Ally or Enemy?
Run.
Warning bells blared frantically in my head, but it was too late—Suk-bin and Gwi-in had already spotted me.
Suk-bin’s gaze upon me was as frigid as a sheet of ice. Naturally so. I was the very culprit who had turned her cunning trap against her to drive her into a corner, as well as the sole eyewitness who had watched her gentle mask shatter into pieces. A witness to the dark secret Suk-bin would have wanted to carry to her grave—that was precisely who I was.
Gwi-in’s expression was no less chilling. She made no effort whatsoever to conceal her blatant revulsion.
“……”
Scrambling to step aside toward the edge of the path, I bowed my head respectfully. I didn’t care if they looked down on me like an insect; all I wanted was for them to walk past in silence.
Unfortunately, my fervent wish missed its mark entirely.
Rustle. Rustle.
The whisper of rustling silk drew nearer, until the looming shadows of the two women fell squarely over my head. I stole a cautious glance upward.
Suk-bin looked down at me, her features locked in tight restraint. At the corner of Gwi-in’s mouth, however, curled a familiar sneer of disdain. I had certainly seen that look on Gwi-in’s face before. It was the exact sneer she wore that day in Huwon, right before she spewed venomous remarks about Hui-bin’s age.
“You are that child maid from Chwiseondang. The one who was hovering around Prince Yeoning-jaga back then. Am I right?”
“……”
The moment Gwi-in uttered those words, Suk-bin’s eyes flickered with faint surprise. It seemed Suk-bin had been entirely oblivious to any connection between Prince Yeoning and me.
Suk-bin parted her lips. “This is news to me. Prince Yeoning is always occupied with his studies, so how could this child have been hovering about him?”
Gwi-in countered nonchalantly. “You must be taken aback, of course. Yet it is an unmistakable fact. When I ran into Prince Yeoning-jaga near Hongseogak last time, would you believe this wretched girl was glued right to his side?”
What an utterly shameless fabrication. To begin with, the accusation that I had ‘hovered’ around Prince Yeoning was an outright lie. And now she was claiming I was glued to his side?
Patience, Bong-bong. Endure... endure...
I had to strain every nerve to suppress the urge to defy age and royal rank just to grab her by the hair.
“So, I gave this child a stern warning,” Gwi-in added, casting a sly sidelong glance at Suk-bin. “To know her lowly place, and never dare loiter near a royal prince.”
“……”
It was hard to tell whether Gwi-in was insulting me or taking a vicious jab at Suk-bin’s own humble origins. Suk-bin seemed wholly incapable of maintaining her composure today. Not that I had any desire to take her side, but honestly, it was understandable.
And as for Gwi-in...
She’s enjoying this.
The covert glances darting toward Suk-bin, the crooked smirk tilting her painted lips—Gwi-in was relishing every second. Then, her sharp gaze snapped back to me.
“I distinctly warned you, yet you dared to disobey my command.”
“……”
“Did I not tell you to keep away from Prince Yeoning-jaga? Then why were you present in Suk-ui Bak’s quarters alongside him?”
In that instant, speech failed me.
It wasn't because her accusation was false. It was because of the bewildering question that suddenly engulfed my mind.
...How does Gwi-in know I was there?
Not a single soul in the palace was ignorant of the ‘honey incident’ that had transpired at Sungyeongdang. However, my involvement in the affair had been kept strictly confidential. It was a measure taken to spare a young child like me from being hauled off to testify at the State Tribunal, and though I couldn't confirm it, I had assumed it was by His Majesty’s explicit decree.
And yet...
Gwi-in seemed to know the entire story. Meanwhile, Suk-bin wore an expression of complete bewilderment.
It was entirely unexpected. Had it been Suk-bin who knew, I wouldn't have been surprised in the least. Suk-bin had a track record of planting spies in Chwiseondang, and she could easily have heard the news directly from Prince Yeoning.
But for Gwi-in to know this... I never saw that coming.
Frankly, I disliked Gwi-in, but I had never pegged her as someone adept at scheming. She was far too emotional, wear-her-heart-on-her-sleeve transparent. So, I decided to test the waters.
“My presence at Sungyeongdang was... the adults told me it was a secret that must never be spoken outside...”
In other words: How on earth did you come across internal secrets about me being there?
Exactly as anticipated, Gwi-in’s expression violently shook upon having her slip-up exposed. Even so, she wasn't about to back down.
“The palace walls have eyes and ears! Does Hui-bin truly believe such a matter can remain hidden simply because she wishes it? Is that not so, Suk-bin-jaga?”
“...Indeed.”
Something felt suspicious once more. That saying—the palace walls have eyes and ears. Could Gwi-in perhaps even know that Suk-bin had suffered the humiliation of being slapped across the face?
Wait... weren’t the two of them on the same side?
