Under the Cherry Blossom 0.2
“Elder Sister.”
“Crown Prince.”
Myeong lifted his large eyes and looked up at Yi-Hwa. She, in turn, looked down upon him and slowly stroked his head.
“Are we not going too?”
The child was already so intelligent that he knew to hide his words according to the location. She laughed softly with slightly bloodshot eyes.
“Your sister needs to rest a little, Crown Prince. Would you tell His Majesty that your sister went to close her eyes for a short while?”
“Are you sick?”
“No, no, not at all. Go to the side palace* first and stay with His Majesty. The monks will soon send up the vegetarian** dishes and give the Crown Prince something very delicious to eat.”
[T/L/N: * 편전(便殿)- the other palaces outside of the main palace. It’s usually used to describe the place where the emperor rested.
** 재(齋)- in order to show piety during sacrificial or other ceremonies, one abstains from meat and alcohol to eat food specially prepared in the temples. In some places, the food is first offered to Buddha before it is served to the people.]
“I understand, Elder Sister.”
“Crown Prince.”
Yi-Hwa crouched down in front of Myeong and leveled her eyes with his.
“You must always follow the words of His Majesty and your Queen Mother. You should also always eat everything before you equally.”
Myeong seemed ignorant of her meaning. Yi-Hwa smiled at him affectionately.
“The Grand Tutor’s(太師)* teachings will always be for the Crown Prince’s sake. So always listen carefully.”
[T/L/N: The one charged with teaching and counseling the Crown Prince.]
“Elder Sister….?”
“Off you go now.”
Yi-Hwa turned Myeong bodily towards the side palace and gently pushed him forward. And then, she quickly headed into the temple with her stiff-faced lady-in-waiting, Woon-Hwa, though she pretended to walk with as much repose as possible.
The temple pavilion that Woon-hwa had found beforehand was quite a secluded place. After gracefully removing her footwear and stepping up onto the floor*, Yi-Hwa collapsed as soon as she entered the room.
[T/L/N: Traditional Korean buildings are elevated off the ground, thus, she needs to ‘step up’ onto the floor.]
“It didn’t- It didn’t appear out of the ordinary or suspicious, did it?”
“Please do not worry. You were very composed.”
“What should I do now…”
“My Lady has all of your plans in place, so why ask me this question? You should change your clothes now.”
Since she had taken care of her since she was a child, Woon-Hwa had no qualms in being candid with her words.
“Right. I did, didn’t I.”
“Quickly undress.”
Woon-Hwa had already removed her outer robe(襦)*. Li-Hwa began to take off her overcoat(袍)** in a hurry.
[TL/N: 襦*- A traditional, short, Korean jacket.
袍**- A traditional Korean overcoat/out coat.]
“Take your time, My Lady. The precious clothes will rip!”
“Didn’t you tell me to take it off!”
“I am but a poor person. I wonder if we will be able to escape Gaegyeong safely….”
“We can’t die like this. We have to leave this place somehow.”
Li-Hwa’s reply was unsurprisingly firm as if she was exchanging frivolous words. Woon-Hwa wiped at her tear-filled eyes and took off her skirt(裳) before assisting Yi-Hwa in getting out of her clothes.
Yi-Hwa said this like a sigh, “I am only worried about you.”
“My Lady isn’t the only one who will be leaving on a long journey alone. You had spent your whole life comfortably inside the royal palace…. I heard that the Vice Minister of Rites promised My Lady to let me take refuge under his wings. So please do not be worried.”
“How can I not worry.”
“I myself am more concerned that I cannot accompany My Lady.”
Woon-Hwa bit her lips as she helped dress Yi-Hwa in the outer robe she had taken off.
“Hong-Bi will be punished by the heavens.”
“Anyhow, it came to be like this because I became an obstacle to the Queen. She is the Queen Mother of the Crown Prince, and yet I still reaped much from her care for a long time. If I disappear, then there will no longer be any problems for him.”
“You still want to defend that wench as a mother who raised you in this situation?”
Woon-Hwa replied brusquely as she tied a belt(帶) around Yi-Hwa’s waist. Yi-Hwa smiled weakly.
“What will I do if he comes to detest me? I truly love Myeong.”
Perhaps she knew deep within herself that Myeong was merely an excuse. It was because despite the trembling sense of deep betrayal, the fear, the loathing- underneath all of those things, there still remained that foolish affection she had for her stepmother.
Her Imperial Father did not believe Yi-Hwa in the end. Thus, she was unable to return any of the crimes that belonged to her stepmother and was then forced to flee in this manner. Even if something could be done, it was questionable whether she would be able to do the same things that woman* had done.
To be like the stepmother whom I loved all my life, and yet who had also been trying to kill me all my life.
“….. I am horrified at the amount of times My Lady had drunk poison at the hands of that wicked wench. How can you be such a virtuous sage towards the Crown Prince even while you grew up under such a mother?”
“Be careful with your words. Myeong is my younger brother.”
Yi-Hwa slowly removed her headdress and firmly cut off Woon-Hwa’s words.
“I feel as if I will fall apart and die. I had meticulously carried to My Lady everything the queen had bestowed with excitement without knowing fully what they were.”
“I’m sure not all of them are like that.”
“How will I ever know?! How….”
Woon-Hwa could no longer find the words to say and let down Yi-Hwa’s hair. And then, she tied Yi-Hwa’s hair at the base of her head just like her own.
“Somehow or another, I will speak loudly of this* everywhere, every night until His Majesty returns to the palace. In the meantime, please safely escape from Gaegyeong.”
[TL/N: She means Yi-Hwa’s suffering.]
“Do not worry. Anyhow, until his return to the palace, His Majesty will not know that I have disappeared. The entire royal capital will be crowded on the eve of the festivities, so I won’t be found immediately even with all the bright lanterns lighting the night.”
“This is not the time to be worrying about me. You need to go now.”
“Then please. You must make sure to escape during the night.”
Yi-Hwa desperately entreated as she carefully swept across Woon-Hwa’s cheeks. Woon-Hwa nodded her head.
“Even the moon has agreed to help. Please do not worry.”
[TL/N: I’m guessing Woon-Hwa is saying this because it will be the night of the new moon.]
“I am doing this ultimately because I want to survive. So you too…”
