The Young Consort Wants to Live Quietly

Chapter 31

***

Mirinae’s voice became more distant. Fairy Godmother… Was it translated like that? There are no fairies here, after all. But it’s not right to call her a deity either…

The plush chair, the quiet voice, the sunlight shining brightly white, the fragrance of peonies brushing against my nose.

That place was too comfortable to be Mirinae’s palace.

‘I too want a Fairy Godmother… to become someone stronger than Mirinae…’

With that thought, I fell asleep.

***

“And so Cinderella…”

Mirinae, in his soft-spoken voice, closed the fairy tale book and quietly placed his gaze. There, a child with black hair was sound asleep.

His lips stretched into a smile at the sight.

“Sleep well.”

A voice so tender flowed from him, one that Garam would have wanted to wash his ears upon hearing.

He carefully closed the book, fearing the child might wake, and with equally careful movements, placed the book on the table.

Sanya seemed to be in a very good mood today. It was because I saw a genuine smile on her face, not the artificial smiles she usually showed.

The child seldom laughed. Most of the time, she was expressionless, occasionally scowling, and when she looked at Mirinae, she would pull her lips into a smile.

That smile, which didn’t quite seem like a smile, made Mirinae feel sorry for her.

The child was kind. She always smiled in front of him, following his comment that she would look pretty if she smiled.

But Mirinae knew it wasn’t sincere. There was a detachment in the eyes of the eight-year-old child that should not have been there. At an age where she should be craving love, the child avoided people.

She was said to be close to her guard, but even that was just another child, and a ‘shadow’ could not fulfill the role of a human.

It’s not that there wasn’t a selfish desire to read the fairy tale book she wanted last night, but hearing that the child who walked the halls with a blank face every night had comfortably fallen asleep made him wish for her peaceful rest.

Sanya’s actions reminded him of another child.

Then, Sanya frowned slightly and twisted her body. Even with a plush cushion, the chair seemed uncomfortable.

Mirinae quietly approached the tossing child. He gently lifted Sanya as if holding a feather and laid her on the bed. After tucking her in well, he stroked her forehead and hummed a little tune. He was concerned she might have gotten scratched on her way here. At that, the corners of Sanya’s mouth rose into a wide smile.

Mirinae, smiling back, returned to his place and picked up the fairy tale book he had been reading to Sanya. Flipping through the book, which he had read several times to avoid stuttering, Mirinae carefully turned the pages, cautious not to wake Sanya with the sound of the paper.

It was a peaceful afternoon.

***

‘…I must be crazy.’

That was the first thought that came to mind when I got up from Mirinae’s bed.

Why am I… here…

I looked bewilderedly at the blanket sliding off me. It was as soft as the ones in my room. But the important thing was that it was covering my body.

I have no memory, so I couldn’t have walked here from the chair and covered myself with the blanket. Who covered me? And Mirinae just left it at that?

I turned pale and looked around, fortunately finding Mirinae still seated where I had left him.

Breathing out a sigh of relief upon seeing him, I realized he was asleep, his hands quietly resting on his lap. It seemed that both of us had fallen asleep and a palace maid must have laid only me on the bed.

Since Mirinae couldn’t have been moved by her, it was the right decision for her to make, just not for me.

I quietly got off the bed. The blanket made a slight rustling noise, causing my body to stiffen for a moment, but fortunately, Mirinae did not wake up.

Even if Mirinae cherished me, it would be only as a beloved doll or a pet. If he knew he had given up his bed for such a thing…

I looked at the disheveled bedding and quietly straightened it out. I adjusted the pillow and spread the blanket neatly, though it was not perfect, as it was done by the hands of a child.

‘I should ask a palace maid on my way out.’

With that thought, I slowly lifted my foot, touching the ground from toe to heel, trying to make as little noise as possible as I walked toward the door.

Glancing at Mirinae now and then, I finally reached the door, and as it opened, I quickened my pace, eventually starting to run towards the exit of the building.

However, what I had overlooked was that my skirt was too long not to catch, and I was still a small child.

Thud!

“Ah!”

I tripped over my skirt and fell.

My maids, who were waiting at the entrance of the palace, rushed towards me in shock.

“My lady!”

“Did you fall― Are you hurt?!”

Seeing my maids rushing over, I couldn’t say anything; instead, I put my index finger to my lips.

Keep quiet. It’ll be trouble if Mirinae wakes up!

And at that moment, something wet touched my index finger. Pulling it away, I saw it was covered in bright red blood. At the same time, my nose began to throb painfully.

“My lady! You’re bleeding from your nose!”

