It was the first time.

It was an unfamiliar experience.

Until now, no one had asked for her thoughts and waited for her answer. The prince was the first.

Apart from Min Ah’s situation, Lee Woon’s gentle voice made her heart beat faster.

She was so happy with this unfamiliar feeling that she could cry.

Noticing that she was just biting her lip without saying anything, he spoke carefully.

“I understand how you feel. Why wouldn’t I know that you’re worried and distressed? Lady Jung won’t be able to do anything rash to that maid either. It seems the Minister of War cares for that maid more than he thought, so don’t worry too much.”

That can’t be. Her father is not that kind of person. He wouldn’t care for Min Ah. That belief made Yoon Eun Seol anxious.

“The Minister of War probably took the maid far away because he didn’t want her to get hurt. If Lady Jung found out, she would surely come and make a fuss.”

But hearing Lee Woon’s words, that explanation made sense too.

A man who never cared for his own child was now setting up a household to protect a maid.

Doesn’t that mean he wants to protect Min Ah that much? The thought made her laugh bitterly.

“When there’s no clear solution, sometimes it’s better to just wait and see. Who knows? Maybe it wasn’t the Minister of War, but that maid who wanted it.”

“Will it really be alright?”

“Seo Yeom said he secretly planted people to guard the surroundings. So don’t worry too much.”

Hearing his words, it didn’t seem like something to worry about so much.

She felt pathetic and ridiculous for being so anxious about Min Ah.

“By the way, are you alright? Your body feels hot.”

“Sometimes I get fevers that come and go. It will pass, so please don’t worry too much.”

“Then just lie down and don’t think about anything. I’m worried because you’ve seemed unwell lately. When your mind is at ease, your body will be too.”

Yoon Eun Seol barely managed to stop Lee Woon from calling a doctor.

She didn’t want to make a fuss when it would get better with time.

After he went to the outer quarters, Yoon Eun Seol fell asleep right away.

.

.

.

When she opened her eyes, the sun was slowly setting. The fever in her body had disappeared and she felt much lighter.

“My lady, it’s Geum Ok.”

“Come in.”

Geum Ok came in holding a piece of paper and handed it to her.

“Someone came by earlier and asked to deliver this to you, my lady.”

“Who was it?”

“I’m not sure. Chief Eunuch Choi, who was coming in from outside the palace, said someone asked him to make sure to deliver it to you.”

“I see. You may go.”

As she unfolded the paper, her eyes widened at the familiar handwriting.

It was a letter from Kim Hee Gyeom.

There would be no reason for Hee Gyeom to send her a letter. Yoon Eun Seol read the letter with curiosity.

−I hope you are well. Since it’s difficult to meet in person, I’m writing this letter instead.

I have something important to tell you about the prince, so I request a meeting.

If it’s alright with you, I’ll wait under the tree we often visited three days from now at 3-5 pm. Please make sure to come. I’ll be waiting.

It was unmistakably Kim Hee Gyeom’s handwriting.

No one else but Hee Gyeom knew about the tree they often visited.

When she was seven years old, was it? That was the place he took her to comfort her when she was crying after being hit by Soon Young.

−Teacher, from now on this tree’s name is the Wishing Tree. It feels like it will grant any wish.

That’s how the Wishing Tree came to be, and it became a secret place known only to her teacher and herself.

From that day on, she would sneak out to make wishes. Many times she went with her body aching from Soon Young’s beatings.

−Please, someone come take me away.

She wished for it day after day. Thinking of those times made her choke up. After folding the letter and putting it away, she fell into thought.

The Hee Gyeom she knew was never a frivolous person. He was not someone who would carelessly send a letter either.

There was something she needed to confirm before meeting Kim Hee Gyeom.

* * *

Yoon Eun Seol secretly called Yeori and sent her to visit Hee Gyeom’s house.

The Hee Gyeom she knew would not send a letter to the prince’s residence without careful thought.

He was also not someone who would put her in an awkward position by having someone else deliver it instead of giving it directly.

Yoon Eun Seol sent Yeori off and hurried to prepare for her scheduled audience with the queen.

Much time had been wasted waiting for Eom Sang Gung and Geum Ok who were out.

After deliberating, Yoon Eun Seol had no choice but to go by herself.

She couldn’t postpone Eom Sang Gung’s already scheduled errand due to the sudden summons from the queen’s chambers.

Since she could now enter the palace without difficulty on her own, she left the residence without worry.

Upon arriving at the queen’s chambers, she sat with the queen and had tea in front of a table of refreshments. The subtle aroma of tea filled the room.

“I hope I didn’t startle you by asking to see you urgently?”

“I was a bit worried if something had happened. I’m glad it’s nothing serious.”

“I wanted to see your face and give you a gift. Tell me if there’s anything you want.”

“No, Your Majesty.”

“Don’t hold back, just tell me. Actually, I wanted to give you a wedding gift but didn’t know what you liked, so I hesitated and ended up calling you like this.”

The queen paused while lifting her teacup and looked at her quietly.

When there was still no answer from Yoon Eun Seol, the queen smiled softly and handed her the yakgwa in front of her.

“If you ever need anything later, feel free to tell me anytime.”

“I will do so, Your Majesty.”

After taking a sip of tea, the queen smiled kindly and spoke in a low voice.

