Surviving as Jang Hee-bin's Child Court Lady - Chapter 47

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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 47. Sweet Taboo
A promise befitting the Crown Prince.
Words far too weighty to be mere pleasantries exchanged with a child.
I could feel the Crown Prince’s sincerity laid bare.
“Yes. Thank you, Your Highness. I will remember well your promise to help me.”
Though the Crown Prince and I had grown quite comfortable with each other, he was nonetheless destined to become King one day.
A promise made by him as the Crown Prince, no less.
It would surely become a tremendous source of strength someday.
As I was chatting pleasantly with the Crown Prince, a familiar face approached.
“Seol-hyang, my lady!”
“Oh, Bong-bong.”
Seol-hyang smiled brightly upon seeing me.
After bowing respectfully to the Crown Prince, Seol-hyang set down the small table she had been carrying.
Upon it were beautifully crafted danja and various confections.
“Your Highness. These have just been brought from Sung-gyeong Hall. There is a maid from the Saeng-gwa Workshop working there, and she is quite skilled at making sweets. Please do try them.”
“I see. Very well.”
The Crown Prince offered me one of the confections.
As I chewed, the honey burst delightfully in my mouth, and I savored the sweetness….
“…?”
I stared blankly at Seol-hyang.
It seemed as though she was trying to signal me with her eyes…?
Why wasn’t she leaving immediately? Why was she standing there so awkwardly?
“Seol-hyang. Do you have some business? Why do you keep glancing at Bong-bong?”
The Crown Prince too seemed puzzled by Seol-hyang’s suspicious behavior.
Seol-hyang opened her mouth with a bashful smile.
“Well, you see. The maids at Sung-gyeong Hall have been waiting for Bong-bong since earlier.”
“The maids at Sung-gyeong Hall? Whatever for?”
“They are hoping Bong-bong will visit Sung-gyeong Hall. It is because…the young prince has been crying frequently of late, but strangely, his tears stop the moment he sees Bong-bong.”
“Is that so? How curious indeed. Is it truly the case, Bong-bong?”
“Ah. Yes….”
It was certainly true that Prince Yeonning would stop crying the instant he saw me.
However, I did not understand why Prince Yeonning’s tears ceased.
It was not something I had intentionally done, nor did I possess any special secret method.
It was simple enough—merely showing my face would suffice, so there was nothing particularly difficult about it….
But truthfully, seeing Prince Yeonning was not comfortable for me.
Even thinking of the Crown Prince’s death in the distant future, some twenty years hence, caused my heart to ache deeply.
The fact that this child who laughed so cheerfully whenever he saw me would face death the moment he grew into an adult troubled my heart.
It was then.
The Crown Prince clapped his hands softly.
“Then let it be so.”
“What is it?”
“Bong-bong. Come with me to Sung-gyeong Hall.”
“Your Highness will also be going to Sung-gyeong Hall?”
“Yes. It’s been quite some time since I last saw Hwang. Besides, they say that little crybaby Hwang stops crying the moment he sees you—I couldn’t possibly miss such a curious sight.”
Though I was hardly in a position to refuse, I found myself nodding at the Crown Prince’s unusually animated demeanor.
‘True enough. The Crown Prince did hold Hwang quite dearly.’
Years later, after Hwang passed from this world, the Crown Prince would write the memorial eulogy for his departed brother with his own hand.
The sorrow recorded in that eulogy came flooding back, weighing heavily upon my heart once more.
…Why was the world so terribly unfair?
The lives of such a virtuous Crown Prince and such a bright-hearted Hwang would fade in an instant.
Yet someone who was already stubborn and relentlessly logical at such a tender age would live past eighty, blessed with a full lifespan….
While I was lost in such thoughts, the Crown Prince spoke abruptly.
“Actually, I wish Geum would come along as well. The appointed hour for him to arrive at my quarters is nearly upon us.”
“….”
Oh, um, ah….
I had been making an effort not to harbor prejudice against Prince Yeonning.
Though he had a way of being exhausting for his age, he was still merely a seven-year-old child, after all.
But now, of all times today…?
To be honest, that made me rather uncomfortable.
It wasn’t that I harbored any ill feelings toward Prince Yeonning himself.
If anything, I felt grateful toward him.
He had not only gifted me a slingshot, but had shown me favor in many ways.
But….
When I thought of his birth mother, Suk-bin, my heart grew complicated.
Suk-bin and I had become unmistakably adversarial toward one another.
My actions in exposing Yong-hee’s behavior and cornering Suk-bin.
There was no way the shrewd Suk-bin could fail to notice that it was anything but coincidence.
Given the circumstances, I found myself reluctant to meet Prince Yeonning.
“Then let us depart. We shall meet Geum at Jeoseungjeon and proceed together to Sung-gyeong Hall.”
“Yes? Yes….”
It wasn’t as though I could refuse at this point.
In the end, I found myself sandwiched between the two princes, trudging toward Sung-gyeong Hall.
***
Prince Yeonning was unchanged.
Which meant he talked an incessant amount.
