Surviving as Jang Hee-bin's Child Court Lady - Chapter 33

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

Chapter 33. The King’s Path
The atmosphere of Hee-jeong Hall remained solemn, yet on this second visit, my heart felt considerably more at ease.
Head Sang-gung led me not to the inner chambers, but to the courtyard adjoining Hee-jeong Hall.
The King stood in one corner of that courtyard.
“Your Majesty, I wish you good health and eternal prosperity!”
Oh. I did it!
He finally conquered the consonant ㅇ, which is the biggest challenge for four-year-old children.
“Well done. Your manner of greeting has improved considerably.”
The King clearly recognized my efforts.
Geum-deok came scurrying toward me, unable to hide my pride, and rubbed his face against my legs.
“Today, I have prepared something new for Geum-deok.”
“What is it?”
Tada!
I produced my handcrafted secret weapon.
A custom fishing rod, no less!
I had asked Sun-rye to break off a persimmon tree branch, tied a string to it, and fashioned a homemade toy by attaching a large crow feather I’d found in the back courtyard.
‘Geum-deok, you should know how well you’re living because of me.’
Geum-deok went absolutely wild.
Bounce, bounce, bounce!
Only when both Geum-deok and I were gasping for breath did the hunting game finally end.
“Rest now and sit. Playing with Geum-deok will wear you out.”
For someone who had dumped the task of playing with Geum-deok onto me, this was quite an unscrupulous remark.
Refreshments had been laid out on the platform.
‘Oh. Wonsobbyeong.’
Wonsobbyeong is a delicacy made by floating colorful glutinous rice dumplings in honey water.
Beside the wonsobbyeong lay pine flower dasik arranged in a neat row, as before.
“I am grateful for this meal!”
Nom, nom.
As I sipped the honey water, I paused momentarily at a fragrance carried on the breeze.
This scent, surely….
“Your Majesty, there is a fragrance coming from somewhere.”
“It comes from me. I paid my respects at Jongmyo today.”
With Daeboreum drawing near, it seemed he had gone to pay his respects to the former kings.
“You may not yet know what Jongmyo is. Jongmyo is a shrine where the former kings are enshrined.”
“I shall remember it well, now that you have taught me, Your Majesty.”
Though this content appears in elementary school textbooks, I answered with bright, attentive eyes as if hearing it for the first time.
Indeed, to hear the history of Jongmyo directly from King Sukjong himself.
It was truly an extraordinary experience.
“However…. Your Majesty.”
“Yes?”
I hesitated, but gathered my courage and opened my mouth.
“Your Majesty seems… a bit troubled.”
“Did it show? Well, you’re not wrong.”
He continued speaking.
“Visiting Jongmyo always fills my mind with many thoughts.”
“Why is that, Your Majesty?”
“Hmm.”
His gaze drifted beyond the brick wall of Hee-jeong Hall toward some distant point.
“Because the Way of Kings exists there. All the paths our great predecessors walked and their consequences—they all reside in that place.”
“….”
I remained silent, waiting for him to continue.
“King Taejong purged even his own brothers to ascend the throne. King Sejong drove his nephew, King Danjong, to his death to become king.”
Slowly, he closed his eyes.
“One might think such deeds terrifying. Yet kings of gentle and magnanimous temperament have often led their realms to ruin.”
His voice grew somber and quiet.
“That is the nature of kingship. One must not hesitate to become wicked, and when the sword must be drawn, one must not waver.”
I quietly stroked Geum-deok’s fur.
I could sense these words were not meant for my ears.
The King’s closed eyes remained shut for a long while.
Perhaps sensing his deep anguish, Geum-deok left my side and settled upon his lap.
Awakening from his reverie, he smiled faintly.
“Here I am, burdening a child with complaints she cannot even comprehend. I must be growing old.”
“Oh no. Your Majesty is incredibly young.”
“Young? Ha. Does Hwang Bong-bong even know how old I am?”
I do. Forty.
But now was the time to deploy the social skills I had honed so carefully.
“Hmm….”
I tilted my head, then gazed upon his royal visage, which I had never dared look at directly before, and answered.
“Twenty!”
It was an answer meant to maintain my persona as a child incapable of judging age.
Perhaps I had overdone it.
“Ho. I often hear that my age is difficult to discern. Do I truly appear so young?”
But our King was somewhat lacking in conscience.
“Yes. Did Hwang Bong-bong guess correctly, Your Majesty?”
“Ha. Yes, let’s say you did.”
…Let me correct that. He was quite lacking in conscience.
“Twenty, you say. Those were distant days indeed. Let me think. What was I doing then….”
He paused, as if sifting through his memories.
I could sense the reason why.
It was the sixth year of King Sukjong’s reign, when he was a young king of twenty.
He wielded the merciless blade known as the Gyeongsin Hwanguk.
