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Chapter 10
In fact, I had already asked the palace maids of Chwiseondang that very question before.
And the results were as follows—
“Oh my, what happened to our Bongbong? Why were you sad?”
— Seolhyang (F)
“You were sad, so you bought rice cakes? I have no idea what that’s supposed to mean.”
— Court Lady Han (T)
“Sad? What do you have to be sad about with such an easy life? Back in my day, blah blah blah…”
— Court Lady Min (Boomer)
“What kind of rice cake? Seolgi? Jeolpyeon? Sounds delicious. Give me some too!”
— Sunrye (Foodie)
The maids’ answers had all been wildly different.
And honestly, they matched the personalities I’d observed pretty well.
Even if MBTI is pseudoscience, there’s definitely something to it.
So then—would this situation make my heart race or not?
I calmed my pounding heart as best I could and stared at Sukjong with bright, expectant eyes.
I was unbearably curious about what kind of answer he would give.
“You were sad… so you bought rice cakes?”
At last, Sukjong spoke.
Repeating the question first—very T-like of him.
Then he continued.
“But what relationship is there between sadness and eating?”
As expected. Total T…!
“Still… even a child like you must have your own suffering.”
Huh? F?
“And yet to do something so pointless. Foolish child.”
TTTTT……
“How pitiful. Someone so young speaking already of sorrow.”
FFFFF……?
“Tell me. Who made you sad?”
K…… KILL?
…Why? Are you going to kill them?
“N-no, Your Majesty. I just felt that way on my own.”
I swallowed dryly and hurriedly made excuses.
Fortunately, Sukjong merely said, “I see,” and asked no more questions.
This person… is impossible to figure out.
I’d worked up so much courage to ask that question, yet all I got was even more confusion.
Cold, yet generous.
Quick to criticize, yet openly sympathetic…
He acted just as inconsistently toward his sons, too.
In short, he was impossible to predict.
At that moment, I fully understood why so many officials feared him so deeply.
A man who could stab someone with a smile on his face, then sincerely weep for the very person he killed.
A contradictory being.
Come to think of it, his attitude toward Queen Inhyeon and Jang Hui-bin had always been like that too.
He’s even scarier than I thought.
A chill ran down my spine, and I shivered unconsciously.
It was then that Sukjong, who had been walking ahead, turned back to look at me.
“Hehe.”
To keep from showing how frightened I was, I flashed another silly grin.
“Do you like cats as well?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I love them very much. I had so much fun playing with Geumdeok.”
“You played with Geumdeok?”
He glanced down at the cat in his arms.
“This little thing is nothing but a hopeless slacker. What could you possibly have played with such a lazy beast?”
“Geumdeok… is lazy?”
Honestly, I was bewildered.
Your Majesty. I think you’ve got the wrong idea entirely.
That cat wasn’t lazy at all—it was more like a demon-possessed feline…
“Of course he’s lazy. Unless meat is involved, it’s difficult to get him to walk even a few steps. Eating and sleeping are Geumdeok’s entire life.”
“I-is that so?”
That’s strange…
While I was thinking that, Sukjong suddenly stopped walking.
Huh? We’re already here!
Where?
Chwiseondang.
Chwiseondang erupted into chaos.
The king, who had not visited for nearly half a year, had suddenly appeared without warning.
But even more shocking than the king’s arrival was the sight of the little court maid standing blankly beside him.
Hwang Bongbong—the youngest and newest maid in Chwiseondang.
“Your Ladyship! Your Ladyship!”
Court Lady Han rushed frantically into Jang Hui-bin’s chambers.
She skipped even the formal announcement asking permission to enter—it was practically barging in.
“I said I was resting because of a headache. Why are you making such a commotion?”
Hui-bin’s glare was sharp.
“Your Ladyship, this is no time to sit still!”
“What on earth could be so urgent that you’re behaving unlike yourself…?”
“The little maid—the one called Hwang Bongbong!”
“Bongbong? What did she do?”
“No, it’s His Majesty!”
At the word His Majesty, Hui-bin’s eyes snapped wide open from where she had been half-reclining.
“He is currently in Chwiseondang’s courtyard with Bongbong!”
“What are you talking about?”
Hui-bin sprang to her feet.
Her expression was one of utter confusion.
The idea of the king arriving together with Hwang Bongbong was nearly impossible to comprehend.
