CH 138

“Your Majesty…!”

Having heard something he didn’t deserve, Hwawoon was startled and tried to look back right away, but he couldn’t say anything nor could he move. He could feel Yihan’s soft lips on the back of his neck.

Shivers ran down his spine and his back turned rigid. The kiss was too chaste for sexual connotations, but Hwawoon couldn’t take it lightly. His mind flashed back like a thunderbolt to the many nights he’d shared with the Emperor, the lovemaking that had been so delicate and intimate, yet at the same time so blatant and indecent. Unable to bear it any longer, Hwawoon reflexively pulled up his fallen garments to cover his bare shoulders and backed away from the emperor. Hwawoon spoke with a trembling voice.

“It’s, it’s done now, Your Majesty. I’m… fine now.”

Hwawoon had no idea, however. How the sight of him clutching at his disheveled collar, his face flushed with color, his hair falling loose as he averted his gaze, brushing against the white skin exposed through the hem of his robe, stirred a man’s heart with desire.

Yihan swiftly pulled Hwawoon into his arms. When their eyes met again, Yihan’s eyes were burning like a giant flame, and Hwawoon could barely breathe from the heat.

Yihan gently captured Hwawoon’s lips once, let them go, and leaned in close to whisper in his ear.

“Do you want to feel me closer?”

“Your, Your Majesty…”

“The Emperor is asking you, so Yeonbin, you have to answer it truthfully. What do you want to do with me now?”

Hwawoon crouched whenever Yihan’s breath grazed him, and he wanted to move away, but Yihan didn’t let Hwawoon escape from him even an inch. The man, who just moments ago showed no particular emotion and asked the Emperor to go to the Empress Palace, was shaking and showing his emotion openly at every touch, every kiss from him. Yihan felt like fireworks were cracking in his head.

Biting the tip of Hwawoon’s chin, Yihan said,

“I won’t know unless you tell me.”

“…”

“Woon-ah.”

Woon-ah. Hwawoon was left breathless at that. In his eyes, the Emperor was playing dirty. Calling him Woon-ah in this situation, with that kind of voice, was too much to handle. While Hwawoon felt his heart crumble apart, the emperor continued.

“Tell me what you want.”

Yihan only needed a little bit of reassurance. Even though Hwawoon couldn’t say it shamelessly. Even though he didn’t show his jealousy. Despite all of that, he still wanted him. Yihan wanted Hwawoon to show, even the slightest, that he sincerely wanted the Emperor, not because he couldn’t refuse the Emperor as a concubine.

An emperor who was in great fear just because he couldn’t win the heart of a concubine.

Yihan knew that this was the mindset that would lead the emperor to become a foolish ruler, but he couldn’t see a way out of it.

At that very moment, Hwawoon’s fingers moved subtly. Hwawoon’s hands, which had been only clutching his clothes defensively, slowly moved to cup Yihan’s cheeks. The moment he felt that touch, Yihan looked up and locked his gaze with Hwawoon. Hwawoon looked like he would cry at any moment, and at the same time, he looked anxious as if wanting to run away, but his hands were still on Yihan’s face.

Soon, Yihan’s hand covered the back of Hwawoon’s hand. He then turned his head and planted an intimate kiss on Hwawoon’s palm. He thought this was enough for the moment. Wasn’t it Hwawoon who silently accepted his every whim while he was in anguish and wandering alone, repeatedly reaching out and pushing him away? Thus, Yihan thought he also had to wait for Hwawoon’s slow steps.

This touch alone. This little sign of you not wanting to push me away. This is enough for now.

“I’m sorry for everything.”

For wandering around without telling you anything. For being petty and letting you get hurt. All of that. Everything was my fault.

Yihan sought out Hwawoon’s lips and captured them, pouring out the one word he should never have spoken as an emperor. Another night went by.

***

“Seocheon. Come see me for a moment!”

Seocheon, who was about to lie on his bed, raised to his feet with a questioning look when Jamun suddenly called him. Jamun was staying in a different room from Seocheon, but he came to visit at this hour, and his urgent voice seemed to indicate something was wrong.