“If His Majesty had been the son of an ordinary noble family, would this person have had a face like yours?”

“…Your Majesty.”

Surprised by the queen’s unexpected words, Yoon Eun Seol was at a loss for words for a while.

The mistress of Gyotaejeon, revered by all people and sitting in the highest position of the inner court, was envying her.

Whenever she saw the queen, she always looked somehow sad.

At the end of her gentle smile, there was often a pain that made one’s chest ache.

She wondered if the queen would have been happier if she and the king had formed a relationship as ordinary noble children, as the queen said.

The queen did not look happy at all right now.

As if reading her mind, a light laugh was heard from the queen.

“You look good. Seeing you makes me feel good too. You seem to have a way of making people feel good.”

“You flatter me.”

“Come to the palace often and keep this person company. There’s no one here to share my heart with. Can you do that for me?”

Why was the queen making such a request to someone like her who was nothing?

It was the first time she heard someone say they felt good just by looking at her.

Her chest ached.

Instead of answering, she quietly nodded her head.

.

.

.

“Your Majesty, Lady Song has arrived.”

Just as they were finishing their tea, Chief Lady-in-waiting Choi called for the queen from outside.

The queen gestured to ask for her permission and had the noble consort enter.

A faint smile was on the noble consort’s face as she entered. She was clearly smiling, but her eyes were cold.

“I didn’t know the deputy’s wife was here. Have you been well?”

The noble consort finished her greeting without even glancing at her and held out the box she was carrying to the queen.

“My father brought this, but it seemed a shame to eat alone so I brought it for you to taste.”

“Such a precious thing… Thank you for thinking of me.”

“My father obtained it with difficulty. Once you taste it, you’ll want it again. You must be alone many nights, so keep it and have it then. I’ll bring more next time.”

It was a clear mockery of the queen who could not serve the king.

The noble consort covered her mouth with one hand and laughed. She had felt it before, but this woman was unbelievably rude.

“I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but… Noble Consort?”

“Ugh!”

The queen stopped speaking due to the noble consort’s sudden dry heaving.

“Noble Consort. Are you alright?”

“I’m sorry. Suddenly my stomach… ugh!”

“How long has this been going on?”

“It’s been like this for a few days now. It was fine and then suddenly… Ah, I’m sorry.”

The queen examined the noble consort’s complexion and then urgently called for Chief Lady-in-waiting Choi who was outside.

Chief Lady-in-waiting Choi’s face was grim as she hurriedly entered at her mistress’s call.

“Chief Lady-in-waiting Choi, go call for the royal physician right now. Quickly.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

After Chief Lady-in-waiting Choi left, the queen examined the noble consort’s complexion once again.

“From what this person can see, it seems you may be with child. Have you noticed anything unusual lately?”

“Now that you mention it, my cycle has been late for a while. Could I be pregnant? That would be wonderful. His Majesty would be relieved about the succession too.”

The noble consort’s face was full of concern, but her voice was as light as a spring breeze.

After an anxious wait, the royal physician arrived.

The physician confirmed after examining her pulse that she was indeed pregnant.

“Is it… is it really true that I’m with child?”

“How could I dare to misspeak about such an important matter? Congratulations, Noble Consort.”

As soon as the physician finished speaking, the noble consort began to make a fuss.

“Your Majesty. I, I am with child, they say. They say His Majesty’s child is in my womb. It feels like a dream.”

With Noble Consort Song’s commotion and the ladies-in-waiting of the noble consort’s quarters making a racket, it felt as if a storm had swept through the queen’s chambers.

“Noble Consort, you’ve done a great thing. His Majesty will be overjoyed.”

“His Majesty said he would only trust me… *sob*… Now I can finally be at ease.”

The noble consort, who was even shedding tears, left the queen’s chambers saying she wanted to deliver this news to His Majesty herself.

Yoon Eun Seol was at a loss for words watching the noble consort’s all too obvious behavior.

She knew the reason the noble consort had come to the queen’s chambers, so how could the queen not know?

Yet the queen’s sincere congratulations were so painful to watch that it was difficult to bear.

After a moment of silence, the queen spoke with a languid smile. Her voice was low and subdued.

“Isn’t it fortunate that the noble consort is with child? This time it must be a son. Only then will this person’s heart be somewhat at ease.”

The queen’s face looked somehow dark and lonely as she muttered to herself with an indifferent expression.

She had heard the queen had suffered three miscarriages. How difficult and painful it must have been during that time.

She felt resentful towards heaven for not granting a child to such a virtuous person.

Feeling that no words would be comforting, she quietly paid her respects and rose from her seat.

It seemed that hasty consolation would only cause the queen more pain.

Congratulating her even though her husband had taken another woman and conceived a child – the position of queen did not seem to be such a happy one.

She finally understood Lee Woon’s words about leaving the palace early because life there was suffocating and like hell.

.

.

.

Yoon Eun Seol left the palace and boarded her palanquin.

The palanquin that had been traveling for some time stopped before reaching the residence.

Feeling the palanquin being lowered to the ground, she wondered what was happening and opened the window to look around.

“What’s going on?”

“My lady, please excuse me for a moment.”

A man approached the side of the palanquin and quietly bowed his head. It was an unfamiliar face.

“Who are you?”