LCSB 49

Chapter 49

A Place Called the Palace

I had an urge to give a standing ovation to Prince Yeoning.
If it hadn’t been for him, the only piece of evidence in the case might have disappeared entirely.

After carefully laying I-hwon down on the bedding, I quickly walked over to the court lady and snatched the bowl from her hands.

“Evidence Item No. 1 confiscated.”

The court lady’s attempt to secretly take away the porridge bowl was practically a confession in itself.
Moreover, the witness was none other than a royal prince.

“At this point, there’s no way she can escape.”

The court lady would soon be taken to the Geumbu (the Royal Police Bureau), and I only hoped I-hwon’s health would not suffer any serious harm.

Just then, there was a commotion outside the door, and it suddenly swung open.

A woman in white mourning clothes rushed into the room.
Her pale face was completely drained of color, showing clear signs of illness.

“Prince Yeoning. What brings you here…?”

The woman bowed hurriedly toward Prince Yeoning.

“Lady Sukeui. You have come. The matter seemed serious, so I remained here to keep watch.”

‘Ah… so that’s Sukeui Park, I-hwon’s birth mother.’

Sukeui Park was also someone who would pass away from illness not long after.
As if she had rushed here straight from her sickbed, she looked visibly disoriented.

“I stopped the court lady from taking away the porridge bowl. It seems she must be strictly interrogated, Lady Sukeui.”

At Yeoning’s words, Sukeui nodded with a sorrowful expression.

“Yes. I will handle it. I am grateful. Because of my incompetence as a mother, such a dreadful thing happened to the young prince… How can I ever face His Majesty…”

Tears fell continuously as Sukeui held I-hwon close.

“Now that Lady Sukeui is here, Bongbong and I will take our leave. His Majesty will surely uncover the truth without fail.”

Prince Yeoning spoke reassuringly with a dignified tone.
I agreed with him.

I-hwon would later become the king’s most favored son.

It was said that if he had not died young, he might have even threatened the position of the crown prince or Prince Yeoning himself due to how deeply he was loved.

Someone had tried to poison such a child?

The king would never let this matter go lightly.

A storm of bloodshed felt inevitable.

“Let’s go, Bongbong.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

I bowed politely to Sukeui and left the room with Prince Yeoning.

Then it happened.

“Bombong!”

A clear baby voice came from behind us.

“Bobo! Bombong!”

…That sounds like it might be calling my name.

No, it can’t be. It’s just baby babbling, right?

“Bombong! Boboo! Uuuh!”

I slowly turned back toward I-hwon, who kept calling “Bombong.”

Whether he understood his mother’s tearful expression or not, he burst into a bright smile as soon as our eyes met.

It was improper for a palace maid to act like this, but somehow…

Without realizing it, I gently waved my hand.

“Hello.”

I mouthed the words silently.

Giggle.

I could hear I-hwon laughing in Sukeui’s arms.

The king’s fury was beyond imagination.

While holding court in a formal assembly, King Sukjong abruptly rose from his seat and rushed to Sungkyung Hall.

His rage was so intense that terrified court ladies fainted, and news of it soon spread to Chwiseondang.

Thanks to Prince Yeoning’s testimony—that Lady Gwon had tried to steal the bowl containing the tarakjuk porridge—the court lady was immediately taken to Geumbu.

It was only a matter of time before she confessed.
After all, severe torture awaited anyone who attempted to harm a prince.

After that confession came only one thing.

A storm of blood.

And death.

“Bongbong. This is all thanks to you.”

In Sungkyung Hall, after the chaos of the case had subsided, the Crown Prince came to visit me with a somewhat exhausted expression.

“I owe you a great debt. I truly thank you.”

“…I didn’t really do much.”

“If you hadn’t said there was a sweet taste in the tarakjuk, we cannot be sure what would have happened to Hwon. Just thinking about it sends shivers down my spine.”

The Crown Prince let out a deep sigh.

“At least it is fortunate that nothing serious happened to Hwon.”

A royal physician carefully examined I-hwon’s condition.

Fortunately, no major issues were found.

“After saving my mother, now you have also saved my younger brother…”

His eyes grew slightly moist.

“Your Highness.”

“Yes?”

“I only did what anyone should have done. I simply reported what I sensed—that there was a sweet taste—and when I saw Lady Heebin was inside the room, I went to help…”

“….”

“I only did my duty as a palace maid, so please do not say such things. I feel very embarrassed.”

The Crown Prince quietly looked at me.
His gaze was warm and gentle.

“I see. It must have been a tiring day for you as well. You should rest now. I will take my leave.”

He stood up and gently patted my head.

Even after he left, I remained seated in the same spot.

