Surviving as Jang Hee-bin's Child Court Lady - Chapter 49

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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 49. The Royal Palace
I felt like giving Prince Yeonning a standing ovation.
Had it not been for him, the only evidence of the incident might have vanished entirely.
After carefully laying Yi Hwon on the bed, I hurried over to the palace maid and snatched the bowl from her hands.
‘Evidence exhibit number one, confiscated.’
The palace maid’s attempt to spirit away the porridge bowl was as good as a confession.
And the witness was none other than a prince.
‘There’s no way she escapes this.’
The palace maid would soon be dragged off to Geumbu. I only hoped Yi Hwon’s health would suffer no serious harm.
At that moment, commotion erupted outside the door, and it burst open.
A woman in white mourning clothes rushed frantically into the room.
Her pallid face, drained of all color, bore the unmistakable marks of illness.
“Prince Yeonning. What brings you here?”
The woman bowed hurriedly toward Prince Yeonning.
“Suk-ui. You’ve come. The matter seemed grave, so I remained to keep watch.”
‘Ah… So this is Suk-ui Park, Yi Hwon’s birth mother.’
Suk-ui Park was destined to pass from this world soon enough, claimed by illness.
Having rushed from her sickbed, Suk-ui appeared somewhat flustered.
“I prevented this palace maid from removing the porridge bowl. It seems Your Highness should interrogate her thoroughly.”
At Prince Yeonning’s words, Suk-ui nodded with a sorrowful expression.
“Yes, I shall do so. I am deeply grateful, Your Highness. My own inadequacy has brought such peril upon the young prince. How can I ever face the King?”
Tears streamed down her face as Suk-ui pulled Yi Hwon into her embrace.
“Now that you are here, Bong-bong and I shall take our leave. You shall uncover the truth of this matter clearly, Mother.”
Prince Yeonning reassured Suk-ui with dignified composure.
I found myself in agreement with his words.
Yi Hwon was destined to become the King’s most beloved son.
King Sukjong cherished his youngest son Yi Hwon with particular affection.
Had Yi Hwon not died young, there were whispers that he might have threatened the positions of the Crown Prince and Prince Yeonning—such was the depth of the King’s love.
Someone had attempted to feed poison to such a favored child?
The King would never let this matter pass lightly.
A storm of blood was all but inevitable.
“Let us go, Bong-bong.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
I bowed respectfully to Suk-ui and left the room with Prince Yeonning.
It was then.
“Bom-bo!”
A bright, childish voice called from behind.
“Bo-bo-bo! Bom-bo!”
…That sounds like someone calling my name.
No, it couldn’t be. Just a child babbling, surely?
“Bong-bong! Bong-bong! Woo!”
I glanced back at Yi Hwon, who continued calling out “Bong-bong.”
Whether he knew or didn’t know that his birth mother’s eyes holding him were wet with tears.
The moment Yi Hwon’s gaze met mine, he burst into a bright smile.
In truth, it was something I shouldn’t have done as a palace maid.
But before I could help myself….
“Hello.”
I mouthed the words silently and gave a small wave.
Giggle.
The sound of Yi Hwon’s laughter echoed from Suk-ui Park’s embrace.
***
King Sukjong’s fury was beyond imagination.
The King, who had been in audience with his ministers, bolted from his seat and rushed to Sung-gyeong Hall.
His wrath was so tremendous that news reached Chwisuondang of palace maids fainting in terror.
Because Prince Yeonning had testified that “the Gwon Maid attempted to steal away the bowl containing the poisoned rice cake,” the maid was immediately dragged to Geumbu.
Now confession was merely a matter of time.
For one who had attempted to take the life of a royal prince, brutal torture would surely follow.
And after that confession, what remained was….
A storm of blood.
And nothing but death.
***
“Bong-bong. All of this is your achievement.”
Late in the afternoon, after a tempest of incident had swept through Sung-gyeong Hall.
The Crown Prince who came to find me wore a somewhat weary expression.
“I have received a great debt of gratitude from you. I am truly grateful.”
“…I did nothing, Your Highness.”
“Had you not mentioned that the rice cake tasted of honey, I cannot say what might have befallen Hwon. The very thought makes my skin crawl.”
The Crown Prince exhaled a deep sigh.
“At least we are fortunate that Hwon suffered no serious harm.”
The Royal Physician examined Yi Hwon’s condition thoroughly.
Fortunately, no major problems were discovered.
“You saved my mother, and now my younger brother as well….”
A faint glimmer of moisture appeared in his eyes.
“Your Highness.”
“Hmm?”
“I merely did what was natural. I mentioned the honey taste because I detected it, and knowing that Jang Hee-bin was in the room, I went to help….”
“….”
“I only performed my duties as a palace maid. Please do not speak such words. I know not where to place myself.”
The Crown Prince gazed at me in silence.
His eyes were remarkably warm and gentle.
“That’s right. You must be exhausted after such a grueling day. Let’s call it here for today.”
The Crown Prince rose from his seat and gently stroked my hair.
Even after the Crown Prince left, I remained seated in that spot.
My mind was hopelessly tangled.
A subtle unease and a touch of melancholy washed over me simultaneously.
It was only natural.
The fire at Chwisuondang and Suk-bin’s threats alone had made for an eventful few days.
