The Young Consort Wants to Live Quietly

Chapter 18

***

That night, I dreamed I was buried under gifts and couldn’t escape.

It might sound like a cute dream, but in reality, having that disgusting monkey’s eyeballs right in front of me was more horrifying than I had anticipated. I dreamed about it all night, so I wasn’t sure if I actually rested or not.

I hugged the blanket and dozed off in the warmth of the room, basking in the sunlight. I felt unusually sleepy after a hearty breakfast.

‘But it was delicious.’

The meals before were tasty, but just alright. However, this morning’s breakfast was truly eye-opening.

I wasn’t sure if the cook put in extra effort because I was sick, or if there was a new cook altogether, but as long as it tasted good, it didn’t matter. Recalling the breakfast, I let go of the blanket I was holding and stretched out my legs.

The soft blanket fell on my legs without any weight. It was quite large, fluffy, and thick, but it felt almost weightless. It was one of the gifts I received yesterday, a magical blanket from the West.

Just as Seora had its own unique abilities, the West, or the Western Continent, had magic. This magic was very similar to what one would typically think of when hearing the word “magic.”

I, who had quite enjoyed the story of a boy wizard with a scar on his forehead, found magic more familiar than abilities.

Magic was much more convenient than abilities. Unlike in Seora, where one could only use a specific ability blessed upon their family, magic allowed a person with mana to cast multiple spells.

Thanks to a wealth of talent, various researches were conducted, and so, items like this blanket could be created.

The blanket reminded me of the comforters I used in Korea, and I buried my nose in it, detecting a faint floral scent. I couldn’t tell what flower it was, but it was quite pleasant.

With nothing else to do and the weather nice, I planned to lazily nap away the day. As an adult, napping during the day would ruin my sleep at night, but children are supposed to sleep well.

After patting the blanket a few times, I snuggled into it like a cozy den. Just as I was about to close my eyes, I heard Seoyeon’s voice from outside the door.

“My lady. Consort Garam has arrived.”

At her voice, my eyes snapped open. Swear words filled my mouth.

Why now? And at this timing?

“…Let him in.”

But swears were swears, and allowing entry was another matter. It wasn’t like me to turn anyone away at the door.

Soon, the door opened, and Garam walked in with his usual peacock-like flamboyance. However, the action that followed was not at all like him.

“Ah, hello.”

To put it more precisely, it was somewhat pathetic. Garam stood awkwardly and waved at me, resembling a shy elementary school student, causing me to slightly furrow my brow.

“Yes, Consort Seonbi.”

Still, it wasn’t something I could ignore, so I greeted him with a small smile, but I didn’t get up from the bed. I decided to go with the concept that I was too frail to leave the bed due to illness.

‘What could we possibly talk about for so long if we were to sit face to face?’

As I was choosing my words carefully in case I needed to respond to any nitpicking, Garam, unusually, kept fidgeting without saying a word to me.

I closed my eyes as I saw him rubbing his foot, clad in cotton, against the floor, hoping that there wasn’t any mud on his foot.

Garam endured quite well, considering it must have been incredibly hot for him.

He was prone to feeling the heat, despite possessing fire abilities. In the original story, there were often descriptions of Garam shirtless during the summer.

Since my body’s temperature is on the lower side, I felt warm as if I were in a room with floor heating, but for Garam, it must have felt like entering a boiling cauldron.

And sure enough, he stealthily approached the window, drew back the curtain, and slightly opened it.

“Today’s weather is really nice―”

“Achoo.”

Bang! Crash!

“Indeed!”

Startled by the loud exclamation and the sound of the window closing following my small cough from inhaling the cold air, I shuddered.

Did it break? How could it make such a noise with that? And what did he say, exactly?

Garam shrank like a child who had broken a vase. In reality, he had indeed broken one. I quietly observed a piece of white porcelain, one of Mirinae’s gifts, shattered into pieces.

“Consort! The loud noise… Good heavens!”

Heesa, alarmed by the noise, rushed in. She quickly cleaned up the debris from the broken porcelain and left the room. During the process, she seemed to have shot Garam a glance or two.

“…Was it something you cherished?”

Garam tentatively asked me. I hesitated for a moment to respond. It was a gift from Mirinae, so it felt wrong to say I didn’t cherish it.

“Yes.”

At my response, Garam’s shoulders twitched as if struck by a whip. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before speaking in a rather desperate tone.

“I’ll replace it. With the same thing, no, something even better.”

Without hesitation, I shook my head. Mirinae wouldn’t have prepared a gift of inferior quality, and more importantly, in this world, there were no mass-produced items.

How could one find an identical piece of porcelain that was carefully crafted by an artisan?

‘I’ll just tell on Garam if Mirinae ever asks where it went.’

“It’s alright.”

Despite my calm voice, Garam still seemed wary of me. It made me uncomfortable, and I found myself frequently furrowing my brow. He should have just said his piece and disappeared like the wind, as before.

