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Chapter 44
A Suspicious Act of Kindness
Sukbin came to Chwiseondang.
Sukbin was requesting an audience with Huibin…
The news left everyone stunned.
Huibin, Head Court Lady Han, and even me.
“Why now, of all times…?”
It was suspicious beyond belief.
A fire had broken out at the exact moment when everyone except Huibin had left Chwiseondang.
Naturally, it was a situation that made one suspect arson by an outsider.
Of course, it was possible that she had heard about the fire and come out of concern.
But considering the usual relationship between Huibin and Sukbin, that was almost impossible.
“At a time like this, Sukbin. I cannot say I’m pleased, but I cannot send her away either.”
“Yes. I believe it would be best to meet with her for now.”
“I have no intention of looking at her face for long, so this conversation will be brief.”
Huibin was just about to rise from her seat.
No.
Almost instinctively, I grabbed the hem of Huibin’s skirt.
“Bongbong. Why are you doing that?”
“Um… Huibin-jaga. Could you stay with me?”
“My child. I will meet Sukbin and return shortly. Just wait a little…”
“I don’t want to be alone…”
I desperately tried to force tears into my eyes.
I have to find out what Sukbin is planning.
I desperately needed to know why Sukbin had come to Chwiseondang.
“…Bongbong.”
The moment Huibin saw my tear-filled face, her gaze trembled violently.
She silenced Head Court Lady Han, who seemed about to say something, with a gesture.
“Head Court Lady Han.”
“Yes, Jaga.”
Huibin gave a quiet order.
“Bring Sukbin here.”
That’s quite a frightening expression.
I watched Sukbin enter the room with an icy, hardened face.
It was only natural.
No matter how poor their relationship was, Sukbin was still a guest visiting Chwiseondang.
Moreover, both Huibin and Sukbin held the same Senior First Rank status.
Yet instead of receiving her in a sitting room or pavilion, Huibin had summoned her into a tiny maid’s quarters.
From Sukbin’s perspective, it was a considerable insult.
But she didn’t come alone.
Sukbin was accompanied by two young court maids.
Their faces were familiar to me.
They were among the maids who had threatened me with switches in front of Bogyeongdang before.
“As you can see, circumstances prevent me from receiving you elsewhere. Why have you come to Chwiseondang, Sukbin?”
Huibin’s attitude was just as cold.
She barely spared Sukbin a glance.
She hadn’t even offered a proper greeting.
Even so, Sukbin maintained her composure remarkably well.
With her usual elegant and serene expression, she spoke.
“Huibin-jaga. I heard there was a fire. You must have been greatly startled. Were you injured—”
“I’m sorry, but I have no time for lengthy conversation.”
“…”
“So tell me why you’ve come. If your purpose is merely to ask after my well-being, then leave.”
Huibin’s voice was cold and imposing.
The Huibin who stared endlessly at the King with eyes full of sorrow, longing, love, resentment, and yearning.
The Huibin who held me and wept without restraint.
The human side of Huibin I had come to know recently.
But the Huibin who faced Sukbin or the other consorts was a completely different person.
A ruler.
A commander.
Someone who showed not a shred of mercy to her enemies.
With that merciless authority, Huibin stared directly at Sukbin.
“Hmm…”
Sukbin let out a small sigh.
“Then I shall speak only of the matter at hand. Around the time the fire broke out in Chwiseondang, the maids of my residence witnessed something suspicious. That is why I brought them with me.”
“…Something suspicious?”
Huibin asked skeptically.
Sukbin turned to the maids.
“Speak.”
“Yes, Jaga.”
One of the maids stepped forward first.
“My companion and I were passing near Chwiseondang because we wanted to watch the rat-fire festival. While we were there, we saw a maid carrying a flame heading toward Chwiseondang.”
“Yes. At first we thought nothing of it, but… the timing seems to match exactly when the fire occurred. So we reported it to Sukbin-jaga.”
“…”
Huibin looked unconvinced.
I felt the same.
It was incredibly difficult to guess Sukbin’s true intentions.
A maid carrying a flame?
Even if the maids from Bogyeongdang had genuinely witnessed something suspicious…
Why would Sukbin bother telling Huibin?
Sukbin never acts without a motive. There must be a reason…
While Huibin remained silent, Head Court Lady Han questioned the maids.
