Chapter 91

At Dam Seo-jun’s words, the Emperor was silent for a moment, his gaze fixed on the tear-filled face. The man, who seemed to have recalled something, slowly nodded his head.

Dam So-ui, though afraid, spoke up.

“This Consort trusted only Your Majesty to become a consort. Please show me Your Majesty’s trust.”

He was afraid of the Emperor, but since he had already been brave enough to speak, he wanted to gain certainty. A small nod was insufficient and left him uneasy. He wanted the Emperor to demonstrate that he possessed the appropriate status.

“Jun-ah, you speak amusingly. Doubting my trust is disloyalty. Do not disappoint me, who cherishes and favors you. I do not want to lose someone I have known for a long time. You must not forget the promise you made with me.”

Seonjae spoke in a low voice, with a gentle smile. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] The face before him wore a familiar smile, but the voice echoing in his ears was utterly heartless.

The Emperor quietly gazed down at Dam Seo-jun’s face, which was broken by shock, then rose, gently stroking and passing by Dam So-ui’s rigid shoulder.

Seonjae’s face, as he rose, was expressionless and desolate.

Dam So-ui turned his tear-blurred eyes to watch the Emperor pass him. The man walked out of the door without hesitation.

“…”

Dam Seo-jun realized anew that the weight of the emotions the Emperor and he held for each other was vastly different.

Only now did he understand clearly.

The words the Empress had told him before his entry into the palace were not mere trivial jealousy but the complete truth.

She had said that the Emperor respected the Empress, who had stayed by his side for over ten years and endured the humiliating and harsh treatment of the Imperial Family with him, but their relationship held no affection whatsoever.

Dam Seo-jun did not show it outwardly, but he had thought it was the Empress’s fault. The Empress was frail from a young age, was not a great beauty, and her family was also insignificant. Her nature was not one to attract others with special charm.

“Jun-ah, what did His Majesty promise you? Whatever the promise is, do not expect anything more. His Majesty is not a man to break a promise, but if you wish for more than that, you will be the only one hurt.”

The face of the sickly Empress, who sat in the seat of honor and spoke with a kind expression, came to his mind.

Dam Seo-jun’s empty face soon became terribly contorted. The luxurious ornament pinned in his hair jingled every time he shook his head.

“Ha, G-gasp. Haha, Sob…”

He and the Empress, whom he had considered insignificant and withered by sickness, were no different. No, he and the Empress could not even be compared. The Empress was at least respected because she was the Empress, but he was merely the pitiful Dam So-ui, of humble origin and nothing to his name.

It was not just the Empress high above.

Although he had never shown it, his situation was worse than that of Gyo Yeon-oh, whom the Emperor had brought in as a consort to save face to the Empress Dowager when he wished to bring him (Dam So-ui) into the palace. He could not believe he had become less favored than the one he looked down on as pitiful and wretched.

“Haha, ha… Hahaha. So-sob…”

Laughter and crying alternately escaped Dam So-ui’s lips. His terribly distorted face would not smooth out. The sorrowful wailing stopped only after a long time.

“Are you outside?”

His voice, full of the sound of crying, spoke toward the outside.

“Did you call?”

“Go and tell the Handan Palace that I wish to pay her(Consort Bi) respects.”

“Yes, Your Ladyship.”

A frown repeatedly appeared and disappeared on Dam Seo-jun’s face, which was a mess of tears.

******

After paying respects to the Empress Dowager, a tea ceremony that continued at the Empress’s Palace was gradually becoming a routine. Yeon-oh’s face, as he left the Empress’s Palace, was slightly stunned. Was it due to his carelessness? It was the moment he realized someone was passing by his side.

Chwa-ak!

A stinging heat covered his neck, right shoulder, and upper body. The burning heat poured onto his skin quickly turned into a dull pain.

“Ugh…!”

Court Lady Dong hastily shielded Yeon-oh, who instinctively flinched and gasped in pain.

“Your Ladyship!”

Court Lady Dong had been attending him on the opposite side of the accident. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] She reached out her arm as far as she could, but the hot tea had already been poured onto Yeon-oh.

Jjal-geurang! The teapot that fell to the floor with a loud noise had an unusually large lid and a round body. Next to the broken teapot on the floor, Dam So-ui hastily knelt and screamed.

