Chapter 5: The Noblewoman and the Ghostwriter

"Did you get it?"

A few days later.

The fever for the new novel that swept through Changdeokgung had now spread all the way to those around me.

"?"

"Yeah. I heard there's a rumor you can get it if you go over to the Royal Kitchen."

"Don't even mention it. Right now, you couldn't get your hands on it even if you offered a fortune..."

At last, whispers of the novel were starting to circulate among the court ladies and palace maids close to me.

Moreover, the readers' interest had now far surpassed the level of mere curiosity.

"Two men for one woman...?"

"That's right. And get this—both His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the young general who guards the northern border are fighting over Lady Ami!!"

"Oh my, oh my. That's outrageous."

"And that's not all. It turns out the lady caught between the two men is actually a royal princess who was separated from her parents in childhood!!"

The Crown Prince's courtship.

The cold Northern Duke's unrequited love.

And a wild love triangle and a secret birth to top it off.

Ha! How do you like that spicy cliché flavor centuries ahead of its time?

To experience this kind of fuss up close, in reality, was exhilarating.

It couldn't even compare to the feeling I used to get reading comments through a monitor in the modern world.

"Ahem! And what do you think you're doing here, hmm!"

Of course, our eunuch supervisor, Yi Deukwan, came crashing down on the court ladies and put a swift end to the gossip.

But, considering the novel had started spreading from the opposite side of the palace where Buyong worked—

For the rumor to reach even Jungheedang meant, in effect, that the whole of Changdeokgung was abuzz with my new work.

Ah, this is the thrill of web novel writing.

The dopamine rush is real.

I never thought I'd feel the same rush I did when I debuted, and here, in Joseon of all places.

When a story you started on a whim, thinking, 'Wouldn't this be fun to write?' gets such a passionate response, you can't help but grin.

And unlike web novels, where reactions are transmitted indirectly through a screen, these reactions hit me straight to the skin.

Exhilarating. Always new. I love it.

"Sohwan!! Thank you!! Really!!"

And that evening,

I had to do my best to avoid Buyong, who was bursting with over-the-top gratitude.

I mean, even if no one was watching, did she have to try to hug me so shamelessly?

It was a bit much, considering all she got out of it was a month reprieve from cleaning the toilets.

Well, she did have her reasons.

"Chief Lady Choi is obsessed with you, right?"

"Yeah! Her hands were shaking so badly, and she's been looking for me every si-jin (two hours), can you believe it?"

"For you? Why?"

"She said, 'Find out when the next chapter will be out, Buyong!!' Ahaha."

Well, after hearing her out, I could see why.

Chief Lady Choi was known among the trainee maids as a disaster, the tear-maker, the sword-wielding fiend, the bringer of despair—the infamous instructor.

If this reckless brat managed to get under her skin, it was a miracle, given Lady Choi's history of strict, oppressive teaching.

'You call this sewing? It's so bad, if I tugged a little, I could unravel this thread and make it back into cotton!'

'Dust, more dust! Don't you know living in this pit will ruin your lungs? Move your behind, now!'

'To think you want to be court ladies and yet behave so rudely! If you're not serious about learning, leave the palace at once!'

Apparently, her sharp tongue was so infamous it would pop into your mind when someone mentioned spicy language.

Last time, when Buyong imitated Lady Choi, she unconsciously started yanking at her own hair in a fit of rage.

So it made sense why Buyong looked so relieved now.

Her hand on her chest looked like it was glowing blue, for heaven's sake.

"If it weren't for you, Sohwan, I never could have imagined this would happen. Chief Lady Choi begging me? That's unthinkable!"

"Is that so? Still, you helped too, didn't you? I just ran errands."

"My help? Nah. That was worth less than an ant's heel, really. Hehe."

Even so, this girl is so simple.

A little praise and she's squirming with embarrassment.

That was why, even if she was a little brash, I enjoyed hanging out with Buyong.

Besides, her help in this whole thing wasn't just limited to that.

"It's not just an ant's heel. The author said your help was a big deal and wanted me to thank you."

"R-really?? I helped that person?"

"Yeah. They said you gave them insight into what stories the readers go wild for, and your honest feedback was really helpful."

"Wooow...!!"

Suddenly, Buyong's face lit up as red as a ripe persimmon.

It wasn't just flattery.

Even though I'd been an author in my past life and had gotten used to Joseon, writing a story that could captivate people of this era was a different matter.

Of course, I had experience and skills as a writer, so I never doubted I could adapt.

But getting a big hit on my first novel, before even adapting, was honestly thanks to her.

Especially since this time, I'd tried my hand at a genre I wasn't familiar with—romance.

