But now he was laughing at me like warm spring sunlight.
“Kyaoo!”
His babyish laughter echoed brightly along the sunlit walls of Changgyeong Palace.
It felt strange.
I was thinking about his death, yet he himself was smiling so innocently.
For a long while, Lee Hwon simply stared at me, grinning happily.
“…Hehe.”
Before I knew it, I found myself smiling too.
For just a moment, I forgot my own fate, Lee Hwon’s death, and Jang Huibin’s future.
…It felt like the only ray of light in an exhausting day.
“Goodbye, Lee Hwon.”
Feeling oddly comforted, I mouthed the farewell silently and turned to leave—
“Excuse me? Who’s there?”
The maid must have noticed because Lee Hwon kept staring in my direction.
Still carrying the giggling prince, she hurried toward me.
There was no reason to panic, but the feeling of being “caught” made me instinctively run.
“Hey! Wait!”
Ignoring the maid’s voice calling after me, I sprinted away at full speed.
Ha… what a chaotic day.
Only when Chwiseondang finally came into view in the distance did I slow down and catch my breath.
Still clutching the curse doll in my hand, heavy as baggage.
