Chapter 45

Seonjae placed his hand on the forehead of Yeon-oh, who had collapsed in his arms. It wasn’t scorching hot like a ball of fire, but it was warm enough to transfer heat to his high-temperature hand. He recalled how many times Yeon-oh had fainted since entering the Imperial Palace.

“Young Masters are so weak.”

He muttered the twisted words and headed toward the hall where the bed was, carrying the collapsed Yeon-oh.

“Your-Your Majesty!”

“This humble servant…”

The eunuchs guarding the study raised their voices upon seeing the Emperor personally carrying the Consort Gwi-bi out.

“The Imperial Physician?”

“We have sent word.”

Seonjae sought the Imperial Physician once more as he headed toward the inner chamber. The palace servants of Giryung Palace, who had been waiting from afar, rushed over upon seeing Yeon-oh collapse and being carried out by the Emperor.

“Consort Gwi-bi…!”

“Mama! Your Majesty, the Mama…”

Court Lady Dong babbled incoherently as she followed closely by the Emperor’s large stride.

“Open the door.”

“Yes.”

At Seonjae’s command, Court Lady Dong quickly opened the door leading to the inner chamber. Seonjae, who had crossed several doors and entered the inner chamber, carefully laid the collapsed Yeon-oh down.

“Mama. Mama.”

Court Lady Dong called out with an anxious voice beside Yeon-oh, whom the Emperor was laying down.

“Does he faint often?”

“No, he has gotten much better recently. He seems exhausted from having to concentrate so much because Your Majesty has been visiting Giryung Palace consecutively.”

Court Lady Dong placed her hand on the collapsed Yeon-oh’s forehead and checked his pulse. Then, she quickly loosened the knots of his clothes that might be uncomfortable and massaged his hands.

“It is all my fault, then.”

While Court Lady Dong removed Yeon-oh’s socks, Seonjae pushed his hand into the gap of Yeon-oh’s loosened clothes. His shoulders, arms, and stomach were warm, but a part of his back was icy cold.

“Summon Namcheongguk’s Lord Yuk.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

At the Emperor’s command, Wan Taegam quickly ordered his subordinate eunuchs with a gesture.

“Bring braziers into the inner chamber.”

“Yes.”

“When the Imperial Physician arrives, see him first, and as soon as Lord Yuk enters, bring him to Giryung Palace.”

The palace servants of Giryung Palace moved quickly. Seonjae sank into a chair beside the bed and sighed.

“What exactly is the problem with that Ja-an-hong?”

At the man’s softly biting words, Court Lady Dong’s shoulder, which was massaging Yeon-oh’s hands and feet, flinched. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] Braziers were brought into the inner chamber one after another.

******

Yeon-oh, waking up buried in the pillow under the blanket, slowly blinked his eyes. The warmth against his cheek was inexpressibly cozy and comfortable. His hand, holding the tangpa (hot water bottle), was a little warm from the heat.

The room was tinged with blue, perhaps because the sun was beginning to rise outside. It was the middle of dawn.

Yeon-oh tried to close his sleepy eyes but repeatedly closed and opened his stiff eyes. Still half-asleep, he traced his last memory. While attending the Emperor as his personal attendant, he suddenly froze as if paralyzed. The sight went black for a moment, and he felt as if he were falling into a dizzying abyss. He was simply bewildered by the sudden exhaustion without any prior signs. He felt like he had been abruptly expelled from the world.

Yeon-oh moved his fingers and stroked the tangpa in his hand. His hands, heavy with sleep, were slow and clumsy as he stroked the luxurious tangpa—a soft leather pouch filled with hot water and dressed in scented silk.

“Are you awake?”

The hand stroking the tangpa stopped abruptly.

“…!”

Yeon-oh slowly realized that something firm, which was emitting a steady warmth, was supporting the back of his neck beneath his face, which was buried in the pillow. It was the Emperor’s arm. The man’s solid, long arm was completely bare. Not only below his neck, but also along his back, as he lay sideways facing the wall, a warmth, though less intense than the tangpa, was steadily reaching him.

It was likely the Emperor’s body. Yeon-oh belatedly tried to guess who had caught him when he collapsed, feeling the sensation of falling. Was that also the Emperor?

The man sighed deeply at Yeon-oh’s reaction, who was holding his breath for a moment. The shoulder in his embrace faintly rose and fell, suppressing a nervous breath. Soon, the scent of plants and trees, like a forest on a rainy day, subtly wafted up from the person next to him.

“You collapsed.”

At Seonjae’s words, Yeon-oh slowly moved.

“I apologize.”

The man’s hand stopped Yeon-oh, who was trying to turn around, and turned him back to his original position.

“Stay still.”

“Yes…”

Yeon-oh remained motionless as the man commanded.

“Your back is still cold.”

“I apologize.”

“I should be the one apologizing, Consort Gwi-bi. Do you not even notice when your body stiffens? It is a side effect of Ja-an-hong. If your body suddenly tingles, or you feel dizzy or lightheaded, be prepared, as it is a sign of paralysis and chills to come.”

Whenever the man lying against his back whispered in his ear, a warm breath blew against his neck. The warm breath was ticklish, and the Emperor’s polite words, adhering to etiquette, were frightening.

“Yes.”

Yeon-oh replied shortly.

“Listen when the Emperor gives an order.”

“Yes…”

Yeon-oh felt wronged by Seonjae’s hostile words. What Imperial command had he disobeyed? Even yesterday, he had diligently attended to the Emperor until he collapsed from exhaustion.

