The Young Consort Wants to Live Quietly

Chapter 55

* * *

After safely obtaining the sack of famine relief crops, at the insistence of the ministers and consorts, I returned to the Eastern Palace. Their intention to prevent me from causing any more trouble was obvious, but I had no reason to stay longer, so I obediently followed.

And to my maids who had been anxiously waiting…

“Good heavens, I never dreamed you would do such a thing, my lady!”

I got scolded.

“I thought I would die from fright just watching you! How could you do that!”

Quite a lot.

“Well, I did have a reason…”

“No matter what, that’s no excuse! In front of Her Majesty, and those dangerous Westerners no less! My heart was pounding so hard for you, my lady, I thought I would die.”

“Then maybe you should visit the medical office…”

“My lady!”

I flinched at Heesa’s sudden loud voice. Hey, even if that’s the case, I’m still your master, you know?

“How rude, Heesa. How can you raise your voice to your master?”

“I’m not afraid to die, but I can’t bear to see you get hurt, my lady! What were you thinking?”

Her dignified rebuke was sharply countered, making my ears ring. Sheesh, she won’t let anything slide.

Seeing her angry expression, it didn’t seem like something I could brush off easily. I rolled my eyes and casually replied.

“…Peculiar faith?”

“My lady!”

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry.”

As I shut my mouth with a sulk, Seoyeon, who had been watching with a pale face, calmly continued.

“There’s no need for you to apologize to us, my lady.”

Did that sound like a sarcastic remark to me, or was I just imagining it?

Just as I was about to ask if she was upset, Seoyeon spoke with a worried voice.

“But my lady, what if Her Majesty gets angry at you for this?”

Seoyeon’s face was haggard. It seemed she had suffered a lot of distress in that brief moment.

“Her Majesty is the ruler of this great nation. You may be her adopted daughter, my lady, but before being your mother, Her Majesty is the mother of all her subjects…”

Seoyeon trailed off with a gloomy expression. Looking at me worriedly, she finally whispered in a fading voice.

“Her Majesty is more fearsome than you think, my lady.”

I became slightly flustered at her words. It wasn’t that I had just realized how formidable Yehwa was. Rather, the opposite was true.

‘I had forgotten.’

I had forgotten just how fearsome Yehwa could be. Of course, I had naively assumed she would listen to my request. Strangely, I didn’t doubt that at all.

‘Whether it’s good or bad, I’m not sure…’

Why was that? Now that I think about it, it’s peculiar. And yet, I still didn’t think Yehwa would reject my plea. It truly was a peculiar faith. Of course, I might have just been lucky, but…

‘At least I didn’t die, so it’s fine, right?’

If I had said that, I would have gotten scolded even more, so I obediently kept my mouth shut and glanced around the room. In one corner of the room, I spotted a hulking figure.

Yeoryu had been pushed aside by the enthusiastic maids along with Gowun. When I gestured for them to come over, they obediently approached me.

The maids were already engaged in a conversation mingled with sighs, so I quietly asked Yeoryu.

“Yeoryu, do you know where the government office for this famine is located?”

“Huh? You’re suddenly asking…”

“No, I mean something like the Office of Astrology.”

The Office of Astrology dealt with weather-related matters, but either way, he understood what I was asking.

After hearing my words, Yeoryu scratched his head with an uncomfortable expression, but eventually nodded.

“Yes, I know.”

If he knew, why did he have to make that constipated face? I was briefly puzzled but quickly dismissed it from my mind.

“Good, Yeoryu. Take this.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“And Gowun, come here. Hold my hand.”

“My lady, why only Gowun and not me…”

“Quiet, Yeoryu. It’s unsightly for an old man to fuss over trivial things.”

“Yes…”

Yeoryu shrunk back for a moment, but then, as if nothing had happened, he began fiddling with the sack and asked me.

“But why do you want me to take this along?”

“We’re going somewhere for a bit.”

“Huh?!”

My sudden remark caused a stir among the maids who had been conversing quietly. They really do have good hearing. I thought they were engaged in a long discussion, but they heard me instantly.

“My lady, wait just a moment! Let’s change your clothes first, and bring a parasol! Where’s the parasol, Yuseon?”

“There’s no need for that!”

Heesa called out urgently, but I ignored her response and swiftly left, holding Gowun’s hand. The maids’ cries could be heard from behind.

“My lady! You can’t!”

Whatever, I can’t hear you.

* * *

The place Yeoryu guided me to was a temporary government office set up near the Office of Astrology to handle the famine. Although not as grand as the Consort Residence, the office near Flower Dragon Palace was neat and lovely. When I asked Yeoryu if there was someone who dealt with plants, he frowned even more.

