Confrontation in the Flower Field

“Your Highness, do you perhaps intend to visit Nokyeom Pavilion now?”

Lady Ju, who was uncannily perceptive, asked.

Instead of answering immediately, Yi-seol smiled while sipping his tea. When he remained silent, Yi-seol eventually asked, “Is that permissible?”

He did not find it strange that he felt the need for Lady Ju’s permission. He intended to give up if Lady Ju flatly refused.

At Yi-seol’s question, which subtly checked her reaction, Lady Ju replied in her usual tone.

“I will prepare for it.”

“…….”

“However, you must eat your dinner. You always leave food uneaten, so the servants worry.”

Lady Ju, who had seemed surprisingly lenient, left him a difficult task as she pushed the soup bowl toward Yi-seol.

Yi-seol avoided foods with strong scents and heavy seasoning, so the court ladies had changed all the recipes to suit his taste. Thanks to that, the number of things he couldn’t eat had decreased significantly, but the quantity was always a problem. In Yi-seol’s view, the appropriate amount for one meal for the people of the Geum Kingdom was so large it made him want to vomit.

He wondered if they gave him so much because he was a man and their master, but seeing how much the other court ladies ate, that didn’t seem to be the case. He could count on one hand the days he had completely emptied his bowl.

Even though he didn’t feel like it, he had no choice. As he forced himself to alternate between rice and soup, Lady Ju called out.

“Your Highness.”

Her voice was as tight as someone forced to say something unwillingly, unlike before.

“A message has arrived from Tanyeongdang.”

“Tanyeongdang?”

“It is where the Emperor’s consorts gather every three or four days to chat.”

“…Ah……”

Foolishly, he wondered why they had sent him a message. Smiling bitterly at his own lack of awareness regarding his position, Yi-seol listened as Lady Ju quickly continued.

“You may refuse. It is not Your Highness’s duty.”

“How many consorts does His Majesty have?” he asked.

“There is Second Rank Lady Yang Sowon, Fourth Rank Lady U Miin, Lady Heo Miin, and Fifth Rank Lady Gam Jaein. Additionally, among the eighty-one concubines, there are attendants, maidens, and female officials, but only those permitted by Lady Yang Sowon may enter Tanyeongdang. Usually, it is about ten people.”

“So Lady Yang Sowon is the one with real power.”

“Yes. She is the second daughter of Right General Won Hu-yeon, one of the Four Directional Generals. It has been over a year since she entered the palace; before Your Highness arrived, she was the highest-ranking consort in the inner court.”

The second daughter of a Four Directional General—her family’s influence must be immense. If he asked Ki-yeon or Yoo Kang, they would say it couldn’t compare to his own status as a member of the royal family, but since the Yeon Kingdom held no such influence here, Yi-seol did not feel he came from a more prestigious background.

“It is in two days. If you do not wish to go, I will send word that you are unwell.”

“…No.”

“Pardon?”

“Tell them I will go.”

“…Yes, I will do as you command.”

She answered as if receiving an order she didn’t like. Though he could guess what kind of gossip would be exchanged when the consorts gathered, refusing was also pointless. Palace life was a long-term affair. Considering this was not a place to stay for a short while, these consorts were people he would have to face sooner or later. He couldn’t avoid them forever just because he didn’t want to.

After bringing up Tanyeongdang, Lady Ju noticed his spoon movements had become noticeably slower and asked if she should clear the table. Yi-seol brightened and told her to do so.

While the table was cleared and preparations were made to go out, the day quickly darkened. Yi-seol loved this time of day and often took walks along the palace walls after dinner, but today, thinking he would go outside his own palace, his heart raced.

Danhyang, who worried endlessly about him going far, hurriedly brought a cloak. Even though he said it wasn’t cold, she insisted on putting it on him and looked pleased with herself.

“Your Highness, white suits you very well.”

Hearing her sincere words, Yi-seol felt shy and rubbed his face for no reason.

The moon seen from outside Bi-eun Palace was no different from inside. The moon hanging over the palace’s back mountain was bright and clear, no different from the one he had seen in the Yeon Kingdom, and suddenly he thought of his homeland. He had sent a letter not long ago; he wondered if it had arrived safely. Hoping for a reply soon, he walked briskly following Yeonhwa, who carried a lantern.

Because moving too many people late at night would draw attention, only Lady Ju and Yeonhwa followed Yi-seol. Yi-seol indeed wanted to avoid notice, but it wasn’t as if he couldn’t be seen. Everyone seemed too concerned, which made him uneasy.

“Your Highness, this way, this way. Come quickly.”

Yeonhwa, carrying the lantern, walked ahead and urged Yi-seol on. Yi-seol lagged behind, walking slowly, and Yeonhwa seemed impatient. For Yi-seol, who was stepping outside his palace grounds freely for the first time, everything was so new that he couldn’t just pass by without looking. Whenever Yeonhwa took her eyes off him for a moment, Yi-seol would stray from the path to admire the walls of other palaces or the sculptures placed here and there. Lady Ju silently followed behind.

As Lady Ju had said, it took a long while to reach Nokyeom Pavilion. If the marigolds bloomed so beautifully, it wouldn’t be a place easily forgotten, so why was it deserted? That question completely vanished in front of Nokyeom Pavilion. It was only natural that no palace servants would deliberately seek out a pavilion that required crossing a narrow bridge through a shabby, small entrance in a corner of the palace.

