🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 1
Samcheon, eleven years old.
She was the only court maid assigned to Mokseo Palace.
1,793 days remaining.
When her father sent Samcheon into the palace, he accepted ten years’ worth of her wages in advance.
She had entered the palace at the age of six. Now she was eleven.
Fifty-nine months remained.
Exactly 1,793 days from now, she would finally receive her first salary.
When that day came, this hunger would finally end.
I’ll make sure His Highness and I eat three proper meals every day.
Steeling herself, Samcheon tossed the bucket into the well.
Splash.
The dark water swallowed it whole.
Blowing warm breaths onto her reddened fingertips, she hauled up the wet rope.
With the beginning of spring still ahead, the lingering winter cold remained fierce. The well water was painfully icy. Even the smooth stone rim, worn down by countless hands, felt like solid ice. Every brush against her skin made her shiver.
Pulling her jade-colored robe tighter around herself, Samcheon diligently filled a small water jar. Once it brimmed with gently rippling water, she hugged it against her chest and carried it back.
Waddling under its weight, she returned to Mokseo Palace and emptied the water into a large storage jar.
Seeing how much it had filled, satisfaction spread across her face.
That should do it for today.
The jar would be full after only two trips with a large bucket, but with Samcheon’s tiny one, it took five.
Still, this much would last them two days.
“Samcheon.”
Someone called her name from beyond the wall.
Looking up, she saw a maid from the neighboring palace beckoning.
“Big Sister.”
Recognizing her, Samcheon beamed.
The maid held out a cloth bundle.
“I couldn’t bring much.”
Samcheon accepted it with both hands.
Warmth seeped through the cloth.
“Thank you, as always.”
The maid looked down at her with pity.
Perhaps because she never had enough to eat, Samcheon simply refused to grow.
“I wish I could give you more food, but everyone from Yeonhwa Palace is watching…”
“This is more than enough.”
Smiling, Samcheon lifted the bundle slightly.
As long as they claimed it was just a snack for a palace maid—not for a princess—it probably wouldn’t cause trouble.
Still, they risked falling out of favor with Yeonhwa Palace. The kindness alone was something to be grateful for.
“Oh, you poor thing. Hurry along now.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
After giving Samcheon one last sympathetic look, the maid disappeared behind the wall.
Samcheon turned and opened the door leading to the training yard.
Standing in the center was her mistress.
Princess Gyesan, the thirty-first princess of Baekje.
She had only recently turned eleven.
Dressed in a bright yellow training uniform, Gyesan was enthusiastically swinging a wooden sword through the air.
Spotting Samcheon, she smiled brightly.
Walking over, Samcheon unfolded the cloth.
“Your Highness, the neighboring palace gave us these.”
“They’re always so kind.”
Inside lay four round, flat rice cakes.
Gyesan picked one up and popped it into her mouth.
“You should have one too.”
“I already ate.”
“The red bean filling is sweet.”
“It sure is.”
Samcheon laughed awkwardly.
Gyesan’s expression immediately changed.
Picking up another rice cake, she firmly stuffed it into Samcheon’s mouth.
“That’s a honey rice cake.”
Embarrassed, Samcheon slowly chewed.
Gyesan’s clear eyes fixed on her.
“Do you enjoy seeing me upset?”
“No… I’m sorry.”
“Then chew properly. You’ll choke.”
Repeating the words her mother, Lady Jeong, had often said, Gyesan ate another rice cake.
Then she placed the last remaining one into Samcheon’s mouth as well.
Watching Samcheon chew, Gyesan grinned.
At that very moment—
Grrr…
Her stomach growled loudly, demanding more food.
Having just swallowed the rice cake, Samcheon’s face fell.
“I would’ve been fine without eating…”
Gyesan flopped onto the wooden platform at one side of the training yard.
“So are you.”
Samcheon sat quietly at the edge.
“I can manage.”
The moment she finished speaking—
Grrr…
Her own stomach answered.
Without either of them saying anything, they both looked up at the sky.
Gyesan lay down.
Samcheon sat.
Side by side, they gazed at a sky so brilliantly blue that it almost felt cruel.
