Chapter 6

“W-Wait a second. Her Majesty told you to do that?”

Samcheon’s eyes shook with alarm.

“I asked for it. I have you, don’t I? We’ll manage just fine together.”

If the Grand Queen Dowager took charge of Mokseo Palace, it would mean far more than simply administering the princess’s household funds. It would mean becoming Gyesan’s guardian until she married.

And yet… she had thrown that opportunity away herself.

“Your Highness…”

Could it still be undone somehow?

As Samcheon desperately searched for another solution, Gyesan smiled brightly.

“When the Grand Queen Dowager said she’d personally look after me, I remembered what you told me. You said I needed an adult I could trust.”

“Yes. I did.”

Among everyone who lived in the eastern palace district—the king’s consorts and royal children—there was no one more powerful or dependable than the Grand Queen Dowager. With Lady Hae being the next most influential figure, the Grand Queen Dowager’s protection had seemed indispensable.

“This was my first time meeting her properly. She may be the elder of the royal family, but whether I can trust her is another matter.”

“…”

Gyesan was right.

The Grand Queen Dowager had also neglected her until problems surfaced. Expecting her to suddenly become devoted was only an assumption.

As Samcheon blinked silently, Gyesan beamed.

“I did well, didn’t I?”

Once Gyesan made a decision, Samcheon would follow it.

That meant Samcheon’s new task was clear:

Find an adult who, even without great power, could truly be trusted.

“Then I’ll see if we can bring Deoksim back.”

The first person who came to mind was Deoksim, the cook who had once overseen Mokseo Palace’s kitchen. She had come from Lady Jeong’s family estate and was both kindhearted and endlessly caring.

At the mention of Deoksim, Gyesan’s eyes sparkled.

“Really? She’d come back?”

“I’ll ask her if she’d be willing to return to the palace.”

“Then we’ll finally get to eat warm meals again!”

“Of course. Is there any other palace maid you’d like to bring back? I’ll have to see if they can be reinstated first.”

Samcheon mentally reviewed all the palace maids who had once worked in Mokseo Palace. Whoever returned would have to help manage the palace until Gyesan came of age, so they had to be someone reliable.

But Gyesan simply smiled.

“I don’t need any maid except you.”

For Mokseo Palace, Samcheon alone was enough.

The palace wasn’t meant to become large again.

Gyesan decided it only needed enough people to live comfortably, so she hired a single outside servant.

She also sent word to Deoksim.

Perhaps because the Grand Queen Dowager had quietly intervened, every procedure went surprisingly smoothly.

After calculating the finances, they discovered something astonishing.

Even after hiring a new swordsmanship instructor, serving meat with every meal, and providing dessert as well, there would still be money left from the palace allowance.

Not just a little.

A lot.

Since food supplies and clothing were already provided as standard, the allowance would only continue to accumulate.

Samcheon immediately established Mokseo Palace’s first financial goal.

To save enough money to buy Gyesan a proper sword.

A masterpiece forged by a famous smith cost as much as several tiled-roof houses, but…

I’ll save little by little until our princess walks nothing but a road of flowers.

Filled with excitement, Samcheon headed toward Gyesan’s room to share the good news that they were practically rich now.

She stopped outside the door, about to announce herself, when something felt wrong.

Soft sobbing drifted through the door.

Perhaps…

Perhaps Gyesan had often cried in secret.

After losing her own mother, Samcheon had cried for nearly a year without knowing why.

Back then, the ones who had reached out to her were Lady Jeong… and Gyesan.

Remembering those days, Samcheon clenched her fists before returning to her own room to fetch her bedding.

Carrying a rolled blanket and wooden pillow in her arms, she returned to Gyesan’s door.

“Your Highness, it’s Samcheon. I’m coming in.”

Without waiting for permission, she opened the door.

She spread her bedding across the floor and set down her pillow.

Gyesan, who had been sitting on the bed, stared at her in bewilderment.

“What are you doing?”

Keeping her back turned so Gyesan wouldn’t see her tear-filled eyes, Samcheon answered,

“I’ll sleep here tonight. You can cry until you fall asleep.”

“…Shouldn’t you be telling me to stop crying?”

“You’re sad, aren’t you? Cry as much as you need to. I’ll stay with you.”

