Chapter 3
“You say it is useful yet you never use it… I thought it wouldn’t be bad if I tried using it at least once.”
Use it? Did she even know what she was saying? Though Hwi and Ga-heun had been married for three years, they had never once spent a night together. Hwi looked at her with sparkling eyes, curious to see what else she might say, but Ga-heun turned toward the door.
“We have delayed long enough. Bring in the physician.”
She slipped away like an eel. Forced to comply, Hwi sat down in Ga-heun’s body. Ga-heun signaled him several times with her eyes, clearly dissatisfied with his unladylike posture, but Hwi feigned ignorance.
As soon as the physician left, a sudden summons came from the King for Crown Prince Hwi. Ga-heun, tense with anxiety, departed the quarters. Left alone, Hwi contemplated how to return their bodies to their rightful places.
Suddenly, the door burst open. Ga-heun’s father, Min Chi-young, stood before him, his face flushed with rage. As Hwi attempted to straighten his posture according to palace etiquette, Min Chi-young approached with terrifying momentum.
“You’ve com—”
Slap!
With a sharp cracking sound, Hwi’s face was whipped to the side. Before he could even register what happened, Min Chi-young began to kick him.
“Ugh.”
Against such ruthless physical strength, Hwi was utterly defenseless in this fragile body. Min Chi-young stopped kicking and glared, panting heavily.
“You useless wench! If you cause trouble one more time, I will tear you and your mother limb from limb.”
“Uuugh.”
Min Chi-young pulled a pouch from his sleeve and tossed it down. ‘This… is musk.’ Hwi looked up at Min Chi-young through his disheveled hair.
“Your only job is to seduce the Crown Prince and conceive a child. That is all.”
His venting finished, Min Chi-young turned and left without a shred of lingering concern. A long while later, the maid Dan-ah entered the room.
“Crown Princess, are you alright?”
Dan-ah approached, tearfully tending to Hwi.
“He knows you just woke up from the brink of death, yet he lays a hand on you immediately? This bruise will be darker than the last. I will go tell the others you cannot leave your quarters for a while due to poor health.”
Hearing Dan-ah, it was clear this wasn’t the first time. The countless days Ga-heun had remained shut away in her quarters flashed through Hwi’s mind.
‘So… every time they said the Crown Princess was bedridden with illness, it was actually this?’
Hwi was stunned, his mind going numb. He couldn’t believe not a single courtier had whispered a word of this to the Royal elders.
“Where are the court ladies of this residence?”
“Do not worry. Does the Left State Councillor not always command everyone to withdraw at least 100 paces when he arrives? Everyone withdrew on their own today, so do not fear.”
Min Chi-young was meticulously cautious. Because of this, no one in the palace knew the Crown Princess was being beaten. Only three people knew: the abuser Min Chi-young, the victim Ga-heun, and Dan-ah.
‘Why on earth…?’
Discovering the truth, Hwi was filled with questions. Why did Min Ga-heun endure this without saying a single word? He couldn’t understand her. No matter if Min Chi-young was her father, she was the Crown Princess. A mere subject striking a member of the Royal Family was an act of high treason.
At that moment, the door opened and Ga-heun—in Hwi’s body—rushed in. Seeing her ragged breathing, it was obvious she had run back in a panic. She must have known her father would strike.
Hwi clenched his fists against the floor.
“Crown Princess… just what have you been suffering in this palace all this time?”
Ga-heun’s dark eyes wavered uncontrollably.
13 Years Ago
The King had no children. He had changed Queens four times, had over twenty concubines, and countless other women had entered his bed. Yet, not a single one conceived. As his position weakened, the King turned to tyranny. Countless people died by his blade.
When the officials could no longer endure it, Prince Seowon—the King’s brother—returned from the Myeongjo Kingdom. The eyes of the court fell upon Seowon and his son, Hwi. Feeling threatened, the King declared he would appoint his nephew Hwi as the Crown Prince.
Prince Seowon knelt before the King in protest.
“Your Majesty, my son is but a reckless child who loves to run through the fields. He is unfit to be the Crown Prince. Please, rescind your command.”
The King was unmoved.
“Is there any man of that age who isn’t reckless? I shall officially invest him. There are many great teachers in the palace; he will learn.”
It was a battle to protect his son, his wife, and himself. Seowon could not back down easily.
“Your Majesty, I beg you to reconsider!”
“You are my subject, but also my brother born of the same parents. How can you ignore the greater good for private sentiment?”
The King’s voice turned livid.
“Your Majesty…”
“Will you shame me further—I, who have sired neither prince nor princess!”
With a loud crash, a refreshment table was overturned. Shards of porcelain embedded into Seowon’s hand, drawing blood, but he bowed even deeper.
“I will issue the edict soon. Invest him as the Crown Prince to solidify the state. Prince Seowon, leave now.”
As the King’s angry footsteps faded, Seowon remained prostrate, swallowing blood-tears. The blood from his hand stained the palace floor red. Then, a metallic voice rang out above him.
“Prince, please rise.”
It was the “King above the King,” Left State Councillor Min Chi-young. Seowon’s stomach churned at the sight of him.
“I did not expect to see the Left State Councillor here.”
“Am I not a subject who looks after the court? It is only natural I am here.”
Fury rose within Seowon. He knew Min Chi-young was behind this. Min Chi-young was the one who had guarded against Seowon most fiercely, forcing him to flee to Myeongjo years ago. Why would he now call them back?
“I saw Hwi the other day,” Min Chi-young said.
To dare speak a royal name so casually—his arrogance pierced the heavens.
“As you said, he is like a wild horse running through a wide field. He has a temperament that is difficult to tame.”
Hwi was a child even his father couldn’t easily sway. He was clear-headed and possessed a fierce will. He never bowed before the “greater good” if it was wrong. Choosing such a boy as Crown Prince was a mistake on the Councillor’s part—Hwi was not a boy who could be a puppet like the current King.
“Making my son the Crown Prince cannot be pleasant for you. I will take my family back to Myeongjo. Please, use your influence to change the King’s mind.”
Seowon discarded his royal dignity and practically begged. But Min Chi-young played at false humility.
“What power do I have? I am but a subject following orders.”
“Left State Councillor!”
“Prince, I once had a horse in my stable that gave me much trouble because it wouldn’t be tamed. It was of noble blood and cost a fortune, so I couldn’t sell it, nor could I kill it. It just sat there, wasting feed.”
Seowon wished he didn’t understand the hidden meaning behind those words.
