Chapter : 09
Even Kicking the Crown Prince
The Choi family had strict traditions. Choi Woon had learned proper etiquette from his grandfather since childhood, yet his arrogant nature, deeply rooted in his bones, was not easily erased. Because of that, Heeheul had never once been able to gain the upper hand against Choi Woon.
“You seem to have forgotten, but the Seventh Prince simply followed me of his own accord. Besides…”
Choi Woon pressed his lips together without revealing any emotion before continuing.
“There was nothing a lowly person like me could do to stop His Highness the Prince when he insisted on following me.”
His voice remained indifferent and cold to the very end. Heeheul was speechless.
‘What a load of nonsense! You wanted to get rid of me from the very beginning! You just couldn’t be bothered to give me any instructions, didn’t want to waste any more time, and didn’t want a commotion breaking out in front of your family’s gate, so you simply left me alone!’
Heeheul’s insides were boiling.
The two were the same age, yet one was an utterly ordinary imperial descendant while the other was the outstanding heir of the Choi family.
Over the past several years, Heeheul had heard countless people belittle him and praise Choi Woon, but he had never cared. Even when Emperor Hyeokje used illness as an excuse to entrust state affairs to the Crown Prince and ordered the Fourth Prince to assist him, Heeheul’s name was never mentioned even once. Of course, thanks to that, he had been able to live a carefree life.
Moreover, no matter how outstanding the Crown Prince was as the heir to the throne, he still had to yield a step to Choi Woon. There were already countless men who could not compare with Choi Woon, so Heeheul thought that adding himself to that number would make no difference.
At that moment, Heeheul looked a complete mess. Crumbs from snacks clung to the corners of his mouth, and his hands were shiny with grease.
“How unpleasant. It seems I am getting on your nerves.”
Choi Woon slightly furrowed his brows before looking down at the book he had been reading moments earlier. There were greasy fingerprints from Heeheul’s hands on the cover.
Choi Woon said nothing and did not even make a disgusted expression. He merely leisurely rubbed the greasy fingerprints on the cover three times to wipe them away.
“……”
At a loss for words, Heeheul squeezed his eyes shut before lying back down.
“Brother Heedeung really has it tough.”
Unable to comment on the imperial family’s private affairs, Choi Woon had no choice but to silently listen to Heeheul’s complaints.
“Second Brother has become an idiot, but his birth mother, Consort Jing, has so much power that she practically sits on top of Brother Heedeung’s head. So even if Second Brother torments Brother Heedeung mercilessly, no one can stop him. There are even countless people who just watch because they find it entertaining. It seems everyone thinks Brother Heedeung’s life is worthless. They take for granted the sacrifice of a brother who was taken hostage at just eleven years old and only returned after eight whole years.”
Choi Woon still possessed the demeanor of a gentleman, but his face was cold, as if covered in frost. Rather than showing sympathy for Heedeung, he gave off the atmosphere of a cold-blooded person.
“Whether it is thunder or torrential rain, is it not all the grace of the sovereign?”
Heeheul was dumbfounded. He clicked his tongue inwardly and rolled his eyes.
If he had not personally witnessed five-year-old Choi Woon kick Crown Prince Heechu into a pond, he might have believed that Choi Woon genuinely meant what he had just said.
Choi Woon was a madman who would even kick the Crown Prince.
What was worse, he had shamelessly pretended to rescue the Crown Prince by holding out a pole.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince, grab it.”
Just as Heechu, who had been flailing in the water, was about to grasp the end of the pole, Choi Woon casually lifted it a little, without even blinking, as if he were playing with a cat.
It would have been fortunate if that had been the end of it. Instead, he even secretly poked Heechu with the pole and pushed him back into the water.
The foolish Second Prince, Heechong, came running after hearing the news. He clapped his hands while watching Heechu struggle and cry for help, and even excitedly threw stones into the pond.
He seemed to have a deep grudge against Heechu.
Even to this day, Heechu did not know that he had fallen into Choi Woon’s scheme. He believed that he had fallen into the water because of his archrival, Heechong.
After barely escaping the pond, Heechu had instead thanked Choi Woon profusely through his tears and snot before charging at Heechong with his fists swinging.
Choi Woon was the youngest of the three, yet he played with the two princes as he pleased.
Knowing that the Empress and Consort Jing did not get along, he assumed that their sons must also harbor hostility toward each other. So he deliberately sowed discord between them.
‘That beast was only five years old back then!’
At the time, Heeheul had hidden behind an ornamental rock, clutching his pounding chest as he watched the two princes fight.
“Your Highness the Seventh Prince, are you enjoying yourself?”
Startled by the sudden childish voice, Heeheul turned around and found himself face-to-face with Choi Woon.
Clearly, Choi Woon was the one who should have felt guilty, yet Heeheul was the one who tried to run away.
When Heeheul climbed down from behind the ornamental rock, Choi Woon immediately blocked his path.
Choi Woon was dressed in a rounded-collar robe worn by scholars. With his delicate face and slightly chubby cheeks, he looked completely harmless.
“Your Highness the Seventh Prince, what did you see?”
“I-I saw everything!”
Only belatedly realizing that there was no reason for him to be nervous when he had caught Choi Woon’s weakness, Heeheul curled up the corners of his mouth, put his hands on his hips, and threatened him.
“You certainly have some nerve. You dare push the Crown Prince? You’re finished! Your head will be chopped off immediately!”
Heeheul normally had little interest in learning, while Choi Woon was so intelligent that he could recite the Youxue Qionglin in its entirety. This had always irritated him tremendously.
He wanted to take this opportunity to trample Choi Woon as much as he pleased.
