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Chapter 09
“Tell me. Where did you hear that, and from whom?”
At the piercing voice of the Grand Queen Dowager, 정 판윤, lying prostrate, squeezed his eyes shut.
“Didn’t I tell you to speak immediately?”
Bang!
She even slammed down the tea tray with force. At the sight of the trembling 정 판윤, his wife, Lady 이, spoke in a tiny, mosquito-like voice.
“I-I merely thought I might be able to… assist the Princess…”
“What did you say? You, assisting our Princess?”
This was disastrous.
정 효은 gritted his teeth at the careless words of his wife, exhaling sharply through his nose.
Lady 이 was already pale, forehead pressed to the floor, trembling uncontrollably.
“Grand Queen Dowager, I have committed a grave sin. I beg your forgiveness for the transgression of my wife.”
“……”
Hearing no sound from above, 정 효은 swallowed hard.
Then, the Grand Queen Dowager’s low, icy voice resounded.
“No matter that you are my nephew, you must never forget that speaking recklessly about members of the royal family is a sacrilege akin to treason.”
“Understood, understood, I shall remember.”
Prostrate with his wife, eyes tightly shut, 정 효은 responded in a trembling voice.
“Furthermore! No matter what anyone says, or what you may hear, you must never follow blindly. You have vowed to be the shield and sword of the Crown Prince and the Princess—understand?”
“Yes, Grand Queen Dowager!”
Both 정 효은 and his wife responded loudly, bowing even deeper.
After a brief pause, the Grand Queen Dowager lifted the teacup from the tea tray.
Clink.
The sound echoed unusually loudly in the quiet room, causing the couple to flinch.
Sipping the now-cold tea, she gazed quietly at her prostrate nephew and his wife.
“Remember this. You are my people, the shield and spear of my descendants for generations to come. And when I say ‘my descendants,’ I mean the legitimate line of the Throne, not some distant branch attempting to seize it. Understand?”
“Yes, Grand Queen Dowager! We shall serve the Crown Prince and the Princess with utmost loyalty.”
After a whirlwind of anger and fear passed through the Grand Queen Dowager’s hall, her presence radiated such awe that even sipping cold tea could not diminish it. On the foreheads of 정 판윤 and his wife, sweat had formed in tiny beads, unnoticed until now.
“효은.”
“Yes, Aunt.”
The Grand Queen Dowager’s voice, now devoid of wrath, called his name. Automatically, 정 판윤 responded with “Aunt” and lifted his head.
“You will soon conduct your child’s wedding, so I shall be lenient this once. But if you dare again to speak of the Princess’s illness, which even His Majesty forbade, you will be punished. Understand?”
“Yes, Grand Queen Dowager.”
After their reply, 정 판윤 and his wife dropped once more to the floor. The Grand Queen Dowager shifted the mother-of-pearl box containing the dagger and the peacock hairpin toward them and spoke in her stern voice again.
“Within the palace, unseen battles occur countless times each day. You must always be cautious and watch your actions.”
“Yes, Grand Queen Dowager. Understood, understood.”
After the couple departed, the Grand Queen Dowager sat alone in the pavilion by the pond, staring at the rising sun and letting out a deep sigh.
“Hummama!”
She thought of the fluffy little child who used to run to her, giggling and leaping into her arms. How had this precious princess, shining like a jewel since birth, come to suffer such an incomprehensible illness?
Recalling the frightened eyes of her granddaughter, who had come early that morning with the Crown Prince, the Grand Queen Dowager closed and opened her now-damp eyes, exhaling a long, weary sigh.
At that moment, a court lady scurried up to the pavilion, whispering something into the ear of another attendant.
The attendant gasped and hurried up the steps, bowing deeply before the Grand Queen Dowager.
“Grand Queen Dowager.”
“What is it?”
“Your Grace….”
“Speak.”
The attendant hesitated, unable to bring herself to speak. The Grand Queen Dowager’s voice cut sharply.
“Princess…?”
“The Princess, on her way to the East Palace, met 경빈 마마….”
At the mention of 경빈, the Grand Queen Dowager’s eyes widened. The attendant swallowed dryly and continued in a trembling voice.
“She saw something 경빈 마마 showed her, and she was so startled that she fell and shed tears.”
“What! How dare a mere consort startle the princess to tears?”
The Grand Queen Dowager rose to her feet, fury blazing in her eyes as if 경빈 were standing before her.
