CH 55

His position in the imperial palace, his relationship with the emperor, and his connection with the empress and the other concubines. None of those got worse compared to the past, but her master kept making a conflicted expression like someone being chased by a massive fear. As a result, Ahjin was sure there was something she couldn’t guess going on with her master.

Therefore, Ahjin now was telling her only master,

“I’ll be by your side.”

No matter what it was, she would be by his side.

“Someday, when you want to pour out that heavy heart of yours. At that time, I’ll be by your side, Your Highness.”

Even though she wouldn’t be able to solve it with her humble existence, she would stay next to him like someone without eyes, ears, and mouth.

“Whatever you will say. Whatever you’re hiding. Whatever kind of weight you’re bearing.”

“…”

“When you want someone to hear out all of those, at that time, I will be there at the closest place to you.”

That was the new loyalty Ahjin pledged to Hwawoon, who completely changed from the past.

***

“Is that true?”

Instead of eating his lunch, Yihan asked Eunuch Oh with his still dumbfounded expression. Even before the eunuch could say anything, Yihan opened his mouth again.

“Is everyone really making a fuss like that, saying that Yeonbin is a beautiful gentleman?”

Yihan was still unable to break free from the words said by the court ladies on his way back from the Empress Dowager Palace. With a troubled expression, Eunuch Oh opened his mouth.

“That is only a remark lightly made by the bored servants, Your Majesty. You don’t need to worry much.”

Alas, at that moment, Yihan wasn’t listening to Eunuch Oh’s answer anymore. Instead, he was thoroughly checking Hwawoon’s appearance, which he saw recently, in his head.

A person, who was no different from other concubines—used to dress up like a woman of great beauty, suddenly took out and wore the clothes of the male concubine that he had never given a look before. He abandoned his fancy accessories, fixed up his hair with a jade guan like the young scholars, and walked around freely with a fluttering long dopo like a person appreciating arts.

The more he thought about it, Yihan felt like he understood why the court ladies made such a comment about Yeonbin, and that made him feel bitter.

Besides, it wasn’t like he boarded the palanquin so the servants wouldn’t dare to look up, but he willingly roamed the imperial palace every day with his own two feet. So, wasn’t this like he was showing off his face—telling everyone to take a look at him?

After absentmindedly putting a side dish Eunuch Oh placed in his bowl into his mouth, Yihan furrowed his brows, chewing it as though it was a certain someone, who was making him irritated inside.

“Here I spent the night filling my cup with liquor…”

Since that person suddenly cried out in his arms, the emperor felt disturbed all night. He suddenly thought about a past event he never thought about; for no reason, he dwelled on the feelings of the predecessor emperor who built Jeongan Palace for a male concubine; he kept thinking about the words he never thought of like ‘romance feeling’ and ‘lover,’ so he couldn’t even sleep.

Well, he couldn’t say that the reason he suddenly had those kinds of thoughts was definitely Yeon Hwawoon. The reason was that Yihan thought Yeon Hwawoon still meant nothing to him. Nevertheless, because that person shed tears in front of him out of nowhere, he also fell into contemplation for no reason.

“But he has been making such a great effort to buy everyone’s attention using his face, huh…”

“Your Majesty. It’s not like that, but—”

“I let him have his way, yet isn’t this really arrogant of him?”

Eunuch Oh immediately talked, trying to guide back the emperor’s thoughts, which were heading in an unreasonable direction, but the emperor was still not listening to him. In the emperor’s head, Yeonbin seemed to be already laughing here and there and teasing the court ladies to twist their minds.

Eunuch Oh barely managed to hold in his urge to heave a sigh, and the emperor soon said,

“I will go to Jeongan Palace after this.”

It had been long since the emperor, who made up his mind to acknowledge and accept Yeonbin and not to get swayed by him, disappeared.

***

“Your Highness, Her Highness Jeongbin has arrived.”

Hwawoon, who was in the inner room—sitting and admiring the flower vases arranged by the girls with much care, looked surprised with the news brought in by Seoseo, but soon told her, “guide her in.” He had heard about her plan to visit Jeongan Palace, but he never thought that there would be a day when the other concubines would be so friendly to him, so he couldn’t easily believe it.