"I just pointed out what kind of stories I and other court ladies like, and gave my impressions before you edited..."

"That was a huge help. You have a real knack for hitting the main points, apparently."

"Wow...!!"

Maybe it was because she got gratitude and praise from the author she admired so much.

She looked like she was about to die of happiness.

But what I said was true all the same.

Buyong clearly had SSS-rank talent as an editor or author.

"The story's definitely fun, but it feels a little unfamiliar? And the main character's birth secret is strange, too."

"A secret birth? You think just being a princess separated from her parents isn't enough? Why!"

"Yeah. These days, a lot of popular stories start with a divine priest or fairy banished from heaven."

So she had an outstanding ability to refine the parts that weren't quite classical enough...

"Isn't the marriage happening too easily? Normally, at this point, there'd be some interference, wouldn't there?"

"Why? After all they've been through, shouldn't they get together now...?"

"Ha. Sohwan, what do you know about romance novels."

"What?"

"Listen carefully. At this point, some sly official or powerful noble has to interfere, or a rival—ah, I guess not a rival in this case."

Like that, she'd offer ideas based on current popular clichés and make the story richer.

If it weren't for Buyong, this kind of huge response would have been impossible. Truly.

Of course, she only thought she was passing my words to the "real" author she'd imagined in her head. Heh.

Anyway, the words I'd just delivered to her, pretending to be someone else, were genuine.

Not that she cared about the truth—she was already dazed just from receiving praise from her favorite author.

"Haah. I'm so happy... To think such a great author would praise me..."

"If that's enough to make you happy, you'll be happy your whole life."

"Hey! Watch your mouth!! That person who appeared out of nowhere like a comet is a god!!"

"God, huh. More like a mischievous spirit."

"You wanna die!! If someone who writes such beautiful yet sorrowful stories isn't a god, who is?!"

Trying to be humble, but then blaspheming right in front of a 'god.' Hmph.

Still, I could see why Buyong was obsessed.

My first novel in Joseon was a top-tier bibimbap—based on the tried-and-true plot of a classic novel, but seasoned with the spicy clichés of modern romance fantasy.

Of course, the setting, as usual, was not Joseon but the Yuan-Ming transition in China, due to adult circumstances.

There, the heroine "Ami," born with a secret, sets out on an adventure to reclaim her identity and find love.

"...A cross-dressing princess and the Crown Prince on a secret patrol meet by chance on a thieves' street and fall in love. Sigh..."

"Is that everyone's favorite part?"

"Yeah!! Also, the silent young general suffering in secret, and the scene where he risks his life to save the princess, even though he knows his feelings will never be returned, are the most popular!!"

Cross-dressing heroines, a trope I'd avoided in web novels because I'd be called outdated, but here it worked like a charm.

Of course, in this era, the "woman disguised as man" trope was a staple, even having its own terminology.

Famous examples would be  and .

On top of that, I put a status barrier in one male lead, threw in a modern-style love triangle and the Northern Duke for spice.

According to Buyong, getting a manuscript copy was like reaching for the stars, so the public readings turned into a river of tears.

Apparently, the part that made both trainee maids and court ladies cry the most was the episode that paid homage to Zhao Yun rescuing Ah Dou in .

But the scene that struck the women's hearts the hardest was the explosion of pure love from the cold Northern Duke.

"While the Crown Prince falls to a traitor's rebellion, the general single-handedly defeats the enemy overrunning the capital to find the princess...!!"

"..."

"And with his whole body covered in wounds and blood, he keeps searching for his beloved...!!"

Not realizing she was clasping her hands, Buyong was so immersed she'd forgotten I was there.

All in all, my first writing attempt in Joseon was a huge success.

At this rate, I might as well teach Buyong, who's got a talent for romance, to handle that genre from now on.

And next time, maybe I'll try my main genre. I was already getting excited at the thought.

Just as I was about to turn away from Buyong, who was still lost in the story—

It should've been time for Eunuch Yi Deukwan to return, so I needed to leave soon.

"Wait!!"

Suddenly, I felt a strong tug at my sleeve.

Of course, it was Buyong.

"By the way, the author of , who are they? Where do they live?"

"What?"

"Do you really know them? How did you meet? Why did they start writing novels?"

Questions poured out of her mouth like a barrage.

Sigh.

Well, it was odd she'd held back her curiosity this long.

"Who knows... Why do you ask?"

"I'm just so curious about someone who could write such an amazing story... And it's not like you or I can come and go from the palace easily, right?"

"That's true?"

"Then they must be someone inside the palace..."

Then, Buyong rested her hand on my shoulder.

