RS-04

CHAPTER 4

“Now that she’s facing the same death as the daughter she cherished so dearly, that child should have no regrets left.”

The Empress Dowager’s indifferent voice sent a chill crawling down Su-ryeon’s spine.

“B-But…”

Lee Jun stared at Su-ryeon as she flailed helplessly in the pond, desperately struggling to stay afloat.

His wife looked as though death could claim her at any moment.

As he hesitated, Jeong-a, who had been watching from a distance, approached.

“And if you save Her Majesty the Empress right now? Do you really think she’ll be grateful enough to pretend she never heard what we just said?”

She grabbed both of Lee Jun’s arms, as if forcing him to come to his senses.

“She said she’ll tell the world. If that happens, what do you think will become of us?”

At Jeong-a’s words, Lee Jun looked back at Su-ryeon.

Ever since Se-hui’s death, no one had come to Hyangwon Pavilion.

Which meant that if the three of them simply kept their mouths shut, no one would ever learn the truth behind the Empress’s death.

Su-ryeon heard every word of their conversation.

But trapped in the freezing water, there was nothing she could do.

All she could do was reach out and beg for her life.

Summoning the last of her strength, she stretched a trembling hand toward her husband once more.

“P-Please… save me…”

Yet Lee Jun, who had been staring at her with wavering eyes, ultimately turned away.

Ah… so this is how I die.

Her breath caught in her throat.

She had swallowed far too much water. Her lungs felt as though they were being torn apart.

As consciousness slowly slipped away, Su-ryeon fixed her gaze on the three people who merely stood there watching.

My daughter must have died like this too.

Her heart ached as she imagined the terror and agony Se-hui must have felt in her final moments.

Slowly, Su-ryeon closed her eyes.

If only I could turn back time…

If only I could protect my daughter.

Consumed by irreparable regret, she surrendered herself to the darkness.

What followed was an endless void.

She wandered through that darkness for what felt like an eternity.

Then, at last, she reached a place where light shone.

Su-ryeon slowly opened her eyes.

A soft white glow enveloped her.

As the steady beeping of a machine gradually pulled her back to awareness, she heard a voice nearby.

“You’re awake?”

“This is…”

“A hospital. I’ll go get the professor.”

The familiar scent of disinfectant filled her nose.

A hospital.

It seemed someone had rescued her after all.

Turning to the nurse, Su-ryeon asked hoarsely. Having gone so long without speaking, her voice came out painfully cracked.

“Who saved me?”

“Pardon?”

“The person who pulled me from the water. I want to thank them.”

The nurse blinked, looking utterly confused.

“From the water? You must have had a dream. That’s understandable. Your labor lasted a very long time, and you lost a great deal of blood. Let me fetch the professor first.”

“Labor…?”

Only then did a burning pain surge through her lower abdomen.

And instantly, she remembered what that pain meant.

It was…

“Yes. Since it was your first childbirth, it was especially difficult. But thankfully, both of you are healthy now.”

The nurse’s words made Su-ryeon freeze.

First childbirth?

She had clearly drowned.

And after giving birth to Se-hui five years ago, she had never become pregnant again.

As she sat there blinking in bewilderment, the nurse moved as if to help her understand.

Walking over to the small bassinet beside the bed, she carefully picked something up and approached.

“What a beautiful little princess she is, Your Majesty.”

The nurse held out a tiny bundle.

A newborn baby.

An infant who could barely open her eyes.

As though entranced, Su-ryeon accepted the child into her arms.

The soft breaths against her chest.

The warmth nestled in her hands.

They told her everything she needed to know.

“…Se-hui.”

The baby in her arms was her daughter.

Se-hui.

Only then did Su-ryeon realize the truth.

She was neither dreaming nor dead.

How long she sat there holding the child, she didn’t know.

“What in the world is happening…?”

She murmured in disbelief.

At that very moment, dizziness struck her.

The room spun.

Her upper body swayed violently, and she nearly dropped the baby.

“Your Majesty!”

The nurse, who had been watching nearby, rushed forward in alarm.

She quickly took the infant from Su-ryeon’s arms.

