Hush!
"Heh heh heh."
"…?"
"Ehehehe…!"
I glanced sideways at Seol-hyang, who was giggling like a comic book villain.
What on earth is wrong with her…?
Just as I was beginning to genuinely fear for her mental stability, Seol-hyang finally spoke up.
"Bong-bong-ah, you missed it, didn't you?"
"Missed what?"
"Court Lady Han was standing in the inner courtyard, and of all the times for a ripe persimmon to fall from the branch, it plopped right smack-dab on top of her head! Pwahaha!"
"Th-that really happened? I didn't see a thing…!"
"I know, right?! To miss out on a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle like that! It's an absolute tragedy, I tell you, a tragedy!"
"…"
For someone who practically sang hymns of praise and devotion to Court Lady Han all day long, Seol-hyang seemed far too giddy. I, on the other hand, had become a mute who had swallowed honey.
We were currently running an errand together. Our destination was Sungyeongdang, the living quarters of Royal Consort Suk-ui Bak. She was the biological mother of King Sukjong’s youngest son, Prince Yeonnyeong—Lee Hwon—and the consort who would later be recorded in the annals of history as Royal Noble Consort Myeong-bin Bak.
In Seol-hyang’s hands was a vessel of tarakjuk, prepared in Chwiseondang's inner kitchen under Jang Hui-bin's direct orders.
How unexpected. Jang Hui-bin sending such a precious delicacy to another royal consort…?
The incarnation of jealousy, a wicked woman, a femme fatale… Even setting aside the infamous labels forever trailing after the name "Jang Hui-bin," this kind of benevolence seemed utterly alien to me after having witnessed firsthand the deadly sparks flying in these palace intrigues.
"Seol-hyang hamanim."
"Yeah?"
"Are Suk-ui-mamanim and Hui-bin-jaga on good terms?"
"Well…" Seol-hyang made a thoughtful face, pondering where to begin. "Consort Suk-ui Bak used to be a court maid right here in Chwiseondang."
"Oh…?"
Right. That was it. I actually knew that bit of trivia, but it had slipped my mind. Not like Sukjong had just one or two consorts.
Still, that didn't quench my curiosity. If the woman who received the King’s favor was none other than the very maid who had once waited on Jang Hui-bin hand and foot, wouldn't someone with Hui-bin’s fiery temperament have flown into an uncontrollable rage?
"When Consort Suk-ui first received royal favor, Hui-bin-jaga was furiously angry, of course."
Fair enough. Even I would have been furious.
"But they say Consort Suk-ui begged for Hui-bin’s forgiveness for days and nights on end. It was the dead of winter, yet she knelt out in the freezing courtyard without budging an inch."
Consort Suk-ui must have suffered unimaginable agony. In the Joseon royal court, receiving royal favor was practically a unilateral act determined entirely by the King's whim.
"In the end, Hui-bin-jaga softened her heart. Consort Suk-ui had served her so devotedly back when she was just a court maid, so that must have played a part, too. Anyway, that's why we get along quite well with the maids from Sungyeongdang."
"…"
I studied Seol-hyang’s face for a moment. Perhaps I had acted far too grown-up lately; even Seol-hyang seemed to periodically forget that I was only four years old.
"B-but, what is 'woyal favow'?" I lobbed the explosive question with an innocent, wide-eyed gaze.
Every now and then, I needed to remind everyone of my official identity: an utterly useless, completely harmless four-year-old toddler.
"Huh? Oh dear! What did I just say? R-royal favor is, well… It's nothing! You can just forget I said that!"
Watching Seol-hyang scramble desperately to shield my innocence was almost pitiful, so I smoothly shifted the subject.
"If we're close with the Sungyeongdang maids, what about Bogyeongdang?"
"What? Bogyeongdang?"
Seol-hyang pulled a breathtakingly fast about-face.
"Don't even breathe a word about those wretched wenches. One of these days, I swear I'm going to rip every last strand of hair out of those wicked sluts' heads!"
Whoa, Seol-hyang… She’s a lot fiercer than she looks.
A flash of memory brought back the nasty court maids I had crossed paths with outside Bogyeongdang. If an apprentice maid from Bogyeongdang ever happened to wander past Chwiseondang…
Could I really be confident she wouldn't suffer the exact same fate I did…?
No way. Surely our Chwiseondang maids weren't that petty.
After quickly achieving mental victory, I asked another question.
"Then what about Gwi-in-mamanim's side…?"
"Bong-bong-ah! Spit three times! Ptoo, ptoo, ptoo!"
"…Huh?"
"Hurry, you do it too! Any day you hear Gwi-in’s name brings nothing but cursed bad luck! Hurry up, spit! Ptoo, ptoo, ptoo!"
