Capítulo 1: 1. Hidden
A beautiful young boy of about 13 years sits crying on his bed in his room, all alone.
Lee Minsu would love to step out of his room, or at least open the windows and view the outside world from there.
Tonight is the lantern festival; it would've been nice if he could see those floating lights up in the sky, like Okeon (a servant of theirs) has been telling him about, from his windows at least.
But his father forbids even that. Minsoo's father is doing everything possible to keep his son's existence a secret.
Not that it was an official crime to be born different, but that could cast a dark shadow on their daughter's future prospects.
Meaning, their daughter Minseo may not get a husband from any good house because her future in-laws would definitely assume that she was only going to have children that are also cursed, just like her brother.
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The Next Morning After the Lantern Festival...
It was very chaotic in the royal infirmary this early morning as the physicians and the nurses were running helter-skelter.
One court official in his red uniform stopped a nurse to ask about what was going on. "What is all this about? Why are you all running around as if you have some serious medical emergency?"
The nurse was in a hurry, but this is a court official and a noble at that, so she still has to answer him by virtue of his status.
She first gave a small bow to the man before she spoke. "Yeong-gam (my lord/your excellency), what you said is correct. We really do have a medical emergency right now."
The man furrowed his brows. "What is the emergency about? Is the Queen Dowager okay?" He asked this because they all know that the old lady has not been feeling quite well lately.
"It is not about the Queen Dowager, yeong-gam. It's about the Crown Prince and the second Prince. They have both been poisoned.
The head physician, together with some of the other royal physicians, is already in the Eastern Palace (Donggung) attending to the princes.
Their condition is very dire, so we're all here to help with whatever is needed, please."
The court official allowed her to leave after the explanation, as he too rushed to the royal court for the morning assembly.
That morning, the king had to cancel the assembly and go to Donggung in a hurry. After he was given the details of how the princes got poisoned by inhaling the smoke from some poisonous candles.
The King called the head of investigations at the tribunal courts as well as the chief superintendent of the police force.
He ordered them to investigate everyone and everything in all two quarters of the princes and report their findings to him.
**************
"Do-ryeon-nim (young master). A very hushed voice called from behind his door. "Do-ryeon-nim. Do-ryeon-nim."
Lee Min-Su woke up to the familiar hushed calls of his servant-friend, Okeon. Well, not his real servant. He doesn't have any.
Only random servants attend to him because his family does not want them to get attached to him and help him escape from his room.
Okeon is the only odd one out. She is his older sister's servant and was made to serve him once.
And from then on, she started to come and see him whenever she was free to tell him stories about the interesting outside world.
"Okeon?" Lee Minsoo asked in a similarly hushed voice. He was very happy to hear his older friend's voice.
He could tell that she didn't want to be seen; that was why she was speaking in such a quiet voice.
It seems he cried himself to sleep again. Having to stay locked inside and alone was hellish on its own, but not being allowed to see the sky for days was very tumultuous for Minsoo.
He used to think that this was how every other kid, including his sister, was raised, but Okeon told him otherwise.
So now, he feels more miserable for himself and a lot lonelier when he compares the stories that Okeon tells him about other kids his age to his own sad, monotonous life.
"Yes, do-ryeon-nim, it's me. Can I come in?"
"Hm."
"I brought these cookies for you. Aggashi (my lady) went out, so I am a bit free now, but your father is still around, so I have to go back.
Take these for now. I'll see you when I get the chance again." She quickly placed the three wrapped cookies into Min-Su's hand and left as she waved at him.
Her presence made Minsu slightly better emotionally, as compared to yesterday.
He couldn't tell the time, but he was sure that it's already a new day.
**************
A young girl in her teens runs through the stalls and alleys all the way through the local market. She stopped running after a while to take in some air.
Her abrupt stop made her young servant, who was also running after her, bump into her.
The fuming 16-year-old Lee Minseo turned to her same-aged servant. "You stupid fool. Do you see what you've cost me?
I strictly told you not to let anyone see you giving them to her. My family and I would be doomed because of your stupidity.
You better stick to the new plan and pray that I come out of this unscathed; otherwise, I'll make sure to roast your head for the pigs to feed on."
"I'm sorry, aggashi (my lady). I swear, I made sure that Lady Youngmi was alone before I gave the candles to her. I didn't know that her servant would pop up out of nowhere." The servant, Okeon, said.
"Then you should've collected the items back instead of leaving them with her after you were seen giving them to her!"
Okeon bit her lower lip as she thought in her head. 'How would I have known of your wicked intentions?'
"Hurry up. I need to get to my father before the royal guards see me." Minseo said, and the two continued with their running.
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