Surviving as Jang Hee-bin's Child Court Lady - Chapter 43

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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 43. Don’t Get Hurt
My eyes snapped open.
A torrent of thoughts crashed through my mind in an instant.
We’d just finished the fire festival game—could it be the lingering scent of burning embers?
No. This smell was different from that.
Turning my gaze toward Chwisuondang was almost an instinctive reaction.
At the same moment, what entered my vision was white smoke rising against the backdrop of darkened shadows.
“My lady!”
I grabbed Han Sang-gung and cried out.
“Chwisuondang! There’s a fire!”
“What are you—what?”
“Fire! Over there!”
Han Sang-gung finally grasped the situation.
Without hesitation, I began running toward Chwisuondang.
“Water! Gather the water buckets! Seol-hyang, summon the Fire Brigade at once! Hurry!”
Han Sang-gung’s voice rang out from behind me.
The palace maids, belatedly witnessing the smoke, let out muffled screams.
I ran like a madwoman.
I didn’t know what this insignificant body could accomplish, yet I didn’t stop running.
The other palace maids couldn’t match my pace. They had to carry water buckets.
Finally reaching the entrance of Chwisuondang, I frantically surveyed my surroundings.
No massive flames were visible, but smoke had already spread to the entrance.
The source of the smoke was the west side of Chwisuondang.
It was where Jang Hee-bin’s private chamber was located.
“Jang Hee-bin!”
Calling out her name, I rushed into the corridor leading to her chamber.
Fortunately, this didn’t appear to be the fire’s origin.
Hazy smoke filled the interior, but I felt no heat.
“Cough, cough!”
Acrid smoke poured into my eyes, nose, and mouth.
Even with my sleeve pressed against my face, coughing seized me. It was difficult to keep my eyes open.
Just a little more.
Just a little further…
Tears streamed down my face, but I forced my eyes wide open with all my will.
At last, the door to Jang Hee-bin’s chamber came into view.
I wrenched the paper door open with all my strength and let out a piercing shout.
“Jang Hee-bin!”
Jang Hee-bin, who had been drowsy after bathing and grooming, opened her eyes.
Seeing smoke billowing through the open doorway, her mouth fell agape.
Having just awakened, she seemed unable to comprehend the situation properly.
“You have to leave! Now!”
There was no time for explanations or anything else.
I rushed toward Jang Hee-bin and yanked her hand with all my strength.
“Bong-bong, what is happening….”
“Fire! We have to get out! Hurry!”
“Fire…?”
Jang Hee-bin’s face drained of all color.
As she lurched to her feet, her body swayed unsteadily.
Summoning every ounce of strength I possessed, I dragged the still-dazed Jang Hee-bin out of the Private Chamber.
“Jang Hee-bin! Are you unharmed!”
Han Sang-gung appeared, rushing in without even removing her shoes.
“Are you safe? The smoke is thick—please exit to the outside at once.”
“What is this chaos? A fire? What is the situation? Is anyone injured?”
“Rest assured. A fire broke out in the room at the western end, but fortunately it was not a major blaze. The Palace Maids have extinguished it.”
“Ah….”
Jang Hee-bin clutched her chest and staggered.
“Ugh….”
And at that same moment, as the tension drained from me, I collapsed onto the floor.
My entire body felt as though it were being pulled into the earth a thousand fathoms below.
That was when it happened.
“My child.”
Jang Hee-bin pulled me into a tight embrace.
“My dear Bong-bong risked everything to push through that smoke and save me. My precious blessing, this small one threw her life on the line to rescue me….”
Tears streamed down Jang Hee-bin’s cheeks like pearls.
…Did I really do that?
Did I risk my life to save Jang Hee-bin?
I don’t know. I acted purely on instinct.
My only thought was that I had to save Jang Hee-bin. There was no grand plan.
I ran because I saw the smoke, and I headed for the room because I knew Jang Hee-bin was in the Private Chamber.
It was not some noble act of self-sacrifice to save her.
It was simply instinct that moved me.
Was that not natural?
‘Survival’ was my goal—I would never deliberately court danger for someone else’s sake.
And yet….
The warmth radiating from Jang Hee-bin’s body enfolding mine, her trembling voice.
The hand patting my back left me somehow speechless.
“….”
The words ‘my Bong-bong’.
The fact that we were safe.
These things struck my heart with a burning warmth.
A sense of kinship so distant and faint that I couldn’t even remember what it was.
The warmth that came with the name of family….
Such things were shaking my small world.
I was grateful for it.
And, strangely enough….
It felt profoundly happy.
“Hwang Bong-bong!”
A single cry reached my ears. But my body had no strength left in it.
Cradled in Jang Hee-bin’s arms, I lost consciousness.
***
“Your Majesty.”
The Eunuch who had been heading to Chwisuondang to announce the King’s visit returned with a flustered expression.
“What is the matter?”
“I beg your pardon, but it seems Your Majesty’s visit to Chwisuondang must be postponed.”
“Why is that?”
“There has been a fire….”
“A fire?”
In an instant, the King rose abruptly from his seat.
The Eunuch hurried to continue.
“It was not a major fire, Your Majesty. The flames were quickly extinguished, and there were no serious injuries, so please do not be alarmed. I have confirmed that Jang Hee-bin was unharmed.”
….
“The Fire Brigade is investigating the cause of the fire. The flames are out, but smoke has filled the hall, so today….”
“You said there were no serious injuries.”
The King asked abruptly.
“Yes. Only one of the Palace Maids lost consciousness, but Jang Hee-bin is safe and….”
The Eunuch froze at that moment.
The King, whose jade belt was not even properly fastened, had already begun to move.
“Your Majesty. Your Majesty!”
“I am going to Chwisuondang.”
