A Good Night
“Make way for His Majesty the King!”
The long-awaited day had finally arrived—the day everyone at Chwiseondang had been yearning for with bated breath: a royal visitation.
Chwiseondang had been turned utterly upside down since dawn. With King Sukjong’s visit officially announced in advance, there had been ample time to prepare, and Jang Hui-bin had adorned herself so exquisitely that even heavenly maidens would weep in envy. Naturally, the final seal of approval on her dazzling transformation had fallen to me, as it always did.
In the process, I too was swept up as a helpless victim of their grooming frenzy. Dressed in a quilted silk vest and a matching bolkki, I found myself clad in garments far too lavish for a mere child maid. Holding tight to Hui-bin’s hand as we went out to receive the King, I could only describe my appearance as... well, wasn't I essentially Hui-bin's personal living charm?
“Your Majesty. This humble consort is truly moved to tears by your gracious favor in visiting after such a long time,” Hui-bin murmured, her lips curving into a radiant smile.
This was the very moment I had been waiting for. I was dying to see how the King would react to this new Hui-bin—her heavy cosmetics stripped away, replaced by an innocent, luminous radiance.
My prediction hit the mark dead center.
“……”
For a brief moment, the King fell completely silent. The gaze lingering on Hui-bin's face wavered with faint, turbulent ripples. Even to my eyes, completely clueless about romance though I was, the verdict was unmistakable.
It worked.
At the very least, he had been struck anew by just how breathtakingly beautiful she was.
“……It has indeed been long since I last stepped foot in Chwiseondang to see you,” he said in a low murmur, though his gaze never once strayed from her.
Hui-bin played her part to perfection. Her long lashes fluttered delicately over eyes demurely cast downward. As expected, she knew better than anyone precisely when and how she looked her loveliest.
“Your Majesty, the air is cold. Please, come inside,” Hui-bin urged gently.
The King nodded at her words, but in the next breath, he unexpectedly addressed me.
“Bong-bong.”
“Yeees?”
“Geumdeok is already growing bored. You must come to the Daejeon once more before long.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I shall obey.”
This alone was a staggering break from palace decorum. The sovereign himself had personally invited an apprentice child maid into his primary quarters in front of a royal consort and an entire retinue of court ladies. Yet the King went one step further.
“Do you see now?”
“……See what, Sire?”
“That I am a man who honors his word.”
“Ah, of course! But of course I do! In that case, Your Majesty—”
Panic fluttered in my chest. As my exchange with the King dragged on, the edges of Hui-bin's valiantly maintained smile had begun to twitch ever so faintly.
“Well then, have a good night!”
……Wait, was that something an innocent four-year-old was allowed to say?
My heart leaped into my throat for a second, but fortunately, the King burst into a hearty laugh.
“Ha! Very well.”
Immediately stepping forward with a dazzling, brilliant smile, Hui-bin took her place at the King's side.
“Shall we proceed inside, Your Majesty?”
“Let us.”
Watching Sukjong and Hui-bin head toward the bedchamber together, I offered a fervent prayer in my heart.
Buddha, God, Lord Dangun, Grandmother Mago, and every deity under heaven—please shatter the boredom plaguing this middle-aged couple and reignite the fires of their marital bliss. I beseech you, I pray of you……
May they truly have a wonderful night!
“His Majesty visited Chwiseondang.”
“It has been half a year since Lady Jang last served the King in her bedchamber.”
“Could His Majesty's heart be shifting back to……?”
The rumor spread like wildfire. Whispers from the palace attendants who had witnessed the royal procession entering Chwiseondang rippled through the deep courtyards in the blink of an eye.
“That wicked wench has set her sights on bewitching His Majesty once more! How bitter, how intolerable!”
That night, Queen Inhyeon refused all nourishment, weeping bitterly.
“Take this away! Did I not tell you to clear it from my sight?!”
Rumors spread from maid to maid that an enraged Gwi-in Kim had overturned her table.
“……”
Meanwhile, it was said that Suk-bin Choe’s expression hardened terrifyingly upon hearing the news, yet she maintained absolute, chilling silence.
The King's visit to Chwiseondang was no mere night of dalliance. It was a night where joys and sorrows were traded between the Southerners backing Hui-bin and the Westerners supporting the Queen—a night foretelling that the scales of power had once again begun to teeter.
The next day.
Though Sukjong had departed Chwiseondang at the crack of dawn, Hui-bin’s mood remained elevated in the celestial realm all day long.
“Aigo, a flower has finally bloomed on our Hui-bin-jaga's face!”
“It's been nearly six months since His Majesty spent the night here at Chwiseondang. Even I'm moved to tears, truly.”
“Did you hear the lights went out almost the instant they entered the bedchamber?”
“Right away? If the lights went out that fast, then their bodies must have spoken before their words—!”
Their giggles cut off abruptly into stunned silence. It seemed they had only just noticed me sitting in the corner of the wooden veranda, quietly sucking on a stick of taffy.
Why? Go on, keep talking. I’m old enough to know what’s what.
For court maids trapped in this suffocating palace with nothing but repetitive chores to fill their days, it was undeniably the most thrilling gossip imaginable, but……
I'll pass on the TMI, thanks.
Leaving behind the maids whispering and snickering behind their sleeves, I slipped out of Chwiseondang. Thanks to Hui-bin's stellar mood, the court maids were in high spirits on this bright, sunlit morning.