And as if that weren’t enough, the Royal Palace harbored those who would target the life of a mere infant prince.
Using honey on a baby was no different from poisoning him.
Poison.
The poisoning suspicions that would later cling to King Gyeongjo, the sudden illness that would be recorded as the premature death of Prince Yeonning Yi Hwon….
Such thoughts kept surfacing, leaving my heart unsettled.
‘But the real problem is…. It’s me.’
Yes. That was the issue.
Where was I heading now?
It had been barely a month since I began my life at the Royal Palace with the goal of ‘preventing Jang Hee-bin’s death so that I might survive alongside her’.
I, who had prioritized ‘my own survival’ above all else, was now treading a path divergent from that very goal.
Saving Jang Hee-bin in ways unforeseen by my plan, rescuing Yi Hwon from crisis….
Suffering each time I recalled the deaths of the Crown Prince and Yi Hwon….
I harbor no regrets about the choices I have made thus far.
And I shall feel the same about the choices I make hereafter.
And yet….
‘Have I not waded into something far too grave for my years to bear?’
As faces of those I had made my enemies through my choices surfaced in my mind, a sudden melancholy descended upon me.
‘…What if Suk-bin is involved in this affair?’
The thought had emerged unbidden.
Was I viewing Suk-bin solely as a villain?
‘But…. When Yi Hwon later monopolized King Sukjong’s affection, Prince Yeonning’s position became considerably precarious.’
If Suk-bin were the one who orchestrated this, it would be nothing short of paradoxical.
Her own son, Prince Yeonning, had prevented the destruction of evidence that would incriminate the perpetrator.
Yet I soon shook my head.
‘I mustn’t suspect blindly. There is no evidence whatsoever.’
In any case, interrogation would commence soon.
King Sukjong was not one to overlook such matters lightly, so observing the results of the interrogation took precedence.
***
The next morning.
Unexpected news had arrived.
“You’ve heard the rumors, haven’t you?”
“Yeah. Everyone from Sesuggan to the servants—they’re all talking about it.”
“Why does something always happen right after the new year….”
The Palace Maids were gathered in pairs, whispering among themselves.
I quickly approached Seol-hyang and Sun-rye, who were exchanging hushed words.
“Ladies! What’s happened?”
“Hm?”
Seol-hyang’s eyes wavered uncertainly when she saw me.
“Oh? Ah, it’s nothing at all.”
“Right. Bong-bong. We were just discussing what to eat for lunch.”
Seol-hyang deflected, and Sun-rye chimed in agreement.
It was clear they had no intention of telling me what they’d been discussing.
That was when I noticed it.
Bok-hee was waving at me from a distance, gesturing subtly.
I hurried over and pulled Bok-hee away to a spot out of the other Palace Maids’ sight.
“Sister. Everyone’s whispering about something, and I’m the only one left out. Do you know what it is?”
“Yeah. I do. The servants who went to fetch water at dawn brought the news, and it’s caused quite a stir.”
Bok-hee spoke with an unusually grave expression.
“Bong-bong. Come here.”
Bok-hee leaned in close to my ear, pressing her lips against it as if afraid the words might escape, and whispered.
“You were there yesterday, so you know the Gwon Maid, right? The one who was dragged to Geumbu for feeding honey to the young prince? Well, she’s been found dead.”
“Yeah. And?”
“That Gwon Maid was discovered dead.”
“….”
…This was something I hadn’t anticipated.
“I happened to overhear it by chance, but apparently the dead maid’s tongue had turned black.”
A chill ran down my spine in an instant.
“Bong-bong. Are you startled? Are you alright?”
“Yeah. I’m fine….”
“But where are you going?”
“Um…. An errand. I’ll be back shortly.”
I made a hasty excuse and left Chwisuondang behind, my steps unsteady.
My mind was in turmoil. I felt a touch of fear as well.
I needed to sort through my tangled thoughts.
‘A Palace Maid is dead.’
There was no way a young Palace Maid would have suddenly died on the very day she was confined to Geumbu.
The meaning of ‘her tongue had turned black’ was unmistakable.
Death by poison.
In the end, there were only two possibilities.
‘Either she took her own life… or someone silenced her to keep her mouth shut.’
I recalled those frightened eyes I’d glimpsed when I snatched away the bowl of porridge.
It was a confusing, unsettling feeling.
I was the one who uncovered the honey in the taro porridge.
That meant if it hadn’t been for me, that Palace Maid would still be alive.
I knew I shouldn’t feel guilty, yet I couldn’t shake the image of her face from my mind, and my heart remained restless.
“Sigh…”
My heart pounded wildly, so I placed a trembling hand over my chest.
Truthfully, I was afraid.
A place where spies are planted to monitor enemies, where schemes and conspiracies are woven without hesitation.
A place where poison is administered without mercy the moment someone is deemed a threat—even if that someone is a helpless infant.
A place where loose ends are severed and eliminated without compassion…
That is what the Royal Palace is.
This was the palace I belonged to.
At last, I grasped the harsh truth I had long overlooked.
It wasn’t only Jang Hee-bin’s death that endangered me.
Throughout this Royal Palace, poison, intrigue, and watchful eyes and ears lurked everywhere, all trained upon me.

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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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