A Kind Goblin's Bird

Chapter 27

The reason the whipping ended in madness was because the Empress had run out of stamina. She gasped and looked down at the body in front of her. The clothes were torn to shreds, and The bloody body was trembling. She didn’t know if she was unconscious or awake.

“Sprinkle some water to wake her up. And let her repent her sins outside.”

Court Lady Yoon widened her eyes. She hurriedly fell to her knees.

“Your Majesty, please pardon this humble thing. It was frosty at dawn today, and the temperature is low now, and Queen Mun, who is weak in her body, has been punished so much.”

Slap, the sound rang out. The empress’s hurtful hand slapped Court Lady Yoon’s cheek.

“Does it look like I want to hear your advice now?”

The Empress growled.

“I, I have sinned.”

“Kneel down for about an hour and then bring her back in. When she comes to her senses, she will be able to sing properly.”

The Empress ordered and threw the whip at Queen Mun’s body. The court ladies did not know what to do and bowed their heads. The master’s order is absolute. But what was King Mun’s nickname? They didn’t want to go against the heart of a noble person called the Demon King.

The Empress quickly turned her body and went into her bedroom. Court Lady Yoon cautiously followed after her. As the Empress sat on her bed and nervously squeezed her temple, Court Lady Yoon took her hand, lowered it carefully, and said, “I’ll do it, Your Majesty.” Then the empress slowly lost strength.

“What about your cheeks?”

The Empress asked bluntly.

“This lowly thing is guilty of death.”

“…….”

“…… Did you not achieve your wish?”

When Court Lady Yoon hesitated and asked, the empress bit her lip. Her face was terrifying.

There is a bird that grants wishes.

It was four months ago that the Empress heard the rumor.

‘The owner of the largest drugstore in the city is the Song, and they say that this person has a human-shaped bird.’

This is a story about a ‘wish granting bird’ when the nephew of the empress from the famous Parak Lake came to say hello after a long trip and talked about various things in the world.

‘Even if it is a bird, it does not have wings. It sings a song, but it is said that it is a song that does not exist in the world. It is said that if you sleep while listening to the song, all wishes that can come true in your dreams will come true, isn’t it fascinating?’

‘Hmph, what do you mean by wishing something that can come true in the dream but not in reality? Since the Song is the owner of the drugstore, I am deeply suspicious of whether he is selling drugs and causing hallucinations.’

‘I used to think so……, I met a person who made a wish on that bird, and it was quite…….’

‘What are you saying?’

‘If she comes, you’ll know Your Majesty. The story of General Yu, who was senile when he grew old and hid the sword that was bestowed upon him by the Emperor. Did they not find the sword after all? The mistress of the General wanted to find the sword so much that, in the end, she slept listening to the bird’s song, trying to grab a clue.”

‘…… .’

‘She found it.’

‘…….’

‘It is said that in her dream, she met her mother-in-law, who was not senile, and heard the place. Her mother-in-law who never died. It is a very strange thing to say that it is a bird that can achieve anything that can be achieved in a dream. Oh, and I heard another strange story…….’

Her nephew continued the story, but since then she can’t even remember what she was told.

All night long she remembered those words. A bird that grants wishes. A bird that solves doubts in a dream. When one wakes up while listening to the song, their doubts will be resolved.

Really? Does such a bird exist? It didn’t matter if it was a bird or a human. If that’s really possible…….

Is it possible to know who planted a goblin egg in her stomach?

“At that time, some bitch planted a goblin’s egg in my stomach.”

“…….”

“They were hoping that the emperor’s favor would drop. They think I don’t know? Who is it? Noble Consort Yeon? Able Consort Oh? I will surely find out which ruthless bitch dared to commit the mortal sin of planting a goblin egg in my body, the mother of a nation.”

Court Lady Yoon, without saying a word, only pressed the empress’s head. The Empress thought so from the moment she learned that she had two children in her womb. Someone in the concubinage must have planted a goblin egg in her. So she gave birth to a goblin herself. She believed that someone of her political opponents had harmed her.

“What does it mean, my child? Of course, I raised Heon-yeong as my son, but that’s because of my weak heart, not because he really is my child. Ha, haha, definitely not. Of course.”

Ha, ha, ha— The empress’s sharp laughter ripped through the air like an awl and spread far and wide. Court Lady Yoon massages the empress’s head and she hopes this doesn’t happen again.