“The bridge is not wide. Be careful, Your Highness.”

“Light the lantern closer to Your Highness’s feet.”

“Yeonhwa, that’s dangerous! I’m fine, so look ahead when you walk.”

Yeonhwa walked backward, shining the lantern at Yi-seol’s feet. Though her stumbling steps looked dangerous, Yeonhwa didn’t listen to Yi-seol until they had crossed the bridge.

“What if you had fallen under the bridge, Yeonhwa?”

“It’s dark, but it’s not a deep pond. The bridge isn’t high, either.”

“Still, it’s dangerous. Don’t do that again.”

“Oh dear, Your Highness worries too much. Come this way.”

Yeonhwa chuckled and reached out her hand. He was surprised by how rough her hands were, considering she had been a maid doing laundry.

It was indeed an old pavilion. It was also small, making him wonder what it was built for. The stone floor was uneven, and Yeonhwa, who had told him to hold her hand, stumbled forward several times while leading. Holding the lantern in one hand while trying to help Yeonhwa with the other seemed difficult.

Just as Yi-seol, who had practically grown up in the mountains, was about to switch places with Yeonhwa, they passed the narrow path and came to a wide open space. Yeonhwa illuminated the area with the lantern, revealing a sea of marigolds.

“Wow……”

“See, Your Highness? From here to there, it’s all marigolds.”

“It’s truly beautiful. Lady Ju, come here and look. Isn’t it pretty?”

“Yes, it’s very beautiful.”

From where Yi-seol stood to the distant places the lantern didn’t reach, the marigolds were in full bloom. As Lady Ju had said, the petals—some bright yellow, some crimson, some in between—were mixed together, making them look like flowers holding the sun. Standing in the quiet night air, it felt as if all his worries had flown away.

“Would you like to go further inside?”

“Well… I don’t want to trample the flowers.”

“Someone has made a path here, so you won’t step on them.”

Yeonhwa had already taken the lead and called Yi-seol. Lady Ju did not follow but stayed in place. Although the marigolds were pretty, she didn’t seem to be enjoying the moonlit flower viewing.

Walking along the path Yeonhwa illuminated, Yi-seol looked around. The place was filled entirely with marigolds. Since someone had even made a path, there must be a person who frequented or took care of it. He had intended to collect dried flower seeds, but knowing there was a caretaker made him uneasy. It felt like stealing something that wasn’t ownerless.

“Your Highness, how do you transplant flowers? Shall I pull out a few?”

“Find dried flowers and pluck the stems. The seeds will come out.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to just grab a handful of flowers? If we plant seeds, it’ll take too long to bloom.”

“I don’t plant flowers just to see the blooms. It’s the process—sprouting, growing leaves, stems, and buds—that’s enjoyable.”

“I don’t understand. I just wish these marigolds would appear in front of our palace soon.”

Yeonhwa pouted, and Yi-seol just smiled, understanding her feelings. He had felt the same when he was young. When he only knew the joy of seeing flowers, he too hadn’t liked the arduous time of planting seeds and waiting.

Yeonhwa plucked the stems of dried flowers and shook out the seeds, then handed them to him. When he confirmed they were seeds, she looked amazed and busied herself collecting them into her pouch.

Yi-seol, who had come to collect seeds with her, was completely captivated by the quiet moonlit garden, forgetting all about the seeds. The sound of fish swimming in the pond in front of the pavilion, the wind blowing, the dim light of the moonlight—all were beautiful.

Seeing the marigolds softly glowing in the moonlight, he thought it must be a magnificent view even during the day. He wouldn’t hide in Bi-eun Palace forever, so he hoped to come back someday when the sun was bright.

“Yeonhwa, it’s too late. Let’s go back to the palace now. You don’t have to collect that many.”

He said to Yeonhwa, who had filled her pouch until it bulged. Already far from Yi-seol, she probably couldn’t hear him. With Yeonhwa and the lantern far away, Yi-seol relied entirely on the moonlight to take in the scenery. Lady Ju was nowhere to be seen, and there was no sign of her. If not for the crunching sound of Yeonhwa walking, he would have felt as if he were alone in this vast space.

“Yeonhwa, what are you doing over there? Come back here.”

They had to return to the palace before the second watch. He called out to Yeonhwa, who was standing far away, but she didn’t answer, as if she hadn’t heard. What was she doing? She was standing there like a wooden statue, clutching the lantern.

“Yeonhwa?”

Puzzled, he called again. Slowly, her head turned to face him. Even from a distance, he could clearly see her frightened expression.

Yi-seol was startled and about to run toward her when he sensed a cold feeling at the back of his neck. He couldn’t even lift his foot.

“…Who are you?”

The distance was a single step. Someone pointed a sword at Yi-seol from a step behind. It was a young man’s voice, but there was no murderous intent. For a brief moment, Yi-seol was speechless. When he moved to turn around, the sword tip pressed closer to his neck. If he moved any more, his skin would be cut.

“I asked who you are.”

“…I… I am…”

“Answer.”

Gripping his robes tightly with both hands, Yi-seol squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again. After exhaling deeply, he barely regained his composure and spoke calmly.

“I am Yeon Yi-seol, the Ru Consort of Bi-eun Palace. Please, sheathe your sword.”