MOSC 34

On unconsciously began to devise a plan to solve the problem.

It was an old habit.

She thought deeply.

‘And the education expenses…. I’ll have to find a way for that too.’

If only to protect the honor of the Shim family.

Even though Sim Wigyeom was a promising scholar, his path to an official post was cut off when he became the princess’s consort.

As compensation for that, Shim Jian, who would carry on the Shim family’s lineage, had to pass the civil service examination and be set on the path to success.

On decided to meet the Shim family’s boy named Shim Jian someday, if only to prevent future problems.

‘It’s not so much for the Shim family, but because I am now his concubine too….’

It was the fate of a bridal night court lady to be executed when her identity was discovered, or to disappear without a trace if Princess Bonghwa ever changed her mind, but in any case, the family had to survive for the concubine to survive, right?

Thinking of Princess Bonghwa, the real wife, made her feel a little guilty, but On consoled herself in that way.

On raised her head and looked inside the side room.

At some point, Princess Bonghwa was dozing off with a nod, nod.

‘Again, again, her dignity….’

On habitually covered the princess with a blanket.

On the other hand, she remembered how the Shim family’s servants had called her madam all along.

They were calling On ‘madam’ and Princess Bonghwa ‘concubine.’

It was deeply embarrassing.

‘It should be the other way around.’

And strange things continued to happen.

It was the fact that some of the household members were adding the word ‘side room’ before the title ‘madam’ when calling On.

This was all because of Princess Bonghwa.

Only the location had changed to the Shim family home, but On’s attendance on Princess Bonghwa was still ongoing.

Because of that, since Wigyeom’s departure, On had naturally ended up spending a lot of time residing in the side room.

“My goodness, she’s always going in and out of the side room, so she’s not just a madam, she’s the side room madam!”

At first, it was said as if to tease the fact that the legal wife was doting on the concubine too much.

Once they got used to it, no one could think of calling On anything other than the side room madam.

The reason was that it rolled off the tongue so well.

‘The side room madam.’

Hearing that nickname, On felt a renewed sense of emotion.

It felt as if that name was so familiar.

‘Why do I feel this way…. It’s as if I’ve been called that for a long time….’

On dismissed it as déjà vu and let it pass.

‘Oh, come on. I must be being sensitive.’

On slowly looked around the side room.

Come to think of it, after arriving at the marital home, she had been confined to the inner court, and even after coming out, she had been busy with household chores, so she realized she had not had a chance to look around the side room, which should have been her original quarters.

On walked slowly along the small threshold of the side room.

Then, in this place that was said to be a newly built house, an unexpected trace caught her eye.

There was a faint diagonal line drawn at the bottom of a pillar.

‘What is this?’

She slowly rubbed along the line with her fingertips.

Suddenly, a forgotten memory slowly came to mind.

In her childhood, she was led by her father’s hand and stood in front of a pillar.

“Stand still, On. Let’s see how much you’ve grown.”

The moment she had her height measured with her younger brother.

Her father always said with a smile.

“Our On has grown so much. Later, when you see this pillar, you will be able to remember how tall you’ve become.”

On carefully placed her palm on the pillar.

“This pillar… why is something like this here?”

If it was a newly built side room, there was no way such an old trace would remain.

‘Did some building material get mixed in by mistake?’

It must have been a mistake.

But at the same time, a strange feeling weld up in a corner of her heart.

Judging by its position, it was clearly that of a child.

A warm feeling was transmitted to her fingertips as she slowly caressed the diagonal line on the pillar where some child’s height must have been measured.

On felt her heart grow heavy with an unknown longing and nostalgia.

‘The fact that a trace like this remains, it feels like it’s not a coincidence….’

On could not leave that spot for a long time.

The sunlight shining through the window of the side room was warmly embracing the pillar.

It was as if the pillar was whispering to her, trying to convey something into On’s memory.

‘It must be my imagination.’

However, On quickly shook off the feeling.

*

When Wigyeom finally arrived, the atmosphere of the house was quite different.

The yard and warehouse, which had been messy at a glance, were neatly organized, and even the piles of luggage were tidily arranged.

Even the servants looked energetic, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

‘What is going on…?’

Noticing the strange sign, Wigyeom’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

“My goodness, have you come, young master?”

The gatekeeper, who welcomed the returning Wigyeom, discovered the luggage filling both of his hands.

“Oh my! What is all this? Gasp! You’ve come with your hands full of luggage? N-no way you went to the market and bought all this, right? Please tell me you didn’t!”

His eyes popped out.

‘You’re not our young master.’