***

It was past midnight when Sa Heon-yeong returned. Today, according to the order of the Crown Prince, there was business in the suburbs of Yangan. It didn’t happen in just a day or two for the prince to give him something useless to do. He was in a position that he could neither ignore nor protest, so he got things done quickly and returned at full speed, and a lightning bolt of news awaited him.

“Didn’t the queen return?”

It was the same with HaSoye who was surprised. Until midnight she thought that the queen would not return and she would be with the king, but only the king returned. Ha Sote shook her head.

“Yes, Your Highness. Court Lady Yoon didn’t even give me a communication.”

The area around his heart felt cold.

Why?

It was terrifying. His eyes clouded in an instant. There have been many times when death has come before his eyes, but never before has his eyes been so blatantly dark. How could it be that Young-young did not return?

Your Highness! Someone’s shouting was heard in the distance.

It wasn’t until one of his arms was caught that he realized he was losing his balance. Sa Heon-young pushed the arm away and closed his eyes for a moment.

It was a habit he often did when he had to think about things calmly. He closed his eyes and took in his breath as if in meditation.

No.

“Your Highness!!”

General Joo’s voice echoed behind his back.

Sa Heon-young ran. Calmly? There’s nothing like that, it’s nothing. How can he be calm? Young-young didn’t come back. It was his wife. She was his woman. What did he say this morning? Let’s be together, let’s see the things in the world together…….

His heart pounded at the ominous feeling. He couldn’t stand it.

“Your Highness, why are you like this?”

The moment Sa Heon-yeong was about to get out of the bed, General Joo caught him. Those who ran after grabbed Sa Heon-yeong and hung on him.

“Your Highness, hold on. After all, you can’t enter the Imperial Palace now. You know!”

“We were already outside the eyes of the Crown Prince, Your Highness. Your Highness.”

“When the sun comes up, the warden will go and check it out. Your Highness, please calm down. Your Highness.”

Several armed forces grabbed Sa Heon-yeong and stopped him. Some of them, who ran late, knelt in front of Sa Heon-yeong and begged.

You must not go.

Opening the gates of the imperial palace after midnight is treason. He knows. But if Young-young is in the Imperial Palace…….

Sa Heon-young remembered Young-young. Oddly enough, she remembered Young-young when they parted in front of the Empress Hall. At the time, he thought she was smiling brightly, but when he thought back, he was not sure how she was smiling. Was she really smiling? Wasn’t she anxious? What face was she smiling with?

Wait for dawn?

How, how could he put Young-young there…….

Then someone grabbed his leg. When he lowered his head, Ha Soye was hanging from his leg.

“Your Highness, when the dawn comes, I will go and find out right away. After all, there are still people in the concubinage that this lowly thing knows, so I will definitely be able to understand the inside story. Please, please, calm down. If King Mun is annihilated for treason before Her Highness returns, who will welcome Her Highness when she returns?”

Please calm down, Your Highness.

Soldiers, servants, and maids all knelt on the cold stone floor. Calm down, calm down, calm down. Everyone kept begging. Crying mixed with earnest pleading.

No way, Queen Mother?

Sa Heon-young blankly looked down at his hands. His hands were trembling like a sick man.

Don’t say that his mother did something bad to Young-young.

Sa Heon-yeong was well aware of how cruel the nobles of the Imperial Palace could be. He was educated to be cruel to himself if necessary. Those who rule must be revered. Sa Heon-yeong also subdued others, and he himself was thoroughly subdued.

But Young-Young…… , Young-young doesn’t fit in there. She doesn’t even belong there.

‘He looks like Lord Heon-yeong.’

She doesn’t even know what she’s talking about.

‘But Lord Heon-yeong is prettier.’

She is just a woman who whispers a sweet song to him.

She couldn’t be left alone. His throat was boiling. She wasn’t supposed to be left alone. He should have been with her. He was in a position to eat the rust of the country, yet when he came to his office, it was like this. Why did he leave her alone? Why did he let go of his heart? Knowing his mother. Knowing her cruelty.

Sa Heon-yeong wrapped his hands around the mask.

“I knew I shouldn’t let her go.”

He knew the sky couldn’t allow him to do anything so easily.

His body was cold. He was scared. What if something really does go wrong? Sa Heon-yeong remembered death. He thought of things worse than death. Everything he had been through was now clinging to him as a nightmare. If any of those things happen to her, then, my God.

Sa Heon-young bent his back. It was painful as if his throat was burning. He couldn’t breathe properly.

Heaven, please. I will carry it all. Put it all down on me, for her, please.

Please don’t do that to her, only to her. Please.

A streak of tears ran down from Sa Heon-yeong’s mask.