Naturally, he seemed oblivious to the vicious confrontation that had unfolded between Jang Hee-bin and Suk-bin.
‘Of course. Had he known, he wouldn’t have come seeking the Crown Prince so casually.’
And my own ears were on the verge of bleeding.
Because he hadn’t paused for a single moment.
“I heard a Palace Maid at Chwisuondang accidentally started the fire? I’ve been thinking about this for a while now—I’m considering suggesting to Father that we establish a law prohibiting rat-fire play.”
Well… that was something I agreed with too.
“During the Japanese invasions, and once more during King Injo’s reign, the Eastern Palace burned down. Do you know how long it took to rebuild the destroyed palace?”
“No.”
“It took over ten years.”
“Oh.”
“Then, do you know when the Fire Brigade was established to suppress fires?”
“No.”
“That was during King Seongjong’s reign…”
“Ah.”
I desperately wished someone would silence Prince Yeonning.
From the moment he encountered me, Prince Yeonning had been repeating questions that weren’t really questions—mere displays of knowledge.
“Haha. Geum-i’s brilliance is quite remarkable. To already grasp the history of the Royal Palace.”
“It pales in comparison to Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
Even in the midst of this, he didn’t forget to feign humility.
To be honest, Prince Yeonning was someone quite conscious of others’ gazes.
The way his eyes darted between the Crown Prince and me simultaneously was proof of that.
“…”
Suddenly, Suk-bin’s image came to mind.
That solid mask of hers that scarcely wavered until she was struck across the cheek by Jang Hee-bin.
Had that aspect been passed down to her son?
“Then, during the period when the burned Changdeok Palace was being rebuilt…”
Just as I felt an intense urge to strike Prince Yeonning across the mouth.
“Waaah!”
A welcome baby’s cry began to ring out.
Though I owed Hwaan an apology, I was grateful that thanks to him, Prince Yeonning had finally closed his mouth.
“It seems Hwaan is crying again. He worries so much.”
The Crown Prince spoke in a troubled tone.
“Unless something is actually wrong with him, there’s no reason an infant would cry like that.”
…I have to agree with that.
Hwaan certainly did cry far too frequently.
‘Could there be another reason for this?’
The thought crossed my mind, but I shook my head.
Having just experienced Suk-bin’s intelligence operation, I’d developed a habit of suspecting everything.
Lee Hwon passed away at the young age of twenty-one.
From childhood until his death, he had been a sickly prince.
“Oh, Bong-bong has arrived!”
In any case, I received far more lavish treatment at Sung-gyeong Hall than the Crown Prince or Prince Yeonning.
The baby had been crying incessantly, so it was no wonder the Palace Maids were exhausted.
“They say Hwon stops crying the moment he sees Bong-bong. Come in quickly and soothe him for us.”
It was the Crown Prince who spoke.
I ended up entering Lee Hwon’s private chamber alongside the Crown Prince and Prince Yeonning.
Inside the room, a young Palace Maid was struggling to feed the wailing Lee Hwon some rice porridge.
“Bong-bong, come and soothe the young prince.”
“Yes, my lady.”
I approached Lee Hwon as Yun Sang-gung of Sung-gyeong Hall had instructed.
The Crown Prince and Prince Yeonning watched me with eager eyes.
This was rather embarrassing, I must admit.
‘Such a humble trick to perform before such noble spectators…’
I locked eyes with Lee Hwon.
And I spoke.
“Stop!”
In that instant, Lee Hwon, who had been wailing, tilted his head with a curious “Huh?” sound.
Hic. Hic.
His sobs, interrupted by hiccups, quickly subsided.
Soon after, Lee Hwon let out a delighted squeal and reached his hands toward me.
“He truly stopped crying at once. How remarkable!”
The Crown Prince burst into laughter.
Yun Sang-gung even clapped her hands in delight.
It was then that Prince Yeonning stepped forward.
“Is that rice porridge? I’d like to feed some to my younger brother.”
It seemed he wanted to play the role of a devoted older brother this time.
The Palace Maid hesitated for a moment, but at Yun Sang-gung’s gesture, she quickly offered the bowl of porridge.
Prince Yeonning carefully scooped a spoonful of rice porridge.
And then…
“Ugh!”
Clang!
The spoon in Prince Yeonning’s hand clattered to the floor.
In the process, the porridge splattered directly onto my face.
‘This man is truly something else.’
It was the moment I thought today was simply not my day with Prince Yeonning.
Drip.
A drop of rice porridge that had splattered on my lip trickled into my mouth.
The rich, savory taste of the milk porridge I had tasted several times before began to spread…
‘Hm?’
Something felt off.
Tilting my head in confusion, I dabbed the tarak porridge that had splattered on my face with my fingertip and tasted it again.
‘…Sweet?’
A distinctly sweet flavor.
Not the lukewarm sweetness of something like jochung syrup.
‘Honey…!’
The tarak porridge carried the rich, honeyed fragrance.
…But wasn’t feeding honey to an infant forbidden?

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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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