The Marquis visited a few weeks later than he had promised. Apparently, his travels had brought him to a few more places than he had planned, and he was kind enough to describe them all to me as the Queen slowly sipped at her herbal soup.

The various villages sounded both diverse and fascinating. There seemed to be a whole different world outside the Palace—outside of this life I was used to—and I was intrigued.

But as I peered over at the Queen, I knew I would rather stay here. For her, I would have given up the world.

“How are you feeling these days, Joo-Hyun?” the Marquis asked after the Queen put the spoon down.

“As well as ever, Oppa.”

He turned to me. “How is she doing, Seul-Ki?”

“She puked all day yesterday, Your Highness,” I answered without hesitation. I was not one to hide the truth about the Queen’s health. 

Her lips protruded in defiance. “I am feeling much better today.”

The Marquis chuckled, but worry still swam in his eyes. “I should have let you rest today, Your Majesty.”

“No, Oppa, I have not seen you in so long. Are you going to travel more after today?”

The Marquis nodded. “I leave again in a few days. There is a lot of preparations to do now that you’re… expecting.”

The Queen exchanged a curious glance with me. “Has word spread to the people already?”

“Only within Hanyang,” he assured, “but the people outside the capital have been growing restless in general. It is… inevitable, and Your Majesty’s child will definitely change the tides.”

“I see.” She glanced at me again. “If you need more help, Oppa, Seul-Ki here supports our cause too.”

“Does she now?” The Marquis raised his eyebrows as he turned to me.

I blinked, puzzled. “I, uh… will support whatever Her Majesty asked me to.”

He burst into laughter. “Wonderful! You are such a delight, Seul-Ki.”

The sincerity in his words sent blood rushing to my cheeks. I bowed immediately to hide it.

“And I do need to take you up on the offer right now,” he continued. “There are a few things I, as a marquis, cannot easily do. It will be much better for a non-royal to do instead, especially a maid as cute as you.”

Cute? Me? 

“Oppa, stop teasing her,” the Queen chided.

“No, I- I will happily do it!” I announced. “Uh, what am I doing, Your Highness?”

The Marquis laughed again. “I love your eagerness.”

He exchanged a few more words with the Queen before he pulled me to the side to explain. 

My task was simple. I was to sneak out of the palace and venture into the outskirts of Hanyang. There was a farmer called Han Yong-Min who owned a small stable, and I was to hand him a letter. The pouch the Marquis gave me felt a lot heavier than a mere letter, but I did not dare to probe.

After the detailed explanation, he dropped a few coins into my hands and gave me a wink.

“For your effort. Buy something for yourself, won’t you?”

I thanked him profusely as he sauntered away. Clutching the money to my chest, I dashed back to the servants’ quarters and changed out of my uniform.

I was leaving. I was leaving the palace!

With money to spend!

I donned an outer robe that used to belong to my mother. It had a hood to hide my face and a pocket to tuck the envelope into. When the coast was clear, I marched out of my room, out of the servants’ quarters, and out of the palace.

The grass under my shoes was green and full, while the warm breeze carried a humid, earthy scent. I had never left the residences of my masters, but the early beginning of summer was the perfect time to try. 

The houses adjacent to the palace had a similar design to the palace buildings, only ten times smaller. Some of them reminded me too much of the Kang estate. Thankfully, the bitter familiarity decreased the more I walked, and soon, I found myself in what appeared to be the main marketplace of the capital. 

It was packed. Restaurants, stores, and temporary carts lined the streets, each with sellers screaming at the top of their lungs. People of all ages swarmed around me. I had never seen so many people who looked to be about the Sanggung’s age, or even older; I did not know people could live for that long. I had also never seen this many children around. A few of them almost tripped me as they darted past. 

I clenched my hands around my robe as I jostled past the crowds. It took every bit of my self-control to not stop in front of every food cart. I had to get this mission done first before I do anything else. Mission first, treat later.

After I trudged through the marketplace, it took another half hour before I reached Mister Han’s stable. It was as small as the Marquis had described—there were only two horses squeezed inside a tiny stall. 

Leaning against the wooden panels was a man with a hat blocking half his face. His hair was as unkempt as the mane of his horses, while his tattered robes had dark splotches that matched the hay on the floor. As I approached, he lifted the brim of his hat and gave me a once-over. A sprig of leaves dangled from his teeth. 

He spat it out before speaking. “Who are you?” His voice was tired but harsh.

“I- I have come at the request of the Marquis.” I took out the envelope; I had grasped at my robe too tightly that it was now creased.

The man—Mister Han Yong-Min, I presumed—stared at me for an uncomfortably long time. Then, he grabbed the envelope and whipped out the letter. The rest of the envelope was still bulging as he stuffed it into his pocket. Scanning the letter, his lips tugged into a smile.

“I’ll get this prepared.” His eyes flicked back to me. “Long live the King, am I right?”

“Uh…” I was not sure how to respond. 

He chortled before tossing a coin at me. “Get going now. You should leave before someone spots you.”

As weird as he was, the extra money was not something to complain about. I gave him a quick bow and trotted away. 

I wondered what that was all about. Mister Han did not look like he owned anything much beyond the horses. What could the Marquis possibly want from him?

Soon, I was back at the marketplace again. I took the liberty to stop at every cart that interested me, wondering where I should spend my coins. There was so much food I had never seen before—from colorful dessert balls on a stick to sausages made with pig’s blood. There were dresses, scarves, and a whole variety of accessories. There were toys for the children too: handheld rattle drums, weighted sandbags for kicking—and toy bears.

Specifically, a brown, cuddly toy bear.

I quickly dug out my entire stash of coins. “Is- Is this enough for the bear?” I asked.

The shopkeeper peered at my hand. “Only the smallest one.” She pointed at a palm-sized bear sitting at the very bottom of the shelf. 

That would not do. I wanted the biggest one I could get for the Queen.

Without hesitation, I took off my shoes. “What about these? What if I give you my shoes too?”

The shopkeeper wrinkled her nose. “They are so shabby.” She glanced at me and sighed. “Yeah, take it, take it. Geez, never seen a grown woman as desperate for a toy as you.”

I almost squealed with joy. The toy bear fit right in my arms, and I cradled it as I walked back to the palace, bare feet. It was the first time I had money to spend, and I used it to buy the Queen’s favorite animal.

And it was so worth it.