CHAPTER 1
2734 Words
THREE MONTHS LATER
GYEONGBOKGUNG PALACE
Morning sunlight spread across Gyeongbokgung Palace, illuminating the stone courtyards and tiled rooftops.
The palace had returned to its usual rhythm.
Maids swept the pathways with long wooden brooms. Others carried buckets of water from the well while servants hurried between the buildings, each occupied with their daily duties.
Everything seemed ordinary.
Until a familiar figure came rushing through the courtyard.
It was Her Majesty, Queen Kim.
She gathered the hem of her hanbok in one hand as she hurried across the courtyard, completely forgetting the dignity expected of a queen.
The maids stopped and stared.
“What's going on?”
“I don't know.”
“I've never seen Her Majesty run before.”
“Not even in front of the palace servants.”
“Something must have happened.”
One maid leaned closer to the others.
“Didn't you see her face?”
“Yes. But why was she running?”
“You really don't know?”
The maid paused dramatically, unable to hide her smile.
“The Crown Prince has finally awakened.”
The courtyard immediately erupted with whispers.
“Really?”
“After all these months?”
“It's a miracle!”
The Crown Prince had been unconscious for three long months after being poisoned.
For three months, the palace had feared the worst.
But that morning, everything had changed.
The Crown Prince was awake.
---
THE CROWN PRINCE'S QUARTERS
“Seo Jun!”
Queen Kim hurried into the room.
Then she stopped.
There he was.
Seo Jun was sitting upright on the bed.
Alive.
Awake.
For three months, Queen Kim had watched her son lie motionless, never knowing whether he would open his eyes again.
Now, seeing him sitting before her, she could hardly believe it.
“Seo Jun…”
Tears immediately filled her eyes.
She hurried to his side and pulled him into a tight embrace.
“I'm so glad you're awake,” she whispered, her voice trembling.
Before Seo Jun could respond, the door suddenly opened.
“Brother!”
Su Jin rushed inside.
She ran straight toward him and wrapped her arms around him.
“I missed you so much!”
But Seo Jun didn't return the embrace.
He simply stared at the two women.
His expression was blank.
Confused.
He slowly looked from one woman to the other.
Queen Kim noticed immediately.
Her smile faded.
“Seo Jun?”
She gently pulled away.
“Are you alright? Does anything hurt?”
She touched his face.
“Did you suffer any injuries?”
Seo Jun remained silent.
His eyes moved around the unfamiliar room.
Then he looked back at her.
“Who are you?”
The room fell silent.
Queen Kim froze.
Su Jin slowly released her brother.
“What…?”
Seo Jun frowned.
“Who are you?”
Su Jin's eyes filled with tears.
“Brother…”
She pointed toward herself.
“It's me. Su Jin.”
Seo Jun stared at her.
“Su Jin?”
“Yes.”
She nodded desperately.
“I'm your younger sister.”
He remained silent.
“My… younger sister?”
“Yes.”
Seo Jun looked down at his hands.
Then he looked around the room again.
“Do I have a younger sister?”
Su Jin's lips trembled.
“Yes.”
Seo Jun slowly turned toward Queen Kim.
“And you?”
Queen Kim couldn't answer.
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
Seo Jun's confusion deepened.
“Why are you crying?”
Queen Kim covered her mouth.
Seo Jun looked between them.
“Who am I?”
That question shattered her.
She lowered her head, trying to control her emotions.
Su Jin wiped away her tears.
“Your name is Seo Jun.”
Her voice trembled.
“You're the Crown Prince of Joseon.”
She pointed toward herself.
“And I'm your younger sister.”
Seo Jun stared at her.
“I'm… the Crown Prince?”
Su Jin nodded.
“Yes.”
Seo Jun looked at Queen Kim.
“And she?”
Su Jin swallowed.
“She's our mother.”
Seo Jun's eyes widened slightly.
“Our mother?”
Queen Kim finally stepped forward.
“Yes.”
Her voice broke.
“I'm your mother.”
Seo Jun studied her face.
Yet nothing came to him.
No memory.
No recognition.
Nothing.
“But why can't I remember any of you?”
Su Jin covered her mouth.
“Why doesn't he remember us?”
Her tears began falling again.
“Why does it have to be him?”
Queen Kim turned toward the royal attendants.
“Bring the royal physician here.”
She looked toward the door.
“Immediately.”
---
A LITTLE LATER
The royal physician stood beside Seo Jun's bed, examining him carefully.
Queen Kim sat beside her son, anxiously waiting for an explanation.
Su Jin stood nearby, gripping the edge of her mother's sleeve.
Finally, the physician lowered his hands.
“Your Majesty…”
Queen Kim looked at him.
“What is wrong with my son?”
The physician hesitated.
“The poison affected the Crown Prince's memory.”
Queen Kim's expression changed.
“His memory?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Su Jin stared at him.
“Are you saying he doesn't remember us?”
The physician lowered his head.
“I'm afraid so.”
Su Jin covered her mouth.
