Chapter 118
“You must become king, Your Highness.”
“Grandmother!”
“If you miss this moment, the opportunity will never come again.”
The Queen Dowager stared at Leeun as if she could pierce right through him.
“You must not forget the late Queen. Do you know how dearly she loved her only young son? Even from the heavens, she must be wishing for that child to become king.”
“……”
Leeun was left speechless when his grandmother mentioned his mother.
“No—perhaps this is happening because the Queen herself is devoting her prayers in heaven for you, Grand Prince.”
“Grandmother.”
Leeun’s voice settled into calm stillness.
“Speak.”
“I do not desire the Crown Prince’s seat, nor the throne. I only wish to live quietly and freely.”
At those words, the Queen Dowager snorted.
“Do not interfere. I will take care of everything.”
“Grandmother, I beg you. Please do not block Crown Prince Geonho’s path. He will surely become a virtuous ruler.”
Leeun glared at the Queen Dowager, his eyes wide.
She snorted again, propped one leg up, rested her elbow on it, and spoke slowly in a voice both gentle and sharp.
“Un-ah, do you think I hate the Crown Prince?”
“I don’t know.”
It was an honest answer. His grandmother had never shown personal feelings toward the Crown Prince.
“A mother may hate the child she bore, but have you ever heard of a grandmother hating her grandson? Why would I hate that child?”
“Then why…?”
“The problem is not the Crown Prince—it is what surrounds him!”
The Queen Dowager radiated the pride of a woman who had produced a ruler for the nation.
“Do you not know that they sell government offices to corrupt men, disrespect the king, and toy with state affairs as they please?”
“……”
Leeun had no rebuttal. Everything she said was true.
“If the Crown Prince they created becomes king, what do you think will happen to this country? The people will fall into misery, and the royal shrines will be in danger. And yet what? You want to live quietly? Be free? Do you think those are words a Grand Prince of this nation should say? This old woman would have to starve herself to death, and the late Queen would rise from the grave wailing—only to die again! How can you think so lightly of this!”
Leeun fell silent. His grandmother was right. He could not live solely for himself.
But neither could he live a life he did not want.
“As long as those growths cling to the Crown Prince like tumors, the lives of this old woman, the current king, and all the people are worth nothing!”
“……”
“The young scholars of the Sungkyunkwan are rising, and the strict and principled officials of the Inspectorate and the Censorate are uniting in protest. If you miss this chance, you may not regret it—but this nation and its people will beat their chests in regret.”
“……”
Tap. Tap. Tap. The Queen Dowager struck her knee as she spoke.
“The Grand Prince need only remain still, like a paper boat. Just drift with the current.”
When Leeun left Gyeongchun Hall, his face was dark, as though rain were falling.
Choi Gangja walked beside him, holding a lantern.
“Did something unpleasant happen?”
“…I went in to persuade her, and came out persuaded instead.”
Choi Gangja nodded his large head once.
“The Queen Dowager becomes a tiger from time to time. Even the late king could not stop her when that happened.”
“When I asked her to help Crown Prince Geonho, she said the problem wasn’t the Crown Prince, but those clinging to him like tumors. She said that for the sake of the country and the people, the Crown Prince must step down. I couldn’t find a single word to argue back.”
“I see. Her words aren’t wrong.”
“Yes. I know.”
There wasn’t a single flaw in his grandmother’s logic. That was why his heart ached.
Though he had never been named Crown Prince, he had always prided himself on caring for the people as much as anyone in the royal family.
But had that merely been watching a fire from across the river? Had he done nothing but chant the country, the people without taking any real action?
If he truly cared for the nation and its people, he would have to drive out the Queen and her powerful family—the true culprits who corrupted the state through bribery and endangered the people’s lives.
And to do that, Crown Prince Geonho would have to be deposed, and someone else would have to take the throne.
Leeun stopped walking.
He lifted his head and looked up at the clear, cold winter sky. The stars glittered densely above him.
His mother’s dying words came back to him.
—Become the king of this country.
—Only then will you preserve your life.
She must have believed that if he did not become king, he would eventually be killed by the Queen’s faction.
It was a natural fear for a mother.
And so, he had decided it was fine not to become king.
Leeun had planned to leave this place with Miyu. And even if he couldn’t, he had never intended to pull down his half-brother, the Crown Prince. He was determined to find some way to survive. Not because his life was precious, but because it was his mother’s last wish—and because he needed to live to reach Lady Miyu.
But now, the lives of the people were bound up in that very wish.
The weight of it was as heavy as Mount Taesan.
“My head is a mess.”
“If Your Highness becomes king, I suppose I’ll become the Chief Eunuch.”
Choi Gangja said it flatly.
Leeun lowered his gaze and looked at him.
“Do you want that?”
“Not at all. Serving a king every day in that suffocating palace—just thinking about it irritates me to no end…”
Choi Gangja glanced at Leeun’s expression.
