Three Thousand Court Ladies - Chapter 48

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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 48
Samcheon dropped the potato she’d been peeling and let it fall into her lap. A swell of emotion rose to the base of her throat, and her eyes grew wet.
“I’m… deeply moved.”
Gyesan smiled ruefully, then continued with deliberate gravity, making it clear this was no jest.
“Let’s think about what we need for our dream. His Majesty says he’ll grant one reward of our choosing.”
“Anything?”
“Yes. He also mentioned something about producing results again.”
Disappointment flickered across Samcheon’s face.
What Gyesan had hoped for was not a reward. Yet from the tone of the audience, it seemed no words of gratitude for her growth, nor apologies for neglect, had passed between them.
‘That’s too much.’
A father does not reward his daughter with a prize. The King had treated Gyesan not as his child, but as a minister.
While Samcheon’s heart seethed, Gyesan remained composed, contemplating what she might extract from him.
“Should I ask for gold and treasures in abundance? But I don’t need money right now. What might Mokseo Palace benefit from most?”
“It’s too sudden. It would be better to think this through carefully. We must secure something truly necessary.”
Samcheon, too, made clear her resolve to claim her proper share in this windfall.
“He said to come back tomorrow with an answer.”
“That’s a short deadline.”
What did Mokseo Palace need at once? Revenge, for one thing. But the pillars of Yeonhwa Palace seemed likely to crack even without her laying a hand on them.
As Samcheon turned over in her mind what Gyesan might require, or what threat might loom, a single thought crystallized.
“Freedom.”
“Hmm?”
“Marriage proposals may come to the Crown Princess. And seeing how even His Highness cannot refuse such things, it’s clear what’s urgent. The Crown Princess should obtain the freedom to choose the time and the person of her marriage.”
“Exactly right. She could be sent off to another kingdom if things go wrong. Yes, that’s perfect. I don’t want to be a bargaining chip or a hostage.”
The more they considered it, the more cunning the stratagem proved.
“But His Majesty will surely despise it. It would set a precedent.”
“That’s all right. I don’t care about his favor. But did my brother read the situation correctly? We never even asked him what he wanted.”
“When he comes tomorrow, we should also hear from His Highness and from Kim.”
“Let’s do that.”
Gyesan picked up the potato again, took a large bite, and asked a question.
“Samcheon, what kind of person do you like?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“A marriage partner.”
“Palace servants cannot marry.”
“What?”
“When the Crown Princess marries and leaves to join another household, I’ll be able to retire from the palace. I’ll follow where she goes, so please find her a good match.”
At the words ‘I’ll follow,’ Gyesan broke into a broad smile.
“Trust only me. What kind of man do you like?”
The only men she knew were Hui and Kim. If she expanded the field to include Yongyong and Wolya, whom she’d recently encountered……
“Someone like Wolya. I’d like a man who doesn’t turn away from children who seem dangerous. And you, Crown Princess?”
“A hunter.”
The face of the hunter who’d caught the snake for her drifted into memory.
“I’m sorry?”
“I want a man who could be that kind of father to my child.”
Samcheon’s expression turned sorrowful. Today’s audience had clearly wounded Gyesan deeply. Then a voice came from the window.
“These brats don’t know anything. A man is judged by his face.”
‘Why hasn’t anyone come?’
Haessi couldn’t understand it. If an investigation was truly underway, someone should have visited to ask foolish questions or at least made a show of searching her quarters.
Instead, she was being left alone.
Even her father had sent no word. Each time food arrived, she checked whether a letter came with it, but she found nothing.
‘Is this merely a show of an investigation?’
If so, her father’s reluctance to contact her made sense. He may have judged it wiser to wait and observe rather than risk stirring things up.
‘How frustrating.’
As she fought down rising irritation, a commotion erupted outside.
Realizing someone had arrived, Haessi turned toward the entrance. With no one to tidy up, the room grew ever more chaotic.
Indistinct voices murmured beyond, and then the locked door swung open. Haessi, believing her confinement was at last over, leaped to her feet.
But the person who entered was not whom she expected.
“Danhwa?”
Haessi forgot the debris scattered across the floor and rushed forward. She would never have imagined Danhwa could be this welcome.
“Danhwa.”
That Danhwa had returned alive meant a potential scapegoat had been delivered to her.
“Do you know how much I’ve worried?”
Sweet honeyed tones flowed naturally from her lips.
But Danhwa’s face was rigid as she spoke.
“I have confessed everything to the Crown Princess.”
“What did you say?”
Haessi’s ears deceived her.
“I have disclosed in full what orders I received and what actions I undertook.”
It was impossible—a nightmare made flesh. Haessi had issued the orders, but it was Danhwa who had acted directly. If the truth came out, Danhwa herself would never leave the palace alive.
Believing this to be a test, Haessi asked with measured gentleness.
“Do you no longer hold your younger brother dear?”
“Because I hold him dear. I know you’ve deliberately withheld treatment while only preventing his condition from worsening.”
“That—! No, listen. Once this matter is resolved, I’ll have him treated immediately. I promise.”
Haessi retreated a step.
But Danhwa’s reaction was not what she’d anticipated. Despite her grand gesture of mercy, Danhwa showed not the slightest hint of wavering.
“I have already finished my testimony, and the investigation nears its end. My master says she will not involve herself in matters of punishment.”
“Father would never do such a thing.”
“You sought to harm the royal family. The clan must be preserved. The Crown Princess holds all the evidence.”
Only then did Haessi grasp that circumstances were unfolding in ways far beyond her control.
“I only meant to kidnap and frighten. She was supposed to be returned unharmed. I don’t understand why Gyesan had to die and complicate things for me.”
“The Crown Princess returned safely. But that is not the only wrong you have committed. You poisoned Kim of Jeongwol Palace. You also used poison on a maid of Mokseo Palace.”
“Kim was a commoner. Three slaves suffice as payment under the law, do they not? Her son remains in Dongyeon Palace—I will compensate for that. For the maid of Mokseo Palace, a fair price will settle the matter.”
Haessi spoke with utter confidence.
The revelation that she had sought to harm the Crown Princess was troubling. But Kim was a commoner, so by statute the crime could be repaid in slaves. The maid of Mokseo Palace was not even dead, making it simpler still.
“Before that, you caused Sobuin Choe to miscarry with your poison.”
“When was that? There’s no evidence. Do you think your testimony will change anything? Don’t you know how much His Majesty treasures me? Think clearly. You must keep your brother alive.”
“My brother is of no concern.”
Surely he hadn’t died.
If he had, then Danhwa had devised this betrayal out of spite for her.
“It’s not my fault. I told you to keep him alive. I can’t control where his fortune ends. Why is that my responsibility?”
Haessi denied her guilt to the end.
Danhwa, as if she’d known this would come, continued with a calm face.
“There is no way you will escape. I have submitted all the poisons I kept as evidence.”
“You’ve truly lost your mind. Do you think you’ll walk away unscathed?”
“I do not hope to. I…”
Danhwa drew a single measured breath.
“I did not want to kill anyone.”
Circumstances had driven her to commit wrongs. Guilt weighed upon her like a stone, yet her brother had left her paralyzed. It was all mere excuse.
The person who had sent Danhwa here had immediately begun treating her brother. They had promised to support a fresh start for him. That had been enough.
At last, she could make amends for the sins she had accumulated.
Danhwa held her former mistress in her gaze one final moment, then turned to leave.
“Where are you going?”
As Haessi reached out to seize Danhwa, the inner chamber door opened. Only then did she see the King and Seonhye standing beyond the threshold.
Haessi’s face contorted in shock.

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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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