Chapter 1…..
“The baby has been born!”
It was the time when the hot summer winds had just begun to blow.
Across all of Joseon, people had been eagerly awaiting the birth of the baby.
The crown prince’s first and cherished child had finally arrived.
Everyone in the Crown Prince’s palace was moving busily without a moment’s rest.
The Crown Prince, who had spent the night reading in the Charity Hall, had long since abandoned all decorum and rushed to the birthing room. By tradition, neither the mother nor the child could be seen until the 21st day after birth, but he could not simply stay in one place.
Rumors had followed the Crown Prince—claims that he was impotent or had preferences for men. This child would instantly silence those absurd rumors. Naturally, the father could not help but feel thrilled.
“Are they both safe?”
One of the palace physicians, who had come out to report the news, quickly bowed before the Crown Prince.
“Your Highness, congratulations. The baby has been born healthy, and the mother is doing well too.”
“And?”
“It’s a healthy daughter.”
A sigh of relief escaped the Crown Prince, and a smile soon spread across his face. Others might have frowned at having a daughter as their first child, but he was no ordinary man. Hyang, the legitimate heir of the Golden Hall, would safely inherit the throne, barring some cataclysmic event.
He was still young, and contrary to rumors, he did have an interest in women. Now that the baby had arrived safely, the baseless gossip would die down, and that alone was good news.
“You all must have worked hard.”
“It was our duty, Your Highness.”
“Seung-hwi struggled greatly through childbirth. Take good care of her. The baby was born strong, but she must have endured hardships. Watch over them carefully.”
“We shall, Your Highness.”
Hyang commended the palace physicians and attendants in the birthing room before returning to the Charity Hall. He instructed that messages be sent to the king and queen immediately, so they would be informed as soon as they awoke.
The king, who cherished his daughters dearly, would surely be delighted that his first grandchild was a healthy girl. There could be no greater joy.
When his young daughter, Princess Jeongso, had passed away, he had even skipped meals in his grief. Health was indeed the greatest blessing.
The entire palace—and indeed all of Joseon—buzzed with excitement. Blessings poured in for the baby.
When news reached the Golden Hall that the baby’s cries had been heard, the Queen could not hide her joy.
“Though it is a daughter, she is the Crown Prince’s first child and my first granddaughter. I cannot contain my happiness. I will reward the physicians who assisted both Seung-hwi and the baby.”
The Queen, who had always worried about the Crown Prince, adored the child even more. The scandal that had followed the Crown Prince since the former crown princess’s deposition had sullied his reputation. This baby granddaughter would instantly silence those rumors.
“We shall name her Hong-a.”
To commemorate the baby’s healthy birth, the Queen personally gave her the name Hong-a (弘芽), meaning a precious sprout destined to grow widely.
The 21-day confinement passed without incident. After this period, the mother and child were separated for practical reasons. Young mother Seung-hwi Kwon visited her baby diligently every day.
“My baby, have you been well?”
“Indeed. She nurses well and sleeps soundly.”
“I see.”
“She is so gentle that she seldom cries.”
“How fortunate it is that the baby is healthy and strong.”
Seung-hwi Kwon, who had given birth at only fifteen, had endured severe hardship. During her confinement, she had barely eaten and spent most of her time lying down. Even walking a little left her fainting, and she constantly worried about her baby’s wellbeing.
Despite these struggles, the baby was born safely and became a source of joy for the royal family, relieving her mother’s heart of much burden.
“Let me hold her for a moment.”
The head nurse, Lady Park, carefully handed the baby to Seung-hwi.
Though still an infant, she was gentle and easy to handle—perhaps taking after her mother. Sleeping a lot was a minor worry, but one could hardly fault a newborn for that.
“She’s so beautiful.”
Seung-hwi smiled as she watched the baby sleeping peacefully. By law, she could only see her child for a few hours each day, making even these short moments precious.
Her youthful face, though more suited to a girl than a mother, carried a mature motherly smile.
“Try asking to spend the night with the baby.”
“How could I do that?”
Seung-hwi laughed awkwardly.
A concubine’s child required permission from the Crown Princess, the legal mother, even to spend a single night together. The Crown Princess Bong, though gentle and kind, had been intimidating enough that Seung-hwi feared to greet her.
Seung-hwi reluctantly left after the brief visit.
The nurse once again checked on the sleeping baby, ensuring her peace before retreating with the other attendants.
As night deepened, the newborn, seemingly lost in dreamland, suddenly opened her eyes.
Though only a few months old, her expression showed unmistakable bewilderment.
“Is this really… not a dream?”
She had believed it was a dream for several months, but now it seemed real.
Hong-a was born with memories from her previous life. They first surfaced while the palace women bathed her tiny body, slowly coming back bit by bit.
In her past life, she had lived as Kwon Hong-a for twenty-five years. Same name, but a completely different life—a dragon born in a rough stream.
But the stream had been harsh indeed.
Her mother died giving birth, and her father fell to his death at a construction site when she had just turned twenty.
The family’s financial situation collapsed. Hong-a had paused her studies, hopping between factory jobs to make ends meet, and even after returning to school, she juggled several part-time jobs to survive.
The last memory she had was searching for research materials in the library—investigating the Gyeyujeongnan coup. She had died before finishing it, and life felt utterly meaningless.
Perhaps she died from overwork… Ah, maybe so.
Hong-a accepted it easily. Life had been grueling enough that death seemed preferable.
“Then… who am I now?”
In her past life, Hong-a had been a university student majoring in history. She had believed she could deduce clues from her studies. Judging from the clothes of the palace women and servants, she guessed the era to be early Joseon.
Yet there were limits. In the body of a baby, she could do very little and meet only a few people. Life had once been busy; now, it was monotonous and unproductive.
“Crown Prince’s baby.”
Most people called her this, meaning the daughter of the Crown Prince’s consort.
Her mother, however, was Seung-hwi, a concubine. Though the Crown Princess had visited once to celebrate the 21-day confinement, Seung-hwi’s position remained ambiguous.
Despite this, Hong-a received overflowing love, being the Crown Prince’s only daughter and silencing any rumors that might have harmed his reputation.
Even lying quietly in the outer palace, she could hear enough of the gossip circulating in the court.
The problem was that her clues stopped there.
Historical records rarely detailed daughters of the Crown Prince or the king. Searching for information about Seung-hwi’s child was too broad a task.
Moreover, she could only meet her father for about an hour each day—too short to gather meaningful insight.
Most of all, this baby body grew sleepy at the slightest effort of thought. Any attempt at research ended in drowsiness, and Hong-a’s eyes would inevitably close.
The next day, and the day after that, Hong-a’s days remained monotonous.
She woke each morning, nursed from her wet nurse, and napped whenever sleepy. She would wake, nurse again, and visit her grandmother, the Queen, to show her charms.
It was hard to tell whether she or her grandmother was the one showing the antics.
Sometimes, she met the concubines visiting with their young children—future “little uncles” of the Crown Prince.
Some of these toddlers, only three or four years old, already carried themselves with dignity, while others behaved unmistakably like babies.
“Ah! Crown Prince’s baby, don’t run in the Queen’s quarters!”
“Little Prince, sit still!”
The one-year-old uncles, brought by Kim So-ui and Lady Yang, ran gleefully through the Queen’s chambers.
The Queen, who adored children, watched happily without scolding, but the young mothers panicked, trying to restrain them.
Hong-a, cradled in the Queen’s arms, clicked her tongue internally at the antics of her uncles.
