Episode 6
A Life Not Easily Lived
Was this a dream, or reality?
Danseol couldn’t tell. Her entire body burned, just like when the royal palace had gone up in flames. The scorching heat made it hard to breathe—her mouth parched, her throat too dry to utter a single word.
> “Do you think she’s really dead?”
“…Probably?”
Voices echoed faintly from beyond the half-lit doorway. With trembling arms, Danseol began to crawl toward the sound, dragging herself across the floor.
> Save… me.
The image of three figures—seen only in dreams—flashed in her mind, snapping her back to consciousness.
If she let go of life now, then nothing would remain.
She couldn’t die—not like this.
> “Ugh, this is so creepy. What if she shows up in my dreams tonight?”
“I’d rather see a ghost than get yelled at again. Just open the door.”
The voices grew louder. Summoning what little strength she had left, Danseol pressed her hand to the searing floor and kept crawling.
Clatter.
> “Oh, heavens!”
The door swung open, and a court lady stumbled back in horror, collapsing to the ground.
> “A—A ghost…”
The maid had thought Danseol was dead. Now, she saw her crawling forward, disheveled and deathly pale, and shrieked in terror.
> “D-Don’t come any closer!”
Her robes, stiffened and stained with dried herbal medicine, looked like they were soaked in blood. Her face, ghost-white and drained of all color, resembled that of a corpse.
> “W-Water…”
Danseol reached toward the narrow gap in the door, where a cold breeze slipped in.
One of the stunned maids, reacting more out of instinct than clarity, handed her a bowl of water. Danseol drank every last drop, not pausing to breathe.
Only then did the fire raging inside her finally settle.
> “Please… bring someone… anyone…”
> “I-I’ll get help right away!”
The maid who had understood her words bolted from the room in a panic. Watching her vanish down the corridor, Danseol’s strength gave out and she collapsed once more.
> “I’m… alive…”
A tear slipped down her cheek as she gazed up at the blue sky beyond the open door.
—
Danseol had survived—barely.
It took ten full days of rest before she could even stand on her feet again. Her body was still weak; fever gripped her some nights without warning, and often she would vomit up whatever food she managed to eat.
Though clearly unfit to work, the palace showed little mercy, just as Lee Gyeom had warned. As soon as she was able to move, Danseol was reassigned to one of the most dreaded corners of the inner court—the Sedapbang, the royal laundry quarters.
> “That’s her, right?”
“Shh, be quiet. Do you want trouble?”
As Danseol passed by, the other maids whispered and averted their eyes.
> “I wonder what she did to deserve this?”
“Look at that face—probably exactly what you think.”
Rumors had spread quickly. Everyone knew Danseol had nearly died after drawing the Empress’s ire. And now, even in Sedapbang, she was treated as a pariah.
> “This is your work for the day.”
The head maid, seeing Danseol approach, pointed at the towering mound of laundry beside her. Even at a glance, it was far more than one person could manage.
And it was nearly double what the other maids had been assigned.
> “There must be some mistake with the workload.”
> “…What did you just say?”
The head maid’s eyes narrowed at Danseol’s calm protest.
> “My assigned work is clearly twice the amount given to others. That seems unfair.”
> “Ha!”
A novice, not only answering back but daring to speak of fairness—it was laughable. Danseol’s composed tone, delivered with unshakable courtesy, only made it more irritating. It almost sounded like she was condescending to her superior.
> “You know exactly why your workload is heavier, don’t you?”
> “I don’t understand what you mean—”
> “Who was it that brought back laundry dirtier than it started?”
Danseol had clearly never done this kind of work before. Her attempts had been a disaster. Her noble upbringing and refined manner grated on everyone’s nerves.
> “I’ve never seen laundry come out worse after being washed.”
Laughter rippled through the room at the obvious sarcasm. Exaggeration or not, Danseol’s work had indeed been terrible—stained, crumpled, and in many cases, completely ruined.
> “If you can’t even do your share, of course you’ll get more.”
The head maid tapped Danseol’s forehead with her finger—once, then twice.