“And the Princess? What of her?”
“Yes… a young lord passing by comforted the crying Princess, and after speaking briefly with him, she ran on alone to the East Palace.”
The Grand Queen Dowager looked incredulously at the stammering attendant.
“Have you gone mad? What lord in the palace comforts the Princess? Nonsense!”
Her booming voice, uncharacteristically loud for a woman, sent all nearby attendants flat to the ground.
“Apologies!”
Her frost-like tone rang again.
“Tell the senior attendant who relayed this to you, clearly: where and how did 경빈 meet the Princess, and who did she meet, and where did she go?”
One trembling attendant tried to recount what she had heard, voice barely audible.
“She left 혜신궁 alone, met 경빈, was shown something, became startled, fell, and shed tears…”
“Enough! That 경빈 has overstepped all bounds!”
If 경빈 had been present, the Grand Queen Dowager’s gaze could have torn her to pieces.
“But who comforted our Princess? A passing lord? In this solemn palace?!”
The attendants shrank under her rigid questioning, trembling as they explained.
“Your Grace, he seemed to be about the Crown Prince’s age, and she had not met him in the palace before. He comforted the little Princess, who was crying alone.”
“How strange. A young lord of the Crown Prince’s age wandering the palace!”
The Grand Queen Dowager steadied herself against the pavilion post.
“Yes, Grand Queen Dowager,” the attendant said, helping her down the steps. Another senior attendant added, puzzled, “I heard 지평 나리 seemed to know this young lord.”
“지평?”
The Grand Queen Dowager furrowed her brow.
“You mean the Princess’s calligraphy teacher, Kim Gyohyeon of the Saheonbu?”
“Yes, Grand Queen Dowager.”
“How curious.”
With a click of her tongue at the oddity, she descended the pavilion steps with the attendant’s help.
“You, go to 경빈 immediately and bring her to 자경전!”
“Yes, Grand Queen Dowager.”
“And senior attendant, go to the Saheonbu immediately and summon Master Kim to my quarters after today’s midday hour.”
“Yes, Grand Queen Dowager.”
The attendants scurried off to deliver her orders, heads bowed low, while the remaining court ladies followed the wrathful Grand Queen Dowager.
“What on earth is happening…? I will not leave that insolent 경빈 unpunished today!”
Her old but fierce steps heated the courtyard of 자경전 like a roaring tiger.
Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, illuminating the library with silver shimmer even in floating dust.
Through a slightly open side door, a small head peeked inside.
It was 은혜, who had just narrowly passed by 경빈 and Kim Gyohyeon’s son, 지후, and finally arrived at the East Palace library.
Unaware that the palace was in uproar due to news reaching the Grand Queen Dowager, 은혜 closed her eyes and opened them slowly as she surveyed the dark library. She nodded, stepping one foot inside.
“Is anyone… here?”
Her voice trembled with fear as the door creaked shut behind her, leaving perfect silence.
The calm scent of wood and old paper enveloped her small frame.
Scholarly ghosts scattered throughout the library glanced briefly at her, then returned to their books.
And 은혜 liked it.
The East Palace library was distant from the main palace; it was peaceful, without frightening spirits.
She carefully tread toward her favorite spot, avoiding the guards so her footsteps would not be heard.
If anyone knew a princess had entered alone, it would surely cause a fuss.
A month ago, when she had come here with the Crown Prince, she had been terrified of the dark ghosts between the shelves.
Clutching the Crown Prince’s dragon-embroidered robe, she had shut her eyes tightly.
But now, the scholarly ghosts ignored her completely, reading their books silently.
Her heart thumped in wonder, and she gripped the Crown Prince’s robe tightly. A concerned voice called above her.
“Are you still scared? Shall we leave?”
은혜 shook her head vigorously.
“No! Older Brother, these spirits are amazing—they only read books. They’re not scary!”
Although her eyes were still fearful, she smiled with relief. That day, the siblings stayed in the library for a long time.
Afterward, Crown Prince 이환 instructed the royal guards to create a side door in the library so his young sister could enter freely at any time.
Step by step, her wet skirt clung to her legs, but 은혜 walked silently toward her cherished space.
Ghosts standing along the aisles glanced at her, then respectfully returned to their books.
Finally, 은혜 reached the shelves filled with ancient books and slipped into a hidden corner beside a large stack. She looked up, satisfied, and whispered to herself.
“All done… my secret place.”
