LCSB 27

Chapter 27

“His Majesty the King arrives!”

At last, the day had come.

The day everyone at Chwiseondang had been waiting for with desperate anticipation.

The King’s royal visit.

From early morning, Chwiseondang had been in complete chaos. An official notice had arrived announcing Sukjong’s visit.

Thanks to that, there was enough time for Lady Hee-bin to prepare herself until she looked so beautiful even heavenly maidens would weep in defeat.

Naturally, the final approval of her makeover, as always, fell to me.

And naturally, I too became a victim of decorative labor.

A silk quilted baeja vest, rouge on my cheeks—clothes far too extravagant for a mere child court maid were piled onto me.

If I had to describe the sight of myself being led out by Lady Hee-bin, clutching tightly to her hand to greet the King…

I probably looked exactly like “Hee-bin’s little keychain.”

“Your Majesty. This humble consort is deeply moved by the grace of your long-awaited visit.”

Lady Hee-bin spoke with a radiant smile.

This was the moment I had been waiting for.

I was dying to see the King’s reaction to Hee-bin’s transformed appearance—her heavy makeup stripped away, leaving her looking pure and luminous.

And my prediction was right on target.

“…”

The King fell silent for a moment.

His gaze lingered over Hee-bin’s face, wavering slightly.

Even someone as romantically clueless as me could tell.

‘It worked.’

At the very least, he had clearly realized all over again just how beautiful she was.

“…It has been a long time since I last came to Chwiseondang to see you.”

Even while speaking quietly, his eyes never left Hee-bin.

And Hee-bin played her role perfectly.

Her long lashes trembled delicately over her lowered eyes, as though she were shy.

As expected, Lady Hee-bin knew exactly when she looked her most beautiful.

“Your Majesty, the weather is cold. Please come inside.”

At her words, the King nodded—then suddenly addressed me.

“Bongbong.”

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“Geumdeok is already bored. You should come visit Daejeon Hall again soon.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I shall obey.”

Even that alone was an astonishingly bold act.

The King had personally invited a child court maid in front of Hee-bin and countless palace attendants.

But he went even further.

“Now do you understand?”

“…Understand what?”

“That I am a man who keeps his promises.”

“Oh, of course! Absolutely, Your Majesty.”

I began to panic.

Because while the King and I kept talking, the corners of Hee-bin’s smile—held together with sheer determination—had begun trembling ever so slightly.

“Then… have a good night!”

…Wait. Was that really something a four-year-old was allowed to say?

For a moment, my heart nearly stopped, but fortunately the King burst into hearty laughter.

“Very well. I understand.”

Then Hee-bin approached him again, armed with a dazzling smile.

“Then please, come inside, Your Majesty.”

“Very well.”

Watching Sukjong and Hee-bin disappear toward the royal chambers, I prayed with all my might.

‘Buddha. God. Grandfather Dangun. Grandmother Mago, and every deity in existence—please cure that middle-aged couple’s marital slump and rekindle their passion. I beg you, I beg you…’

Please let them have a very good night.

“That’s right—His Majesty spent the night at Chwiseondang.”

“For the first time in half a year! Lady Hee-bin Jang finally attended the King again.”

“Could it be… that His Majesty’s heart has returned to her…?”

The rumors spread in an instant.

Palace servants who had witnessed the royal procession heading to Chwiseondang spread whispers throughout the palace in no time.

“That wicked woman! She dares try to seduce His Majesty again! How infuriating! How unjust!”

That night, the Queen reportedly refused food and wept bitterly.

“Remove this! I said remove it!”

Rumors spread through the maids that an enraged royal consort had overturned her dining table.

And word circulated that…

“…”

After hearing the news, Sukbin’s face had turned frighteningly cold, and she had remained silent without uttering a single word.

The King’s visit to Chwiseondang.

It was not merely a single night of amusement.

It was the night when the fortunes of the Southerners backing Lady Hee-bin and the Westerners supporting the Queen diverged.

And the night that signaled the balance of power had begun shifting once more.

The next day.

Although Sukjong left Chwiseondang at dawn, Lady Hee-bin remained in heavenly spirits all day long.

“Oh my, look at our Hee-bin! Flowers are blooming on your face again.”

“It’s been nearly half a year since His Majesty last stayed the night here. Even I’m moved.”

“Did you know the lights went out the moment the two of them entered the bedchamber?”

“They went out immediately? Then that means actions came before words—!”

The giggling maids suddenly fell silent.

Apparently, they had only just noticed me sitting in the corner of the wooden porch, sucking on a stick of taffy.

Why stop? Keep going. I’m old enough to know these things.

To palace maids trapped within the repetitive world of the palace, it was probably the most entertaining gossip imaginable, but…

‘I’ll pass on the TMI.’

