The Guardian
"My Lady! Hui-bin-jaga, please...!"
Hiding behind the folds of Seol-hyang’s skirt, I poked just my face out to watch Suk-jeong being hauled away by Sun-rye.
Suk-jeong must have really tormented the court maids all this time.
Even as she was being dragged out like a bundle of unwanted cargo, not a single soul showed a speck of sympathy or concern. If anything, a few among them, Seol-hyang included, seemed downright gratified to see it.
It was right then that Suk-jeong’s gaze locked onto mine.
Uh-oh...
Suk-jeong. Has she completely lost her mind?
The moment the thought flashed through my head—
“You—you wicked little fiend!”
Suk-jeong violently wrenched herself free from Sun-rye’s grasp.
Amid the sudden confusion, she lunged straight at me, her face contorted as if possessed by a vengeful demon.
...Or rather, that was what she attempted to do.
“What do you think you are doing?!”
A voice like thunder shook the entire courtyard.
At that exact moment, a strong arm swept around me, pulling me back into a firm, protective embrace.
It was the Crown Prince.
Every court maid within earshot stood frozen in utter shock. Not a single person in the palace had ever heard the Crown Prince raise his voice like that before. In his roar was an overwhelming majesty, steeped in an authority fierce enough to make everyone tremble to their marrow.
“Y-Your Highness... Crown Prince, Your Highness...”
As if the snap of fury had suddenly jarred her senses back into place, Suk-jeong dropped flat against the ground.
The Crown Prince spoke.
Yet his first words were not addressed to Suk-jeong, but to me.
“Are you unhurt?”
“Y-Yes... Yes, Your Highness.”
His hand remained resting over my shoulder, keeping me sheltered behind him.
Then he turned his gaze down upon Suk-jeong.
“An outsider daring to lay hands on a young court maid within the palace walls. How dare you commit such an outrageous atrocity?”
“T-That is not what happened, Your Highness. This lowly one was merely—”
“Silence! Insolence! I witnessed your vile conduct with my own two eyes. Do you dare make a mockery of the Foundation of the State?!”
“No, Your Highness! If you would only hear me out—!”
“Spare me your excuses! Must I report this matter directly to the Royal Father before you will hold your tongue?!”
His Royal Father.
At the mention of the King, not only Suk-jeong but all the gathered court maids held their breath. The Crown Prince had never once displayed such fierce, turbulent fury in his life.
He was always generous, tranquil, and composed. A prince of so few words and rare smiles that no one had ever been able to fathom the true depths of his heart...
“...”
Suk-jeong let her head fall limp against the dirt.
Only then did I become aware of the eyes around us. The court maids were stealing sidelong glances at me, still held securely within the Crown Prince’s grasp. To their eyes, the two of us must have looked unequivocally like a guardian and his ward.
“I—I shall take my leave. Please forgive this wretched sinner.”
Stumbling to her feet, Suk-jeong scurried away from Chwiseondang. She did not cast so much as a parting glance toward me, focusing entirely on hastening her faltering steps out of sight.
“Are you truly unhurt?”
“I was a tiny bit startled, but I’m completely fine now.”
After paying his morning respects to Jang Hui-bin, the Crown Prince had quickly returned to my side, seemingly anxious about my well-being. We moved to a pavilion in the rear garden of Chwiseondang to talk.
“More than me, how is Hui-bin-jaga?”
“She was quite shaken and has taken to her bed. Court Lady Han went to brew a medicinal decoction for her.”
Suffering from phlegm-fire disorder as she already was, witnessing such an eerie commotion had undoubtedly given her a severe fright.
“Bong-bong. What in the world happened that drove that woman to cause such a disturbance?”
“I don't know either, Your Highness.”
Looking as innocent and clueless as possible, I shrugged my little shoulders while sipping warm honey water. A tempest had just swept through, yet for someone who had stood right at the eye of it, I was remarkably serene.
Granted, it left a slightly uncomfortable taste in my mouth that Shaman Orye had babbled on about me being a spirit and warning people not to touch me. But Court Lady Han had been the only maid present to hear those words. And Court Lady Han placed Jang Hui-bin’s honor above all else; she would never breathe a word of it to anyone. What was more, Jang Hui-bin seemed utterly sick and tired of Suk-jeong now, so all things considered, it had turned out for the best.
Orye will never dare meddle in Chwiseondang's affairs again.
Seeing how she had trembled in mortal terror before me made me certain of it. I couldn't be entirely sure Suk-jeong would abandon her schemes for good, but...
At the very least, she'll have to keep her head down and stay confined to her quarters for a while.
Even that alone was a massive harvest.
Jang Hui-bin, Suk-jeong, and Shaman Orye—the three ringleaders behind the historical curse incident that would eventually claim Queen Inhyeon. Of those three, Orye was knocked completely out of the equation, and the bond between Hui-bin and Suk-jeong had been frayed to tatters.
This is incredible progress.
Ah, the honey water tastes especially sweet today.
Just then, a small shadow crept into the rear garden. Hesitating as if she had business there—or perhaps none at all—the person cautiously gauging the Crown Prince’s mood was none other than Bok-hee.
“Bok-hee Hamanim!”
I waved my hand cheerfully, beckoning her over.
“Huh? Wh-What? Why?”
Though her voice trembled, she looked thrilled out of her mind. Trying and failing to suppress the twitching corners of her smiling lips, Bok-hee approached and gave a polite, reverent bow to the Crown Prince.