“Gyo, Consort Gwi-bi…!”

Dam So-ui, who hurriedly knelt down, had tears welling up as if he might cry at any moment. He was visibly pale, appearing more shocked than the injured Yeon-oh.

Consort Hyeok ran out from among the people who gathered after hearing the sharp sound and gave a command.

“Hurry and call the Imperial Physician. Bring cold water, and also fetch cloths, quickly! Prepare a room to examine the Gwi-bi’s injury. Consort Gwi-bi, are you alright?”

Companion Neung and Beauty Jin, who had been walking ahead, returned and approached Yeon-oh.

“Consort Gwi-bi!”

“Bring cold water and ice!”

Court Lady Dong, with the help of the consorts, examined Yeon-oh’s injury. The neck, where the hot tea had directly touched, had a visible red mark. It was fortunate that his face was not injured, but the redness extended to the edge of his jaw, posing a risk of spreading to his face if the wound festered.

“Dam So-ui.”

Consort Hyeok, who was giving orders to the Empress’s court ladies and observing the situation, spoke toward Dam So-ui, who was kneeling. Dam So-ui was trembling his chin and shedding tears.

“Consort Gwi-bi, I am sorry. I have committed a sin worthy of death! This humble younger brother has made a mistake toward the noble Consort Gwi-bi…”

“Dam So-ui, please get up first.”

“Consort Gwi-bi, I made a mistake. I made a mistake! Please, please forgive me. I was trying to bring the tea to the Empress a little faster and then…”

Consort Hyeok tried to stop him, but Dam So-ui clung even more to the floor, pleading with a crying face. His gentle face poured out endless tears with a pitiful expression, begging for forgiveness.

“…”

Yeon-oh could not say anything. His neck, where the hot tea had touched, was so stinging, and pain erupted every time the tea-soaked clothes scraped against his injured skin. Court Lady Dong skillfully untied the knots to create space between his skin and the fabric, but with so many consorts watching, it was difficult to comfortably undress.

The accident happened so quickly that he was still slightly stunned.

“Imperial Physician, over here.”

“We have prepared a pavilion to escort the Gwi-bi.”

“Your Ladyship, you must go inside.”

Court Lady Dong whispered to Yeon-oh, who was still disoriented, urging him to move.

“Consort Gwi-bi, please forgive this humble person…!”

Dam So-ui continued to kneel and beg for forgiveness. At first, the consorts felt sorry for his mistake, but they became disconcerted by Dam So-ui’s rudeness in constantly begging for forgiveness from the injured person.

However, it was difficult to speak harshly to the one who was visibly trembling with fear and shedding tears. Even if he was less favored than before, Dam So-ui was a consort whom the Emperor cherished unusually.

“Dam So-ui, get up first.”

Yeon-oh, supported by Court Lady Dong, spoke briefly as he headed toward the pavilion. He was puzzled by Dam So-ui’s attitude, which feared him as if he were the most cruel ruler in the world, but he thought it best to calm the crying person.

“Consort Gwi-bi.”

Dam So-ui spoke words of apology, unable to stop his tears. The clinging voice behind him was bothersome, but Yeon-oh moved along, following Court Lady Dong’s urging.

Even as he entered the pavilion and while he was being treated, Dam So-ui continued his sorrowful apologies from outside. The voice begging for forgiveness was so pathetic that Yeon-oh felt like he had become a very wicked person.

The Imperial Physician, who was treating the injury, sometimes paused his movements because of the sorrowful voice coming from outside.

“Please lower your voice, Dam So-ui, Consort Gwi-bi is being treated. I am worried you will hurt your body if you keep kneeling like that. If Dam So-ui gets sick, wouldn’t the injured one be more inconvenienced?”

“Dam So-ui.”

Several consorts stepped forward to try and stop Dam So-ui’s unending crying. But the fearful sobbing continued without pause.

Yeon-oh, finished with the treatment, emerged from the pavilion.

“G-gasp, Consort Gwi-bi…”

Dam So-ui was still kneeling. Sorrowful crying flowed around the pavilion. Consorts with awkward expressions gathered around Dam So-ui, who would not stop crying.