Surviving as Jang Hee-bin's Child Court Lady - Chapter 30

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 30. Splat!
“Kekeke.”
“…?”
“Hehehehe…!”
I glanced sideways at Seol-hyang, who was cackling like a villain.
‘What’s gotten into her….’
Just as I was genuinely beginning to worry about Seol-hyang’s mental state.
“Hwang Bong-bong. You didn’t see it, did you?”
Seol-hyang finally opened her mouth.
“See what?”
“Han Sang-gung was in the Inner Courtyard, and wouldn’t you know it—a ripe persimmon that fell from a tree landed right on top of her head! Puhaha!”
“That… that happened? I didn’t see anything…!”
“Exactly! To miss such a precious moment. I’m so disappointed, truly!”
“….”
Here was Seol-hyang, who constantly spoke of her admiration for Han Sang-gung, now far too delighted by this spectacle—and here was I, rendered speechless as if I’d swallowed honey.
We were on an errand together.
Our destination was Sung-gyeong Hall.
The residence of Suk-ui Park.
Suk-ui Park was the birth mother of Prince Yeonning Yi Hwon, King Sukjong’s youngest son, a concubine later recorded in history as Myeongbin Park.
In Seol-hyang’s hands was a sweet rice porridge prepared at the Chwiseon Hall Inner Kitchen on Jang Hee-bin’s orders.
‘How unexpected. Jang Hee-bin sending such a precious delicacy to another concubine….’
The embodiment of jealousy, villainess, temptress….
Even without dwelling on the labels that clung to the name “Jang Hee-bin” like a tail, it was quite unfamiliar to me, having witnessed the sparks fly in palace intrigue.
“Seol-hyang.”
“Hmm?”
“It seems Suk-ui and Jang Hee-bin are on good terms?”
“Well….”
Seol-hyang wore an expression of deliberation, as if deciding where to begin.
“Park Suk-ui was originally a maid of Chwisuondang.”
“Oh…?”
That’s right. It was something I knew, but I had simply forgotten.
‘King Sukjong has more than one concubine, after all.’
Yet my curiosity did not fade.
A maid who had served Jang Hee-bin directly received the King’s favor—I would have expected Jang Hee-bin to be absolutely furious?
“When Suk-ui first received the King’s favor, Jang Hee-bin was said to be extraordinarily angry.”
I could understand that much.
“But Suk-ui spent days and nights begging Jang Hee-bin’s forgiveness. It was winter, they say, and she knelt in the Inner Courtyard without moving an inch.”
‘Suk-ui Park must have suffered greatly.’
In the Joseon royal palace, receiving the King’s favor was nearly a unilateral act driven solely by the King’s will.
“In the end, Jang Hee-bin softened her heart. After all, Park Suk-ui had served her so devotedly when she was a palace maid—there must be reasons for that. Anyway, that’s why we get along well with the maids of Sung-gyeong Hall too.”
“….”
I studied Seol-hyang’s expression carefully.
Perhaps I had been acting too mature all this time.
Even Seol-hyang seemed to forget sometimes that I was just a four-year-old child.
“By the way, what is a Seung-eun anyway?”
She asked the bombshell question with an utterly innocent expression.
Occasionally, I needed to remind her of my true identity like this.
‘An incompetent and harmless four-year-old brat,’ that is.
“Huh? Oh my. What was I just saying? A, a Seung-eun is… it’s nothing. You can forget about it!”
Seeing Seol-hyang struggling so hard to preserve my innocence, I gently changed the subject.
“If you’re close with the palace maids of Sung-gyeong Hall, how about Bogyeong Hall?”
“What? Bogyeong Hall?”
Seol-hyang switched topics with surprising speed.
“Don’t even mention those wretches. One day I’ll rip out every last hair on those nasty girls’ heads.”
Seol-hyang… she was far more formidable than she appeared.
Suddenly, the faces of the palace maids I had encountered at Bogyeong Hall came to mind.
If a junior maid from Bogyeong Hall happened to pass in front of Chwisuondang by chance…
‘Could I be confident that she wouldn’t experience what I did…?’
Surely our Chwisuondang palace maids weren’t petty enough for that.
After quickly reassuring myself, I asked once more.
“Then what about the Consort…?”
“Hwang Bong-bong, ptooey ptooey ptooey!”
“…Yes?”
“Come on, you do it too! Any day you hear the Consort’s name brings bad luck! Hurry, ptooey ptooey ptooey!”
“Ptooey ptooey ptooey….”
I found it a bit excessive, but once I recalled my encounter with the Consort, I understood immediately.
If she had been that harsh with a junior maid, she must have been far worse with the other palace maids.
There had to be a reason for Seol-hyang’s such extreme sensitivity.
