Surviving as Jang Hee-bin's Child Court Lady - Chapter 34

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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 34. The God’s Answer
In one hand, a handmade fishing rod for Geum-deok; in the other, a silk bundle containing rice crackers; hidden inside my collar, a slingshot.
My hands were heavy, but my heart was light.
What greeted me as I returned to Chwisuondang with such confidence was….
‘Those are Suk-jeong’s shoes.’
But what about the other pair?
Two pairs of shoes arranged neatly before Jang Hee-bin’s Private Chamber.
Beside the cloud-embroidered shoes that Suk-jeong wore often, there was a plain, crude pair of slippers without any pattern.
I caught Seol-hyang as she happened to pass by and asked her.
“Seol-hyang. Who has come inside?”
“Oh. Young mistress. She arrived without notice, and brought a female physician with her.”
“A female physician?”
“Yes. Since the young master suffers from his cough, she brought someone said to be quite skilled at treating it.”
Seol-hyang gently patted my head.
“You seem to have brought something delicious again. I need to go to the Nae-so Kitchen, so rest in your room.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
A female physician.
It was certainly possible she had brought a renowned physician from outside.
‘But I don’t believe it at all.’
And my instinct, which had activated powerfully, was soon proven correct.
***
“Jang Hee-bin, this is the mudang O-rye I mentioned.”
At Suk-jeong’s words, O-rye, who could not hide her anxiety, immediately prostrated herself in a bow.
“This humble one is honored to meet you, my lady.”
The mudang O-rye’s voice trembled.
Though she served the gods, a mudang was considered the lowest rank even among the lowborn.
Not only had she entered the Palace as a mudang, but now she stood before Jang Hee-bin herself.
And Jang Hee-bin was no ordinary woman—she had once been the Queen of this realm.
“So you are the skilled mudang I have heard so much about from Suk-jeong.”
“You honor me with such words. I am unworthy of such praise, my lady.”
“Then I have a question for you. When I drew the five-colored flags, three yellow ribbons appeared in succession. I am most curious about their meaning. Tell me the divination.”
“That is….”
A chill ran down O-rye’s spine.
Ever since the day Suk-jeong brought the five-colored flags to Chwisuondang, O-rye’s divine sight had been blocked.
When divining the fate of others, she could hear the god’s answer as always.
The problem arose only when she attempted to divine Jang Hee-bin’s fate.
The silence of the child-god she served had grown longer.
“Why do you not answer?”
“The god does not answer, my lady. This itself is a strange matter, so I came to Chwisuondang today to seek the answer.”
“The god does not answer?”
Jang Hee-bin, who had hoped for a clear answer, cast a sharp glance at Suk-jeong.
Startled by that piercing gaze, Suk-jeong hastily opened her mouth.
“The more skilled a shaman is, the deeper her connection with the divine. When the spirits remain silent, there is always a reason. Please do not worry, my lady. Now that O-rye has entered the Palace today, she will surely provide you with answers.”
Jang Hee-bin’s expression remained skeptical.
Suk-jeong quickly changed the subject.
“I was so disrespectful—I failed to even ask how you have been. Have you been well, my lady?”
“Well, I suppose. There have been many trials, but there have been good things too.”
“Good things?”
“The King visited Chwisuondang.”
“Oh! My congratulations to you, my lady!”
Sensing her opportunity, Suk-jeong brought up a matter from the past.
“You remember, don’t you? When I delivered the remedy that O-rye had written for you? The talisman proved its power. And so the King….”
“Not at all.”
Jang Hee-bin cut her off sharply.
“I never used that talisman. From the moment I placed it beneath my pillow, my dreams became so turbulent and unsettling that I could not bear it.”
“My lady….”
“The King’s visit was not due to the talisman’s power. It was all thanks to our little blessing.”
“A, a blessing…?”
At the sudden mention of this unfamiliar name, Suk-jeong asked in confusion.
Jang Hee-bin answered with a smile.
“Yes. A blessing. The young maid Hwang Bong-bong.”
….
At the mention of Hwang Bong-bong’s name, Suk-jeong’s face turned cold and rigid.
“What has happened that you call that child by such a name? How could a mere child have brought the King to you?”
“It is a private matter. There is no need for me to explain every detail to you.”
As always, Jang Hee-bin would not tolerate Suk-jeong overstepping her bounds.
“But I must say this much—Hwang Bong-bong is truly a blessed child. Ever since she entered Chwisuondang, miraculous things have happened one after another. I cannot help but say that a blessing has rolled right into our midst.”
In that moment, Suk-jeong let out a cry of alarm.
“But my lady! That child, Hwang Bong-bong, is no ordinary child.”
“What do you mean? Not an ordinary child?”
“Her energy is unnatural, she possesses a cunning far beyond her years, and there is something eerie about her, as though a spirit possesses her….”
“Suk-jeong!”
Jang Hee-bin’s voice carried fierce anger as she spoke Suk-jeong’s name.
“How dare you! Hwang Bong-bong is a child I cherish, and above all, she is a maid belonging to Chwisuondang. You dare slander the child with such words!”
