The Greatest Rival (2)
The King’s gaze fell upon her. It was a silent, heavy question: Are you a rebel threatening my throne?
"Y-You bastard!!!!!" Grand Prince Jinseong lunged at Han Seojin.
"How dare a lowly wretch like you spew such nonsense in the royal presence?!" She struck him with her fists. She kicked him.
"Her Majesty is a sovereign worthy of ruling the entire world! She is a sage ruler who will lead this era into a golden age of peace and prosperity!!!"
The King was always surrounded by people. Grand Prince Jinseong screamed at the top of her lungs, ensuring not only those present but everyone in Changdeokgung Palace could hear her.
"Her Majesty is the Yao and Shun of our time! A sage descended from the heavens to bless Joseon! Who would dare harbor treasonous thoughts against such a ruler?!"
She strained her vocal cords to their absolute limit, pouring her desperate desire to survive into every word.
"How could someone as insignificant as I ever harbor such delusions?! How dare you mock Her Majesty like this?!"
"Sister."
"Your Majesty!!"
Grand Prince Jinseong prostrated herself, and not satisfied with just bowing, she began slamming her forehead repeatedly against the floor. It resembled the customs of barbarians, completely deviating from the proper etiquette of Confucius and Zhu Xi, but she was just that desperate.
"Even if this sister of yours shares the same mother as Your Majesty, I am nothing more than a humble subject under your reign! How could this lowly, insignificant servant ever dare to harbor such absurd thoughts?!"
There was a good reason for Grand Prince Jinseong's desperation. Joseon was a nation founded on the teachings of Confucius and Zhu Xi. Yet, at the same time, it was a land where blood relatives had already clashed swords multiple times over the throne.
Even during the lifetime of King Taejo, sisters had turned their blades on one another twice. And King Seojo, a mere three generations before the current monarch, had taken the throne from her own niece, had she not?
If the King were to suspect her sister now—if she began to view her as a political rival who might harm her—any sibling affection they had shared would vanish in an instant. After all, history had already set the precedent.
"I beg of you!! Please!! Punish this man who dared utter such nonsense with the utmost severity—"
"Sister! My dear sister!!" The King gently pulled the near-panicking Grand Prince Jinseong into her arms.
"Calm yourself. It is alright. Do not worry." The King stroked her sibling's hair.
"I did not know my sister held such high regard for someone as lacking as myself. How could this not be a joyous occasion?"
"Your Majesty...!"
"There, there. It is alright. You are safe."
The current King of Joseon, Yi Yung. She, too, was a monarch. A politician. She knew exactly how to drive the wedge home and bring the scene Han Seojin had orchestrated to its perfect conclusion.
She flung the paper-screen doors wide open. Just as Grand Prince Jinseong had intended, a massive crowd from the palace had gathered outside the bedchamber.
Military officers guarding the palace, eunuchs, palace men, and even civil officials who happened to be nearby. By a stroke of luck, even the Left State Councillor, one of the Three State Councillors, was present.
"Hear me, ministers!" the King of Joseon declared to her subjects, cradling her trembling sister.
"As you can see, my sister, Grand Prince Jinseong, holds me in the highest esteem. For a lacking ruler like myself to receive such devotion from her sibling, I cannot help but feel humbled."
The details that followed were of little importance. What mattered was that Grand Prince Jinseong had made a thorough, desperate declaration of absolute loyalty to King Yi Yung in front of everyone.
If—just if, in some distant, hypothetical future—Grand Prince Jinseong ever harbored other ambitions toward the King, this very moment would drag her down like a lead weight.
'Back then, the Grand Prince explicitly referred to herself as a lowly, insignificant servant before the King. How can she now seek to overthrow Her Majesty and take her place?' they would say.
It would be disloyalty. It would be treason. 'A loyal subject does not serve two rulers,' they would cry. 'If the disloyal Grand Prince covets the throne so much that she wishes to become King, she must step over the corpses of us scholars first!' Scholars willing to throw away their lives would rise up across the entire nation. Because Joseon was that kind of country.
At this moment, Grand Prince Jinseong's influence as a political rival to the King was reduced to absolute zero.
"Haah, haaaah..." Having returned to her own quarters, Grand Prince Jinseong collapsed against the wall.
"Your Highness!" "Grand Prince, what on earth happened?!"
Grand Prince Jinseong gestured weakly, signaling them to take her to her bedchamber.
I survived. Thank goodness. She survived. She survived. She lived. Even as she was supported and laid down on her bedding, that was the only thought echoing in her mind.
Three days later.
"Ugh..." Having suffered such a massive shock, Grand Prince Jinseong had been bedridden with a mild fever ever since that day.
