Even If Flowers Bloom on a Broken Branch - Chapter 93

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

93.
The front of the Yeongsongjae pavilion was silent.
However, that silence was like a precarious sheet of thin ice that felt as though it would crumble at the slightest touch.
The palace attendants of the Yeongsongjae pavilion could not hide their bewilderment, as if they had never even imagined that the Queen would actually come to this place.
‘Why has the Queen Her Highness…?’
The Yeongsongjae pavilion was a structure located right in front of Geonhwijeon. Therefore, coming to the Yeongsongjae pavilion was no different from visiting Geonhwijeon.
The Queen had stepped into a completely separate place, the King’s private domain. No matter how much she was the Queen, it was a place where one could only step forward with permission, and it was uncertain whether the current Queen could even obtain that permission.
Court Lady Han’s gaze darkened.
‘No, he would not grant permission.’
The Queen must know that fact as well. Yet, her sole purpose in stubbornly coming to this place would be to meet the King’s woman residing in the Yeongsongjae pavilion.
‘Hong Suk-ui Her Highness…’
Court Lady Han’s face hardened rigidly. It was just as she lifted her head, looking determined.
“Queen Her Highness.”
A neat and elegant voice broke the stillness. It was Hong Ran.
“…….”
Chae Eun-oh’s pitch-black eyes stared at her as if they would swallow her whole.
Hong Ran had hurriedly stepped down onto the stepping stone barefoot, without even wearing her shoes. She bowed her head politely.
“That Your Highness has come to this humble…”
“Humble?”
Chae Eun-oh cut her off. She looked down arrogantly at Hong Ran, who was bowing deeply to her.
“Those words are not something that should come out of your mouth.”
Chae Eun-oh tilted her head slightly.
“Do you dare call the King His Majesty’s domain humble?”
“How could that be?”
Hong Ran cast her eyes down.
Court Lady Han saw her hands trembling faintly.
“I am merely surprised that the Queen Her Highness has personally come to see this humble person.”
Chae Eun-oh’s red lips twisted. She said in a gentle voice,
“Since you would not come, I had no choice but to come myself.”
“I am deeply sorry.”
Hong Ran bowed her head deeply.
Because it was something that had been weighing on her own mind the entire time, there was no room for excuses. Mentioning here that the King had not permitted it could cause another problem entirely.
When Hong Ran bowed her head without any other words, Chae Eun-oh, who was looking down coldly at her, spoke clearly.
“Then, greet me properly.”
Hong Ran flinched.
She had once experienced a situation similar to this one.
‘When the Queen Her Highness called Lee Yeon.’
It was similar to that time when she had told her to wait until preparations were finished, claiming she had arrived earlier than the scheduled time.
Perhaps thinking that Hong Ran was hesitating, Court Lady Shin, standing beside Chae Eun-oh, stared at Hong Ran as if urging her on.
Before long, all the palace attendants of the Yeongsongjae pavilion had come outside and were bowing toward Chae Eun-oh.
“……Yes.”
Hong Ran calmly adjusted her ceremonial jacket and bowed deeply to offer her respects.
“Hong Suk-ui offers her morning greetings to the Queen Her Highness.”
A chuckle slipped from Chae Eun-oh’s lips. She muttered in a voice tinged with amusement,
“How ridiculous.”
Before Hong Ran could even raise her head at that, a voice as cold as frost struck down upon her head.
“Do you dare refer to yourself as Suk-ui in front of me? What, do you feel like the whole world is yours just because you received a cheopji?”
Hong Ran’s face froze.
Sharp words continued to fly and pierce into her.
“I knew well enough that you were a woman who rolled around in the marketplace, but I did not know your skin would be this thick. It is admirable.”
The palace attendants held their breath at the same time.
‘A woman who rolled around in the marketplace.’
Purposely saying those words in front of so many people was meant to diminish Hong Ran’s dignity and humiliate her. While pointing out her non-noble background, she used the expression ‘rolled around’ to impart a low-class perception.
However, the complexion of Hong Ran’s face did not change in the slightest. She replied calmly.
“It is a cheopji bestowed by the King His Majesty, so how could I not be proud of it?”
Hong Ran smiled faintly.
