Chapter – 37
Formation, the Yeonyeong Palace Investigation Squad!
A-mang had a long-standing chronic illness.
It was the <I want to know everything~ disease!>
Once she became obsessed with something, her concentration was so intense that she would forget everything else. From a young age, A-mang displayed remarkable talent.
Ah, this is entirely Yeong-eun’s story.
Yeong-eun, a child prodigy quite famous in her neighborhood, had been very curious since childhood.
What’s this? What’s that?
Whenever she chattered away with trivial questions, someone would kindly provide an answer.
‘Since when was it again.’
Yeong-eun, who used to chatter non-stop, one day closed her mouth.
She shut the door and immersed herself in her own world.
‘That was learning.’
Knowledge, scholarship, psychology and science, and the universe.
Yeong-eun dove into such things.
The knowledge that remained in her head for so long had more than enough places to be used someday.
That tenacity gave her endless inspiration even after entering the psychology department.
Like, for example, the act of pulling all-nighters steadfastly in the library before exams.
‘Thanks to that, I’m only sharp on theory.’
It was only theory, after all.
“Let’s go!”
“Your Highness! You’ll fall. Please, go slowly!”
“Your Highness!”
Right now, A-mang was quite excited.
A long procession of palace ladies heading to one place?
‘Something is about to happen any moment now!’
That’s right.
At this moment, A-mang couldn’t compose herself due to the impending dopamine rush.
“Princess A-mang!”
People chasing A-mang stretched out in a line almost as long as the procession.
Geumjin, Nan, and the triplets, whose faces were still smeared with ink!
Once again, Yeonyeong Palace was having a turbulent day.
“Hey, where are you all going?”
“Your Highness! Why are you going ahead!”
“I’m curious!”
Finally inserting herself into the procession and asking their destination, A-mang’s eyes shone brightly.
Anyone could see she was very excited.
“Even so, going silently is dangerous!”
“Lady Geumjin is right. Last time, you ran off on your own and gave us such a fright!”
She thought having attendants would be nice, but the nagging just doubled.
A-mang shot a glance at Nan and Geumjin.
‘Both of them only have their mouths alive.’
If you keep saying you can’t do this, you can’t do that all the time, when are you ever going to do what you want?
‘I lived my whole life unable to do what I wanted!’
Studying, being unable to come out because of pulling all-nighters in the library—she was sick of it all now.
What kind of life is this? Just when I try to do what I want now, I suddenly get possessed into another world!
‘It’s clearly a plot against me.’
So, at least here, I’ll do as I please.
This is another chance given by God.
A-mang covered her ears.
“Ah, I don’t know. I can’t hear!”
She chose outright rebellion!
“Your Highness!”
“Um… Your Highness. Sorry to interrupt your… discussion, but we are heading to Wunseok Palace.”
Wunseok Palace? That was Consort So’s palace.
“Why there?”
“Gifts have been bestowed.”
“By whom?”
“Well…….”
A-mang looked at the palace lady with wide, curious eyes.
She was just a child-sized figure, barely reaching the palace lady’s waist.
The palace lady, barely avoiding that gaze, hedged her words.
“Hasn’t Consort So become with child?”
“Aha!”
Unable to watch anymore, Nan blocked A-mang’s way.
‘Something’s suspicious.’
Although her face looked innocently bright and clueless, A-mang looked at the group heading in line to Wunseok Palace and deduced.
‘Do pregnant women usually get this many gifts? And she’s just a Consort.’
If it were an Empress or a Noble Consort, a very high-ranking position, then maybe.
Their children would have sufficient qualities as Crown Prince, so it would make sense to line up.
But Consort So? Why?
‘She already has many grown children. The children of Hwaningbi too.’
For various reasons, it was an event one couldn’t help but be suspicious of.
It was the kind of situation where poison could be mixed in without anyone knowing.
‘Absolutely not!’
A-mang really wanted to see her sibling.
She wanted to raise a cute baby that looked like Consort So!
“Alright. We’re going to Wunseok Palace!”
“Yay, great!”
“As expected of Your Highness!”
“We servants also wanted to see Wunseok Palace at least once!”
The triplets responded as if they had been waiting, clapping their hands.
Wait, you’re going too?
“What? No? Only we are going to Wunseok Palace. Geumjin and Nan! And me.”
Trying to follow all the way to Wunseok Palace!
“Your Highness, that’s too much!”
“Of course we were wrong, but this is no way to act!”
“We also want to see Wunseok Palace!”
No, look at your state.
‘If I go to Wunseok Palace with you like this, rumors will spread that I bullied the palace ladies.’
The triplets, with ink smeared and dark stains spreading around their faces, passionately argued.
“Hurry up and go. I have to go to Wunseok Palace!”
“Your Highness. Since Consort So is no longer alone, wouldn’t she be inconvenienced if you visit suddenly?”
“No? She often told me to come visit!”
“I’m concerned there might be repercussions.”
Compared to the triplets, Nan was vastly more mature.
But what to do about this?
‘I really have to go.’
If someone tries to harm Consort So or causes her to lose the baby, it would be a bigger problem.
A-mang recalled a palace intrigue drama she had watched long ago.
