The Young Consort Wants to Live Quietly

Chapter 97

* * *

Some things feel particularly ominous. For example, when the body feels too refreshed or the sunlight shining on closed eyes is unusually brilliant.

Strange. Why is it so bright?

The moment I thought that, my eyes snapped open.

“…Is it morning?”

My muttered voice was hoarse. It felt like I had slept incredibly deeply.

No way, crazy.

I hurriedly got up from my spot, but nothing changed. My body still felt refreshed, and the dazzling sunlight was filling the room deeply.

‘Damn it…’

For the first time in a while, I grabbed my hair. Yesterday, as I was talking in Mother’s arms, I kept getting drowsy. It was later than my usual bedtime, and the warm embrace and gently patting hand were too cozy.

Trying hard to stay awake, I eventually made a brief compromise with myself. Let’s just close our eyes for a moment. I’ll wake up slightly when Mother puts me on the bed anyway.

But I didn’t wake up at all. I slept very deeply.

‘I couldn’t write a reply!’

With a sullen face, I looked at the pillow next to me. A neatly folded paper was placed there as always.

[Hi. The weather is really nice today.

You must have been very busy yesterday. Or did you perhaps change the place you leave the letters?

Just in case, I want to add that I’m not blaming you.

The former is concern and the latter is a question, so I hope you don’t misunderstand.

Come to think of it, you must have a lot to do.

Thank you for sending me letters diligently even when you’re busy.

You don’t have to reply to my letters. From now on, just write to me when it’s convenient for you.]

Having read up to there, I buried my head in the letter.

‘I’m… sorry…’

Grabbing my hair in self-reproach once more, I hurriedly prepared to write a letter.

[I’m sorry. I fell asleep while trying to write a letter yesterday.]

Having written that, I hesitated for a moment.

‘Will it seem like I’m saying writing letters is tiring?’

Erase, erase.

I crossed out two lines with the brush, unsatisfied with that too, and took out a new paper. Then I held the brush and pondered for a long time.

‘What should I write…?’

It was difficult to convey my intention only through words. No matter how I put it, it seemed like writing letters to me was bothersome or I didn’t have time.

In the end, I rewrote the sentence I had initially written and erased, and after much thought, I wrote a reply. That ignoring her letter was never intentional, that it was truly an unavoidable circumstance, and that I quite enjoy exchanging letters with her.

Having written that, I felt drained even though it was morning. ‘Sanya’ was like fragile glass. Her careful way of speaking to avoid saying anything unpleasant was evident in the letters too.

Speaking carefully also means getting hurt easily. She’s already a child with a lot of pain, so I wanted to treat her as kindly as possible.

‘Ah, it’s hard…’

As if taking care of someone is ever easy.

The palace maids came in to assist with washing up and changing clothes, and having finished breakfast, I sprawled on the bed again.

At some point, Gowun had entered and was standing in a corner of the bed. I quietly looked at Gowun’s face with his eyes cast down. That kid’s under-eyes look a bit dark.

It seemed to look that way since I found out he stays up at night with ‘Sanya’.

‘I should put him down for a nap later.’

If he refuses to sleep, I’ll have to wrap him tightly in the blanket so he can’t come out.

Ah, come to think of it.

‘I fell asleep in Mother’s arms yesterday.’

Last time too, when I fell asleep with Mother in the Flower Dragon Palace, ‘Sanya’ who woke up returned to the Eastern Palace.

“Did anything happen after I fell asleep in Her Majesty’s arms yesterday?”

Feeling unnecessarily anxious, I asked Gowun. Gowun tilted his head.

“Like suddenly waking up and getting shocked.”

When I added that, Gowun shook his head and answered.

“You fell asleep like that and didn’t wake up until morning.”

“Is that so…?”

Doesn’t she wake up when I fall asleep?

‘Can she also choose when to wake up?’

Since a letter arrived, it means she woke up once. After thinking for a moment, I erased that from my mind. Anyway, they didn’t encounter each other, so it’s fine.

‘It’s not a good meeting for both of them.’

Letting go of that thought, I cast my gaze outside the window. The scent of peach blossoms flowed in through the slightly open window.

Did they plant only peach trees all over the palace? The fragrance filled the room even with just that much opened.

“Your Highness. It’s Heesa.”

Then, Heesa’s voice was heard from outside the door. When I answered for her to come in, the door opened right away.

“Oh my, you opened the window.”

Heesa smiled upon seeing the open window. I nodded at that.

“The scent is nice.”

“Don’t just enjoy it inside the room, go out for a walk or something.”

No, it’s not that serious…

To express my reluctance, I flipped my body in the opposite direction, and Heesa opened the window wider, saying,

“The baby usually disappears within seven days. Then all those flowers will wither too.”

Seven days. It falls quite quickly. Like cherry blossoms. Then maybe I should go out once.

“Where are the peach trees most abundant?”

* * *

And so I immediately left the palace and arrived here.

