Three Thousand Court Ladies - Chapter 12

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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 Twelve
The boy’s first impression was, in a word, like a young deer—slender-necked and wistful. While Samcheon had gazed upon him with pure admiration, Hui seemed unimpressed.
“Kid stuff.”
At Hui’s muttering, reality crashed back into Samcheon’s awareness.
Within the palace, dress marked one’s station, yet the robes worn by this young deer were ambiguous. Not quite the garments of royalty, nor those a palace maid would wear. Somewhere in between. And at his waist hung a Wooden Sword.
There was no reason a visiting noble child should be standing alone in the Eastern Quarter, where the King’s women dwelt.
Samcheon found herself puzzled, but Hui stepped forward eagerly.
“Grab him.”
Samcheon, without thinking, recoiled and asked, “What?”
“What do you mean, what? We should apprehend him?”
“We need to find out who he is. People seem to have mistaken him for a ghost.”
“Well, if we’ve established he’s not a ghost, isn’t that enough?”
“This should be fun.”
Samcheon tried to object, but Gyesan grinned and bolted forward instead, attacking the young deer without preamble using her Wooden Sword. Yet he blocked it.
‘Oh?’
A small gasp escaped Samcheon’s lips.
She’d always seen Gyesan pressing Hui back, so this fresh turn was surprising. Could Hui’s skill actually be worse than she’d thought?
As Samcheon was reasoning this through, Gyesan cried out:
“Sparring Match!”
Samcheon pressed her forehead.
Hui, who had stood motionless before, now spoke in a grave tone.
“He’s got real skill. An assassin, perhaps?”
“Your Highness, surely not. He’s just a boy.”
“You’re young too, yet you manage Mogseo Palace.”
“I do it because I have no choice.”
“So he became an assassin because he had no choice.”
Samcheon did not answer Hui further. He wasn’t stupid—surely he didn’t truly believe such a thing.
“Hmm.”
“But why do you call me Your Highness and Gyesan ‘Your Majesty’?”
Typically, a palace maid addresses the princess she serves as “Princess.” In formal settings, one uses “Your Highness” or merely “Highness.” Yet Samcheon had always called Gyesan “Your Majesty.”
Strictly speaking, she should have called Hui “Your Highness, Prince” and Gyesan “Princess.”
“When Honghwa calls you ‘Princess,’ sometimes it sounds almost like mockery. So I wanted to show her proper respect by calling her ‘Your Majesty.’ As for you, Your Highness….”
Samcheon hesitated a moment before continuing.
“Without thinking, I’ve grown familiar with you. I apologize. From now on, I’ll address you as Your Highness, Prince.”
“Never mind. I only asked out of curiosity. Address me as you wish. Let’s watch the Sparring Match.”
Now Samcheon examined the fight closely. Gyesan, who continuously crossed blades with the young deer, looked joyful.
But Gyesan kept attacking while the young deer only defended. More precisely, the young deer seemed to attack only as much as he could block. After an exchange of blows, the young deer dropped his Wooden Sword, and Gyesan’s blade halted before his eyes.
Flushed with victory, Gyesan asked triumphantly:
“Who are you?”
“I… I beg your pardon.”
What?
Gyesan, taken aback by his cowed manner, quickly said:
“I attacked first—why are you apologizing?”
“Ah… I beg your pardon.”
His voice came out small and submissive.
“What’s your name?”
“Geum.”
His voice remained quiet, but at last came an answer that wasn’t an apology.
“Geum? I’ve never heard that name before. Which palace do you serve?”
“I reside at Dongyeon Palace.”
Unfamiliar with the palace’s name, Gyesan blinked once.
But Samcheon and Hui understood his identity at once.
An unacknowledged son of the King.
When the mother’s station is too low to grant royal status, such children grow up together at Dongyeon Palace. Upon reaching adulthood, they receive a modest sum and leave the palace—technically commoners, following their mother’s rank.
Samcheon thought she understood why Geum stood in Jeongwol Palace.
And why he seemed so cowed.
“Half-blood Royal,” Hui muttered dryly.
Hui’s voice was toneless.
Meanwhile, Gyesan—unaware of what Dongyeon Palace meant—still harbored curiosity in her eyes.