A baby growing perfectly fine in the womb disappearing overnight.
“Geumjin, let’s go!”
“Yes, yes!”
The easiest one to handle was Geumjin.
In the end, Nan, Geumjin, and A-mang broke through the long procession and arrived at Wunseok Palace.
Wunseok Palace was a humble place.
Compared to this, Yeonyeong Palace was palace-level.
“Your Highness? What brings you all the way here?”
“I came to see Consort So!”
“Please, come inside first.”
Should she have sent word first?
Seeing Myeong-i’s reaction, A-mang felt a bit embarrassed.
“There are so many gifts?”
“Of course! Everyone heard that Consort So is with child and hurriedly sent them.”
“Oh-ho, really?”
It seemed there were quite a lot of gifts even after sending many to Yeonyeong Palace.
The small palace was filled with numerous unopened boxes.
“What is all this about?”
“It seems the method for gaining favor that we found worked well.”
“What a fortunate event.”
Geumjin, who had been completely unaware of Consort So’s pregnancy, blinked her eyes wide.
Uh, so that’s how it is.
‘I don’t really know what happened either.’
The incident was resolved before she could even intervene.
There was a slightly uneasy feeling, but so what.
‘Now I’m free!’
Aside from the counseling session with Emperor Muje that came once every seven days, there was nothing.
It meant she could eat tanghulu to her heart’s content and laze around as much as she wanted!
“Consort So. Her Highness the Princess has arrived.”
“Your Highness?”
Crossing the space filled with gifts, they entered Consort So’s inner quarters.
Consort So, seated on the upper seat, closed her eyes leisurely and then stroked her stomach.
As if something was there.
A palace lady kneeling before her was quietly reciting sutras.
Of course, that stopped the moment A-mang entered.
“Consort So, I came because I wanted to see you!”
“Is that true? I too wanted to see Your Highness……!”
It was like a reunion of separated family members.
Just as A-mang tried to approach Consort So.
“Wait, Your Highness.”
“Huh?”
“You must not come too close.”
Huh?
“Currently, Consort So is carrying no less than the Imperial Grandchild! This is a precaution against any unforeseen accidents, so please understand.”
Goodness gracious. They’ve gone overboard with overprotection.
“Myeong-a. Don’t be like that. Think of how much Her Highness helped us.”
“That may be so. But this is for the sake of the baby to be born!”
Well, as long as you’re happy, that’s fine.
That aside, Wunseok Palace was quieter than expected.
Gifts were coming in endlessly, but no human presence was felt at all.
“Has no one else come?”
“Consort Hwajeongbi did visit, but I haven’t seen other concubines. Ah, please sit first! Bring some refreshments.”
Consort So fussed about as if welcoming a guest for the first time. She tried to offer the upper seat to A-mang but was urgently stopped by Nan.
Soon after, Myeong-i brought a table of refreshments.
The palace lady who had been reciting sutras earlier took her place by Consort So’s side.
‘A face I haven’t seen before.’
Was she a palace lady in charge of prenatal education?
A-mang’s thoughts only went that far.
“The person next to you… I saw her during that lecture?”
“Your Highness’s one and only assistant Geumjin!”
Even in this situation, Geumjin emphasized ‘one and only’.
Don’t look at me with that proud face.
‘This is ridiculous.’
It seemed she was quite excited now that she had become an assistant.
Even though being an assistant is just in name.
“Ah, I vowed that if Your Highness ever visited, I would definitely serve tanghulu!”
“It’s alright. I came without notice.”
“Shall I have some brought now?”
“This is enough!”
A-mang picked up and ate one yakgwa.
Before tanghulu became trendy in the real world, it was yakgwa.
‘Wow! Was this the taste?’
Naturally, A-mang, who was eating yakgwa for the first time, screamed internally. The sticky, sweet taste of the grain syrup enveloped her tongue.
‘Crazy, I’m tearing up.’
It felt like just yesterday she scoffed when all sorts of related desserts came out while yakgwa was trending.
Snapping back to her senses after mindlessly eating more yakgwa.
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
“It seems Your Highness also likes yakgwa! Next time, I’ll send yakgwa as well.”
As expected, people with pretty faces also have beautiful hearts.
For a moment, A-mang lost herself admiring Consort So.
‘How can she be so beautiful?’
It was a face she wanted to keep seeing even after looking at it.
Perhaps she would think of Hwa-an along with tanghulu and yakgwa in her sleep!
‘It’s so peaceful and nice.’
A-mang wished this time would last forever.
Delicious food was before her eyes, and a beautiful person was gazing steadily at A-mang.
Being a princess is really great. You can do as you please and no one says anything!
“Your Highness?”
“Yes?”
“Why are you looking at me like that? I-I’m embarrassed.”
Consort So blushed and seemed flustered.
She really did well to get possessed. So what if her foot got stuck in the subway?
‘Right now, I’m perfectly alive!’
Even if she borrowed someone else’s body.
That’s when it happened.
The complexion of the palace lady guarding Consort So’s side grew pale.
Her body tilted left and right, and then she collapsed on the spot.
Foam flowed from the palace lady’s mouth.
