The Young Consort Wants to Live Quietly

Chapter 3

***

I pondered whether he truly wanted an answer or was just setting the stage for something else, but unfortunately, there were no follow-up remarks.

It seemed that this imperial consort needed my response, not just venting at me.

“It’s all thanks to Her Majesty’s grace,” I replied, although the words left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Surely, Joyun wasn’t looking for that answer. But I couldn’t very well say, ‘Haha, what good does it do me to catch Her Majesty’s eye?’

“Is that so?”

Joyun seemed frustrated, as if he had posed a question with only one correct answer. What was he expecting? He was glaring at me with a displeased expression.

Honestly, I was a bit nervous. It felt like he was contemplating whether to slap my left or right cheek.

“May I ask what brings you here so suddenly?”

Clearly, Joyun had come to either warn or threaten me. But he couldn’t just blurt out something without any preamble, could he?

Well, he had started the conversation, so he could proceed with a ‘But you see…’ like a TV show host. But he seemed to be contemplating how to begin.

Since I didn’t want the conversation to start with a slap, I had to steer it in another direction.

“It’s nothing serious. I’ve just come to offer some guidance, as a senior.”

Fortunately, that seemed to be the right answer, as Joyun squinted his eyes and responded with a feigned indifference.

Guidance, huh? I just hope that’s not the name of some violent ability your family is known for.

“You must be aware of the phrase ‘flowers don’t stay fresh for more than ten days.'”

Joyun said this while raising an eyebrow, as if expecting me to answer. If I replied that I didn’t know, he might drag me out immediately and plead with the Empress, claiming how foolish the consort sent from the Yeoran family was.

“Ten days without a red flower. It’s a famous saying.”

“Yes, indeed. Even flowers don’t stay fresh for more than ten days, let alone humans. And a wilted flower is…”

Saying this, Joyun lowered his head to meet my gaze. His face shadowed, darkening, a smirk forming on his smooth face.

“It’s bound to be plucked soon. The imperial palace is no place for wilted flowers.”

I almost applauded his threat.

Wow, scary. So chilling. How long will the Empress’s favor last? Don’t overstep your boundaries… something like that?

It was more decent than I expected. And at the same time, I understood that scene from the original story. It wasn’t a big deal for me, but for a young child, it would be enough to make them cry.

Did Garam follow a crying Sanya and end up taking the blame?

“I appreciate your valuable lesson. I’ll keep it in mind, sir.”

I bowed politely, but Joyun seemed unsatisfied with my response, huffing through his nose before turning to the maid and speaking sharply.

“You seem quite familiar with this maid. Considering you keep her in your room.”

I was taken aback by Joyun’s words. Familiar? That’s the last thing I would say.

It made sense for a consort to have close attendants. However, this maid was just insolently ignoring my command to leave.

But I didn’t feel the need to explain all that in detail.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Hmm…”

Joyun hummed in response, his expression one of considerable intrigue. His smile grew wider. To anyone looking, it was as if he was plotting something.

When his smile finally peaked, Joyun sweetly changed his tone and said,

“I’ve been short of help these days.”

Upon hearing his words, I almost retorted without realizing it.

Short of help?

There were imperial consorts who were disliked by the Empress and those who lived in seclusion without any power, but no consort ever lacked for help. That was a given. Even those consorts without royal lineage were still spouses of the Empress.

It was an absurd statement. But at the same time, I thought I understood what he meant.

I glanced at the maid. She shook her head frantically, her face filled with alarm.

No way! She seemed to be shouting with her mouth’s shape, and I secretly curled my lips into a sly smile without Joyun noticing.

“…This maid is quite adept at her job. If you’re short of help, would you like to take her with you?”

I spoke with a deliberately trembling voice, and Joyun laughed heartily in response. Seeing the maid’s face of utter despair, I bit my lip to suppress my laughter.

What a way to solve a problem without lifting a finger.

“I’ll gratefully accept her then.”

Joyun looked at me with a beaming smile.

The maid seemed to want to grab onto Joyun’s clothes to stop him or perhaps even slap my cheek in frustration. It was understandable. In my palace, she could act as she pleased, but it wouldn’t be the same in Joyun’s palace.

But what can you do? Even if she stayed in my palace, it wouldn’t be better than being in Joyun’s.

Without a word of farewell to me, Joyun turned and left swiftly. I prepared to see him off. It was a clear snub, but I didn’t mind. I had expected Garam, but it wasn’t him, and more importantly, I had gotten rid of the maid.

Garam would have been a difficult opponent, so I was relieved that such a foolish consort had come instead.

There was no need for me to run to the Empress, crying and seeking comfort. It was perfect.

