Aeryeonji Pond
The morning after an eventful New Year's Day.
Having indulged in a rare chance to sleep in, I found myself summoned by Lady Jang Hui-bin.
"Hui-bin-jaga, did you call for me?"
"Bong-bong. How does my face look?"
"Yeees...?"
"My makeup, I mean. Does it look too heavy to your eyes?"
"Ummm..."
I was struck momentarily speechless.
Please don't turn me into some weird toddler beauty critic.
That was my honest reaction, but at the same time, it felt rather touching and a little sad that Lady Jang was trying to boost her self-esteem through the validation of a four-year-old.
"Just as you said, when I toned down the powder, every court maid who saw me showered me with praise, saying I looked far lovelier. They do say children cannot lie..."
Ah, so that happened.
Evidently, that was why Lady Jang had placed immense trust in "Hwang Bong-bong’s aesthetic eye."
In the end, I folded my stubby arms across my chest and pretended to scrutinize every contour of her face.
I was taught that staring brazenly at a royal elder's face is a grave offense worthy of a flogging on the bare buttocks.
Still, I was currently undertaking a vital mission, so it couldn't be helped.
"Well, child? How is it?"
When an answer wasn't immediately forthcoming, Lady Jang pressed anxiously.
Nodding vigorously with great enthusiasm, I cried out at the top of my lungs:
"So pwetty!"
Lady Jang Hui-bin, you survive!
"My heart was truly fluttering until I heard your verdict. What kind of strange spell is this?"
Only then did Lady Jang break into a relieved smile.
"When you smile, you look even pwettier!"
That was a complimentary bonus.
You're a woman whose beauty will be legendary for hundreds of years to come. Have some confidence!
"Haha. If only His Majesty looked upon me as affectionately as our Bong-bong does."
Her spirits visibly lifted, Lady Jang popped a sweet piece of dang-gwa into my mouth.
In short, I had been busy eating my fill lately. Deer antler tonic, honeyed confections, and on the day I guided King Sukjong to her pavilion, she had even cooked precious tarakjuk milk porridge for me.
As a result...
Why does it feel like none of my clothes are loose anymore?
Well, what could I do? I was a growing toddler; it was only natural to eat whatever was given to me!
"Hui-bin-jaga."
"Yes?"
"Where are you going today?"
Truthfully, such an inquiry was unthinkable for a lowly maid to ask, but I dared to toss it out using a toddler's innocent ignorance as my shield.
"I plan to visit the Rear Garden of Changdeokgung with the Crown Prince. Though it is early in the season, they say the red plum blossoms have already begun to bloom."
Oho... the Changdeokgung Rear Garden?
While I had bustled around Chwiseondang, I had yet to step foot outside Changgyeonggung Palace.
When you think of Joseon palaces, Changdeokgung is the crown jewel...
Munching on the confection, I swiftly gauged Lady Jang's reaction.
If I learn the path to Changdeokgung now, won't I be able to slip in and out easily whenever I need to later?
Besides, speaking of the Changdeokgung Secret Garden, in modern times, reserving a tour ticket required a cutthroat ticketing battle on par with scoring front-row idol concert seats.
This was nothing short of a heaven-sent opportunity.
"Bom-bong wants to see the garden too!"
Once again, I blurted it out with child-like innocence.
And Lady Jang's response...
She's delighted.
Far from being annoyed, Lady Jang reacted as if she had been waiting for me to say those exact words. Her eyes flickered for a fleeting second—did she have an ulterior motive?
"Is that so? Then that settles it nicely. The Crown Prince, you, and I—the three of us shall take a leisurely stroll together. Though the lotus flowers have not yet bloomed, Aeryeonjeong Pavilion is wonderfully picturesque."
Aha... Aeryeonjeong.
"Yay! Goodie! Bom-bong is so excited!"
Putting on an overjoyed face, I bounced up and down as if bursting with glee.
Naturally, I had already seen right through Lady Jang's hidden agenda.
Aeryeonji, the lotus pond where Aeryeonjeong stood, was a spot King Sukjong favored above all others—a place he frequented constantly.
"Whoaaa!"
Whoa, whoaaaa...!
An exaggerated reaction practically burst from me on its own.
"It's huge..."
Right from the entrance of the Rear Garden, an awe-inspiring vista unfolded before us. The stars of the show were two colossal red plum blossom trees.
Beneath the crisp azure sky, thousands of deep-pink buds bursting into bloom painted a breathtaking spectacle that completely stole my breath away.
"This red plum is called the Seongjeongmae," the Crown Prince explained softly. "A tree planted in the era of the Great King Seonjo."
A garden tour guided personally by the Crown Prince himself! A wave of overwhelming awe washed over me along with the sweet fragrance of plum blossoms.
"And this is Buyongji Pond. When the weather is fine, Father often enjoys boating here."
Leaving the red plums behind, a large, rectangular lotus pond came into view as soon as we crested the hill. Having visited the Secret Garden back in my days as a history student, the pond itself was familiar, yet something felt curiously missing.
