After putting on the gold ring of Queen Hyeondeok of the Kwon clan,
— Protect him, Kwon family. Protect our Hongwi.
With that dreadful cry ringing in my ears, I was forcibly summoned to Danjong's side.
"Udi mana, udi ma."
(Don't cry, don't cry.)
Something warm wriggled into my arms.
"Ggung kkeuya?"
A small, soft finger brushed away the tears on my cheek.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince! You must return now! Your Highness!"
But the one who needed to return right now was me.
Instead of Yoonseo bursting into tears, Hongwi, who had awakened in the Crown Prince's arms, began wailing loudly.
"So noisy."
My head is truly—so very noisy, little one.
#Fusion #AlternateHistory #Drama #Possession #Misunderstanding #Healing #Trainer #AbilityUser #RomanceFantasy #Maid.
Episode 1: The Summoning of the Gold Ring
"Udi mana, udi ma."
(Don't cry, don't cry.)
Something warm wriggled into my arms.
"Ggung kkeuya?"
A small, soft finger brushed across my tear-soaked cheek.
It was too warm to be a dream, so Yoonseo slowly lifted her heavy eyelids.
Soft moonlight filtered through the paper window.
"Already night? Just how long have I— …Oh my god!"
Yoonseo jerked back in shock.
Right in front of her stood a tiny child, staring at her as if she were a ghostly apparition.
"Are you crying for your mommy too?"
Perhaps three years old.
The child had long hair draped down, but the voice was far too gentle to belong to a ghost.
"…Who are you?"
When she asked, the child buried his face in Yoonseo's arms and whispered sleepily with his tiny hands clutching her.
"Don't cry, okay."
Then he grabbed the tie of Yoonseo's clothes and—
Wait. The tie of my clothes?
Leaving the child still holding the fabric tie as he drifted off to sleep, Yoonseo carefully lifted the blanket.
A jade-colored jeogori and a dark skirt came into view.
But she had definitely been wearing a stretched-out cotton T-shirt and baggy pants.
What is this?
Kid… who are you?
She almost shook the child awake to ask, but stopped herself.
It was the professional instinct of a psychological counselor—you mustn't startle a sleeping child.
As she withdrew her hand again, the ring finger on her left hand suddenly glinted.
A gold ring!
It was the very gold ring that had been inside an old sandalwood box together with a letter.
At that moment, the desperate scream she had heard when she first put on the ring rang through her mind again.
— Protect him, Kwon family. Protect our Hongwi.
Hongwi.
Yi Hongwi.
The son of Queen Hyeondeok of the Kwon clan, the 19th ancestor of the Kwon family.
And the ill-fated king Danjong, murdered by King Sejo.
No way.
It can't be.
It absolutely can't be.
Yoonseo gently placed the edge of the blanket in the baby's hand instead of her clothing tie and rose to her feet.
When she opened the paper-paneled door, there was an inner wooden hall, and beyond it a double-door structure leading outside.
It was a layout typically found only in royal palaces or the mansions of powerful families.
Don't tell me… I actually time-slipped to the Joseon era?
Her heart trembling with fear, she placed a hand on the door leading outside.
Just then—
Thud.
Footsteps stepped onto the wooden floor of the main hall, followed by a man's voice.
"Your Highness! Crown Prince! If it becomes known that you entered the palace without permission—!"
One voice trembled with fear.
"Ahem. Just look at the sky. Jinseong (Saturn) is shining unusually bright tonight."
Another voice carried authority.
"Then please confirm the safety of the Royal Grandson and come out quickly. If you wish to return before sunrise, time is short."
"Find out the names of every guard who stood watch tonight. And the names of those responsible for guarding this noble consort's residence. Just how lax the palace security is!"
The man's voice was thick with anger.
It was clear he intended to track down every person who had failed to detect his intrusion and punish them severely.
Royal Grandson… Does that mean that child really is King Danjong?
She wanted to ask.
But this clearly wasn't a good time.
Just as Yoonseo turned to go back—
Swish.
