chapter 59
Sion, who had been standing a little distance away from me, stepped forward to the seat of honor.
This banquet had been organized to celebrate the Crown Prince’s birthday, so it was only proper to offer congratulatory remarks first.
At palace events, this role was usually taken by the chancellor, but he was not present at this event, having been excluded due to age restrictions.
For the same reason, other high officials were also absent one after another, leaving Sion, the direct heir of the Hyun family—one of the five great families—as the de facto representative.
In truth, if you looked closely, my fiancé, Hwirok, also had enough qualifications to represent our side. But since Sion was a year older and married, it seemed natural that he took on this important duty.
“Your Highness’s safe and sound growth is the greatest blessing of our realm. I offer my congratulations on your birthday.”
Congratulatory remarks on behalf of the guests must be neither too soft nor shouted; they must be clear, yet loud enough for even those far away to hear.
Sion had received special training from my uncle and grandmother in just this skill, and thankfully, he did it excellently.
“Everyone has worked hard to come to the palace so early this morning. The palace cooks have displayed their utmost skills, so please enjoy yourselves. And those unaccustomed to such events should be careful with their movements.”
His voice was clear and melodious. The more people listened, the more their ears were delighted.
“Be careful; your beautiful clothes might get splashed.”
The Crown Prince furrowed his elegant brows, thinking that while they had been thrilled to be invited to this beautiful banquet, they hadn’t considered this possibility.
Perhaps it was due to the acoustics of the space.
When his soft, resonant voice echoed, everyone couldn’t help but sigh.
Some young ladies and gentlemen quietly murmured to themselves, holding their clothes tightly to prevent them from getting wet.
Even after that, the atmosphere in the hall shifted rapidly according to the Crown Prince’s words.
His presence was incredibly captivating.
Soon after, as the mood relaxed into a warm, cheerful ambiance, the banquet dishes began to be served—but in a unique way.
“Magic?”
Large plates floated in midair, spreading throughout the banquet hall.
The children, who had been enduring their hunger, lit up with excitement. Palace maids, who had been quietly waiting, handed out small plates and utensils, and somewhere, gentle music began to play.
Though the musicians themselves weren’t visible, the music could be clearly heard, cleverly hidden by magic.
The palace maids moved gracefully, using the magic skillfully, clearly no ordinary people.
The clever ones could tell that many precautions had been taken for the safety of the royal family.
Thus began the banquet celebrating the twenty-second birthday of Crown Prince Cheong Gyuhun.
“I heard your wife has given birth to a healthy puppy. Congratulations, Master Hyun. I hear it’s a son—has a marriage been arranged yet?”
“Not yet. The elders haven’t said much either…”
“I also heard your younger sibling, who works at the Public Safety Bureau, is still single. Our family has a good-natured young lady.”
Sion, who had just finished his congratulatory remarks and was about to come over to my side, was immediately surrounded by a crowd and trapped.
With a newborn son and a younger sibling without an engagement, he had become a target for marriage proposals.
Seeing this, Hwirok shook his head. At least, it seemed, Sion had been completely cornered.
“If we intervene, it might prolong the ordeal by half a day.”
“Then we have no choice.”
We had no choice but to let Sion go.
Do not call it cruel—someone has to survive, after all.
Instead, we decided to prepare a separate portion of food for Sion.
I casually glanced toward the seat of honor—it was empty. The Crown Prince had descended and was strolling around the hall.
Rather than speaking in line according to family or age, he would approach anyone nearby and start a conversation.
As a result, many people, who had been eating casually or daydreaming, were startled when he suddenly spoke to them.
Since guests had been invited from across the realm, there were quite a few who weren’t from prominent families.
So when the Crown Prince approached, they assumed he was speaking to someone else nearby, only to find themselves suddenly engaged in conversation—much to their surprise.
“Ha ha!”
His bright, melodious laugh easily captivated everyone.
Watching the Crown Prince and his guards dash through the banquet hall, I felt a strange sense of familiarity.
Doing as he pleased regardless of others’ feelings! Ignoring etiquette and law while pursuing extreme efficiency—a terrifying drive.
Baeksan.
Crown Prince Cheong Gyuhun might resemble his mother in appearance, but in essence, he was his father Baeksan’s spitting image!
“Oh, as you sow, so shall you reap?”
“Exactly.”
I recalled that years ago, when I met the Emperor, I was praised for being polite and kind. At the time, I didn’t understand why he worried about his son. I had only met my fiancé, a charming and gentle “tiger” of a prince.
Now it made sense—the son the Emperor had raised himself had the same temperament as Baeksan. Only now did the mystery resolve.
Although not as many as with Sion, guests on our side also began to come over to greet us.
Relatives from the Hyun and Baek families, as well as heirs from families with close ties, came to make their marks.
