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Chapter 8
“…My water bucket.”
No matter how much she looked around, she couldn’t find it. The other buckets were much bigger and too heavy for her to carry.
“Thieves… As if I wasn’t poor enough already.”
She grumbled under her breath and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. Fresh blood, not yet dried, smeared across her fingers.
I’d better wash my face when I get back.
Samcheon started walking toward Mokseo Palace.
Several times she wanted nothing more than to lie down again, but she forced herself to keep going. Just as dizziness began to overwhelm her, the eaves of Mokseo Palace finally came into view in the distance.
Relief washed over her.
Then she noticed someone squatting in front of the entrance.
Your Highness?
It was Gyesan.
The moment he spotted Samcheon, he sprang to his feet and ran toward her.
“Samcheon!”
His face twisted in alarm.
Did something happen again? Why is he outside?
She tried to ask, but her vision suddenly blurred.
With a soft thud, she collapsed where she stood.
The first thing Samcheon saw when she regained consciousness was Gyesan’s swollen, puffy eyes.
“Your Highness… why…?”
Why are your eyes so swollen?
She wanted to ask, but only a hoarse, cracked voice escaped her lips.
Why does my voice sound like this?
She tried to raise a hand to her throat, but her arm barely responded.
…Ah. I got beaten.
Only then did real worry set in.
Did they seriously injure me?
Every joint in her body throbbed violently. Nausea surged up her throat, and she took several deep breaths to calm her stomach.
“Samcheon…”
Gyesan’s voice trembled as he fought back tears.
“I’m… okay now.”
After answering with difficulty, she noticed the ceiling beyond his shoulder.
He must’ve had a hard time carrying me.
Our prince is stronger than he looks.
“Thank you… for bringing me inside.”
If she’d been left lying outside on the ground, half her face might have frozen from the cold.
“Don’t die.”
“I won’t.”
She tried to brush it off with a bitter smile, but when their eyes met, the overwhelming fear reflected in his gaze swallowed her whole.
“You’re all I have left. Don’t leave me behind and die.”
The desperation in his voice startled her.
“I-I’ll live a long, healthy life. I’ll even outlive Your Highness.”
“Promise me.”
“I promise. Besides… why do you say I’m all you have? Mokseo Palace belongs to you, and now you even have that gold chest.”
“You think those things are the same as you?”
Gyesan snapped before finally bursting into tears.
“I really hate you.”
“Please don’t cry. I’m really fine.”
“Do you even know how awful you look right now?”
“You’re a mess too, Your Highness. Your eyes are completely swollen.”
“I know.”
Apparently dissatisfied with her answer, Gyesan puffed out his lips.
For some reason, the sight was adorable.
Samcheon couldn’t help smiling.
Her entire body ached. Even moving a finger was difficult.
Yet her heart felt strangely warm.
Those swollen eyes seemed to tell her, You’re precious to me.
If I told him I was happy because he cried for me… he’d probably scold me again.
“Even if you hate me, it won’t do any good. I’m going to stick right by Your Highness’s side and never leave.”
“…Do whatever you want.”
“Yes!”
Still…
Did anything actually break?
She cautiously lifted one arm.
It hurt, but it moved.
Oh… thank goodness. My legs still have strength too.
As she carefully checked the rest of her body, she suddenly noticed something odd.
The blanket was incredibly soft.
And the bed felt much wider than usual.
Wait…
Is this… the prince’s bedchamber?
Oh no…
She was lying on Gyesan’s own bed.
Cold sweat trickled down her back.
She hurriedly tried to sit up, but Gyesan stopped her with one hand.
“Don’t get up. You need more rest.”
Forced back onto the mattress, Samcheon looked up at him with pleading eyes.
“I’ll go rest in my own room.”
“No. I won’t allow it. More importantly… who was it? If you don’t know their names, at least tell me what they looked like. It was someone from Yeonhwa Palace, wasn’t it?”
His eyes blazed with determination, as though he intended to avenge her.
Completely unaware that his naturally gentle eyes only looked cuter now that they were swollen.
Samcheon’s brows drooped slightly.
“They threw a blanket over me and beat me up. They were really awful.”
“I won’t let them get away with it.”
Just watching Gyesan fume caused the knot in her heart to slowly loosen.
