Surviving as Jang Hee-bin's Child Court Lady - Chapter 40

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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 40. The Fierce-Eyed Gentleman
Jang Hee-bin’s shoulders seemed to tremble slightly.
As King Sukjong soothed her with whispered words, she buried her face in his embrace once more.
‘How beautiful.’
Watching the poignant scene unfold like the finale of a historical drama, I drew ragged breaths.
My head spun from blowing air so relentlessly.
‘Phew… I need to catch my breath and slip away.’
I had poured my entire being into this performance.
It was time for the special effects assistant to make her exit.
After a slow, deep breath, my labored breathing finally subsided.
I was just brushing the petals clinging to my skirt and rising to my feet when—
“Eek!”
Goodness!
I nearly shrieked aloud.
I had discovered a man standing mere paces away—perhaps five or six steps at most—watching me intently.
‘How could he mask his presence so completely from such a distance?’
…A martial master?
It wasn’t an entirely unreasonable guess. The man was dressed in martial officer’s attire.
Moreover, instead of the plain sword typically worn by officers, he carried an ornate, gleaming longsword adorned with elaborate decorations.
‘He must be a high-ranking officer from the Naegumwi or Military Camp.’
When I thought about it, it made perfect sense.
The King would never venture so deep into the Back Garden without a bodyguard.
But still…
‘This gentleman has quite an unusual appearance.’
The officer appeared to be in his mid-to-late thirties.
He possessed a lean yet solidly built frame.
His eyes, fixed upon me in silence, were remarkably fierce and piercing—the kind that would look terrifying if he deliberately widened them.
‘Fierce-eyed gentleman. How long have you been watching me?’
I felt somewhat embarrassed thinking he had witnessed me with my face flushed red, blowing petals about, but I decided to hold my head high.
After all, this was a painstaking effort for King Sukjong and Jang Hee-bin’s reunion.
It was far nobler than the shameful acting I had done before Prince Yeonning.
That was when it happened.
A slight smile.
The fierce-eyed gentleman smiled at me knowingly.
It wasn’t just a casual laugh. It was an approving smile, as if he were giving me a thumbs up.
‘Oh. So you also hope things work out between Jang Hee-bin and the King?’
That explained why he hadn’t stopped my unusual behavior.
‘Is this gentleman from the Namin Faction?’
Though my reasoning was somewhat hasty, it was quite logical.
If he were from the Seo-in Faction supporting Queen Inhyeon, he wouldn’t smile so contentedly upon witnessing King Sukjong and Jang Hee-bin together.
Somehow, I felt certain he wouldn’t interfere with my plans.
I smiled brightly at him.
Then, quietly pointing to Jang Hee-bin, I whispered in a voice barely audible.
“Please tell her I’m leaving first.”
“….”
He nodded silently.
His sharp eyes seemed to sweep over me entirely.
“Farewell.”
I bid goodbye with only the shape of my lips, making no sound, then carefully tiptoed away from Okryucheon.
Treading softly down the slope, I glanced back over my shoulder.
Two figures standing beneath the brilliant cascade of sunlight.
A crimson dragon robe, a jade-colored skirt.
Their garments still remained as one.
‘Your Majesty, Lady Jang Hee-bin. This radish is making her exit now.’
I hoped they had shed all the love and hate of those long years.
I prayed they would not turn away from their true feelings for each other.
‘I know from experience—life is truly so very short.’
So let them not let this moment slip away, but savor the brilliance of now.
***
It had been a long journey.
From Changgyeong Palace to the depths of Changdeok Palace Gardens at Okryucheon.
There I had blown wind until dizziness set in, then trudged back out of the gardens, crossed Changdeok Palace, and finally reached Chwisuondang….
‘Save me….’
By the time I finally returned to Chwisuondang, I was utterly exhausted.
“Bong-bomi. Why have you returned with half your face gone? Where has Lady Jang Hee-bin gone?”
To Han Sang-gung’s worried question, I tapped my aching leg and replied.
“She’ll be arriving a bit late.”
“Late? Whatever for?”
I quickly leaned close to Han Sang-gung’s ear and whispered.
“She’s currently in the gardens with His Majesty.”
“Oh!”
Han Sang-gung’s face brightened. It was the most radiant smile I had ever seen from her.
“So that’s why… My legs are aching terribly. Would it be alright if I rested for a moment?”
Han Sang-gung nodded readily.
“Of course. There’s time before the Daeboreum festivities begin, so rest in your quarters. Aren’t you hungry?”
“A little bit.”
“Go on inside. I’ll have food sent to you.”
Han Sang-gung patted my head as if pleased with me.
“Thank you, ma’am.”
After bowing to Han Sang-gung, I was about to enter my quarters.
Just then, I caught sight of Yong-hee entering the Inner Courtyard of Chwisuondang.
Her face was flushed red, as though she had just returned from a long journey.
“Yong-hee. Where did you go without saying a word?”
“Ah, well… I was just taking a walk…”
Yong-hee, apparently not expecting to encounter Han Sang-gung, stammered visibly in her confusion.
