Surviving as Jang Hee-bin's Child Court Lady - Chapter 5

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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 5. Hello, I’m Hwang Bong-bong
The next day.
I woke with puffy eyes to find myself assigned a crucial task.
I was to pay my respects to Jang Hee-bin, the mistress of Chwisuondang.
I was considerably nervous and anxious.
‘How do I win her favor? What should I say first?’
Most of all, what if she was truly the terrible villain history recorded her to be…?
Consumed by worry, I hurried toward Jang Hee-bin’s private chamber—
“She says not to enter today. The lady is feeling unwell.”
“…Yes.”
I was turned away at the door.
Understanding Jang Hee-bin’s true nature was urgent, but there was nothing I could do.
In the end, I had to leave, postponing my visit for another time, and move on to my next task.
The second task was also a greeting.
Specifically, to find the palace maids of Chwisuondang and introduce myself.
“Hello. I’m Hwang Bong-bong.”
I placed my hands together respectfully and bowed at nearly a ninety-degree angle with utmost courtesy.
My head wobbled a few times from its weight, but I managed to stay upright through sheer instinctive balance.
“Right. We met yesterday, didn’t we? I’m Suk-yeong.”
“I’m Sun-rye. Seol-hyang is my younger sister.”
“Little one, you can call me Chuk-saeng.”
Fortunately, the two young maids I’d met yesterday were nowhere to be seen.
The other palace maids of Chwisuondang were all kind to me.
Though my head was spinning trying to memorize their names and faces.
“Phew….”
After finishing my introductions, I let out an involuntary sigh.
“You’ve worked hard. That should be enough for now.”
Seol-hyang handed me one of her yakgwa cakes.
My blood sugar was already dropping, so the timing was perfect.
“Don’t do anything reckless. Just rest.”
“Yes.”
I squatted in front of an empty quarters and chewed on the yakgwa, finally having a moment to myself.
‘I need to memorize the hierarchy of Chwisuondang.’
At the very top of Chwisuondang’s world stood Jang Hee-bin, naturally.
Han Sang-gung, the head of the palace maids, was the next person in power.
Below her were Min Sang-gung and Kim Sang-gung, then the maid Seol-hyang (my roommate), Suk-yeong (honey and jam), Sun-rye (two meters tall), Chuk-saeng (royal potato rank)….
Among them, my status was that of a young maid.
Though I ranked higher than servants or probationers, I was still far too young.
In the end, my position in Chwisuondang was dead last.
“…When will I ever grow?”
I muttered weakly to myself.
“It will grow soon.”
Suddenly, a clear male voice rang out.
***
“Yesterday was the beginning of spring….”
In Jang Hee-bin’s Private Chamber.
A woman leaning against the bedding slowly counted on her delicate fingers.
Jang Hee-bin was counting the days.
‘Was it before the snow fell that His Majesty last visited me?’
No, it had been even longer than that.
Had it been the tenth month, when crimson leaves fell uselessly like a futile love?
‘Ever since we elevated the concubine ranks of the Choi Family and Park Family, he has not once set foot in Chwisuondang.’
My heart suddenly began to race, my chest tightened, and breathing became difficult.
Only after repeating deep breaths for a long time did my breathing ease.
“Ah….”
Jang Hee-bin wiped her gaunt face and opened the mirror stand placed on the floor.
The face of a woman in the mirror.
Jang Hee-bin gazed at her own face as though observing a stranger.
“How strange it is.”
It had been twenty years since she fell into a passionate love with the man called the supreme ruler of Joseon.
Twenty years was a long time.
A flower never stays red for ten days.
Contrary to that old saying, her beauty had not withered in a peculiar way.
Though it could never be identical to her beauty at twenty, her incomparable radiance that no one in the palace dared challenge remained unchanged.
“My face has not changed with the passage of time….”
The woman in the mirror murmured.
“Yet how is it that your heart has changed?”
If the human heart must inevitably change, should not both hearts change equally?
Why does only one heart depart while the other remains behind?
Even so, Jang Hee-bin rummaged through the mirror stand and drew out a rouge container.
In case he should come to visit.
She stained her parched lips a deep red with the rouge.
“Jang Hee-bin, I am Han Sang-gung. May I enter for a moment?”
Jang Hee-bin, who had been applying the rouge, lifted her head.
“Come in.”
Han Sang-gung, now seated, stated her business.
“A message has arrived from Suk-jeong at the residence. She says she will enter the palace tomorrow at midday.”
