Chapter 3. Did you hit our young master?

For lunch, there was a bowl of noodles with colorful toppings, and for dessert, a sweetened lotus root and chestnut jam. "Here it is." The palace maid Hongwi was being served by Sura, who was standing beside her, when she called out to Yoonseo, who was prostrate before her. "Yes, young master." "What's this?" Hongwi, not forgetting her promise to give Yoonseo the jam, pointed to the plate. "Yes, young master. Thank you." What a good boy, our Hongwi. In the afternoon, the entire palace was abuzz. "His Majesty will return tomorrow. The courtesans from the Music Office will sing and the entertainers will show off all their skills to welcome him. Everyone is scrambling to find a spot from here at the Six Ministries Street to there beyond the Dongdaemun Gate to watch the spectacle." What can we do since we can't go out to see such a great show? If I were on night duty, I could go. Yunga told her with a face full of regret. But for Yoonseo, a modern person who has experienced everything from concerts to movies, the courtesans' songs or the clowns' handstands were of no interest. With an uninterested look, Yoonseo suggested to Hongwi, "Young master, shall we play a fishing game?" She was afraid she would fall asleep if she just stood there. "Let's fish. Let's play hide and seek too." Hongwi hopped around on her short legs. Her headscarf fluttered cheerfully, and her eyes sparkled like jewels. Seeing the vibrant child, Yoonseo felt a lump in her chest. Yoonseo muttered gruffly, 'Damn, you're so cute.' Still, whenever she had a moment, Yoonseo would rush to the toilet. When she entered the toilet in a corner of the Donggung Palace, she first opened the mouth of the five-colored silk bag tied to her waist. Then, for the hundredth time, she took out a sticky pine resin ring and tried to put it on her fourth finger. "Damn! Damn!" It didn't work during the day. Then she remembered that Prince Lee Hyang had mentioned 'Jinseong' last night. He said the Jinseong star was shining brightly, so if the ring shone brightly again, she could return. With renewed hope, she waddled back to Hongwi's quarters. "Ah!" Seeing a group of palace maids and servants coming towards her, her back stiffened and cold sweat trickled down. It was a reflexive fear and tension response of 'Kwanga's servant.' She wondered why her body was so tense. On the other side, one of the servants saw Yoonseo and quickly hid behind a taller servant. "!" It was that servant. That servant had given her a few pine nut pastries, claiming to have gotten them from the outer kitchen, the day before. The greedy Kwanga had put them in the silk bag and eaten them behind the paper door after Hongwi fell asleep. Feeling as if her stomach was burning, Kwanga thought she was dying and crawled to Hongwi's side to see her young master one last time. As her consciousness faded, Kwanga sobbed, "Poor our young master, oh, poor our young master." The sorrow of Kwanga, who had to die without her beloved young master, and the determination of the prince's consort in the ring to prevent her son's tragedy, resonated across time and space, pulling Yoonseo's soul into Kwanga's dead body! The group of palace maids and servants passed by Yoonseo. A middle-aged maid in a green robe glared at Yoonseo for standing there blankly without greeting them and walked past. It was a look that said she was too busy to deal with her. 'Should I catch her and beat her to death?' No. There's no evidence. Well, there is evidence, but this scrap isn't enough to be decisive. 'But you will die by my hands someday.' I will use all my knowledge to catch you. Yoonseo glared at the back of the servant who was running away at the back. She realized with a heavy heart that the shadow of death was already looming over Hongwi. "Let's fish!" When they returned to the hall, Hongwi, who was standing on the veranda, called out excitedly. Yoonseo tied a thick string to a long branch that Bangja had fetched, attached a stone to the end for weight, and handed it to Hongwi. "Throw it into the middle of the pond." The hall where Hongwi lived had a similar structure to the inner quarters of a nobleman's house. There was a square wall on all sides, and the main building, which included Hongwi's bedroom and study, was in the center of the north side, separated by a veranda. Bangja and other servants who did chores and odd jobs lived in a small room in the corner of the gate. There was a small pond in the spacious courtyard to the east. When Hongwi said she wanted to play a fishing game, not only the nanny Yunga but also the servants in charge of cleaning, laundry, candles, and lamps all came out to watch. Hongwi, holding the stick tightly, bent and straightened her short legs, preparing to throw the fishing line. "Here I go!" She called out to the fish in her baby talk and threw the line. The colorful carp scattered into the weeds. Hongwi clapped her hands and giggled happily at the sight. The servants and Bangja, charmed by the cute laughter of the young child, cheered and clapped, "Well done, young master!" "Throw it again." Hongwi, feeling proud, bent and straightened her legs again, preparing to throw the line. "When did you learn to play so well with the young master?" Yunga looked at Yoonseo curiously. 