The Young Consort Wants to Live Quietly

Chapter 11

***

That maid could have been disposed of if she really caused trouble, but since she was a maid of Mirinae, I couldn’t touch her for fear of repercussions. It was one of the inconveniences of staying out of the Empress’s favor and keeping a low profile in the palace, so I took a deep breath. After all, these kinds of incidents were bound to happen from time to time. I decided it was best to avoid leaving my palace as much as possible. Maybe I should pretend to be sick and seclude myself for about two weeks every month. That way, the other consorts wouldn’t be able to call on me.

We weren’t far from the pavilion when the maid, brimming with arrogance, released my arm and looked up proudly. It was where Mirinae was standing. As the grip on my arm loosened, my body naturally staggered. I rubbed the arm that had been dragged and bowed my head.

“I, Sanya, pay my respects to the Noble Consort. I apologize for my tardiness—”

“My lord! I have brought Sanya Yeoran to you!”

I bit my lip as my introduction was abruptly interrupted. Wasn’t such stupidity a crime? All consorts, upon entering the palace, abandon their surnames. This was true for me as well. But, receiving the imperial family’s surname was only possible with the Empress’s permission, so most consorts were simply called by their first names.

Yet, this maid boldly referred to me as “Sanya Yeoran.” It was clear as day that she was implying something by mentioning my connection to the Yeoran family, which she despised.

Mirinae wouldn’t openly harass me like this. And, as I expected, I soon heard footsteps descending the stairs. Given Mirinae’s character, he would gently admonish and then punish.

“Ah, ah!”

However, I was startled by the following scream, which was not the gentle voice I had anticipated, but a piercing shriek. And when I looked up, I was even more surprised.

Mirinae was holding the maid by her hair.

“I clearly told you… to bring her here quietly, well taken care of.”

His voice was as gentle as usual, the same one I had heard before, but it smelled much more of blood this time. Having read the original work, I knew this was truly a sign of Mirinae’s anger. The mere fact that he personally grabbed the maid’s hair, forgetting his dignity, was proof enough.

The reason for his anger, though, was a bit confusing to me.

The maid, with her neck bent backward as her hair was pulled, gasped for breath. Her face was pale with fear.

“Ma, Master. Sa, save…”

The sight of the trembling maid made him strangely lift the corners of his mouth. Even just standing there, with a smile on his porcelain-like face, he seemed as if he would kill someone.

But what exactly made him so angry?

I quietly observed Mirinae’s rare display of anger. Without noticing my gaze, Mirinae, with a voice sharper than usual, whispered venomously.

“And why, pray tell, has this child been dragged here by you, like a dog?”

I, who had been metaphorically shot on the spot, opened my mouth dumbly.

Huh?

What?

Then, a woman, who had been watching from a distance, approached silently. She was clearly one of Mirinae’s real maids, calm and composed.

“My lord. This is not a suitable place.”

At her words, Mirinae turned his head. His smoothly turning head was chilling. Indeed, in his current state, whether he turned his head slowly or quickly, it would be frightening.

“It seems I need an explanation for what you mean, Biyeon.”

Even in response to his gently terrifying words, the maid, Biyeon, bowed her head loyally and answered quietly.

“It would not be a good scene for the child to witness.”

At that, the strength in Mirinae’s hand suddenly loosened. The maid, who had been trembling with her hair grasped, collapsed onto the ground. Biyeon offered a handkerchief to Mirinae and asked,

“What should we do?”

At that question, Mirinae wiped his hands and let out a breath. Even the sound of his breath seemed to scare the maid, who flinched noticeably. Mirinae then said,

“…Take her to the flower garden.”

I wasn’t sure where this ‘flower garden’ Mirinae mentioned was, but I could tell it wasn’t a place I knew. Perhaps it was a place where the gardener harvested human necks instead of flowers.

The maid, knowing where it was, turned deathly pale at once. She trembled and looked up at me, shamelessly seeking help with her eyes. I showed a bit of regret.

Alas. That’s what you get for not living a decent life.

“I’m sorry you had to see such an ugly scene.”

Mirinae looked down at me with a kind smile, as if he had never been angry. His face was as smooth as usual, and I bowed my head again.

“It’s alright. I apologize for being late, Noble Consort.”

“Oh… You don’t need to be so formal. Shall we go inside?”

Ha. Such empty words.

I thought to myself as I followed Mirinae and sat down in the pavilion. On the table, there were snacks that would be fine even if they cooled, and a teapot that was clearly brought out again.

As I straightened my clothes and glanced at the table, my eyes widened. It was because I saw a familiar snack. Round shapes of various colors. The top surface imprinted with patterns.

‘Dasik!’