Eventually, the gatekeeper’s eyes, looking at Wigyeom, were filled with suspicion.

Our young master doesn’t buy things like gifts when he goes out.

“Why are you acting like this. Has it not always been this way?”

Wigyeom smiled as he elegantly spread open his fan with a swoosh.

On the outside, he was a respectable nobleman who had returned from a long trip.

Naturally, his attitude was conscious of his dear wife who would be welcoming him.

However, the expected On did not come out.

It seemed that, as expected, she had not come out to greet him, craning her neck in anticipation.

Wigyeom liked that even more.

‘It seems she stayed well in the master bedroom, just as I requested.’

He nodded in satisfaction.

A lot of things that were the exact opposite had happened, but for now, misunderstanding was his freedom.

“Where is my wife?”

“Your wife is in the side room.”

At the gatekeeper’s answer, Wigyeom’s feet stopped for a moment.

What? The side room?

‘Why is my woman in a place like that.’

Wigyeom’s face suddenly hardened.

An interrogation immediately followed.

“Why on earth is my wife in the side room and not the inner court.”

The gatekeeper, suddenly struck by an unexpected thunderbolt, answered in a fluster.

“Sh-she said it was comfortable there, and she has been staying there all along while the young master was away.”

“What?”

Wigyeom’s eyebrows furrowed.

A sense of bewilderment and confusion could be seen in their expressions. After hesitating for a long time, Kkeutbun’s mother opened her mouth with difficulty.

“Young master, I… am talking about the other madam….”

The other madam?

Wigyeom nodded and asked affectionately.

“What is it? Did something inconvenient happen to the madam?”

However, the woman made a strange expression.

“It’s not that… there are two madams. I am… talking about the other madam.”

Kkeutbun’s mother was talking about Princess Bonghwa.

However, Wigyeom blinked his eyes blankly at those words for a moment.

“The other madam?”

What is she talking about.

Why does she keep saying there is another madam.

‘My wife is only On.’

Sim Wigyeom had truly forgotten about the existence of Princess Bonghwa at that moment.

Seeing his expression as if he was hearing such a thing for the first time, Kkeutbun’s mother was flustered and informed him of the existence of the second, no, actually the first wife.

“I am talking about that concubine madam. That person, the bridal night court lady who you brought in as a concubine.”

Only then did a light of understanding dawn in Wigyeom’s eyes.

‘Ah.’

Princess Bonghwa.

Wigyeom had really forgotten.

The fact that besides On, Princess Bonghwa was also staying in this house.

“So what about that woman.”

It was a world-weary voice.

It was a voice that sounded as if she was not worth a single grain of his attention.

“Speak quickly. I have to go see my wife.”

More than that, Wigyeom was in a hurry.

He did not want to waste time on such trivial matters and just wanted to go see his pretty wife On, who he would not feel pain for even if he put her in his eyes.

This time, Kkeutbun’s mother was flustered.

She wondered if it was right for him to pretend not to know a woman with whom he had even spent the first night.

‘My, our young master is a really bad man.’

This was especially true for Kkeutbun’s mother, who had spent the night in the thatched-roof house on the first night.

For her, who had heard all the sounds of Wigyeom eating On alive, it was inevitable that she would misunderstand. This was possible because she did not know that the woman who had been eaten was the current On.

‘As expected, you can’t trust men. Our young master is a man too.’

In a deep misunderstanding, she secretly and slyly glared at him.

In any case, she had to report.

“That wench, no, ahem, the concubine madam is truly… um….”

Just then, the gatekeeper cut in and said.

“Her personality is strange.”

The man’s expression was very serious.

“⋯Hmm?”

Wigyeom’s reaction was nonchalant.

At that, Kkeutbun’s mother tried hard to wrap up the gatekeeper’s words.

“You see, master. I am saying that the concubine madam is truly a person who enjoys the arts.”

“The arts?”

Wigyeom narrowed his brow.

Kkeutbun’s mother explained, mixing in hand and foot gestures.

“It’s not just enjoying them…. She holds a tea party every day.”

“A tea party?”

Wigyeom’s eyebrows raised slightly.

“Yes, I’m talking about a tea party. And she doesn’t even brew the tea herself, she tells the side room madam to prepare the tea and refreshments, and she herself sits on a silk cushion, eats jujubes, and looks at the chrysanthemums!”

The gatekeeper also chimed in.

“That’s the truth, master! She even makes her organize the books in the library, but she herself doesn’t wipe a single speck of dust from the bookshelves!”

Wigyeom was listening to their stories in silence. However, his brow was furrowing more and more.