Just a moment ago, she'd been staring at me, eyebrows raised, circling like a hawk.

"Sohwan."

"Y-yeah...?"

"We're close friends, right?"

Oblivious to whose shoulder she was touching, she flashed a bone-chilling smile.

"Please!! I'm begging you!! Tell me!!"

"N-no way!! I can't possibly say!!"

"Aw, why!! Don't be so mean!"

No, you idiot.

If you really found out, you'd never be safe again!

But that didn't mean I could blurt out my identity just because Buyong was pleading like a fly rubbing its hands.

If I suddenly announced, 'Let the unveiling of the Royal Prince's secret begin!!' after all this time hiding, I'd be wasting all the effort, and I didn't want to lose the friend I'd just made.

But while I kept my silence, Buyong seemed to come to her own conclusion.

Which, of course, was totally off the mark.

"Aha."

That sly smile.

She's completely transparent.

"If you can't say even if you die, it must be someone really high up, huh?"

Yup, that's right.

Though it's probably the exact opposite of what you think.

"Honestly, just by the handwriting, I could guess. That elegant, noble women's script? Not just anyone can write like that."

"..."

"Did I hit the nail on the head, Sohwan? Someone from Gyeongsugung, or even higher up..."

Gyeongsugung is where my father's only concubine, who he barely cares about, lives.

So Buyong was suspecting one of the high-ranking women in the Inner Palace.

Which was a logical guess.

Unlike my old-fashioned father, the palace women loved novels—they'd even hand them to me whenever they could.

But, no matter how much she praised the "feminine script," Buyong would never guess its owner was standing right in front of her.

Even in modern times, I was famous for my pretty handwriting, but after coming to Joseon and writing in brush script, it had become even more refined.

Compared to the handwriting in the hand-copied  and  my mother had shown me, mine was similar to that of a Joseon queen—noble and feminine.

'...!!'

'Mother?'

'N-no, Prince. It's nothing...'

Back when I was first learning Hangul calligraphy, my mother often stared thoughtfully at my handwriting.

Anyway.

Let her believe what she wants.

There's no way a mere trainee maid could dig deeper.

As long as my identity stayed secret, I was fine with anything.

But then.

Just as I was about to leave Buyong in her misunderstanding—

"Ah, no!!"

Suddenly, a woman's scream rang out nearby.

The person who emerged was all too familiar.

"Huh? Chief Lady Choi...?"

"B-Buyong... Is what you just said true?"

Chief Lady Choi came staggering toward us like a zombie.

Had she been secretly tailing Buyong because of the novel?

Anyway, her grief was palpable even at this distance.

"Sohwan... If what this troublemaker says is true... The author of  is a noble of the royal family...?"

"Troublemaker? Madam!! You promised never to call me that again...!!"

"Uh, well..."

"Then, depending on her circumstances, the next volume could be delayed or discontinued at any time...?"

While Buyong, ready to argue, was set aside for now, Lady Choi's conclusion wasn't entirely baseless.

Take my mother, the head of the Inner Palace—royal women had their own schedules and were busy by default.

When she found time, she might copy a novel for leisure, but that was the result of years of effort.

So, in the situation Lady Choi imagined, there was no way to expect regular updates to .

It was like bingeing a novel, only for the author to suddenly switch to irregular updates or go on hiatus.

Anyone who knows the pain of "hiatus" could understand her perfectly right now.

But, honestly, I was fine with the misunderstanding being blamed on the Inner Palace.

I was even thinking of hiding my identity further and changing my pen name.

Thud.

The sound of someone collapsing, followed by a cry.

Of course, it was Chief Lady Choi.

"Ah, no!!"

"What's wrong, Madam?"

"I'd already spoken to 'Gyeonggi,' and the woodblock for the first volume should be in full swing, but now you're telling me there's no next volume...?"

At that moment,

the word "woodblock" pierced my ears.

Come to think of it, during this time period,

novels had become so popular that mass production had begun, moving beyond hand-copying to "banggakbon" (reproduction editions).

"This pyesol (novel) is sure to succeed, so I told them to publish a banggakbon. I boldly promised I'd bring the next volume soon...!!"

"You did, Madam?"

"Yes!! Even the 'master' of Gyeonggi said it would definitely be a hit and offered a huge sum..."

Oh dear.

Now that the author of  was being mistaken for a noblewoman of the Inner Palace, a good idea came to mind.

As the heir to Joseon, I couldn't stand by while my people were in trouble. Ahem.


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Author's Note

In fact, Queen Hyoui, wife of King Jeongjo, hand-copied the novels mentioned in the story.

Also, the banggakbon publishers that appear in the novel are historically accurate.