It was the second snack I recognized after not being able to eat the yugwa last time.

In fact, I had never actually eaten dasik or yugwa, but I had heard their names before. I learned about them during home economics class in elementary school.

‘It seems there are quite a few traditional Korean sweets.’

I thought it might be better to eat traditional sweets than other unnamed ones. As I was quietly observing them, I heard a chuckle from above.

It was definitely Mirinae’s laugh. Was he laughing at me for being distracted by sweets?

Instead of protesting, I turned my gaze to the table in front of me. I was upset, but it wasn’t worth risking my life to protest.

“I wasn’t sure what children would like, so I prepared this on my own. I’m glad you like it.”

He really knows how to make a remark that sounds like calling me a child in such a roundabout way. I thought this as I bowed my head.

“Thank you for your kindness, Noble Consort.”

Bowing my head so much, I’m getting confused if I’m a human or a grain of wheat.

Thank you. I’m sorry. Those were all the words I could utter.

I might have been an indifferent person, but I wasn’t strong enough to live a life without any close friends.

After all, I hadn’t faced many situations in life where someone threatened my life, so this situation was quite uncomfortable.

Even knowing they won’t kill me right away, it’s still uncomfortable. I just saw those crazed eyes not too long ago.

I was reminded of that maid again. She must have hoped I was alright, thinking she was the cause, but even so, Mirinae wouldn’t have spared her.

It couldn’t just be because she mishandled me that Mirinae got so angry. She must have done something bad related to the Empress. That’s his only sore spot, after all.

Yes. I was a good bait.

‘But…’

Had Mirinae ever dealt with things like this before?

He’s someone who would smile even at someone as openly annoying as me, yet he suddenly turned demonic.

Could there be something wrong with his mind? I became a bit more serious and, more than that, worried.

Would he suddenly get irritated and kill me?

“…Sanya?”

“Yes, yes.”

At Mirinae’s call, I snapped out of my thoughts and quickly lifted my head. Mirinae, whose eyes were hidden so I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, was quietly observing me. At that moment, fear washed over me like cold seawater.

Did I miss hearing something?

But that moment passed quickly, as Mirinae’s lips stretched lazily like a satiated cat. He spoke with a gentle laugh,

“Thank you for granting me your name.”

Me?

“I didn’t know you’d grant it so directly. Did you take a liking to me more than you thought, Sanya?”

Could it be?

I was dumbfounded by Mirinae’s absurd statement.

Is he really sick? There was no mention in the original work of Mirinae losing his mind. Honestly, I was quite startled.

I had arrived intending to quietly agree to whatever Mirinae said about my eye and then leave without making a fuss.

“First…, it seems there’s something I need to ask forgiveness for.”

Mirinae, who had been lightly chuckling, said with a suddenly serene face. I was expecting him to get to the point, but an apology?

Sending the wrong maid? I know it wasn’t intentional, so it’s fine. If Mirinae had wanted to harm me, he could have easily mixed a colorless, odorless poison into my meal.

“On our first night, you were quite startled by my eyes.”

I had been about to reach for the teacup in front of me, but at those words, my hand trembled uncontrollably. It was an unexpected turn.

Fortunately, I hadn’t grasped the teacup yet. If I had been about to drink, I would have dropped it right then.

“…Yes.”

“It’s understandable. They are a frightening red, after all.”

Mirinae casually commented, sipping tea from the cup in front of him. He noticed me just looking at my tea and not drinking, and tilted his head in curiosity.

“Does it not suit your taste?”

“No, not at all.”

I grabbed the teacup and brought it to my lips. The tea, appearing clear in the colored cup, flowed into my mouth.

Holding the tea in my mouth, my eyes widened. The teas I had tasted before were either bitter or nutty, but, surprisingly, this tea was sweet. Isn’t sugar supposed to be precious in this era? Maybe it’s honey?

“Sweet, isn’t it?”

Then, a voice laced with laughter reached me. Without realizing it, I nodded to that gentle voice, then shivered at the thought that there were only two people here, including me, and the other was Mirinae.

“It’s hydrangea tea. It has a naturally sweet taste without adding anything. What do you think?”

Regardless of what I think, the notion that I should drink it and spit blood because you gave it doesn’t quite go away.

…But it was deliciously sweet.

That fact made me slightly despair. Liking sweet things is so child-like. While I am indeed a child, my mind is that of an adult.

Yet, because my palate hadn’t yet adjusted to spicy foods, the sweetness was too tempting. But then again, indulging in sweet things is a child’s privilege, so if I can’t avoid it, I might as well enjoy it…

With that thought, I suddenly snapped back to reality. I had just been having an incredibly tense conversation with Mirinae!