The Young Consort Wants to Live Quietly

Chapter 10

***

Garam’s departure was heavy with displeasure. For a moment, I wondered why he suddenly acted that way but soon let the thought go. There was no need to understand it.

Instead, I stayed there for a while, trying not to watch his departing figure, and only after Garam was out of sight did I follow the maid out of the shaded area where I had been sitting.

I thought my quarters were far from here, but after a short walk, I saw the building I had come out of.

As I was about to face the high stone steps that led to the entrance, someone grabbed my shoulder from behind and spun me around.

“You’ve returned, Consort Cho! I’ve been waiting for quite a while down here.”

The voice tried to sound cheerful, but the clenched teeth were palpable. The face was the same; though smiling, the eyes were so wide that veins were visible.

I frowned and moved my arm. The fingers dug in like vines, causing pain in my shoulder. Yet, the more I showed discomfort, the stronger the unfamiliar maid in front of me gripped.

What is she trying to do? Even if I’m a young consort, such behavior could lead to severe consequences. This time, I did not hide my displeasure.

The maid flinched at my stern face but then stretched her lips into a grin as if thinking, what could you possibly do to me?

“Let go.”

My voice was as sharp as a razor, emotionless and cold. My face was just as impassive. I said this while glancing behind the maid.

Garam seems to have left. No witnesses, then. Since I haven’t seen her around, she doesn’t seem to be an important maid.

Now, what shall I do with this lovely maid?

“How dare you lay hands on her!” Before I could act, the maid by my side beat me to it. Her voice was ferocious, and I looked up at her for a moment.

Right. No one would listen to an eight-year-old. Threats of death or dismemberment would only bring dislike for not acting my age.

Feeling somewhat disappointed, I was fiddling with my fingertips when another outcry erupted.

“And who are you to yell at me! I serve the Noble Consort closely! How dare a mere consort like you—”

“What?”

I interrupted her, cutting into her tirade. My tone must have sounded desperate, and indeed it was. The maid, who had been blustering, turned to me with a face as fierce as a demon’s.

“I came here to relay the Noble Consort’s summons, and this is how I’m treated! Do you think the Noble Consort will remain silent about this?”

There was more to her rant, but it didn’t fully register with me. I was about to sigh but instead pressed at my temples, feeling a headache coming on.

Right. It couldn’t just be overlooked. The inevitable has arrived.

* * *

Mirinae, despite his meticulous self-management, was rather careless about selecting his maids. He accepted anyone sent his way, regardless of their background.

There wasn’t anyone capable enough to harm Consort Mirinae, and the maids serving him closely were predetermined. The maids handling menial tasks could easily be killed or disposed of if they caused any trouble.

No, to begin with, a maid serving him closely couldn’t be so insolent towards me.

It’s one thing to measure up silently with their eyes, but quite another to flaunt their status and mock me.

The reason this maid’s face was unfamiliar wasn’t due to a lowly position but because she wasn’t from this palace.

But it had to be this way. If a quiet and plain maid had slipped in, I would have immediately thought, ‘Ah, sent by Mirinae.’ But with such a foolish one rolling in, it didn’t add up.

Indeed, the maids appearing in the novel serving Mirinae were all composed, including the one who had brought me an eye patch before.

While Mirinae wasn’t picky about taking in maids, he was different afterward. If it was clear they lacked intelligence, they were quickly dismissed. It’s a wonder this maid hasn’t been expelled.

Or perhaps, knowing the power dynamics, she prostrated herself before it.

It seemed she couldn’t stand up to other maids and became overconfident when Mirinae directly ordered her to do something, especially since her target was a newly arrived young consort.

Thinking I was just a daughter from the Yeoran family, not in good standing with the Emperor, she behaved presumptuously, unaware of what she didn’t know.

Whether she knew how prestigious her own family was or not, it’s certain it would be inferior to the Yeoran family. Thus, she didn’t consider that I, as Sanya Yeoran, could immediately report to the head of the family.

Once again, it’s surprising that such a person is still serving as Mirinae’s maid.

So, not recognizing her at once is definitely not my fault.

I submerged myself in the water up to my nose. Steam rose from the water scented with a gentle fragrance of flowers. I was being washed, or rather laundered, under the pretext that I couldn’t meet the Noble Consort covered in dirt from rolling on the ground.