“But Seol-hyang, is Suk-ui Park not doing well?”
“Yes. She’s grown quite frail since giving birth to the young prince. She was always prone to illness, and then she suffered from childbed fever….”
“I see….”
“Still, after ten whole years of being a Seung-eun, she finally bore a young prince, so she’s certainly blessed. She even received her concubine rank because of it.”
…Could that really be called a blessing?
There might be exceptions, but the lives of palace maids who became Seung-eun were neither beautiful nor peaceful.
Especially not in times like these, when palace intrigue ran rampant.
“Anyway, if things go well today, you’ll get to see the young prince. You’ll be amazed when you do, Hwang Bong-bong! He’s truly incredibly adorable!”
Seol-hyang gently pinched my cheek without hurting me.
“Not quite as pretty as our Hwang Bong-bong, but I’ve truly never seen such a beautiful baby before.”
Seol-hyang went on at length about how cute and handsome the young prince was.
In fact, I had already seen him before.
A figure who would later be called by the title “Prince Yeonning”—Prince Yi Hwon, the youngest son King Sukjong loved most dearly.
The prince born under a fate to die young, at the age of twenty-one.
On particularly difficult days, when I happened to encounter that child by chance, I could find no shadow of death anywhere in his bright, innocent smile.
And moreover, Suk-ui Park as well….
‘Yi Hwon will meet his end when he turns five.’
I recalled the historical record that King Sukjong had shed tears at the sight of young Yi Hwon, unable to comprehend his mother’s death.
The thought that both the mother and child I would soon encounter were destined to meet death weighed heavily upon my heart anew.
It was then that I heard the distant cry of an infant.
“It seems the young prince is crying.”
Seol-hyang was right.
The courtyard of Sung-gyeong Hall was in complete chaos.
Every palace maid in the residence was desperately employing every method at their disposal to silence the prince’s cries.
“Young master! Please don’t cry! Peekaboo! Peekaboo!”
Waaaaaah!
Some shook small dolls, others tried rocking and soothing him.
One maid even placed her hands beside her ears and hopped about like a rabbit, yet the prince’s crying would not cease.
“Why is the young master crying so much today, I wonder.”
“He won’t even take his milk properly….”
Those who appeared to be his wet nurse and nursemaids murmured with concern.
“Oh. Aren’t you Seol-hyang?”
A young Sang-gung approached us as we stood awkwardly at the entrance.
“Yes, madam. I am Seol-hyang. This is a tarak porridge that Jang Hee-bin is sending to Suk-ui Park.”
“Tarak porridge, you say? Such a precious gift…. Truly, the benevolence of one’s master is as vast as the sea. However….”
The Sang-gung’s gaze turned toward me.
“Oh, so this must be the young maid you mentioned before.”
“Yes. I brought her along so she could offer her greetings as well.”
I quickly lowered my head with keen awareness of the situation.
“Greetings, madam. I am Hwang Bong-bong, a young maid of Chwisuondang. I have just turned four years old this year.”
“How adorable. I would like to bring out something for you to eat, but the young prince is in such a foul mood today that everything is in disarray. What can be done….”
“Oh, it’s quite alright, madam. Besides, Bong-bong already eats far too many snacks as it is.”
I felt a slight pang of betrayal and shot Seol-hyang a sidelong glare.
Of course—half of all the snacks I had managed to acquire were ending up in Seol-hyang’s stomach!
Even so, the child did not stop crying.
“He has no fever, so it’s unclear what troubles him. Perhaps it’s because he hasn’t been held in his mother’s arms for several days….”
The Sang-gung’s words trailed off.
“How is Suk-ui Park faring?”
“She has no energy at all. She hasn’t been able to get out of bed for several days now.”
As such words were exchanged, the child cried on, his strength seeming to wane, his sobs growing more pitiful….
I felt as though my very soul was draining away.
It was then that the nursemaid holding Yi Hwon stepped forward toward the center of the courtyard.
‘That’s the nanny I saw back then.’
Surely she doesn’t remember me fleeing in panic, begging my feet to carry me to safety?
Fortunately, the nanny maid seemed to pay me little attention.
I carefully observed Prince Yeonning Yi Hwon’s tear-stained face.
The baby’s flushed cheeks glistened wet with tears.
Seeing him cry so helplessly, I found myself meeting his gaze without thinking.
‘Prince Yeonning Yi Hwon. Why are you crying so sadly? Your smile is truly adorable. The more you cry, the sadder I become too.’
So that is….
“Stop!”
It was truly a thoughtless word that escaped my lips.
And yet….
Stop.
“…?”
In that instant, silence fell over everything.
What. Did I really just say stop?

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