Burn (1)

As the Autumnal Equinox passed, the palace was also steeped in a chilling autumn hue, as if overflowing with it. The trees in the gardens and courtyards were tinged with shades of red, leaf by leaf, nestled within the embrace of the autumn foliage, and the grasses, having shed their vibrantly blooming buds, hung unripe seeds. Beneath the blue of the sky, the riotous appearance of the flora was quite dizzying.

As the tick-like heat subsided, the wind gradually grew colder, and the butterflies and dragonflies that had flitted about disappeared without a trace. Although the court ladies were busy every morning tidying up the fallen leaves, Serina, being a lady-in-waiting, was spared such bothersome tasks.

Since there was no natural way to lower the temperature, during the summer, magicians had to patrol the palace daily, casting spells to lower the temperature in designated areas. After making such a round, they would be exhausted, their magical power depleted, and they would slump like laborers after heavy work, panting with their frail bodies.

But winter was different. There was no need to borrow the hands of magicians to heat the rooms; simply burning firewood or kindling was sufficient. Of course, the braziers and stoves had to be checked regularly, but that was not something that high-ranking individuals like Mirabilis -nim had to worry about. When the young court ladies stirred the ashes with fire tongs, searching for embers to rekindle the fire, the flames would slowly grow, as if stretching, and then suddenly burst into life with a hwadeudeuk sound.

Still, it wasn’t that cold during the day. There was a different, colorful charm compared to the flower-filled summer garden, so there was a grand festival attended by everyone from the Emperor down to the youngest court lady.

Nine flawless oxen were prepared, without spots on their fur, free from minor ailments, and without any injured areas. They were precious offerings to be given to the spirits protecting the nation, so much so that the Emperor himself would inspect the offerings. Any ox without spots would do, but pure white was the best, followed by pure black.

After the Emperor fasted for three days, he would perform a solemn ritual with the help of shamans at the altar outside the palace, burning the nine oxen. Afterward, a grand feast would be held in the palace for seven days with the remaining meat and offerings, attended by the Emperor, the royal family, civil and military officials, and other palace staff.

Of course, the areas where people gathered were divided according to their status, but it was a natural right for the palace staff to take and eat the food left over by the higher-ups. It was a rare opportunity to taste precious food that they could never dream of eating normally-although the preparations had to be done by the lower staff-many of the palace staff eagerly awaited the feast day.

Each palace was busy preparing for the feast. The lower the rank, the busier they were. There were many things to prepare, but the Rose Palace (Jangmi gung) had relatively few hands, so not only the court ladies but also ladies-in-waiting like Serina had to lend a hand in the preparations to some extent.

,”Are you the lady-in-waiting who is favored by Mirabilis -nim?”

One busy day before the festival, an unfamiliar voice spoke to Serina from behind in the Rose Palace (Jangmi gung). Serina, who was about to serve Mirabilis -nim a warm beverage, tilted her head and looked back. Behind her was a strange court lady with brown hair and a cheerful smile that never seemed to leave her face, but whom Serina had never seen before.

“I don’t know if I am favored by the Princess (Hwangnyeo)-nim, but… you must be from the Chrysanthemum Palace (Gukhwa gung).”

The palace staff working in the palace distinguish their affiliations by the decorations dyed on their collars. The Rose Palace (Jangmi gung) is red, and the Chrysanthemum Palace (Gukhwa gung) is yellow. The yellow stripe on the collar of the person who spoke to Serina stood out noticeably. And the owner of the Chrysanthemum Palace (Gukhwa gung) was the First Princess (Hwangnyeo), Padrentia.

“What brings a lady-in-waiting serving the Princess (Gongju)-nim to me?”

Princess (Gongju)-nim, Padrentia, was the empire’s First Princess (Hwangnyeo) and also a Princess (Gongju). She was given the title Princess (Regina) Lugmilensis, named after the Lugmila region, and since Padrentia was the only Princess (Gongju) in the current Awimika, it was fine to simply call her ‘Princess (Gongju)-nim’. The other party smiled brightly and said in a cheerful voice.

“I don’t have any particular business. I just heard that there was a favored lady-in-waiting who has served Mirabilis -nim for three years, so I wanted to meet you while I was at the Rose Palace (Jangmi gung).”

“You came to the Rose Palace (Jangmi gung) leaving the Princess (Gongju)-nim behind?”

It was not possible for an ordinary palace staff member to come and go to another palace without business, especially not their own. ‘Then she must have come on business, but why is she talking to me?’ Serina thought. While she was lost in thought, steam rose from the cup on the tray. A wriggling white line was drawn between Serina and the other party, as if incense was being burned.

“You’re not alone. Padrentia -nim herself has come to talk to Mirabilis -nim. She wanted to talk only with the two Princesses (Yangwi), so she dismissed the others, so you can’t go in even if you go now.”

