LCSB 12

Chapter 12

“Royal Mother. Your son, Yun, has come.”

The Crown Prince carefully announced himself as he entered the sleeping chamber of Tongmyeongjeon, the residence of Queen Min.

Because of a severe abscess, the Queen had been bedridden for a long time.

Pus continuously seeped from the festering wound, filling the room with a foul stench.

“…Crown Prince, you’ve come.”

The Queen slowly opened her eyes.

There was no light left in them.

Her body was frail and emaciated, her face ashen, her lips dry and cracked.

She looked less alive than dead.

And so was the pain she endured. The suffering consuming her youth was far too cruel for any living person to bear.

Every kind of medicinal herb and acupuncture treatment had been tried, yet everyone already sensed the truth.

The end was near.

“Royal Mother. How are you feeling today?”

“With each passing day, the pain only worsens. But the fact that Your Highness comes to see me every day with such devotion… that alone is my comfort.”

The Queen blinked heavily.

“How such a good and gentle child like you could come from a woman like her…”

“……”

The Crown Prince lowered his gaze.

The knuckles of the hand pressed against the floor turned white.

“Do not think I speak ill of your birth mother. I say these things only because I cherish you deeply. Do you understand?”

“…Yes, Royal Mother.”

The Crown Prince’s voice trembled softly.

Just then, a court lady announced the arrival of the royal physician.

After paying his respects and leaving the Queen’s quarters, the Crown Prince let out a deep sigh.

Grinding his teeth, he walked on while unconsciously thumping his chest with his fist.

“Bongbong! Go fetch Head Court Lady Han!”

“Yes!”

“Bongbong! Call Bija on your way there!”

“Yes!”

“Bongbong, could you tell the laundry room to bring two buckets of water?”

“Yes! Right away!”

Starting the day after Sukjeong visited, Chwiseondang became overwhelmingly busy.

Lunar New Year was just around the corner.

Carts sent from the Saongwon arrived one after another.

They were loaded not only with meat, fish, and fruit, but also rice cakes, sweets, and alcohol prepared by the royal confectionery kitchen.

And that wasn’t all. Gifts sent by officials and powerful noble families kept pouring in without pause.

So there are still many people who believe Lady Jang will regain power.

That was the conclusion I reached while staring at the silk-wrapped bundles piled high outside Lady Heebin’s residence.

In any case, preparing food and organizing all the gifts were tasks for the palace maids.

From the royal kitchen came delicious smells of frying, boiling, and roasting all day long.

Even children weren’t exempt.

Of course, since I couldn’t cook or do heavy labor, I ended up handling all the errands.

“Tired, Bongbong?”

Before I noticed, Seolhyang had approached and wiped the sweat from my forehead. The savory scent of oil clung to her sleeves.

“Just endure today. Once today’s over, you’ll get to rest.”

As Seolhyang said, the palace did have its own version of welfare.

During holidays, most palace workers were given leave. Officials stopped working, and court ladies usually returned home to spend time with their families.

Of course, that didn’t apply to an orphan with nowhere to go like me.

“It’s busy, so I should go. Hang in there, little lucky charm.”

After checking her surroundings, Seolhyang secretly popped a freshly fried jeonyueo into my mouth.

“Hot hot hot!”

“Oh dear, are you okay?”

“I-It’s hot, but it’s really good. Hehe… Anyway, I should go do more errands too.”

From the laundry room to the kitchen, from the confectionery room back to the kitchen again…

My legs are killing me.

By the time the work was finally done, dusk had already settled.

As I sat on the wooden floor rubbing my aching legs, Head Court Lady Han called for me.

“Bongbong.”

“Yes, Court Lady.”

“There’s one more errand. Go to the Eastern Palace and tell Court Eunuch Moon to come over for a moment.”

“The Eastern Palace… you mean Jeoseungjeon?”

“You’ve already memorized the names of the palace buildings? How clever.”

Court Lady Han gently stroked my head in approval.

“Once you return from Jeoseungjeon, you may go straight back to your quarters and rest.”

“Yes, Court Lady. I’ll be back soon.”

I cheerfully left Chwiseondang.

I was exhausted from running around all day, but…

I get to see Jeoseungjeon in person? What luck.

Despite its ominous-sounding name, Jeoseungjeon literally meant “the residence where the future king stays.”

It was also a place that had burned down during King Yeongjo’s reign and survived only in historical records in modern times.

I wonder what the Crown Prince’s residence looks like.

Filled with excitement, I peeked around the entrance to Jeoseungjeon.

Huh?

There wasn’t a single palace servant in sight. The place was strangely quiet.

Carefully, I crept into the inner courtyard.

…The Crown Prince?

