Chapter 1
[The King of Joseon is cruel, a man who delights in bloodshed and revels in killing.
He is a libertine who does not distinguish between women and men, a beast who tramples the virtuous Queen Consort night after night.
The King does not sleep at night, but gazes into the void, consorting with spirits…]
“What nonsense is this? What on earth is it saying?”
“Come now, His Majesty couldn’t possibly be like that…”
“Tch, anyone who puts up a wall poster like this would be risking their life. Could it really be a lie?”
“Well… I did hear something. They said that even this spring, a court eunuch of the Go clan was beaten to death by the King, and it caused quite a stir.”
“Really? Good heavens, the King killed a man? And he’s into men, and even does such vile things to the Queen? No matter that he is the ruler, how could a man wearing human skin do such things…?”
Suddenly, the surroundings grew noisy. The murmuring crowd split apart like a receding tide.
“Reading such seditious postings—do you wish to lose your heads?”
As the officials tore the poster down in shreds, the frightened people scattered in all directions.
The ripped fragments fluttered to the ground, and the final lines written on the poster were trampled underfoot amidst the crowd.
[The heavens are enraged by the King’s wickedness, which is why no rain falls!
All the misfortune of the nation is due to the King’s lack of virtue!]
“I cannot permit it.”
Manchunjeon Hall of Gyeongbokgung.
The King’s voice was cold.
“However, Your Majesty…”
The official who had dared to lift his head to gauge the King’s mood quickly lowered his eyes again, startled when their gazes met.
The King of Joseon, Lee Hyul.
Reclining lazily against the throne as he looked down at the court, Hyul’s figure was captivating.
A king famed even in distant lands for his striking appearance—this year, he was twenty-seven. A man of refined, almost ethereal beauty.
Because of this, inexperienced officials and palace attendants often forgot the true nature hidden behind his face.
“Your Majesty, this must not be done. Though he has committed a crime, he is a member of a meritorious family. Please show mercy.”
“Mercy?”
Hyul echoed. His voice grew twice as cold.
“The people are already uneasy due to the prolonged drought. This would be a good opportunity to demonstrate Your Majesty’s generosity—”
“My generosity.”
His voice was not loud, yet it carried menace.
“Mercy? Public sentiment? Generosity? You dare prattle on about such things before me just to save a single criminal?”
As cold as his voice, his gaze turned sinister in an instant. Only then did the official realize his mistake and threw himself flat on the floor.
“I—I beg your pardon, Your Majesty!”
The official was newly appointed, a mere novice pushed forward by factional pressure to speak frankly to the King. Only now did he recall the ominous rumors surrounding him.
A tyrant.
That was the name given to King Lee Hyul of Joseon.
“Your Majesty! Forgive me for speaking out of turn!”
But it was too late.
“Hah.”
A scoff escaped Hyul’s lips.
“You are always like this. Saying no, no, and clinging to the King’s ankles. Do you think I do not see through your scheme to bind my hands and turn me into a puppet?”
“Your Majesty! How could we ever dare think such a thing? Please, show mercy—”
“Again with mercy? It seems that word is only convenient when you are desperate.”
“That is not what I meant—”
“Silence! Before I have your head cut off and hung at Gwanghwamun!”
Hyul’s eyes flashed viciously. He drew a deep breath, as if trying to restrain his anger.
But once ignited, his fury did not easily subside. He sprang to his feet.
“I cannot endure this any longer!”
He shouted toward the outside of the hall.
“Bring me my sword at once!”
At the same time, the ministers lining the hall all dropped to their knees in unison. If they wished to live, there was only one choice.
“Your Majesty! Please forgive us!”
“Your Majesty! We were ignorant and failed to understand your will. Judge the criminal as you see fit, but please quell your anger!”
But Hyul did not relent.
“What are you doing? Bring me the sword!”
Bang!
At that moment, as if in response, the doors of the hall were flung open.
However, the person who entered was not the one sent to fetch the sword, but someone entirely unexpected.
“Your Majesty!”
A clear, bright voice utterly unsuited to the tense atmosphere.
A young woman dressed as a palace maid strode into the hall.
Hair as black as ink, skin pale as jade, and striking red lips—but above all, it was her eyes that drew attention.
Not merely light brown, but tinged with gold—an unusual, almost radiant hue. Far too intense for a palace woman, whose virtue was to live quietly, as if unseen.
She possessed an aura that one could never forget after seeing her once.
“Your Majesty!”
Her voice rang out again as she hurried forward, her blue skirt swaying noisily with each step. The cries for mercy ceased abruptly, and the ministers’ faces filled with shock.
This was the royal council chamber. Even the Queen or Queen Dowager would not appear here without urgent cause.
Yet a mere palace maid had barged in—without so much as announcing herself.
“Is that the maid?”
“The one who received the King’s favor a few days ago—the one of unknown origin?”
“Favored or not, what kind of absurdity is this…?”
Whispers spread among the officials. They, too, had been curious about this mysterious woman.
But who was their sovereign, Lee Hyul?
He was unpredictable, surrounded by cruel and ominous rumors.
As Crown Prince, he had once been praised as a future sage king. Yet somehow, he had become this.
Ten years had passed since he ascended the throne. The prince who once dreamed of a golden age was now called a tyrant.
And now, a mere maid who had caught his eye had burst into the council chamber without any sense of propriety.
The ministers all predicted her fate.
