◆
The metallic scent of blood sank thickly into the night fog. A remote hunting ground within the palace where even moonlight could not reach. The silence of the forest, where not even a single breath could be heard, was broken only by the wet, sticky sound. The little girl from that nightmare continued to appear in my dreams, endlessly. The more it happened, the stronger the urge inside me grew—to destroy something. It felt as though that child kept trying to control me, and it made me want to break it instead. I tossed the handkerchief onto the corpse, and the commander of the royal guards standing behind me asked,
"Shall I burn it?"
Looking down at the corpse with its hollow eyes, I answered,
"Do it."
I turned away, leaving the commander behind as he prepared to burn it. The unusually bright moon seemed to soothe my ruined mood a little, so I kept walking. Splash. When I turned my head, the water of the lake surged violently. A pale, thin hand like a dried branch thrashed once before disappearing. Only the ripples spread across the lake. Seeing someone in the water at this late hour, it was obvious they had come here to end their life.
"Foolish."
Just as I turned to leave, something struck my foot. It was a flashlight. Its beam illuminated scattered belongings and a basket on the ground. It was clearly an accident. But if it were discovered that I had been here dressed like this, suspicion would inevitably fall on me. Don't make a scene. Just walk away. Yet strangely, my feet would not move.
'Life is precious. I will protect it. So you must not harm life either.'
That damned child. I took off my coat and dove into the lake. The figure of a woman already losing strength and sinking beneath the water came into view. Fortunately, her body was limp, making it easy to pull her out.
She lay in my arms, completely drained. Her wet hair clung to her face. As I brushed aside the long black strands, a familiar face appeared.
"You…"
Droplets of water clung to her eyelashes, trembling faintly. Her eyes were closed, her face unnaturally pale, as if she had stopped breathing. The commander of the royal guards, who had rushed over, turned pale at the sight of me soaked.
"Your Highness, what has happened?"
"Someone fell in. Looks like she fainted."
"Then I will quickly perform artificial respiration—"
I didn't hear the rest. I pressed my lips to hers and forced breath into her, as though replacing her own. My breath continued roughly. After several attempts, her body trembled faintly. A breath mixed with water escaped her lips, followed by a violent cough.
"Are you alright?"
She blinked her heavy eyes, clearly startled to find me in front of her.
"Why is Your Highness here…?"
I turned my gaze away.
"That's none of your concern."
"…."
"I simply don't want such a grim incident occurring in a forest owned by the royal family."
Strange. She was unusually quiet today. Normally she would have added something, speaking endlessly. Why—
I turned my head.
Seonmi was trembling. Her soaked clothes clung heavily to her body, revealing her fragility even more clearly. Her fingertips had turned bluish from the cold.
"Commander."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Put my coat on her."
"Are you alright, Your Highness? Please wear mine instead."
"I'm fine. She looks weaker than I do. Take care of her."
"Yes, Your Highness."
As she was carried away on the commander's back, I found myself turning to look after her.
"Is something troubling you, Your Highness?"
"No."
Walking in silence, the commander spoke again.
"It seems she has fallen asleep now that her tension has eased."
"Is that so? She has it better than I do. Take her to the dormitory entrance. I'll go on my own."
"Yes, understood."
"And… good work today."
The commander bowed. As the detached palace came into view, I lifted my head once more. In the pitch-black sky, the moon shone alone. I had only followed its light, yet I wondered whether I should consider it fortunate that I met you.
◆◆
Even though summer was approaching, the lake at night must still have been cold. In the end, I caught a cold.
"Achoo!"
At the sound of my sneeze, Kim Sea, who had been leading the morning assembly, stopped speaking.
"It seems there is someone here who cannot even take care of their own body. Remember this. We must be helpful to those we serve, not a burden."
With that pointed remark aimed at me, the assembly ended and everyone dispersed. I walked on, pressing my throbbing head. Heat burned through my body, and my mind spun like a field caught in a violent storm.
"Are you going to be okay? Shouldn't you tell the head maid you need to rest today?"
Jeong Najeong asked with concern.
"Maybe I should."
"Yeah, you've definitely caught a cold. What kind of errand did you run yesterday that you came back completely soaked?"
She probably wasn't involved, but I decided to hide the truth just in case this spread.
"…I just slipped and fell into a fountain."
"What? Haha, you're clumsier than you look… Anyway, you should tell the head maid quickly. She gets furious over even the smallest disruption."
Whenever Jeong Najeong spoke about the head maid, Kim Sera, she always lowered her voice and spoke in a whisper.
"Right. I should go now. At this rate I can't even work… achoo!"
When I stood in front of the head maid's office, a low voice leaked out from inside.
"…What exactly happened?"
It was the head maid's voice. Cold and dry.
"Say something! Huh?"
My hand froze before I could grab the doorknob.
After a moment, a familiar voice replied.
"I definitely… pushed her with my own hands."
It was the voice of the woman who had shoved me into the lake.
