Chapter – 36
We’re All Friends!
The doll gifted by Lady So was truly adorable.
It was a tiny thread doll shaped like a small child.
It was small enough to fit in one’s palm, with long hair hanging down.
“Goodness, no matter how I look at it, it looks just like Your Highness!”
This?
“Does it? I don’t really see it.”
“I believe Lady So must have crafted it while looking at Your Highness. It’s so dainty and cute.”
Hmm. Now that she looked more closely, it did resemble Amang a bit.
The doll’s cheeks were rosy, and its neatly braided thread hair shimmered softly.
Am I really this cute?
Lady So must’ve been wearing rose-tinted glasses.
Still… it didn’t feel bad.
“Please wait just a moment, Your Highness. This humble maid shall create clothes befitting this lovely doll!”
Do as you wish.
Amang placed the doll on the table and propped her chin on her hand.
Life was peaceful.
“What should I name you?”
“You grumbled, but it seems Your Highness likes the doll quite a bit.”
“That’s not it!”
…It just felt lonely for the doll to not even have a name, that’s all.
“Call the name many times. A name only becomes real when it’s used often.”
“Fine.”
Amang stared intently into the doll’s eyes.
No fitting name came to mind.
…Only words like choco, mint, ice cream floated up.
“Is Geumjin not coming today?”
“No word yet, Your Highness.”
“Ugh, I’m so bored!”
After spending days bedridden, her dopamine levels had crashed.
And for a modern person, dopamine was essential!
Amang twisted and squirmed, radiating boredom.
To be honest, it was fun though.
Geumjin was the only person she could freely mess with.
The easiest target in this entire world.
Just then—
“Your Highness!”
A familiar voice rang out.
“Have you been well in my absence?”
“Geumjin!”
Geumjin arrived dressed neatly, holding a bouquet of flowers.
Azaleas, forsythias—bright blooms woven together.
“What’s this?”
“I heard Your Highness had fallen ill with a cold. I wished to visit at once, but this humble servant, too, was bedridden with fever, so—”
“Wow! Let’s make flower pancakes!”
“…Pardon?”
Amang was quite starved at the moment.
Though she’d already eaten two bowls of rice, she hadn’t had a snack yet!
Her eyes sparkled as she eyed the bouquet.
“Y-Your Highness, these flowers are—!”
“Hm? You don’t like flower pancakes?”
“…I do.”
Before Amang’s bright smile, Geumjin could only surrender.
“Your Highness, we shall prepare the most delicious flower pancakes!”
“When I lived in my family home, I made them every festival.”
“Leave it to us!”
Three sets of voices chimed in—triplet maids who had appeared from somewhere.
Amang eyed them and thought:
Who were they again?
Ah, right. The newly assigned attendants of Yeonyeong Palace.
Until recently, Yeonyeong Palace had only a few maids, led by Nan.
The Emperor assigned more attendants so I could focus on the consultations.
Sometimes a tyrant being helpful wasn’t so bad.
The triplets looked similar and seemed fiercely loyal.
Well, maybe the results will be different with three of them.
Considering how much Amang had made the palace staff suffer lately, guilt pricked her for a moment.
They must’ve been scolded terribly…
Nan was definitely not someone to let anything slide.
“Alright, let’s see what you three can do.”
“We shall do our utmost!”
The triplets snatched the bouquet from Geumjin and ran straight to the kitchen.
Their fussiness was tripled.
“…If it is something Your Highness wishes to eat…”
Geumjin’s eyes dimmed for a moment—until they landed on the fabrics on the table and brightened instantly.
You want to make clothes too, don’t you?
“How about you both join in as well? It’s easier and more fun than it looks.”
“A man cannot—!”
“It’s clothes for a doll made to resemble Her Highness.”
“…I shall give my all.”
Apparently, the best way to tame Geumjin was simply to mention “Princess Amang.”
Kind of touching, actually.
Amang sat quietly and watched Geumjin threading a needle with practiced ease.
Alright then. Time for me to show off my talent too!
Rolling up her sleeves, Amang grabbed thread and needle with grim determination. It would be a lie to say she’d never sewn once in her life.
Nan, Amang, and Geumjin.
The three sat around the table and began sewing. The colorful silks dwindled one by one.
“All done!”
Who knew how long had passed?