“Since he is someone who treasures even a lowly person like me like the apple of his eye, the Queen Her Highness must be happy.”
The people’s expressions became subtle.
It meant, ‘Since the King is a man who holds even a lowly person like me precious just as you said, you, as the Queen, must have received truly a lot of love,’ but it was a fact known to everyone in the Capital City as well as the palace that Chae Eun-oh had never received love even once.
Hong Ran had returned the words with a smile.
So, are you receiving your husband’s love?
“How dare you…”
Court Lady Shin muttered, her face turning pale. She stepped forward.
“To the Queen Her Highness…!”
“Stop.”
When Chae Eun-oh spoke briefly, Court Lady Shin shut her mouth and took a step back. Chae Eun-oh smiled brightly and said,
“It is a relief that you are aware that you are a lowly person yourself.”
Her pitch-black eyes scanned Hong Ran thoroughly.
“Etiquette and elegance, you see,”
Chae Eun-oh continued speaking slowly.
“Are things embedded in the body from birth. No matter how much one tries to copy what they have overheard and seen, it is nothing more than an imitation. Therefore,”
Chae Eun-oh tilted her head.
“Is that not why you can only manage such a vulgar greeting?”
Strength entered the back of Hong Ran’s hands. Chae Eun-oh, looking at Hong Ran ridiculously, said briefly,
“Again.”
Chae Eun-oh slowly put her hands beneath her ceremonial jacket and said,
“Greet me again. If you do not do it properly—”
She shifted her gaze and looked at Court Lady Han standing behind Hong Ran. The corners of Chae Eun-oh’s red lips smirked upward.
“I will call the court lady who taught you and hold her accountable for the crime of not educating you properly.”
At those words, several of the palace maids who were bowing all at once flinched.
They also knew very well what kind of deaths the palace maids of Daehee Palace had met.
“…….”
Hong Ran took a deep breath. For a moment, her gaze revealed in the light was incomparably cold.
A moment later, Hong Ran bowed toward Chae Eun-oh once again.
Hong Ran knew whose way Chae Eun-oh’s gaze had been directed just a moment ago.
‘Surely she cannot whip the King’s person, but…’
Court Lady Han was someone who belonged to Geonhwijeon and the Yeongsongjae pavilion. No matter how much she was the Queen, she would not be able to punish her, but she could publicly humiliate her in front of the underlings.
‘I cannot let that happen.’
Suffering humiliation and disgrace was enough with just herself. Strength entered her white hands clutching her skirt.
Hong Ran knelt down and pressed her forehead against the dirt ground.
“Hong Ga Ran offers her greetings to the Queen Her Highness.”
It was then.
At the moment Hong Ran tried to raise her body when the words ‘Again’ came out, her left leg faltered along with a brief pain. It had stiffened momentarily, perhaps due to tension.
“……!”
Losing her balance was only for a split second. However, at that moment, something fell to the ground from Hong Ran’s bosom.
Thud—
Everyone’s eyes locked onto the thing that had fallen onto the dirt ground.
Hong Ran hurriedly tried to grasp it. But Chae Eun-oh moved faster than that.
Stomp!
The flower shoes splendidly embroidered with red thread trampled the back of the pure white hand. Chae Eun-oh pressed down hard on Hong Ran’s hand with the front of her foot and said,
“Court Lady Shin.”
“Yes, Her Highness.”
“Take away what is held in this person’s hand.”
Court Lady Shin immediately came forward. Hong Ran lifted her head with a bewildered face. Her face was stained with pain.
When Hong Ran did not open her clenched hand, Chae Eun-oh put even more strength into her foot. The pure white back of her hand was scraped, and blood flowed.
“Queen Her Highness!”
Court Lady Han hastily knelt beside Hong Ran. As she knelt, the palace attendants of the Yeongsongjae pavilion also knelt together.
Taking advantage of that gap, several palace attendants quickly ran toward the shade. They were going to inform the surroundings of this situation and ask for help.
Chae Eun-oh raised her voice, putting strength into the foot that was stepping on Hong Ran’s hand.
“Am I not asking what it is you hid?”
Hong Ran squeezed her eyes shut.
Court Lady Shin forcibly twisted her wrist to check what was held in her hand.
It was at that exact moment.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————