Serina turned her gaze to the tray she was about to serve. The scent of the tea, with its rising steam, tickled the tip of her nose.

“Oh dear.”

She was thinking of warming it up again when the conversation was over, but the other party suddenly grabbed Serina’s hand and moved towards the courtyard.

“The two Princesses (Yangwi) are talking, so who knows how long it will take? I was also curious about the lady-in-waiting that Mirabilis -nim cherishes, so I looked for you to talk to while I was in the Rose Palace (Jangmi gung). Your name is Serina… right?”

“The Princess (Hwangnyeo)-nim treats me kindly, but it’s not to the extent that you could call it favor.”

It was rare for her to have talked with palace staff from other palaces in the past three years, but Serina was rather embarrassed by someone suddenly showing curiosity and approaching her in a friendly manner. It was at that moment.

Head Court Lady Mullaba appeared from the other side of the hallway. Her eyes were set with knives as if she was burning inside, but her footsteps were extremely quiet. The ghost of the Rose Palace (Jangmi gung), the old ginger-like Head Court Lady, approached Serina, meeting the contradictory conditions of being cautious yet striding forward, and gently, but with an attitude that could not be resisted, removed the hand holding her wrist.

She stood in front of the other party who was dragging Serina away and glared fiercely.

“As a lady-in-waiting serving her master, how can you think of chatting leisurely with a lady-in-waiting from another palace while being outside with the Princess (Gongju)-nim, not knowing when your master will finish the conversation and come out… Is that how Amitale taught you? Supanita. Besides, you didn’t even properly reveal your name to our lady-in-waiting and tried to go to our palace’s courtyard. This is the Rose Palace (Jangmi gung), not the Chrysanthemum Palace (Gukhwa gung).”

Mullaba scolded with a terrifying strictness that one could not dare to retort, and clicked her tongue. Amitale was the Head Court Lady of the Chrysanthemum Palace (Gukhwa gung). She entered the palace later than Mullaba, but became a Head Court Lady around the same time, so she had risen to her position quite quickly. The lady-in-waiting called ‘Supanita’ turned red in the face.

“I was foolish and unintentionally made a mistake. Please be lenient, Head Court Lady.”

The Head Court Lady of the Rose Palace (Jangmi gung) would have no authority to say anything to a lady-in-waiting from another palace, but if she caused trouble within the Rose Palace (Jangmi gung), to a person of the Rose Palace (Jangmi gung), the story was different. But since the other party readily admitted her mistake and asked for mercy, Mullaba had nothing more to say.

“Don’t make this mistake again. Go, and attend to your master.”

At Mullaba’s gesture, Supanita bowed lightly and left the spot. But even as she left, she turned back to look at Serina, gave a slight smile, and walked towards Mirabilis’s Main Chamber (Jusil). The Head Court Lady watched her leave with a displeased expression and clicked her tongue.

“Your reputation has spread to the Chrysanthemum Palace (Gukhwa gung) too, Serina.”

“Yes?”

Serina was startled by her words. But Mullaba’s voice was still heavy. The old Head Court Lady, who had lived in the Rose Palace (Jangmi gung) for decades, had seen all sorts of things while living in the palace.

“There are many people who approach ladies-in-waiting who are favored by the royal family. I thought someone would approach you soon, but to do it so blatantly.”

Mullaba looked around the hallway and whispered in a low voice.

“That bitch is not doing it on her own accord, she probably did it under the orders of the Princess (Gongju)-nim.”

“The Princess (Gongju)-nim… Padrentia -nim ordered it?”

The old Head Court Lady nodded.

“That’s right. I scolded her just now, but she’s such a shameless character that it’s like pouring water on a frog’s face. But she couldn’t dare to say that she was ordered by the Princess (Gongju)-nim, so when I rebuked her, she admitted that she made a mistake and quickly left.”

The Head Court Lady, who had spent a long time in the Rose Palace (Jangmi gung), sorted out her thoughts, recalling vaguely emerging memories.

“She probably wanted to get close to you to find out more about Mirabilis -nim’s movements or situation. Even if you try to keep secrets, information leaks out from minor slips of the tongue. But in the Rose Palace (Jangmi gung)? I won’t see such a sight until dirt gets in my eyes. No, I won’t see it.”

Serina wondered if Mullaba’s object of loyalty was Mirabilis, or the owner of the Rose Palace (Jangmi gung). But at least for him, such distinctions didn’t seem very important. Anyway, at this point, the two were one, and the person Mullaba served was also one.

“If I were to go to the Chrysanthemum Palace (Gukhwa gung) and do the same thing to their ladies-in-waiting…”

Mullaba’s gaze suddenly turned towards the Chrysanthemum Palace (Gukhwa gung). Although the other side could not be seen because it was blocked by the wall, to Serina, the Head Court Lady’s eyes seemed to pierce through the wall and look directly at the Chrysanthemum Palace (Gukhwa gung).

