Chapter 55

“Gyo Yeon-oh, did you actually listen to what I said? I heard the Gyo Marquisate family is very affectionate toward its members…”

“I heard correctly. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] I understand well that Your Majesty employed tremendous tactics during your time as a prince, and ascended the throne by dealing with your relatives in a bold and cruel manner, leaving no future troubles.”

“Young Master Gyo.”

Seonjae’s furrowed brow did not relax. Gyo Yeon-oh was the first person to directly mention words like tactics, bold, cruel, relatives, and future troubles to his face as the Emperor. Even those who dared to offer stern advice about the Emperor’s lack of compassion, accepting death, never used such direct expressions.

“The head of the Gyo Marquisate family can expel a member from the clan, but cannot unilaterally execute or kill him. The Gyo Marquisate family considers having many descendants as a source of pride for the household, and their strength is what made the Gyo Marquisate family what it is today. This is different from Your Majesty, the Supreme One, or the Imperial Family, where power is concentrated in one person. I am not knowledgeable about the Imperial Family’s etiquette or the interpretation of ancient texts, so I have nothing to say about Your Majesty’s legitimacy. Is it not enough that Your Majesty possesses the Imperial Seal and the court ministers have accepted it?”

“It must be nice to have such clarity, Consort Gwi-bi.”

“The reason I consider Your Majesty a wise ruler is based on observing your reign. Although some criticize the waste of state expenditure, Your Majesty traveled around the border under the pretense of hunting in the early days of your reign, which enabled you to repel external forces advancing from the west and south during winter. Simultaneously, you significantly improved the poor conditions of the military camps.”

As Yeon-oh continued to speak, the Emperor’s expression and movements lessened.

“The chancellors may be angry, but by preventing them from holding the chancellorship and a practical administrative post concurrently, the issue of a single individual wielding complete control over an entire government office has been eliminated. Since chancellors lack the authority to select real working-level officials or handle matters directly, they can concentrate on their true chancellor duties. They can diligently report to and push for urgent issues, select the appropriate office to handle the work, monitor whether the work is done correctly, and actively raise problems if it is not.”

Seonjae ceased his movement and even seemed to breathe cautiously.

“The general populace may not care, but I believe it is a good thing that palace servants and eunuchs can leave the palace once every six years if they wish, and when they leave the palace, gifts are bestowed to acknowledge their efforts for the years they worked, allowing them to rest for the remainder of their lives. I also consider it a proper measure that palace servants below the rank of Gungun who serve the Emperor closely can marry, and that eunuchs can marry with Your Majesty’s permission. Shall I continue?”

At Yeon-oh’s question, Seonjae said with a deeply frowned face:

“Stop.”

“Yes.”

Yeon-oh was fully awake, his mind clear. The man, conversely, was frozen as if cold water had been thrown over him. Seonjae, who had been motionless as if frozen, opened his mouth.

“Gyo Yeon-oh, why did you not enter officialdom? You call me a wise ruler.”

“A wise ruler treats his subjects harshly.”

Yeon-oh momentarily forgot that he was in front of the Emperor because he was speaking his thoughts as they came to him. Thus, he blurted out a thought he usually only had in his head.

Seonjae was dumbfounded by the audacious remark. Yeon-oh realized his blunder, but the words were already out. It was fortunate that he hadn’t added that the Emperor was a wise ruler who also possessed the martial prowess to wield a sword well. Yeon-oh’s relatives often scolded him, telling him never to voice his thoughts to anyone outside the family. They said such words would get him arrested or his neck severed if spoken elsewhere. His closest family, his eldest and second brothers, sometimes made remarks about Yeon-oh being ‘of a carefree nature’, a comment that was ambiguous as to whether it was an insult or a defense.

“Are you saying you didn’t enter officialdom because you thought I would make you work hard?”

“I had no particular ambition.”

“Do you not think it is far too late to change your words now?”

Seonjae pointed out with a dry laugh.

