The Young Consort Wants to Live Quietly

Chapter 59

* * *

“Step aside.”

“I cannot, your Highness.”

“I said, step aside.”

“It is Her Majesty’s order.”

“I told you to step aside.”

“I cannot, your Highness.”

Are you on auto-response mode?

I was getting increasingly annoyed by their identical answers each time.

In front of the main gate of the Eastern Palace.

I was engaged in a verbal battle with the palace servants guarding the gate. I’m not even going somewhere far, I just said I’m going to the garden.

“I said I’m going to Sanwha Pavilion. It’s not like Baekmok Pavilion where there are dense trees and you can’t see me. It’s just a place filled with flowers, what’s so dangerous about it?”

“I cannot, your Highness.”

Ah.

I gnashed my teeth. I felt like kicking their shins.

No, I shouldn’t get angry. These people are just following orders too. I shouldn’t get annoyed…

“Then I’ll just go right in front here and come back. I want to go out.”

“I cannot, your Highness.”

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Once becomes twice, twice becomes ten times. If I slowly sneak out, everyone will forget about it. With that thought, I said those words, but they were adamant.

“My deepest apologies, Princess. However, it is not possible.”

My goodness, the reply got longer. Your sincerity is boundless.

Shutting my mouth, I glared at them, and eventually moved my feet. The palace servants who frighteningly followed their master’s words well seemed to have no intention of stepping aside.

Right. The Empress must be scarier than the princess.

Returning to my room, the more I thought about it, the more absurd it felt. This time, the arrow of annoyance was aimed at the right person.

What is this? Why are you confining me when I’ve been perfectly fine?

Of course, the Eastern Palace was very large, so it didn’t really feel like confinement, but still, being able to go out and not being able to were different.

I opened the door to my room with my own hand and turned to Seoyeon who was standing behind me.

“Seoyeon. I need to send a letter to Her Majesty.”

Since they said it was Her Majesty’s order, it’s clear who I should confront.

This time, it was quick. The writing materials were promptly prepared on the table. Sitting in the chair, I took a deep breath before picking up the brush.

Right now, I’m not an angry child who can’t go outside. Not being allowed to confine someone without proper reason is something difficult for me to accept, having lived in a democratic country. So at the very least, I should hear a legitimate reason.

‘And calling you Mom is canceled.’

Did I kick you in my sleep yesterday? Then tell me, don’t be so stingy for an empress.

[Your Majesty. It is Sanya.

Has this humble one displeased Your Majesty in any way?

As you suddenly confine this one in this manner, your unworthy daughter is unable to fathom Your Majesty’s profound intention.

May you quickly release your anger and grant guidance to your lacking daughter.]

I wrote it in one stroke, put down the brush, and read through the letter I had written. Hmm, it’s the most direct I can be when talking to the empress.

Using the first-person, which I don’t normally use, was a bit embarrassing but not bad. Satisfied, I sealed the letter and handed it to Heesa.

“Deliver this to Her Majesty. Also convey my apologies for not being able to deliver it personally.”

“Yes, my lady.”

After Heesa left, I picked up the brush again. Seoyeon looked at me curiously, so I answered her.

“I’m thinking of writing letters to the other consorts as well.”

Actually, we’re not close enough to exchange letters, but today I intended to imitate the shamelessness of a child. To avoid having the purpose and recipient specified, I need to increase the number of cases.

‘…And take this opportunity to say some nice things to Mirinae and Garam.’

At that, Seoyeon’s gaze became subtle. The look Heesa had when I told her to bring me clothes earlier was similar. Ah, could it be?

“Is that also not allowed?”

“My apologies.”

The apology that came in response to my annoyed question deflated me. It’s not Seoyeon who should be sorry…

Sighing deeply, I dismissed Seoyeon. Left alone with only Gowun in the room, I stretched out my body.

“…I roughly know what she’s thinking.”

Preventing me from leaving the Eastern Palace is one thing, but not letting me send letters to others as well.

I correct my thoughts from yesterday. Yehwa didn’t completely disbelieve what I said. But that led to an even worse result.

She thought I couldn’t solve the problem on my own, but she realized I would try to solve it.

I, who have no abilities, can do nothing alone. So she prohibits me from going out and even from communicating with others. I’m surprised at how thorough this person is being for the first time.

‘If only she believed something else.’

I sighed and picked up the brush again. I was thinking of writing letters to the other consorts. Thanks to my docile life, my relationship with them wasn’t too bad. But we weren’t close enough to communicate frequently either.

