Surviving as Jang Hee-bin's Child Court Lady - Chapter 58

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 58. A Wish
On a spring day when the sunlight was particularly warm.
A summons from the King arrived, instructing me to come to Hee-jeong Hall.
It was a call I had been waiting for as well.
This would be my third private audience with the King.
Having grown accustomed to the surroundings of Hee-jeong Hall by now, I made my way inside at a leisurely pace.
“So you noticed the honey in Prince Hwan’s porridge?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“To rescue the young prince from danger—that is a service worthy of at least two ranks of promotion for any official.”
“I merely did my duty as a Palace Maid, Your Majesty.”
“How dignified. Had you been older, I would have appointed you as Sang-gung immediately.”
For a moment, I imagined myself wearing the hairstyle of Sang-gung, commanding the other Palace Maids.
“You are too kind, Your Majesty. I am grateful that the young prince suffered no harm.”
“Then, are you pleased with the reward?”
“The reward? I… well…”
The King had never given me a reward. I was certain of it.
Then it struck me.
‘The gold nugget…!’
The source of the gold nugget that Suk-ui Park had given me.
Though she was a royal concubine, Suk-ui Park had once been an ordinary Palace Maid.
Unlike Jang Hee-bin, who was the daughter of a wealthy merchant, or Gwi-in Kim, from a distinguished family—Suk-ui was different.
I should have suspected it from the moment she handed me that gold nugget.
“You mean… the gold nugget, Your Majesty?”
“That is correct.”
The King nodded readily.
“I am not certain how to use it, but I treasure it dearly. Every night, I open it to check that it remains safe.”
At my honest answer, the King smiled softly.
“Han Sang-gung of Chwisuondang is said to have a talent for multiplying wealth. You are a clever child, so it would be wise to entrust your money to Han Sang-gung for its management.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I shall do so.”
He was sharing such valuable information with me.
I marveled at the King’s generosity and was grateful for his magnanimity.
“However, Bong-bong, I hear you experienced something dreadful.”
“…”
Hardly had the pleasantries ended before he brought up that matter so directly.
“Thanks to the Warrior, I survived. I am well now, Your Majesty.”
Not knowing what else to call Kim Che-geon, I simply referred to him as the Warrior.
The King spoke in a calm tone.
“I assigned someone to investigate your background. The man who rescued you is the commander of the Naegumwi, my trusted aide. His name is Kim Che-geon—when you encounter him in the Palace, greet him properly.”
“Yes, Your Majesty…”
I answered out of habit, then suddenly froze in shock.
‘So Kim Che-geon is the gruff old man?’
Kim Che-geon was a legendary figure, forever enshrined in history as the “Greatest Swordsman of Joseon.”
Those piercing eyes, the glittering ornaments adorning his blade, and most notably, the effortless manner in which he had subdued Suk-jeong—nothing about him was ordinary.
In any case, since the King had broached the subject of a “background investigation,” I felt compelled to inquire about it.
“Your Majesty, if I may ask… have you discovered something regarding my family?”
“Not yet. There’s nothing particularly useful at the moment. Though Kim Che-geon will uncover more in time.”
In other words, I need only sit quietly and wait.
The Greatest Swordsman of Joseon and commander of the Naegumwi would gather intelligence for me of his own accord.
A legendary warrior acting under the King’s command—what an extraordinary turn of events.
The day my true identity would be fully revealed seemed not far off.
“You visited your home, I hear?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I learned something new while I was there.”
“What was it?”
“That my real name is not Hwang Bong-bong, but Hwang Bong-mok.”
“Hwang Bong-mok. That is a far superior name. Bong-bong does seem rather… unsuitable for a proper name.”
“Well… but I would prefer to continue being called Bong-bong.”
“….”
The King let out a small cough.
“Bong-bong is a fine name as well. Using the character for ‘support’ twice over gives it the meaning of being cherished and beloved.”
The King was far more adaptable than I had anticipated.
“Was there anything else you learned?”
“As Your Majesty suggested, my mother’s maiden name appears to have been Cheok. And… that is all. I know nothing else beyond that.”
“Hmm.”
The King showed no particular reaction.
Perhaps he already knew everything I had just told him.
The information I possessed was merely trivial gossip from a neighbor, after all. A king who commanded the Greatest Swordsman of Joseon had likely already uncovered far more.
If that were the case…
After much deliberation, I posed my question.
“Your Majesty.”
“Yes?”
“Was my mother… a criminal?”
His hand, which had been bringing the teacup to his lips, froze.
“I heard that the Cheok family was exterminated. That is why I ask.”
“The Cheok family was indeed exterminated. There are no Cheoks left in this world now.”
His voice carried a subtle melancholy.
“Then… my mother was part of an exterminated family. Did she commit some grave crime?”
The King’s silence resonated through the quiet Royal Chambers.