The door slid open without a sound, and in the next moment a rough hand grabbed the back of her neck.
"Who are you? Who dares eavesdrop like a rat?"
"E-eavesdropping?"
Yoonseo desperately searched for an excuse.
"I thought the young master might be… thirsty…"
"If he were thirsty, there would already be water prepared beside him!"
As if telling her not to bother with such flimsy excuses, the man tightened his grip.
Ugh.
Just as her breath began to fail, strange memories surged into Yoonseo's mind like a wave of pain.
Kwon-family court maid!
This body originally belonged to Court Lady Yoonseo of the Kwon clan, a distant relative who had lived with the family of Lady Kwon, the Crown Princess.
When Lady Kwon was selected as a Seung-hwi (secondary consort) of the Crown Prince and entered the palace, Yoonseo had followed her inside purely because she was physically quick—almost like a bodyguard.
After the Crown Princess passed away, she became the nursemaid court lady protecting the Royal Grandson.
Lady Kwon, the Crown Princess, had died three days after giving birth to her son.
It was an all-too familiar story.
"Will you not answer properly!"
Crown Prince Yi Hyang—later King Munjong— tightened his grip around her neck.
The reason Yoonseo ended up crossing time and space only to be strangled by someone of such exalted status… was because she had recklessly worn someone else's ring.
More precisely, the gold ring of her 19th-generation ancestor, Queen Hyeondeok of the Kwon clan.
She thought it would be fine since it belonged to an ancestor.
Yoonseo had come down to her hometown of Hongseong to hold the third-year memorial service for her parents.
After performing the rites with foods her parents liked—salted hwangsaegi fish, bean rice cakes, and a cup of liquor—
She wandered through places filled with memories of them and eventually climbed up to the attic.
While looking at a bookshelf packed with childhood storybooks and certificates, she noticed an unfamiliar box.
It was a sandalwood box delicately decorated with mother-of-pearl flowers and vines.
It was such a precious piece that, if submitted to an antique appraisal show, it could easily fetch hundreds of millions of won.
Opening the lid, she found one phoenix hairpin carved from white jade and a pair of gold rings engraved with phoenix patterns in silver.
And at the very bottom lay a neatly folded sheet of paper, still vividly dyed the color of gardenia.
After carefully taking out the hairpin and rings, she unfolded the paper.
Why did the virtuous mother leave this world in such haste?
The neat yet powerful handwriting contained a restrained sorrow.
This is the mourning poem that King Munjong wrote on the death anniversary of Queen Hyeondeok.
Her father—who had translated classical Chinese poetry and published several books—had once taught her this line.
Tracing the paper, which was deeply imbued with grief over the loss of the Crown Princess, Yoonseo gently altered the verse.
Why did my parents leave this world in such haste,leaving me alone in this harsh world?
With her heart collapsing in sorrow, she picked up one of the rings and slipped it onto the ring finger of her left hand.
Then—
Sob, sob—
Along with the sound of bitter weeping, a woman cried out in despair.
— Protect him, Kwon family. Protect our Hongwi.
In an instant, everything before her eyes turned white.
Yoonseo lost consciousness and collapsed.
And when she awoke…
she was here, in Joseon.
And now she was being shaken by the collar by the husband of the ancestor who had cried out.
Honestly, this was too much.
If she wanted Hongwi protected so badly, shouldn't she have come back herself?
Why send a pitiful descendant—someone nineteen generations removed, practically a stranger?
Filled with rising resentment, Yoonseo twisted her elbow and jabbed hard into Yi Hyang's solar plexus.
It was the second move in a self-defense technique used to escape when grabbed by a molester.
"Ugh—!"
With a groan, the grip around her neck loosened.
Not missing the opportunity, Yoonseo quickly opened the bedroom door where the precious baby was sleeping.
"You don't wake a sleeping child!"
Putting a finger to her lips in a "shh" gesture, she plopped down beside the child.
"How insolent!"
Yi Hyang was about to shout, but he clamped his mouth shut.
There was no time.
To return to Janghowon, he would have to ride for a full two shijin (about four hours).