'You used to be a bit slow, how did your eyes become so bright? Did you eat something wrong?' That was the look in her eyes. It's because my soul has changed. Unable to explain, Yoonseo just smiled and looked at Hongwi. "What are you doing?" Two boys, about five or six years old, entered with a few servants following behind. They were royal children, dressed in deep purple robes with golden sashes. "Young master of Myeongryeung Palace, young master of Heilak Hall, you have arrived." Yunga ran over and bowed deeply. The other palace people also bowed deeply and greeted them. 'Who are they?' Curious, the knowledge related to them naturally came to mind. 'The young master of Myeongryeung Palace is the eldest son of the Grand Prince, Doyeong, and the young master of Heilak Hall is the youngest son of the beloved concubine Kim, Damyang.' Concubine Kim would later become Queen Sinbin. Queen Sinbin was the most favored concubine of King Sejong, rising from a servant in the Inner Court to a first-rank queen. The historical knowledge about the royal family, including the consort Queen Kwon and Danjong, came to mind. 'I shouldn't have studied so much. Knowing too much is why I'm here, isn't it!' Irritated, her body automatically ran to Hongwi's side. She could clearly see Hongwi shrinking back at the sight of the two boys. "Hongwi is fishing. I'll help you." Surprisingly, Doyeong acted like an older brother and started helping Hongwi with the fishing. "The fish are moving!" The youngest son of Queen Sinbin, the young master of Heilak Hall, Damyang, ran to the other side and splashed his feet to drive the fish hiding in the weeds towards the young master. Doyeong stood behind Hongwi, holding her hand that was holding the fishing rod, and swung the line with the stone in the air. 'Hongwi doesn't seem to like it much.' Yoonseo approached the two, ready to save Hongwi from Doyeong if necessary. The fishing line hit the pond's surface with a strong splash. "Hahaha." The children clapped and cheered. Hongwi's eyes wavered, and her lips trembled. It was a nervous smile, different from the bright one she had shown earlier. 'You must be the cause.' Yoonseo observed Doyeong's expression. 'He's not even smiling with his eyes. He's already faking a smile at this young age.' Doyeong, as the first grandson of the royal family, had been greatly favored until Hongwi was born. Unlike Lee Hyang, who had lost his consorts due to their scandals. The Grand Prince had married a girl from the wealthy Yun family in Seoul and presented the long-awaited first grandson to King Sejong and his wife. 'How did this child, who had been the sole favorite of the royal elders, react when Hongwi was born?' The stress of a younger sibling being born can be so great that even siblings regress to being babies. In this case, the younger cousin was the future heir. And Doyeong was the eldest son of the 'Grand Prince.' Even when playing together, young boys instinctively try to establish a hierarchy. If the hierarchy instinct of these two boys is directed at Hongwi! Yoonseo stood close enough to hug Hongwi with one step, her nerves on edge. This time, Damyang took the fishing rod from Hongwi. "Watch. You do it like this." Damyang swung the fishing line high. "Oh, the young masters have arrived. Go and bring some snacks and sweet rice drink." The newly appeared Palace Maid Park instructed Bangja. The children, now putting down the fishing rods, started splashing water at each other in the pond. With Kwanga standing firmly beside her, Hongwi, who had initially been nervous, ran over and splashed water with her short legs. "Here are some rice cakes and sweet rice drink. Have a bite and enjoy." As Palace Maid Park called out, the greedy 'Kwanga's body' automatically moved towards the table with the rice cakes. And in that one moment when she took her eyes off Hongwi, Hongwi ran to Yoonseo, clutching her head and sobbing. "Anajer, Anajer." Her lips quivered with sorrow. Yoonseo felt a burning pain in her chest. "Young master, what happened?" Yoonseo consciously tried to ask softly. Yoonseo, a psychological counselor known for her infinite patience, usually had a nickname 'excessively kind Yoonseo.' But the moment the child started sobbing, her mind went blank. "Did the young master of Myeongryeung Palace hit you?" She asked through gritted teeth. "Uing, Anajer." But Hongwi only buried her face in Yoonseo's chest and sniffled. She seemed to have already been indoctrinated with the ridiculous philosophy that gentlemen shouldn't tattle. Yoonseo first hugged Hongwi. The small body, less than a meter tall, was trembling. "Ha!" Yoonseo's body also started to tremble. In her thirty years of life, this was only the second time Yoonseo had felt such heart-wrenching anger. "Young master of Myeongryeung Palace, did you hit our young master?" As she asked in a stern voice, the entire courtyard fell silent as if the mute button had been pressed. "Did you hit our heir, the young master?" Yoonseo looked coldly at Doyeong, the son of the Grand Prince, and asked again.