Translator: Nox

Chapter 24

Episode 24. The Night Fate Changes (1)

“Your Highness, please let me down now.”

When they had crossed halfway across the Sajung Hall courtyard, Yunseo spoke.

Lee Hyang answered instead by walking with even larger strides.

So that she had no choice but to wrap her arms tightly around his neck to avoid falling.

Having no choice, pulling Lee Hyang closer and hugging him, Yunseo felt that today had been too long, too dramatic, and too...

Utterly exhausted, her brain adamantly refused to think any further.

So Yunseo simply buried her face in Lee Hyang’s neck.

She could clearly feel the warm body temperature and the throbbing of the carotid artery pulsing against her cheek.

Lee Hyang’s pulse, stimulating her cheek rhythmically, along with the hands under her armpits that held her body more firmly with every step, seemed to speak volumes, silently promising to protect her no matter what.

Then, the fatigue accumulated from working twelve hours a day, without a single day off, since she had crash-landed in 15th-century Joseon, a world as alien as an extraterrestrial planet, and the last thread of tension she had maintained without letting go for a moment to survive, finally unraveled.

“Yunseo!”

Yunseo’s consciousness plunged deep into the world of pitch-black sleep, ending with Lee Hyang’s startled cry.

“Yunseo! The Royal Physician! Bring the Royal Physician!”

Lee Hyang cried out in alarm and ran towards the East Palace, holding Yunseo’s body, which had gone limp like a rag in an instant.

The palace servants and guards, who had gathered in the wide courtyard in front of Jaseon Hall to change shifts from day to night, saw the Crown Prince, who looked like a madman, shouting, “Bring the Royal Physician, bring the Royal Physician!” as he rushed in.

The Crown Prince, with his crushed hat pinned to his chest and his torn clothes, holding the person, whether man or woman, who had gone limp, shouted, “Where is Yunseo’s residence? No. No. To the heated room, to my quarters.” Then, without even taking off his shoes, he ascended the main wooden floor and entered the heated room.

Hongwi, who had been standing on the main wooden floor, holding Lady Choi’s hand, whining, “Why isn’t Father coming?” while looking out at the courtyard, ready to start his night watch, recognized at a glance who it was in his Father’s arms.

Hongwi let go of Lady Choi’s hand and quickly followed into the heated room. Seeing Kwon Ga, who had been laid on the bedding, he was already sobbing and asked Lee Hyang, “Is Father dead?”

“No, no. Aren’t you breathing right here?”

“Waaah, then why aren’t you opening your eyes?”

Hongwi prostrated himself before Kwon Ga and began to wail.

The one who managed this chaotic scene was Royal Lady Park, who had become seasoned through over 40 years of palace life, having witnessed all sorts of sights, both good and bad, and even those she shouldn’t have seen.

From the moment she heard the news that Kwon Ga, the maid, had been dragged to Cheonsu Hall dressed as a man, Royal Lady Park, who had been anxiously pacing the East Palace courtyard, grasped the situation at a glance and issued instructions systematically.

“Eom Sangjeon, hurry and summon the Royal Physician from the Royal Medical Office.”

“Maegeumi, go quickly and fetch clothes for Kwon Ga to change into.”

“Musuri Hyangyi, go quickly and fetch a basin of lukewarm water.”

“Lady Choi! His Highness the Grandson is too startled. Hurry and carry him to the heated room!”

After giving her orders, she hurried into the heated room and sat beside His Highness the Crown Prince.

“Your Highness, this child, who has always been as steadfast as iron sinew, will soon regain strength. He must have been so frightened, thinking he was dying, that he lost consciousness when he felt safe in Your Highness’s arms.”

“…Is that so?”

“It is so. Kwon Ga is very robust.”

When His Highness the Crown Prince finally showed a hint of relief, it was the turn of His Highness the Grandson.

His Highness the Grandson struggled, evading Lady Choi’s grasp, and wailed, “Father, don’t die, don’t die. Aangang.”

Royal Lady Park firmly grasped His Highness the Grandson’s arms and held them against his body to prevent him from moving, then lowered herself to his eye level.

