MOSC 35

The gatekeeper quickly added.

“My lord, we thought you cherished your concubine especially. But this is a bit…. a little….”

Kkeutbun’s mother also added.

“That’s right. Just because she’s a concubine, it’s a bit too much for her to be so lazy with the household chores and just play and eat…!”

Since On had put the household in order, Kkeutbun’s mother’s trust in the new madam had risen significantly.

As a result, a backlash was naturally forming against the behavior of Princess Bonghwa, whom they mistook for a ‘concubine.’

…After all, Princess Bonghwa’s behavior was not normal by anyone’s standards.

At that moment, the corner of Wigyeom’s mouth twisted slightly.

He summed up the situation.

“…So you’re saying that the madam personally prepared refreshments for the concubine and even organized the library?”

For a moment, his voice sank deeply.

“While the concubine was fooling around…?”

“Yes, master.”

The gatekeeper and Kkeutbun’s mother said, nodding their heads repeatedly.

“And everyone is calling the legal wife the side room madam…?”

“Yes, master.”

At that moment, a vein popped out on Wigyeom’s temple.

Only then did he also grasp the situation.

Princess Bonghwa.

A forgotten ambush remained.

At that moment, on the main floor of the great hall.

Princess Bonghwa was sitting with her body fully stretched out on a silk cushion. In her hand, she held a glossy refreshment, taking a bite at a time and humming.

“On, this concubine’s leg is getting numb. Hurry and massage it for me.”

“…Sigh, I understand. Your Highness the Princess.”

“I told you to call me concubine. Hurry and massage it. I think I’ve been lying down for too long, my blood isn’t circulating.”

On silently took the princess’s leg and reluctantly massaged it. A slight smile appeared on her lips.

‘Oh, my fate….’

However, On’s fate was not entirely harsh either.

Because someone was massaging her shoulders as well.

“Oh my, madam. Your shoulders are like a rock! Of course, it must be hard for you to massage Her Highness the Princess’s, no, the concubine madam’s leg!”

It was Mogyun.

Without being asked, Mogyun had latched on like a hawk and was massaging the shoulders of On, who was massaging Princess Bonghwa’s leg.

‘Something about this picture is strange….’

However, On could not bring herself to stop Mogyun and silently entrusted her shoulders to her.

Thus, a scene of double attendance was created, with two of the three women massaging each other’s legs and shoulders.

In the midst of it all, Princess Bonghwa, the only one with her hands free, was still enjoying her refreshments leisurely.

No matter the situation, the one with real power was the one with real power.

“For this concubine to be so loved by the madam, I am truly overcome with emotion. Yes, On. Would you pour me a cup? No, Mohwa. Bring that chrysanthemum tea.”

“…It’s Mogyun, not Mohwa. And as you can see, I have no hands.”

Mogyun, who had now learned quite well how to serve Princess Bonghwa, retorted bluntly and diligently pressed On’s shoulders even harder.

It was truly a bizarre sight.

However, the Shim family members were gradually getting used to this extraordinary spectacle.

This was made possible by Princess Bonghwa’s unique shamelessness and On’s deeply ingrained slave mentality.

The childish princess was taking this opportunity to cast aside her life as a princess and be treated as a concubine who received the madam’s favor.

The gazes of the Shim family servants were directed at Princess Bonghwa, who was leisurely drinking tea by the side room window and elegantly picking up a piece of refreshment.

“Who is that woman that the madam is so flustered around her?”

“Well, they say she’s a court lady she brought with her from her time in the palace.”

“They say she performed a great service.”

“What kind of service was it? Did she save Her Highness the Princess’s life or something?”

“If not, wouldn’t Her Highness the Princess not be so flustered? It must be so.”

“I heard she was the queen’s most cherished advisor court lady.”

“Then it’s only natural for her to be living comfortably in that side room like a high-ranking official.”

“Of course, isn’t she a person who can be called the hands and feet of Her Majesty the Queen!”

…And so, overnight, Princess Bonghwa became known as the woman who had performed a great service by saving the Shim family madam’s life, and the queen’s most cherished advisor court lady.

Of course, it was all a misunderstanding.

The only reason On took care of Princess Bonghwa was because the princess was her superior.

And because their roles had been switched.

But On had no opportunity to explain this.

Thus, the misunderstanding of the Shim family servants deepened.

“I thought our side room madam only took good care of the servants, but she’s even taking care of the concubine madam so diligently.”

