Hui-seo pressed his lips shut and urged on, and Sae-yeong rolled her eyes, pretending not to notice.
It was too late to do anything now — Yeongha-dang was already near. And honestly, he was also anxious that if time dragged at Yeongha-dang and he was absent, Sae-yeong, left behind, might suffer at Seollan’s hands.
Deliberately slowing his pace out of concern for Sae-yeong, the Yeongha-dang servant glanced sideways at them now and then but didn’t rush them.
However slow, as long as they didn’t stop, they’d reach their destination eventually — and at last they arrived at Yeongha-dang’s threshold.
“Wow.”
Sae-yeong let out a short exclamation. Hui-seo could understand the child’s reaction.
To use seasons as a metaphor: unlike Cheongu-dang, which was close to winter, Yeongha-dang was truly spring itself.
Green grass and trees, colorful flowers, even the clear sound of wind chimes from somewhere whenever the breeze blew. The full essence of late spring permeated everything.
With each step, the fragrant scent of peonies wafted to his nose.
“It feels like a whole different world.”
Hui-seo nodded in agreement at Sae-yeong’s whisper, clinging close behind him, and was soon guided to a pavilion on the east side of the residence.
With the back adjoining the corridor and the front and sides open, the rear garden was fully visible.
“Seunghwi. You’re here.”
Jeong Hae-yeon, leaning against a silk cushion and viewing the rear garden, greeted Hui-seo.
“Greetings, Lady Yangje.”
“No need to be so formal… come, sit down.”
Jeong Hae-yeon flicked her fingertips. It was a gesture as perfect and delicate as a painting. Just like the Crown Prince or the Empress.
When would he ever reach such a level? If his conduct became that flawless, could he finally stop being the Crown Prince’s blemish?
“Are we?”
Swallowing his bitterness, he sat, and Hae-yeon examined his complexion.
“You look paler already.”
“…No, I’m fine.”
“Don’t deny it. I can plainly see you’ve grown gaunt. You’ve been through a lot lately. I’ve known Court Matron Jo since I was young — she’s notoriously picky and cranky.”
She said she’d seen people in tears because of Seollan several times when visiting the palace as a child, and shook her head —
“…shook her head.
Her gaze passed Hui-seo and reached Sae-yeong, standing at a distance. She seemed to have noticed Sae-yeong limping as she viewed the garden.
If he’d been the one beaten, he could have answered that it was just scolding, nothing like hardship — but it was Sae-yeong suffering because of it. So Hui-seo could only stay silent.
“Her Majesty may seem strict, but you must know it’s all for Seunghwi’s sake.”
“How could I not know?”
The dry saliva he forced down was bitter. Jeong Hae-yeon, watching quietly, clicked her tongue, then leaned slightly toward Hui-seo and lowered her voice carefully.
“…Shall I draw some blood for you?”
“What do you mean by that?”
He met her unreadable gaze. Her gentle eyes soon curved softly. Smiling sweetly, she straightened her back as if she’d never leaned toward Hui-seo at all.
“Mama.”
It was Hui-seo who grew anxious at that.
“I told you some fine tea leaves came in. How about having tea first?”
At Hae-yeon’s signal, a servant who’d been waiting brought the tea set.
She showed no intention of clearing up his confusion right away. He couldn’t press her, nor should he; all he could do was go along.
“…Yes.”
“They say the fragrance is lovely and it’s a mild tea, but perhaps because you’re not very skilled at brewing, it tastes off. The tea Seunghwi served at Cheongu-dang was quite excellent.”
She spoke in circles, but he could guess what she truly wanted.
“Though it’s but a shallow skill learned peeking over my maternal grandfather’s shoulder, if it’s no offense, may I brew tea for you as I did then?”
“Oh my, of course.”
With her ready acceptance, the tea set was placed before Hui-seo. He warmed the gaiwan with water from the kettle, then filled it full with measured tea leaves and water.
After a moment, when the liquor had taken on a pale reddish hue, he poured it into the cups.
Above the flower scent swaying in the rear garden whenever the breeze blew, the tea’s fragrance spread.
“So this is the mild tea?”
“The color is lovely too.” Jeong Hae-yeon, holding the cup with both hands, widened her eyes with a satisfied expression.
