Three Thousand Court Ladies - Chapter 81

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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 Eighty-One
‘So this is what they mean by reaping what you sow.’
“I’m worried this whole thing has spiraled too far out of control.”
The twenty-fifth prince being an illegitimate child of the Baek Clan—no matter how many times Sam-cheon turned it over in her mind, the shock refused to fade. She sat in the small garden before the Inner Chamber, gazing up at the sky.
‘Does that mean the Baek Clan will pass to the prince now?’
“……I suppose that’s how it will be.”
‘Things are going to get complicated. I hope no one gets hurt in the process.’
Since they couldn’t publicly reveal that the prince wasn’t Baek’s true son, the confusion would only deepen. How would the Head Wife navigate this tangle?
‘Well, enough of that. Why am I worrying about princes anyway? They’ll figure it out.’
“That’s true enough.”
‘Let me focus on Sam-cheon’s troubles instead. Who exactly was that person who asked to have her kidnapped?’
“They won’t give up easily, will they?”
‘Next time they might act directly. Stay right beside the prince at all times.’
“I should head back now. I’ll stay close to Gye-san from now on.”
‘Hmm. About the prince—don’t you think something’s changed about him?’
“……In what way?”
‘The way he looks at you. Haven’t you noticed?’
She’d noticed. How could she not? Probably even the Head Wife had caught it.
Sam-cheon looked down at her own feet.
“It’s because he realized I altered the situation by dreaming multiple times. I think it’s just gratitude.”
‘How many times did you dream, anyway?’
“Quite a few. I had to save Ju-hong as well.”
‘If it were just you, there were moments you could have escaped. Didn’t you ever think about giving up, about compromising?’
“I didn’t calculate anything. I just kept thinking we’d all survive together.”
‘Is that all?’
“Do I need another reason?”
‘I thought maybe you’d set your heart on the prince.’
“That’s not it. It couldn’t be.”
Sam-cheon laughed off Irae’s words. It would have been the same if it were Gye-san or Geum. Sam-cheon didn’t want her small world to crumble.
But if even Irae was suspicious, she should probably keep her distance.
Just as she steeled herself, Buyeo Hui appeared with a furrowed brow. Something seemed to be troubling him, but she didn’t ask. She already knew far too much; she was afraid of what larger secrets might tumble out next.
“I won’t be able to return to Sabi for a while.”
It was fortuitous—she’d been meaning to create distance anyway.
“That’s a relief—”
The words escaped before she could catch them, and Buyeo Hui’s eyes narrowed.
“No, what I meant—since the prince will be taking over the Baek Clan, I thought that would be better. That sort of relief.”
Sam-cheon smoothed over the awkwardness with a forced smile.
A brief laugh. Then silence.
“I’m not sure taking over the clan is particularly fortunate.”
“It’s certainly better than living under constant threat to your life from the crown prince.”
She’d been too blunt, she thought—but Buyeo Hui accepted it readily enough.
“That’s true. Come with me.”
He led her deeper into the compound, winding through passage after passage. They passed corridors where guards stood watch and stopped before a massive door.
A heavy wooden door bore an intricately carved tiger-patterned metal ring as its handle.
Following Buyeo Hui as he unlocked it with a key, she stepped inside to find the space suffused with a subtle fragrance. Wooden chests lined the entrance, their contents—ceramics, weapons, bolts of silk, ornaments—arranged meticulously by type.
“……This seems like a place I shouldn’t be entering.”
“You’re already here. Come further in.”
Buyeo Hui pressed past the gold and silver treasures without hesitation, making for the back. At the final display case, he retrieved a thin, elongated silk pouch. When he opened it, a jade flute emerged.
It was beautifully and intricately carved—a work to take one’s breath away. Even the pomegranate-red stone ornament dangling from the flute’s end drew the eye.
“Take it.”
Sam-cheon accepted the flute with both hands, careful to keep it away from the cloth wrapped around her wound. Buyeo Hui smiled quietly.
“Does it not please you?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Open the cap.”
