Chapter – 18
The Tiger and the Rabbit (1)
At that time, Seoyo was following an unfamiliar palace maid into the inner part of the imperial palace.
“A noble person is summoning you.”
With just that one sentence, the women who escorted Seoyo did not tell her who that noble person was. But somehow, Seoyo felt she already knew. That noble person must be the one who owned the lady who had been sending her messages.
She entered a splendid hall and lay face down in the guest chamber. Soon, she heard the sound of footsteps. After a moment, an elegant voice gave an order.
“Raise your head.”
Seoyo lifted her head and gasped softly.
In front of her sat a woman who looked noble from head to toe.
“A gisaeng?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Hm.”
The woman’s long, sharp nail guards caught Seoyo’s eyes. They looked as if they were made of ivory, and pearls dangled beautifully from their tips.
Just then—
“Unni!”
Quick footsteps approached, and someone knelt beside Seoyo. When she turned her head, she saw her younger sister. Startled, Seoyo pulled her into a tight embrace.
“How did you get here…?”
Her sister answered brightly from her arms.
“Jina brought me!”
Jina was the young girl who followed the foreign lady with colored eyes. That lady had probably warned the palace slaves to be careful with their words. But since the two girls met every day, they must have grown close and told each other their names. Seoyo’s sister had completely forgotten the warning not to give her heart away and liked Jina very much.
“My mistress seeks your help.”
So this was the mistress they meant. Seoyo took a deep breath. When she heard the word “noble,” she had guessed it was a high-ranking lady—but she never imagined it would be royalty.
She gently released her sister and lay flat before the woman.
“Th-this lowly one greets Your Highness. I will do anything you command, so please… please…”
Was she allowed to beg for her life? Seoyo felt she knew too much.
Should she die? If so, could her sister live instead?
Just as she was about to beg for her sister’s life, the woman raised her hand gracefully and stopped her.
“Enough. What use is the life of someone like you, trying to deceive this palace with such words? It displeases me.”
“I-I beg forgiveness.”
“So, how do you know Her Majesty the Empress?”
The Empress? Seoyo blinked.
How could someone as lowly as her know the Empress? She had only seen her in paintings.
A pale woman with golden-thread-like hair and jade-like eyes. A princess from a distant land, chosen as Empress because the Emperor cherished her youthful beauty. Such a noble figure had no connection to Seoyo at all.
She had to answer carefully—but she truly knew nothing.
“This lowly one could never have any connection with someone so noble.”
Then she remembered something.
On the way into the palace earlier, the palace maids had suddenly whispered, “Bow down,” and lay flat on the ground. Surprised, Seoyo had quickly followed them. Many feet passed before her eyes.
When she looked up later, she saw a luxurious palanquin moving away.
Could that have been the Empress?
After a moment, she denied the thought. It was hard to imagine that she had even briefly shared the same space as the Empress.
“I see… Since you understand your place, it will not be hard to teach you palace etiquette. Court Lady Mu.”
Court Lady Mu looked to be in her late fifties or early sixties. Her face was expressionless, like a stone statue, and Seoyo stiffened in fear.
“These are the granddaughters of someone who once helped me in my youth. I will accept them as palace maids and teach them proper conduct. Take good care of them.”
What…?
Seoyo blinked.
There was no way her family had ever been connected to someone so powerful.
But soon she understood.
That “person who once helped me” did not exist. What the palace mistress meant was:
From now on, your identity is the granddaughter of someone who once helped me.
That meant wherever she went, whoever asked, she must answer that way.
She had many questions, but the woman said only what she wished and left the chamber.
Court Lady Mu approached the still-dazed Seoyo. Though her face remained expressionless, she spoke calmly.
“Her Highness the Imperial Noble Consort wishes to repay a debt of gratitude. You will serve as palace maids here for one year. You will learn the palace’s laws and order, and once you understand them, you will leave the palace as Her Highness’s people. After that, you may settle wherever you wish. Her Highness is generous and will provide enough money for you to begin your new lives. Do you understand?”