“I’m glad it pleases you.”
His appetite, which hadn’t returned for three days, was finally coming back, so Hui-seo just moistened his lips with the tea and set down the cup.
“Then I should repay you, shouldn’t I?”
As he fiddled with the still-warm cup, feeling as though it melted his frost-covered heart, Jeong Hae-yeon smiled a strange smile and said a strange thing.
“Though not as grand as Yeongnyeong Palace, fine tea leaves often come to Yeongha-dang. But I can’t very well summon Seunghwi back and forth each time. Right?”
“So send the girl to fetch them.”
Jeong Hae-yeon gestured with her eyes. Following the trail, Sae-yeong stood there. Sae-yeong, not expecting to be mentioned, just blinked her big eyes.
“If she says she went on an errand to Yeongha-dang, even Court Matron Jo won’t be able to do anything.”
“Mama.”
“It’s only a stopgap, of course.”
Jeong Hae-yeon shrugged lightly.
“…But if Her Majesty the Empress gets angry….”
Sending Seollan — and all of Seollan’s actions — were ultimately the Empress’s will. So this act was tantamount to defying her mood.
“Her Majesty the Empress dearly loves my mother, who is her own sister by blood, and she dotes on me, her daughter, too. There’ll be no punishment. And if she does scold me, well, I’ll just take the scolding.”
“Why do you show me such kindness?”
She had no reason to help Hui-seo at the cost of opposing the Empress.
It was Hui-seo who’d knocked her, originally designated Crown Princess, down to concubine; and somehow, it was Hui-seo who’d monopolized the Crown Prince’s nights and provoked the Empress’s wrath.
“Does Seunghwi perhaps miss home?”
But the answer to his question was a question whose meaning he couldn’t grasp. Yet at that question, Hui-seo couldn’t help but think of Hui-won, his sister-in-law, and his maternal grandfather.
“Whatever about you, I sometimes miss my family.”
“Though Her Majesty is here to lean on, she governs the inner palace, so I can’t take up her time for long. And I find this palace life quite lonely.”
“Mama.”
Jeong Hae-yeon briefly bowed her head like someone who didn’t want her feelings seen, then raised it.
“Let’s spend time together like this now and then.”
“Soothing each other’s loneliness, sharing good tea or poetry now and then. That’s why I show you kindness.”
Compared to the help received, it was a small request. It couldn’t even be called a request. She was his superior, and honestly, she could have used Hui-seo however she wanted without showing such kindness.
“…I’m not eloquent enough to be good company for you, Mama.”
“Sometimes just having someone nearby is comfort enough.”
If that was the case. Hui-seo nodded slightly, and Hae-yeon answered with a faint smile.
“The tea will get cold. And the refreshments too. I prepared them specially for Seunghwi.”
Candied kumquats simmered in grain syrup sparkled. His appetite hadn’t fully returned, but feeling better than before, he put one in his mouth.
It was sweet yet tart.
“The taste is good… Mama?”
Smiling slightly, he raised his head to find Jeong Hae-yeon gazing silently at Hui-seo with an expressionless face. Not at his face, but somewhere below it.
“Ah.”
Had something gotten on him? Hui-seo lowered his head. Only then did Hae-yeon paint a drawn-on smile over her expressionless face and wave her hand as if it were nothing.
“It’s made by a child I brought from home for her skillful hands. I’m glad it suits Seunghwi’s taste too.”
“…Yes.”
Hui-seo exchanged idle chatter with Jeong Hae-yeon. Mostly trivial talk.
Then, realizing it was nearly time for Seollan to come, he rose. Thanks to Hae-yeon, who let him leave Sae-yeong behind as an excuse, he could return with a lighter heart.
Back at Cheongu-dang, Hui-seo sighed as he looked in the mirror. Between his collar, a faint bruise showed, now you see it, now you don’t.
It was a mark the Crown Prince had made last night.
Had Hae-yeon seen it just now? The Crown Prince had never left marks like this before; this was the first time, of all times.
With a troubled heart, he touched his neck.
Though it wouldn’t fade for that, at the word that Seollan had come, he straightened his collar even more and —
— until he greeted her.
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