CH 9.1

After hearing Ahjin’s words, Hwawoon stared at her with a bitter expression—despite agonizing over it. Ahjin was speechless when she saw his clear, kid-like eyes. Nevertheless, Hwawoon didn’t know that and continued his thought.

The magnificent view of Suhwawon was widely known across the imperial palace for Hwawoon to know it, even when he was a guard. Therefore— truthfully— Hwawoon was curious about how beautiful the view of the garden that everyone was praising.

However, the more actual reason behind that; the real reason Hwawoon wanted to go to Suhwawon;

Although it was distressing for his heart if he had to meet the emperor, Hwawoon was only curious about the view that person liked. He wanted to see the trees and flowers seen and touched by that person. Even though now he couldn’t get that person’s gentle gaze anymore, he wanted to see with his own eyes the things he gazed at gently.

“Yes, Your Highness. Of course. That place is very beautiful. I’m sure you’ll get more refreshed if you go there.”

Said Ahjin while holding Hwawoon’s arm. Hwawoon then raised his body, pretending that he couldn’t win against Ahjin. He imagined the emperor smiling while looking at the beautiful flowers for a moment, but quickly dismissed it in case that was disrespectful of him. Instead, he prepared to go for the stroll.

After all, Hwawoon was sure that the gentle, yet beautiful face of the emperor was something that he wasn’t allowed to see.

***

“I knew this would happen.”

The emperor wasn’t in a good mood today. This was due to the ministers that kept saying something he didn’t like the whole morning assembly. Because of that, he lost his appetite for lunch and went to Suhwawon—ignoring Eunuch Oh, who told him to not skip his meal.

The scenery of Suhwawon, which combined water, flowers, trees, and all the greenery, was always enough to calm the emperor’s heart. In particular, in the season like this spring, where the flowers were in full bloom. The emperor was planning to calm his disturbed mood there before going to the empress to have his late lunch.

However, the steadily calming mood of the emperor completely turned worse when he arrived at the small pond in his most beloved garden. The reason was,

“… Greetings, Your Majesty the Emperor.”

there was a face he didn’t want to see the most at this time.

***

The emperor quietly glanced down at the face of the concubine that was kneeling in front of him.

Yeonbin, Yeon Hwawoon.

He bowed his head, acting hard to hide his flustered expression, as if he didn’t know that the emperor would come here.

I knew it. There’s no way Yeon Hwawoon would stay still.

Looking like he found this to make sense, the emperor kept staring at him without raising him up. He was wondering why he didn’t come and make a fuss at Anjeong Palace, only to find he was preparing for this in Suhwawon.

“Does my order sound like a joke to you?”

When the emperor said that with a cold voice, Yeonbin bowed his head even more before saying,

“No, Your Majesty. How can I-”

“Then, you don’t know that I don’t want to see your face when I said to behave yourself?”

If he had to count what he hated from Yeonbin, a sleepless night wasn’t enough to count it. Among those, he really hated this side of Yeonbin.

Yeonbin was a man with no sincerity left. Those who didn’t know said that at least Yeonbin’s love for the emperor was sincere, but the emperor never felt that so great love from Yeonbin.

Wasn’t the thing called love meant that one had to be honest and sincere at least to their loved one even if they were lying to this whole world?

However, Yeonbin, despite saying that he did all of it because of his longing for the emperor, never did once he show that his heart was sincere. He always made up a coincidence like this, and cooked up the truth. He only did detestable things no matter what kind of it was just so he could be seen by the emperor.

Just like now. Just like how he pretended to coincidentally meet the emperor in this beloved pond, in this most beloved garden of the emperor. Thus, even if his surroundings said Yeonbin did that because of his overflowing love, the emperor couldn’t see the said love of Yeonbin even for a bit.

Right at that time, Yeonbin, who was bowing his head to the point of completely hiding his face, answered with a subtly trembling voice.