Historically, the two women were undoubtedly in the same boat, an alliance forged to place Prince Yeoning upon the throne. Suk-bin, in particular, was known to have treated Gwi-in with the utmost deference.
“Suk-bin-jaga. Though Prince Yeoning is wise, he is still young in years, so you must instruct him strictly. Tell him never to associate with the lowborn wretches of Chwiseondang. It tarnishes the dignity of a royal prince. Do you understand?”
“Yes. I will keep it firmly in mind, Gwi-in-mamanim.”
Suk-bin holds the higher rank, yet their dynamic is completely inverted...?
It was a bizarre sight: Suk-bin, a Senior First Rank consort, flustered and bowing her head to Gwi-in, a Junior First Rank consort. Though Suk-bin struggled to maintain a neutral face, she could not conceal the furious crimson creeping up her neck. Experiencing such condescension from Gwi-in right after being disgraced by Hui-bin clearly filled her with stinging humiliation.
Just then, Gwi-in turned her venom back toward me.
“And why are you loitering before Huijeongdang? What reason could a child of Chwiseondang have to wander here alone? Does Chwiseondang manage its servants so wretchedly?”
What in the world was she babbling about now?
It was surprising in an entirely different way. Here we stood, right in front of Huijeongdang. Granted, I didn’t run around the palace shouting ‘I visit the King!’ at the top of my lungs. But by that point, there was hardly a court maid in the palace who hadn't heard the rumors of the King granting private audiences to Chwiseondang’s child maid. Even the maids of the Six Bureaus whispered amongst themselves whenever I walked by: ‘That’s her, right? The one His Majesty summons from time to time...’
And yet, Gwi-in had no idea? When she seemed to know every hidden detail of the Sungyeongdang incident as if she had witnessed it with her own eyes...?
What a strange woman. Is she that obsessed with Sungyeongdang...?
As that thought flickered across my mind, my breath suddenly hitched.
Something... is wrong.
Court Maid Gwon, who had laced Lee Hwon’s tarakjuk with honey, had met a sudden death. The mastermind behind her remained unrevealed, leaving the case unresolved. Gwi-in, so blissfully oblivious to palace rumors that she missed what every common maid knew, was astonishingly well-informed about Sungyeongdang alone.
And Gwi-in was...
In the future, she is singled out as the one who attempted to poison King Gyeongjong.
Even if history recorded it as an unproven suspicion, Gwi-in was undeniably someone to whom the sinister label of ‘poison’ would eventually attach itself.
In an instant, the scene at Sungyeongdang flashed through my mind. The vivid taste of honey washing over my palate. The panicked maid fidgeting restlessly as she tried to spirit away the porridge bowl.
‘They found Court Maid Gwon dead.’
‘I heard her tongue was pitch black.’
Honey acting as poison. A court maid dying of poison. A woman who, in the years to come, would bear the infamous stigma of using poison.
Could it be...?
“Why do you not answer?!”
Startled out of my wits by Gwi-in’s piercing screech, a shiver ripped through my body.
“Judging by how badly you jump, you were up to something shady, were you not? Do not tell me you were spying on His Majesty’s movements!”
Gwi-in’s wild accusations spiraled into absurdity, her voice rising with furious momentum. What was truly interesting, however, was Suk-bin’s reaction.
Someone of Suk-bin’s caliber couldn’t possibly be unaware of why I’m here before Huijeongdang.
Yet Suk-bin maintained an absolute silence, refusing to offer a single word. Almost as if... she were waiting for something to happen.
“Insolent wench! In whose presence do you think you stand? True to your Chwiseondang breeding, refusing to answer your betters and standing there like a stubborn mule!”
Snapping harshly, Gwi-in kept darting anxious glances toward the entrance of Huijeongdang. Then, her eyes dropped down, locking onto the silk bundle clutched tightly in my hands—the gift handed to me by the Great Hall Court Lady, just as always.
“This will not do. Suspicious to the extreme! Show me what is hidden inside that cloth!”
“Uh. This is...”
My precious sweets... But far more importantly, it was an invaluable royal gift bestowed by none other than the King himself. Shaking my head frantically, I hugged the bundle against my chest.
“You cannot see this. I... I cannot say...”
“What? You cannot say? You audacious little imp!”
Gwi-in lunged, snatching at the bundle with brute force. I dug my heels in, straining with every ounce of strength I had, but there was no way a four-year-old child could overpower a grown adult.
Crash!
The silk wrapping tore open, and the tiered lacquer box tumbled to the ground. In an instant, delicate dasik, honey pastries, and candied fruit scattered across the stone paving.
It was at that exact moment.
“What, in heaven’s name, is this commotion?!”
The King’s deep, commanding voice sliced through the chilled air.
Step. Step.
He strode forward. Clad in his vivid scarlet dragon robe, the King’s eyes were locked onto one thing—his royal gifts, battered and strewn across the dirt.