If You Claim the Fallen Heiress - Chapter 120

Meisa did not sleep well last night. Due to her fatigue, her nerves were on edge, and she irritably placed her embroidery frame down.

She was personally preparing a birthday gift for Kim Seon, but her heart wasn’t in it. This was because she had listened to the advice of the women here, who said that the most valuable gift was one that was made with time and care, but deep down, she found it laughable.

Meisa considered rare things that no one could have to be the most valuable. Things like a golden Buddha statue or a transparent, sparkling jewel, for example.

The women here were in no position to buy such things, which was probably why they put so much emphasis on time and care. Meisa began to wonder if she should break free from their indoctrination and prepare a gift that was more befitting of herself, even now.

Soon, she checked for any sign of someone outside the door and secretly opened the mother-of-pearl chest next to her desk with a key. Inside the chest was a ceramic jar as big as a person’s face. The jar was full of fingernail-sized gold coins.

It was a sight that lifted her mood. Meisa smiled contentedly and feigned innocence as she locked the chest.

The gold coins were brought to her by her cousin brother through a person just yesterday. She planned to use them to help more people from her homeland, Hwanghae, settle in this country’s palace. She thought she could probably achieve this in five years at most, or one or two years at the least.

Meisa smiled with anticipation and absentmindedly stroked her cheek. Perhaps because she hadn’t slept well yesterday, her skin felt rough and dry. She furrowed her brow and called a servant from outside the door. Kim Seon’s gift and the gold coins were all well and good, but for now, taking care of her lackluster skin was the most important thing.

“Bring me the new skin ointment from yesterday.”

She was known for being sweet in public but notoriously difficult among her servants. The servant quickly nodded and left the chambers in a hurry.

“Yes, Lady!”

Meisa slowly released the furrow in her brow that had become a habit. But her mood was still unpleasant.

Although she was secretly amassing funds thanks to her uncle, who did business with the people of this country, there were too many annoying things happening lately. It all started with the incident where her mother, who was in Hwanghae, fell from her horse while hunting.

Her mother was not seriously injured, but it was a bad omen. She had never experienced such a thing before.

So far, she had suffered because of her siblings, but Meisa had lived a relatively easy life. This was thanks to her beautiful face, which drew everyone’s attention. Though her height was a slight flaw, her slender frame meant she had no other physical shortcomings, so she had lived with every man under her heel. Her father, the ruler, was the same. A single tear from Meisa about her relatives’ mistreatment would often result in a fiery command that went exactly her way.

Of course, she was then framed and retaliated against by her siblings, but Meisa did not bat an eye. She firmly believed that if she lived a life of value by using her natural beauty, she would one day be able to pull all her relatives down to her heel.

But her firm conviction was not as solid these days as it used to be. This was because bad things had been happening to her in a row.

It all started when she brought the woman named Sahwa to the palace. The students’ sit-in in front of the palace gates grew more intense, and Kim Seon, who had never cared about them, began to show interest.

Since it was all a past event, it was not a big problem even if Kim Seon dug into it. The real problem was Sahwa, who was currently in the palace. Sahwa seemed passive and timid from their first impression. She was the type of person who wouldn’t be a bother to bring to the palace, figure out her identity, and play with her a little.

Of course, the man who was like a properly sharpened, fine sword was a burden, but a man was a man. Even without information about him, she knew what would satisfy him. The solution was simple: take him to a gisaeng house filled with shameless beauties while Sahwa was feeling distressed.

But after encountering them in the palace, Meisa’s confidence wavered. The man, who didn’t seem to love Sahwa with great affection, had no interest in other women at all. When a woman approached, a man would at least give her a glance, but he would just stare at her indifferently and then leave. The only time he ever stopped was when Sahwa was nearby.

Meisa was curious as to why a man who didn’t seem to need a woman would only react to her. Was it because of her face, which was beautiful enough to keep his attention?

If so, she wanted to create a problem with that face. Meisa took out a small medicine bottle from her desk drawer.

It contained the dried powder of an insect-eating plant that only grew in the forests of Hwanghae. Due to its high acidity, it was used as a digestive aid, but it was a medicine that was forbidden to consume in large quantities or too often. This was because it could cause the throat to become raw and melt away.

It would probably cause problems if she applied it to her skin.

Meisa laughed out loud as if the thought alone was amusing. But her smile did not last long. She still had no evidence that Sahwa was Han Yuseol. There was no guarantee that she would get it if she persisted in digging.

Meisa held the medicine bottle preciously. Then, she began to bite her well-manicured nails. She had no idea what kind of woman Sahwa was. It was certain that she had enough venom in her not to be bothered by rumors that would make her unable to show her face in the palace, though.

The court ladies who had eaten with Han Yuseol said they had never seen such venom in her. Meisa also remembered her as being as vague as watered-down wine. To be able to stick around in the palace for nearly a decade as the Crown Princess-to-be, she had to have that kind of personality. If she had been as brazen as Sahwa, pretending to be innocent on the outside, she would have married Kim Seon long ago.

Thinking that far, Meisa gnawed on her lower lip. If Sahwa was not Han Yuseol, she was just making a pointless effort. That fact alone made her furious, but it was also outrageous that Sahwa was showing interest in Kim Seon after having become betrothed to the troublesome man named Mu-yeong. She could not understand Kim Seon, who was accepting it.

It must be because of her appearance, which was similar to Han Yuseol’s.

Were all of Kim Seon’s words about finding her ever-composed nature terrifying and hateful a lie? Or was there a shred of guilt left in his heart? Meisa did not know how he planned to handle the situation if it was revealed that Sahwa was truly Han Yuseol. Especially when a man of unknown identity with immeasurable power was also behind Sahwa.

Meisa poured a glass of water and drank it in one gulp. She felt like she had to move up the groundbreaking ceremony for the pagoda that she had planned for next month. Holding a grand rite and summoning the gods might solve the problem. She would be so busy preparing that she wouldn’t have a moment to spare, but it seemed better than getting absorbed in Sahwa’s affairs for now.

Just then, busy footsteps stopped in front of her chambers.

“Lady. I have prepared the skin ointment you asked for.”

“Come in.”

The court lady brought in a tray in a fluster. She then lifted the silk cloth that had been covering the contents and said calmly.

“This is an ointment the imperial physician made by procuring all the ingredients that are good for the skin, but he says it’s not stable because it was made too hastily.”

“Not stable?”

“He says there’s a high possibility of side effects if overused.”

Meisa nodded and opened the lid. A white and clear ointment with a strong grassy smell was visible.

“As long as the effectiveness is good, there should be no problem.”

She dipped her index finger into the ointment and applied it to the back of her hand. The texture was unpleasantly mushy. It was a moment when she wondered if Sahwa was using a similar ointment.

“Is there still no news from the court ladies I sent over there?”