“What’s wrong?”

When Seocheon came out and asked back, Jamun looked around once, then he led Seocheon to a corner and asked with a low voice.

“Did you do something in Seojeong Palace without my knowledge?”

“In Seojeong Palace? What are you talking about, suddenly?”

“Well, encountering His Highness Yeonbin again… or something like that?”

Seocheon frowned at Jamun’s unexpected question. He had never run into Yeonbin ever since he moved to Seojeong Palace, and that rather made him frustrated. He wondered why Jamun suddenly asked that when he was already in frustration with the possibility of spending his days without solving his curiosity. Crumpling his face a bit, Seocheon answered.

“No. I couldn’t even see His Highness Yeonbin.”

“Then why did Eunuch So ask about you?”

“What?”

Seocheon raised his voice at the unexpected words from Jamun. He then looked around, and fortunately, no one was around as it was late at night. Seocheon opened his mouth again to ask.

“Eunuch So? Are you talking about So Jeong of Seojeong Palace?”

“Yeah, that eunuch. I overheard him asking about you earlier.”

“… Was it under His Highness’ order?”

“Well, I overheard it in passing, so I don’t know exactly, but I guess it was? Why would he bother to find out about you unless it was His Highness Yeonbin’s order?”

Seocheon’s face turned dark. He remembered So Jeong’s face when he was asking him something he couldn’t understand. Did His Highness Yeonbin really find out something? While his mind was busy contemplating, Jamun said with a voice lower than before, his face was full of concern.

“If His Highness Yeonbin really found out about you and Hawoon…”

Seocheon shook his head. Nowadays, all the people of Seojeong Palace were overjoyed because the Emperor came to visit every day, so would Yeonbin even care about him, a mere, lowly guard?

However, the encounter that night, which he still couldn’t understand, was the reason he couldn’t erase his uneasiness.

“I think it’s better for you to move to another post.”

Ignoring Jamun who was truly concerned about him, Seocheon fell into his thoughts. There were a lot that bothered his mind as the suspicious person wasn’t only Yeonbin. So Jeong also acted suspiciously all the time.

***

“Yeonbin, you don’t look good at all. Are you okay?”

The Empress, Jaran, who was looking at the concubines one by one, asked in surprise when he saw Yeonbin’s pale face. Sukbi and Jeongbin, who saw Yeonbin earlier, were also looking at him with worry on their faces. Hwawoon drew a soft smile and bowed his head.

“I’m fine, Your Majesty. I’m a bit tired, but you don’t need to worry. Thank you for your concern.”

“… Still, you look so pale. I have nothing in particular to tell you today, so quickly go back and get some rest.”

“I am extremely grateful for your generosity, Empress.”

He answered that he was fine, but in fact, Hwawoon hadn’t been feeling well since he woke up in the morning. He tried hard to act like he was fine as he didn’t want to worry the Emperor and forced himself to have breakfast, but after the Emperor left Seojeong Palace, he put down his guard, and his condition became even worse. Ahjin and So Jeong asked him to tell the Empress about his condition and skipped today’s morning greetings, but Hwawoon, who carried burdens in his mind, couldn’t do so.

These days, the eyes of the entire palace were on Seojeong Palace, and if he didn’t come to the morning greetings with the excuse of being sick, people would surely say that Yeonbin was looking down on the Empress using the emperor’s love he had. Hwawoon detested hearing about the Empress being looked down upon by someone like him even more than he detested hearing about his own injustices. Therefore, he promised Ahjin numerous times that he would rest after the morning greetings, and now here he was.

Usually, Hwawoon would say it’s fine to the Empress’ offer, but he was really tired, unbearably. In the end, to appreciate the gesture, Hwawoon pushed himself up from his seat, knelt down on one knee in gratitude, and rose to his feet at the Empress’s beckoning.

The next thing he knew, it was dizzy before his eyes. His vision quickly darkened and he gasped for air. He sensed Ahjin’s voice shouting, “Your Highness!” and a hand grabbing his arm, but he couldn’t get his vision back. With a ringing in his ears, the world went black.