Chapter 13…..
Hong-ah sat down on one of the wooden chairs placed at the front. Since she hadn’t come to read books, there was no reason to wander around.
“Haah…”
A sigh slipped out of her mouth. Her heart felt heavy. When she lived seeing her mother and the Crown Prince every day, she hadn’t felt this troubled, but now that they were apart, worries only piled up.
Her mother, who was destined to give birth to a younger brother and then die.
The Crown Prince, who would become king only to die a few years later.
Her younger sister, whose husband would be accused of treason.
And the younger brother, born five years later, who would die young and be remembered as the ill-fated King Danjong.
After figuring out the time period and her own identity, Hong-ah wrestled with countless thoughts.
She was certain she was that figure mentioned briefly in the annals—the first daughter of Queen Hyeondeok. But she also remembered clearly that the records said this daughter died before even her first birthday, so Princess Gyeonghye was treated as the eldest instead.
“Why am I alive as the Crown Prince’s daughter who should have died? What am I supposed to do, and what can I even do?”
That was what tormented her. No matter how much she thought about it, no clear answer came.
But there was one thing she was sure of: her very existence was proof that history could be changed, and if she did nothing, history would repeat itself.
If she stood by idly, Grand Prince Suyang would once again seize her little brother, kill him, and usurp the throne.
In her past life, Hong-ah had lost her parents when she was still young and had lived on in loneliness. She knew better than anyone the pain and solitude of losing one’s family.
Now, in this life, she didn’t want to lose the people who gave her such deep love. This was the first time she had ever known such a warm and complete family. She wanted to protect them by any means possible.
“What can I do?”
Frustrated, Hong-ah slapped her thigh. No matter how hard she struck with her little hands, it barely hurt at all, but she just wanted to snap herself awake.
The first thing she wanted to do was clear—she needed to prevent her parents’ deaths.
“All misfortune began with Father’s death. King Munjong died too early, and Mother passed away even earlier, leaving no adult to protect Danjong.”
There were many causes, but the decisive reason for Sejo’s usurpation was that there had been no senior royal family members left to defend Danjong.
In her past life, the tragedy of Princess Gyeonghye and Danjong began with being orphaned at such a young age.
“Huuuh…”
Another sigh escaped her lips.
Munjong had died of an abscess. An abscess—something so minor in modern terms, but in this era, even basic disinfectants didn’t exist.
She, who had once been nothing more than an ordinary liberal arts student, couldn’t just whip up disinfectants or antibiotics and say, “Ta-da, here’s a cure-all for Father!” She didn’t even know how.
“If only Mother had lived longer, Danjong wouldn’t have been dethroned.”
It was well known that Queen Hyeondeok had died after giving birth to Danjong. The cause was puerperal fever—a condition modern medicine could easily treat. But here, there was no surgery, no antibiotics…
There were plenty of reasons for her to be depressed.
She knew exactly how her parents and family would die, yet there was nothing she could do at the moment. Why had she come to this era? Was she meant to just sit by and watch her loved ones die?
“No. I can’t allow that.”
Hong-ah had no intention of letting that happen.
Four years had already passed since her reincarnation—longer than she had ever spent at university in her past life. Some memories had grown faint with time.
But she still had a clear goal: to somehow hold on to the flow of time and create a better future.
Hong-ah was a practical and rational person. Even if she wasn’t ready to face the inevitable farewells, she wasn’t so weak as to avoid problems because of it. She needed to find realistic, feasible methods.
“If only there were elder royals to stand by us…”
If her parents died, she would have to protect her two younger siblings.
But if the Crown Prince truly died as history said, she herself would only be twenty-one at that time. How much weight could the words of a girl barely past twenty carry among powerful royal relatives?
To protect those she loved, she needed someone older, higher in rank, and influential.
“What is it that I can change?”
Her sigh deepened.
Rustle—
Suddenly, she heard a sound from the corner. It wasn’t her nanny—her nanny would never move so stealthily. Startled, Hong-ah’s eyes widened. The unexpected noise completely cut off her train of thought.
“Who’s there?”
She looked around and asked. No answer came. Though she knew nothing dangerous could really happen inside the palace, for a moment she felt afraid. She prepared herself to call for her nanny if needed and raised her voice again.
“I asked who’s there!”
No sooner had she spoken than a small figure emerged from the far end of the corridor, drawing closer and closer to her.
Fortunately, it wasn’t an adult. If it had been a malicious adult, she would’ve had no way to handle it with her five-year-old body.
“A boy?”
It was a young boy, either her age or slightly older.