Leaving behind the whispering, snickering maids, I slipped quietly out of Chwiseondang.

Thanks to Lady Hee-bin’s excellent mood, the other maids were equally excited on that warm, sunny morning.

I headed for a quiet sunny corner.

Spreading open a vernacular Korean book and pretending to read, I organized my thoughts like the planning-oriented child I was.

‘First, another trip to Huijeongdang.’

It would only be my second visit, but meeting the King was not something I could afford to relax about.

Still, I felt a bit of anticipation too.

There were still things I had yet to hear from him.

No point getting scared ahead of time.

And after that…

‘The full moon is getting close.’

In other words, Sukjeong’s return was drawing near.

The warning poster, the grave-digging incident—they had definitely frightened Sukjeong.

The terror on her face when she saw the character “Hwang” had been completely genuine.

‘But Sukjeong has a powerful motive. She won’t stop so easily.’

I counted the days left until the full moon and steeled myself.

I had already thrown myself into an all-out war against Sukjeong.

There was no reason to hesitate now.

‘I’m going to do this.’

I clenched my fist tightly.

Sukjeong. This time, I’m ending this once and for all.

“Phew…”

Why did it feel like my blood sugar had dropped just from sitting around thinking?

I popped one of the sweets from my pocket into my mouth and deliberately shifted my thoughts elsewhere.

‘Think happy thoughts. Happy thoughts…’

Like…

‘The Crown Prince?’

Thinking about him made me feel calmer.

‘I want to do something nice for him.’

At first, what I felt toward the Crown Prince had been simple pity.

But now, I genuinely liked him quite a lot.

And by “liked,” I meant in the purest sense possible. The Crown Prince was truly a kind person.

I was also sincerely grateful for the doll he had given me.

The more I examined it, the clearer it became that an extraordinary amount of care had gone into making it.

‘Of course, most of the work was probably done by the seamstress court ladies… but still, they never would’ve devoted that much effort unless it had been the Crown Prince’s request.’

I was lost in thought when—

“Bongbong! There you are!”

The one calling me was the maid Sunrae.

Sunrae was Seolhyang’s older sister—a huge woman with monstrous strength.

Her official nickname at Chwiseondang was “Glutton.”

“Yes, Lady Sunrae. What is it?”

“Take this to Jeoseungjeon for me. You can carry this much, right?”

“What is it? Uh…”

I stared blankly at the small tray Sunrae held out.

More specifically, at the neatly arranged…

‘Dried persimmons…’

The future king who would one day earn the nickname “the king who died after eating persimmons”…

And I was supposed to deliver dried persimmons to him?

“D-dried persimmons? To the Crown Prince?”

“Why are you so shocked? Yes, take them to His Highness. See that big persimmon tree over there? Last autumn, the palace maids and I picked the fruit ourselves and dried them by hand.”

Sunrae leaned close and whispered into my ear.

“You can sneak one for yourself too. They’re unbelievably delicious.”

When I turned my head slightly, I finally noticed the persimmon tree I’d somehow overlooked until now.

A gigantic tree rooted outside Chwiseondang’s wall, its branches stretching into the courtyard.

At the very top still hung several sturdy persimmons that had survived the winter.

‘The dried persimmons aren’t even the issue… Come to think of it, persimmon trees are everywhere inside the palace.’

Even if the story about King Gyeongjong dying from persimmons and crab was merely a rumor, I still couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling.

“Bongbong, why do you keep staring off like that? Are you okay?”

“Ah, yes. I’m fine. I’ll take it.”

Carefully, I accepted the tray.

“Thanks, Bongbong! I’m counting on you!”

After Sunrae disappeared, I stared at the nine neatly arranged dried persimmons on the tray.

Nine?

One had definitely already disappeared into Sunrae’s stomach.

‘But what do I do with these?’

Well, there was only one possible solution.

As I hurried toward Jeoseungjeon, the entrance finally coming into sight—

“Oh! Oopsie. Why are my feet acting like this?”

Acting out a dramatic stumble at absolutely nothing, I collapsed flat onto the ground as if tripping over a rock.

The dried persimmons rolled across the dirt.

‘Surely I can’t serve dirt-covered persimmons to the Crown Prince, the nation’s heir. Absolutely not.’

Now all that remained was to squeeze out some tears and sob apologetically about dropping them.

‘This is tragic. I’m incredibly tragic right now…’

I gathered my emotions as best I could and prepared to shuffle miserably into Jeoseungjeon when—

Tap.

Tap.

Someone tapped my shoulder from behind.

At the same time, a shadow fell over me.

“Bongbong. What exactly are you doing?”

“…Eek.”

Of all people… someone I really didn’t want to run into.

And wait.

Did he just watch my entire fake-tripping performance?

‘…I’m doomed.’