CHAPTER 9
As Suryeon struggled to steady her turbulent emotions, Lee Jun, who was gently tickling the princess’s cheek with his finger, spoke.
“To be honest, I was disappointed at first because it wasn’t a son. But now that I look at her, I think having a princess is nice too.”
He then began talking about the European royal family he had recently visited.
“You know the banquet celebrating the birth of that prince? He had two older sisters.”
Only then did Suryeon remember why her husband had been out of Korea while she was giving birth.
“Seeing that made me think it would be nice if our future imperial heir had older sisters too.”
It had been nothing more than a banquet celebrating the birth of another country’s prince.
When he had first announced he was going, she had been utterly dumbfounded.
Skipping such an event would never have caused a diplomatic incident.
Besides, if he had said he wanted to stay beside his wife while she gave birth to their child, who would have considered that improper?
Yet her husband had boarded the plane anyway, leaving behind a wife already in labor.
Because the Empress Dowager had openly supported his decision, Suryeon had not even been able to show the slightest hint of disappointment.
Completely oblivious to her feelings, Lee Jun continued casually,
“Next time, we’ll have a son. Or maybe another daughter before that wouldn’t be so bad either.”
Suryeon almost laughed bitterly to herself as she mulled over his words.
Even after hearing that his wife had nearly died trying to force a natural birth, he’s already talking about a second and third child…
“When we have a son, I’ll name him myself.”
But contrary to his wishes, Suryeon never gave birth to a son during the next five years.
No… I couldn’t even get pregnant again.
Her body had already been severely weakened by countless rounds of IVF before Sehui was born.
Not long after giving birth to Sehui, she had once again undergone aggressive fertility treatments.
By then, her uterus had been damaged beyond repair.
In the end, she had needed a hysterectomy.
This time… I’ll never let that happen.
She never wanted to share a bed with that man again.
If she were being honest, she wanted nothing more than to divorce him immediately and leave the palace with Sehui.
Maybe… maybe divorce is actually possible this time.
But even if they divorced, she knew she would never be allowed to take Sehui with her.
The imperial family would never let the princess leave.
It was because of an ancient imperial law.
Regardless of gender, the imperial family was obsessively possessive of every imperial descendant.
Even in the past, when a Grand Prince divorced, the royal court had cited tradition and fiercely opposed allowing the children to live with their mother.
As a result, the young children had been separated from their biological mother.
Knowing that, Suryeon could only remain silent and listen to her husband’s nonsense.
Then, as though something had just occurred to him, Lee Jun looked up.
“Oh, do you know who I saw today?”
His voice pulled Suryeon from her thoughts.
“Who did you meet?”
“Hyung-nim.”
Suryeon’s brows furrowed.
Lee Jun was an only child.
He had no older brothers.
If there was someone he would call Hyung-nim…
A certain person flashed through her mind.
Her lips parted slightly.
“Brother Lee Heon.”
At the familiar name, Suryeon’s eyes widened.
It was exactly who she had been thinking of.
“Don’t you want to see him?”
Lee Jun carefully studied her expression, as if trying to uncover her true feelings.
“After all, the two of you were once engaged.”
At those words, Suryeon tightened her grip on her skirt.
She stared at him, trying to understand why he had brought this up.
But she couldn’t read what he was thinking.
“Sometimes I wonder… If Uncle and Aunt hadn’t passed away, what would things be like now? I’d probably just be living an ordinary life as a member of the imperial clan. Though, of course, you’d still be the Empress.”
There were invisible thorns hidden in his words.
Whenever he spoke about his cousin, he always seemed to be testing her.
That relationship had ended long ago.
What reaction is he hoping to get from me?
Seeing that she remained expressionless, his provocation only grew stronger.
“Wouldn’t it be nice to at least see him once? It’s been over a decade since he came back to Korea. Everyone knows how close the two of you used to be.”
The corners of his lips curled upward.
Suryeon stared coldly at her husband before replying,
“…There’s no reason for me to meet him. You’re the Emperor now, and you’re the one standing beside me. Talking about things that never happened is pointless.”
There wasn’t the slightest emotion in her voice.
Lee Jun looked at her for a long moment before nodding.