Smack.
Instinctively, Danseol slapped her hand away.
> “What do you think you’re doing?”
> “Even if I’m a lowly maid, striking someone’s head is uncalled for. Now then, I’ll take my leave.”
With a polite bow, Danseol turned to go, leaving the head maid fuming behind her.
> “Who does she think she is…”
> “Another night without dinner, I suppose.”
Danseol let out a quiet sigh as she looked at the massive pile of laundry. If she had even one friend here, perhaps someone would have helped. But she was completely alone.
Which meant she would again be scrubbing clothes long into the night, missing yet another meal.
> I don’t have a choice.
Biting her lip, she hurried her steps. If she arrived late, the better spots at the wash area would be taken.
> “This spot’s taken.”
“Someone’s already using this one.”
“Sorry, but you’ll have to find another place…”
As expected, the prime spots were already claimed. Danseol had no choice but to settle at the farthest upstream corner of the creek.
> “Ah—cold…”
There was a reason no one liked the upper stream—it was narrow, the current strong, and the water far colder than downstream.
> “Ngh…”
Her blistered hands burned as they touched the icy water. But Danseol gritted her teeth and endured.
Thwack. Thwack. Thwack.
Her rhythm with the washboard was clumsy at best.
> “It doesn’t seem that hard…”
She glanced at the other maids and tried to mimic them. But having never done such work before, even simple tasks felt punishing.
Still, unless she finished her workload, no rest would be granted.
After wrestling with the laundry all day, Danseol finally completed her task. Exhausted, she hoisted the heavy basket.
> Looks like everyone else has already left.
The creekside was dark and empty now. Only the sound of trickling water remained—soothing, yet her chest felt heavy.
> “I can’t waste away scrubbing laundry forever.”
Danseol raised her head and looked at the dark sky.
She hadn’t given up. She would not dry up and wither inside the palace walls, just as Gyeom had predicted.
If she were to take her revenge, or even come close to it, she would have to escape the Sedapbang first. Here, she wouldn’t even catch a glimpse of the Emperor’s shadow.
> “There has to be a way…”
Plip. Plop.
Raindrops began to fall as Danseol walked, lost in thought. When the rain quickly grew stronger, she broke into a run, looking for shelter.
Spotting a pavilion in the distance, she rushed toward it.
By the time she arrived, the skies had opened in full.
> “Just a little later, and I would’ve been drenched.”
Setting down her laundry basket, Danseol looked out at the pouring rain. It didn’t look like it would stop anytime soon.
With nowhere to go, she sat under the pavilion.
Whoooosh—
The rain roared all around her, yet it was oddly peaceful. The way droplets slid off the eaves had a tranquil rhythm.
> “Honestly…”
Danseol let out a small chuckle. To be sitting here like this, calmly listening to the rain—it felt surreal.
> “What am I supposed to do now…”
She leaned her head gently against a pillar. Just like the rain-blurred scenery beyond, her future remained unclear.
The longer she stayed in Hwangseong, the more her memories of her father, mother, and brother began to fade. But the Emperor—Lee Gyeom—his face grew only more vivid.
> “To live without wanting to—that is your punishment.”
His words echoed in her mind, and her hands clenched into fists.
He was even more merciless in person. He showed no remorse for the devastation he had brought to neighboring kingdoms. His feigned grace was nothing more than arrogance—it made her sick.
> “But what was that mark… really?”
Danseol recalled the plum blossom branded beneath Gyeom’s collarbone—the same as the one on her own body.
Why would her mortal enemy bear the exact same mark?
She tried to ignore it, to dismiss it. But the thought haunted her. Just knowing they shared something in common made her feel ill.
> “I must’ve imagined it…”
Her fatigue slowly overtook her. After a full day of hard labor, the sound of rain and the still air lulled her into drowsiness.
Leaning against the pillar, Danseol slipped into sleep.
Step. Step. Step.
While she slept, someone approached the quiet pavilion.
But Danseol, lost in dreams, remained unaware.
