🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 08
When all the commotion at Gangnyeongjeon Hall had finally subsided, Soheon offered her farewell and returned to the Royal Infirmary. Once she, too, had disappeared, silence washed over the courtyard. That silence soon transformed into fear and responsibility, pressing heavily upon Hahm’s shoulders as he stood alone.
Since becoming Crown Prince, fear and responsibility had followed him like twin shadows. He had been hastily invested after his elder brother’s death. A crown prince born of a concubine—lacking legitimacy. That label trailed him everywhere, and because of it, he could never reveal weakness to anyone.
Whenever his heart felt burdened, he would retreat to a small pavilion beside the Eastern Palace—an isolated place where no one else dared tread.
Inside stood a worn wooden soban table, its surface beaded with dew as if marking the shift in temperature. Climbing into the pavilion, he exhaled heavily as fatigue swept over him.
We have overcome this crisis… but how long can we keep this up?
At the end of that thought, Soheon came to mind. It was because of her that today’s danger had passed—because of her that this entire plan had even been possible.
A faint smile curved his lips. And like water flowing upstream, his memory drifted far into the past.
At thirteen, Prince Inseon, Lee Hahm, had once slipped away from a tedious lecture and wandered into the rear garden. There, he saw a bird with a broken wing. Blood trickled from its fractured tip, yet he merely thought, How pitiful, and walked on.
Strangely, however, the image lingered in his mind. Making an excuse to stroll, he returned a few minutes later—and witnessed something unexpected.
“Oh dear… what should I do?”
The voice was desperate and tender. Near the reeds by the pond crouched a young girl. From her attire, she appeared to be a medical woman from the Royal Infirmary.
“Little one, hold on. I’ll fix you. Oh—perhaps I shouldn’t call myself unni.”
She spoke to the bird with awkward affection as she tore a strip from her skirt and carefully wrapped its wound. Her touch was so gentle, so devoted—it was as though she were handling the most precious treasure in the world.
“You’ll be all right. I am a physician who heals lives. No matter how small, a life is precious. You are my patient, too.”
“Bring the bird to my quarters. It may have been injured because of me, so I will take responsibility.”
Unable to suppress the stir in his chest, he stepped forward and spoke. The startled girl looked up, quickly realizing the speaker was Prince Inseon, and bowed at once.
“You are a medical woman. What is your name?”
“Yun Soheon, Your Highness.”
“Yun Soheon.”
He repeated the name inwardly, as though afraid to forget it.
From that day on, Hahm and Soheon met daily to care for the bird. She cleaned it with small, careful hands, ground medicines for it, and he quietly assisted at her side. Amid the cold tension of palace life, those moments alone brought him warmth.
At the time, he himself was under scrutiny—checked and restrained by the faction supporting the crown prince, simply because he was the son of a concubine. Surrounded by watchful eyes and pressure, he had grown sensitive, even weary of trusting others. He had no space in his heart to truly see anyone.
All he had ever been taught were the principles of ruling the people and governing the state. He had never deeply considered the sanctity of life. In the royal court, lives that challenged authority were cut down without hesitation. Yet before him stood a girl who cherished even the life of a single small bird.
“Your Highness, if we care for it diligently just a few more days, it will fly again.”
Her face blossomed into a radiant smile—bright and pure as spring sunlight.
And a few days later, he witnessed a miracle. The bird she had tended truly took flight once more.
“Fly!”
Together they released it into the sky, smiling brightly. After a few uncertain flaps, it soared upward with strength. Soheon’s face overflowed with innocent joy.
Watching her, something warm surged deep within his chest.
After that, he would often observe her from afar—treating patients, instructing junior medical women, studying medicinal herbs alone.
If someone possesses such a heart…
A resolve slowly formed within him: if ever he had the chance, he would create a country where people like Soheon could freely carry out good deeds.
One day, pretending coincidence, Hahm lingered near the Royal Infirmary hoping to encounter her. Soheon, in a rush, dashed across the courtyard. A book clutched tightly to her chest slipped loose, brushed her foot, and fell to the ground. Dust rose; its pages fluttered quietly in the breeze. She did not notice and ran on.
He picked it up at once. The cover bore no title.
Idly, he opened it.
The first page. The next.
His eyes trembled in disbelief as he read. Each word struck his heart. He turned the pages more quickly—strange arrangements of acupuncture points, unfamiliar combinations of herbs. Then his fingers froze at a phrase:
The method of deceiving death.
“…Such a thing exists?”
He shut the book swiftly and glanced around. Thankfully, no one had seen. Beckoning his bodyguard, he spoke in a low voice.
“Return this book to Medical Woman Yun’s quarters without anyone noticing. And you must not open it.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Even after the guard left, Hahm remained standing there, his gaze dark and troubled.
He slowly emerged from the memory. The sun now hung high, filling the pavilion with warm spring light.
Yes… I have known since then what kind of person you are.
After resting, he made his way toward the Royal Infirmary as if seeking someone. He wished to see her face. Only then, he felt, could he resume his duties.
Soheon was busy before the herb shelves when he approached quietly.
“Medical Woman Yun.”
“Your Highness? What brings you here?”
“You’ve done nothing but work and haven’t rested. Shall we take a brief walk?”
She looked at him silently, surprise and caution mingling in her eyes. After a moment’s thought, she nodded.
He walked ahead, she followed, as they strolled along the rear garden path. The afternoon sun scattered gold across the ground, and a gentle breeze stirred her skirt. Hahm cast a sidelong glance at her walking behind him.
“I know I am asking much of you lately. Concealing Father in this manner—how painful it must be for someone as upright as you. Because of you, we have managed well. I am truly grateful. Without you… I would no longer be standing where I am.”
It was true. Without her, he would likely have long since lost his position.
Warmth filled Soheon’s heart at his sincerity. Yet a question she had long harbored rose to her lips.
“Your Highness seemed to know of the secret remedy I am performing. How did you know such a thing was possible?”
He fell silent for a moment, choosing his words. The wind rustled through leaves between them.
“I had heard many say your medical skill surpasses most physicians. And… I once read the first few lines of a book you treasure.”
“What? How did Your Highness see that book?”
“Someday, when the time is right, I will tell you.”
She gazed at him in bewilderment, but he averted his eyes, as if unable to speak further.
Though doubt lingered in her heart, she merely nodded. As a medical woman, she could not dare press the Crown Prince about his secrets.
Unaware of the watchful eyes observing them from afar, their walk continued for a long while.