Right, a nosebleed. I know, so don’t announce it so loudly.

I closed my eyes tightly and took a deep breath, trying to calm down, but failed due to the pain I felt in my nose.

Unable to bear it, I got up and stomped my feet.

‘I’m definitely not coming back!’

***

Fortunately, thanks to Mirinae’s palace maid handling things well, Mirinae did not call for me again after that day.

Though I heard he sent a bunch of unfamiliar herbs after learning I was injured, I didn’t think much of it since the Empress, Garam, and the other consorts sent similar gifts. Time passed without any significant events or major incidents.

Really, nothing happened at all.

Of course, those three kept visiting me and maintained their attitudes.

But there were no more assassination attempts or incidents where I got involved and ended up in danger. The visits, which were initially a bit scary and uncomfortable, became just another part of routine after a while.

Today was just another day like any other.

I was lying in bed without changing out of my night clothes, flipping over like a hotteok.

The maids had gone out early to do their tasks, and Gowun was sitting in the room, reading a book.

The sun was high in the sky, but I buried my face in the blanket. My seemingly impossible life of leisure was surprisingly well underway.

But somehow… it’s hot.

After rubbing my face against the blanket a couple of times, I finally kicked off the blanket. The feeling of sweat on my neck and back was uncomfortable.

What’s going on? Why is it so hot?

“Is someone there?”

“Yes, my lady.”

Upon calling for the maids, the door immediately opened, and Heesa entered.

I hopped off the bed, fanning myself with my hand, which made Heesa widen her eyes in surprise.

“Oh dear, my apologies, my lady. The bed must have been too warm for you.”

She busied herself around the room and then took out a small stone. Tapping it twice, cool air began to circulate.

‘It’s a magic stone.’

While the supernatural powers of the Eastern Continent didn’t stay in one place, the magic of the Western Continent could be inscribed into specific objects. Indeed, it was convenient; hence, objects from the Western Continent were not uncommon to find in the palace.

It’s like having air conditioning. Has it already become so warm?

“Now that it’s the Blue Moon, the sunlight has become hot… It won’t do for our lady to suffer from the heat.”

Hearing Heesa mutter, I froze. What, the Blue Moon?

‘May?!’

No, to be more precise, it wasn’t even May. This world used the lunar calendar, so it was at least June.

I remembered the day of the wedding ceremony was quite cold. Having done nothing but eat and sleep, I was momentarily stunned to have apparently skipped a whole season.

Wow, time really flies. It’s already summer.

The time I had spent until now flashed before my eyes like a fast-forwarded movie.

The Empress, Mirinae, Garam, and the other consorts had visited me occasionally. Among the consorts, some, like Joyun, had been aggressive towards me, but those encounters were brief, and those consorts never stepped foot in Floral Virtue Palace again after their initial visit.

While not exactly pleasant, I wasn’t so angered by these visits that I couldn’t handle them; I considered them occasional events and moved on.

The Empress made time to visit me. It was rare, about once every two days for a couple of hours, but considering her position, it was often. She tried to engage me in conversation, and I responded with a smile and brusqueness.

Yet, for some reason, she always left Floral Virtue Palace beaming with joy. I couldn’t understand what was so enjoyable, but what baffled me more was that Mirinae and Garam did the same.

Actually, they went even further. They occasionally invited me to their palaces for peculiar hospitality.

I recalled the giant phoenix I had seen at Garam’s palace, Flower Art Palace. It looked at me as if expecting praise, so I awkwardly complimented it a few times before leaving.

Despite the warm weather, I shivered slightly.

I had entered the royal palace at the tail end of winter, and before I knew it, the leaves had taken on a deep hue. The spring flowers had recently completed their life cycle.

“My goodness.”

I murmured softly to myself, struck anew by the passage of time.

That’s right. When I think about it, a few days ago was Dano, and the bathwater had a slightly different color. I was also a bit happy that I had grown, even if just a little…

With a fresh sense of wonder, I looked down at my hand. Unlike in the winter, when it had been smooth but dry, my hand was now plump with flesh.

It wasn’t just my hands; my entire body was like that. The baby fat characteristic of young children had filled out, making any part soft to the touch. It seemed like my guard was down quite a bit, too. After all, when I first came to the royal palace, I was quite tense.

Always on edge, wondering when they would try to kill me, worrying that a single wrong word could lead to trouble. I lived mostly in a state of high alert.

But now, as you can see, thanks to the protection of the Emperor and the other two, I’ve been living comfortably enough not to even properly feel the passage of time.

That’s right. Ah, there’s one more change.