“Your Majesty! Let the physicians come first….”
The Eunuch, who had been following with the jade belt in hand, fell silent at the sight of the King’s gaze turning back toward him.
He dared not utter another word.
The King’s eyes were so fierce and so sorrowful.
***
“My dear child. Dear one… please, try to come to your senses.”
Jang Hee-bin’s voice trembled with longing and anguish.
Hwang Bong-bong had been laid to rest in an empty room at the eastern end, away from the smoke-filled West Side of Chui-seon Hall.
Han Sang-gung, who had been gently wiping Hwang Bong-bong’s face with a damp cloth, spoke carefully.
“Your Highness. The court physician said her pulse is normal and her breathing is steady. She has simply fallen into deep sleep from the shock and exhaustion. Please do not worry.”
“Is that so? Surely there is truly nothing amiss?”
“Yes, Your Highness. Hwang Bong-bong will be unharmed. I fear for your own health if you continue this way. The King has already been informed, so please, you must rest now.”
It was then that urgent footsteps sounded from beyond the door.
“Your Highness! It is I, Min Sang-gung.”
“What is the matter?”
“Your Majesty! He is coming here now—!”
Min Sang-gung did not finish her sentence.
The King had already burst through the door.
A modest chamber used only as quarters for the Palace Maids.
The Palace Maids, shocked by the King’s sudden arrival, hastily opened the door to the room where Hwang Bong-bong lay.
“Your… Your Majesty.”
Jang Hee-bin, her face streaked with tears, rose from her seat in alarm.
“…”
The King’s gaze fixed upon the child sleeping as if dead.
“Your Majesty. How have you come to this humble place?”
“I heard there was a fire.”
After a brief silence, he spoke again.
“The child?”
“The court physician has examined her. She is unharmed, and has fallen into deep sleep from the terrible fright.”
“And Jang Hee-bin?”
“Your Majesty. I…”
The tears that Jang Hee-bin had barely held back began to flow once more.
“Your Majesty. This young one saved me while I slept. She rushed through the smoke, woke me, and dragged me out by force…”
“…”
A four-year-old child had saved Jang Hee-bin.
The King’s eyes held a look of disbelief.
Yet this child had performed many deeds before that seemed impossible for a four-year-old to accomplish.
“Had this child not acted, what would have become of me…”
It was as Jang Hee-bin poured out her tears.
A faint moan escaped from Hwang Bong-bong’s lips.
“Hwang Bong-bong. Are you waking?”
Hwang Bong-bong’s eyes fluttered open.
Upon discovering not only Jang Hee-bin but also the King, the child’s eyes grew somewhat confused.
“Your Majesty…”
As Hwang Bong-bong tried to rise, Jang Hee-bin gently laid her back down.
“Child, you needn’t move. You are unwell, and His Majesty will certainly understand.”
Jang Hee-bin’s hand swept tenderly across Hwang Bong-bong’s cheek.
“Jang Hee-bin… are you truly all right?”
“I am fine. You saved my life, so of course I must be well. I am unharmed. It is you I worry for, little one.”
“I’m so relieved… I was so worried about you, Jang Hee-bin.”
“….”
The King gazed upon the scene in silence.
Jang Hee-bin seemed to have forgotten his presence entirely.
Hwang Bong-bong, barely awakened, concerned herself only with Jang Hee-bin’s wellbeing.
The King’s eyes wavered with turbulent emotion.
He felt as though witnessing a phantom vision.
Jang Hee-bin’s shoulders trembling softly.
The child’s weary smile as she comforted her mother.
If only.
If only…
‘If Yuhwa had lived.’
If he had not annihilated the Jang clan.
Would it not have been like this?
Tender moments between mother and child.
The gentle days the child should have rightfully known…
In that instant, Jang Hee-bin coughed violently.
The sound shattered the King’s reverie.
“Jang Hee-bin. I shall take my leave now. You must rest and recover.”
“Your Majesty, how could I possibly send you away after you have come this far? I am able to attend to you.”
“Jang Hee-bin.”
The King’s hand settled upon Jang Hee-bin’s shoulder.
“Your health comes first.”
“…Your Majesty.”
“We have time aplenty.”
The King’s voice was grave and tender.
“So rest well today. I shall return to you soon.”
The warmth in his tone soothed Jang Hee-bin’s weary heart.
“Then I shall go.”
The King turned to leave, then paused.
What happened next astonished all who witnessed it.
The King lowered himself and gently pressed his hand to Hwang Bong-bong’s forehead.
“…Your Majesty.”
“Do not be hurt.”
In the hushed silence—Jang Hee-bin, Han Sang-gung, and the Palace Maids beyond the door all speechless—
the King’s final words resonated softly.
“Do not injure yourself again.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I shall obey.”
The King nodded slightly and departed.
***
I blinked slowly.
It was true that the King’s unexpected gesture had startled me.
Yet what moved my heart far more was something else entirely.
Those words he had spoken to Jang Hee-bin.
‘We have time aplenty.’
To me, battling against the grains of sand cascading through an hourglass, no words could have been sweeter.
If only it could be so.
If the King and Jang Hee-bin were to fall in love again, to promise each other eternity….
‘I could live.’
I could. Jang Hee-bin could. We could….
We could survive.
Not long after, Jang Hee-bin and Han Sang-gung, who had escorted the King, returned to the chamber.
“My lady. I can rise now….”
It was then that urgent footsteps echoed from beyond the door.
“My lady. I am Min Sang-gung.”
“What is the matter?”
“It is that…. My lady. Outside right now….”
I heard Min Sang-gung swallow hard, her throat dry.
Soon, a voice announced an unexpected visitor.
“Suk-bin has come to call. She requests an audience with you, my lady.”

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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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