A figure wearing blue dragon robes sat alone in the pavilion.

His shoulders look so slumped.

Looking closer, his body seemed to tremble slightly.

Is he crying…?

For someone only twelve years old, his back looked unbearably lonely.

Suddenly, I thought of the life he had lived.

There probably aren’t many people who suffered as much emotionally as the Crown Prince.

King Gyeongjong Yi Yun was called “the tragic king” not simply because he died young.

He had essentially grown up in what was no different from a battlefield.

To compare it to modern times—

It was like your father, who once acted as though he shared an eternal love with your mother, suddenly reconciling with his ex-wife. Yet at the same time, he refused to leave your mother and kept her as his mistress.

And eventually, that father kills your mother.

They say that when Sukjong ordered Lady Jang’s execution, the Crown Prince begged to die alongside her.

I couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of feelings a fourteen-year-old boy must have had to say something like that.

Without thinking, I started walking toward the pavilion.

Just as I got close—

“Did I not order everyone to leave? I wish to be alone.”

Without even turning around, the Crown Prince spoke.

At the end of his cold, detached voice was the faintest tremor—so unlike the kindness he had shown during our first meeting.

“S-Sorry, Your Highness. I was looking for Court Eunuch Moon…”

At that, the Crown Prince turned his head.

“…It was you.”

“Yes, Your Highness. It’s me.”

“Your name was Bongbong, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, Your Highness. Spring Bongbong.”

His gloomy face seemed to brighten ever so slightly.

“Court Eunuch Moon is not here at the moment. What business did you have with him?”

“Court Lady Han was looking for him.”

“I see. Then I shall pass the message along myself.”

“Yes, Your Highness. Thank you.”

I stood there awkwardly for a moment.

I knew I should leave, but at the same time, I felt uneasy about leaving the Crown Prince alone.

As I blinked uncertainly, he gestured toward me.

“Don’t just stand there. Sit down.”

“Is that really okay?”

“Of course.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Heave-ho.

As I struggled to climb up into the pavilion, a faint smile crossed the Crown Prince’s face.

…Instead of laughing, maybe help me a little.

I briefly resented him, but somehow I managed to make it up safely.

“……”

When I glanced at him, the corners of his eyes were red.

He looked utterly exhausted.

“Your Highness…”

“Yes?”

“Did… something difficult happen?”

At my absentminded question, the Crown Prince seemed slightly startled.

He laughed awkwardly.

“Ha ha. I suppose it does seem that way. Then… what about you, Bongbong? How was your day?”

“It wasn’t an easy day for me either.”

“Really?”

The Crown Prince nodded.

“Perhaps today was difficult for all of us.”

There was no energy in his voice.

Swinging my legs that couldn’t quite reach the floor, I asked him:

“Your Highness. Why are you having a hard time?”

“…Then what about you?”

“Me? Well… living itself is hard.”

The Crown Prince let out a quiet laugh.

But his expression still didn’t brighten.

Then he spoke.

“To tell the truth… I feel the same way.”

Silence settled between us. Neither of us spoke for a long while.

I thought about the sorrow this twelve-year-old boy already carried—and the even greater sorrow that would continue to crush him in the future.

I pitied him.

It was an emotion completely out of place considering my own circumstances, but I truly did.

Then the Crown Prince spoke again.

“Bongbong. Sometimes I think this.”

“What kind of thought?”

“That perhaps… I am the seed of all this misfortune.”

His words left me speechless.

But the Crown Prince seemed to think a child like me wouldn’t understand what he meant.

“If I had never been born, perhaps the palace would have been far more peaceful. No… I’m certain it would have been better that way.”

His shoulders drooped lower.

“Because of me, many people died. And even now, too many people are still hurt simply because I exist.”

I stared at him silently, biting down hard on my lip.

So that was it.

The Crown Prince was drowning in guilt.

If he had never been born, there would have been no bloody political struggle over naming the royal heir.

No chaos where Lady Heebin became queen simply because she bore the king’s eldest son, and no deposition of the Queen.

And afterward, there would have been no tragedy of the Queen’s restoration and Lady Heebin’s downfall.

I looked steadily at the Crown Prince.

He looked mature for his age, but in the end, he was only twelve.

He was still just a child.

“Your Highness.”

I spoke quietly.

Though the words came from the mouth of a small child, I hoped with all my heart they might comfort him.

“It’s not Your Highness’s fault.”

The Crown Prince stared at me blankly.

“It’s not your fault. The adults… the adults are the ones who did wrong.”

Pat, pat.

Carefully, I patted his shoulder.

The Crown Prince drew in a deep breath. His lips trembled violently.

A drop of water splashed onto the hem of his dragon robe.

…I pretended not to notice.