As Her Majesty Queen Soheon Said / Revised Version
"Hongwi, did you miss your grandmother?"
"Yes, Hal-mama. Hong likes Hal-mama. My heart went thump."
Hongwi seemed to find the crying baby kitten—wailing after losing its mother—so fascinating and adorable that he kept using the word "heart-thump" he had learned from Yunseo, tossing it around everywhere to express his feelings.
They say you can't even drink cold water in front of children…
Looks like I'll have to teach our Hongwi even more cute words!
"I'm so happy to see our Hongwi too. Come visit your grandmother often, won't you?"
At that, Hongwi wrapped his arms around the Queen's neck and snuggled into her.
"Yes, Hal-mama. I want to come play every day with Nanny Kwon."
He whispered earnestly.
For a moment, the Queen Consort's face lit up with a warm smile at her grandson's uninhibited affection and adorable speech—but then her expression hardened.
Queen Soheon gently loosened Hongwi's arms from around her neck and said,
"Hongwi, would you like to sit on Grandmother's lap now?"
She turned him to face forward as she seated him.
"Nursemaid Kwon Yunseo humbly greets Her Majesty the Queen Consort."
Yunseo bowed deeply and carefully lowered herself.
"Raise your head."
Yunseo straightened and met Queen Soheon's gaze.
"..."
The Queen's expression had stiffened considerably from the warm welcome she had shown earlier.
Yunseo already knew the reason.
On the way to the Queen's residence, Yunseo had whispered into Hongwi's ear,
"My young lord, when you meet Her Majesty, say 'Hal-mama,' run to her and hug her, tell her you missed her, and say you want to come visit every day with Nanny Kwon."
The clever Hongwi understood that if he spoke well and moved the Queen's heart, Yunseo would be allowed to stay by his side. So he had faithfully repeated everything.
The Queen Consort, who had raised many children, immediately realized that Hongwi's words were not his own, but ones Yunseo had taught him—and she found it displeasing.
To begin with, Hongwi had not even been summoned, yet he had come along. Setting aside her joy at seeing her grandson, it could be read as a form of disrespect with intent behind it.
After carefully observing Yunseo, the Queen suddenly asked:
"Hongwi seems to like you very much."
"Yes, Your Majesty. I, too, deeply care for the young royal grandson."
"Hmm?"
For someone of Yunseo's low rank, the word "love" was not something to be used lightly about a royal heir.
Queen Soheon recalled what His Majesty had once said about Kwon.
"He is very clever and knows many things. His character seems firm, and above all, he cherishes our Hongwi as if he were his own life. In some ways, it even seems he favors the royal grandson more than Hyangi. For that reason, I, too, have considered that it might be good if that child becomes part of the royal household and steadfastly supports Hongwi. But you know as well as I do—there are often hidden motives behind such devotion. So I ask that you see the child yourself and judge what rank should be given."
In other words, His Majesty wanted her to determine whether Kwon was using Hongwi as a shield to advance her own position.
It was a blessing that the Crown Prince—who had long been restrained and abstinent to the point of causing concern—had taken a liking to a court lady. But for him to disregard all conventions and political balance and wish to elevate a low-born maid straight to Crown Princess was no ordinary matter.
From that perspective, Yunseo's deliberate arrival with Hongwi—and making him speak of visiting every day—seemed newly suspicious and cunning.
"Hongwi, I hear you like playing fishing games. Is that so?"
"Yes, Hal-mama. I like fishing games. Nanny Kwon made a fishing rod for me. The fish go whoosh whoosh and run away, then hide in the grass."
"The fish go whoosh and hide in the grass? Where did you learn such pretty words?"
"Nanny Kwon taught me. She taught me 'heart-thump' too."
"Kwon, what is 'heart-thump'?"
"It means one's heart drops with a thud, Your Majesty."
Suppressing the smile that naturally rose at Hongwi's adorable expressions, the Queen asked again:
"Hongwi, did Jaseon come with you?"
"Yes, Jaseon is outside."
"If you go around behind Gyotaejeon, there is a small pond in the rear garden. I had some colorful, beautiful fish brought in just the other day so you could play fishing there when you visit. Would you like to go and play with Jaseon?"
"..."
Hongwi, who had been answering enthusiastically, suddenly pressed his lips together and looked at Yunseo.
He seemed anxious that this was an excuse to separate him from her—his lips already trembling as if he might cry.
Yunseo, harboring deep resentment toward the maid who had carelessly told Hongwi that she would leave him to become a concubine, ignored proper etiquette and opened her arms toward him.
Hongwi ran into her embrace with all his strength.
Holding him tightly, Yunseo lowered her head and spoke to the Queen:
"Your Majesty, the sky was clear and the sunlight very bright on the way here. How would it be if you stepped outside for some fresh air and watched the young lord play at fishing? He fishes very adorably—and quite well."
It was a request: since Hongwi was anxious and couldn't be sent alone, any discussion should take place outside where he could still see her.
"..."
The Queen did not respond immediately. She quietly watched Hongwi clinging tightly to Yunseo—and Yunseo holding him just as firmly, as if they could not be separated.
If that affection was genuine, it would be quite endearing…
But if it was a display to flaunt her bond with Hongwi and resist being given a mere low rank like Seunghwi—
"Very well. A walk in the sunlight would be pleasant. In bright light, everything reveals itself clearly."