I wished they would disappear with the maid soon. The sunlight was nice; maybe I should lie down and take a nap.

With these thoughts, I ignored the maid’s glances that kept turning back to me. But then, I heard footsteps from outside, and they were very close.

Was someone else coming?

As long as it wasn’t the Empress, it would be fine.

While I was thinking this, a maid’s voice was heard.

“My lady, Consort Seonbi has come to visit you.”

At that, I abruptly stopped the step I was about to take.

Seonbi. The title, evoking various words, referred to Garam.

Without a chance to respond, I saw a man with red hair burst through the door and stood there, my mouth agape.

Oh. This was an unexpected turn of events.

* * *

“…Why is that here?”

The first thing Garam said upon stepping into my palace, or rather my room.

Although it was quite rude to refer to a person in such a way, thankfully, he wasn’t so lowly as to point out my presence, the owner of this palace, and his remark was directed towards Joyun.

At that, Joyun trembled, his face flushing red, but he couldn’t openly confront Garam.

Of course, it was natural. Garam was stronger, after all.

There were seven families blessed by the dragon with supernatural abilities, but that didn’t mean there were only seven types of abilities in the Kingdom of Seora.

Aside from dragons, there were many divine beasts in this world. Creatures like Imugi, celestial tigers, spirits, half-dragons, and nine-tailed foxes also bestowed their blessings upon those they favored, significantly increasing the number of abilities in Seora.

However, the strongest power was still the dragon’s blessing, and the strength of abilities granted by other divine beasts varied depending on their rank.

For example, the Yeoran family’s ability was psychokinesis, the power to lift anything without limit, but the ability of some lesser-known minor family was to lift seeds. It seemed that a small spirit born in that land had blessed that family.

The strength and usefulness of one’s ability, and how well one could harness it, determined one’s social standing, and generally, the more powerful the family, the stronger their abilities were.

Garam was the second son of the Iwha family, one of the seven founding families. And Joyun, well… I wasn’t sure which family he belonged to, but it was clear that he wasn’t from one of those seven.

What could he do even if he was upset? He lacked power.

He must have thought I was too young and naive, being raised as the youngest and most cherished daughter, and would just cry without saying a word, or he knew my situation in the Yeoran family.

As expected, Joyun ultimately couldn’t express his anger towards Garam. Instead, he turned to me, shaking with rage.

“How utterly rude!”

Uh. Exactly what is…

“I was here first, and yet you let someone else in! Being young doesn’t excuse foolishness. Be mindful of your actions!”

Joyun skillfully placed all the blame on me. Not for Garam’s words but for allowing another guest while already entertaining one. It was indeed a mistake on my part, although I had no say in the matter, which should be taken into consideration.

“Yes, Consort Seolbi. My apologies.”

I chose not to nitpick and simply bowed my head. There was no need to stir up trouble. It wasn’t as if he had slapped me or demanded that I kneel. Though, I probably would have knelt if that was all it took.

At my polite response, Joyun’s face grew even more incensed. I felt my eyes start to droop in exhaustion. No matter what I said, I would be met with such a reaction, and it was tiring.

“Wow, impressive.”

It was then that I heard Garam’s sarcastic remark.

“Look, I’m not the sharpest, so I might not get sarcasm, but isn’t there a limit to nitpicking?”

Why is he making sense all of a sudden? I couldn’t help but give him a surprised look.

In the original story, Garam was a character often on the receiving end of beatings. Quick to use his fists, his aggressive nature led to frequent trouble. Above all, he had a habit of speaking without a filter, often getting logically thrashed by Mirinae.

Mirinae, feigning kindness, exposed Garam’s stupidity to the world, earning him disdainful looks from the Empress. Consequently, Garam greatly disliked Mirinae.

It was described as a mild skirmish in front of the Empress in the original story, but who knew if it was the same behind his back.

Anyway, Garam was quite foolish. I didn’t expect him to speak so sensibly, and in my defense, no less.

Maybe he just can’t stand to see something wrong without speaking up?

Joyun, visibly angry, couldn’t say a word to Garam and turned his venomous gaze back to me.

“To insult me like this. I will not let this go!”

There wasn’t even a plausible reason anymore.

It sounded like a line from a disposable villain in a superhero story. Just as I thought this, Joyun swung his arm elegantly and irritably, turning to leave. His wide sleeve hit my face, making me stagger momentarily.

…Curse this small body.

As I watched Joyun leave, taking the maid with him and slamming the door behind him, I let out a small sigh.

He didn’t see that, did he?

Putting aside the humiliation of being hit in the face, I had just been grumbling swear words under my breath, and it would be troublesome if he had heard. And then, turning around, I found myself locking eyes with Garam.

“…”

“…”

Did he see?