Surviving as Jang Hee-bin's Child Court Lady - Chapter 56

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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 56. A Brilliant Night of the Taebaek Star
I was nestled securely in Kim Che-geon’s arms.
I normally felt awkward being held or carried by others, but I had no leisure to concern myself with such matters.
My entire body trembled uncontrollably.
Kim Che-geon advanced forward without hesitation, still cradling me.
We had just passed the Village Shrine Path and turned onto a sparsely populated road.
“Bong-bong! Hwang Bong-bong! Bong-bong!”
“…My lady?”
That voice belonged to none other than Seol-hyang.
In the distance, I could see Seol-hyang frantically looking about in all directions like a madwoman.
Upon seeing her, Kim Che-geon came to a halt.
“Can you walk on your own?”
“Yes. Sir… No, my lord. Thank you for saving me.”
I bowed respectfully to him with genuine gratitude.
“Bong-bong.”
“…Yes?”
“Do you know the woman who kidnapped you?”
“Ah… Yes. Her name is Suk-jeong, and at Chwisuondang she is called the younger mistress.”
“The younger mistress?”
“She is the younger mistress of Jang Hee-jae’s household…”
I had not been without hesitation in revealing Suk-jeong’s identity.
Suk-jeong was the concubine of Jang Hee-jae, Jang Hee-bin’s older brother.
It was difficult to be certain that the consequences of her crimes would not reflect poorly upon Jang Hee-bin.
And yet…
‘Even if I must bear the risk, Suk-jeong must be eliminated.’
Whether that end came as a severance from Jang Hee-bin or as her being cast out to face the punishment for her kidnapping.
This woman had to disappear from beside Jang Hee-bin in some form.
“I understand. Then I shall take my leave.”
“Yes, my lord.”
After bowing once more, our eyes met as he turned to go.
“Fare well, Bong-mok.”
I froze in that instant.
…Did I just hear that correctly?
He surely said “Bong-mok,” didn’t he?
“Did you just call me Bong-mok, sir?”
“I did.”
“How do you know my real name?”
He smiled faintly, and his intense expression softened for a moment.
“Let us call it a coincidence.”
“….”
It was frankly absurd.
I could accept him calling me Bong-bong.
He seemed to be close to the King, so it was entirely possible he’d heard my name.
But….
‘I only learned my real name, Hwang Bong-mok, today myself.’
That was an entirely different matter.
Could such a coincidence even exist—saving my life in the heart of Hanyang?
It was then that a single word the King had spoken long ago came to mind.
‘Thus, this King intends to inquire somewhat about your parents.’
…Perhaps Kim Che-geon had been investigating me under the King’s orders?
My thoughts multiplied, but I decided to leave it at that for now.
I could no longer bear to merely listen to Seol-hyang’s anguished voice.
“Seol-hyang!”
I called out her name with all my strength and ran toward her as fast as I could.
“Bong-bong! Ah, Bong-bong…!”
Seol-hyang, who had been looking around with a half-dazed expression, rushed toward me at full speed the moment she saw me.
As she ran, she didn’t even notice her shoes falling off, and barefoot, she pulled me into a tight embrace.
“Where did you go! Where were you! I thought something terrible had happened to you—do you know how worried I was? Look at me. Are you hurt anywhere?”
I wanted to say something too.
That I was sorry for worrying her.
That I hadn’t meant to do this on purpose.
That I wasn’t hurt, so please don’t cry….
But not a single word came out.
“Iii…!”
Suddenly, tears burst forth.
The moment I met Seol-hyang’s gaze, my heart overwhelmed me beyond restraint.
The dam of tears I had held back again and again crumbled away.
“Bong-bong. It’s alright. We found you now. So it’s alright, Bong-bong….”
Seol-hyang embraced me tightly once more.
“I’m sorry. I won’t leave you alone and go anywhere again. It’s all my fault. I was wrong….”
“No, it’s not. Sob…. It’s not your fault, ma’am…. Wahhh!”
The tears would not stop.
Burying my face in Seol-hyang’s warm embrace, I wept for a long time.
***
On the way back to the Palace.
I was being carried on Seol-hyang’s back.
“To think such a thing happened… My poor Hwang Bong-bong, how terrified she must have been. How frightened…”
I could feel Seol-hyang’s body trembling as she listened to the full account of my kidnapping by Suk-jeong.
Though I couldn’t see her face from where I was carried, the trembling that emanated from her was unmistakably born of tremendous fury.
“This is absolutely not something we can let slide. No matter how mad that woman is, there are limits! I’m going to tell Jang Hee-bin everything. Even if she’s the concubine of Jang Hee-jae, I won’t tolerate this!”
I wholeheartedly agreed with Seol-hyang’s words.
Informing Jang Hee-bin of Suk-jeong’s actions was the natural course of action.
I couldn’t be certain what the outcome would be.
It would be ideal if Jang Hee-bin made a decisive choice and severed ties with Suk-jeong entirely.
But there was also the possibility that her affection for her brother might prevent her from completely cutting off Suk-jeong.