“Your Highness, His Highness the Grandson, look at me.”

“Uaaah?”

“Kwon Ga, the maid, is asleep. When you sleep at night, you don’t know if anyone comes and goes, do you?”

“…Ung.”

“So, if someone is making such a racket while you are sleeping, is that okay, or not okay?”

“…Not okay…”

“Kwon Ga will wake up soon after receiving acupuncture and taking medicine, so Your Highness, please go to the heated room and…”

“I won’t go!”

“Yes?”

“I won’t go. I’ll stay next to Father, aaang.”

Without any of her coaxing proving effective, His Highness the Grandson began to wail again.

Seeing him, even Royal Lady Park, who had experienced many things and whose emotional range was usually not wide, felt her heart ache as if it were being pierced.

Having lost his mother, the Crown Princess, right after birth, how desperate he must be for Kwon Ga, his only support.

Lee Hyang, who had regained some consciousness, felt the same pain from his son’s cries.

“Hongwi, come here. Come to Father. Sit on Father’s lap, and let’s wait for Kwon Ga to wake up together.”

Only when held in Lee Hyang’s embrace did Hongwi stop crying and sit quietly, gazing at Kwon Ga.

As Lee Hyang was comforting his son, he suddenly called out to Eom Sangjeon.

“Go to the Royal Prison and order that Jeon Gyun’s punishment be postponed. Tell them not to punish Jeon Gyun until Kwon Yunseo wakes up safely, but to keep him securely confined.”

“…Yes, Your Highness.”

Eom Sangjeon, surprised but bowing respectfully, accepted the order, as the Crown Prince was applying the custom of releasing and postponing punishment for criminals when great trouble befell the royal family, even to a maid.

Just then, Royal Physician Jeon Sun-ui from the Royal Medical Office appeared, carrying his medicine box. He had been surprised by the news that the Grand Audience Hall eunuch, who had been proudly ruling as the de facto power in the palace after the commotion surrounding the maid in Cheonsu Hall, had been dragged to the Royal Prison and was about to die. Now, the maid in question was lying in the Crown Prince’s chambers, not somewhere else.

Jeon Sun-ui, who had always diligently served power, took Kwon Ga’s pulse, examined her complexion, and then bowed to the Crown Prince to report.

“Her pulse is strong, and her body is robust. However, she has fallen into a deep sleep as if fainting due to a sudden shock that severely blocked her vital energy. She will wake up soon after receiving acupuncture and taking herbal medicine.”

Royal Lady Park, who was sitting by the door and heard Jeon Sun-ui’s words, thought to herself, ‘That slippery fellow is falling before the wind even blows, falling.’

Meanwhile, seeing the Crown Prince, whose pale face had regained a flush of color upon hearing the words, she sighed inwardly.

‘He treated women like stones until now, and now he’s gone mad for Kwon Ga, all at once. What to do, what to do? A woman’s fate is truly the hardest, and a Royal Lady’s fate is the hardest of all. What to do, my poor Kwon Ga.’

\\\

“Postpone Jeon Gyun’s punishment until further orders are given. Do not beat him with the whip yet; just keep him securely confined.”

Inside the Royal Prison, where the stench of rotting flesh from those who had died under harsh torture and beatings permeated the air.

Jeon Gyun, who had fallen from the highest position to a place where he would soon die, despaired as the hope he had held when the door opened vanished futilely.

Then, he recognized the voice issuing the order as belonging to Eom Chachi Sangjeon, his lifelong rival.

“Brother, brother, Eom Sangjeon! Eom Sangjeon! Please save me. For the sake of our shared sorrowful years of enduring life without manhood, please save me.”

The two had entered the palace as eunuch trainees around the same time and had risen through the ranks at a similar pace, becoming the two great powers of the palace.

The sound of heavy footsteps approached, and Eom Chachi’s face appeared, floating in the lantern light.