“How did you come here?”
“I beg your pardon.”
“Stop apologizing! Did you do something wrong? We came here in secret too. I won’t tell anyone, so don’t worry.”
Her gaze held no scorn.
“My mother… she stayed here until recently. I was happy to cross blades with you, Your Highness, Princess.”
Geum believed this revelation would change Gyesan’s attitude.
But Gyesan only laughed with delight.
“I was happy too! Do you know who I am?”
“You asked me something.”
“What?”
“You said you were looking for someone who hit a palace maid.”
Geum’s gaze flickered toward Samcheon, then away.
“Ah, so you did. Anyway, you have some bad habits. My teacher will have plenty to scold you about.”
“…I’ve learned only by observation, so I’m quite lacking.”
Though his voice remained soft, proper conversation was beginning to flow between them.
Our princess really does have good social grace.
Samcheon, watching from the side, smiled warmly.
“For someone without formal training, that’s quite remarkable, isn’t it?”
“Remarkable? He’s a charlatan. Not some century-spanning genius. How does one master Swordsmanship just by watching?”
His tone was biting.
Samcheon turned to see Hui’s eyes had sharpened. His mood seemed unsettled, so she hurried to flatter him.
“Your Highness is remarkable too. For a prince, your beauty is almost hard to believe.”
Hui, who would normally have responded with “Of course,” stared at Samcheon intently instead. She felt suddenly exposed and averted her gaze.
“You were amazed when you first saw him, after all.”
“Well, he’s lovely, like a young deer.”
“What about me?”
Was he asking what animal he resembled? His features were striking, his eyes tilted upward in a way that suggested a fox, but answering that might offend him.
“…A lynx?”
“Boring. I’m leaving.”
Hui departed Jeongwol Palace at once. Samcheon watched his retreating figure with bewilderment.
‘He actually left.’
Knowing his temperament, she accepted it and approached Gyesan.
All the while, Gyesan had continued conversing with Geum.
“I practiced alone for about half a year without a teacher, and it felt tedious. Why don’t you have one?”
“I beg your pardon.”
“I said you can stop apologizing.”
“…No one teaches me formally. I watched the soldiers train and learned by imitating them.”
“Self-taught! Samcheon here is also self-taught in her studies. And she’s quite intelligent.”
It was an unexpected compliment to the palace maid, though Geum graciously returned it.
“You speak of someone very able.”
Embarrassed, Samcheon covered her face with one hand.
Gyesan laughed brightly. Somehow, the boy before her seemed easy to talk to.
“That’s right! Tomorrow morning, come to Mogseo Palace. Let’s study together under my teacher.”
“No, I couldn’t. The Concubine will not allow it. Thank you even for the kind words.”
“My mother has passed. I’m the mistress of Mogseo Palace now, so don’t worry. Hui is already there, crashing at my place. One more won’t hurt. Right, Samcheon?”
“Yes, of course.”
Samcheon answered promptly.
It was well within their means to shelter a guest or two. Besides, the young deer—no, Geum—seemed an excellent sparring partner for Gyesan.
Though she would need to explain Geum’s ambiguous position to Gyesan. She didn’t think his attitude would change once he learned, but still.
As she searched for the right moment to speak, Geum’s expression suddenly shifted.
“Someone’s coming.”
Samcheon’s face went pale.
If they were caught wandering at night, she would face severe punishment. With that fear in mind, she asked:
“Are they heading this way?”
“People sometimes meet here for purposes that aren’t… wholesome. It’s best you two hide. There’s nothing good to come from meeting them.”
Jeongwol Palace stood in the most secluded corner of the Eastern Quarter, making it ideal for clandestine meetings. And dawn trysts always carried a whiff of something unsavory.
Samcheon peered over the wall with only her eyes. Sure enough, a palace maid was approaching in the distance.
“What do we do? She’s really coming.”
“Hide!”
Gyesan called out as though proposing a game of hide-and-seek, then quickly scrambled up a tree.
Your Highness, what about me?
Samcheon looked up at the branches in dismay.
Just then, Geum caught her sleeve between two fingers and gently tugged.
“Come this way, please.”

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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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