Tears streamed down her face.
“Will he ever remember?”
The physician hesitated again.
“There is a possibility.”
“How much?”
“Approximately twenty percent.”
Su Jin's face fell.
“Twenty percent?”
The physician nodded.
“And even if his memories return, there is no way to know when it will happen.”
Queen Kim's hands tightened around her son's.
“How long?”
“It could take months.”
He paused.
“Or years.”
Su Jin looked at Seo Jun.
“So he really doesn't remember me?”
Seo Jun watched her silently.
She slowly approached him.
“You don't remember anything about me?”
He shook his head.
Su Jin's eyes filled with tears again.
“You don't even remember calling me your little sister?”
Seo Jun lowered his gaze.
“I don't remember.”
Su Jin turned away, unable to hide her tears.
“Mother…”
Queen Kim pulled her daughter into her arms.
“Su Jin.”
“Do something.”
“There is nothing I can do.”
Su Jin suddenly looked up.
“Who poisoned him?”
Queen Kim's expression hardened.
“If I knew who did it, that person would have been punished already.”
She looked toward the closed doors.
“But whoever did this may still be inside the palace.”
Su Jin clenched her fists.
“I can't believe this.”
Her voice trembled.
“Brother visited me the night before he left. He promised he'd come back safely.”
She wiped her tears.
“He promised we'd celebrate together the next day.”
Her voice cracked.
“And now he's awake…”
She looked at Seo Jun.
“He doesn't even know who I am.”
Queen Kim gently stroked her daughter's back.
“It's alright.”
“Why isn't Father here?”
“He's meeting with the ministers.”
Su Jin's expression changed.
“He isn't here?”
“Su Jin—”
“He almost sent Brother to his death.”
“Don't speak against your father.”
Su Jin lowered her head.
“I wasn't.”
She took a breath.
“I'll take my leave.”
She bowed before turning toward the door.
Queen Kim watched silently as her daughter left.
Seo Jun remained on the bed.
His expression was unreadable.
He looked toward the door Su Jin had just walked through.
For reasons he couldn't explain, the sight of her tears left an unfamiliar ache in his chest.
But he still couldn't remember her.
---
WEEKS LATER
THE ROYAL KITCHEN
“So-Hee! Where are you?”
Hye-in, a substitute maid, entered the royal kitchen.
“I'm here.”
So-Hee was sitting beside the furnace, preparing a pot of spicy soup.
Hye-in immediately noticed the delicious aroma filling the room.
She smiled.
“Is that spicy soup?”
“Yes.”
Hye-in leaned closer.
“Are you going to give me some?”
So-Hee gave her a warning look.
“Then that will be your last meal on earth.”
Hye-in shivered dramatically.
“Geez. Don't say things like that.”
She looked around.
“Where is everyone?”
“The other maids and the royal chef went to serve His Majesty and the ministers.”
“Oh.”
Hye-in pointed toward the pot.
“Then who is this for?”
“The Crown Prince.”
Hye-in blinked.
“The Crown Prince?”
“Yes.”
“They have a Crown Prince here?”
So-Hee stared at her.
“Of course they do.”
“I've never heard anyone talk about him.”
“He was poisoned.”
Hye-in's expression changed.
“Oh.”
“He was unconscious for three months. He woke up a few weeks ago.”
“I see.”
Hye-in shrugged.
“I guess I don't know much about this palace.”
“How could you?”
So-Hee laughed.
“You've only been here for a month.”
She looked at Hye-in.
“So, how does it feel being a substitute maid?”
“Terrible.”
Hye-in sighed.
“I've worked in almost every department.”
She began counting on her fingers.
“Bathing and washing. Laundry. Library. Kitchen…”
She held up another finger.
“And sewing.”
She shuddered.
“The sewing department was the worst. My fingers were constantly getting pierced by needles.”
So-Hee burst out laughing.
“What's funny?”
“You could have lasted longer in the kitchen if you hadn't fallen asleep beside the furnace and burned the food.”
Hye-in's face immediately fell.
“That was one time.”
“You were punished for it.”
“That's in the past.”
Hye-in straightened proudly.
“I'm ready to do better now.”
So-Hee smiled innocently.
“Sorry. We don't want you in our department.”
Hye-in glared at her.
“So keep being a substitute maid.”
“Very funny.”
So-Hee laughed.
“Anyway, I heard the substitute maids are going to take an examination.”
Hye-in's eyes widened.
“For what?”
“To choose the Crown Prince's personal court maid.”
Hye-in immediately became interested.
“Really?”
“The maid with the highest score will be appointed to serve him personally.”
Hye-in's face lit up.
“This is my chance!”
“For what?”
“To escape being a substitute maid!”
So-Hee laughed.
“That is, if you get the highest score.”
Hye-in's smile disappeared.
“Stop being negative.”
“I'm not being negative.”
So-Hee handed her a bowl.
“I'm telling you to try your best.”
Hye-in smiled.
“I will.”