"Yes, Your Majesty. I will assist you."
Yunseo quickly whispered to Hongwi, "My young lord, let's go play fishing together," and stepped forward to support the Queen.
The quick-witted Hongwi grew excited and rushed ahead.
"How delighted he is."
Seeing Hongwi turn around and hop down from the wooden floor on his own, beaming brightly, the Queen's expression softened with instinctive affection.
"Jaseon! Let's go fishing!"
Hongwi called out loudly to the court attendant from the Eastern Palace, who stood waiting in the courtyard.
Jaseon put shoes on Hongwi and carried him down into the courtyard, and Hongwi immediately ran around Gyotaejeon toward the rear garden.
The Chief Court Lady Choi of the Queen's quarters hurried after him, carrying the fishing rod that had been prepared in advance for Hongwi to play with when he came.
It was a fairly elaborate toy fishing rod, carefully crafted from light bamboo and strung to resemble a real one.
As Yunseo supported the Queen and rounded the Gyotaejeon building, they saw Hongwi in front of a shallow pond—no deeper than an adult's knees—lifting and lowering the rod, bending and straightening his knees several times before finally casting the line.
After throwing the line, Hongwi burst into laughter and stomped his feet toward the fish.
"Fishies! Even if you hide, I'll find you all!"
Just moments ago, the royal grandson had been anxious and on the verge of tears, but now—simply because Kwon was watching him—he had regained his lively spirit, smiling brightly and completely immersed in innocent play.
"..."
At the adorable sight, the Queen let out a soft sigh—"Ah!"—then turned to Chief Court Lady Choi, who had returned after handing over the rod.
"You support me instead."
The Chief Court Lady of the Queen's inner quarters stepped forward to assist her, and Yunseo retreated two steps, respectfully folding her hands and bowing.
The Queen asked coldly:
"So, because you 'love' Hongwi so much, do you intend to become the Crown Princess and raise him as your own son? Is that why you brought him before me—to show that without you, he becomes so anxious that he even hesitates to go play at the fishing he loves so much?"
The Queen—both compassionate and strict in discipline—was now interrogating her sternly. It was the very question Yunseo had been waiting for.
"Your Majesty."
Yunseo prostrated herself deeply.
"I wish to remain as I am, serving the young lord as his nursemaid. Please grant me this, Your Majesty. That is why I dared to bring him here."
"What did you say?"
"If the young lord were to stay in the residence of a particular concubine, that would invite her rise in influence, and others would grow envious—causing harm that would fall entirely upon the young lord. I know this better than anyone. How, then, could I dream of becoming a high-ranking concubine, or even dare to aspire to the position of Crown Princess, for which I am unworthy? I wish to remain a nursemaid and support him until he grows up as bright and cheerful as he is now."
"...You truly intend to remain a nursemaid? Truly?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. It is my earnest wish to stay by the young lord's side and serve him."
"..."
Having borne and raised ten children, including Crown Prince Lee Hyang, the Queen understood well what it meant to care for a royal grandchild. At times, she had even entrusted concubines with the role of wet nurse.
All of them were devoted—but whether that devotion contained true maternal sincerity was another matter.
Most were cautious out of fear—afraid the child might be harmed and they would face harsh punishment. Their care was not like the love one gives their own child, but rather a respectful and burdened service toward a superior.
But between Kwon and Hongwi, there was no such superficial, ceremonial affection.
Instead, there was something deeply genuine and inseparable—like the bond between mother and child, just as when she herself had raised Hyang.
"..."
The Queen said nothing for a long while, simply watching Hongwi.
With his short legs, he toddled along the edge of the pond, chasing fish hiding among the reeds—stomping loudly to startle them before lifting his rod again and casting the line into the water.
Watching him with fond eyes, the Queen suddenly spoke:
"It has been a long time since I heard my children's laughter in the rear garden of Gyotaejeon. For a while now, the only laughter I've heard has been that of concubines' children."
"!"
"Do you think their laughter could sound as lovely as Hongwi's?"
For a moment, a chill flickered in the eyes of the endlessly gentle and benevolent Queen.
"One day, when you bear a child of your own, you will come to understand emotions too complex to be put into words."
With a sigh, she murmured,
"At that time… will you still look upon Hongwi the same way you do today…?"
"I understand what you have said, Kwon. I will use my authority to allow you to remain as a nursemaid."
As she spoke, the Queen—who had lived her life as the highest authority of the inner court—fixed a sharp, probing gaze on Kwon, drawing on every instinct she possessed.
Chief Court Lady Choi, supporting the Queen, also stared intently at Kwon.
If even the slightest trace of disappointment appeared on her face, they were prepared to expose her calculated hypocrisy—
and since the Crown Prince favored her greatly, they could not simply cast her aside. Instead, they would assign her a middling fifth-rank title, such as Sohun, and throw her into the den of fourth-rank Seunghwi—leaving her to be devoured.
But Kwon, with a genuinely joyful expression, bowed deeply and spoke:
"I am deeply, deeply grateful for Your Majesty's grace. I, Kwon, will faithfully serve our young royal grandson as his nursemaid."
"...!"
The Queen glanced at Chief Court Lady Choi, who had been by her side almost her entire life.
Chief Court Lady Choi gave a slight nod.