Three Thousand Court Ladies - Chapter 46

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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 46
When the sun rose, Samcheon pulled herself up.
Her face in the Bronze Mirror was embarrassingly swollen. She’d cried so much her eyes had barely opened, though mercifully she could still see ahead.
‘I fell asleep without even washing.’
Through the open window, the sky stretched clear and bright beyond the decorative eaves.
Samcheon stretched and moved to the window. Irae, positioned in front of it, murmured in a drowsy voice.
[Don’t close the window.]
“Did you sleep well?”
[Better now. Don’t make me talk. How long has it been since I got sunlight?]
“How long?”
[I wonder.]
“Rest then.”
After bathing, Samcheon had barely stepped into the courtyard when Deuksim pulled her toward the meal table as though she’d been waiting. Judging by the number of side dishes, preparations had begun before dawn.
Considering she’d listened to Gyesan’s account late into the night, Deuksim had likely gotten almost no sleep.
“Are you sure it’s all right for me to move around like this?”
“The physician cleared you long ago. Come, eat.”
“Still, you should rest more. How about I cook dinner from now on? You could just show me how while we work together.”
“You’ve suffered for so long—you deserve good food.”
“That’s true, but…”
Learning was one thing; good results were another. The real problem was that Gyesan would have to eat it too. Samcheon quietly surrendered the notion and glanced around the courtyard.
“Is Hui still sleeping?”
“Yes. She’ll see the Queen after lunch, they said.”
As the only court lady here, Samcheon wouldn’t be able to follow.
“Something troubling might happen…”
As Samcheon’s spirits sank, Deuksim spoke in a gentle, admonishing tone.
“The little court lady won’t be back for a while. Finish your meal. If you don’t empty your bowl, you’re not going anywhere.”
“Understood.”
Samcheon scooped up a large spoonful and chewed it thoroughly. The soup had rich flavor, and the side dishes melted on her tongue. She hadn’t realized how deeply she’d missed this taste.
Tears sprang unbidden to her eyes.
“Drink this too.”
Deuksim brought Sungnyung at just the right moment, and Samcheon drank it in greedy gulps.
“That was delicious.”
Samcheon had eaten the meal, yet Deuksim wore a contented smile.
“Stay a moment. I’ve prepared something.”
“All right. I’ll wait here.”
After responding to Deuksim, Samcheon stepped into the inner courtyard.
A well-tended flower bed awaited her. She hadn’t noticed it when she’d arrived at dusk, but now delicate white blossoms dotted the space.
They were flowers from that nameless plant that had grabbed her hair once before.
“You bloomed again this year. Thank you.”
Charmed, she gently stroked the leaves. She found herself smiling for no reason when Deuksim emerged from the kitchen.
“Drink this straight down.”
On the tray Deuksim held sat a dish of Pickled Jujubes and a Medicine Bowl filled with a murky green liquid of unknown origin.
“Is that… medicine?”
“Yesterday the Queen brought something precious. Both of you must be depleted. She had me prepare it.”
The lengthy explanation suggested this wouldn’t taste pleasant.
“Do I have to drink it?”
“She boiled it for five hours on her painful knees. You can’t refuse.”
“Then I’ll drink it.”
Samcheon picked up the bowl with visible reluctance.
If she had to drink it anyway, better to minimize the suffering. She tossed the entire contents down her throat in one go and shoved a Pickled Jujube into her mouth. Even with her speed, a putrid taste rose up.
“What is this?”
Samcheon asked with a grimace. Deuksim’s eyes slid away sheepishly.
“You’ll drink it again tomorrow. If you know what it is, you won’t be able to get it down.”
“Tell me. If you tell me, I promise I’ll drink it without complaint. I swear!”
Once Samcheon made the promise, Deuksim reluctantly confessed.
“Snake eyes and centipedes, boiled together with medicinal herbs.”
“What?”
“Snake eyes are supposedly very good for the body.”
The snake caught by the hunter materialized vividly in her mind. When she added the image of a centipede, densely packed with legs, nausea began to creep up her throat.
“Can I throw up?”
“Absolutely not. Have another Pickled Jujube.”
Samcheon obediently stuffed another jujube into her mouth and chewed hard. Deuksim, satisfied with the sight, headed back to the kitchen.
Her stomach seemed to churn as she turned away, and just then the door to Mokseo Palace swung open. Hui entered, took one look at Samcheon’s face, and burst into laughter, clutching her belly.
“What’s with those eyes? You’ve turned into a goldfish again. Try puckering your lips.”
An ordinary day at Mokseo Palace had begun.
Persevere.
“Right there—that’s exactly what she said. ‘Stop! You’re scaring them!’ That’s when the soldiers quieted down. The children stopped screaming too. Wasn’t that impressive? After that, I’m not sure what happened. The soldiers cleaned up the area. I was inside the barracks with our Queen.”
Samcheon finished her account with visible tension.
The Investigator, who had been listening to a long and elaborate tribute to Gyesan, sighed. Child or not, she kept dodging the real issues.
“Stop evasion and answer directly.”
“Directly, sir?”
Samcheon tilted her head with apparent confusion. She made sure her expression showed complete bafflement at what he meant.
Though she and Gyesan had aligned their stories, probing questions could easily create subtle inconsistencies. If their testimonies diverged, everything would fall apart. Samcheon had decided to keep her answers as vague as possible.
Our Queen handled everything—I wouldn’t know. That was the strategy.
“You still haven’t said where you hired the guards.”
“Ah! I heard that lots of merchants pass between Jeongnyeonseong and Silla. So a Labor Market opens once every five days. We just happened to meet them by fortunate chance on the way to hire guards. Of course, our Queen had the wisdom to choose such capable people.”
The Investigator slammed the table.
“That’s what I’m asking—where did you meet them!”
As the Investigator’s patience snapped and he raised his voice, Samcheon let out a tiny squeak and shrank into herself, trembling visibly. To any observer, it would’ve looked like he’d struck her.
Seeing the small child curled up and shaking, the Investigator’s tone softened.
“What kind of timid child are you? Continue your statement…”
But before he could continue, the Investigation Room door burst open without warning. The Investigator’s pupils dilated when he saw who stood in the doorway.
“Your Royal Highness, welcome.”
He rose from his seat and bowed deeply.
“I heard raised voices.”
Hui stepped inside, closed the door, and studied Samcheon. Seeing the child terrified, Hui’s eyes turned cold and sharp.
“What is this? Did you hit her?”
“No, Your Highness. I was merely listening to her statement.”
The flustered Investigator answered at once. But Hui brushed his words aside and moved to stand beside Samcheon.
“You, goldfish—tell me yourself. Did he hit you?”
“No, sir. I’m just slow to understand, so he tapped the table a bit. It’s only that I’ve had so many frightening experiences lately that I startle easily. I’m sorry my answers don’t make proper sense.”
Speaking rapidly in a simple, foolish way, Samcheon watched as one corner of Hui’s mouth lifted.
“Right, you were always a bit slow with words.”
Samcheon smiled broadly as Hui played along so readily.
Hui’s arrival had been entirely unexpected. Samcheon had only mentioned she was going for questioning when leaving Mokseo Palace, yet clearly Hui had grown worried and followed.
After surveying the Investigation Room, Hui dragged over a chair and sat down.
“Continue the statement.”
“Yes?”
The Investigator’s voice trembled slightly.
“I don’t intend to interfere, so don’t mind me. I’m curious what happened too, so proceed.”
With folded arms, Hui sat back in the chair at an angle and ordered him to continue.

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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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