“Still…”

Garam murmured as if squeezing the words out, avoiding my gaze slightly. I pursed my lips slightly at his appearance.

Is he feeling sorry for breaking something I cherished?

“You don’t have to worry about it.”

I threw out a bait, just in case. At my words, Garam’s face brightened a little. Really?

“There are also gifts I gave among them. There’s a mother-of-pearl inlaid cabinet, a gold-made jujeonggu, a chilgyo made of colorful crystals, and a boraenggu with silk threads and jade embedded.”

I struggled to catch the unfamiliar names pouring out of Garam’s mouth.

Jujeonggu… was a dice used during the Silla Dynasty, chilgyo was something I played with when I was young, but what’s boraenggu?

“Have you played with them?”

I broke into a sweat under Garam’s suddenly sparkling gaze. Played with them? Of course, I hadn’t. I thought they were gifts from the Yeoran family and had shoved them in a corner.

I couldn’t lie because I didn’t know what boraenggu was. Eventually, I managed to respond with difficulty.

“My apologies. Not yet…”

“No, no. There’s no need to apologize. It’s okay.”

Garam quickly waved his hand in denial, but his tone slightly drooped.

Why is he acting like this? Did he get scolded by the Empress for causing a ruckus yesterday?

“Are you afraid of loud noises?”

As I was looking at him with a heavy heart, Garam suddenly asked me. I wasn’t sure what his intention was, but I pondered a bit before answering.

To be more precise, I’m often startled. I’m not a child who’s afraid of the sound of thunder. But explaining all that seemed too bothersome.

“…Yes.”

“What about big people?”

“That too… scares me.”

The latter was true. Becoming a child made me fear large people. The sight of their shadows looming over me and looking down was terrifying, and in reality, the large people around me were those who could easily kill me.

Living in a world with abilities as a human without any, especially as a child, would not be easy. Perhaps being in the imperial palace has so far kept me from deadly danger.

As I was suddenly pondering these thoughts, Garam spoke in a low, subdued voice.

“If there’s anything you’re scared or dislike, tell me.”

My eyes widened at his words. Really?

Garam was unusually generous today. And a bit insignificant. I could somewhat understand his previous statements, but his last comment seemed to contain a bit of kindness towards me.

“Really?”

My voice rose slightly in excitement. Garam’s eyes widened like a puppy that had stepped on my face.

“Of course! I’ll get rid of it all.”

My heart raced a bit at his firm answer. A slight anticipation surged.

Could I then say what I’ve wanted to say?

I took a deep breath and glanced at Garam. He still stood there quietly, like a docile puppy.

It seemed alright.

“Please leave.”

“…”

Ah, what a relief.

That was exactly what I wanted to say. Was this why the man in the fairy tale shouted, “The emperor has donkey ears”? It felt like a long-held congestion was finally clearing.

I smiled slightly, and Garam lowered his raised eyebrows.

Hmm. Why?

Was my request for him to leave such a sorrowful matter? His face, resembling a child who had his candy taken away, was quite bothersome. However, that didn’t make me want to ask him to stay any longer.

Garam eventually hesitated before turning around. I watched him walk away with slumped shoulders for a moment, then turned my gaze away. It was really a good decision.

“Long live the Empress.”

Upon hearing Seoyeon’s voice, I quickly pulled myself up from sliding deeper into the blankets. Amidst the commotion, Garam, with a puzzled look, raised his head just as the door opened.

Despair washed over me as I saw the woman who entered. Long black hair. Grey-green eyes. A golden hairpin securing her elegantly styled hair. It was unmistakably the Empress.

The Empress doesn’t wait at the door. If the Empress wants to enter, she simply does.

Even if we had been asked whether to allow the Empress in, denying entry wasn’t an option. Still, having even that small choice taken away was somewhat displeasing.

The Empress, walking in, gave Garam a puzzled look.

“Garam. You were here.”

“Your Majesty.”

Garam greeted the Empress with a weak smile. To anyone, it was a smile that screamed there’s something going on.

Ah, right. You two are the main characters here, Garam being a candidate. I’d prefer if you took your romance outside. Secretly rolling my eyes, I greeted the Empress.

The Empress’s face brightened upon turning to me, but then she quickly turned back, deciding she had to address Garam first.

“Is there something the matter?”

“…The child asked me to leave.”

Garam added timidly, causing the Empress to look bewildered.

He then greeted the Empress again and slowly walked out. I wasn’t sure if he was tattling or suggesting she should leave too. After a moment, she turned to me. I reflexively smiled.

“Do I… also have to leave?”

The Empress blinked and asked back, sounding quite dumbfounded.

I felt like veins were going to pop on my forehead from smiling. Leave. You’re the top priority.

“It is an utmost honor to have Your Majesty visit.”

…Such is power.