“You’re right. I’m already the Emperor, and you’ve become my wife. It’s just a meaningless assumption.”
He handed the baby back to Suryeon.
Then, just as he was about to leave her residence, he suddenly turned around.
“I heard they’re choosing the nanny court lady soon.”
So he had already heard.
With a trace of hope, Suryeon asked,
“Yes. But I’m worried. One of the candidates Mother showed me has never given birth. I’d rather entrust our child to someone who’s actually raised a child…”
She spoke cautiously.
Lee Jun looked puzzled.
“Leave the nanny court lady matter to Mother and get some rest. She knows what she’s doing.”
As if.
A woman who had tried to give her own granddaughter such a cursed name would never choose a nanny out of genuine goodwill.
Then, remembering something else, he added,
“By the way, I heard there was a little commotion at the hospital over the baby’s name.”
He hadn’t even been in Korea, yet he somehow knew everything happening inside the palace.
“Mother must have been so embarrassed. Secretary Jo has served her for years. Couldn’t you have just let it go for Mother’s sake?”
“Doesn’t it bother you? The name Secretary Jo brought was practically a curse wishing our daughter dead.”
“She said it was a mistake. You’re awfully cold over something as trivial as a name.”
Lee Jun clicked his tongue.
Suryeon had never expected him to take her side.
Still, she hadn’t expected him to react like this.
She bit her lip in anger.
“Anyway, let Mother choose whoever she wants as the nanny court lady. Elders are better at these things. Just follow Mother’s wishes.”
With that, Lee Jun finally left.
Watching his departing figure, Suryeon murmured softly,
“Follow Mother’s wishes…?”
That was exactly what she had done before.
And all she had received in return was the cruelest betrayal…
Along with the deaths of both herself and her daughter.
“I will never do that again.”
She had no intention of wasting the miracle she’d been given.
One Week Later
The day of the nanny court lady interviews had finally arrived.
There was no shortage of applicants.
Working for the imperial family promised not only prestige but also lifelong security.
Moreover, by law, those who had served as nanny court ladies to princes or princesses were treated after retirement with honors comparable to senior statesmen.
Even the infamous tyrant King Yeonsan had once granted an official position to the son of the nanny who had cared for him as a child.
It was no surprise that competition to become the nanny of a direct imperial descendant was incredibly fierce.
Naturally, every applicant had an impressive résumé.
Before leaving for the interview hall, Suryeon examined a package that had arrived anonymously.
It had been sent by an upperclassman from her university.
After hearing that the palace was recruiting a nanny court lady, Suryeon had asked her senior, now a journalist, to investigate the applicants’ backgrounds.
The results had finally arrived that morning.
There were only two candidates besides Kim Jeong-ah.
Both had spotless careers and personal lives.
However…
“I knew it.”
As Suryeon read the page about Jeong-ah, her eyes gleamed.
Like a hunter who had found its prey.
“There’s no way your past was that clean.”
With this information, she could make sure Kim Jeong-ah would never even set foot inside the palace.
A satisfied smile spread across her lips.
After placing the documents back into the envelope, Suryeon stood up.
It was time to meet Kim Jeong-ah.
She left Gyotaejeon with confident steps.
Her destination was Heungbokjeon.
Located within the Inner Palace, Heungbokjeon was primarily used for royal lectures and receiving foreign envoys.
Today, however, it would host the interview to select Princess Sehui’s nanny court lady.
The interview itself was not much different from a corporate job interview.
The candidates would answer ordinary questions about their character, experience, and aspirations, and the best applicant would be chosen.
Of course…
The person trying to make that decision wasn’t the Empress, head of the Inner Palace.
It was the Empress Dowager.
All Suryeon had to do was reveal why Kim Jeong-ah could never be selected.
Not long after she confidently arrived at Heungbokjeon, the Empress Dowager entered.
She seemed to be in an unusually good mood, graciously acknowledging the palace attendants’ greetings.
“Very well, shall we begin?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
With the Empress Dowager’s words, the interviews were about to begin.
Or rather…
Just as they were about to start—
“Her Majesty the Grand Empress Dowager has arrived.”
An entirely unexpected person had appeared.