“I know, right. Even if she is a concubine, she rules with grace and mercy. Who else but our side room madam could organize the household so well? The madam is a person of fine character.”

“Could it be like this if our side room madam wasn’t a fairy who came down from heaven? Our side room madam is truly the best among noble ladies, so the harmony between the inner and outer courts will surely reach the heavens.”

…In truth, it was just the sight of Princess Bonghwa slacking off, doing nothing due to negligence of duty, and On busily attending to her from behind, but the deep misunderstanding of the servants had already taken firm root.

Of course, On had no idea of this fact.

“Your Highness the Princess. Please return to your original position quickly. Please?”

“…….”

“And you must let me retire. Please?”

On was trying to persuade Princess Bonghwa to return to her place whenever she had the chance.

She had still not given up on her post-retirement life amidst the deep and green mountains and clear streams under the bright moon.

However, Bonghwa did not seem to be listening to On’s efforts at all.

“Yes. Yes. Just wait a little longer.”

Bonghwa’s answer was always the same.

On secretly made a tearful face.

Besides that, On had a lot of other worries.

On looked at her still-flat stomach and felt anxious.

She did not know how many nights she had already spent with Wigyeom.

On blushed and thought.

‘What if I become pregnant with a child….’

If that happened, things would truly be as tangled as they could get.

She might be stuck in the Shim family, unable to escape, and have to live her whole life tied to the household. And if her fraudulent act with Princess Bonghwa were to be discovered, she and the child would be sent straight to the gallows.

‘That alone cannot happen…!’

Pregnancy. Just thinking of that word made On feel as if her insides were shriveling.

She trembled, imagining a future that was horrifying just to think about. At the same time, her earlobes grew hot with an unknown, strange anticipation and tremor, but she herself did not notice.

‘Before that, I have to somehow put everything back in its original place…!’

Today, too, On was fretting all by herself over matters that no one else was worried about.

It was then.

Princess Bonghwa’s eyebrows twitched at the sound of footsteps from afar.

“…Huh?”

Princess Bonghwa strained her ears. The sound of footsteps was getting closer.

The person was still quite far away, so it was a sound that only Bonghwa could hear.

She momentarily put down her refreshment and stealthily got up.

“Even for someone like me, there are things I want to avoid. On, I’m counting on you.”

“What are you counting on me for? Where are you going….”

“…On, I wish you good luck!”

With that strange encouragement, she made a stealthy exit and hid herself behind a pillar.

And at that very moment, the figure of a man appeared at the entrance of the main floor of the great hall.

At the same time, On’s breath caught.

The man standing in the wind was like a painting.

The hem of his overcoat flowed down calmly below the tall stature of the man wearing a pitch-black gat.

The long robe flowed down quietly along his long arms and sharp shoulder line, creating a balanced figure like a monochrome ink painting.

Except for the ends of the collar fluttering slightly in the wind, it was perfectly still, as if time had stopped.

At that sight, On was engulfed in the feeling that she had been waiting for him for a long time.

‘Ah….’

It was Wigyeom.

On was captivated by the feeling of her breath catching in her throat at the sight of the scholar who was slowly walking towards the main floor of the side room where she was sitting.

Suddenly, that scene from her dream flickered in her mind.

It was because the afterimage of the man who had been approaching through the mist seemed to overlap with the Wigyeom right before her eyes.

‘No way… it can’t be. That’s impossible.’

Her heart began to pound with a thump, thump.

On clutched the hem of her skirt to hide the trembling that was spreading to her fingertips.

His tall stature, neat appearance, and the heavy sound of his footsteps made it seem as if the man from her dream had appeared in reality.

‘With the person I saw in my dream….’

At that moment, Wigyeom’s gaze met On’s. On stood there as if frozen.

Although he was the man she had taken as her husband, she should not have treated him with sincerity.

A man On had to avoid.

A man she had to run away from.

A man she should not get involved with, no matter what.

He was nothing more and nothing less than that.

It definitely should be that way.

“…Why on earth is my wife here in the side room?”

Wigyeom’s voice was heavily subdued.

On flinched.

“…And why on earth is everyone else calling my wife the side room madam?”

At the same time, she felt her senses being pulled back to reality.

It seemed to be the first time she had seen him angry.

Mogyun also stopped her hands and froze in the posture of massaging her shoulders. On, who had been holding the princess’s leg, hastily lowered her awkwardly frozen hand. Both of their faces had turned deathly pale.

‘My wife.’

Wigyeom’s two eyes wavered.