Regardless of his reaction, I told him to guide me there. Then I met a smiling black-haired man.

He was…

“Noeul?”

“I’m honored that you remember me…”

The man, Noeul, teared up as he smiled. Seeing his reaction, Yeoryu made a gagging sound and staggered after being struck.  It seemed to be the same Noeul I knew, given that he recognized me.

But then why was he here…?

Noticing my confused gaze, Noeul briefly looked puzzled but soon smiled faintly.

“Most shadows have their own primary duties. Yeoryu and Saebyeok are special cases.”

“So you’re temporarily assigned to this office?”

“I originally belonged to the Ministry of Works. My meager ability proved useful, so I was temporarily transferred to this office.”

I silently nodded in understanding. Come to think of it, shadows couldn’t openly act as guards, so they must all have disguised identities.

With newfound realization, I glanced at Yeoryu, and he slyly averted his gaze.

“No wonder you had that disgruntled look on your face.”

“……”

What a pathetic guy. Sheesh. After regarding him with disdain for about ten seconds, I shifted my gaze to Noeul and hesitated for a moment before asking.

“Then, what is your ability?”

I was quite curious about it. No, truthfully, very curious. Asking about one’s ability was akin to asking for someone’s ID in the modern world, as abilities were personal powers and sometimes even inherited from one’s family lineage.

I knew it was rude, but I decided to flex my authority just this once. Regardless of my curiosity, I needed to know his ability to determine if he could be of help.

“It’s not a particularly impressive ability, but…”

Fortunately, he humbly played it down without taking offense. I waited patiently for his response. After a brief hesitation, Noeul smiled awkwardly and spoke.

“I can promote life. I can make young things grow rapidly and invigorate old things. It’s a small ability limited to things that grow from the ground.”

Upon hearing those words, my eyes widened. That’s tremendously impressive!

I thought he might belong to one of the seven meritorious founding families. Even if it was limited to the ground, the ability to nurture life meant he could foster producers, the most crucial part of the food chain.

“Your ancestor who blessed your family must have been an extraordinary spirit.”

In response to my admiration, Noeul replied, seeming almost embarrassed.

“It was an earthworm spirit.”

Oh, um.

“I see.”

I smoothly brushed off my momentary loss for words. Right, earthworms are great.

‘…No.’

But what kind of spirit was it? Animals that live long and accumulate wisdom can become spirits. If it was a legendary earthworm, then… the only thing that comes to mind is Gyeon Hwon.

However, I quickly dismissed that thought. Whether his ancestor was Gyeon Hwon or Gungye wasn’t important.

“So, can you nurture everything that grows from the ground?”

“Yes, I can.”

“Even if you don’t know what it is, you can still nurture it? In other words, can you figure out how to cultivate it?”

As I spoke, I took out a sweet potato, and Noeul’s eyes widened.

“So the gift you received from Her Majesty was a plant.”

I nodded, then paused to think for a moment. If I wanted to prove this to Yemyeon, I couldn’t do it alone.

Since he said he belonged to the Ministry of Works, which also deals with agriculture, his words would carry some credibility. Plus, I had already received his oath of loyalty, albeit a flimsy one, so it should be fine.

With my mind made up, I handed the sweet potato to Noeul and asked him to cultivate it right here.

Noeul obediently followed my instructions. His ability didn’t emit any light or smoke, but a savory earthy scent wafted through the air. Sprouts emerged from the sweet potato, and the vines grew rapidly. When the vines had grown about a handspan long, I signaled for him to stop.

Looking puzzled, Noeul held out the sweet potato to me. I snapped off the vine and handed the cutting back to him.

“Cultivate this.”

“But my lady…”

“I know what you’re worried about, but please do it.”

Since propagation by cuttings is an artificial method, it seems this world hasn’t used it yet. But since it worked, I urged Noeul on.

After some hesitation, Noeul finally followed my instructions, and the cutting quickly grew roots and took on the familiar appearance of a sweet potato. Then I faced three pairs of widened eyes.

“It was just a vine, but how…”

“Amazing, isn’t it? This is the countermeasure for the famine.”

Noeul, who had been muttering in astonishment, suddenly looked up at my words.

“It grows well even in barren and cold lands and doesn’t need much water. Just one is quite filling. It will be a useful food source for barren lands unsuitable for grain cultivation.”

I spoke calmly, but I felt gratified seeing Noeul’s widening eyes. He seemed bewildered but not disbelieving, likely because he had witnessed the plant growing from the cutting.

“How did you know about this?”

In response to his stunned voice, I grinned and replied.

“I just know everything.”