Prologue
“Miss, the Imperial Palace is in sight.”
At the sound of the servant’s voice outside the slowly moving carriage, Hwayeong, who had been glaring at a book inside the cramped carriage, quickly tore her eyes away from the pages as she opened the small window.
The moment she laid eyes on the towering wall, Hwayeong let out a deep sigh.
Far ahead, the vast, unending barrier surrounding the Imperial Palace loomed. It was so tall and solid that it seemed like once you entered, you’d never be able to leave. Just looking at it made her feel a surge of irritation.
“Damn it....”
She had anticipated reaching the Imperial Palace around this time, having passed through the southern gate of the capital two days ago. However, expecting something and accepting it as reality were entirely different matters.
In the fifteen days it took to travel from her hometown to this place, Hwayeong had repeatedly thought it through, even trying to brace herself at times. But unfortunately, she still wasn’t ready—neither in her mind nor her spirit.
Her father had enthusiastically packed her off, thinking it would be plenty of time to prepare herself, but it was nowhere near enough. In fact, she doubted she’d ever be ready, not now, not in a few months, not even if she lived another few decades or more.
“I’d rather be hit by a bolt of lightning by now....”
Hwayeong briefly wished she could be knocked out by lightning, but quickly shook her head at the thought.
Getting hit by lightning was a bit much. But perhaps a sudden downpour, wild and heavy, would be perfect.
She glanced out the window again, hoping for a sign of change, but the sky remained clear and blue, without a single cloud. It was clear that those who were ‘up there’ were indifferent to her wishes today.
Several times along the way, she had hoped for rain in the next town, but, almost as if fate were mocking her, the rain would stop the moment her carriage entered, and then start again as soon as they left. No accidents had occurred, and even when markets were bustling, the roads were strangely empty.
In a desperate attempt to delay the inevitable, she had pretended to be ill, but the soldiers assigned to escort her were so precise in their calculations that they managed to arrive at the palace exactly on time, despite her efforts.
In truth, it was only a month ago that she had nagged her father, saying that every person should visit the capital at least once in their life. But now, standing before the real thing, only one thought circled her mind.
“I should have twisted Hwajin’s neck before I left....”
Given the circumstances, arriving in the capital city, which she had once dreamt of, brought no joy. Instead, her insides roiled with anger.
Overwhelmed by a fury too intense for words, she looked out the window again, only to see the palace walls drawing closer. The walls seemed to be hurtling toward her like a cannonball, as if they were saying, “You get what you wish for, puny little girl!”
She couldn’t help but think, ‘Why? Why me? Why on earth?’ But it was too late to turn back now.
She had no choice but to enter.
But she really, really didn’t want to go in. The massive gates of the palace felt like the gates of the underworld, and she had a strange, oppressive feeling that if she entered, she would never be able to set foot in the living world again.
The catalyst for all this misfortune was a single, reckless remark from her clueless little sister.
* * *
「I shall enter the palace and become the Crown Princess.」
On a particularly bright day in early spring, her younger sister confidently walked into the tea room where the entire family was gathered and, as always, spouted something completely outrageous.
She had been oddly quiet throughout the winter, but as the weather warmed, her madness seemed to return, prompting her to say the most ridiculous things. Hwayeong quickly reached a conclusion.
「Mother, I think she needs some medicine.」
By subtly implying that her sister had finally lost her mind, Hwayeong took a sip of the fragrant tea, letting it linger in her mouth. Hwajin glared at her and repeated herself with more conviction.
「I’m not talking nonsense. I’m serious. I will become the Crown Princess.」
Hwajin made the declaration as if it were nothing, as if all she had to do was decide and it would be done.
However, considering Hwajin had always been a willful, stubborn, but a not-so-bright girl since she was a kid, Hwayeong assumed she didn’t even understand what it meant to be a Crown Princess.
She decided it was time to leave the room.
「Then I’ll go check on the stables. It’s a nice day, so I’ll let the horses out for a bit.」
Realizing that listening any longer would be a waste of time, Hwayeong made to rise from her seat, and Hwaan, her older brother, also seemed fed up with Hwajin’s nonsense and set his cup down.
「I’ll join Hwayeong. By the way, if you’re going to ride the horses, dress warmly. The weather’s still a bit cold outside.」