“The Nae-so Kitchen is short-handed and in chaos. Go there at once.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Yong-hee glanced at me before hurrying away in a fluster.
‘Where could she have been?’
I was curious.
It wasn’t that I had forgotten about Yong-hee.
It was simply that my attention had been pushed aside by the golden opportunity to restore the affections between the King and Jang Hee-bin.
Four days had passed since I delivered my ultimatum to Yong-hee.
In that time, she had remained secluded, using a cold as her excuse, and maintained her silence.
‘She must be plotting something…’
I was exhausted and wanted to rest, but my mind grew busy with thoughts of Yong-hee.
That was when it happened.
“Bong-bong. I brought some yakbap.”
The owner of that voice, now familiar to my ears, was none other than Bok-hee.
I quickly opened the door for her.
On the small table Bok-hee carried sat yakbap, sikhye, and beautifully peeled fresh chestnuts.
“Bok-hee, ma’am.”
“Hmm?”
“Let’s eat together.”
“…Should we?”
Bok-hee and I chatted away as we ate our snacks together.
Bok-hee was quite the chatterbox.
“You know, this morning, the Crown Prince actually greeted me?”
“Sister, you must have been so happy!”
I casually shifted my words and changed my form of address to “sister.”
Bok-hee’s expression brightened with joy.
“Yeah. My heart was racing so much I was embarrassed.”
Though the Crown Prince was only thirteen, I felt a moment of confusion about whether it was appropriate to harbor feelings for someone who already had a Crown Princess… but then again.
‘I suppose it’s acceptable by the standards of this era.’
I studied Bok-hee’s expression carefully.
Yes. I needed to settle that matter and move forward.
The matter of Suk-bin.
“Sister.”
“Hmm?”
“From now on, don’t listen to what Suk-bin says.”
“Huh…?”
“I’ve been thinking about it carefully… The Crown Prince always says this, doesn’t he?”
“His Highness? What did he say?”
“That deceiving others and betraying your own people are the worst things in the world.”
“Ah…”
As always, the claim that the Crown Prince had said such a thing was a complete fabrication.
And as always, the magical word “Crown Prince” was nothing short of divine revelation to Bok-hee.
“So, sister. From now on, treat Jang Hee-bin well and don’t go to Suk-bin.”
Surprisingly, Bok-hee nodded her head readily.
“I will. I wanted to do that anyway, but somehow I got swept up in it all… That’s why I was always so scared and anxious.”
Bok-hee grasped my hand tightly.
“Ever since you and Hwang Bong-bong became close, Yong-hee won’t even acknowledge me when she sees me. We passed each other in front of here earlier, and she just walked right by without a word.”
…Yong-hee was lingering near my quarters?
Yong-hee’s quarters were in the direction of the Nae-so Kitchen. There was naturally no reason for our paths to cross.
‘Perhaps she was running an errand since it’s Daeboreum and everyone’s busy.’
That seemed like a more rational explanation than baseless suspicion.
“By the way, sister Bok-hee. Let me show you the doll the Crown Prince gave me.”
I opened the half-door cabinet and pulled out my Barbie doll, which I kept on the highest shelf, and handed it to Bok-hee.
“Oh my. How adorable. And the dress is silk?”
“Yes. This doll even has a name.”
“What’s the name?”
“Barbie.”
“Rice?”
…Did you also think I was obsessed with food?
“Not rice—Barbie! Barbie doll!”
“Ah… A delicious… I mean, a cute name.”
Bok-hee was certainly not gifted at lying.
But Bok-hee was a good girl.
I had actually been somewhat worried that showing off the doll was excessive.
A young heart could easily have felt envious at the sight of Barbie.
But Bok-hee was simply munching on chestnuts with a bright, innocent smile.
It was when I opened the half-door cabinet again to put my precious Barbie back.
“Hmm?”
The interior of the cabinet, where I kept out-of-season clothes and miscellaneous items, looked subtly different.
Seol-hyang might have been trying to take something out, but with a nagging feeling, I reached my hand deep inside and felt along the bottom of the cabinet.
‘…It’s gone?’
That object I had buried beneath the clothes.
‘Bom-bomi.’
My eyesore. My curse doll had vanished without a trace.
Using fatigue as an excuse, I hurried Bok-hee out and turned the half-door cabinet completely upside down.
Yet Bom-bomi was never found.
In that moment, a name flashed through my mind.
‘Yong-hee…?’
Bok-hee’s words echoed in my ears—that she had encountered Yong-hee in front of my quarters.
The flustered expression on Yong-hee’s face as she hurried about also flickered through my thoughts.
Could Yong-hee truly be the culprit?
‘Even if that were the case…. It’s only circumstantial evidence. There’s no physical proof.’
The real issue wasn’t that Yong-hee had taken it.
It was what she intended to do with it.
That was the true problem.
…Though I thought as much, I would soon discover that the real threat lay elsewhere.
Before Daeboreum had even passed, a massive shockwave descended upon us.

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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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