“I feel the same. I don’t want this great house at all anymore. But…”
“Then we need to find a way.”
“Is there a way?”
“That’s not for me, Choi Gangja, to solve.”
“Then who?”
Leeun asked, stroking his chin.
“There’s an expert, isn’t there? A problem-solving expert.”
“Ah, right. We can ask Lady Miyu for a secret reply.”
“A secret reply is the king’s written answer to a minister’s question.”
Choi Gangja corrected him.
“She is my king.”
Leeun smiled.
* * *
Behind the Unjong household stood the inner-and-outer residence.
Its mistress was Court Lady Seo, who had once served Leeun’s mother in the palace.
Leeun and Miyu sat inside, waiting for Byeon Hayeon and Hwang Hui.
“It seems neither I nor you are being followed. That’s why I suggested we meet together.”
“Yes. That was a good decision.”
“Still, just in case, I chose the place I trust most.”
At that moment, a door opened in the adjoining room, and someone entered. A woman’s shadow appeared behind the small side door connecting the rooms.
“Grand Prince, what shall I prepare for today?”
It was Court Lady Seo.
“Anything is fine. I’ll enjoy whatever the lady of the house prepares. Just be sure to include somaek. Oh—and allow me to introduce her properly. This is Lady Jo Miyu.”
Leeun spoke toward the side door.
Creak.
The door opened, revealing an elderly woman kneeling. She had a round face, bean-like eyes, and a large mole on her cheek. Despite her refined voice, her appearance was humble and unassuming.
“Greetings. I am Seo Dong-gil, mistress of this residence.”
Miyu widened her eyes in surprise, knelt as well, and bowed deeply.
“I’m Jo Miyu. I run a somaek shop stall in the market. I look forward to your kindness.”
Seo Dong-gil beamed as she examined Miyu.
“Your beauty rivals the Moon Palace fairy, and your manners are gentle and warm. Had the late Queen seen you, she would have been truly delighted.”
At the words Moon Palace fairy, Miyu glanced at Leeun.
“A fairy said to live in the moon’s palace—used to describe a woman of peerless beauty.”
“Oh my, you flatter me too much.”
Miyu smiled, clearly pleased.
“You have quite the personality, my lady. So you’re the one running that market stall everyone in Hanyang is buzzing about?”
“How did you know?”
“I heard it from the Grand Prince, and from other guests as well. That part is a pity. If only you were a noble lady—it would have been even better.”
“What?”
Miyu’s eyes sharpened.
Did I just get looked down on for not being a noble?
“Now then, is there any food you particularly enjoy? I shall put my skills to use for you today.”
“Really? Thank you.”
Miyu thanked her first, then pretended to ponder deeply.
“Hmm, what do I want to eat? I don’t want anything expensive or fancy—just something ordinary but delicious. But you lived in the palace, didn’t you? You’d probably be great at special dishes, but not at ordinary ones…”
“Excuse me…”
“I can hear everything, Lady Jo Miyu.”
Leeun panicked, and Seo Dong-gil raised her button-like eyes.
“Hehe—then tofu would be perfect!”
Miyu said cheerfully, unfazed.
“You’re quite bold.”
“Well, I’m not a noble lady.”
“Very well. Tofu, you say? But you should know—tofu is actually quite expensive and rare.”
“Ah, right. That’s true.”
Miyu opened her mouth, then grinned.
“Then you must be really good at it.”
“I’ll prepare tofu for you. Be sure to enjoy it.”
“Of course.”
“You must finish it all!”
Seo Dong-gil snorted loudly, slammed the side door shut, and disappeared.
Only then did Miyu notice how awkward Leeun looked.
“Did I go too far?”
“No. But Court Lady Seo hates losing. She’ll definitely try to get even somehow…”
Leeun trailed off.
“Hmph. Don’t underestimate me.”
Miyu lifted her chin.
“I have something important to discuss today.”
“Why do you look so serious?”
“It concerns my fate.”
“Oh my. Then it concerns my fate too.”
“Thank you for thinking that way.”
Leeun was deeply moved.
“Of course. Your fate and mine are stuck together like wall and wallpaper.”
Leeun calmly explained his meeting with his grandmother. That he did not desire the throne, but that this was only for his own happiness—and that he could never truly live if it meant abandoning the nation and its people.
“It’s simple.”
Miyu said decisively.
“It’s not simple—it’s complicated.”
Leeun corrected her.
Miyu shook her head with a faint smile.
“What’s complicated is the heart, not the matter itself. The matter is very simple.”
“I-is it?”
“You want to be free, but you can’t because something’s in the way.”
“That’s right.”
“Simple. Two choices. Either you’re free—or you’re not.”
“Didn’t you say I want to be free, but can’t be?”
“Then remove what’s blocking your freedom.”