It took Seoyo a moment.
Then she understood.
They would leave as people of the Imperial Noble Consort.
Who would dare touch someone belonging to the Imperial Noble Consort?
No matter how beautiful she was, no matter how dirty her past, no man would be able to force her against her will.
Wherever she went, she would be treated with respect.
With a trembling heart, she asked,
“W-what should I do with the money I have saved?”
“Why ask me? That is for you to decide. I will assign guards to you. Go to the pleasure house, remove your name from the registry, and collect all your belongings. If you encounter anything unfair, clearly state that you belong to Her Highness the Imperial Noble Consort and handle the matter properly. Do you understand?”
Seoyo’s eyes widened.
Court Lady Mu still did not smile, but Seoyo felt how kind she was.
She was no longer afraid of her.
“Unni, this is good, right? Right?”
Her sister clung to her.
Seoyo hugged her tightly and nodded repeatedly at Court Lady Mu. Tears streamed down her face.
While Seoyo wept in relief and gratitude, Blanca was sitting opposite Ana Rosa with an uneasy expression.
She felt anxious about everything.
Whenever she felt anxious, she prayed to God—but it was daytime now, and she could not pray.
Still, it was fortunate.
Unlike Ausis, the Mun Empire had no official state religion. People believed in whatever god they wished—some visited temples, some sought Taoist priests, some believed in guardian spirits. Everyone followed their own faith.
Because of that, there was no law forcing or banning religion. It was completely legal for Blanca to pray to her god.
However, the people of Mun were often uncomfortable with unfamiliar things. They valued tradition, and many instinctively regarded anything new as bad.
So Blanca never prayed where others could see her.
“What if…”
Blanca muttered in the Ausis language. Was it safe to speak of such things? Even in her own language—in the middle of the imperial palace?
“Speak.”
Ana Rosa had caused such a huge incident, yet she looked completely calm. She gently enjoyed the scent of Cheonseol Silver Dew Tea and smiled lazily.
Blanca spoke in a low voice.
“What if His Majesty finds out everything?”
“Find out what?”
“Your Highness.”
“That Seoyo stole Menios’s purse while he was asleep and gave it to the Chief Steward? Or that Molina whispered Casella’s story to Menios so he would go there at that exact time? Or that Seoyo’s sister told a guard she heard Menios scream? Ah, the child did the most admirable job. Her name was Sua, wasn’t it?”
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
“Sua handed the sword to the Chief Steward in front of the door. That was absolutely necessary.”
“……”
“But the most perfect part was the railing. That was the only thing I did not touch in this entire matter. Who could have known the railing was so weak?”
It had been enough for them to stab each other and fight. Once they were bleeding and unconscious, their lives could be taken at any time.
In Yeongyeon, there were many people who, for money, could enter a sick man’s room and stage a natural death.
But instead, the railing suddenly broke—and both men died instantly.
“Though you once met Seoyo, well… in this story, there is no one who did not meet her. Whom should His Majesty suspect? He would not even know of a child palace slave like Jina. He does not seem interested in the fact that Seoyo has a younger sister. By now, Molina must have boarded a ship—so there will be no testimony from her. You worry too much.”
Blanca blinked.
Was she worrying too much?
Ana Rosa looked so confident. Then there should be no problem.
So why did she feel so uneasy?
As Blanca’s clasped hands trembled, a small white hand covered hers.
“It’s alright. Nothing will happen.”
Ana Rosa gently patted Blanca’s hand, comforting her nanny and friend.
And she told a lie that was not truly a lie.
At first glance, it sounded as if the Emperor would never find out. But if one listened carefully, she never once said that the Emperor would not know.
She was certain.
The Emperor had already noticed the truth behind this incident.
But she was not afraid.
Because she was always the one who understood the Emperor’s will most precisely—his reflection and his disciple.