Once finished, Amang flopped back dramatically.
“My, Your Highness is quite skilled!”
“Right? I’m better than I thought.”
She swiped her nose proudly. As expected, a veteran of Korean home-economics class could not be defeated!
But as she sat up, her eyes widened.
“What is that?”
“We did our best, though our hands are clumsy.”
No. This couldn’t be real.
“Sir Geumjin’s sewing is finer than that of most women!”
“Truly? I watched my cousins a few times and picked it up.”
No, this was not “picked it up.” This was raw talent.
Amang stared blankly at the dazzling miniature garment.
This talented brat!
The blue silk garment was flawless, not a single stray stitch. It was tiny—smaller than her palm—but the sleeves were made from various colored silks, forming a perfect rainbow stripe.
This was cheating!
Just then—
“Wow, what is all this?”
“Did you sew these yourselves?”
“May we take a closer look?”
A delicious aroma wafted in. The noisy triplets had returned with flower pancakes.
But instead of serving them, their attention landed on the doll’s outfits.
Good. Time to prove myself.
If they had any eye for quality at all, they’d choose hers.
Amang raised her chin triumphantly.
“These three outfits were made by me, Nan, and Geumjin. Which one is the best? Speak!”
“Oh! Your Highness made one as well?”
“Of course! We are the maids of Yeonyeong Palace, after all!”
The doll sat in the middle, with the three outfits laid out before it.
The candidates:
Blue outfit by Geumjin — special feature: rainbow-striped sleeves
Red outfit by Nan — decorated with tiny beads on collar and sleeves
Yellow outfit by Amang — her masterpiece (in her opinion)
Which will you choose?!
“This blue one is incredibly well-made. To achieve this in such short time… surely this was made by someone experienced!”
Nope. Wrong. That one belongs to a talent monster.
“And this red one! Adding beads to avoid plainness—such refined instincts! This must’ve been done by someone with sharp eyes and steady hands.”
Still only praise.
Well, that ends now.
They will soon be struck speechless.
Amang placed her hands on her hips, contemplating how she should celebrate her impending victory.
“Pfft—haha!”
“…What is this? The yellow silk is lovely, but this sloppy sewing…”
“Was this Sir Geumjin’s work?”
“Hush, don’t insult Sir Geumjin. As if his skills would ever be this bad!”
What did you just say, you punks?
“In all my life I’ve never seen such a thing. It looks like a seven-year-old tore the cloth with bare hands!”
A ten-year-old made it, you brat.
“For someone to sew this and shamelessly ask for judgment… I would love to see their face.”
She had told them beforehand. The creators were right here.
And that’s me, damn it.
She hadn’t expected to be insulted like this.
Nan peeked nervously at Amang.
“Alright, that’s enough now—”
“Why? This is fun! This… creative outfit must be talked about far and wide!”
“So who on earth made it?”
Nan and Geumjin both stared at Amang.
She pouted deeply.
“…I made it.”
The triplets instantly turned pale.
“Seeing it again, it’s beautiful!”
“Indeed! Truly mesmerizing the more you look!”
“A-Ah, should we eat flower pancakes first? They’re tastiest when fresh!”
Too late, fools.
“Forget it.”
“Your Highness, we have sinned!”
“Have you? Then you must be punished, right?”
“…P-Punished?”
Those who dared insult the princess’s creation must face judgment.
A wicked grin curled on Amang’s lips.
Under the warm spring sun, the palace garden was filled with fresh green leaves.
Amang nibbled a flower pancake as she admired the scenery.
The weather is nice.
Peaceful days continued. She had half forgotten the nightmare she’d had the night before.
Well… in truth, her heart still raced whenever she stayed still too long.
“Your Highness… how long must we…?”
“Hush. You three talk too much.”
The triplets knelt in a row, looking pitiful.
One had glasses drawn in ink, another had a big X on her lips, and the third had spirals on her cheeks.
This was Amang’s chosen punishment.
Nothing beats the punishment of pure embarrassment!
It was a wonderfully peaceful and entertaining time.
While munching her pancake, Amang’s eyes caught something unusual.
A line of maids was walking by, each carrying a large box.
“What’s that?”
Even a carriage joined the procession.
A new parade?
Unable to resist her curiosity, Amang ran toward them.
Come to me, new dopamine!
