The Only Light
As I tried to inch backward on stealthy feet, Hui-bin’s hand snared the collar at the nape of my neck and hauled me back.
Even then, her gaze remained pinned straight onto Suk-bin.
"The world has certainly grown generous," Hui-bin spat out coldly.
"A musuri who once hauled water receives royal favor, dons the silks of a royal consort, and struts about putting on airs as the mother of a royal prince... and now, it seems, she has forgotten how to even greet her betters."
Her tone was frigid and overbearing.
It was the kind of haughty, suffocating demeanor that made one forget both women held the exact same first rank of senior consort—bin.
"...I trust you have been well, Hui-bin-jaga."
At last, Suk-bin bowed her head.
Others might have missed it, but from my vantage point, diminutive as I was, I could see Suk-bin's face in stark clarity.
Now, let me pose a quick quiz.
Question: What was Suk-bin’s expression after being publicly insulted by Jang Hui-bin?
1) Grinding her teeth in sheer fury.
2) Eyes brimming with tears, thoroughly cowed by the intimidation.
3) Sighing heavily as though she had resigned herself to her fate.
The correct answer? None of the above.
Suk-bin was...
Is she smiling?
Suk-bin was smiling.
The corner of her mouth curled into a sneer, scoffing as if Hui-bin were utterly contemptible. I saw it with my own two eyes.
Honestly, that smirk of Suk-bin’s chilled me far more than Jang Hui-bin’s grand entrance ever had.
"Unlike what you might pray for, I am always in great health. But tell me—do you truly dare to drag a court maid of mine to your own quarters?"
"It was a simple misunderstanding. Had I known she was a child of Chwiseondang, I would never have even thought to touch her."
The warmth she had displayed moments ago had vanished without a trace, replaced by eyes as dry and flat as desert sand.
And that tone—treating me like a mere object, as if I were something filthy to be discarded.
"And what, pray tell, brings you wandering all alone into Changgyeonggung?" Hui-bin demanded.
While Chwiseondang was located within Changgyeonggung, Suk-bin’s quarters, Bogyeongdang, belonged to Changdeokgung. In other words, Hui-bin was asking: What business do you have skulking about my territory?
"His Majesty has entrusted me with an urgent task, you see."
"..."
An unexpected, devastating blow.
With that single retort, the air froze instantly.
I stole a cautious glance up at Hui-bin. The corners of her crimson lips were trembling ever so faintly.
...Jang Hui-bin lost that round.
So this is the palace strife I've only ever heard tales of. Ruthless, absolutely bloodthirsty.
Just standing beside them made my knees turn to water.
It was only then that I noticed the woman standing behind Hui-bin.
Who is that?
She was not a court maid. Judging by the fine silk garments and the hooded jang-ot typical of aristocratic noblewomen, she had clearly come from outside the palace.
She stepped forward.
"Hui-bin-jaga. Please, let us not waste precious time on trivial matters. We should return to your quarters."
Her voice was strikingly deep for a woman.
Only then did Hui-bin speak.
"Very well, Suk-jeong. Let us go."
...Suk-jeong? That Suk-jeong? The mastermind behind Queen Inhyeon's curse scandal?!
At that very instant—
Thud.
As Suk-jeong turned, something slipped from within her voluminous sleeve.
Tumbling across the ground, the small object rolled and came to a stop right at my feet.
T-This is...!
How could I even begin to describe the shock that seized me?
It was a small doll fashioned from woven straw in the likeness of a human. To an ordinary eye, it might look like a shabby, crude plaything, but...
It’s a curse doll.
The very effigy recorded in the Joseon Annals, inscribed with Queen Inhyeon's name and pierced with needles to enact a deadly hex.
What do I do?!
Primal terror crashed over me.
Should I kick it away?
Should I drop to my knees and sit on top of it?
Fortunately, it seemed Suk-bin hadn't spotted the doll yet...
Just then—
"Oh my, heavens. Little one, how starved for playthings must you be?"
Crouching down, Suk-jeong met my gaze.
Scooping up the straw doll stranded before my feet, she thrust it into my hands.
"You're a good girl, aren't you? This is what you dropped. You understand, don't you?"
A whisper meant solely for my ears.
Her voice sounded sweet and gentle enough on the surface, but the grip with which she clamped the doll into my fingers was fierce enough to crush my bones.
"Hui-bin-jaga. The poor little thing must have been lonely playing all by herself, carrying about bits of straw and pretending it's a toy."
Suk-jeong smiled down at me, but her eyes glittered with murderous malice.
"Little one. Next time I visit, I shall buy you a pretty bridal doll."
...To hell with a bridal doll!
I was on the brink of full-blown panic.
When I lifted my trembling head, what met my eyes—
Was Suk-bin’s piercing, calculating gaze, staring fixedly at me and the curse doll clutched in my hands.
Why in the world am I holding this damn thing?!
Was this... that thing they call...
A death flag?!
"Though I must say," Suk-bin spoke up. "That is a rather peculiar doll for a child to play with. Girl. Where did you find such a thing?"
A direct fastball thrown with no room to dodge.
What was I supposed to say?
Was Suk-jeong going to help me?
...Not a chance.
One look at Suk-jeong averting her gaze, acting as though she had no further business with me, made that crystal clear.
Looking back at Suk-bin, who was observing me in dead silence, I opened my mouth.
