Chapter – 19.
I Won’t Accept Any Rebuttals
To explain how this happened, we have to go back to this morning.
A-Mang, sitting up in bed, felt that something was wrong.
“Huh?”
This strange feeling, as if her body wasn’t her own. It felt like the day after a heavy drinking session.
No, it was even worse than that!
A chill running down her spine, an inexplicable headache, the feeling of her entire body having been beaten up!
‘Muscle aches.’
That’s right. Yesterday, A-Mang had swung on a swing very intensely with Geumjin. No matter how soft and pliable her body was, her spirit was that of a weary twenty-something. Her physique, unable to keep up with her spirit, had collapsed.
‘Wow, I feel like I’m dying.’
This thrilling sensation was something she hadn’t felt in a long time. Of course, that was because her crucible (stomach/abdomen) hurt so much that even running for just one minute would leave her gasping for breath.
Finally managing to lift her drowsy body, A-Mang remembered something she had forgotten.
‘Counseling.’
According to the original plan, she should have returned to her quarters yesterday and contemplated the counseling method.
On top of that, a sweet dessert tailored to the Emperor’s tastes as a bonus!
‘I passed out as soon as I got back.’
Since when had it been?
Was it since she was being carried by Nan?
She had closed her eyes for a moment due to the overwhelming drowsiness… and when she woke up, it was morning.
‘Haha. I’m screwed.’
A-Mang let out a hollow laugh.
But there was still a chance, as there was quite a bit of time left until the Hour of the Myo (5-7 AM).
Of course, the fire had already reached her feet and was still blazing fiercely.
“Did you cough? You must have been tired. You fell asleep as soon as I laid you down.”
“Did I?”
“This is the first time I’ve seen the Princess play with a peer! The moment I saw it, I realized it! Our Princess has grown up now!”
Overacting again.
Nan even performed the feat of wiping her tears with her coat ribbon.
A-Mang, whose resistance was completely worn out, desperately hid her cringing fingers.
This was no time for that. If she didn’t come up with a counseling plan immediately, her head might fly off.
A-Mang jumped up abruptly, only to collapse back down immediately.
“Princess!”
Nan screamed and rushed over.
What a loyal attendant, truly.
Without a moment to get accustomed, A-Mang raised her trembling finger.
“…I’m hungry.”
Let’s eat first and then talk.
A-Mang solemnly inhaled her meal. The rice tasted especially good today, undoubtedly because she had been running around yesterday.
Thinking back, aside from the Tanghulu yesterday, she hadn’t had a proper meal.
‘Is it because she’s young?’
These days, if she skipped a single meal, she would be so hungry she felt like dying.
“Give me another bowl.”
“My, Princess! It seems you’re going to grow tall soon!”
Anyway, two heaping bowls of rice went into this small body.
After eating in a frenzy, a lethargic feeling washed over her.
A-Mang, patting her full stomach, jumped up.
“Let’s go!”
“Huh? Where to?”
“To the flower garden!”
Until this moment, Nan thought, ‘She must want to finish the flower viewing she couldn’t do yesterday.’
Little did she know what A-Mang was thinking!
Today’s attire was relatively comfortable.
Her hair tied up in a single bundle, a skirt-pants that didn’t flutter and clung tightly.
Nan’s desire to dress the Princess splendidly was flatly refused.
‘It’s tacky! Heavy! Hard to walk in!’
There were some rather shocking words mixed in.
Nan was disheartened upon hearing A-Mang’s inner thoughts for the first time.
‘Did I go too far?’
A-Mang, who was walking ahead, glanced furtively back at Nan.
Her slumped shoulders suggested she was quite hurt.
But there was no other way.
‘Because I need to gather soil!’
If she wore her usual attire, she would undoubtedly cover her whole body in dirt.
Scanning her surroundings, A-Mang entered a grassy area full of weeds.
She stepped here and there, then suddenly crouched down and started digging at the ground with her hands.
“Princess! Let this servant do it!”
“No.”
“How can you do such a lowly task!”
“I must do it myself.”
There was a reason for it.
A-Mang desperately stopped the startled Nan and stared intently at the spot where the weeds had been pulled.
Dry soil that wasn’t wet with water.
‘Found it!’
It was the sand-like soil she had been looking for.
While eating, A-Mang had thought of one counseling method.
‘Shall I try play therapy?’
It was a counseling method mainly used for children who couldn’t communicate well.
It suited the self-defensive Emperor perfectly.
‘He just has to guess everything. How annoying.’
For this reason, she intended to use an unconscious method.
The very first thing to do was to cover a tray with soil.
It would be perfect if she had sand, but this wasn’t a desert, so there was no way.
“Huh?”
It exists?
Wow, this place. Scary.
A-Mang appropriately mixed soil and sand on the tray she had brought.
This is easier than I thought?
Next, she needed to collect the figures to place on it.
After returning to Yeonyeonggung Palace and washing her hands thoroughly, A-Mang asked.
“Nan. Are there any toys in Yeonyeonggung Palace?”
“There are things the Princess played with when you were young.”
“That’ll do.”
“What on earth are you planning to do?”
“Curious?”
A-Mang grinned.
“I’m going to do sandplay.”
Sandplay therapy.
A form of counseling where the analyst observes and analyzes the client who places various symbolic objects on the sand.
It was a play that frequently appeared in theory.