What did I do to deserve this because of that absurd man... Ugh...
The Yong-in were naturally robust. Give them a weapon, and they would instantly become general material; they rarely even caught a common cold. For a Yong-in to fall ill with a fever was a testament to just how utterly terrified Grand Prince Jinseong had been that day.
"Uuugh..." What a pathetic sight. She had only wanted to share a drink with her older sister.
The only small comfort for Grand Prince Jinseong was the thought that Han Seojin, the culprit behind all of this, must be suffering far worse than her.
—And as for the gisaeng who spoke so recklessly, he shall be forbidden from stepping foot outside Cheonghyanggak for the time being.
That man, confined to the cold palace, must be suffering all by himself. At least she had plenty of servants to tend to her every need, didn't she? Directing her resentment toward him made her feel slightly better.
"Ugh... Is anyone there...?"
Rustle.
"Your Highness, you seem to be suffering greatly. How could I not be deeply worried about you?"
"Do not worry, I will be better soon..." She didn't know who it was, but the man's voice was incredibly pleasant to the ear. It was delicate and beautiful, like the song of an oriole.
Did I have such a man among my palace servants? Was he a medical assistant brought by the physician her sister had sent? Opening her eyes slightly, Grand Prince Jinseong saw an exceptionally beautiful man standing before her.
"Are you awake?" A soft clinking sound echoed. A savory, appetizing aroma wafted through the air.
"If you feel up to it, would you care for some porridge?"
"That... would be nice."
"I shall feed you myself." He added gently, "Please do not be shy. You are unwell, after all."
"Mmm..." As a woman of marriageable age, it was a bit embarrassing, but...
"Well... very well. I am not feeling well, after all."
"Indeed. It is best to be honest, Your Highness. Now, open wide."
"A-Ah..." Grand Prince Jinseong opened her mouth. The smooth, warm porridge slipped onto her tongue.
Oh? This is exquisite. It tasted far better than she had expected. She swallowed it in an instant and praised him.
"It is delicious. Which royal chef prepared this?"
"This lowly servant prepared it himself. I am glad it suits your palate, Your Highness."
"Is that so? Since it is delicious, keep fee—" Grand Prince Jinseong blinked. Then she blinked again. And again.
"...Am I under some sort of spell right now?"
"From what this lowly one can see, that does not seem to be the case."
"..."
"Would you like another bite?"
"..." She bolted upright. "Why on earth are you here?!"
"Your Highness, please calm yourself. Moving so suddenly is bad for your shocked body."
"You should be confined to the cold palace, so how—mph!" A spoonful of porridge was shoved into Grand Prince Jinseong's mouth.
"I caused you great distress during our last encounter."
"...?" Not quite understanding what he meant, Grand Prince Jinseong swallowed the porridge first. It was still savory and delicious.
"In truth, the reason this lowly servant caused such a scene was because it was absolutely necessary to declare your innocence clearly to the entire world."
"...What do you mean by that? Ah." Grand Prince Jinseong accepted another spoonful of porridge.
"Actually, under Her Majesty's orders, I have been traveling around the country. But during my travels... I overheard a rumor that should never have existed."
"Ah."
"And that was..."
"Ah."
"...that Your Highness might be harboring treasonous intentions."
"Cough!" Grand Prince Jinseong choked. Han Seojin gently wiped away the porridge that had dribbled down her chin. His fingers brushed against her lips. It tickled.
"Please forgive me. Everything I did was solely for your sake, Your Highness."
Han Seojin bowed his head. His collar parted slightly, revealing the nape of his neck. Catching a glimpse of the man's pale skin, Grand Prince Jinseong couldn't help but harbor a stray, wicked thought. Flustered and embarrassed, she turned her head away.
"Mmm..." But if Han Seojin's words were true... then his actions had actually been of immense help to her.
In the worst-case scenario, some crazy rebels could have launched a coup and placed Grand Prince Jinseong on the throne without her consent. For royalty, merely being associated with such a plot was enough to warrant death.
"Once Her Majesty heard my explanation of my true intentions, she immediately released me from confinement."
"Is that so? My sister did... Ah." Grand Prince Jinseong accepted another spoonful of porridge. *Gulp.*
"...But we have never even met before. Why would you go to such lengths for my sake?"
"Why should I not step forward for your sake, Your Highness?"
"...Well, because..."
"Do you dislike this lowly servant showing you favor?"
"N-No. It is not that, but..."
"Is that so?" Han Seojin offered a soft, beaming smile. "I am glad, Your Highness."
The moment she saw that smile, Grand Prince Jinseong's heart skipped a beat. Then, it began to thud wildly against her ribs—at least twice as fast as before.