MOSC 27

Even after Wigyeom left on his trip, the surprises for On were not over.

The first was because of the maid, Mogyun, whom he had brought.

“Ah, right. And there is one more person I would like to introduce.”

With a glance, Wigyeom called someone over.

Only then did On notice the person who had been watching them from a distance across the main floor.

“You would be more comfortable with the court ladies you brought from the palace, but you must also get along with the servants of the Sim household.”

It was a maid with her hair in a pigtail and freckles on her face.

At first, On thought the maid was truly a servant of the Sim household that Wigyeom had arranged for. But her face was somehow familiar.

‘Mo, Mogyun…?’

It was clear. There was no doubt.

Was she not the personal maid who had always been with On, not when she was the court lady Kim On, but when she was the granddaughter of Kim Yunsu, the highest-ranking official of the capital’s administration, the Gyeongdodaisa, and the cherished daughter of the wealthy merchant Kim Hyungyu, who authored the Agricultural Classics?

Such a coincidence could not exist.

While she was just blinking her eyes, Wigyeom pushed Mogyun, who was looking at On, equally dumbfounded, in front of her.

“She is a clever child. She will attend to you well while I am gone, so please do not worry.”

Mogyun, who recognized On, looked tearful as if she would burst into tears at any moment.

On did not know how flustered she was.

‘Mogyun, you must not cry…! No, no…!’

In front of Wigyeom, On sent Mogyun a signal with all her might, telling her to pretend she did not know her, for fear of her identity being revealed.

Fortunately, the quick-witted Mogyun understood and suddenly pretended to whistle.

That was even stranger.

‘Not that, Mogyun…!’

On just wanted to press her throbbing forehead.

…Of course, there was no need to hide it from Wigyeom.

He, the culprit and mastermind behind this entire situation, already knew all of these facts.

‘A familiar maid will be more comfortable for her. It has been a long time, but she must also miss her life as a noble lady.’

It was Wigyeom who had searched for and brought Mogyun, who had been On’s personal maid during her days as a noble lady, before her very eyes.

But this was only the beginning.

Currently, Wigyeom was using every means available to search for her missing younger brother and her sister-in-law, who had married into the family as a child bride and grown up with her like a sister.

Based on the network and connections he had cultivated while serving as a diplomatic envoy in his past life, he would be able to find a clue before long.

‘Like that, one by one, I will help you find all of your family members.’

In this second life, Wigyeom’s goal to completely overturn her past life, in which she had only ever sacrificed, was firm.

The man’s heart burned hotly with the determination to make his wife walk only on a path of flowers in this life, no matter what.

…In any case, Mogyun, now reunited with the master she had longed for in her dreams, was embracing On and sharing a joyful reunion after arriving at On’s separate quarters.

Because they had grown up together from a very young age and because On’s grandfather, the elder Kim Yunsu who had served as the Gyeongdodaisa, had a generous character, the bond between the two, master and servant, was extremely deep.

Mogyun, holding back her tears through the years of hardship, was now pouring them all out while embraced in the arms of her master, who had now become the legitimate wife of a respectable, prestigious household.

“Waaaaah! Miss! Waaaaaah! Ooooh! I, waaaaah, never thought I would, sob, see you again, Miss! Waaaaaah! This is not a dream, is it? To think that after the Kim family fell and we were separated when I was ten, we would meet again like this after so much wandering. Waaah, ooh, sob, please answer me!”

“Yes. Sniff. Mogyun. What on earth is all this.”

“Waaaaaaaaah! Miss, Miss, Miss! Sob, ooooooh! I thought I would be grateful just to know you were alive, but to think you have become the lady of such a big house! How proud the late elder and the family masters would be…. I, waaaaah, for this day, sniffle, waaaaaaaaah! I must have lived for this! Waaah, oooooooh!”

“…Y, yes. Sniffle. But how about lowering your voice just a little.”

“Waaaaaaaaaaah! Miss! Waaaah, my tears will not stop right now! Sob! Waaah, ooh, oooooh! What should I do with this overwhelming emotion! Sniffle, sob, oooooooh!”

“…Never mind, it is alright.”

And so, for a while, On and Mogyun embraced each other and cried.

It was quite some time later that Mogyun discovered something strange about the current situation.

“Waaaaaaaaah! Ooooooh, sob, sniffle! But Miss, just when did you become a princess. Waaaaaah, ooooooh, oooooh! Was there a secret about your birth that even I did not know? Waaaah, sob, sniffle, sniffle!”

Mogyun, who had been crying for a long time, seemed to have finally come to her senses and suddenly asked On.

“That is…”

On stealthily turned her eyes, searching for what she believed to be the cause of this situation.

At the end of her gaze was Princess Bonghwa.

She had run away as if it were a matter of course when Wigyeom left, only to crawl back stealthily as soon as the uncomfortable person had disappeared.

