Flower of Evil

“Your Majesty, it’s very late. Come on, have a seat here.” Court Lady Park told Lee Woo.

She couldn’t stand the thought and opened her mouth because her master was suffering from insomnia, and she couldn’t do anything but feel sorry for the Empress. There was a lot of weight on her shoulders already. And the Emperor still found ways to belittle her, regardless of how well she did in her work. Court Lady Park hated this.

As soon as the Emperor’s changing heart began, the hierarchy in the palace fell into ruin. And everyone started feeling sorry for the Empress.

“Give me a cup of tea. I can’t seem to sleep well today.”

Woo sighed. The cool breeze of the night left the room with such a pleasant temperature for sleeping.

‘This is sad.’ She thought.

‘I met him when I was nine, the first time I entered the palace. He was fourteen at the time and only just had his coronation as the crown prince. I never realized that it was already ten years since that encounter happened. Time sure does fly fast… I remember pledging my whole life to him. I looked at him and only lived for him. However, I feel that my heart’s growing tired as time passes. I’m sad and pained that he has never even once looked at me. My heart was never filled with the love that I wanted.’

‘How can he not be aware of the hostility he’s been showing? It was radiating from his very own skin, and it seemed as though he wasn’t even aware of it. The only thing that’s keeping me sane right now, is the fact that the seat next to him is my own. The only downside is that I’m like a doll, only meant to sit on the throne alone and do nothing… His heart already belongs to someone else, but who cares, right?’

Woo tightly closed her eyes. She swallowed the lump in her throat, preventing the tears from flowing out somehow.

*

“Your Majesty, this is Court Lady Park. Are you perhaps awake now?”

It took the court lady five minutes of trying to get her attention when she decided to enter the room without permission. The Empress before her, however, was far from being awake or even well.

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“Your Majesty!”

Last night, the Empress was in a cold sweat and moaning in pain. Likely caused by the cold winds.

Court Lady Park called in another handmaiden and told her to call a royal doctor.

The court lady sighed as she wiped the sweat off of the Empress. She was not in great shape these days, but they never knew that she would get sick. It was even more sad because the disease of the mind became the disease of the body.

“How are you feeling, Your Majesty?”

Tae-ui told her not to worry, he just did some acupuncture and gave some medicinal herbs for her to drink. He also said that if she took her medicine and rested enough, her recovery would be swift.

But Court Lady Park was not satisfied.

“Isn’t that too simple of a treatment? Her Majesty is working every single day, so I don’t think a simple rest would suffice! The other concubines only know how to eat and sleep, but her Majesty never rests! So don’t tell me that she only needs a bit of medication and rest. I’m asking you for a favor, sir Tae-ui.”

“What do you mean?”

Tae-ui, who looked anxious, asked in a whisper. As Court Lady Park whispered in his ears, Tae-ui nodded.

After the physician left, Court Lady Park continued to wipe the sweat on Woo’s forehead with a towel. 

Years have already passed since Woo entered the palace. Court Lady Park witnessed how the harsh hands of time morphed the lively girl into a stone-faced woman. It was often said that the lives of the women in the palace were the same, but she felt extremely sorry for her owner.

Court Lady Park sighed. She was so beautiful that her heart didn’t deserve to despair over such a worthless guy. Court Lady Park was saddened by the fact that this lovely woman needed to live like this in the palace. 

She can hold the world in her hand, but why is she living behind the shadow of the Emperor?

“Court Lady Park! The Hyebi is here to greet her Highness. What should we do?”

Court Lady Park sighed and stood up. 

“What brings you here, your Highness?”

“I came to greet her Majesty. Please announce my arrival.”

Court lady Park looked at her with a troubled face. It was hard to refuse a direct order from the higher-ups so she felt conflicted.

“The Empress is busy tending over other matters, your Highness. Please come back next time.”

Hyebi’s face was contorted with anger. She wasn’t frowning. No, it was not even close. She was looking at the court lady with a cold gaze. It was apparent that Hyebi was born to be served by her subordinates. It was clear that she was not a born leader, but she was born to be a boss. 

The poor court lady couldn’t understand what was going on in this girl’s head. She was different from Woo, whose attitude was perfect for a leader. This girl’s gaze held no compassion and because of that, the court lady was watching her every step. 

“Who are you to refuse my humble request, Court Lady Park?”

Court Lady Park had no choice but to turn around and told her that she would inform the Empress of her request.

‘I don’t want to wake up a sick patient, but what could I do with my position?’

“Your Majesty, Hyebi is waiting for you.”

Eventually, the Empress woke up. Court Lady Park politely said that the Hyebi was waiting outside and when the Empress said yes, she went out to tell the lady that the Empress needed to prepare for a little bit.

The court lady brushed her sweat-soaked hair and rearranged it in place. Lee-Woo dressed up lightly, but the regal air surrounding her was still visible.

Lee Woo was seated on the sofa when she finished preparing, her pale complexion couldn’t be hidden by the make-up she was using. 

“Court Lady Park, please bring Hyebi in and prepare refreshments.”

“Yes, your Majesty.”

*

“I greet the woman of the Noble Sun, your Majesty, the Empress.”

Hyebi showed her respect by bowing after her greetings. Her dress was embroidered with a very bright colored thread to emphasize her beauty. If it weren’t for her clothes, she wouldn’t be recognizable especially beside Lee Woo.

“Please excuse me. I’m not feeling well, so I made you wait for a long time.”

