🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 3
“There is… one thing we could try.”
No sooner had Samcheon finished speaking than Gyesan responded.
“I knew I could count on my maid! Great. Let’s do that.”
“Uh… I haven’t actually explained it yet.”
“I don’t need to hear it. We’ll do it.”
Without even listening, Gyesan readily agreed.
Unlike Gyesan, who had no talent for complicated schemes, Samcheon was remarkably clever.
Whenever there was a difficult problem, the right answer was almost always to trust Samcheon’s judgment.
“Well… Your Highness will need to do a little acting.”
“You know I’m good at acting.”
Gyesan puffed out her chest proudly.
She was an undisputed master at causing trouble and then standing there with a perfectly innocent expression that said, I have no idea what happened.
Acknowledging Gyesan’s expertise in that field, Samcheon continued.
“We’ll need some practice, too.”
“Do I have to memorize a lot?”
“Not really. It’s more about learning to control your movements.”
“I’m confident when it comes to using my body. I’m strong, too.”
“Lady Hae will lose face because of this. She’ll be furious.”
“Let her.”
Gyesan folded her arms with the grin of a mischievous child.
“The angrier, the better.”
It had been a long time since Samcheon had seen that playful smile.
This is who Her Highness really is.
Born into royalty, Gyesan had never known hardship.
The past six months had been cruel enough.
If things continued, she might wither away long before those 1,793 days had passed.
Finally making up her mind, Samcheon spoke.
“Starting today, we’ll begin special training.”
“We need people to pity Your Highness… but without seriously damaging your dignity.”
“That’s difficult.”
“All right.”
“Just tell me what to do.”
“First…”
“We’ll start with court etiquette.”
Samcheon smiled warmly.
Every year at the beginning of spring, the Spring Flower Banquet was held under the supervision of the Queen.
It was an occasion where the royal princes and princesses living in Sabi Fortress gathered together to receive the Queen’s blessings for the season.
Inside Nakhwa Pavilion, small tables of refreshments had been arranged at regular intervals.
The royal children naturally found their assigned seats.
The Crown Prince sat at the front left.
Behind him were the second and third princes.
As everyone enjoyed tea and sweets while chatting quietly with those nearby, the atmosphere was relaxed without becoming noisy.
Having risen before dawn to dress in new ceremonial clothes, Gyesan entered the pavilion as well.
The angle of her neck.
Her waist.
Her arms.
Her wrists.
The placement of her feet.
The direction of her gaze.
Even her breathing.
Every movement was exactly as she had practiced.
Samcheon’s advice had worked surprisingly well.
“Think of etiquette as sword training.”
Once she imagined every posture as part of a sword form, maintaining perfect composure became another kind of practice.
Good.
I can do this.
Several princesses watching Gyesan walk to her seat couldn’t help but admire her.
The youngest princess, who had usually gone unnoticed, displayed flawless etiquette.
It was impressive.
Some even felt pity for the youngest sibling who had matured so suddenly after losing her mother.
But the feeling lasted only a moment.
While walking with impeccable posture, Gyesan’s eyes met those of Princess Sohwa.
Sohwa, the twenty-ninth princess, usually sat nearby, so the two were acquainted.
After giving a small nod of greeting, Gyesan gracefully took her seat.
Without moving anything except her eyes, she glanced toward the seat beside her.
Princess Hwaran.
The twenty-sixth princess.
“There are twenty-one princes and princesses currently residing in Sabi Fortress.”
“As always, Princess Sohwa will be seated in front of Your Highness.”
“If Princess Hwaran, who returned to Sabi Fortress last month, sits beside you…”
“Then we’ve already succeeded halfway.”
This was the first time Gyesan had seen Hwaran.
She truly deserved her reputation.
Beautiful.
Gentle.
Beloved by the Queen.
She was so lovely it almost made one’s mouth water.
Sohwa turned around.
“Have you been well?”
“It’s been a while.”
Back when Lady Jeong was alive, they had even gone flower viewing together.
But after Lady Hae took over Mokseo Palace, all contact had ceased.
Gyesan smiled wistfully.
“It was my own shortcomings.”
“What?”
Knowing Gyesan’s normally lively and cheerful personality, Sohwa immediately felt something was off.
“You’ve changed.”
“You’ve learned quite a bit of etiquette too, haven’t you?”