“Suk-jeong? Ah, I had been curious about her news, and this comes at a perfect time.”
For once, Jang Hee-bin’s expression brightened.
“Is this because of the ritual offering?”
Han Sang-gung’s question drew a nod from Jang Hee-bin.
“Indeed. Last time too, thanks to her efforts, the Crown Prince’s illness subsided, did it not? I myself suffer from shortness of breath, and with the beginning of spring upon us, I thought to entrust her with a ritual blessing for good fortune.”
“Yes. The moment the ritual was performed, Your Highness rose from the sickbed. I was quite startled myself.”
“Quite so. Suk-jeong is trustworthy. She is my brother’s only concubine and his right hand.”
“Yes, madam. Then I shall prepare refreshments at the appointed hour.”
“See that you do.”
Han Sang-gung withdrew from the Private Chamber.
Jang Hee-bin’s gaze turned toward the mirror still lying open before her.
‘Last time, Suk-jeong promised she would bring me a secret method to reclaim the King’s affections.’
As hope surged within me, anxiety melted away. My breathing steadied.
Lips stained in deep crimson slowly curved into a smile.
If his heart has already changed once, I need only make it change again.
After all, from the beginning his heart belonged only to Jang Ok-jeong.
***
“You’ll grow tall soon enough.”
Oh, what a fright.
Startled by the sudden voice, I leaped to my feet.
A few paces away stood a boy who appeared to be thirteen or fourteen years old.
‘Goodness, to see that outfit in person. Is this really happening?’
I nearly cried out loud.
Embroidered across the chest of his deep blue robes was a five-clawed dragon, and upon his head sat a tall crown of office.
In Joseon, only one person could wear such garments.
Which meant this boy was….
‘The firstborn son of King Sukjong and Jang Hee-bin—Crown Prince Yi Yun.’
The one who would later ascend the throne and be known as King Gyeongjo.
‘I mustn’t panic too much.’
I made a swift assessment.
Based on my knowledge as a history student, Crown Prince Yi Yun’s character was among the better sort.
Even within these palace walls alone, there were two other figures remembered throughout generations as kings of foul temperament.
By comparison, Yi Yun was practically a sage.
“Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
I bowed as respectfully as my body would allow.
As a lowly maid with no one to rely upon, there was no harm in making a good impression on the Crown Prince.
“So you are the young maid newly arrived at my mother’s quarters. Though I must say, you are rather small….”
The Crown Prince nodded as though he understood.
“So you were thinking you wished to grow quickly, were you?”
The Crown Prince clearly regarded me as a harmless child.
Very well then—I would simply have to meet his expectations.
“Yes, Your Highness. That is so. I was waiting for my body to grow larger.”
I stretched my limbs and appealed to his sympathy with the hardship of living in such a small, frail body.
A soft chuckle escaped the Crown Prince’s lips.
“I wish all things would unfold exactly as I envision them, but there’s a saying—the greater the haste, the longer the detour. Sometimes, patience is what we need.”
“How long are we supposed to wait?”
My true thoughts spilled out before I could stop them.
“Then shall I share with you my own method?”
“Yes, please tell me, Your Highness.”
“Eat well, sleep well, and play merrily….”
“Ugh.”
Don’t tell me he’s about to suggest rigorous review of Korean, English, and math to ace some royal examination.
The Crown Prince let out a quiet laugh as he watched me heave a deep sigh.
‘He’s not so different from the historical records of King Gyeongjeong.’
I recalled the traces of him I had encountered in historical documents.
In history, Crown Prince Yi Yun was, at best, magnanimous, and at worst, indecisive as a ruler.
With the distinct features befitting Jang Hee-bin’s son, he bore a composed scholarly demeanor far removed from any intense impression, and….
What struck me most was his eyes—they seemed somehow sorrowful, brimming with melancholy.
‘He became king, but died just four years later.’
A figure who lived his entire life engulfed in misfortune triggered by his mother’s death.
The fact that I was meeting in person someone I had only known through historical records stirred the curiosity of a true history enthusiast.
“Why do you stare at me so intently?”
“Ah, well, that is….”
In that moment, I was waging war with myself.
The genuine history enthusiast in me versus the lowest-ranking young maid in the Royal Palace.
Should I ask, or shouldn’t I?
Should I ask…?
“Your Highness, do you perhaps enjoy persimmons or crabs?”
…Oh, I don’t even know what I’m doing anymore.

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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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