The King, lost in thought, lifted his head.
“How I wish I could return to those days. They were times brimming with vigor.”
“What would you miss most, Your Majesty?”
“I had far more dreams then, far more desires, and because I didn’t know the consequences my decisions would bring, I knew no fear. Above all….”
He gazed at me slowly.
“At twenty, I had a cherished friend by my side.”
“Where is that friend now, Your Majesty?”
The King fell silent for a moment.
“He’s dead.”
“I’m deeply sorry, Your Majesty.”
He did not look away from me for some time.
“You have nothing to apologize for.”
“….”
“Perhaps it is I who should be sorry.”
I lifted my gaze to meet his eyes.
It was not easy to fathom the King’s inner thoughts.
Here stood a king before a mere four-year-old child—burdened by the anguish of kingship, the destiny of one whose hands must be stained with blood, and the memory of a departed friend….
‘Perhaps King Sukjong is truly a lonely person.’
A person with nowhere to bare his heart.
One who must silently endure the weight of the blood-soaked history born from his own choices.
“Child.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“You said you have no memory of your parents at all, did you not?”
“Yes.”
“Then I shall make inquiries about your parents.”
“My parents, Your Majesty?”
I was genuinely surprised by his words.
Though I knew the King took interest in my origins, I had not expected such active involvement.
“Yes. I am curious myself, and surely you must miss your parents. If you could at least learn their names through this opportunity, it would be meaningful for you.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I am most grateful.”
In truth, it was a proposal without drawback.
His meaningful words had sparked my own curiosity about my origins.
‘If the King himself conducts the investigation, information will surface in no time.’
It was truly a case of getting what I wanted without lifting a finger….
‘But what if my parents turn out to be traitors or something?’
I’ve watched far too many historical dramas.
Enough of such useless thoughts.
That was when it happened.
“Your Majesty. It is time for your midday meal.”
Sang-seon entered the courtyard cautiously and made her report.
It was time for me to return to Chwisuondang as well.
“Your Majesty, what will you do on Daeboreum?”
Before leaving, I asked the King.
“I’ll receive the courtiers’ New Year’s greetings. After that, I’m thinking of taking a walk through the Changdeok Palace Gardens. I plan to visit the area around Okryucheon.”
Memo! Memo!
I had obtained very valuable intelligence about the King’s movements.
“Go on, child.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Let’s see each other again soon.”
Yes. I’ll see you again soon, Your Majesty.
After offering my farewell to the King and patting Geum-deok once, I left Hee-jeong Hall.
This time too, Sang-gung had wrapped a generous bundle of dasik for me.
I gave one to Bok-hee, and to Yong-hee…
‘Should I give her one or not?’
Pondering this, I returned to Chwisuondang with light steps…
Only to find unwelcome visitors—two of them, no less—waiting for me.
***
After Hwang Bong-bong left.
King Sukjong, having briefly dismissed Sang-seon, was lost in deep thought.
Had he truly laid bare his innermost feelings before a mere four-year-old child—feelings he had never revealed to anyone else?
The child likely hadn’t understood his words, but it was entirely unlike him.
‘Because she resembles… her.’
Because the child resembled her.
During his time as Crown Prince, that girl had often disarmed him with her innocent face—could it be because this child bore her likeness?
The King suddenly exhaled a sigh, gazing down at his own hands.
Though invisible to the eye, they were drenched in blood.
The path of a king.
As he had told the child, some kings had personally wielded their swords to cut down blood relatives and political enemies alike.
King Sukjong had never directly drawn a blade to strike anyone down, yet under the name of the Gyeongsin Hwanguk, he had driven far more people to their deaths.
‘And… I may have to kill many more in the days to come.’
The King closed his eyes quietly.
The faces of those who had perished so brutally by his choices flickered before him.
Among them…
There was someone who had been called his most cherished ‘dear friend.’
“The Cheok household,” he murmured.
He spoke the beloved name in a voice barely audible.
‘Could that child truly be his blood?’
Yuhwa—the younger sister of Cheok U-myeong, the dear friend he had called by the affectionate name ‘Cheok household.’
The vivid crimson mark on Yuhwa’s arm was also present on that child.
‘If that child truly is Yuhwa’s daughter, could I atone for my sins through her?’
The King’s gaze, fixed upon the distant sky, was terrifyingly vast and hollow.
‘Could I atone for the sin of killing my friend…’

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