“You’d have to do it avoiding Amitale’s eyes. There’s no Head Court Lady in the world who would just overlook such a sight in the palace she’s in charge of. That bitch probably approached you because she saw that I wasn’t by your side just now, but when I appeared, she must have thought that this time she had screwed up.”

The drink that Serina was about to serve had cooled down in the meantime. As Serina placed the tray on the windowsill, the wind blew and her baby hairs fluttered.

“So I can now be caught up in the palace’s politics.”

“The grace bestowed by noble people is usually like that. It’s an action aimed at the master behind that person, not the person themselves, but many young people get intoxicated by such attention and ruin their lives, so don’t be rash.”

As Serina and Mullaba approached the Main Chamber (Jusil) of the Rose Palace (Jangmi gung) together, the door happened to open and a person came out. Padrentia, the Princess (Hwangnyeo) of this country and the only Princess (Gongju). It was Serina’s first time seeing Padrentia, even though she had been in the palace for three years.

Unlike Mirabilis, who enjoyed wearing white clothes, Padrentia liked light sky blue. The silver braid around her waist, visible between the flowing sleeves of the light blue dress she wore, further emphasized the Princess’s (Gongju)’s figure. With a dress reminiscent of the sky and even blue flower-shaped ornaments on her head, her impression was quite different from her half-sister Mirabilis.

The Princess (Gongju)-nim had a friendly, easygoing smile. Her neatly braided hair was as glossy and black as a crescent moon, and her deep brown eyes sparkled with a spring-like luster. The outline of her body, from her slender chin to her neck, was delicate and soft, but her expression and posture were imbued with something like confidence, creating a strange dignity and charm.

Although not as outstanding as Mirabilis, she was certainly a beauty, and thanks to her gentle smile and personality, her presence could not be compared to Mirabilis. Unlike the Rose Palace (Jangmi gung), which had almost no guests except for official duties and a few gatherings, the Chrysanthemum Palace (Gukhwa gung) was never without visitors.

Time and experience had given her depth, but Mullaba’s nature was originally quite simple. That was why her heart, which cherished Mirabilis and offered her loyalty, did not waver, but when she looked at Padrentia, the old Head Court Lady of the Rose Palace (Jangmi gung) would suddenly think that she envied Amitale.

When the regret of ‘If only our Princess (Hwangnyeo)-nim was a little more like the Princess (Gongju)-nim’ appeared in a corner of her heart like a mirage, she would close her wrinkled eyelids and erase the disloyal thought. But there was nothing she could do about the remnants of stray thoughts that remained like debris in a corner of her heart.

Mullaba only bowed slightly when she saw Padrentia, but Serina had to kneel on one knee and bow her head. It was the rule to pay such respects only the first time one met a member of the royal family several times a day. Mullaba had already met Princess (Gongju) Padrentia before going to find Serina, but this was Serina’s first time meeting her, so she had to give her greetings.

“Farewell, Princess (Gongju)-nim.”

“Goodbye, Mullaba.”

Padrentia’s gaze briefly swept over Serina as she exchanged greetings with the Head Court Lady. The Princess (Gongju) paused her eyes for a moment, then withdrew them again and turned to go her way. Supanita and other attendants followed behind her.

The palace staff of the Rose Palace (Jangmi gung) watched the scene, and suddenly a screaming voice was heard through the open door of the Main Chamber (Jusil).

“Damn it… Damn it… Damn it!”

Although her personality itself was picky, Mirabilis, who grew up as a Princess (Hwangnyeo), did not know many words that could be called swear words, so ‘Damn it’ was a fairly strong expression of emotion for her.

The other palace staff were flustered and didn’t know what to do when they heard this sound, but Mullaba quietly closed the door with a stern face. As the door clicked shut, a deathly silence hung among those gathered.

“You all didn’t hear anything.”

The palace staff all swallowed hard and nodded their heads.

“…Yes.”

Mullaba turned her body to Serina.

“Go and warm that tea. But there’s no need to rush. Take your time to warm it up slowly and then offer it to the Princess (Hwangnyeo)-nim leisurely.”

Serina slowly walked to the Rose Palace’s (Jangmi gung) kitchen as Mullaba instructed. When she heard the sound of the door opening, the person inside turned around and tilted his head.

The smells of vegetables, meat, and spices were submerged like a fog among the knives, dishes, and bottles. In front of the flames crackling in the stove, the cook sat on a chair, leisurely peeling the skin of a fruit with a knife.

When he put the peel he was cutting into the stove, the fire made a hodeudeuk sound and swallowed the kindling that came into its mouth like a snack. The cook listened to Serina’s explanation and pulled out another chair for her to sit on. After spending some time chatting about the hardships each of them was going through in the palace, the cook finally brewed new tea for Mirabilis and poured it.