Chapter 27

The Northern Kingdom, where the Heavenly Palace was located, was four days away from the capital. The Emperor, having performed the ancestral rites at the Heavenly Palace, returned to the Imperial Palace late that night.

The Grand Chief Eunuch busily trailed the Emperor to the inner chamber.

Wan Taegam (the Chief Eunuch) had followed the Emperor to the Northern Kingdom but had not been permitted into the Heavenly Palace. Due to protocol, his meetings were brief as he could not attend to the Emperor until their return to the Imperial Palace. Upon returning to his post, his heart was anxious after hearing what had transpired in his absence.

The Emperor, who had intended to sleep in his chamber this evening, initially ignored the eunuch’s summons. The man, who had stopped his movement, eventually permitted the persistently requesting eunuch entry with a look of displeasure.

“…Drank what?”

The Emperor had dismissed all attending palace servants. Woo Seonjae, who was changing his clothes alone, roughly shrugged off the casual inner robe he had thrown on and scowled heavily.

Wan Taegam approached the Emperor, whose upper body was exposed, and began assisting him with dressing.

“I am informed that Consort Gyo-bi drank the Ja-an-hong.”

The man’s face, which looked cool and notably arrogant when expressionless, stared coldly down at the eunuch who was adjusting the fit of his inner robe. The frigid face barely betrayed any emotion.

“So he died?”

“Your Majesty. To ask if a Consort Bi of the Harem has died, such an improper… Ahem, no, he did not. Fortunately, his life is said to be out of danger. They say the Ja-an-hong is no different from poison if it does not suit one’s constitution, but he should be fine once he recovers. The problem, however, is the slow recovery.”

Wan Taegam politely stepped back after finishing the Emperor’s inner robe. The eunuch looked quietly at the robe he had so neatly arranged. It was a gaze containing the worry that the Emperor might not be able to go outside the hall wearing it.

“Why did he pick that up and consume it?”

“It seems rumors are circulating in the Imperial Palace and among the public that Consort Gyo-bi, blinded by greed, drank the medicine that allows a man to bear children. According to what Gham-uk (a palace servant) has reported, the Empress Dowager appears to have given Consort Gyo-bi a choice: either write a promise to leave the palace, having now realized his situation, or drink the Ja-an-hong.”

The Emperor, listening to Wan Taegam’s report, frowned.

“He chose the Ja-an-hong, which could be poison, death over freedom?”

“If the Gyo General’s Household exerted its influence, they might nullify the promise or find a way for the concubine to leave the Harem, could they not? Death is not the only option.”

“It would be unthinkable for the young master of the Gyo General’s Household not to uphold a promise written by himself. He must have considered avoiding the method of leaving the Harem by violating a promise made by himself as beneath him. All that self-respect.”

The Emperor grumbled, curling his lip.

“This servant investigated and learned that Consort Gyo-bi seems to have angered the Empress Dowager before she forced the choice. He stated that having seen how the Imperial Family treats him, the Gyo Clan will not send another descendant to the Harem in this generation… and it seems the conversation included mention of the young master of the Mu clan.”

Woo Seonjae, listening to the eunuch’s words, let out a laugh despite his scowling expression. A concubine in the Harem raising a dispute by mentioning the Empress Dowager’s immediate family—that was beyond bold, bordering on recklessness.

“Does that fellow have three or four lives?”

Woo Seonjae could not conceal his look of stupefaction. He shook his head and chuckled softly.

“Your Majesty, ‘that fellow’ for a Consort Bi of the Harem?”

“He is My concubine.”

“That is true, but…”

No matter how much he was the Emperor, he should not privately lower the rank of a concubine. Wan Taegam agonized over how to convey his words without displeasing the Emperor.

“The Empress Dowager has certainly met her match.”

“Your Majesty.”

Wan Taegam quickly scanned their surroundings and showed signs of hesitation at the Emperor’s delighted comment.

“So.”

“Yes?”

“So, if he didn’t die, what state is he in?”

Wan Taegam crouched low, preoccupied solely by the Emperor’s improper choice of words. Woo Seonjae remained indifferent to the eunuch’s gesture, who seemed to be begging for forgiveness from no one in particular.

“I hear he has been laid up for several days, consumed by fever.”

Annoyance surged onto the man’s face at the eunuch’s report.

“Gyo Yeon-oh has more sick days than healthy days since he came to the Imperial Palace. Is it because he was coddled as the young master of the Gyo General’s Household? The number of days Gyo Yeon-oh has been laid up since entering the Harem barely a fortnight ago is longer than the number of days I have been sick in the Imperial Palace.”

“Would it not be due to the many events that have transpired?”

Wan Taegam respectfully offered his words to the displeased Emperor, then hastily bowed low.

“…”

A chill arose in the man’s gaze as he looked down at the eunuch.

“I apologize deeply.”

“How long has the young master Gyo been suffering from the fever that there is such a fuss?”

The Emperor asked the eunuch indifferently.

“It is the eighth day.”

The man, who had been about to head toward the bed, stopped his steps. Being consumed by fever for eight days was not a common occurrence.

“Not dead yet?”

“He is unharmed.”

Wan Taegam answered the Emperor’s cruel question with solemn respect. The man who had been heading toward the bed turned and searched for the outer robe he had carelessly thrown aside. Wan Taegam quickly approached and assisted him with the robe.