His large eyes drooped slightly at the ends, but his sharp jawline gave balance to what might otherwise have been a gentle impression. At the same time, his round, cherry-tinted lips lent him a touch of cuteness.
“Who are you?”
She spoke down to him—it wasn’t like he could be a prince.
The king had many illegitimate sons, and while she couldn’t recall the faces of those who had already married and left, she remembered all the young princes still living in the palace. None of them were this handsome. Judging by his clothes, he seemed to be the son of a noble family.
The boy hesitated, glancing around, then asked back,
“Who are you?”
Hong-ah felt annoyed at having her thoughts interrupted by this boy. Though she knew it wasn’t right for an older person to be short-tempered with a child, she still answered curtly.
“I asked first.”
“Ah, I’m Han-gyeom.”
The boy answered easily. Hong-ah felt a little embarrassed for snapping at such an innocent child, and her tone softened slightly without her realizing.
“What are you doing here?”
“Hm?”
“Not just anyone can come in here.”
“Really? I didn’t know.”
“Then why are you here?”
“I’m just hiding for a while.”
They had barely known each other a minute, yet he answered everything so honestly. He really did seem like an innocent boy around her age. Hong-ah felt guilty for not treating him more kindly.
“Who are you hiding from?”
“My grandfather, and the young princes.”
Her curiosity grew as they continued chatting.
“The princes? Which ones?”
“Why do you want to know that?”
Oh.
His pure, untainted question made her flinch. Han-gyeom tilted his head at her, his clear eyes unwavering. After a pause, Hong-ah gave a vague answer.
“I’m related to the princes.”
“Ah, I see.”
…Why did he accept that so easily?
“I don’t know their names. I just heard they were called Suwanjae Agissi.”
Ah.
The mischievous pair’s faces immediately came to mind. She’d heard earlier that Hyeon had gone missing since morning—he must’ve been at Suwanjae. Those two were inseparable, always together.
“My grandfather became their tutor.”
Han-gyeom explained.
Come to think of it, she had heard something like that a few days ago. Since those troublemakers couldn’t even read elementary texts properly, the king had appointed a tutor just for them to prepare them for later studies.
Nodding as she listened, Hong-ah asked,
“Then why did you come here?”
“My grandfather said he’d show me around the palace, but instead he made me study with them.”
At that, a smile tugged at Hong-ah’s lips.
“So you ran away?”
“No, I just got bored. I’ve read Myeongsim Bogam several times already.”
Han-gyeom replied matter-of-factly. He looked about six, yet he had already finished such a book. Compared to her young uncles, he seemed like a prodigy.
Noticing her gaze, Han-gyeom lifted his chin proudly and said,
“I’ve already read So-hak too. Starting this spring, I’ll be learning the Four Books.”
“Wow, that’s amazing.”
Hong-ah exclaimed with genuine admiration. Han-gyeom puffed up further.
“My grandfather says I’m the smartest among all six-year-olds.”
Only a year older than her, yet he already spoke so articulately—more than her royal uncles. His childish bragging was both cute and impressive, and Hong-ah nodded with a smile.
“You really seem like it.”
“But those princes, you know…”
“Hm?”
“They still need to start with the Thousand-Character Classic.”
Oof. A harsh evaluation, especially for a first meeting. Still, they were princes… Her uncles might not be the brightest, but she suddenly felt sorry for them. Hong-ah lowered her voice and warned,
“That’s treasonous talk, you know?”
“Even if it’s the truth?”
Despite her scary words, Han-gyeom remained unfazed. Korea had laws against defamation even if it was true—but Joseon clearly didn’t. Thinking that, Hong-ah quickly changed the subject.
“Anyway, why are you hiding here of all places?”
“Because I figured the princes would never come near books.”
He had nailed it perfectly. For someone she had just met, he was impressively sharp. Hong-ah leaned back in her chair, grinning widely.
Seeing her like that, Han-gyeom asked,
“Then why are you here?”
Hong-ah hesitated, then answered.
“Actually, I’m hiding too.”
“Really?”
Han-gyeom replied without much surprise.
“Did they tell you to attend the lessons with the princes too?”
His unexpected question made Hong-ah chuckle. Well, she had claimed to be a relative, so it made sense he’d assume she was from the princes’ maternal side.
“No.”
“Then what are you hiding from?”
He really was sharp—always cutting straight to the point.
Scratching her head, Hong-ah pondered how to answer. He was just a child she’d likely never meet again. After a moment’s hesitation, she opened her mouth. Thanks to Han-gyeom’s honest nature, she felt her own words becoming lighter too.