Gyesan blinked.

Tears began falling freely down her cheeks.

As Samcheon awkwardly patted her own blanket smooth, she spoke quietly.

“…After my mother died… I hated lying alone at night more than anything.”

“I was scared.”

“But I’m the mistress of Mokseo Palace,” Gyesan protested. “There’s nothing for me to be afraid of.”

She tried to sound brave.

It didn’t fool Samcheon.

“I’m the one who’s scared.”

“…Then… you can sleep there.”

“Yes.”

Samcheon folded her blanket in half and slipped inside.

She even remembered to turn away so Gyesan could cry without feeling embarrassed.

The floor was hard.

Cold seeped upward through it.

Still…

She could endure it.

Just as she was drifting toward sleep, the chirping of crickets broke the silence.

Then Gyesan spoke.

“Someday… you’ll leave too, won’t you? When even you’re gone… what will I do all alone?”

The unexpected question instantly chased away Samcheon’s drowsiness.

“Where would I even go? I don’t have anywhere to go.”

“You said your father would come for you.”

Had she said that?

Well… when she’d first entered the palace, her father had promised exactly that.

That he’d save enough money and come take her home someday.

“He won’t.”

“It’s been over five years without a single word.”

“But still…”

“My father raises fighting dogs.”

“What does that mean?”

“He makes dogs fight each other and bets on which one will win.”

“The king does something similar.”

“He pits his children against each other and watches to see which one wins.”

Samcheon shot upright as though cold water had been poured over her.

A chill ran down her spine.

“You must never say something like that!”

“Who told you that?”

“I overheard Mother talking with Lady Sohwa and her mother when they came to visit before…”

“You must never repeat those words in front of anyone.”

Samcheon’s voice was unusually firm.

Gyesan nodded obediently.

“Okay.”

“But… isn’t it true?”

After a long moment of thought, Samcheon decided to explain it in a way Gyesan would understand.

“That’s exactly why you can’t say it.”

“If you call a smart person stupid, it’s a joke.”

“But if you call a stupid person stupid, it’s an insult.”

“Oh… insulting His Majesty isn’t allowed.”

Fortunately, Gyesan understood.

“That’s right. Don’t speak about His Majesty at all.”

“It’s fine to say you miss him… but nothing else.”

“I don’t miss him.”

“Huh?”

“I’ve never really met him.”

“They say he visited a few times when I was a baby, but I don’t remember any of it.”

A trace of resentment welled up inside Samcheon.

Why is His Majesty so indifferent to Princess Gyesan?

“Anyway… I’m not going anywhere.”

“Good!”

“Don’t leave, okay?”

“Yes.”

“…Does your cheek still hurt?”

“It only looks bad.”

“Mother told me I had to protect you.”

“She said you were one of my people.”

So Lady Jeong had left her with those words.

Samcheon could almost picture her gentle, compassionate smile.

“A little while ago…”

“Yes?”

“When you shouted ‘you’ at Lady Hae earlier… I was honestly terrified.”

“But it also felt incredibly satisfying.”

“See?”

“I told you to trust me.”

“From now on, I’ll take good care of you.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll trust only you, Your Highness.”

Smiling softly, Samcheon lay back down.

Truthfully…

She had also been happy when Gyesan said she needed no other palace maid.

She had been a little worried, too.

After spending the entire day under constant tension, Samcheon fell into a deep, peaceful sleep the instant she closed her eyes.

Gyesan remained awake on the bed, quietly listening to Samcheon’s gentle breathing.

Then she sat up.

Samcheon, sleeping with her back turned, had curled herself into a tiny ball.

Is she cold?

Gyesan pulled her own blanket over Samcheon.

Instinctively, Samcheon snuggled deeper beneath it, her breathing growing even softer.

Now that she’d given away her blanket, Gyesan herself would have to endure the chilly spring night.

Strangely…

She didn’t feel cold at all.

Samcheon wasn’t merely a palace maid who attended to her.

Even calling her a member of Mokseo Palace didn’t feel sufficient.

What exactly is our relationship?

If there was someone to whom she would gladly give everything she owned…

Wasn’t that what family was?

So… that’s how I think of Samcheon.

That night, Gyesan realized something.

To her…

Samcheon was her one and only family.