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Chapter 01
Morning sunlight softly shone through the large window covered with fine hanji paper.
In front of a bright silk screen embroidered with flowers and butterflies, a little girl sat, cheeks puffed out.
Her face looked like she might cry at any moment, but her clear, big eyes, pointed nose, and smooth round forehead gave her a gentle elegance beyond her years.
Still, with tears filling her eyes and her lower lip trembling, she was unmistakably a five-year-old child.
For a long while, she looked down at the writing desk with sniffles. Finally, she placed the tangram pieces she had been clutching onto the desk as if throwing them down.
Then, raising her tear-filled eyes, she looked at the middle-aged court lady watching her closely and spoke:
“Nanny.”
Tears fell like pearls as she blinked hard after speaking in a trembling voice.
“Oh, Princess!”
Lady Park, startled, quickly pulled out a silk cloth and came to sit beside her.
“Princess, why are you like this?”
Carefully wiping the tears from the little girl’s face, Lady Park held her small, soft hands gently and smiled reassuringly.
“Were you upset by the Empress’s orders this morning?”
The girl slowly shook her head, pouting.
“No, it’s not that. But I don’t like myself.”
“What? Princess, how can you say such things?”
Lady Park was shocked. Could a five-year-old princess really say this? Her eyes widened as she struggled to find words.
“Princess, please don’t say such things. I don’t know how to respond.”
The little princess clenched her fists and spoke with a wet voice:
“I’m a princess of a kingdom, and yet the palace people all call me a half-wit.”
“Oh, Princess!”
Lady Park shook her head almost tearfully.
“No one would dare say that! Everyone in this palace knows how smart you are. It’s simply not true, Princess.”
The little girl pulled her hands free and said angrily:
“It is! I know it. Even Mother must not like me.”
“No, Princess, that is impossible. The Empress loves you dearly. Today’s orders were—”
“No! Mother is embarrassed by me! She’s scared of me and seeing me is shameful!”
Tears rolled down her cheeks again as she tightly shut her eyes.
“Oh, our little princess… what can we do…”
Lady Park tenderly wiped the little girl’s soft, tear-soaked face.
“Princess, I think you misunderstood the Empress’s intention.”
Lady Park held her hands again and looked into her eyes.
“The Empress wants you to sleep well and eat well so you can grow strong, not to make you upset. Even the Crown Prince had morning lessons only after turning six.”
“Really?”
“Yes, Princess. So from now on, you only need to attend the morning meals after your breakfast. That’s all.”
“I still want to see Mother and Father…”
Lady Park sighed softly, touched by the child’s simple longing.
“The Empress even sent someone from the kitchen to help you, Princess.”
“Who?”
Her black eyes, still wet from tears, finally showed curiosity.
“A young maid from the palace kitchen, skilled in making the sweets you like, especially apple candy and honey treats. The Empress personally sent her to you.”
The little princess nodded, and Lady Park released her hand with a warm smile.
“Princess, never say such hurtful words again. Not only the Emperor and Empress, but all the people of the kingdom love you, Princess. Understand?”
The princess paused, then whispered:
“But… why is there always a strange old lady with Mother?”
“Oh, Princess!”
Lady Park was startled again, turning quickly toward the door.
“Don’t speak of such things! Remember what the royal doctor said: you are still recovering from the fever of smallpox, so you might think you see things that aren’t real. Never say it again.”
The princess reluctantly nodded, listening to Lady Park’s earnest words.
“If you sleep well and eat well, as the Empress said, you will recover completely.”
“Really?”
“Yes, Princess.”
“Then… I won’t see ghosts anymore?”
“Yes, Princess.”
Lady Park nodded, smiling gently.
From the moment she was born, the princess had been beautiful. She was the first princess in the palace, where only three princes had existed before.
The Emperor was overjoyed and personally named her Eunhye, meaning “graceful blessing.” He built her a special residence in the inner palace: Hyeshingung, where she lived.
She grew up incredibly intelligent, learning to read as soon as she spoke. She could recite all the kingdom’s texts and even follow the Crown Prince to his lessons, astonishing the court officials with her knowledge.
Her beauty was said to resemble the Empress, admired by everyone in the palace, who would invite her to their rooms just to see her charm.
But when she turned three, a terrible smallpox epidemic hit the kingdom. The youngest in the palace, the princess, was struck first.
Thanks to the Empress’s care and the palace doctors, she survived a high fever for seven days.
Yet a strange condition emerged: the little princess could see and hear things that others could not. She fainted many times, and no treatment could stop it.
Eventually, she became a child who always lowered her head, afraid of the spirits she alone could see.
The Emperor was greatly concerned and forbade anyone from speaking of her illness except Lady Park and one other maid, Han.
Rumors spread through the palace: she wandered the halls alone at night, spoke to empty air, and screamed at palace servants.
Lady Park spoke softly to her:
“It will be alright, Princess. You already overcame smallpox, which was worse than any disaster.”
The princess asked with wide, innocent eyes:
“Really… can it be okay?”
“Yes, Princess.”
At that moment, Han’s voice came from outside the paper door:
“Princess, the Empress has sent a maid from the palace kitchen to greet you.”
Lady Park smiled gently, and the princess smiled faintly in response, though she glanced nervously at the door.
“You may step forward only if you wish, Princess.”
The little princess thought carefully, then whispered:
“She is the maid sent by Mother. If I don’t greet her, it might be rude.”
Lady Park nodded sadly and replied:
“I will make sure she comes properly. Do not worry.”
When the door slowly opened, the princess instinctively closed her eyes. A chill ran over her.
“It’s a ghost! There’s a ghost with the maid sent by Mother!”
Her tiny heart thumped. She peeked and saw the maid’s white socks and dark blue skirt as she bowed.
“I am Sunmira, assigned from the Empress’s kitchen to serve you, Princess. I will serve with all my heart.”
The little princess slowly opened her eyes.
But what she saw was a ghostly boy, around six years old, dripping wet, clinging to the maid’s back.