Thinking that way, the confinement wasn’t too bad. It changed the need to visit them in person to letters.

Still, I couldn’t send them to all the numerous consorts, so I wrote about a dozen or so.

Anyway, there was only one person I absolutely had to send it to, so it didn’t matter. After neatly organizing the letters, I gathered them all and tapped them with a smile.

Although Seoyeon said I couldn’t send the letters, there’s always a way if you look for it. When parents are strict, children don’t become obedient but turn into tremendous liars.

I’ve been living quite obediently so far, but I’m not the type to meekly follow along.

“Gowun. Is it also Her Majesty’s order for only you to be here?”

Gowun, who had been standing quietly, widened his eyes. Seems like he doesn’t know.

‘Yeoryu isn’t here.’

Normally, he would be in front of the door with the other palace maids, but he wasn’t here today. Yehwa probably got rid of him. Unlike the other palace servants, Yeoryu doesn’t belong to the Eastern Palace, so he can come and go as he pleases.

Leaving Gowun behind must be because she still needs at least one guard, but she left the younger Gowun…

‘He should be able to deliver letters just fine.’

I smiled brightly while looking at Gowun.

* * *

Late at night. I woke up to a small scraping sound. And I was momentarily surprised. First, because Gowun was stepping on the window frame, and second, because I wasn’t lying on the bed.

“Uh…”

Gowun, who had been balancing on the window frame while holding a bunch of letters in his hand, made a dazed sound.

I looked around in a daze. It was the typical sight of my room.

The problem was my two feet standing on the ground.

‘I was sleeping.’

In the endings of the letters I sent to the consorts, I wrote that I would come to receive their replies tonight, so I had to stay awake late.

I went to sleep early these days as I still needed a lot of sleep, which was fine, but I didn’t know why I woke up in the middle of the room.

‘Has my sleepwalking gotten worse?’

It seems I woke up from the sound of Gowun climbing up while I was pacing around the room. Even I was quite dumbfounded.

As Gowun was still looking at me with startled eyes, I gestured for him to come over.

Gowun silently climbed down from the window frame and approached me.

“Did you receive the letters well?”

“Yes, my lady.”

The letters he handed me were more than I expected.

The content of the letters I sent was a trivial matter about being trapped in the palace and feeling bored, and it was a rather rude request setting a deadline for a reply. So I thought there would be at most three or four letters, but there seemed to be about ten.

After confirming that the name I wanted was among the unfolded letters, I comforted Gowun.

“I was awake waiting for you, and you came right on time. Good job. Now go to sleep.”

Since I had moved in my sleep for the past two days, I was planning to mention the symptoms. Just not to Gowun.

A child’s peaceful world should be protected as much as possible. I didn’t want to make Gowun anxious for no reason.

At those words, Gowun immediately showed a relieved expression. And at that moment, I understood a little why Yehwa answered that way.

The way I see Gowun and the way she sees me must be the same. Just like I thought earlier, she probably wanted to reassure me and keep me from knowing anything. Because I’m young and inexperienced.

But the difference between Gowun and me is that I’m not a complete child.

I know she did it out of care and love. I know she did it for me. But the path love chooses is not always right either.

‘The reply should come tomorrow.’

After sending Gowun off, I was left alone and sighed before picking up the letters.

[Have you been well, my lady? It’s Choeun.]

A concise letter without any pleasantries. Choeun is Yemyeon’s name.

‘I went through all that trouble just to receive this…’

I sent it to everyone because I thought it would be suspicious if I only sent it to one person. To over ten people, writing slightly different content by hand one by one.

[It’s unfortunate to hear you’ve been ordered to stay in confinement, my lady. I also cannot visit you as I am forbidden from entering the Eastern Palace.

The specialty product from my family that you requested can only be delivered to you later.

I did not understand why you asked me to obtain vinegar, but I thought you might like the scent, so I have enclosed it at the end of the paper.]

The Yemyeon family, Choeun’s family, was famous for its breweries thanks to having vast plains that yielded abundant crops, but they processed them before selling rather than selling them as is.

Thanks to that, they are also said to be good at brewing alcohol, but that’s beside the point.

I placed Choeun’s letter, which had a lot of blank space left, over the candlelight. Then, parts of the paper began to change color to brown. Reading the letters that appeared that way, I let out a small exclamation.

Oh, this actually works.