“What kind of maid did you see? Describe her appearance and characteristics.”
The maid answered as if she had been waiting for the question.
“She was a young maid. Around ten years old. Thin and slender.”
A chilling silence settled over the room.
A slender ten-year-old maid.
That description could only mean Yonghui.
In that instant, realization struck me like a blow to the head.
Sukbin is cutting off a loose end.
Sukbin personally coming to Chwiseondang.
Enduring Huibin’s blatant disrespect.
Bringing her own maids forward.
And exposing the existence of her spy, Yonghui, to the surface…
The meaning was obvious.
Either Sukbin discovered that Yonghui’s identity as a spy had been exposed, or Yonghui has outlived her usefulness.
Perhaps both.
And the person who uncovered Yonghui’s identity…
…was me.
Still pretending to sleep, I opened my eyes slightly and watched Sukbin.
Because I was lying down, I could clearly see the expression on her lowered face.
She no longer wore her usual gentle smile.
She looked thoughtful.
Calculating.
Waiting for the right moment.
Then a powerful suspicion seized me.
What if Sukbin was the one who ordered Yonghui to start the fire?
Every clue pointed toward Sukbin.
The missing piece that explained Yonghui’s actions—actions that could never be justified merely because she was a “bad child.”
Sukbin held all those answers.
At last, Sukbin raised her head.
Once again, she wore the face of an innocent and virtuous woman.
“Have you told everything you saw?”
“Yes. We have omitted nothing.”
“Then leave us.”
“Yes, Sukbin-jaga.”
The maids withdrew.
Only then did Huibin finally speak.
“So. A child maid from my residence set fire to Chwiseondang.”
“It may have been an accident rather than deliberate. Even so, she cannot escape punishment…”
“Whether punishment is given or not is for me to decide. Before that.”
Huibin slightly raised her chin and looked down at Sukbin.
“What reason do I have to believe your words?”
…That was a relief.
Regardless of whether the story was true, Huibin was not someone who could be easily manipulated by Sukbin.
“Hah… If you choose not to believe me, there is nothing I can do. Huibin-jaga, I did not particularly wish to involve myself in Chwiseondang’s affairs either.”
“If you did not wish to, why come?”
“Because my people happened to witness something. Setting fire within the palace is a grave crime deserving severe punishment, even if it was an accident.”
Sukbin let out a weary sigh.
“From my perspective, I acted out of goodwill.”
“…Goodwill. Toward me?”
“Yes. If you truly dislike hearing it, then simply pretend I said nothing. I will ensure my maids keep silent.”
“…”
I could see a subtle shift in Huibin’s expression.
No.
If Huibin accepted Sukbin’s words at face value, Yonghui would simply be expelled from Chwiseondang and disappear from the stage.
And the fact that Sukbin planted a spy would remain buried forever.
I couldn’t allow that.
I had to find some way…
Just then—
“Huibin-jaga. We have brought Yonghui.”
It was Court Lady Min.
After hearing the maids’ testimony outside, she had apparently brought Yonghui along.
For the first time, Sukbin visibly lost her composure.
She clearly had not expected to face Yonghui directly.
Yonghui froze when she saw Sukbin.
But Sukbin ignored her gaze as though she had seen nothing at all.
“Then please investigate the matter thoroughly. I have other business and shall take my leave—”
No!
Sukbin was trying to escape.
Thanks to Court Lady Min, a miraculous opportunity had appeared.
Huibin, Sukbin, and Yonghui were all together in one room.
And now Sukbin intended to slip away?
Absolutely not.
But… if I choose this path, there will be no turning back.
For a moment, I agonized over the decision.
Meanwhile, Sukbin turned to leave.
I can’t let her go like this!
So I made my choice.
Jumping upright without any regard for pretending to sleep, I suddenly called out.
“Sukbin-jaga!”
“…?”
Sukbin turned toward me.
Whew.
I took a deep breath first.
“That message you told me to pass to Yonghui-hamama.”
“…”
“I was so distracted that I forgot to deliver it.”
An icy silence spread through the room.
Then I spoke the words that would forever define the relationship between Sukbin and me as one between enemies.
“Sukbin-jaga told me to say this to Yonghui-hamama.”
I stared straight at Sukbin and said:
“You told me to tell her…”
“Full Moon Night.”