“I shall escort Your Majesty to Giryung Palace.”

At the eunuch’s words, the man only frowned in silence.

******

Inside the inner chamber of Giryung Palace, braziers were placed from the entrance onward. Wherever there was space to put one, a brazier was positioned. Although it was winter, there were an excessive number.

The crackling sound of embers broke the silence of the room.

Gyo Yeon-oh, who had been suffering from a fever for eight days, looked calm, as if he was merely sleeping. Occasionally, his breathing would hasten, but that was all.

Yeon-oh slept quietly, even though he would sometimes shiver with cold from the sudden onset of the chills.

Woo Seonjae, entering the room lit by braziers to the point of recalling summer in the middle of winter, let out a long sigh.

“How foolish.”

At the low voice, Yeon-oh, who was asleep, trembled with fever and fluttered his eyelids before opening his eyes.

“…”

Woo Seonjae could not tell if the eyes looking at him recognized him or not. He suspected he had been recognized. The surprised face flinched upon seeing him, then silently shed tears.

Then, perhaps exhausted by the fever, he quickly fell back asleep.

“Foolish.”

The cold voice descended upon Yeon-oh’s sleeping face.

******

The world that met his ears was strangely silent. Yeon-oh leaned against an unfamiliar, peculiar warmth. His body, which had been exhausted from suffering chills and fever, felt refreshed. His hands and feet, which had been trembling involuntarily, were completely calm and light.

Yeon-oh, immersed in a peace he had not felt for a long time, slowly regained consciousness. The soft warmth offered by the substantial, firm presence that enveloped him seemed to take away the sorrow and fatigue that had tormented him.

He instinctively brought his cheek closer to the tender warmth. A small smile appeared on his lips, buried in the warmth.

The long-forgotten comfort was gentle and cozy.

Yeon-oh, waking from a long sleep and opening his eyes, wiped the heat from his eyes with his hand. What he thought was heat was tears shed in his sleep.

Had he seen something bad in a forgotten dream?

Yeon-oh’s hand, which was wiping the tears streaming from his eyes, stopped moving. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] He had belatedly realized the unfamiliar presence blocking him.

Although many things had happened, Yeon-oh was a concubine. For a concubine residing in the Harem to share a bed with anyone other than the Emperor was an act punishable by beheading.

He gathered his wits and instantly shook off his sleep.

“…!”

Yeon-oh nervously scanned what was before him. He was leaning against a broad shoulder and a generous chest, which felt firm yet not clumsy, as if relying on them. The sculpted jawline came immediately into his surprised, upturned view.

It was the Emperor.

Seeing the Emperor, Yeon-oh was more startled than when he had realized he was asleep leaning against someone else.

It was fortunate that he hadn’t sought help from a palace servant or eunuch out of a desire for warmth while sick. Even if he had pleaded, the palace servants, having lived under strict palace protocol, would not have obliged him.

The sleeping man was wearing nothing on his upper body. He was covered by a quilt below, so he could not tell what he wore there.

Yeon-oh, lying in the bed, was dressed in a thin inner robe. The inner robe was not only thin but also translucent, making him feel ambiguous about whether he was dressed or undressed.

It was not surprising that he was not wearing proper clothes, having suffered from a fever.

While the flustered Yeon-oh was lost in the man’s embrace, the long arm wrapped around his back moved, pulling Yeon-oh closer to the bare chest.

“Uh…!”

Yeon-oh hastily raised his elbow to push away the arm that was pulling him closer.

The Emperor’s eyes, which had been closed as if drawn, opened softly. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] The man met Yeon-oh’s gaze with a clear look, unlike someone who had just woken up.

“…”

The man narrowed his eyes, looking at Yeon-oh, who, with a startled face, tried to put the maximum distance between them while still sharing a bed and a quilt.

The moment he saw that expression, a stabbing pain descended upon Yeon-oh’s head.

[“How foolish.”]

He recalled the whisper made by the handsome, frowning face looking down at him in his blurry vision. Following this, he vaguely remembered the sensation of something warm covering his forehead as the view darkened.

He could not tell if it was a dream or a real event he could not remember. When he tried to think more about the emerging scene, the pain of being stabbed in the head with a knife surged up.

Simultaneously, a long ringing sounded in his head.

“Ugh.”

Woo Seonjae, seeing Yeon-oh clutch his head and groan, frowned. His annoyance was evident. Yeon-oh ignored the surging pain and cast his gaze toward him.

The Emperor moved to sit up sideways but stopped as he was about to speak.

Yeon-oh, looking at the man, saw the Emperor’s waist as he moved to sit sideways, and briefly saw that he was wearing nothing below. The Emperor let out a laugh of disbelief upon seeing Yeon-oh’s widened eyes.

“Gyo Yeon-oh.”

Yeon-oh regained his senses in the embarrassing situation, but his head was in chaos. In contrast, the Emperor, who had woken later than him, had a cool face devoid of sleepiness.

The man who had spewed heartless words the last time he saw him smiled at Yeon-oh with a contemptuous expression. Considering how many days had passed since that last encounter, this should have been a situation that evoked sadness, shame, and humiliation.

However, his gaze was involuntarily drawn to the handsome face of the man who was laughing at him dismissively. He could not understand his own agitated heart and the sudden lurching in his chest.

Yeon-oh suppressed his unsettled heart and opened his mouth.

“Why are You here?”