Cloaked in Shadows: A Tale of Redemption

Chapter 5: The Depths of Humiliation

Taehyung stood in the middle of the great hall, his hands trembling as he awaited his punishment. His heart felt heavy, burdened by the lies that had once again poisoned his father's mind against him. Every word Jiyeon had spoken, every false accusation, had driven him further away from the family he once cherished. And now, it seemed there would be no return from the disgrace he had been forced to endure.

King Seonho sat upon his throne, his eyes hard and cold as he spoke. "Taehyung, you have once again dishonored this family. For your actions against your niece, I have decided that you shall be punished accordingly."

Taehyung's breath caught in his throat as the king gestured toward the head servant, a stern woman named Madam Jang, who had served the royal family for decades. She stepped forward, her face impassive as she met Taehyung's eyes. But behind her emotionless gaze, Taehyung could sense the cruelty lurking, the disdain she held for him since the day of the scandal.

"The punishment," Madam Jang began, her voice calm but icy, "will be decided based on the wishes of the court."

There was a long pause before she spoke again, her words as sharp as knives. "As directed by Lady Jiyeon, you will clean the palace toilets and sewers every day, without rest. You will fetch water from the pond far beyond the palace grounds and carry it back on foot. You will serve as a common laborer for the palace, and when summoned, you will attend to Lady Jiyeon's personal needs."

The court was silent, save for the quiet gasps and murmurs of those in attendance. Taehyung's heart pounded in his chest as he tried to comprehend the weight of the punishment. Cleaning the sewers? Carrying water? These were tasks meant for the lowest of servants. But that wasn't what truly made his blood run cold.

Attending to Jiyeon's personal needs.

Madam Jang's eyes flicked toward Jiyeon, who sat in her chair, a satisfied smile playing on her lips. "You will wash Lady Jiyeon's feet, and if she demands it, you will"
Taehyung's stomach churned, bile rising in his throat. The very thought of touching Jiyeon again, after everything she had done to him, after the lies she had told, was unbearable. He wanted to scream, to shout that it was unfair, that it was wrong. But no words would come. His throat felt tight, constricted by the overwhelming weight of his shame and helplessness.

The punishment began the next morning. Taehyung was woken before dawn and handed a filthy, old rag, along with a bucket of water. He was escorted by two guards to the palace sewers, a foul-smelling place beneath the pristine halls, where no prince had ever set foot. The task was simple: scrub every inch of the floors until they gleamed, without complaint.

Hours passed as laehyung worked in silence, his body aching from the grueling labor. The filth clung to his skin, his hands raw and blistered from scrubbing the stone floors. His mind wandered, drifting between memories of his childhood, when he had been a prince of Hanseong, beloved by his people and his family. How far he had fallen.

By the time he finished cleaning the sewers, the sun had begun to rise, casting a faint glow through the narrow windows of the palace. But there was no time to rest. He was immediately ordered to carry buckets of water from the pond outside the palace, a long and arduous walk over uneven terrain. With each step, his legs burned, and his muscles screamed in protest, but he kept moving, too tired and too broken to fight back.

And then, the final task awaited him.

He had known it would come, but the reality of it was far worse than he had imagined.

Taehyung knelt before Jiyeon, who sat lounging on a cushioned chair in her chambers, her bare feet resting in a basin of warm water. The room was filled with the scent of jasmine and lavender, a sharp contrast to the filth and grime Taehyung had spent the day cleaning. His hands trembled as he dipped a cloth into the water and began to gently wash her feet, his mind numb to the humiliation.