Not long afterward, eunuchs arrived and separated Heechu and Heechong, who were beating each other.
Heeheul excitedly ran to Emperor Hyeokje and reported Choi Woon’s misdeeds, but unexpectedly, no one believed him.
“Do you think I do not know Choi Woon’s character? You cannot even compare to the tips of his toes when it comes to scholarship, and now you are resorting to slander? What on earth have you been learning all this time?”
“……?”
With both eyes swollen and bruised, Heechu huffed angrily and instead turned on Heeheul.
“Seventh Brother, are you taking Heechong’s side? Do you think I am foolish enough not to know who tried to harm me?”
“……?”
Eventually, Heechong even forgot that Emperor Hyeokje was watching and openly sniffled as he spoke without hesitation.
“Yes, I did it! I wanted to kill you! So what are you going to do about it?”
“……?”
Heeheul was so dumbfounded that he could not even speak.
Emperor Hyeokje’s face grew darker and darker.
Just then, the Empress and Consort Jing arrived after hearing the news. Each began defending her own son, and another fight broke out.
The Empress had cherished her only son, Crown Prince Heechu, dearly since he was young. She had raised him with such tender care that she feared he might break if she held him too tightly or fly away if she blew on him. Hearing that he had been beaten by a fool made her furious, and her voice rose.
“Consort Jing, how did you educate the Second Prince that he ended up injuring the Crown Prince?”
Of course, Consort Jing was not someone who would simply take the accusation.
Consort Jing brought Heechong before Emperor Hyeokje and knelt down. Exposing her delicate, jade-white neck, she shed sorrowful tears.
“Your Majesty, I do not understand why Her Majesty the Empress always says things that cut so deeply into my heart. Was it not all because of someone else that my Chong’er became like this? And yet, why is Her Majesty the Empress pretending to have forgotten? I have endured all this despite my grievances, thinking of the imperial family’s dignity…”
Emperor Hyeokje cherished both women, so he could not rashly take either side and had no choice but to soothe them both.
Heeheul was punished by being ordered to face the wall and meditate for half a month for sowing discord between the princes.
Why was he always the one who suffered the consequences?
Heeheul felt deeply dejected.
Meanwhile, Choi Woon was rewarded for saving the Crown Prince.
“I told you not to get involved for no reason. Why did you refuse to listen?”
Choi Woon had truly been an awful brat back then.
‘And the Choi Woon of now…’
Heeheul discreetly glanced at Choi Woon’s expressionless face.
After his father and older brother lost their lives on the battlefield, Choi Woon had become a completely different person.
Not only did he excessively suppress himself, but he also behaved like the rigid old men of the Censorate.
However, Heeheul was certain.
The young delinquent had merely become a grown-up delinquent after his twisted nature had become even more warped.
Sim Hwek’s daily life returned to normal.
No, in fact, it had become even better than before.
A plentiful supply of high-quality charcoal had arrived, keeping her room as warm as spring. She no longer shivered from the cold while sleeping.
Apa, who had visited her previously, had brought servants carefully selected according to strict standards in order to show off his abilities.
Because he had put so much effort into it, they all certainly appeared diligent.
Sim Hwek looked over the servants one by one before rubbing her tired brow.
One first-class maid, Uichwi, was enough.
Because her vigilance had increased compared to before, she did not want to increase the number of first-class maids.
Instead, she filled all the vacancies among the second- and third-class maids and the servants responsible for miscellaneous chores.
The once-depressed atmosphere of the courtyard began to fill with vitality.
Sim Hwek familiarized herself with each of the unfamiliar faces.
“Your monthly allowances will be distributed directly by me, not by the accounting office.”
Thanks to the inheritance left by her birth mother, Lady Sim Sun, and Sim Oe, Sim Hwek had plenty of money in her possession.
Most of her wealth had been deposited with a money house, where it was safe.
In her previous life, when trouble had arisen at the embroidery shop, she had suddenly needed a large sum of money.
Although she had been furious, Sim Hwek could not simply stand by and watch the embroidery shop collapse.
After falling into Sim Gu’s trap, she had ended up handing over every bit of money she had deposited with the money house.
Looking back now, it had been incredibly foolish.
Uichwi gave the newly hired servants a stern warning.
“You all know whose orders you are to follow from now on, right? Those who served the young lady before became blinded by greed. They forgot who their master was, arrogantly relied on someone else’s power, and indulged in foolish delusions. They were truly stupid and ignorant. Work diligently and remain loyal. If you betray your master and are caught colluding with someone else…”
Uichwi paused.
She raised her chin and gripped the switch in her hand as though she intended to snap it in two.
With a pair of slightly frightened eyes watching her, she exerted all her strength.
But…
“Ugh!”
The switch did not move at all.
Instead, Uichwi felt as though her own arm was about to break.
Sim Hwek, who had been watching expectantly, could not hide her bewilderment either.
One of the servants carefully gauged the situation before speaking.
“Sister Uichwi, would you like me to help?”
Uichwi cleared her throat and put down the switch.
It was a major failure.
The corners of Sim Hwek’s lips slowly curled upward.
She could not deny that everything was gradually getting better.
The snow piled up here and there had not completely melted yet, but today the sky had cleared beautifully after a long while.
Warm sunlight quietly illuminated the pale profile of the young girl whose face had been drained of color by illness.
Sim Hwek accepted the bowl of medicine, still warm with heat, and swallowed it in one go.
After briefly stepping outside to get some fresh air, she felt dizzy.
She was about to return to her room when a thought suddenly occurred to her, making her stop in her tracks.
It was a thought about the Sim Family Embroidery Shop.