After that, newcomers began requesting conversations.
“Cough.”
But it was a lottery of sorts.
Since the age of guests was restricted to below thirty, there weren’t many severely foul-smelling individuals, but a few still were.
I eventually signaled Hwirok, as we had prearranged. I took his hand, intertwined our fingers, and shook twice.
“Hyun, are you okay?”
Hiding my face with my sleeve, I nodded.
Save me, save my poor nose!
If this had been anywhere other than the palace, I would have already transformed into a dog and hidden in my fiancé’s arms.
Alas, my poor nose. Even after all my efforts, here I was, suffering inside the palace.
Hwirok, the young master of the Baek family, could only do so much to avoid approaching guests. I decided to pretend to enjoy the food while keeping a little distance.
In truth, I was curious about the other dishes floating in the hall, since I had already sampled everything near me.
I walked toward a less crowded area and reached for a floating plate.
At that moment, my eyes met someone else’s reaching hand from the opposite side.
“Oh! Please, you take it first.”
A slightly shorter girl held a plate full of food in her left hand with a firm grip.
She looked about twelve or thirteen at most. I smiled as the older one and let her go first.
“I’m full, so I’m not in a hurry. Take as much as you like from my plate.”
“Thank you.”
Though her face was unfamiliar, something about her seemed vaguely familiar. After thinking for a moment, I realized she was the young lady who had entered the palace right before me.
“My name is Hong Ram.”
“I am Hyun Hyeon from Seolgokdo.”
“Seolgokdo? So you come from the main Hyun family?”
“Yes. My grandmother is the head of the Hyun family.”
I had heard that the main branch of the Hyun family were all cranes, and since she was a Hong, she must be from a collateral branch.
Hong Ram was a cute girl with soft, brown hair. Despite having no guardian beside her, she made no mistakes and was very polite.
Even her scent was of fresh nuts, clean and wholesome. Clearly, she was a good child. Haetae guarantees it—this sparrow is a good sparrow!
“I didn’t realize there were so many dishes with dried fruit. They’re really delicious!”
“And those served with fruit and honey, weren’t they lovely?”
“Yes! The scallops baked with dried fruit, too. They pair wonderfully with seafood.”
“Hmm. When you want a hearty meal, combining them like this is also good.”
I placed melted dried fruit on a rice cake, drizzled some syrup, and offered it to the sparrow. Her eyes widened after one bite.
“It’s chewy, sweet, and salty. The dried fruit stretches with the rice cake, so the texture is fun too!”
This twelve-year-old sparrow, Hong Ram, was an excellent conversation partner for me. We swapped dishes and enjoyed ourselves immensely.
Children not yet of age often had older siblings from their family accompanying them to prevent mishaps.
It was highly unlikely that only Hong Ram was invited from the Hong family to this banquet. So I cautiously asked where her companions were, and she pointed to the middle of the hall.
A group of crane clan members with white hair and black hair at the sides had gathered. Yet none of them were watching her.
It was absurd.
Though I was alone, Sion or Hwirok would always check on me to ensure I didn’t stray too far.
This wasn’t a family event—it was a palace banquet—and yet a twelve-year-old child was left entirely unattended.
I must have stiffened my expression, because Hong Ram quickly grabbed my arm and whispered her story.
Though officially Hong Ram was the daughter of Chancellor Hong, she had been orphaned and adopted by the head couple of the family.
The Hong family would take in children from collateral branches who lost their parents and relatives young, raise them in the capital mansion, and provide for them—but invisible discrimination existed, and she naturally received no special attention at such an important event.
Hong Ram had four older foster siblings in the capital mansion who had suffered similarly and fled as soon as they came of age.
“My closest elder sister married and left five years ago. Before she left, she insisted I either pass the civil service exam or find a fiancé before becoming an adult.”
It was a sad but sensible piece of advice.
Her elder sister must have cried silently, hiding swollen eyes with makeup and wearing her wedding attire. Fortunately, they kept in touch occasionally—her brother-in-law’s work in the capital allowed them to visit the Hong family mansion.
“There are many classmates at school, but the good ones all have matches arranged by their families.”
Those who were smart and of good character quickly became known to matchmakers, so the elders hastily arranged marriages.
“The ones who haven’t been engaged… well, I think I’d be better off attempting the civil service exams than marrying them.”
She was resolute and determined.
I hesitated, then asked her:
“Did you come to the palace today to observe the special exam?”
“Yes.”
Several special events were planned for this banquet, one of which was the special exam.
If you achieved first place, you could skip the preliminary exam—a significant benefit. I had nearly forgotten about it, but this young lady had come seriously for it.
“I want to achieve a good score and improve my reputation. First place would be even better.”
She faced her future with confidence. Hong Ram was a remarkable sparrow.