“Consort Gyo-gwi is weak, he says.”

“No, is that so…”

“Do you know how severely I was reprimanded by the Imperial Physician at dawn? He said if you collapse suddenly like this, your stamina must have been very low even normally, and you must have often experienced dizziness or tingling in parts of your body. To make such a weak person stay up for two consecutive nights and attend to me all night long… I am truly heartless.”

The man rambled in an emotionless, monotone voice. He was completely different from the person who had just been angry about him not listening to an Imperial command.

“Your Majesty is not heartless. You are somewhat ruthless depending on the situation. However, Your Majesty is a wise ruler.”

Yeon-oh continued with flattery, sincerity, and then more flattery.

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Your Majesty is a wise ruler, but attending by your side for one night until Ogyeong and yesterday until past Samgyeong was not easy. It is not easy for the person attending, and I do not think it is good for Your Majesty either.”

“I told you yesterday to go to sleep before Samgyeong,” Seonjae countered with a voice full of indignation.

Hm! Yeon-oh forcefully suppressed the snort that threatened to escape. Although the Emperor had told him not to turn around, he strongly twisted his neck to look at the man pressed tightly against his back.

“How can a concubine go to sleep first when Your Majesty has not retired to bed? Do you think I could do such an insolent thing?”

“What you are doing now is also a very insolent thing.”

Seonjae turned Yeon-oh’s head, which had looked back at him, toward the wall.

“I apologize.”

Yeon-oh returned his head to its original position as the large hand turned it. The reason was that the man was semi-naked when he twisted around to look at him in sudden exasperation. All his strength was drained from uttering the words he had held in while frantically trying to find a place to rest his eyes.

“Young Masters are so weak.”

The man, who uttered the grumbling that he could not agree with, pressed his body tightly against Yeon-oh’s back. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] As Seonjae’s high-temperature body pressed against him, Yeon-oh realized that a part of his own back was uniquely lower in temperature than other areas.

“Y-Your Majesty…”

The outline of the solid body pressed against his back was vividly felt through the thin nightgown.

“They administered acupuncture and prescribed medicine, but they said it is best to directly loosen the cold and stiff areas by rubbing them. They told me not to bring in too many braziers. While the overall body temperature needs to be raised, it could be harmful if the temperature of other parts rises too much while the problematic area remains the same.”

“I apologize.”

Yeon-oh stammered, unable to find anything to say.

“If you are hot, take out the tangpa from under the blanket. Let go of the one in your hand, too. It is difficult to maintain the temperature of the tangpa without making the water very hot, so temperature control is not easy.”

“Yes…”

Seonjae cleared his throat, seeing the neck that had been responding to him confidently now shrinking.

“I can’t help it.”

He consciously did not move his waist. However, because they were so tightly pressed together, the part that was inadvertently touching Yeon-oh’s thigh—his hardened penis—was fully erect. Yeon-oh’s back stiffened with tension from the feel of bare skin and the low resonance of the voice being transmitted through their touching bodies.

“I am fine now…”

Yeon-oh tried to pull away from the man’s embrace due to the discomfort.

“Don’t talk nonsense. I told you to stay still.”

Seonjae wrapped his arm around his waist, pulling him closer as he tried to pull away from the embrace. His penis rubbed deeply against his buttock, which was trying to escape.

“Your-Your Majesty.”

Seonjae frowned, confirming that the cold back, which he had softened by rubbing it with his hands that had been warmed by holding the hot tangpa, was stiffening up again.

“You are not fine at all.”

The Imperial Physician Jin and Old Lord Yuk, who had been summoned to the concubine’s hall at dawn, cornered Seonjae, demanding to know how Yeon-oh’s physical condition could be the same as the healthy Emperor after having drunk Baekhong and Ja-an-hong in a short period. He was speechless when they said that Baekhong and Ja-an-hong were like poison if they didn’t suit one’s constitution. It was something he had heard several times before. In that situation, it was difficult to admit that he had made him stay up for two nights and, the day before, had him kneel while he was alone with him. He couldn’t blame Yeon-oh for showing no sign of it in front of him. Seonjae knew his position well. He was the Emperor. If anything, Gyo Yeon-oh was one of the few who would speak his mind to him, the Emperor.

“Bear with it, even if you don’t like it.”

Seonjae stretched his arm forward, pulling Yeon-oh into his embrace. The firm arm wrapped around his prominent collarbone, which stood out from a deep breath, as if to block it.

“…”

Looking down at the stubborn head suppressing his discomposure, Seonjae swallowed the words lingering on the tip of his tongue. ‘You used to like me.’ If he were to mistakenly say those words, the person in his arms was the type to escape, even if it meant swinging an elbow at the Emperor. Even he, who was said to be unfeeling, insensitive to emotions, and extremely rude, knew well that he shouldn’t say such a thing.

“Bear with it, even if you don’t like it.”

Yeon-oh could neither affirm nor deny. It was difficult to affirm and say he didn’t like it, or to deny and say he didn’t dislike it.

“I apologize.”

Seonjae smiled with only his lips at Yeon-oh’s response, which neither affirmed nor denied.

“Is saying ‘I apologize’ enough?”

“I apologize.”

This apology was rather insolent.

“Even if you don’t like it, you are my concubine.”

“I know.”

Seonjae softly rambled into the voice that had quickly subdued.

“So, bear with it, even if you don’t like it.”

As Yeon-oh remained silent, a soft lip touched the back of his shrinking neck.