Princess Bonghwa was spread-eagled on the floor of the separate quarters. Her posture was anything but ordinary.

Her head was lolling down below, and her two legs were lifted toward the sky at an angle that had no trace of elegance.

It was truly an attitude that seemed to declare she had now retired from her duties as a member of the royal family.

“……”

As she felt On’s gaze, Princess Bonghwa raised one eyebrow as if displeased.

“What.”

“……”

“Is there a problem?”

Sob.

…If this was not a problem, then what in the whole wide world was?

On cried inwardly.

There was. It was not just a problem, it was a problem in full bloom all over the mountains and rivers.

Of course, On was still afraid of Princess Bonghwa deep down to her bones. But the deep, deep duty of a court lady, forged through her life in the palace, was engraved in her blood and bones, and she could not even dare to stand up to Princess Bonghwa.

‘I take back what I said about resolving the situation as soon as I leave the main chamber.’

On held back her tears with the feeling of stabbing her own thigh with a needle.

Of course, Princess Bonghwa was no ordinary person.

Though she was acting without any propriety like a beggar in the marketplace, Bonghwa was a princess who had once received the full expectation of the royal family for her brilliance and agility in her youth.

A great heroine, too large for the nine-fold palace, where she was meant to bloom as prettily as a flower, to contain. Everyone said in one voice that if she had been born a man, she would have conquered the continent two or three more times over.

…The most regrettable thing about such a Bonghwa was the fact that she was too selfish for the abilities she possessed and the size of her capacity.

Bonghwa’s life was a life bound in shackles.

From the moment she was born a princess, a member of the royal family, she lived having forgotten what freedom was.

She was bound by etiquette and customs, and her thoughts and actions were always under someone’s surveillance and expectations.

But Bonghwa no longer wanted to live like a tree with its roots tied to this land.

Since the world was said to be wide, she wanted to measure how far the sky and earth stretched by walking on her own two feet.

Bonghwa already knew that this entire affair was a plot devised with Wigyeom and the Queen. Until the time the diplomatic mission from the Unnam Kingdom would soon arrive, everything was proceeding as planned.

‘On. You have worked hard all this time, so just endure it for a few more months. Then I will give you the gift of a permanent farewell from me.’

And On was one of the humans Bonghwa cherished the most.

In all those many years, there had never been a human who catered to her whims so well.

Soon, Bonghwa planned to give On a great reward.

For a moment, Bonghwa’s eyes shone in an unusual way.

…As if she were not human.

But On had no way of knowing this fact.

‘It truly is a coincidence. To think I would meet Mogyun here.’

On’s one and only flaw, and also her strength, was her lack of perception.

It was a situation anyone would find suspicious, but On only found it fascinating.

In the end, it was Mogyun who tried to sort out the situation.

“So that person is Princess Bonghwa. And you, Miss, are Princess Bonghwa? No, Princess Bonghwa is you, Miss, and you, Miss, are you, Miss…. No, that is not right, you, Miss, are Princess Bonghwa, and Princess Bonghwa is you, Miss…?”

Of course, Mogyun was not helpful either.

On had forgotten.

‘Mogyun’s “gyun” came from the character for dog…’

Was it because she was given the character for dog (犬) with the simple wish that she would follow her master well?

Finding a loyal maid like Mogyun throughout the entire Hwandoguk Kingdom would be as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack.

…But that loyalty would often get twisted when it crossed with her simple-minded brain.

In the end, On stepped up. She tearfully appealed to Princess Bonghwa.

“Your Highness the Princess. You cannot do this…!”

“I do not want to. It is bothersome.”

“Why on earth would the one who should preserve the position of the legitimate wife claim to be a concubine…! Your Highness the Princess, you ought to set an example for the royal family…!”

“What is a legitimate wife that you are making this so complicated? Let us just decide with odd or even. If I win, I will be the concubine.”

“Your Highness the Princess! This is not something to be decided by odd or even…!”

“Then do you want to play slap-match? If I win, I am the concubine.”

No matter what, she was saying she would make On the legitimate wife and become the concubine herself.

“Princess! Please maintain your dignity…!”

“Then you be the legitimate wife, and I will be the concubine. It is simple, is it not? I will accommodate you in everything.”

Naturally, her words had no effect at all.

“Your Highness the Princess…! If this continues, the state will be shattered to pieces!”

“The state will be ruined? Then no one will nag me, so that is actually a good thing.”

“Princess! This cannot go on! Please set the foundation of the royal family straight!”

“Ah, this is really annoying. You set that important foundation of the royal family straight. I have no energy, nor do I have the spirit to set the foundation straight.”

“Princess…!”

“You are the Princess. I am the servant. You are the legitimate wife, I am the concubine. The end. Let us not speak of this anymore.”

No words could get through to her.