“I still have many shortcomings. It’s rather embarrassing.”
She had intended to make her voice softer.
Instead, it came out louder than expected.
Trying to lower it in a hurry only made it tremble.
“Shortcomings?”
“You look more proper than I do.”
“Lady Hae isn’t driving you too hard, is she?”
“Everything she does is for my own good.”
“I’m very grateful.”
Suppressing every instinct telling her body to twist in discomfort, Gyesan finished speaking in the calmest, most delicate tone she could manage.
“…You’ve become boring.”
Sohwa answered flatly before turning back around.
She seemed to have lost all interest.
Truthfully, Gyesan hated pretending like this.
She would much rather leap to her feet and shout that Lady Hae was starving her.
But she couldn’t ruin the plan Samcheon had worked so hard to devise.
Princesses who had not yet reached adulthood had very few opportunities to attend gatherings like this.
Everything depended on today.
Picking up her chopsticks, Gyesan selected a flower-shaped rice cake from the beautifully arranged refreshments.
Her refined movements caught Hwaran’s attention.
Like someone who had stepped straight out of an etiquette manual, Gyesan placed the rice cake into her mouth.
It’s delicious.
It had been so long since she’d eaten something this good that her eyes nearly widened with delight.
She almost wolfed it down.
Somehow, she endured.
Slowly.
Elegantly.
Without violating etiquette.
Even the fluttering of her eyelashes remained under perfect control as she continued eating.
When nothing remained on the plate, she turned—
—and met Hwaran’s gaze.
Realizing she’d been staring, Hwaran awkwardly spoke first.
“…It seems to suit your taste.”
Gyesan smiled shyly.
“I’m embarrassed.”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve had refreshments like these, so I failed to restrain myself.”
“You don’t usually eat sweets?”
“I practice swordsmanship.”
“I have to manage my diet so I don’t become too heavy.”
“So I’ve been limiting myself to about half a bowl of food each day.”
“I… see.”
Confusion flickered across Hwaran’s face.
Someone training with a sword should be eating more, not less.
Even without the training…
That amount was absurdly insufficient.
She was still growing.
Blushing with embarrassment, Gyesan asked quietly,
“If you aren’t going to finish yours…”
“May I have it?”
“Of course.”
Hwaran handed over her own plate and took Gyesan’s empty one.
Beaming brightly, Gyesan resumed eating.
After finishing about half, she carefully set down her chopsticks.
Hwaran smiled gently.
“Have you had enough?”
“Yes.”
Looking bashful, Gyesan pulled out a handkerchief and began wrapping the remaining rice cakes and flower cakes inside it.
A princess packing away leftover food was an unusual sight.
It immediately caught Hwaran’s attention.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m taking these back for my maid.”
“She said she was so hungry last night that she couldn’t sleep.”
Hwaran immediately realized something was terribly wrong.
Before she could speak, Sohwa turned around again and interrupted.
“Your maid?”
“Samcheon?”
“That tiny little girl?”
Gyesan silently marveled.
Sohwa was reacting exactly as Samcheon had predicted.
Which meant it was time for the next line.
“She’s the only maid left in my palace.”
“She has to do everything by herself.”
“Her hands have become cracked from scrubbing floors.”
“Yesterday she even fell while carrying a water jar.”
“I think she’s become so weak because she’s been following the same restricted diet as I have.”
Sohwa looked horrified.
“You don’t even have any outer servants?”
“Why is that child doing those jobs?”
“Honghwa only brings meals.”
“So Samcheon has to handle everything else herself.”
“The palace has completely turned upside down.”
“What a disgrace.”
Sohwa sighed deeply.
“I wish tomorrow could be the first day of spring again.”
“Then I wouldn’t be hungry…”
“And I could wear clothes this soft again.”
The meaning hidden within Gyesan’s words made Sohwa and Hwaran exchange glances.
Realizing she could no longer remain silent, Hwaran gently asked,
“Is managing your diet…”
“And practicing etiquette…”
“Very difficult?”
This was the question Samcheon had emphasized was the most important.
The moment it came, Gyesan lowered her eyes.
“I know it can’t be helped.”
“My mother has passed away.”
“My maternal family has no influence.”
“So the only way someone like me can have value…”
“…is by improving my appearance and perfecting my etiquette.”