“I’ll explain later, Your Ladyship. Please fix your appearance and hurry outside!”
“Very well. I understand.”
Even so, as Hui-bin hastily put on the dangui Court Lady Han handed her, her face was glowing with excitement.
And when she hurried out into the courtyard without even checking her reflection in the mirror…
“…Court Lady Han, what exactly is going on here?”
What entered her eyes was completely different from what she had expected.
“Like this!”
Swish! Leap! Jump!
“And like this!”
Whoosh! Tap-tap! Dashdashdash—
“Cats love it when you play with them like this.”
In the middle of Chwiseondang’s courtyard, I was in the middle of a professional demonstration.
Namely, I was showing off my elite hunting-play skills.
Demonstrator: Hwang Bongbong.
Assistant: Geumdeok.
Audience member: Sukjong.
Something like that.
“Your Majesty, would you like to try?”
I handed him the “object” I’d been holding while he watched Geumdeok’s movements with serious concentration.
“Here. You just wave Boomboomi around in all directions like this. Like, ‘Die, dragon, die!’”
“Like this?”
The moment Sukjong swung the ugly straw doll awkwardly through the air, Geumdeok performed an astonishing leap.
“Yes! You did great! Keep going, keep going!”
Good job, good job, good jo~b!
Encouraged by my seal-clap applause, he enthusiastically shook the cursed doll around.
Naturally, Geumdeok dashed wildly about the courtyard too.
Revealing the creepy object so openly had been entirely intentional.
Until now, whenever people questioned where the doll came from, I had escaped danger by lying that I’d found it near Seonjeongjeon.
But there was a major flaw in that excuse.
Namely, the person who had actually handed me the doll was Sukjeong.
Which means Sukjeong and Hui-bin both know I was lying.
I still wasn’t certain about Hui-bin’s nature, but Sukjeong was unquestionably cunning.
And the risk of Hui-bin deciding I’m a liar is way too high.
So I made a decision.
Rather than hiding it, I would turn the doll into my best friend named “Boomboomi.”
After all, it’s normal developmental behavior for a three- or four-year-old child to confuse fantasy with reality.
From this moment on, I was no longer a crafty child forced into lying because of Sukjeong’s threats.
I was merely an innocent little girl who genuinely believed this grotesque object was her friend Boomboomi because she couldn’t distinguish imagination from reality.
That was Chwiseondang’s little maid, Hwang Bongbong.
And then—
“Your Majesty!”
A clear voice rang out suddenly.
Hui-bin quickly approached and stepped directly between Sukjong and me.
The wide skirts of her dress bumped into me, making my tiny body wobble backward.
Wow…
It happened only for an instant, but my mouth fell open when I saw Hui-bin’s expression.
Hui-bin was not usually someone with a bright face.
But the woman standing before me now wore a completely different expression.
It was a dazzlingly beautiful smile.
As though tens of thousands of flowers had bloomed all at once upon her face.
“How could Your Majesty visit without sending word?”
“…Hui-bin.”
Sukjong’s gaze stopped on her face.
“It has been a long time.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. It truly has been far too long since this humble subject last saw you.”
…Interesting. Very interesting.
It was more thrilling and exciting than any drama.
Trying not to make it obvious, I peeked back and forth while spectating the scene between Sukjong and Hui-bin.
“The little maid seemed to have lost her way, so I brought her back.”
“Oh my, our Bongbong did it again?”
…This lady definitely isn’t ordinary either.
“Bongbong is a child I cherish as though she were my own daughter. Your Majesty has shown kindness to my little maid—I hardly know how to repay such grace.”
Hui-bin tightly grabbed my shoulder and pulled me closer.
My shoulder hurt, but as the suddenly adopted daughter of Hui-bin, I smiled brightly to match the mood.
“This humble subject feels that all the longing with which I awaited Your Majesty has finally been rewarded. The weather is cold, so please come inside first.”
What a truly beautiful sight.
This was unexpected, but in any case, thanks to me, the two of them had managed to reunite.
If today’s meeting restored their relationship, that would be wonderful news for me too.
At the very least, Sukjong in his “blinded by love” state was undoubtedly the kind of man who would go through fire and water for the person he cared about.
I can see hope for survival. I really can.
And just as I stood there grinning foolishly while running wild with hopeful fantasies—
“Hui-bin.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I have returned the child, so my business here is done. I shall be leaving now.”
…Excuse me, old man?!