Of course, A-Mang had never used this method for counseling before.
Perhaps if she had been the client.
‘…….’
Enough, let’s stop thinking about it.
There was nothing good about being tied to the past.
“Ah! If it’s that, I know it well.”
“Huh?”
“The Princess always played that game when you were very young!”
Huh? I did?
“You were five years old at the time. How lively and cute you were!”
So, you mean I’m not like that now?
“I don’t remember.”
“You brought lots of sand from the garden and played in the back room of Yeonyeonggung Palace. The sand seeped into the floor, so that room became permanently unusable, but still!”
That feels like a targeted remark.
Listening to it, it seemed she was quite a handful to raise as a kid.
Nan was smiling brightly, but it was impossible to tell if she was truly smiling.
It also seemed like she was forcing a smile to overcome her sorrow.
Yeah, you’ve had a hard time.
“Is Yeonyeonggung Palace spacious?”
“Of course! Now only Princess A-Mang resides here, but in the past, it was a place where various royal concubines stayed. When Her Highness Hwanyeongbi was alive, Her Highness Hwajeongbi, who had just entered the palace, also stayed here! At that time, Her Highness Hwajeongbi was a Royal Noble Consort.”
Somehow, it felt like she had ended up hearing TMI about the imperial palace.
Still, it was quite useful information.
‘So that’s why she took good care of me.’
Even though she was now the mistress of Sujeong Palace, it seemed she had lived in Yeonyeonggung Palace briefly when she first entered the palace.
A-Mang, repeating the similar titles of Hwanyeongbi and Hwajeongbi, suddenly had a thought.
“Nan. Just how big is Yeonyeonggung Palace?”
“There are about five unused rooms.”
“Then the corridors?”
“Corridors?”
“The space connecting the rooms, I mean.”
When analyzing the Emperor, one thing worried A-Mang.
‘Would that guy ever admit with his own mouth that I’m right?’
Even if A-Mang’s conjectures and analyses were correct, he could insist they were wrong.
He was that kind of guy!
Whether this way or that, if his goal was to isolate A-Mang, the Emperor would do anything.
‘How卑鄙/vile.’
And he’s only ten years old.
But she wasn’t an easy opponent either.
She had faithfully completed 12 years of hellish curriculum, spent 4 years buttering up professors.
On top of that, she was a 24-year-old rookie psychological counselor who had passed various certifications, practicums, and even the national exam.
And that’s not all?
A person who devoured all sorts of web novels whenever she had free time and learned all kinds of palace intrigue!
‘If I knew this would happen, I should have possessed a concubine.’
Then I could have flown around.
No, if I were a concubine, I’d have to be in love with the Emperor.
That would be the absolute worst.
A-Mang, with a disgusted expression, decided to be content with her current situation.
“Nan. Help me.”
“Please give your command!”
There was no rule saying she had to just die.
Fortunately, there was a court lady who knew the layout of Yeonyeonggung Palace by A-Mang’s side.
‘Good. Let’s give it a try.’
Whether it would work or not was questionable.
And now, at the Hour of the Sul (7-9 PM), in Yeonyeonggung Palace.
A-Mang’s plan had worked perfectly.
‘It hurts.’
The Emperor, who had roughly grabbed her wrist, seemed to have half lost his reason.
There’s nothing scarier than having your inner feelings exposed.
A-Mang desperately held back the laughter that threatened to escape.
Instead, she scrunched up her face and made a tearful expression.
“……Ah.”
The indifferent sigh accurately hit the Emperor’s ears.
Only then did the Emperor realize what he was holding and hastily let go.
The red mark on the released wrist was vivid.
‘Ow. It stings.’
The Emperor, who had been shaking his head for a moment, looked quite troubled.
He’s the type whose expressions show clearly on his face.
“I find you both understandable and incomprehensible. How did you know? Isn’t this just a simple play? It’s as if… you see through everything.”
In the reception room of Yeonyeonggung Palace, where three or four candles flickered.
A-Mang gazed at the Emperor’s finely trembling eyelids.
In the darkness, his red eyes reminded her of a snake’s eyes.
Not the eyes of a predator searching for prey, but the eyes of prey facing a human threatening its life.
Fear, delight, and hostility.
‘I can’t say it’s a trade secret, but…’
Thoughts are products of the unconscious. When one cannot control it, humans inevitably represent the unconscious with their entire body.
So, the Emperor being able to honestly place his unconscious on the sand was all part of the planned course.
Didn’t Yeonyeonggung Palace, which he entered alone without guards or swords, seem spacious?
The actual corridors of Yeonyeonggung Palace were narrow.
But thanks to the ㅁ-shaped structure, if all the doors were closed, it seemed quite long.
‘Optical illusion.’
It would have been easy to detect during the day, but now it was night.
They had to move forward relying on just a few candles.
A-Mang had left a door open when Nan and the Emperor had gone around three or four times.
She had even hung a bead curtain to make it look like a secret space.
‘It’s called the shaky bridge effect.’
It’s natural to feel fear in an unfamiliar and strange space.
She used exactly that point.
The so-called <Yeonyeonggung Palace at Night Looks Different Somehow!> project.
“Everything is visible on this.”
She couldn’t possibly explain all this one by one.
So A-Mang went out quite brazenly.
Why, it’s the truth anyway, isn’t it?