I swallowed hard. My heart pounded loudly in my ears.
"Unless you were hallucinating, why is that girl still alive?!"
"I-I'm sorry. Please forgive me just this once."
"Forgiveness? Everything is already ruined. You don't even have the decency to ask me for that."
"Then… what will happen to us? If she reports this, will we be punished?"
"No. The royal family doesn't concern itself with the affairs of maids. At most, you'll be expelled."
"What? That can't happen! I worked for years to get in here! After entering, I did everything the head maid told me to do. Day and night—even the dirtiest tasks."
"That's because you left your post without permission. I simply took your labor in exchange for overlooking it."
"How could I stay still when my only sibling's life was in danger? And it was you who didn't allow me to leave, wasn't it?"
"Hearing you drag up old stories like this… I think it would be best for you to leave the palace. I hear your family is on the verge of bankruptcy as well. Your parents must be quite distressed."
"No. Please… just once…"
"You should have handled things properly."
Hearing the woman crying, my chest boiled over. I couldn't let this situation pass any longer.
I grabbed the doorknob and turned it.
The first thing I saw was the two of them, shocked.
"You…"
Kim Sera stood there, mouth open, unable to speak.
I clenched both hands tightly, my nails digging into my palms.
In a cold, sunken voice, I spoke.
"Why did you order my death?"
The head maid's hand grabbed my arm first.
"Watch your mouth! I never said such a thing."
The moment she finished speaking, I violently shook her hand off.
I had no intention of backing down anymore.
The fear I felt in the cold water last night had now turned into anger.
"So you erase things with your authority."
Kim Sera's eyes flickered for a brief moment at the unexpected reaction.
I grabbed her collar.
"Someone like you, who grew up so comfortably… you've never felt the fear of death, have you?"
"What is this—!"
The moment she raised her hand to slap me, I caught her wrist and twisted it. As she lost her balance, I pushed her shoulder and drove her straight into the wall.
Thud.
The dull sound of her back hitting the wall echoed through the hallway.
"Let go! Is this how you behave because you weren't properly raised?!"
Kim Sera struggled. Her nails scratched my arm, and the sound of fabric tearing followed. But this time, I didn't back down. If I looked weak, I would be devoured.
The woman standing beside us finally screamed.
She stepped forward, then froze when she saw us entangled, her face turning pale. Seeing that I wasn't backing down at all, she suddenly turned around.
"Someone please stop them!"
The sound of hurried footsteps faded down the hallway.
◆
"What is all this commotion?"
The maids who had been running stopped immediately and bowed.
"Well…"
As they hesitated with troubled expressions, I saw him.
Go Chaeha.
He pointed somewhere with his finger while looking at me.
The place he indicated was clearly the head maid's office.
Given how efficient she usually was and how long she had served in the palace, she wasn't someone who would normally cause a disturbance.
That curiosity, combined with the strangely excited look on Go Chaeha's face, made it impossible to resist walking toward the scene. Especially because that expression of his always meant trouble for me.
Inside the office stood two people—Seonmi and Kim Sera.
At my appearance, the surrounding maids all bowed their heads at once. The two of them, however, continued their confrontation, unaware that I had arrived.
A fight breaking out in the palace was never something trivial. Especially when a maid was pinning the head maid against the wall.
Seonmi spoke with a sharp expression.
"If you lay a hand on me one more time… I won't let it go."
Her profile, standing up to something, was like a sharpened blade. Rather than beautiful, it was dangerously firm.
Most people in the palace bowed their heads—either to survive or because they were used to it.
But not her.
I should have been angry. In fact, I was.
But behind that, there was another strange feeling.
Interest.
You always stir the stillness of this palace.
Beside me, I could hear Go Chaeha's faint laughter.
He tilted his head with his arms crossed, his gaze far more blatant.
"As expected… a stray cat is better at fighting."
Ignoring his words, I muttered quietly so no one else could hear.
"That woman really has nothing left to lose."
Only then did Go Chaeha step forward and separate the two.
"It would be troublesome if you continued fighting like this without even realizing His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived. Let's stop here. I would rather not see either of those pretty faces get hurt."
With that, the situation came to an end.
Seonmi bowed briefly upon noticing me standing outside, then quickly walked past.
She walked ahead of me—of the Crown Prince.
At that moment, my body moved before I could think.
I had only intended to say a word, but without realizing it, I grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.
My gaze naturally dropped downward.
A single bandage clung weakly to her palm. It was barely holding on.
Looking more closely, I could see small wounds scattered across the back of her hand and wrist.
Marks from last night.
She quickly covered her mouth and coughed.
Only then did I properly look at her face.
A thin sheen of cold sweat covered her forehead, and heat spread across her pale skin.
"Take her to the infirmary."
"I'm fine."
Even in that condition, she remained stubborn.
Foolish.
"What are you all doing? Take her to the infirmary."
As I turned away and walked, something about her unwavering gaze bothered me.
Why do you always fight until you collapse?