CHAPTER~09
As Su-ryeon tried to calm her tumultuous heart, Lee Jun, who had been tickling the princess’s cheek with his fingers, spoke.
“Honestly, at first I was disappointed it wasn’t a son. But now, I think the princess is fine too.”
Then Lee Jun began talking about the European royal courts he had visited this time.
“At the celebration banquet for the prince’s birth, that child had two older sisters too.”
Su-ryeon momentarily forgot why her husband had been away in Korea while she was giving birth.
“Seeing that made me think that someday, the heir should have older sisters too.”
It was just a banquet to celebrate another country’s prince’s birthday.
When he first said he would go, she had been incredulous.
Not attending such an event would not have caused any diplomatic offense.
Moreover, if he had stayed by his wife’s side during childbirth, who would have considered it improper?
Yet her husband had boarded a plane, leaving his wife who had just begun labor behind.
However, Su-ryeon could not show any resentment because of the Empress Dowager Min, who supported his actions.
As if unaware of Su-ryeon’s feelings, Lee Jun spoke nonchalantly.
“Next time, we can have a son. Well, having another daughter first wouldn’t be bad either.”
Su-ryon laughed bitterly inside.
‘Even after hearing that his wife nearly died from a difficult natural delivery, he’s already talking about a second and third child.’
“If it’s a son, I’ll choose the name then.”
But contrary to his wishes, Su-ryeon had not been able to have a son for five years.
‘Not only a son, I couldn’t even get pregnant.’
Her body had already been weakened by numerous IVF procedures even before giving birth to Sahee.
After giving birth, she had undergone another risky IVF procedure, which left her uterus severely damaged.
As a result, she eventually had to undergo a hysterectomy.
‘This time, I will never do that again.’
She did not want to be with that man again.
Honestly, she wanted to divorce and leave the palace with Sahee immediately.
‘Maybe… divorce is possible.’
But even if she divorced, she would not be able to leave with Sahee.
The royal family would never allow the princess to leave.
This was tied to an old royal law.
The royal family had an extreme obsession with heirs, regardless of gender.
Even when a royal prince divorced in the past, the law strictly opposed the children living with their mother.
Thus, Su-ryeon could only listen silently to her husband’s nonsense.
Then, as if remembering something, Lee Jun lifted his head.
“Ah, do you know who I saw today?”
Snapped from her thoughts, Su-ryeon met Lee Jun’s eyes.
“Who did you see?”
“I saw your older brother.”
Hearing that, Su-ryeon furrowed her brows.
Being an only child, Lee Jun had no older siblings.
So who could he possibly call an older brother…?
At that moment, Su-ryeon recalled someone and parted her lips slightly.
“You mean Lee Heon?”
The familiar name widened her eyes.
It was exactly the person she had in mind.
“Don’t you want to see him?”
Lee Jun studied her expression, as if trying to read her thoughts.
“After all, you were engaged.”
Su-ryeon clenched her skirt at that remark.
She tried to gauge his intention, but could not read his mind.
“Sometimes I wonder. If my uncle and aunt hadn’t passed away, what would things be like now? I’d probably live a mediocre life as a relative. Of course, you would still be the empress.”
His words had invisible barbs.
Whenever he spoke of his cousin, he always spoke as if probing Su-ryeon.
The relationship had long been over.
Why say such things to gauge my reaction?
Su-ryon remained expressionless, showing no response, which only emboldened his provocation.
“Wouldn’t it be nice to see him at least once? It’s been over a decade since he came to Korea. Everyone knows you two were close.”
He drew out a smirk.
Su-ryeon glared at him coldly for a moment and replied.
“I have no reason to see him. You are now the emperor, and the person beside me is you. Talking about things that never happened is pointless.”
Her voice contained no emotion.
Lee Jun nodded, seemingly agreeing.
“You are right. I am already the emperor, and you are my wife. A meaningless family, indeed.”
He handed the child he was holding to Su-ryeon.
Then, as if his business were done, he tried to leave, but suddenly turned back.
“They say they will select the chief nanny soon.”
Su-ryeon, anticipating the news, asked.
“Yes. But I’m worried. On the list Mother showed me, there were people without childbirth experience. I still want someone who has raised children to take care of ours…”
Hearing her concern, Lee Jun asked dismissively.
“Leave the chief nanny to Mother, and rest. She will do it well.”
As if recalling something else, he added.
“By the way, there was a small commotion at the hospital regarding the name.”
Even while absent from Korea, he seemed well-informed.
“Mother must have been so embarrassed. Secretary Jo has served her for years. Couldn’t she have just let it pass?”
“And you don’t mind? The name Secretary Jo brought was basically a curse for our daughter.”
“It was a mistake. People are too harsh over a name.”
Su-ryeon bit her lip in anger at his reaction.
“Anyway, let Mother choose the chief nanny herself. Elderly people are better at these things. You just follow her.”
With that, Lee Jun left the room.
Su-ryeon muttered to herself, staring at the empty space.
“Just follow Mother?”
That was all she gained: a bitter sense of betrayal, and a fear for her daughter and herself.
“I will never do that.”
She would not let go of this opportunity she had miraculously secured.
A week later.
The day of the chief nanny interviews had finally arrived.
Many aspired to become the royal child’s chief nanny. Working for the royal household offered not only prestige but also a secure future.
Those who had served as nannies for princes and princesses were given honors equivalent to retired senior officials even after retirement.
Even the tyrant Yeonsangun once gave a position to the son of his childhood nanny.
Thus, competition for the chief nanny of direct heirs was fierce.
It was natural that the applicants’ qualifications were impressive.
Before heading to the interview hall, Su-ryeon checked anonymous documents that had arrived.
They had been sent by a senior who had attended the same school.
Su-ryeon had asked her journalist senior to investigate the candidates for the chief nanny position.
The report arrived that very morning.
Excluding Jeong-ah, there were only two candidates.
By career and personal life, no issues were found.
But…
“I knew it.”
Su-ryeon’s eyes lit up as she read the page about Jeong-ah.
It was the look of a hunter spotting prey.
“Your record can’t be that clean.”
With this, Su-ryeon could ensure Jeong-ah would never step foot in the palace.
Smirking, she put the papers back in the envelope and rose from her seat. It was time to meet Jeong-ah.
Su-ryeon boldly left Gyo-tae-jeon.
She headed to Heung-bok-jeon, located inside the inner palace, mainly used for examinations and receiving envoys.
Today, the interviews for the princess’s chief nanny were to be held there.
The interviews were similar to corporate job interviews.
They evaluated character, experience, and ambitions to select the best candidate.
Of course, the Empress Dowager Min, not the empress, would ultimately select the candidate.
So Su-ryeon only needed to give reasons why Jeong-ah should not be chosen.
After arriving at Heung-bok-jeon with confidence, it wasn’t long before the Empress Dowager Min entered, greeting the palace staff warmly, seemingly in a good mood.
“Well, shall we begin?”
“Yes, Your Majesty, Empress Dowager.”
The interview began with the Empress Dowager’s words.
Or rather, was about to begin, when…
“Your Majesty, the Grand Empress Dowager has arrived.”
An unexpected figure appeared.