Soon after, he shook his head.
“Politics is a complicated affair. You are too young to understand, but there are many things in this world that cannot be judged by guilt or innocence alone.”
“….”
“Your mother is merely a scapegoat. She is no criminal.”
I lifted my head from the teacup I had been absently fingering.
The King’s gaze upon me appeared somber and solitary.
“…Then I am relieved.”
“Relieved of what?”
“I was afraid.”
“Of what reason?”
“I feared that Your Majesty’s search for my mother, who bears the surname Choi, was because of some crime she committed. That perhaps I too would have to pay the price for her sins….”
Though I still could not fathom his true intentions, the King seemed to regard me with affection.
Yet penetrating the inner workings of King Sukjong’s mind was nearly impossible.
And so the faint dread I harbored within me—
I chose the straightforward approach of laying it bare before him.
The King’s eyes flickered subtly.
“Not at all. That is not the case. I have burdened your young heart with needless worry.”
His voice was warm yet resolute.
“Do not be afraid. I sought your mother’s whereabouts not because of any crime, but rather for the opposite reason.”
I was curious about what he meant by “opposite,” but I could not bring myself to ask.
“Child. You need not fear me.”
“…How could I not fear Your Majesty?”
Those words came from the depths of my heart.
My life and death.
Jang Hee-bin’s life and death.
The lives and deaths of all the palace maids of Chwisuondang—held in the palm of his hand.
No matter how much he favored me, no matter how many privileges he bestowed upon me.
I remained afraid of him.
I feared the decisions he might make.
“I am not someone you should fear. Rather, I am the one who will protect you from fear itself.”
“…Those are difficult words to comprehend.”
Though I understood them.
Though I could clearly feel the tremendous weight behind those words.
I could find no other words to speak, so I said that instead.
In the heavy silence that hung between us, I opened my mouth.
“Your Majesty. Did you say you would protect me?”
“I did.”
“Then, someday…. Later. Just once. Could you grant me a single wish?”
“What wish do you speak of?”
“I do not yet know myself, but whatever it may be.”
The King fell silent for a moment.
“I cannot make such a promise.”
“….”
“I cannot make a promise when I do not know what card you will play.”
“…Yes, Your Majesty.”
My small hope crumbled to dust.
Yet I could not help but acknowledge it.
This was precisely how King Sukjong would respond.
A cold and calculating sovereign.
A king who would never choose a losing hand, no matter the circumstance.
Even if it meant unleashing a tempest of blood…
Then the King, who had been studying me intently, spoke once more.
“But you are merely a child of four years. I have no wish to be called a king who cannot grant a small child’s single wish. So then…”
He smiled at me, a faint curve of his lips.
“I shall make you this promise. I will grant that wish of yours, whatever it may be.”
“…”
I stood in stunned silence.
This was a wish token.
A magical wish that would grant anything.
Of course, I could not predict how the King’s intentions might shift, but it felt like I had acquired a small insurance against fate.
My heart swelled with emotion.
I scurried toward the King and immediately extended my pinky finger.
“…What is this now?”
“It is a pinky promise, Your Majesty. It means I will never break my oath!”
The King let out a soft chuckle and linked his pinky with mine.
“I am deeply grateful, Your Majesty. Your benevolence is boundless!”
The words came from my heart.
The King clearly regarded this promise as trivial.
But perhaps this very promise might become the final means to save Jang Hee-bin.
“Your Majesty, are you very busy these days? Well, of course you must be busy, but…”
Feeling as though I might float away, I ventured to ask one more thing.
“I am always busy. Why do you ask?”
“I thought it would be wonderful if you visited Chwisuondang sometime…”
“Heh. So that was your wish all along?”
“No!”
I shook my head vigorously.
“That is absolutely not it!”
Though a meeting between Jang Hee-bin and the King was important, I could never waste such a precious wish token on something so trivial.
“I was merely curious because the weather is so lovely. If you were to visit Chwisuondang, I would like to serve you the azalea pancakes I made myself.”
The King, who saw through my transparent heart as clearly as air, laughed warmly.
“Azalea pancakes made by Hwang Bong-bong herself, you say? Very well. I shall make a point to visit and taste them.”
Excellent.
“Yes, please do come, Your Majesty. Please do.”
My steps felt remarkably light as I left Hee-jeong Hall.
Hope.
Within the palace walls, where tumultuous incidents and unforeseen crises unfolded day after day.
It must have been because I felt hope for the first time in a while.
I had stepped out onto the path before Hee-jeong Hall with a faint smile playing on my lips.
“…Ugh.”
Thud.
My feet came to an abrupt halt.
Two women approaching from across the way, some distance off.
Walking toward me with graceful bearing and refined smiles, conversing intimately….
Suk-bin Choi and Gwi-in Kim.
I had encountered two concubines face to face.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————