“It was dark, and everything happened so fast. I couldn’t see who they were. It’s so frustrating.”
If Gyesan got involved now, things would only escalate.
The Hae family was not an opponent to be taken lightly.
She wanted to let the matter pass without cornering them.
But Gyesan refused to back down.
“It’s okay. Just tell me who they were.”
Remembering the rain of kicks that had fallen on her, Samcheon finally answered.
“I really didn’t see them. If I knew who it was, Your Highness would’ve taught them a proper lesson. That’s what makes it so frustrating.”
Realizing she had no intention of telling him, Gyesan’s shoulders slumped.
“I should’ve protected you.”
“You’re still young, Your Highness. When you’re older, you can protect me then.”
“Don’t talk like some old geezer. You! We’re the same age!”
Samcheon smiled brightly.
She simply adored her kindhearted master.
Just then, unexpected footsteps echoed from outside the bedchamber.
“What? I called, so why isn’t anyone answering?”
Gyesan and Samcheon exchanged glances.
Without waiting for permission, the familiar but unwelcome visitor flung open the bedroom doors.
The newcomer froze upon seeing the two of them.
His eyes moved from Gyesan’s face to Samcheon’s…
Then he burst into loud laughter.
“What happened to you two? One of you’s got fish eyes, and the other’s got a black eye the size of a chestnut! And what’s with Samcheon’s cheek? Did you hit her?”
Startled by the sudden visitor, Gyesan quickly climbed down from the bed.
“I thought you’d gone back to Ungjin Castle?”
“What do you mean ‘you’? Show some respect to your older brother. Big Brother stayed behind. Mother and I were the only ones who came back.”
The moment Samcheon recognized the handsome young man’s face, her lips parted slightly.
The second son of the Secondary Consort Baek…
The thirtieth prince, Hwi.
The arrogant little troublemaker had returned after an entire year.
“Hey. Was it you who beat up Samcheon?”
Standing with an insolent swagger, Hwi grabbed a passing palace servant and questioned him.
Gyesan, who had been watching with great interest, immediately copied him.
“Was it you?”
Caught between the two princes, the servant respectfully bowed.
“I don’t know who Lady Samcheon is, but no such thing happened.”
“You sure? Samcheon, the maid from Mokseo Palace.”
The servant recalled the young palace maid with the large, bright eyes.
“So… something happened to that maid?”
“She got beaten until she was practically unrecognizable.”
Realizing what had happened, the servant looked troubled.
There was a high chance it involved Yeonhwa Palace.
The problem was that Yeonhwa Palace wielded tremendous influence.
One wrong word could bring disaster upon him.
So he chose his words carefully.
“I’m sorry, but I know nothing about the matter.”
“Fine. You can go.”
Hwi let him pass.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
The servant hurried away as though escaping with his life.
That was only the beginning.
Every palace servant who walked by found Hwi blocking their path, demanding,
“Was it you?”
Whenever a maid from Yeonhwa Palace appeared, he became especially relentless.
“You, right? You’re the one who beat up Samcheon, aren’t you? Huh? You just avoided my eyes. So it was you?”
“Hwi, I think it’s her too.”
With Gyesan chiming in beside him, the terrified maid collapsed flat onto the ground.
“N-No! It wasn’t me!”
Despite her desperate denial, Hwi wasn’t the sort of person who listened.
“What do you mean it wasn’t? Your face says otherwise. Feeling good about beating up such a tiny kid? And now you’re pretending to be the victim?”
“I swear it wasn’t me! I’m innocent! Please believe me!”
Too frightened to even raise her head, the maid pleaded desperately.
“If it wasn’t you, then who was it? Give me names. Give me three names, and I’ll let you go. There’s no way one person alone beat a child into that condition.”
The maid repeatedly begged for mercy, bowing until her forehead nearly touched the ground.
Still, she had to endure Hwi’s relentless,
“I still think it was you.”
Eventually, she was on the verge of tears.
Only after Hwi finally said,
“Fine. Get lost.”
did she scramble back toward Yeonhwa Palace as though fleeing for her life.
Watching from the side, Gyesan felt as though years of pent-up frustration had finally been released.
“Hwi, you’re amazing. If we keep investigating like this, we’ll eventually figure out who beat up Samcheon.”
With his arms crossed and a crooked grin on his face, Hwi replied,
“We won’t.”