Right. Gyujanggak was built during King Jeongjo's reign.
An era where neither the Gyujanggak Royal Library nor the Buyongjeong Pavilion existed yet. Standing amidst the living current of raw history made my chest swell with a strange thrill.
Then my eyes wandered to Lady Jang...
Her lips are smiling, but her gaze is completely fixated elsewhere.
It was abundantly clear that her true purpose for visiting the garden was not to admire plum blossoms. Her eyes constantly drifted toward the distant direction of Aeryeonji Pond, brimming with an aching longing to cross paths with King Sukjong.
"Shall we make our way toward Aeryeonji Pond now?"
Despite claiming she was going leisurely, Lady Jang's strides surged ahead with purpose.
I pitter-pattered after her, my little legs pumping as hard as they could.
Sukjong is scary, though.
Even so, I found myself secretly wishing the King would be there too. Repairing the rift between King Sukjong and Jang Hui-bin was of paramount importance for my own survival. Not to mention, I was desperately curious about what lay behind that remark he had offhandedly dropped—that I looked like someone.
That being said...
Aigoo, I'm dying of exhaustion. Someone save this poor toddler!
Passing Yeonghwadang Hall, where civil service examinations were once held, and past Chundangdae Terrace...
Just as my legs began to feel like lead weights, the rich scent of damp earth and crisp lake water drifted toward us, and the view opened wide.
A picturesque landscape stretched out before our eyes.
Aeryeonji Pond, the body of water cherished by King Sukjong.
Though lush green lotus leaves were not yet in season, the scenery of Aeryeonji was utterly captivating. The water sparkled under the golden sunlight of late winter, kissing the tranquil, rustic shores beside Aeryeonjeong Pavilion. It took only a single glance to understand why Sukjong was so enamored with this place.
And sure enough, there was indeed someone standing along that picturesque shore.
The only problem was... it wasn't King Sukjong.
"...Hah."
Wait, that sound escaping Lady Jang's lips was a snort of contempt.
Panting for breath, I stood on tiptoe until the figure finally came into my line of sight.
It was a woman.
A woman adorned in the opulent regalia of a royal consort.
I've already met Suk-bin Choe... and she looks too old to be Prince Yeonryeong's birth mother, Suk-ui Bak.
Which meant, if my historical deduction was correct...
The final boss has arrived.
I froze solid.
What unnerved me most was the woman's expression.
In the glare she fixed upon Lady Jang, there was not the faintest hint of a polite social mask. Even when facing someone you despise to the bone, isn't it human instinct to maintain basic composure in their presence? All the more so considering this was the royal court...
She's glaring like she wants to murder her right here. Even with the Crown Prince standing right beside us...!
The identity of this woman radiating such suffocating hostility was none other than...
Royal Consort Gwi-in Kim.
A formally selected consort of King Sukjong, destined to be recorded in history as Yeong-bin Kim.
Hailing from an illustrious aristocratic lineage, she was supposedly treated almost on par with a queen when she first entered the palace.
The daughter of the most prestigious clan in Joseon, bursting with pride that her bloodline surpassed even that of queens.
And King Sukjong's reaction toward her was...
Total, unmitigated indifference.
Back then, Sukjong was utterly infatuated with Jang Hui-bin.
Perhaps wounded by that unbearable humiliation, Gwi-in Kim went on to leave behind an astonishingly brazen record of transgressions.
The list of charges against Gwi-in recorded in the Annals was monstrous.
Spying on the King's movements, insulting and slandering the monarch, and fabricating malicious lies against Jang Hui-bin without batting an eye. If this was just what I could recall off the top of my head, that said plenty.
Ultimately, Gwi-in Kim had been expelled from the palace when Queen Inhyeon was deposed, only returning when the Queen was reinstated. Yet even after reclaiming her status as a royal consort, Sukjong never once opened his heart to her.
If one were to sum up Gwi-in Kim's existence as a royal consort, it could be described like this:
An abandoned consort who was never loved—not even for a single day.
That very Gwi-in was now glaring at Lady Jang with eyes brimming with venomous malice.
Lady Jang, by contrast, remained remarkably serene.
Is this what they call the composure of the victor?
Without realizing it, I clenched my tiny fists and watched the staring contest unfold between the two women.
It's terrifying, thrilling, and utterly nerve-wracking all at once...
It was Gwi-in Kim who broke the silence first.
"Crown Prince. It has been quite some time since I last had the pleasure of seeing you here in the Huwon."
"...Yes, Consort Kim. Have you been well?"
Wow. She paid respects solely to the Crown Prince and completely omitted any greeting to Lady Jang.
Even so, Lady Jang merely regarded Gwi-in with a cool, unbothered gaze.
Surely they won't grab each other by the hair and brawl right here in the palace, will they?
There was no way that could happen... or so I thought, until the very next moment.
A subtle, venomous twitch twisted Gwi-in Kim's face.
The instant I saw that expression, a chill ran down my spine.
One second before the outbreak of all-out palace warfare.
Somebody save me.