“Y-Your Highness.”
“Greetings.”
“This is Bok-hee. Bong-bong’s friend!”
“This child is your friend? Isn't the age gap rather wide for you two to be friends?”
Well, yes, but to be honest, her mental age doesn't feel that far off from a four-year-old's.
“Still, she’s my best friend! Your Highness, can Bok-hee Hamanim sit here with us and eat honey pastries too?”
“Of course. If she is Bong-bong’s friend, how could I refuse?”
“Hamanim, sit!”
I patted the wooden floor beside me with my little hand. Flushing beet red, Bok-hee gingerly parked her bottom next to mine.
“So your name is Bok-hee. I have seen you in passing many times, yet I was so thoughtless that I only learn your name now.”
“Y-Yes, Your H-Highness...”
Bok-hee’s voice shook like a leaf. By now, not just her cheeks but the tips of her ears had turned blazing crimson.
“Your Highness.”
“Yes?”
“Next time I visit Jeoseungjeon, can I bring Bok-hee Hamanim along with me?”
Gasp.
I clearly heard Bok-hee suck in a sharp breath.
Breathe, child. Don't forget to breathe.
“By all means. Seeing how you look out for her, Bok-hee must take very good care of you when you play.”
“Yes! Bok-hee Hamanim is a good person!”
Bok-hee’s cheekbones were practically shooting into the stratosphere. I was half-worried her face might burst from pure joy. I grinned, watching her revel in bliss.
“Bok-hee.”
“Y-Yes... Your Highness.”
“Since you are much older than Bong-bong, please look after her well. Consider it a personal request of mine.”
A personal request from the Crown Prince himself.
The moment she heard those words, a brilliant, dazzling gleam ignited in Bok-hee’s eyes.
“Yes! I understand, Your Highness! Of course! Leave it to me! I will take splendid care of Bong-bong! Absolutely! Without a doubt!”
Her voice boomed with astonishing volume.
...Bok-hee. You could honestly debut as a rapper.
After the Crown Prince took his leave, I gave Bok-hee’s shoulder a few comforting pats—she looked about ready to burst into tears from sheer emotional overwhelm—and went out for a stroll. It had been a highly productive day, but I needed a moment to catch my breath.
Maybe I'll walk somewhere I haven't been before.
Lost in thought as I sorted through everything that had happened, I was wandering near Simindang, south of Chwiseondang, when something caught my attention.
...Who's that?
Catching sight of an unfamiliar court lady, I instinctively ducked behind a low stone wall. Around these parts, the only compounds where a sanggung would normally be found were Chwiseondang and Jeoseungjeon. Yet the court lady standing in the distance was remarkably tall and stout, resembling no one I recognized.
Hmm. Suspicious.
As I watched closely, the court lady took a step to the side. Only then was the slender figure of a young maid, previously hidden behind her large frame, revealed.
...Yong-hee.
When Suk-jeong had been dragged out, Yong-hee had been standing in the inner courtyard as well. I quickly reconstructed the sequence of events. The moment Suk-jeong lunged at me, the Crown Prince had appeared, his roar shaking the courtyard, and in the ensuing turmoil...
Yong-hee was definitely standing near me back then. But she quietly slipped away.
I quietly observed Yong-hee, who was whispering covertly to the unfamiliar court lady as if making a report. In truth, putting two and two together wasn't difficult at all. I already possessed the critical piece of information that Yong-hee was a spy for Bogyeongdang. Naturally, guessing which quarters this large court lady belonged to was as easy as pie.
So that is Yong-hee's choice.
A bitter pang touched my chest. It wasn't that I expected Yong-hee to be so terrified by the threats of a mere four-year-old that she would instantly reform. That hadn't been what I truly wanted to get across to her.
"That is the way of the world. You think doing wicked deeds will earn you grand rewards, don't you? But it never turns out that way."
I had hoped she would realize something from those words, yet...
If that's what Yong-hee has decided, then I have no choice either.
All the while, the hushed murmurs between Yong-hee and the court lady continued.
Pitter, patter.
Treading silently, I crept along the wall until I was right next to them.
“...Sun-rye Hang-ah-nim dragged the second mistress out, and while the maids were watching...”
“Cut to the chase. Only what matters.”
“Ah, yes! But then, all of a sudden, the second mistress...”
Hmm. Right about now is when my name gets brought up, isn't it?
That won't do.
“Whoa-whoops!”
Crying out with theatrical flair, I pulled off a masterclass in clumsy acting, wobbling dramatically as if I had tripped over a stray stone.
Ta-da!
Strolling cheerfully right out in front of the court lady and Yong-hee, I piped up with an innocent grin:
“The second mistress was dragged out! I know all about that too!”
Watching the eyes of both the burly court lady and Yong-hee tremble as violently as an earthquake, I offered a bright, chipper greeting.
“Hello, Sang-gung-mamanim! It's nice to meet you! But which hall do you serve in? You and Yong-hee Hamanim seem awfully close!”
“...”
I saw everything.
Tremble, tremble. The way Yong-hee’s whole body shook like a leaf.
And how the court lady’s face drained entirely of color as her identity teetered on the brink of exposure—cornered by what was masquerading as an innocent greeting from a four-year-old child.
"In daily life, he spoke and smiled so little that no one could measure the depth of his mind."
— Quoted from the Biographical Account of King Gyeongjong (Gyeongjong Daewang Haengjang)