Hyebi then proceeded to stare at the Empress. As the court lady said, her complexion really was pale and sweat was glistening on her forehead. The fascinating thing was that her sitting posture and behavior remained as elegant as ever.

“I should prepare some medicine for you, Empress.”

“You don’t have to bother, but I’m grateful.”

Seeing the refreshments brought by the court ladies, Hyebi smiled slightly. Everything was her favorite. The Empress really knew each of their preferences and was showing how hands-on she was with her work. The concubine was surprised and nervous at the same time, she didn’t know why but she felt hostility running in the air.

“I came here to tell you that I am fit to walk with my feet again, your Majesty. The physician said that I recovered fast enough, and now I’m in optimal health.”

“I pointed that out last time because I was worried about you. There was no other reason.”

Hyebi then replied that she knew and was grateful for her concern, but she knew better. She couldn’t tell the Empress that though.

‘If I was the Empress, I would’ve summoned Noble Consort Song right now and scolded her a lot. If my father was the Prime Minister and my brother was a General, no matter how powerful he was, he would be no match for me.’ The concubine smiled and thought of such things. In these times, power was the most important thing, because love could be discarded at any time.

‘How was the Empress? She has all of this power in her hands but she’s choosing to be a puppet for the Emperor. She’s a foolish woman who only complains in her thoughts and not with her mouth. I feel like I know her the best in this place.’

“I haven’t been able to greet you in a while. I’m busy recovering and I have been idle these past few days.”

Hyebi was the only concubine who was constantly hovering over the Empress’ palace. After she became the Empress, all of the concubines visited her steadily in the beginning. However, it was often Hyebi who visited her.

“Empress, do you remember?”

“What do you mean?”

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“The time when we first moved in.”

*

Lee Woo remembered crying. It was a time when she’s too young to even be called a girl. During that time, she was afraid of leaving her parents; and was left trembling in an unfamiliar place. It was big and beautiful, but it didn’t feel like home.

She remembered several girls weeping and clinging to their nannies, and some were looking for their parents.

Lee Woo and Hyebi were some of the many girls that entered the palace that day. Many of them left with the excuse of poor health and deliberately disqualified themselves from the fear of being in the palace.

That was before she was ten years old. The unfamiliarity, however, of the palace never went away and still stuck to her to this very day. It stayed as a vivid memory of the unknown inside her heart.

There was a girl in ragged attire, seemingly confused as to how she got there. The girl was sobbing uncontrollably, and unlike the other little girls who had maids with them to wipe their tears, the girl only had herself.

Lee Woo then took the initiative to get closer to comfort the girl. She patted the girl’s back and smiled with tears streaming on her face. The memory still haunted her from time to time and she was guessing Hyebi had them too.

“Is that so? I still remember a child whom I comforted back then. After crying herself out, she laughed like a cute girl, and that made me so happy.”

Woo unconsciously smiled. Even though the child was eventually sent out of the palace, the simple thought of her made Lee Woo happy for some reason. She couldn’t remember the name, but she remembered her innocent face and gentle nature. The nostalgic feeling was what was haunting her. 

Hyebi smiled a little as she looked at Woo like that.

“Yes, it was. Autumn is here, and it makes me think of the past.”

*

Hyebi left the Empress’s palace. Her own court ladies followed her silently. They couldn’t understand why she was visiting the Empress so often. 

However, there was also the question of why the Empress was so obedient to the royal family. She obeyed their instructions like she was following an order from her master.

Lee Woo could control the politics in the palace if she wanted to, but she was being taken for granted because of her actions. In the history of the palace, there were few instances that an empress was demoted or even removed from her seat. Since it was just a seat, it was easy to take from anyone if given the power to do so. It was very rare for someone to hold onto its power for too long.

Even though Noble Consort Song was said to be favored by the Emperor, the position of the Empress and her great family was the true strength of the dynasty. So the Emperor couldn’t treat Lee Woo recklessly even if he wanted to. The royal family could not make an enemy of the Prime Minister and the General.

Under the Empress was the Noble Consort, but status speaking, I-ran was much more powerful than the Noble Consort. She was generally regarded as the second in line to the Empress. 

Hyebi never knew how to suffer. Hence everyone had to suffer for her and her needs. She knew she had great power in her hands, but she was using it only for her own benefit.

“It’s funny. I find all this funny.”

“Your Highness.”

The court ladies who followed Hyebi were surprised by her unexpected words, and looked around in surprise. The court lady went to Hyebi’s side and spoke carefully.

“What is going on, Lady I-ran?”

“Isn’t the Empress’s palace supposed to be the second most splendid palace after the Emperor’s residence? She’s ill, but the palace is as quiet as a dead mouse. Isn’t it funny that if it were So-hwa who was sick, the whole palace would be a total mess, but when it’s the Empress, it’s like it’s nothing?” She looked back and giggled a little.

The court ladies trembled at how she was saying such claims with a straight face. Everyone looked around for unwanted signs of eavesdroppers listening in on the blasphemous words spoken out loud by their owner. To speak with that kind of intent could cost them their lives, and they still wanted to live anyway.

“Isn’t it all because she’s not good enough? She’s holding it in her hands already, but she still can’t make the Emperor kneel.”

The court lady held onto her arms because of surprise. The lady looked at the court lady with cold eyes. In response, the court lady let go of her hand and took three steps back.

I-ran sighed while smoothing out the fold that was caused by the court lady. No one spoke a word after that.