“She must think too highly of herself because she received favor. She’ll either be killed or cast out.”
Perhaps, in a way, it was fortunate. The King’s wrath, once directed at them, had shifted to her.
“Yooouuur Majesty!”
But the woman in question seemed completely unaware of the situation. Ignoring the stunned officials, she walked straight toward Hyul.
“Your Majesty! I can no longer endure this! Please hear my plea!”
What plea could she possibly mean? She began begging without any context.
Yet the King’s reaction was strange.
He did not look angry. His face, which had been filled with fury moments ago, had turned pale.
“W-what… what is the matter? I… no, you… the favored maid…”
He was even stammering—something unheard of.
The ministers could not comprehend it, but Hyul appeared… frightened.
“Ahem.”
Realizing the eyes upon him, Hyul coughed awkwardly and turned to the woman.
“I—I was just about to come see you after finishing court matters.”
“Liar!”
She cut him off sharply.
“You didn’t come to my quarters last night. You promised you would visit every night!”
“T-that is… I was busy with state affairs and simply forgot.”
“There are things one may forget, but how could you forget me? Is that the kind of man you are? A man who whispers ‘I love you, only you’ while holding a woman, only to forget her the moment he turns away?”
“T-that’s not true. But why have you come all the way here… no, why did you come?”
Hyul stammered, awkwardly mixing formal and informal speech. Yet the maid remained completely composed.
“I couldn’t bear it any longer. Only you can resolve this matter, Your Majesty. Please grant my request.”
Hyul swallowed dryly.
“And what might that be…?”
“Your Majesty, I refuse to be a mere palace maid any longer!”
Clutching her forehead dramatically, she spoke as if deeply wronged.
“These palace people are so frivolous. Do you know how much they pester me? Who am I, where did I come from—even what I do with you at night! And they keep telling me to do this, do that, and not to do this… It’s exhausting.”
She rambled on about her hardships before abruptly declaring:
“So, Your Majesty, please grant me a concubine title. Immediately.”
As if demanding something that was rightfully hers.
Silence fell over the hall.
It was an utterly unprecedented spectacle.
The King, who had roared like a beast moments ago, now stood frozen like a mouse before a cat. He could not even meet her gaze.
“And that’s not all. As someone who has received your favor, my quarters are far too small. Please move me somewhere more grand. Preferably closer to Gangnyeongjeon, since you’ll be visiting often. And send more attendants as well.”
She continued listing her demands without pause.
“And while you’re at it, don’t give me some lowly rank like Sukwon. I don’t need to be Bin, but… I suppose Gwiin would suffice.”
At last, one of the ministers could no longer remain silent.
“How dare you! Do you know where you are? How can a mere maid barge into the council chamber and behave so recklessly—”
“A mere maid?”
The woman’s gaze turned to him.
Her golden-brown eyes gleamed with such intensity that it was difficult to meet them.
The minister faltered.
“That is enough.”
Hyul cut him off.
“Let us step outside. It would be better to speak there.”
“Promise me first. You will grant me the concubine title, correct?”
“But even as King, I cannot arbitrarily control the inner court—”
At that moment, her eyes flashed sharply.
“Give it to me.”
She whispered, low and threatening.
“The concubine position.”
Then, even more softly:
“You thief.”
Hyul’s face turned deathly pale.
“I—I will grant it. If you have received my favor, then you must become a concubine.”
A bright smile spread across her face.
“Truly? Your grace is boundless, Your Majesty! I am so delighted that you favor me so!”
One of the ministers protested again.
“Your Majesty, this must not be allowed! How can you tolerate such arrogance—”
Hyul raised his hand to silence him.
“Do not interfere in my private affairs. Today’s council is dismissed.”
With that, he grabbed the woman’s sleeve and practically dragged her out of the hall, as if fleeing.
“Your Majesty.”
As Hyul stepped outside Manchunjeon, a man in military attire approached.
Heo Moonchang, a royal guard who had long served by his side.
“Your Majesty, what is the meaning of this?”
His expression mirrored that of the ministers.
How could he understand?
Though rumors called Hyul a tyrant, to Moonchang he was a lord worthy of utmost respect.
“What happened a few days ago, and even the incident ten years ago… This is not like you at all.”
“….”
“Your Majesty! Please tell me. Why do you yield so completely to that woman? What on earth is the reason?”
Hyul’s gaze grew distant.
Why was he so helpless before a mere maid?
What had turned the once wise and virtuous Lee Hyul into this?
“B-because…”
“Because?”
“B-because…”
Because he was afraid.
Afraid that this madwoman would destroy him, you, the palace—no, all of Joseon—and plunge the entire world into darkness.
At that moment, their eyes met.
She was smiling sweetly as if nothing had happened, but for a brief instant, her gaze flickered sharply.
“Your Majesty… what did you just say?”
Hyul clenched his teeth.
“Because… I love her.”
No—because he had decided to pretend to love her.
“Your Majesty, how embarrassing. Saying such things in front of your guard. Honestly. Well, I suppose I cherish you too. You are quite lovable, after all.”
A madwoman. A mad favored maid. Soon to become a mad concubine who would bring chaos to the palace.
She replied cheerfully, as if nothing were amiss.
Hyul ground his teeth.
“Moonchang, do not follow. I have something private to discuss with my woman.”
As Hyul strode ahead, she followed with a playful smile.
Moonchang remained behind, staring blankly at their retreating figures.