So-Hee poured a little soup into the bowl.
“Here. Taste it.”
Hye-in took the bowl and gulped down the soup.
So-Hee stared at her.
“You couldn't even use a spoon?”
“It won't make the process faster.”
So-Hee rolled her eyes.
“Well?”
Hye-in considered the taste.
“It's good.”
She nodded.
“But it needs a little more pepper.”
“More?”
So-Hee frowned.
Hye-in nodded confidently.
“Yes.”
Just then, another maid hurried into the kitchen.
“So-Hee!”
So-Hee turned.
“The royal chef wants us to bring the newly delivered makgeolli.”
So-Hee stood.
She handed the maid one jar and picked up another.
“Hye-in, add the pepper. We'll be right back.”
Hye-in nodded.
“Alright.”
The two maids left.
Hye-in walked toward the pepper jar.
She picked it up.
Then she began adding pepper to the soup.
A little more.
Then a little more.
She smiled proudly.
“Perfect.”
---
THE ROYAL KITCHEN
A short while later, the head eunuch stormed into the kitchen.
Every maid immediately bowed.
“Who prepared the Crown Prince's meal?”
One maid nervously stepped forward.
“I did.”
“Did you taste it?”
“No.”
The eunuch's expression darkened.
“Who prepared it?”
“I did,” So-Hee answered.
The head eunuch suddenly began fanning his mouth.
His eyes widened from the heat.
“So you're the person who added enough pepper to burn down the entire palace?”
So-Hee's eyes widened.
“I didn't add that much!”
“Then who did?”
So-Hee hesitated.
“It was…”
She swallowed.
“Hye-in.”
Just then, the royal chef entered.
“What happened?”
The head eunuch turned toward him.
“When you can't even supervise your own kitchen, why were you appointed royal chef?”
The chef immediately lowered his head.
“I'm sorry, Your Highness.”
“Who is Hye-in?”
So-Hee pointed nervously toward the doorway.
“She's a substitute maid. She works in the sewing department.”
The head eunuch turned toward the guards.
“Find her.”
“Yes, sir.”
He stormed out.
So-Hee lowered her head.
“I'm doomed.”
One of the maids looked at her.
“You should have stopped her.”
So-Hee sighed.
“Why does Hye-in always find a way to cause trouble?”
---
THE SEWING DEPARTMENT
“Who is Hye-in?”
The head eunuch's voice echoed through the sewing department.
Every maid immediately became silent.
Hye-in slowly raised her hand.
“I… I'm Hye-in.”
The eunuch pointed toward her.
“So you're the one who added all that pepper to the Crown Prince's meal?”
Hye-in swallowed.
I'm doomed.
She took one step backward.
“I can explain.”
“There's nothing to explain.”
He turned toward the guards.
“Take her.”
The guards moved toward her.
Hye-in's eyes widened.
Then she ran.
“Catch her!”
“Stop!”
Hye-in sprinted through the corridor.
---
AN UNKNOWN QUARTER
Hye-in ran as fast as she could.
The guards were right behind her.
“Stop!”
“Catch her!”
She looked around desperately.
Then she noticed a door.
Without thinking, she pushed it open and rushed inside.
She stopped.
A large bathing chamber stretched before her.
Steam filled the room.
A large wooden bath stood in the center.
Hye-in glanced toward the doorway.
The guards were coming.
“I don't have a choice.”
She quickly stepped into the bath and lowered herself beneath the water.
The guards rushed past.
“Where did she go?”
“She must have gone this way.”
“Check the other rooms.”
“She couldn't have disappeared.”
Their footsteps slowly faded.
Hye-in finally lifted her head above the water.
She released a relieved breath.
“That was close.”
She looked down at her soaked clothes.
Then her eyes widened.
“My clothes!”
She quickly stood.
“I need to get out before—”
She stopped.
Something felt wrong.
Someone was sitting on the other side of the bath.
Hye-in froze.
Her eyes slowly widened.
A young man sat quietly in the water.
His dark hair was damp, falling loosely around his face.
A simple white bathing robe rested around his shoulders.
But what caught Hye-in's attention was his expression.
He wasn't surprised.
He wasn't embarrassed.
He was simply staring at her.
Calm.
Cold.
Unreadable.
Hye-in's heart began pounding.
Who is this man?
She glanced toward the door.
Then back at him.
How did I end up in here?
The young man's eyes narrowed.
“Who are you?”
His deep voice immediately snapped Hye-in back to reality.
“Uh…”
She forced a nervous smile.
“I'll take my leave now.”
She turned toward the edge of the bath.
But before she could climb out—
A hand caught her wrist.
Hye-in froze.
The young man pulled her back slightly.
Their eyes met.
Neither spoke.
Hye-in stared at him.
He stared back.
Then his grip tightened slightly.
“Answer me.”
Hye-in swallowed.
She suddenly realized something.
The way he spoke.
The way he looked at her.
The authority in his voice.
This wasn't an ordinary man.
But she still had no idea who he was.
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