・・・・・
“Why isn't he coming?”
The mirror was filled with the moon.
But Kyung did not appear.
Yeowon sat in the garden, waiting for Kyung until the rooster crowed at dawn, adjusting the mirror’s position to match the changing moon.
She tried to console herself, thinking that since he had said he wouldn’t be able to see her for a while, he might not come this month. Still, the anxiety that bloomed in her heart did not easily subside.
And the anxiety grew stronger when, one day, she noticed a small crack in the corner of the mirror.
It wasn't her fault.
When she woke up, she discovered a crack had already formed.
"Has something happened to Kyung?"
The mirror was just a passageway, yet strangely, she began to identify it with him. Instinctively, she thought that if something went wrong with it, she wouldn’t be able to meet him.
Fortunately, no further problems occurred with the mirror.
The problem, however, was with her.
She couldn’t remember how she spent her days.
Even though she knew Kyung couldn’t come unless the moon was full, Yeowon, her heart heavy with anxiety, paced the garden every night with the mirror in hand.
Three months passed like that.
Kyung still had not appeared, and around that time, a rumour spread through the palace that a ghost with dishevelled hair wandered the halls every night.
And that rumour reached the king's ears.
When the king learned that the ghost, said to wander the palace, returned to the Cold Palace before the rooster crowed at dawn, he immediately summoned Yeowon.
Behind the veil, Yeowon’s face was pale.
Her eyes, filled with fear, lowered as she bit her lip and fidgeted with her hands inside her sleeves. She was so tense that it was difficult to even breathe properly.
She was now standing in front of the king’s bedchamber.
It was late at night, so she didn’t need to wear the veil, but she had put it on because she couldn’t bear the stares she received on her way here.
Thanks to that, she was relieved to be able to hide her face, drenched in cold sweat.
But.
"Take off that unsightly veil."
The king frowned as soon as he saw Yeowon wearing the veil. Since it was night and there was no sunlight, removing the veil was no big deal.
But the problem lay elsewhere.
While she was wearing the veil, she could hide her frown, but without it, she couldn't conceal her expression.
The moment the bedchamber door opened, the smell of food wafted out, making her stomach churn.
The king had a table of food in front of him.
"Why are you hesitating? Take it off right now!"
At the king's displeased voice, Yeowon bit the inside of her mouth and removed the veil.
"Indeed, you are the ghost from the rumours."
The king sneered as he saw her white hair cascade down.
"I-I am sorry."
"What on earth were you doing wandering around on moonlit nights? Didn’t I tell you to stay quietly in the Cold Palace because you look hideous? Were you planning to curse the Kingdom of Jino?"
“N-No. I was just... Ugh."
Yeowon had wondered if there might be an issue with her palace, so that was why she had wanted to reflect the moonlight onto the mirror from elsewhere.
But there was no way she could explain that. No, she didn't even have the chance to make an excuse.
Nausea kept rising. She tried to cover her mouth with her hand to suppress it, but it was no use.
The king frowned as if he found the sight pathetic.
The palace eunuch, who had been staring at her intently, approached the king's side and whispered something into his ear, causing the furrow between his brows to deepen further.
“Bring the physician at once!”
At the mention of the physician, Yeowon's face turned pale.
"F-Father, it's just some discomfort in my stomach. There’s no need to call for the physician..."
"Silence! Whether it's just an upset stomach or something else, we'll find out when the physician arrives!"
Yeowon pleaded that she was fine, but the king seemed certain of something.
Yeowon had to kneel on the floor and wait for the palace physician to arrive.
Breathing heavily, Yeowon could do nothing but close her eyes as the physician entered the room, overwhelmed by the rush of despair.
"The princess is... pregnant.”
As soon as the physician finished speaking, a heavy hand struck her. A scorching heat spread across her cheek as if it had been touched by a flame.
Yeowon, who had collapsed on the floor, unconsciously clutched her belly.
"You wretched woman! Wandering the palace every night wasn't for some other reason, was it? Whose child is it?"
The king ordered someone to find out who the man coming and going from the Cold Palace was. But there was no way they would be able to find him.
Yeowon thought it was truly fortunate.
The king’s fury was immense because Yeowon refused to reveal who she had spent the nights with.
"Lock her up immediately! She is a disgrace to the royal family!"
With that, Yeowon was imprisoned in the Cold Palace once again.
Before, she was ‘confined,’ but she was not bound by restrictions of freedom; this time, it was different.
Maids stood guard outside her bedchamber, and the same was true around the Cold Palace.
Soon, it would be the full moon, but since she couldn’t leave her bedchamber, she couldn’t reflect the moon in the mirror.
Even if she couldn’t go outside, if there had been a window, she would have opened it and let the moon shine in. But her bedchamber didn’t even have a small window.
All Yeowon could do was whisper her story to the mirror.
“Kyung... Where on earth are you? Do you intend to leave me like this?”
Tears fell from Yeowon's eyes, wetting the surface of the mirror.
・・・・・
Having the maids guarding outside her bedchamber was uncomfortable, but it did have its advantages.
She could overhear various bits of news through their conversations.
Of course, it wasn’t like this in the beginning.
Initially, the maids, under the king's orders to keep a close watch on the princess, were very tense.