“…”

Yeon-oh could not hide his expression of total failure. He had truly screwed up. Regret flooded him for making such a foolish mistake. If only he could turn back time. He bit down on his reckless tongue, chewing the soft flesh inside his mouth, and just awaited his punishment.

“I will leave.”

Seonjae enjoyed watching Yeon-oh’s embarrassed face for a moment, then stood up and walked away. Yeon-oh only heard the sounds of the man quickly leaving the inner room, closing the door, and crossing into the adjacent room.

“I should have just pretended to be asleep…”

Yeon-oh muttered to the darkness.

“Why didn’t you?”

The man he thought had left was standing in front of the bed. Yeon-oh flinched in surprise, seeing Seonjae casting a long shadow over him. The man, who became more benevolent with laughter when drunk, burst into a clear smile, seeing Yeon-oh’s flustered reaction. Perhaps that was why.

The man, wearing a rich smile, quickly lunged onto the bed. Immediately, his lips covered the lips that were letting out an awkward, surprised chuckle. The man’s hot lips covered Yeon-oh’s upper lip and deeply drew it in. Soft lips made contact, followed by a sudden, firm mass of flesh that burrowed into the lips, which were at a loss in the sudden situation. A hot tongue swept over the inner flesh, which bore the marks of being chewed by his teeth, and then stopped.

“Why are you biting there?”

Seonjae whispered, lightly touching Yeon-oh’s head with his fingertips. Whispering while their lips were pressed together was a strange sensation. Yeon-oh was too flustered to even think about pulling away.

“That…”

Yeon-oh, who was reflexively answering the question, stopped his lips from moving at the soft sensation and the other person’s body heat. A smile flickered in Seonjae’s eyes.

“Is the mistake not mine?”

Yeon-oh felt the firm fingertips touching his head.

“That is, uhm…”

Seonjae did not wait for Yeon-oh’s answer, tilting his face the other way and covering his lips with his own. The soft, wet, and hot sensation deeply consumed and sucked Yeon-oh. The man persistently followed his hesitant tongue, and their minds became intensely tangled. The man, who consumed him deeply until he lacked breath, retreated with a courteous movement. The sensation slowly returned to his sore tongue and lips.

Only the sound of Yeon-oh’s heavy breathing filled the darkness. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] Yeon-oh found it hard to regain his composure after the unexpected kiss. His vision seemed to blur, and the world felt slightly dizzy. His head was strangely clamorous.

Seonjae, looking at the panting Yeon-oh, spoke with a genuinely curious face.

“You like kissing, but why can’t you breathe?”

“Who, haa, haa…”

Yeon-oh, who was trying to protest in disbelief, couldn’t get more than a few words out before gasping for air. His throat below his chin pulsed with a warm throb due to the lack of air. His neck violently throbbed as if his heart had moved up to his throat.

“Who, you.”

Seonjae briefly pressed his lips against the lips that could not properly articulate words. The moment their lips met, a wet sound echoed. Yeon-oh was startled by the sound that stimulated his ears.

“…!”

Seonjae, seeing Yeon-oh’s widened, surprised eyes, narrowed his eyes as if dissatisfied with something. He lightly retreated from the bed. The man, standing on the floor, propped his hand on the upper part of the bed and looked down at Yeon-oh, who was still catching his breath. His swaggering posture made him look less like the Emperor of a nation and more like a ruffian from a back alley.

“Gyo Yeon-oh.”

“Yes…?”

“Do not flatter me.”

Seonjae said sternly, with the face of an arrogant authority figure, quite different from his ruffian-like posture. He then twisted his cold face into a complicated frown, turned around, and left. Yeon-oh was dumbfounded and felt wronged, but he lacked the energy to chase him.

“What…”

He spat out a word filled with frustration, forgetting the impropriety. Then he pressed his hand to his tingling lips. His lips and face, which touched the back of his hand, were hot enough to feel feverish.