“Brother, Eom Sangjeon, just save me. If you save me, I will give you all the treasures piled like mountains in my house’s storehouse. Just let me go to Bukcheong alive. Please. I’m begging like this, like this."It was true that even if the number of strokes couldn't be reduced, the force with which they were delivered could be greatly lessened."

Thus, it was an unwritten practice to bribe heavily so that one would not be beaten to death, but instead live like a seated person for years, gradually regaining strength to the point where one could walk with a cane, albeit unsteadily.

Jeon Gyun found it terribly wasteful to throw away the fortune he had accumulated his entire life into the mouth of that Eom family scoundrel, but since he was confident he would find opportunities again if he just stayed alive, he bowed his head and desperately begged for his life.

Eom Chachi raised the lantern high, examining Jeon Gyun’s appearance inside the prison cell.

The one who had been so haughty had become as pathetic as a beggar from the marketplace in less than an hour.

Finding his appearance both satisfying and pitiable, Eom Chachi, who had originally intended only to confirm his state and leave, changed his mind and brought up the past.

“Do you know this? His Majesty always kept you by his side and used you, while I was always sent to Hweryeong, Muchang, to deliver secret messages to places where wars were raging and extremely dangerous. So, sometimes, while riding a horse through freezing cold places, I resented His Majesty for favoring cunning men like you.”

Jeon Gyun, thinking Eom Chachi harbored resentment towards him for that reason, cried out on his knees.

“That, that was all in the past. Brother. Brother. And now I am destined to be cast out in Bukcheong, where the frozen corpses of those who die on the streets are kicked around every year.”

Then Eom Chachi shook his head.

“The Kwon Ga maid you tried to harm said this: humans do not know who they are until they are put to the test. On His Majesty’s test, I always chose the path of discerning and serving His Majesty’s intentions. Because His Majesty cherishes our Grandson, I have done my best to check you, who try to harm our Grandson by attaching yourself to the wealth of Grand Prince Suyang’s faction.”

“Th-that’s!”

“Did you think I didn’t know? No. I saw it all. I saw it all. If I, with my eyes, could see it, how could His Majesty, with his keen sight, not have seen it?”

Jeon Gyun’s face contorted fiercely.

“Ha! You and I are the same, living as dogs of power without manhood. If you win, you become a meritorious subject, and if you lose, you become a traitor. Who guarantees that you won’t end up trapped in this very place like me someday?”

“Perhaps. But Jeon Gyun. Even then, it will be my choice. It will be a path of death that I choose to walk into, not a path of death where I am dragged in after being caught using dirty tricks like you. Farewell. I will ensure you have ample travel money for your journey to the afterlife.”

“Y-you! You!”

Eom Chachi turned away from Jeon Gyun, who was grinding his teeth.

He had to return quickly to assist His Highness the Crown Prince and the young Grandson.

Then, a venomous curse poured from behind him.

“How many years will your glory last, you wretch! A skilled shaman from Seonbawi prophesied that the brat you fawn over so much will die before reaching ten years old! You wretch!”

Then Eom Chachi turned back, raised his lantern high, and asked gently.

“Did that skilled shaman not tell you about the reality of your own death today?”

“!”

Eom Chachi turned away without lingering.

\\\

Something soft and warm woke Yunseo from a deep, dreamless sleep.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Hongwi.

Just like on her first day in Joseon, Hongwi was holding the ends of her robe tightly and burrowed into her embrace.

“……!”

Yunseo pulled the sleeping Hongwi close and turned her head.

Under the soft lantern light, Lee Hyang, clad in a sky-blue robe, sat with his legs crossed.

Yunseo gazed for a long time at Lee Hyang, who was sleeping precariously, his arms resting on his knees, his chin propped on his hands.

She knew that the moment she opened her mouth and called out ‘Your Highness’ here, the relationship of Crown Prince and nanny would break, and she would have to enter a different relationship.

The 21st-century human, Kwon Yunseo, could only gaze at the 15th-century historical Crown Prince for a long time.

But without any reward for her silent gaze, Lee Hyang suddenly opened his eyes.

The Crown Prince’s deep-set gaze instantly captured Yunseo’s, who was flustered and about to close her eyes.

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