My thoughts were tangled.

A vague uneasiness and slight sadness washed over me.

It made sense.

The fire at Chwiseondang and Lady Sookbin’s threat alone had already made the past few days chaotic enough.

On top of that, there had been an attempt on the life of a mere infant prince.

Poison was used on a baby—it was no different from murder.

Poison.

The suspicions of poisoning that would later be attached to King Gyeongjong… and the early death of Prince Yeonryeong, recorded as a sudden illness…

These thoughts kept surfacing, making my mind uneasy.

‘But the real problem is… me.’

Yes. That was the problem.

Where exactly was I heading right now?

I had entered the palace with the goal of surviving by preventing Jang Heebin’s death.

It had only been a little over a month.

I had started with “my survival” as the top priority, yet I was now walking a completely different path.

I had saved Heebin in ways not originally planned, saved I-hwon from danger…

I even found myself distressed whenever I thought about the deaths of the Crown Prince and I-hwon.

I had no regrets about the choices I made so far.

And I believed I would feel the same about future choices as well.

But…

‘Isn’t this too much for someone my age to handle?’

As people who might now see me as an enemy came to mind, I felt a sudden wave of melancholy.

‘What if Lady Sookbin is involved in this?’

The thought suddenly surfaced.

Was I unfairly assuming Sookbin was a villain?

‘But in the future, as I-hwon gains the king’s favor, Yeoning’s position becomes increasingly unstable.’

If Sookbin was truly behind this incident, then the irony would be overwhelming.

Because Yeoning, Sookbin’s own son, would have ended up preventing the destruction of evidence in this case.

But I quickly shook my head.

‘Don’t jump to conclusions. There’s no evidence.’

Soon, the interrogation would begin.

King Sukjong was not someone who would let such matters slide.

It was best to wait and see the results of the investigation.

The next morning.

Unexpected news arrived.

“You heard, right?”

“Yeah. From the bathhouse attendants to the maidservants, everyone’s talking about it.”

“It’s only the beginning of the year, and already things like this…”

The court ladies were gathered in pairs, whispering.

I quickly approached Seryang and Sunrye beside me.

“Ladies! What’s going on?”

“Huh?”

Seryang’s pupils wavered when she saw me.

“W-what? Oh, nothing.”

“Yeah, Bongbong. We were just talking about what to eat for lunch.”

Seryang tried to brush it off, and Sunrye backed her up.

It was clear they had no intention of telling me what they were talking about.

Just then, Bokhee was gesturing for me from a distance.

I quickly ran over and pulled her to a corner where the other court ladies couldn’t hear.

“Sister. Everyone is whispering except me. Do you know what happened?”

“Yes, I do. Early this morning, water-fetching maidservants brought the news, and everyone went into an uproar.”

Bokhee said with a serious expression.

“Bongbong. Come closer.”

Afraid it might leak outside, Bokhee brought her lips right up to my ear and whispered.

“You know Lady Gwon, right? The court lady who was taken to Geumbu for allegedly feeding the prince poisoned porridge?”

“Yes. So?”

“She was found dead.”

“….”

This was completely unexpected.

“I only overheard it by chance, but they said her tongue was completely black.”

A chill ran down my spine.

“Bongbong. Are you shocked? Are you okay?”

“Yes… I’m fine…”

“Where are you going?”

“Uh… errands. I’ll be back soon.”

I made up an excuse and left Chwiseondang, leaving Bokhee behind.

My mind was in chaos. I was a little scared too.

I needed to sort out my thoughts.

‘A court lady died.’

A young court lady would not suddenly die the very day she was imprisoned in Geumbu.

The fact that her tongue was black made one thing clear.

Poison.

There were only two possibilities.

‘She committed suicide… or someone killed her to silence her.’

The frightened eyes I had seen when she tried to take the porridge bowl came back to me.

It felt confusing and strange.

I was the one who discovered that honey was mixed into the tarakjuk.

Which meant that if it weren’t for me, that court lady might not have died.

I knew I shouldn’t feel guilty, but her face kept flashing in my mind, making me uneasy.

“Haa…”

My heart was pounding, so I placed my hand over my chest.

Honestly, I was afraid.

A place where spies are planted to watch enemies, where schemes and plots are commonplace.

A place where even infants who cannot speak are eliminated if they are deemed a threat.

A place where if someone is suspected of being exposed, they are ruthlessly cut down and killed.

That is the palace.

This was the palace I belonged to.

Only now did I fully realize the cold truth I had been overlooking.

That Jang Heebin’s death was not the only thing putting me in danger.

In this palace, there were eyes and ears everywhere—poison, conspiracies, and unseen forces targeting me.