Hwawoon felt glad that he ordered the court ladies to prepare the snacks in case Jeongbin would really come. As soon as Ahjin told Seoseo to go to the kitchen and bring over the snacks, Jeongbin, Songhyun, had already peeped from the doorway.

“Welcome, Jeongbin.”

Hwawoon welcomed Songhyun, feeling nervous and awkward, also a bit excited as this was the first time he had such a personal meeting with another concubine after he woke up as Yeon Hwawoon. If all the people that Hwawoon had faced so far were connections deeply connected to the previous Yeon Hwawoon, Hwawoon thought Songhyun, who looked a little awkward but walked in with a smile, was a connection he started himself, so he strangely felt excited.

Of course, Jeongbin was also a person who would have encountered Yeon Hwawoon in the past countless times, but it was obvious that she was not really a meaningful person in Yeon Hwawoon’s mind. Therefore, Hwawoon felt like this was a meaningful connection he utterly started himself.

“I’m afraid I’m bothering you when you are resting…”

Walking in slowly, Songhyun muttered in low, yet she couldn’t hold herself from looking around. The reason was obvious that this was her first time coming inside Jeongan Palace. She had heard that Jeongan Palace is big and splendid, incomparable to other palaces, and she could guess it through the dignity of the palace she saw from the outside, but Jeongan Palace, which she saw in person, was so beautiful that she couldn’t say anything.

It was not just a saying that this palace was the fruit of the love that the emperor had bestowed on his only lover.

Nevertheless, in the middle of that beautiful palace, it was Yeonbin where Songhyun’s eyes eventually landed on. Both the outside and the inside of the palace was decorated splendidly, but the palace owner was dressed so simply and neatly. However, that appearance of his didn’t look shabby, and rather looked more elegant, seemed to overwhelm the splendor around him.

Yeonbin, who wore dark blue clothes which were rare for the concubines to wear, had an outstanding beauty and looked like an upright scholar. Songhyun once again was reminded of her brother, and she quickly approached Yeonbin. Songhyun, who was embarrassingly staring at Yeonbin’s face, only looked away when Jooah faked coughing twice.

Yeonbin then said, smiling at Songhyun’s figure which was just like a curious small puppy.

“What do you mean by bothering me? I only feel happy that Jeongbin came to this place that isn’t visited by anyone.”

“I was worried if you’ll feel uncomfortable if I visit you. Erm… actually, I mean… our relationship in the past was a bit…”

“I must have treated you quite rude.”

While Songhyun was hesitating to express their relationship that was so chaotic in the past, Hwawoon relaxedly added in as if that was nothing. Then, Songhyun opened her eyes wide as if she was surprised for a moment, laughed once, and said more comfortably.

“I brought in the tea I wanted to give you last time but couldn’t, so I think it’s good to send it to the kitchen, then drink it together.”

There were many nights she couldn’t sleep because she felt angry after being insulted by Yeonbin on the day she entered the imperial palace. Back then, she couldn’t even guess there would be a day when she sat across from Yeonbin and smiled as they talked. She couldn’t even expect there would be a day when she got reminded of her brother as she looked at that loathsome Yeonbin.

Hwawoon and Songhyun sat face to face at the round table, thinking that they really don’t know the inside of a person completely and don’t know what the future has for a person. It was a sunny day, which can be called a new day.

***

The conversation between Songhyun and Hwawoon, which was expected to be awkward because this was the first, flowed out smoothly like flowing water. It was usually Songhyun, who chattered away, and Hwawoon listened to her while smiling. When Songhyun asked a question about Hwawoon once in a while, Hwawoon answered her sincerely. Since the two had no exchange at all before, they couldn’t stop talking even though they only talked about the things they liked.

The image of Songhyun, who led the atmosphere well without awkwardness and continued to talk brightly, was the image of the youngest who was loved and raised preciously at home, so Hwawoon smiled happily and listened to Songhyun’s story.

“Erm… I have a brother older than me. How about you, Yeonbin, do you have younger siblings…?”