‘But… what does Kim Che-geon intend to do about Suk-jeong?’
I had revealed everything to Seol-hyang, but said nothing about Kim Che-geon.
I merely told her that a passing warrior had rescued me.
If my suspicion was correct and Kim Che-geon was acting under the King’s orders, it was only a matter of time before word of Suk-jeong’s crimes reached the King’s ears.
The King’s judgment.
A horrifying thought flashed through my mind, and I decided to stop thinking about it for now.
Yet Suk-jeong’s endlessly repeated words continued to echo in my ears.
‘Yesterday, the Morning Star appeared in the southeast! Do you know what that means? It means sinners receive their punishment, and those who harm others pay the price!’
I glanced upward at the sky.
It was an afternoon when the Morning Star—Venus—that had risen early in the blue sky shone brilliantly.
***
“Have you discovered anything?”
At the King’s question, Kim Che-geon, who had been prostrating, lifted his head.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The Royal Chambers lay in silence.
Kim Che-geon approached the King and extended a folded piece of paper.
The King slowly unfolded it.
Hwang Ho.
Cheok Yu-hwa.
The King’s gaze lingered upon those names for quite some time.
“This is a transcription of the contents of a letter discovered in the house where Hwang Bong-bong lived. I have not yet determined who left it or for what reason, but these names appear to belong to Hwang Bong-bong’s family.”
“Why is the name written as Hwang Bong-mok?”
“Hwang Bong-bong’s true name was Hwang Bong-mok. I confirmed this directly with the child.”
Kim Che-geon continued carefully.
“And Cheok Yu-hwa appears to be the child’s mother’s name. However, it seems those around her knew her as Cheon Yu-hwa.”
“Cheon Yu-hwa, then.”
The King murmured the name softly.
Changing the surname from Cheok to Cheon must have been the desperate struggle of a woman who survived the annihilation of her clan.
“And her fate?”
“She died giving birth to Hwang Bong-bong. A woman living in the neighboring house witnessed the funeral.”
Crackle.
The sound of the paper crinkling in the King’s grip.
A profound silence descended upon the Royal Chambers.
“Your Majesty, there is still much to investigate. The fate of the child’s elder brother remains uncertain. Therefore, I must ask…”
Kim Che-geon posed the question.
“Do you wish for an investigation into the Cheok Family?”
The King’s dark eyes fixed upon Kim Che-geon.
Cheok Yu-hwa was the last survivor of the Cheok Family.
That Cheok Yu-hwa was dead.
No one bearing the Cheok surname existed in Joseon any longer.
Only a child carrying her blood remained.
The King gazed once more at the paper Kim Che-geon had given him.
The name ‘Hwang Jin-gi’ positioned between Cheok Yu-hwa and Hwang Bong-mok.
“Investigate the child’s elder brother.”
“I shall obey. However, Your Majesty, an incident has occurred.”
“An incident?”
“I happened upon Hwang Bong-bong and a Palace Maid during an outing and discreetly followed them. But a woman attempted to abduct and kill the child.”
In that instant, the King’s eyes trembled violently.
He gripped the armrest of his throne.
Kim Che-geon hastily continued.
“I rescued the child. The child is unharmed and safe.”
A sigh of relief escaped the King’s lips.
Kim Che-geon calmly explained to me what had transpired regarding Hwang Bong-bong.
That the woman was Jang Hee-jae’s concubine.
Moreover, that she had caused a disturbance not long ago and been cast out from Chwisuondang.
“In this humble servant’s assessment, she did not appear to be a woman of sound mind. She seemed to mutter strange words and displayed an obsessive fixation upon the child.”
“Jang Hee-jae’s concubine. Jang Hee-jae’s concubine attempted to murder Hwang Bong-bong….”
The King paused to consider.
If she was Jang Hee-jae’s concubine, then she was Jang Hee-bin’s person.
Even if Jang Hee-bin had cast her out, that connection would surely be evident.
If the woman’s crimes were officially investigated, the sparks would inevitably reach Jang Hee-bin as well.
‘…Jang Hee-bin.’
What was his heart toward her?
Even he could not yet be certain.
Compassion?
Regret?
Or perhaps the lingering embers of the only love he had ever given with his whole heart?
“That woman.”
Yet the King did not deliberate long.
“Execute her.”
The King’s command fell.
“I shall obey your command, Your Majesty.”
Kim Che-geon, who grasped the King’s intent at once, bowed his head.
***
Kim Che-geon departed the Palace immediately.
His destination was the abandoned shrine where Suk-jeong was bound.
“Mmph! Uuugh!”
Even gagged, the woman did not cease her utterances.
She thrashed and raved, crawling across the ground with her bound body in a desperate attempt to escape.
But Kim Che-geon was the King’s faithful blade.
He afforded the woman no opportunity for redemption.
A flash.
The sword gleamed.
A final, piercing scream echoed through the empty shrine.
The blade, stained with Suk-jeong’s blood, cast a desolate light.
It was a night when the star Taebaek shone with particular clarity.

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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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