“You mustn’t push yourself yet. You lost a lot of blood.”

After settling the baby back into the bassinet, the nurse returned to examine her.

“You were unconscious for quite some time. I’ll bring the professor immediately.”

With that, the nurse left the room.

Alone, Su-ryeon stared at the ceiling.

Before long, she remembered the reason for her anemia.

Even though the doctors recommended a cesarean section, the Empress Dowager insisted on a natural birth.

Because of that, Su-ryeon had nearly died from excessive bleeding during labor.

For a long time afterward, she had been unable to move around on her own.

“A natural birth makes a child healthier and smarter. Just look at His Majesty the Emperor. There’s a reason he became such a wise ruler.”

It had been a completely absurd argument.

But Su-ryeon alone could never oppose the Empress Dowager’s will.

Back then, she had wondered whether things might have been different if her husband hadn’t been away on an overseas diplomatic tour.

What a foolish illusion that had been.

The man had abandoned his wife during her first childbirth to attend a banquet celebrating the birth of another nation’s prince.

And whenever his mother spoke, he obeyed without question.

At the time, Su-ryeon had comforted herself by calling it filial devotion.

Now…

A bitter smile touched her lips.

Lost in memories of the past, she slowly raised a hand and examined herself.

Did I really return to the past?

What exactly had happened around the time Se-hui was born?

As she searched through her memories—

The hospital room door suddenly burst open.

No knock.

Not even the slightest courtesy.

Frowning, Su-ryeon turned toward the newcomer.

It was a familiar face.

A woman with her hair pulled tightly into a single ponytail offered a brief bow.

“Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress.”

Secretary Jo from Jagyeong Palace.

She served under Chief Secretary Han Se-gyeong, the Empress Dowager’s right-hand woman, making her one of the most influential figures in the palace.

And Su-ryeon had never cared much for her.

After all, Secretary Jo had repeatedly behaved with this same insolence, relying on the Empress Dowager’s backing.

More importantly… her first grandchild has just been born, yet she hasn’t even come herself.

If Su-ryeon remembered correctly, the Empress Dowager had also refused to visit the hospital the first time around simply because the baby wasn’t a boy.

Even though Su-ryeon had nearly lost her life because of her.

As Su-ryeon sat there with a bitter smile, Secretary Jo stepped closer and held something out.

It was a letter wrapped in pale pink silk.

Staring at it, Su-ryeon asked,

“What is that?”

“It is the name Her Majesty the Empress Dowager personally selected for the young princess.”

“…”

Ordinarily, the names of princesses and royal children were decided by the Inner Court.

By protocol, it should have been Su-ryeon—the head of the Inner Court—who named the child.

Naturally, the opinion of the royal family’s elder should be considered.

But it was not something that should simply be handed down as an order.

The gesture made one thing painfully clear:

The Empress Dowager held the Empress in utter contempt.

But that wasn’t what mattered most.

Taking the paper from Secretary Jo with cold eyes, Su-ryeon unfolded it.

There, written neatly on the white sheet, was a single name.

[Lee Yeong (李英)]

“Using the character Yeong meaning ‘outstanding’ or ‘exceptional.’ Her Majesty chose it herself, hoping the princess will excel in every field.”

Secretary Jo spoke with obvious pride, as though she herself had named the child.

“Although she did not give birth to a prince, she is still Her Majesty’s first grandchild. The Empress Dowager put special affection into choosing this name.”

“…Special affection.”

A mocking laugh escaped Su-ryeon.

If she cared so deeply, shouldn’t she at least have come in person?

The contradiction in the Empress Dowager’s words and actions was laughable.

But something even more absurd remained.

The name she had chosen.

“‘Yeong’… meaning exceptional.”

Only after looking at the Chinese character written on the page did Su-ryeon become certain.

She had truly returned to the past.

Because every one of these events had happened before.

Staring silently at the name bestowed by the Empress Dowager, the corner of Su-ryeon’s lips slowly curled upward.

And then—

Riiip.

Without the slightest hesitation,

Su-ryeon tore the paper cleanly in half.