I had no certainty, but I just had to take the gamble.
"This is Bombomi's friend! Its name is Boom-boomi. I picked Boom-boomi up near Seonjeongjeon, but..."
At that moment, Suk-bin’s expression hardened ever so slightly.
"Enough."
Suk-bin cut me off mid-sentence.
Phew... Thank goodness.
Claiming I found "Boom-boomi" near Seonjeongjeon had been a spur-of-the-moment gamble.
Just north of Seonjeongjeon lay Suk-bin’s residence, Bogyeongdang. In other words, my innocent babble translated to: I picked this up right near your place, Lady Suk-bin.
"Hui-bin-jaga! Then I'll go play with Boom-boomi now!"
I chimed out as cheerily and brightly as humanly possible, praying my act of I'm just an innocent child who knows nothing and only wants to play would do the trick.
"Go on, then," Hui-bin granted her permission.
I immediately broke into a swift scurry, fleeing the scene.
Clutching that grotesque doll in my hands as though it were the most precious treasure in the world.
My back was soaked with cold sweat, and my hands trembled uncontrollably.
The wind raking against my cheeks felt as icy as Suk-bin’s glare.
"Haaah..."
Choosing secluded paths devoid of people, I finally found a moment to catch my breath.
Quick wit had steered me through the immediate crisis, but the memory of Suk-bin’s glacial stare and the bruising force of Suk-jeong’s grip weighed heavily on my chest.
"This is exhausting, seriously..."
For the first time, the stark truth truly hit me.
The world I had tumbled into was neither a thrilling historical field trip nor a novel guaranteed a happy ending—it was a brutal, unforgiving reality.
Above all else, the biggest problem was this:
There are far too many hazards.
Suk-jeong’s appearance was undeniable proof that the ticking time bomb of history was already winding down.
On top of that, I had managed to get on Suk-bin’s bad side right from our very first meeting, ended up branded as the owner of a grotesque curse doll, and was making enemies with court maids suspected of espionage...
Can I really survive this in one piece?
Letting out a sigh deep enough to cave in the ground, I stared down at the curse doll gripped in my hand.
How on earth was I supposed to dispose of this thing right now?
That alone was a massive dilemma.
As I walked on, lost in thought—
Waaah!
A sudden, piercing wail shattered the quiet.
"Oh, our little prince, precious royal prince! Please don't cry! When you weep, it breaks my heart so! Hush now, hush!"
Around the corner of the pathway appeared a court maid cradling a baby.
I had no real reason to hide, yet instinctively ducked out of sight. I didn't want anyone to see my somber, un-childlike face weighed down by such grim thoughts.
Fortunately, the maid didn't notice me.
Wait, that baby... She called him a royal prince.
The tiny body was swaddled in exquisite silk, and the fur-lined ieom warming his head was trimmed with luxurious pelt.
A prince this young residing in the palace at this point in time could only be...
Ah. Sukjong's youngest son, Prince Yeonnyeong, Lee Hwon. He must be around two years old now.
I finally realized the child's identity.
Despite the nursemaid's desperate cooing and rocking, Lee Hwon showed no signs of stopping.
Just then.
Lee Hwon’s round, glistening eyes locked squarely onto me.
"..."
In an instant, his wailing ceased entirely.
"Oh my, little prince! Are you feeling better now?"
Even as the nursemaid rocked him gently, Lee Hwon kept staring straight at me as I hid behind the corner.
Why does he keep staring at me?
Curiosity fluttered in my chest, yet a bitter pang followed right behind it.
Lee Hwon was a remarkably pretty boy.
Naturally, looking at such an adorable baby should bring a smile to anyone's face, but I couldn't bring myself to smile.
Because Prince Yeonnyeong, Lee Hwon, dies young at the age of twenty-one.
The grim historical truth clouded my mind.
...There were simply too many people fated to die in this palace.
At that very moment—
Giggle!
A bright, bell-like laughter rang out.
The very same Lee Hwon who had been sobbing his heart out moments before was now beaming at me, bursting into a smile as warm as spring sunlight.
"Kya-ooh!"
The pure, innocent chuckle drifted musically above the sunlit walls of Changgyeonggung.
It was a strange, disarming sensation.
Here I was, mourning his early demise, while he looked back at me with such untainted, radiant joy.
For a long moment, Lee Hwon kept beaming and babbling at me.
"...Heh."
In the end, a smile slipped past my lips against my will.
For a fleeting breath, all my anxieties—my own precarious fate, Lee Hwon's future tragedy, the doom awaiting Jang Hui-bin—melted into the background.
...It felt as though a singular ray of warm light had pierced through an otherwise grueling day.
"Take care, Lee Hwon."
Feeling strangely comforted, I mouthed the farewell silently and turned to leave.
"Oh? Is someone over there?"
The nursemaid seemed to have caught on after seeing Lee Hwon continuously gazing in my direction.
Carrying the still-giggling prince, she began hurrying toward me.
There was no real reason to flee, yet a sudden jolt of feeling "caught" made my legs move on instinct.
"Hey! Wait a moment!"
Ignoring the maid’s calls echoing behind me, I took off at a full sprint.
Phew... What an eventful day.
Only when Chwiseondang came into view in the distance did I slow my pace to catch my ragged breath.
And still clutched in my hand, as heavy and ominous as a deadweight, was the curse doll.