I quietly headed toward a warm, sunny nook. Spreading open a vernacular Korean book to pretend I was reading, I systematically organized my to-do list like the meticulously organized child I was.
First, the business trip to Huijeongdang.
Though it would be my second visit, facing the King was never something one could take lightly. Still, there was a faint twinge of anticipation. There were still stories I had yet to hear from him. In any case, there was no need to frighten myself in advance.
And after that……
The full moon is drawing near.
In other words, the time for Suk-jeong’s arrival was fast approaching.
The warning poster and the desecrated grave had definitely shaken her. The terror that had drained the color from her face upon seeing the character “Hwang” had been entirely genuine.
Yet Suk-jeong has a powerful motive. She won't stop easily.
The curse against Queen Inhyeon.
I had staked my life on preventing that tragedy. But Suk-jeong had staked hers as well. In her twisted mind, she had every reason to see the Queen dead.
Her husband and Hui-bin’s brother, Jang Hui-jae, remained trapped in exile on Jeju Island. There was only one way to drag him back to the center of power: for Queen Inhyeon to perish as quickly as possible so that Hui-bin could reclaim the queenly throne.
Suk-jeong will undoubtedly return armed with every preparation imaginable.
Counting the days left until the full moon, I braced my resolve. Having already plunged headlong into an all-out war with Suk-jeong, there was no room for hesitation.
Let's do this.
Clenching my small fists, I swore an oath.
Suk-jeong. This time, I’ll see this through to the very end.
“Phew……”
Why did I feel like my blood sugar was crashing after just sitting here doing a little thinking?
Pulling a piece of dang-gwa candy from my pouch, I popped it into my mouth and steered my thoughts elsewhere.
Think happy thoughts. Happy thoughts……
Such as……
The Crown Prince?
Thinking of the Crown Prince always put my mind at ease.
I really want to do something nice for him.
At first, my feelings toward him had been closer to pity, but by now I had grown quite fond of him. My affection was entirely pure—the Crown Prince truly was a gentle, good-natured soul. Moreover, I was genuinely grateful for the doll he had gifted me. The more closely I examined it, the clearer it became that immense care had gone into making it.
Of course, it was the sewing maids who put in the actual labor…… but they would never have poured such craftsmanship into it in the first place if the Crown Prince hadn't specifically requested it.
I was lost in such musings when a voice hailed me.
“Bong-bong! There you are!”
The person calling my name was Court Maid Sun-rye. Sun-rye was Seol-hyang's older sister—a sturdy, powerfully built maid with the strength of an ox. Her official title around Chwiseondang was the resident “Glutton.”
“Yes, Sun-rye hamanim. What is the matter?”
“Take this over to Jeoseungjeon, would you? Surely you can carry this much, right?”
“What is it? Uh……”
I stared blankly at the small wooden tray Sun-rye held out to me. Or rather, at what was resting innocently atop it……
Dried persimmons……
Deliver gotgam to the Crown Prince, the very man who would go down in history branded as the king who died after eating persimmons?!
“D-Dried persimmons? To the Crown Prince?”
“Why are you so startled? Yes, take them to His Highness. You see that big persimmon tree over there? The maids and I picked them last autumn and dried them ourselves.”
Sun-rye leaned down and whispered conspiratorially in my ear:
“You can sneak one for yourself if you want. They're wickedly delicious.”
Glancing in the direction she pointed, I finally noticed the tree I had somehow overlooked all this time—a massive persimmon tree planted just outside the wall of Chwiseondang, its heavy branches stretching right over into the courtyard. Dangling from the very top branches were several plump persimmons that had survived the dead of winter.
It's not just dried persimmons…… Come to think of it, the entire palace grounds are crawling with persimmon trees!
Even if the tale of King Gyeongjong's death from Persimmon and Marinated Crab was merely unofficial folklore rather than verified fact, I couldn't shake off this deeply unsettling premonition.
“Bong-bong? Where are you looking? Are you all right?”
“Ah, yes. I'm fine. P-Please give it to me.”
I carefully took the tray from her hands.
“I'm counting on you, then! Thanks, Bong-bong!”
Once Sun-rye vanished around the corner, I stared down at the neatly arranged dried persimmons. There were nine of them.
Nine……?
One had clearly already found its way into Sun-rye's stomach.
Still, what am I supposed to do with these?
Well, there was no need to overthink it. There was only one solution.
Walking briskly toward Jeoseungjeon, the moment the entrance came into distant view……
“Whoa! Oh my! What is wrong with my feet?!”
Executing the most embarrassingly terrible acting imaginable—flailing my arms wildly at the empty air—I pretended to trip over a protruding stone and threw myself flat on the ground.
Flop!
The dried persimmons tumbled across the dirt, rolling in every direction.
A Crown Prince, the Foundation of the State, could never possibly eat persimmons soiled with dirt. Absolutely not, no way!
Now, all that remained was to summon my masterclass tear-squeezing technique, sniffling pathetically as I apologized for dropping them.
I'm sad. I am so, so sad right now……
Channeling every ounce of sorrow I could muster, I was just about to drag my feet toward Jeoseungjeon when—
Tap.
Tap.
Someone tapped me on the shoulder from behind. At the exact same time, a long shadow fell over me.
“Bong-bong. What on earth are you doing?”
“……Eeeek!”
The last person on earth I wanted to run into……
Wait, did you just watch my entire foot-acting performance from start to finish?
……I'm screwed.
Completely and utterly busted.