"Ptoo, ptoo, ptoo…"
I wondered if she was not being a little dramatic, but recalling my encounter with Gwi-in Kim, it made immediate sense. If she was that vicious to a mere toddler maid, she must have been ten times worse to grown court maids. Seol-hyang certainly had good reason to react so violently.
"By the way, hamanim, is Consort Suk-ui very ill?"
"Yeah. She grew terribly frail after giving birth to the young prince. She was always sickly to begin with, but then she came down with childbed fever…"
"Ah…"
"Still, to proudly give birth to a prince a whole ten years after becoming a favored court lady—she’s a blessed woman, truly. That was how she was granted the official rank of royal consort, after all."
…Could someone really call that being 'blessed'?
Though there might be exceptions, the lives of maids favored by the King were seldom beautiful or peaceful. Especially in an era like this, where palace intrigues ran rampant.
"Anyway, if we're lucky, you might get to see the little prince today. You'll be amazed, Bong-bong! He is ridiculously adorable!" Seol-hyang gently pinched my cheek. "Well, not quite as adorable as our Hwang Bong-bong, but I've honestly never seen such a pretty baby in my entire life."
Seol-hyang gushed on and on about how charming and handsome the infant prince was.
Actually, I had already seen him.
Prince Lee Hwon—the very boy who would be granted the title Prince Yeonnyeong in just a few years. King Sukjong's most beloved youngest son, yet a prince fated to die an untimely death at the tender age of twenty-one.
On that particularly exhausting day when our paths crossed by chance, I hadn't seen the slightest shadow of death anywhere in that baby’s bright, innocent laughter.
And Consort Suk-ui Bak, too…
She dies when Lee Hwon turns five.
I recalled the historical record where Sukjong had wept upon seeing young Lee Hwon unable to comprehend his mother’s death. The realization that the mother and son I was about to meet were both doomed to die weighed heavily on my chest once more.
Just then, a baby's wail echoed from the distance.
"Sounds like the little prince is crying."
It was just as Seol-hyang said. The courtyard of Sungyeongdang was in absolute pandemonium. Every court maid in the compound was trying every trick under the sun to stop the prince's tears.
"Young Prince! Please don't cry! Peek-a-boo! Peek-a-boo!"
"Waaaah!"
They shook small stuffed dolls, rocked him gently in their arms, and one maid even held her hands to her ears and hopped around mimicking a rabbit. Yet the prince's cries refused to subside.
"Why is he weeping so sorrowfully today of all days?"
"He barely touched his milk, either…"
The wet nurse and the nursemaid murmured among themselves in distress.
"Oh, isn't that Seol-hyang?"
As we stood blankly by the entrance, a young court lady approached us.
"Yes, Mamanim. We brought tarakjuk. Hui-bin-jaga sent it for Consort Suk-ui."
"Tarakjuk? Such a precious thing… Her Ladyship's grace is truly boundless as the sea. But…" The court lady’s gaze shifted to me. "Ah, this must be the little child maid you mentioned."
"Yes. I brought her along so she could pay her respects."
Quick on the uptake, I bowed my head deeply.
"Hewwo. I am Chwiseondang aegi-nain Hwam Bong-bong. I am fow yeaws old!"
"My, how precious! I'd love to fetch you a treat, but the young prince is in such foul humor today that everything is in complete chaos. What to do…"
"Oh, not at all, Mamanim! Don't worry about it. Besides, Bong-bong eats far too many snacks as it is—it's practically becoming a problem."
I shot Seol-hyang a dirty side-eye, feeling a twinge of betrayal. And why wouldn't I? Half of the prized confections I scored ended up in Seol-hyang’s stomach anyway!
Even amid our conversation, the baby’s wailing never ceased.
"He doesn't have a fever, so we cannot tell what ails him. Perhaps it's because he hasn't been held in Consort Suk-ui's arms for days…" The court lady trailed off, sighing.
"How is Consort Suk-ui doing?"
"She has no strength at all. She hasn't been able to rise from her bed for days."
As their hushed voices traded worries, the baby, now losing steam, let out pathetic, ragged whimpers… The noise was enough to drain one’s soul.
It was then that the nursemaid carrying Lee Hwon walked into the center of the courtyard.
That's the maid I saw back then.
Surely she didn't remember me running for dear life, right? Fortunately, she barely paid me any mind.
I quietly studied Lee Hwon's hiccuping little face. His fair, porcelain skin was slick with tears, glistening in the light. Pity welled inside me watching the little prince cry so helplessly, and before I realized it, my eyes locked gently with his.
Lee Hwon. Why are you crying so sorrowfully? Your smile is so darn cute. When you cry like this, it makes me feel sad, too.
So…
"Hush!"
The word slipped from my mouth completely unbidden.
And then…
Silence fell.
"…?"
In an instant, the entire courtyard went dead quiet.
Wait, what? He actually hushed?!