Sighing, bubbles surfaced. I watched Heesa, who was busily looking for fragrant oils or a comb. She was the maid who had given me iced fruit juice.

While preparing the bath and filling it with water, I had asked her name.

The leading maid’s name was Seoyeon. Feeling proud for asking, Heesa then turned to me. Our eyes met, and hers widened.

“Consort! You mustn’t drink the bathwater!”

“What?”

“Don’t!”

Her shout drew astonished looks from everyone in the room. Startled, I jerked my shoulders and awkwardly raised my head.

“Ah, I didn’t drink it.”

“What to do! Can this flower be eaten?”

“Consort, spit. Please, spit!”

I mean, I didn’t eat it.

Heesa was the only one who had been even slightly affectionate towards me. She herself said she was talkative, and others were too quiet for her liking, a claim she substantiated within an hour of chatting.

But why this commotion now? Eating a flower won’t kill me, especially in a world without chemical pesticides.

A maid ran off and started flipping through a book. I saw her hand stop on a page.

“Yikes! The Yura flower is poisonous!”

“What? Who in their right mind—, oh, never mind. Who put that in the Consort’s bathwater! Consort, please get out!”

“Oh, oh, no. Sorry. I read the name wrong.”

“Do you want to die?”

What’s going on all of a sudden?

“…Excuse me.”

I timidly raised my hand and spoke softly, and at that moment, all noise ceased, and all eyes focused on me.

Seizing the timing, I opened my mouth wide.

“I didn’t eat it.”

The moment of awkwardness that passed over the maids’ faces is something I won’t forget for nearly a decade. They quietly returned to their places as if nothing had happened, only Heesa kept giggling.

Then Seoyeon entered the room. After getting Mirinae’s understanding for my delay, she glanced over the maids, frowning at Heesa.

“Heesa, be quiet. This isn’t the place for noise.”

“But Consort, those girls were also—”

“The Noble Consort has been waiting for a long time.”

Another maid cut off Heesa’s chattering. The rebuked Heesa glared back, her eyes wide.

I awkwardly observed this. It was strange to see the human side of the maids I had assumed were all like dolls.

In the original story, Sanya was either clinging to the Emperor or fighting with the consorts, so there was no mention of her maids. Early on, they weren’t described, and later, only a few lines scorned their non-childlike, malicious demeanor.

I wouldn’t lose in being unchildlike. How creepy would it be for an eight-year-old to be silent and expressionless?

I had no particular desire to act lively and childlike to be loved, so the reaction just now was somewhat surprising.

“Consort, would you please stand up?”

Seoyeon spoke to me after I was washed. As per her words, I was lifted out of the bath.

Anyway, the focus now was on Mirinae.

‘…What does he want to talk about?’

I figured I should prostrate myself, whatever it was.

* * *

No matter how powerful the Yeoran family might be, they couldn’t surpass the Emperor. This was especially emphasized in the imperial palace.

But why was I given such a large palace?

My question was answered as soon as I entered Mirinae’s palace.

‘…Is this really for one person?’

It was more like a fortress than a palace, a place for a royal family to reside, not just one person.

When I was young, in Korea, I was surprised by the size of a university campus I visited. It was my cousin’s university, and she laughed, saying some universities even have buses running inside them.

It felt somewhat similar here. This fictional world created by the author had an Eastern vibe, but the clothing and lifestyle were closer to China than Korea. The scale was indeed Chinese.

Compared to the favored Noble Consort’s palace, mine was much smaller. Realizing it wasn’t special treatment made me feel a bit better.

“Come on! Hurry up! How long do you intend to make our Consort wait?”

The same arrogant maid who had been bothering me grabbed my arm. She seemed to have no intention of moderating her grip, causing my arm to throb with pain.

Upon arriving at Mirinae’s palace, this maid announced that my own maids could not enter further. Only I, being the invited one, could enter, she claimed.

Since consorts typically didn’t bring their maids along, and their authority was weaker, my maids had no choice but to retreat with disappointed faces.

Seoyeon had been fighting back fiercely until then, but without her, the maid began to unleash her insolence on me.

She started blabbering about how I should be happy to be invited by the Noble Consort favored by His Majesty, questioning where else such a rowdy consort could be found. As we neared the pavilion, she practically dragged me by the arm, citing the slow pace of my child-sized steps compared to hers.

I really wanted to kill her, truly.

She was about five times more annoying than the consort Joyun had taken away before.