However, since Yeowon's bedchamber had no windows and she showed no signs of wanting to go outside, the maids gradually relaxed.
Moreover, since the Cold Palace wasn’t very large, the skilled maids could finish all the cleaning and miscellaneous tasks in no time, even before the first watch of the day.
With the princess staying in her room and having nothing particular to do, the maids eventually got into the habit of chatting among themselves.
“Yeorang has gotten married...”
Through their conversations, Yeowon learned that Yeorang, who had left for Gyoyeon Kingdom, a few months ago, had married the crown prince.
It seemed that the delegation who had accompanied her had returned to Jino Kingdom.
And.
“Have you heard the news? The army of Nahu Kingdom recently conquered Bisa Kingdom.”
"Bisa Kingdom? Oh my... ”
The maid's startled voice, raised in surprise, echoed through the bedchamber door.
“Just how far does Nahu Kingdom plan to expand its territory?”
“What if they invade our Kingdom of Jino next?”
"I heard that not long ago, the brothers fought for the throne. Instead of focusing on strengthening his own kingdom, as soon as he ascended to the throne, he started a war. It’s clear that the king of Nahu is someone driven by bloodlust."
“It’s obvious, especially since he killed all his brothers.”
The maids clicked their tongues and gossiped about the new king of Nahu, whose face they had never seen.
“Nahu Kingdom...”
Yeowon murmured the name of the kingdom that had been mentioned most often by the maids lately.
Nahu Kingdom was farther away than Gyoyeon Kingdom, where Yeorang had gone to marry.
It was a secluded country located at the northern tip of the continent, and not much was known about it.
All that was known was that, due to its northern location, the environment was harsh. Unlike in other countries where the eldest son usually ascended to the throne, Nahu Kingdom chose its king through competition, with the strongest claiming the crown.
Recently, the power struggle for the throne had ended, with a new king taking the throne of Nahu Kingdom.
War. The very thought of it was terrifying.
However, the distance between Nahu Kingdom and Jino Kingdom was considerable. More importantly, not only was Bisa Kingdom between them, but rugged mountains also stood in the way. Just as the worries of the maids were unfounded, it could be safely assumed that, Jino Kingdom was unlikely to face an attack from Nahu Kingdom.
Moreover, even though Nahu Kingdom was powerful, the military strength of Jino Kingdom was significant, so they shouldn’t have any major issues.
Outside the bedchamber, a conversation full of worry continued, but Yeowon lost interest.
Her mind was solely focused on Kyung.
“I miss you...”
Today, too, Yeowon spent the night in tears, looking at the mirror that gave no response.
Days passed as she sat quietly in her bedchamber, receiving the maids' care.
Originally, she didn’t venture outside much, so staying in her bedchamber wasn’t difficult. However, as the full moon approached, Yeowon became increasingly anxious.
She stopped a maid who was leaving after setting up her meal.
“Send a message to Father. Tell him I need to see him urgently.”
In truth, this was just an excuse. All she needed was to go outside on the night of the full moon.
Even if Kyung didn’t appear this time, she knew she had to at least try.
If he did appear, she planned to ask him to take her out of the palace immediately.
Though soldiers were guarding her, Yeowon believed Kyung could defeat them.
From the calluses on his hands, Yeowon recognised that Kyung was someone who had wielded a sword for many years.
Though she was now confined to the Cold Palace, she had lived relatively freely when her mother was alive.
Yeowon's mother, who came from a military family, had taught her some basic combat skills. However, the training was brief, so there was little Yeowon could actually do.
Still, she knew how the body developed with training and where calluses would form.
Kyung was a fairly skilled warrior.
However.
"Right now, the palace is in chaos, so you cannot see His Majesty the King."
“Why? Has something happened?"
The maid hesitated for a moment before answering Yeowon's question briefly.
"The army of Nahu Kingdom is advancing. They will likely reach the royal palace soon."
"What? Weren't they in Bisa Kingdom a short while ago?"
"How does the princess know that?"
The maid, puzzled and suspicious, wondered how the princess, who was confined to her bedchamber, could possibly know such things.
“I heard you talking outside.”
“I… see."
"But how did they get here so quickly?"
“The soldiers of Nahu Kingdom move even at night as if it were day. It's like... it's rumoured that they’re like ghosts."
The maid trembled as she mentioned that the king of Nahu, their leader, was said to resemble a Yacha. [1]
Until a few days ago, the war had felt like someone else’s problem, but now that it was her reality, fear began to overwhelm her.
After the maid left, Yeowon habitually held the mirror to her chest and gently cupped her slightly swelling belly.
It seemed unlikely, but if Nahu Kingdom were to capture the capital... even in her current confinement in the Cold Palace, as a member of the royal family, her death would be certain.
In case of the unexpected, Yeowon began to pack her belongings.
"I have a child... I can't die. As long as I'm alive, I’ll find a way to meet Kyung again."
Her fingertips trembled as she tied up her bundle.
Translator's Corner:
[1] Yacha (야차), typically referred to as a "yaksha" in mythology, is a type of supernatural being in Asian cultures, often depicted as a demon or ghost, particularly in traditional Korean folklore and literature. These beings are often portrayed as malevolent or mischievous, and they can appear in various forms, including as humans or animals. (Source: https://oldworldgods.com/korean/yacha-mythology/)
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