Two shijin earlier, while Yi Hyang—exhausted after spending the entire day directing the royal procession—had briefly dozed off,
his beloved Crown Princess Kwon had appeared in his dream.
— Your Highness, Your Highness. I have sent someone to protect our Hongi. Please protect Hongi, Your Highness.
Awakened by her desperate plea, he ran outside the camp.
The movement of the stars was strange.
Jinseong (Saturn)—a star that rises in the eastern sky at dusk—was shining unusually bright and trembling.
Jinseong is a star connected with the safety of royal descendants.
If it shines brightly, it is an auspicious omen.
But if it trembles, it is a bad omen.
Did something happen to our Hongwi?!
His heart sank.
At the moment, Yi Hyang was on the road returning from the Onyang hot spring royal residence, where he had accompanied the King and Queen.
With both the King and Crown Prince absent, Prince Anpyeong was guarding Hanyang.
At a time like this, even the Crown Prince could be accused of treason if he entered the palace without the King's permission.
Yet Yi Hyang, anxious to confirm the safety of his not-even-two-year-old son, mounted his horse and rode the forty-ri distance straight to the palace.
Five of the most elite guards from the Crown Prince's Royal Guard followed him.
And when he arrived—
the palace guards didn't even notice someone climbing over the walls.
Even the residence where the Royal Grandson stayed had been left unguarded.
And the court ladies who should have been standing watch outside the gate were nowhere to be seen.
Just because I've been away from the palace for two months!
"Who are you? A nursemaid court lady?"
Without taking his eyes off the maid holding the child, Yi Hyang lit a candle on the table.
In the spreading light, he saw Hongwi, with his chubby cheeks, cradled in the arms of the maid.
"…Kwon?"
"…Yes. I am Nursemaid Court Lady Kwon."
"Why are you the only one here? Where are the other court ladies?"
At the words other court ladies, the faces of Court Lady Park and Court Lady Han—who were originally supposed to be on duty—flashed through Yoonseo's mind.
She also remembered how those two, who were quick but not very bright, had given Court Lady Kwon ten dried persimmons and made her stand watch in their place.
Court Lady Kwon was the official registered attendant assigned to Hongwi's residence!
"They… both had stomach trouble, so I remained alone."
"Stomach trouble?"
"It seems the water went bad."
"Is dysentery spreading? What about our Hongwi?"
"He is sleeping well right here!"
Her mouth answered automatically,
but her mind was in chaos.
Yi Hyang approached.
Revealed in the candlelight, Yi Hyang was strikingly handsome.
Tall, broad-shouldered, with bold facial features.
If he didn't have such a thick beard, by modern standards he would easily rank among the top five most handsome royal princes in the world.
But even as that handsome face came close and he lifted the child from her arms,
Yoonseo stared at the Crown Prince with dull eyes while thinking of something else entirely.
This ring! If I take it off and put it on again… maybe I can go back.
Taking advantage of the moment the child was gone from her arms, Yoonseo slipped the gold ring off her finger.
She squeezed her eyes shut and put it back on while praying.
When I open my eyes, I'll be in the modern world.
When I open my eyes, it will be the 21st-century attic.
When I open my eyes—!
Mom, Dad, please help.
God, Buddha, all the gods of the world!
She opened her eyes with desperate hope.
But the first thing she saw was black hair.
Then a calloused hand roughly twisted her wrist upward.
"What is this ring? Why do you have it?"
Damn it.
Still Joseon.
Still standing before the Crown Prince—who had been a wise ruler, yet died without protecting his own son.
"I'd like to know that myself. This stupid ring!"
"…?"
Yi Hyang's mouth stiffened.
He wore a stunned expression, as though he had never in his life heard such insolent words.
Just then, another urgent voice came from outside.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince! You must return now! Your Highness!"
But the one who needed to return was me.
Instead of Yoonseo bursting into tears,
Hongwi, awakened in the Crown Prince's arms, began crying loudly.
"So noisy."
My head really is very noisy, little one.