******

Today, the Emperor was different from other days. He was not his usual self from the moment he woke up in his bedchamber and received his breakfast. He often spaced out blankly, and even with his cold, expressionless face, he would suddenly flinch as if he had been ambushed. Sometimes, he would heavily frown. After that, he would let out a discreet sigh and bury his forehead in his hands. Occasionally, he would bury his face deeply in his hands and then smooth it down. These were actions he would never do normally.

“Your Majesty.”

“Speak.”

“Are you feeling unwell?”

Seonjae stopped his movement at Wan Taegam’s question. After a moment of holding his breath, he acted as if nothing was wrong.

“No.”

Wan Taegam, relieved by the Emperor’s answer, became cautious again. The Emperor, who had said he was fine, clasped his hands together and cracked his knuckles. A threatening sound echoed within the Yeongseung Pavilion.

Seonjae was deep in thought.

Was visiting the concubine late at night the problem? Was alcohol the root cause? Was going in without notifying them the mistake? He had just concluded that all of these might be problems. The biggest issue was the strange thing he had learned, which he hadn’t wanted to know: that he greatly enjoyed it when the other person noticed the flattery he wanted to hear and delivered it. He had always considered himself to listen to lip service and let it pass. He had paid no attention to the flattery offered by his subordinates as a matter of politeness.

Until yesterday, he could confidently say that. But last night, he had felt embarrassingly proud of the flattery offered by Gyo Yeon-oh. He felt like a child, delighted by the meticulously congratulatory words that accurately discerned what he had secretly wished to be acknowledged for. He was so excited by the desperately desired praise that he acted like an immature child.

‘Do not flatter me.’ Seonjae could not believe the reality that he had actually uttered such a childish phrase. Gyo Yeon-oh seemed naive, but when he was sharp, he mercilessly struck the opponent’s weak point. Even if he did not immediately understand the true meaning of his words, he would surely soon realize it. That telling him not to flatter him meant that he was so satisfied that the words sounded like flattery.

“Your Majesty, the eunuch from Giryung Palace is here.”

“The child left in front of the Giryung Palace’s screen.”

“Let him in.”

At the Emperor’s permission, Wan Taegam drew back the curtain hanging at the door. The eunuch guarding the door outside opened it after hearing the sound. Soon, the Giryung Palace eunuch belonging to the Imperial presence entered.

“I greet the Emperor. May Your Majesty enjoy great fortune. I report. Your Majesty, Dong Yeong, the Court Lady of Giryung Palace, has been accused of attempting to kill Bong-yeon, a maidservant brought from her family by Consort Du.”

At Seok Taegam’s report, Wan Taegam bowed deeply and said:

“The Consort Gwi-bi is in a difficult situation. There are open rumors that the child Bong-yeon was fathered by Minister Du outside the family. This makes her Consort Du’s half-sister. If Court Lady Dong’s actions are linked to the Consort Gwi-bi’s command, the matter could escalate. Would this not become a feud between the Gyo Marquisate family and the Du family?”

The Gyo Marquisate family was the power of the eastern trade route near the capital, while the Du family was the power of the eastern sea region on the border of the central and southern parts. The two regions were quite adjacent. For this reason, the relationship between the Gyo and Du families had been consistently hostile since the beginning of the Yul Empire.

“What about the Consort Gwi-bi?”

“She stated that she cannot acknowledge the crime until Court Lady Dong’s guilt is proven. She is sheltering Dong Yeong, the Court Lady, inside Giryung Palace, and Consort Hyeok is conducting the initial interrogation, but the Consort Gwi-bi has gone in place of Court Lady Dong.”

The Emperor touched his forehead at Seok Taegam’s report.

“Alone?”

“Yes, he went alone.”

“What does he intend to do, going alone?”

Seonjae left the study, abandoning what he was doing. The Emperor usually allowed the concubines to deal with problems among themselves. Wan Taegam and Seok Taegam exchanged a meaningful look as they followed the Emperor. Many Imperial eunuchs soon followed them.