Looking closer, she noticed the flute split at roughly the one-third mark. As if possessed, she drew open the cap—and soft brush bristles emerged.
“It’s a brush.”
A brush holder made of jade—what extravagance was this?
Jade had low hardness and scratched easily. Moreover, with such delicate carving already done, even dropping it could shatter it to pieces.
Wait—a brush?
Sam-cheon’s lips parted slightly.
“My mother apparently wanted to give this to you. She’d be pleased to see you put it to good use.”
“If I wrote with this, my hand would probably shake too much.”
“It’s made from a blend of weasel and sheep hair, I’ve heard. It should glide quite smoothly.”
Indeed, it was softer than any brush Sam-cheon had ever touched. Yet the thought of scratching it sent a pang through her heart—she feared she might weep.
“I think I’d lose sleep from fear of losing it.”
“A brush is meant to be used. What does it matter if it gets a few scratches?”
“What do you mean, what does it matter? It’s precious.”
A smile played at Buyeo Hui’s lips.
“There’s nothing I wouldn’t gladly give you. So don’t begrudge yourself its use.”
Sam-cheon stepped back slightly.
Seeing her overwhelmed expression, Buyeo Hui added, “You saved my life, after all.”
“But—”
“Is the price of my life to be reckoned at merely one brush?”
Even as he tried to ease her burden with this addition, something caught his eye. In Sam-cheon’s hair sat a crude wooden hairpin.
“That rustic hairpin—where did that come from? I’ll buy you a new one.”
Sam-cheon touched the hairpin gently with her fingertips.
“Sancho came back from visiting her hometown. It’s a keepsake from my mother.”
“Hmm. Now that I look at it again, it’s rather charming and endearing.”
“Isn’t it?”
Sam-cheon smiled softly, and Buyeo Hui, suddenly embarrassed, changed the subject.
“What was your mother like?”
“She wanted me to eat well, sleep well, and smile often.”
“You’re a dutiful daughter, keeping her wishes.”
“Aren’t I?”
“Would you like to see more?”
“No, thank you. There are too many precious things here that feel as though they’d break if I so much as touched them. It makes me uneasy.”
“Then let’s go outside.”
The two walked out side by side.
Sam-cheon cradled the brush close as she looked up at Buyeo Hui.
His usual composure seemed to have dimmed. Concern for him made her forget her resolve to keep her distance, and she spoke before she could stop herself.
“You seem to have much on your mind.”
“My grandmother showed much favoritism. As the eldest, I thought I was meant to cherish my older brother.”
She’d heard this story even in her dreams.
Buyeo Hui took a measured breath and continued.
“But now that I realize he was actually my uncle, not my brother, it’s as though an old resentment has melted away.”
“Because her affection fell to her son instead?”
“Something like that. And in reverse, perhaps he felt neglected by our mother.”
Buyeo Hui seemed to be making a genuine effort to understand the crown prince. Perhaps his words had left a mark.
But the crown prince’s theft was not as he claimed. Buyeo Hui was the victim; everything the crown prince had brought upon himself through his own choices.
“None of that justifies his crimes. Losing his position, his exile—all of it was the result of the crown prince’s own decisions.”
“That’s true.”
“So don’t trouble yourself too much over it.”
“It will be that way. All it means is I have one more person to watch for the rest of my life. So you’ll be returning to Sabi now?”
“Yes. If nothing unexpected arises, I thought I’d depart tomorrow.”
“I’ll attach some soldiers to your party.”
“I won’t refuse.”
“I need to settle affairs here before I can leave, so tell Gye-san and Geum not to worry. They tend to fret, don’t they?”
I’ll probably worry too.
Sam-cheon swallowed the words that would have come naturally and answered curtly instead, “Yes.”
As she left Buyeo Hui and walked back toward the Separate Building, she felt the weight of stares upon her.
When her eyes met someone’s by accident, they hurriedly averted their gaze and passed.
What was that?
The other attendants reacted the same way.
Why does everyone seem to be watching me?

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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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