“The weather’s beautiful, though.”
“It is. That cloud looks like a peach… Peaches sound so good.”
Gyesan sniffled.
Samcheon pulled a handkerchief from inside her robe and handed it over.
After wiping her nose, Gyesan returned it.
Putting it away again, Samcheon said,
“In just 1,793 days, we’ll be able to buy whatever we want.”
“One less day than yesterday.”
She smiled.
“What do you want to eat?”
“Chicken grilled over birch charcoal.”
“I’d rather have pork.”
“…Pork…”
Samcheon’s mouth fell open.
The image of perfectly charred meat over glowing coals filled her mind, making her mouth water.
Honey cookies.
Candied jujubes.
Steamed rice cakes.
Freshly cooked white rice.
Her imagination raced through every delicious food she could think of before she finally pulled herself back.
“Honghwa should be bringing lunch soon.”
“…Probably. They won’t let us starve to death.”
“I asked her yesterday, so maybe today will be a little better.”
A lonely smile briefly crossed Gyesan’s lips before vanishing.
As though she had never been discouraged, she sprang back to her feet.
“I finished a thousand horizontal sword swings this morning.”
Samcheon immediately clapped.
“That’s amazing! Your Highness is going to become the greatest.”
“That’s right. I’ll be the greatest swordsman in Baekje.”
She brandished her wooden sword.
“And when that day comes, I’m going to kick Lady Hae right in the butt!”
“Your Highness, that’s improper.”
Those tiresome rules of etiquette.
“Then how about smashing the pillars of Yeonhwa Palace?”
“Hmm… as long as you don’t get caught, I think it’ll be fine.”
“Great! I’ll smash the pillars!”
“Please smash two for me, too.”
“I will!”
Grinning mischievously, Gyesan returned to the middle of the training yard and gripped her wooden sword with both hands.
Her dream was simple.
To train hard.
To grow into a strong adult.
If Samcheon kept telling her she could become the greatest, then perhaps one day she really would become Baekje’s finest swordsman.
As Gyesan resumed her practice, Samcheon headed into the courtyard.
Though Mokseo Palace was classified as a minor palace, she had to maintain it all by herself, leaving her constantly busy.
She fetched water, soaked a rag, and wrung it out.
As she scrubbed the wooden floor, grimy water spread across every place she wiped.
It somehow became dirtier the more she cleaned.
She wanted the floor to shine.
Instead, it ended up streaked with muddy stains.
She simply wasn’t strong enough to wring the rag dry.
She rinsed it again and twisted with all her might.
Still too much water remained.
With her small hands, this was the best she could do.
Even so—
Scrub.
Scrub.
Scrub.
Eventually, it would become clean.
“…Would it be terribly disrespectful to ask Your Highness to wring it out for me?”
No.
That definitely wasn’t appropriate.
So Samcheon resumed scrubbing.
Until a year ago, among all the residences occupied by the king’s consorts, Mokseo Palace had been the warmest and happiest.
Its mistress, Lady Jeong, had been both wise and gentle.
Every servant in the palace had sincerely respected her.
Princess Gyesan had inherited her mother’s kind heart, and laughter had always filled Mokseo Palace.
That was…
Until Lady Jeong passed away.
After her death, everything changed.
More precisely, things changed when Lady Hae took over management of Mokseo Palace in Gyesan’s place.
People claimed she was the ideal choice.
She was one of the king’s favored consorts and had no children of her own.
And this…
…was the result.
Most of the servants who had worked in Mokseo Palace were either dismissed from the palace or reassigned elsewhere.
Lady Hae left behind only Samcheon, who had once been Gyesan’s childhood playmate.
She had probably decided the little girl was too young to do anything troublesome.
Samcheon clenched both fists.
Stay strong.
She busied herself with her chores.
Then the main gates of Mokseo Palace swung open.
Honghwa strode inside carrying a basket.
The moment she saw Samcheon scrubbing the floor, she let out a mocking laugh.
“My, that suits you perfectly.”
“It seems mopping floors is your true calling.”
“Congratulations on discovering your talent so early in life.”