“My lady…!”
“Unnatural and cunning? And possessed by a spirit? How dare you—you are the one speaking such sinister words!”
Suk-jeong collapsed onto the floor in prostration.
“My lady! How can you not understand my loyalty? That child is truly suspicious. Though I could not bring myself to speak of it before, I have seen with my own eyes how she appears possessed by a spirit!”
“I do not wish to hear it! Will you truly be so disrespectful?”
“Please, just once more! I beg you earnestly. Bring the child before O-rye. Her true nature will surely be revealed.”
“What did you say?”
“Your Majesty. Please… I beg you. For the sake of the bond between us, for the hardships my father-in-law has endured, if you would only grant me this one request…”
In the end, the name of Jang Hee-bin’s brother, Jang Hee-jae, had been invoked.
Jang Hee-bin, who had been glaring coldly at Suk-jeong, spoke.
“I cannot fathom this. What possible difference could a mere four-year-old child make to warrant such a commotion?”
Jang Hee-bin, her gaze fixed upon Suk-jeong, directed her words outward.
“Han Sang-gung, are you there?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Go and bring Hwang Bong-bong to me.”
“Yes, I shall obey your command.”
Han Sang-gung’s cautious footsteps faded into the distance.
Even then, Jang Hee-bin, her eyes still burning with displeasure as she regarded Suk-jeong, spoke once more.
“I have commanded that Hwang Bong-bong be brought here, as you requested.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I am deeply grateful. I shall surely reveal that child’s true nature…”
Jang Hee-bin cut off her words abruptly.
“Since I have granted your wish, you too must prove yourself.”
“Prove… myself?”
“Yes. Prove what this true nature you speak of truly is.”
“…”
Suk-jeong, her eyes wide with fear, lifted her head slightly.
Meeting Jang Hee-bin’s piercing gaze, Suk-jeong trembled visibly.
“That child belongs to my quarters. She is one of my people. If you cannot substantiate the claims you have made about her…”
Jang Hee-bin issued her warning in a low, measured tone.
“Then you too shall pay dearly for the reckless words your three-inch tongue has uttered.”
***
“Oh, Hwang Bong-bong. How fortunate to find you here.”
It was Han Sang-gung speaking, having spotted me standing in the Inner Courtyard.
“Jang Hee-bin summons you. Go to her Private Chamber.”
“Now?”
“Yes. Come along.”
No matter how it unfolded, the confrontation with Suk-jeong was an unavoidable reality.
In fact, it was true that I had remained in the Inner Courtyard rather than returning to my quarters precisely with this intention.
Yet I had not anticipated a meeting like this.
Jang Hee-bin and Suk-jeong, along with the mysterious visitor whom Suk-jeong claimed was a female shaman.
I never imagined I would stand before all three of them.
Harboring my curiosity, I followed Han Sang-gung and stood before Jang Hee-bin’s Private Chamber.
“My lady. I have brought the young maid Hwang Bong-bong.”
“Let her in.”
The double doors swung open on both sides.
I seized the brief opening and swiftly scanned the interior.
Jang Hee-bin, smiling warmly as she regarded me.
Suk-jeong, seated before her, glaring at me with piercing intensity.
And beside Suk-jeong, a woman with her head bowed….
‘She is absolutely not a shaman.’
The moment I saw her, I was certain. A powerful intuition had awakened once more.
Above all, if she were truly a shaman, one would expect to see bundles of medicinal herbs or acupuncture needles—yet nothing of the sort was visible.
Jang Hee-bin, too, bore no appearance of being a patient in need of treatment.
In that moment, Suk-jeong jabbed the woman with her elbow.
“That is the child. That is Hwang Bong-bong. Examine her now, O-rye.”
…O-rye.
The shaman mentioned alongside Suk-jeong in the historical records as the instigator of the ‘Queen Inhyeon Curse Incident’.
She was the very mudang who had performed rituals praying for the Queen’s death and conducted curse rites using dolls and animal corpses.
Following Suk-jeong’s direction, eyes with long, slanted pupils turned toward me.
Our gazes collided head-on.
O-rye’s face bore a somewhat eerie impression.
Faint eyebrows, mere traces of their former shape, and eyes gleaming with an otherworldly light created an unsettling sensation.
Honestly, I was afraid.
Yet I refused to retreat.
No matter how skilled a shaman might be, no matter if she were a being capable of sensing realms invisible to human eyes, no matter if she were a wicked person bent on harming others.
‘I will never back down, and I will emerge victorious from this confrontation with all of you.’
Because that is the only way I survive.
It was then.
‘…What is this?’
O-rye’s body, which had been staring at me with unwavering intensity, began to tremble violently as though seized by convulsions.
O-rye’s pupils had dilated to a terrifying, pitch-black darkness.
Jang Hee-bin gasped, covering her mouth with her hand as she watched the scene unfold.
As if seized by an invisible force, O-rye’s body trembled violently, convulsing with unseen power.
In that same instant, O-rye cried out in a thunderous voice.
“Your Majesty!”

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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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