Which is…

“…”

The Restricted Books Chamber.

Mechanically flipping through the bookshelves, I let out a deep sigh.

If you ask why I’m here when I went out to see peach blossoms, I have something to say. At first, I headed to Sanwha Pavilion as Heesa recommended. Perhaps because Sanwha Pavilion is a garden with particularly many flowers, or perhaps because it’s where the child was first discovered, there were especially many peach trees.

Everyone must have known that because Sanwha Pavilion was already crowded with people, and when I set foot inside, attention was drawn to me. I wanted to see more of that beautiful scenery, but I was uncomfortable enough to give it up.

In the end, I left Sanwha Pavilion. Even after that, I wandered around and around for a long time to shake off the people, and the place my feet led me to was the Restricted Books Chamber. It’s quiet, familiar even though I’ve only been here a few times, and no one can carelessly enter.

Still, a sigh escaped me. I came out to see flowers, but why books?

‘No. It’s still fun here.’

I don’t think I’m meant to have fun, but I rummaged through the bookshelves, comforting myself.

Since it’s the Restricted Books Chamber, there were quite a few unofficial histories. Couldn’t I find a memoir of an eloquent official who sharply recorded the Emperor’s actions?

As if my efforts were rewarded, I found a familiar name on the cover of a book.

“Mirinae?”

I immediately pulled out that book. Opening the first page, two words were written as large as the door.

[Diary]

The handwriting was unbelievably crooked. I doubted my eyes for a moment, then lowered my gaze.

[If you read this, I’ll kill you.]

Despite the eerie words, they seemed trivial due to the handwriting that looked like a five-year-old child wrote it.

It was a world of difference from Mirinae’s handwriting. But I knew how many long years Mirinae had lived. So this must be a diary Mirinae wrote when he was young, right?

‘Jackpot…’

How does something like this exist? Mirinae allowed this? Is that why it’s in the Restricted Books Chamber? Anyway, it was surprising.

Ah, should I read it? But it’s personal information, and since it’s from when he was young, it’ll be a dark history.

After agonizing for a moment, I eventually opened the diary with curiosity. They say curiosity killed the cat. …Honestly, I was curious.

[Jeyun is ugly.]

[His personality is nasty too.]

[World’s top handsome dummy brainless sea anemone sea cucumber sea squirt]

Oh my goodness. It’s intense from the first page.

[I was bored and asked him to play with me, but he threw this at me and told me to write.]

[To treat this dragon body like this, what an ungrateful bastard!]

[I’ll take away his ability. I gave it to him for nothing.]

It was not only an unexpected content but also a quite resolute handwriting.

‘I thought he might have been a bit docile when young.’

As if. His temperament was the same.

I flipped through the pages, chuckling. The surnames of all families in Seora are the names of the first family heads. Seeing him call him Jeyun, it seems to be the head of the Jeyun family to whom Mirinae gave his blessing.

The time when the first Heavenly Dragon appeared. How long ago was that? I don’t remember exactly, but it must have been quite a long time ago, and Mirinae was young at this time.

[Bari is pretty. But she likes Jeyun. That’s her one flaw.]

He was close with the Emperor too. And that Emperor liked Jeyun…

‘Huh?’

Ah, right. Heavenly Dragon.

It wasn’t wrong to say that when someone falls in love, they gain an ability. I flipped through a few blank pages and saw small handwriting.

[The two of them got married. They smile like the sunlight. They look happy.]

[I think they really love each other.]

[Love.]

On one page, only that single word was written. I quietly stared at that part, unable to turn the page. That short word felt strangely lonely, so I gently stroked it as if patting a shoulder.

And when I turned the page, black writing filled the white paper.

[I want love too!!!! Me too!!!!! I want a destined partner too!!!!!!!]

Oh my.

I missed the previous sentiment. After that, Mirinae’s lively lamentations were the main content. I thoroughly read that diary to the end and neatly put it back where it originally was.

Actually, at first, I planned to read it all and subtly tease Mirinae, but after reading it, I felt strange. It was like getting a glimpse into someone’s life.

I thought Mirinae was mature since birth.

‘It feels like seeing a parent’s childhood album.’

It was fun. I didn’t know something like this existed. Excited, I rummaged through the bookcases and found a quite thick book.

‘It’s a genealogy of nobles.’

When I opened it with a rustle, the members of each noble family and the family’s abilities were recorded. There were familiar names and names I was seeing for the first time. Reading through it with quite a bit of interest, I stopped at one part.

“Wow, Gowun. Look at this. The name is the same as yours.”

The Maho family. They possess the ability of deadly poison and govern the granary region to the east. The fourth son of that family was named Gowun.

It doesn’t seem like a common name, so it’s fascinating. Thinking that and raising my head, my eyes met Gowun’s. Gowun looked startled, his mouth just moving without words.

“Why? Is it you?”

With the intention to tease him, I laughed and said that. But the answer that came back made me have the same face as Gowun.

“…Yes.”

Huh?