Chapter 12

“…”

An oiled-paper umbrella with a deep indigo background and a silver plum blossom branch pattern elegantly looked down at the bewildered Yeon-oh. A large, firm hand stretched out and took the long, long letter that Yeon-oh was about to pick up.

“‘My knees feel like they are going to break again today…’ is that what you wrote? What are you doing here in the rain?”

The Emperor, holding the indigo oiled-paper umbrella, bent down to peer at Yeon-oh. The tall man was wearing a sky-blue jangpo (robe) embroidered with bamboo.

Even after months of not seeing him, he was still dazzlingly imposing. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] Although they were under a cloudy, rainy sky, the light seemed to fall only on the man’s face.

The man with the cool countenance quietly looked at Yeon-oh, who was shocked to see him.

Seonjae looked at the rain-drenched Yeon-oh, relaxed his rigid expression, and reached out his hand. The hand, which was large and lukewarm, carefully stroked his wet cheek, caressing it.

Wiping the rainwater that soaked the dazed cheek, the man smiled faintly. The frown eased, the coldness vanished, and his expression softened.

The gentle smile blossomed, growing brighter.

Yeon-oh’s face broke its composure at the touch that wiped the rain from his face. He could not tear his eyes away from the man whose face filled his vision.

The bright smile that appeared on the Emperor’s face momentarily froze Yeon-oh.

Yeon-oh had believed that while he had affection for the man, the greater part of his decision was to follow the Imperial command. He had only been away from the Emperor for a short time. Yet, the moment he saw the Emperor, saw Woo Seonjae again.

He felt a combination of longing, sadness, joy, happiness, and relief that he had never known before. He realized that his affection for the man was love.

First love.

He had never once imagined confessing to anyone. But now, he suddenly wanted to confess to the man looking down at him.

‘I love you.’

His heart pounded louder than the sound of the rain soaking the world.

The Emperor tried to look at the smudged handwriting in his hand again.

Yeon-oh quickly reached out and snatched the ruined letter from the man’s hand.

“Your, Your Majesty…”

Seonjae looked at Yeon-oh, who had snatched the paper from his hand, with brief displeasure. Then, seeing the crumpled papers in Yeon-oh’s hands, he suddenly laughed.

Words like knees, etiquette, and hardship were visible here and there even on those papers.

“Weren’t you going to send them to me?”

Seonjae asked, smiling brightly. This was a smile he absolutely should not give in to.

“No, they weren’t.”

Yeon-oh hid the embarrassing letters behind his back. The man, who was taller and had much longer arms than Yeon-oh, reached out behind Yeon-oh’s back. When Yeon-oh hurriedly backed away to avoid him, the rain started falling on his face again.

Seonjae quickly extended his arm to shield Yeon-oh from the rain.

Yeon-oh, wet with rain once more, managed an awkward smile.

Seonjae quietly watched Yeon-oh’s smiling face, and he too awkwardly smiled back. The smile on Yeon-oh’s face became clearer. The man smiled even more deeply and tried to reach behind Yeon-oh’s back again, taking advantage of his momentary distraction.

Yeon-oh desperately guarded the letters hidden behind his back. Seonjae quickly wrapped his arm around Yeon-oh to stop him from bolting out from under the umbrella.

“I won’t take them, just don’t go outside.”

“You promised.”

Yeon-oh quickly folded the rain-soaked and ruined letters and tucked them into his bosom. The man’s gaze watching him was sharp, but it seemed he would not forcibly take them.

“What were you doing here?”

Seonjae looked around Unheegak, which was empty. The elegant pavilion was surrounded only by lush trees and forest. Only the modest stone path through the woods offered any charm.

“Just goofing off.”

Yeon-oh considered himself lucky that the Emperor had not seen the long complaints he had written. While he regretted that the letters he had intended to send were wet and crumpled, he was happier seeing the man’s face directly.

“The air is cold because of the rain. Let’s go back to your building.”

Yeon-oh, who was about to comply with the Emperor’s words, turned and headed toward Unheegak.

“I need to stop by briefly.”

Seonjae shielded Yeon-oh’s head with the umbrella, preventing him from rushing out from under it, and moved forward.

“What is there?”

“It’s just… something important.”

Yeon-oh just smiled, finding it difficult to answer, and then spoke vaguely before running into Unheegak. He soon returned, carrying the two boxes he had brought with him.

In the rainy scenery, the man holding the paper umbrella stood waiting for Yeon-oh.

Yeon-oh could not take his eyes off the man.

Yeon-oh glanced at the man, who was holding the umbrella over him, and smiled secretly. He felt that the misty Unheegak, the sound of rain hitting the leaves, and the face of Woo Seonjae holding the paper umbrella would remain in his memory for a long time.

He loved the short time they spent walking together under the umbrella.

******

On the day he was ordered to enter the palace, a fine rain fell from the break of dawn. At the appointed auspicious hour, the lavish bridal palanquin sent by the Emperor arrived in front of the Gyo General’s Household.

He had been waiting for a long time for the word to get into the palanquin.

“Young Master.”

The maidservant, Jeokju, standing next to Yeon-oh, craned her neck toward the window to observe the outside situation.

“It’s alright.”

Jeokju, whose appearance was frail, was not particularly close to Yeon-oh. Yeon-oh was acquainted with everyone in the Gyo General’s Household and was on good terms with them, but he had little contact with Jeokju, the young maidservant his eldest sister-in-law had brought when she married into the family.

The same was true for Geumgye, who was guarding the door of the building.

If Jeokju had a young and faint appearance, Geumgye had a haughty and proud air.

Geumgye had frequented the Gyo General’s Household since childhood. After becoming an adult, she had worked for wages at the household. Yeon-oh had seen Geumgye come and go for a long time and knew quite a bit about her.

Contrary to her haughty appearance, Geumgye was a surprising person with a coarse way of speaking and a fiery temper.

Jeokju looked worriedly at Yeon-oh, who was dressed in heavy wedding attire with a red cloth covering his face. The young girl’s small hand fanned the air near the red cloth.

“You must be tired, right? It should be time for them to call you from outside, why is there no news?”

“I am fine.”

Yeon-oh forced a smile, even though there was no one to see him behind the red cloth.

It had been a long time since the palanquin sent by the Emperor had arrived. It was strange that the call was being delayed.

“Shall I go outside and check?”

Jeokju spoke sweetly. The maidservant who would look after Yeon-oh from today onward was very personable.

“No.”

The Gyo General’s Household had arranged for two of their private maidservants to accompany Yeon-oh to the Imperial Palace.

The Imperial Family had not shown great favor, but they accepted the Gyo General’s Household’s request. The procedure for Jeokju and Geumgye to enter the Imperial Palace as court ladies was already complete.

“I will go out and check. We have waited long enough. If we delay further, the auspicious hour will pass. I will be back quickly.”

Geumgye, who had been quietly guarding the door, spoke calmly. Her voice was not the rough tone Yeon-oh knew, but it had a rough quality that was not quite the voice of an Imperial court lady.

Geumgye opened the door and headed outside without waiting for Yeon-oh’s reply. While the door closed with a quiet thud, the sound of Geumgye running beyond the closed door was very vigorous.

“…”

Yeon-oh awkwardly looked at the spot where Geumgye, who had left without him being able to stop her, had disappeared.

“Sister Geumgye is fast.”

Before Jeokju’s exclamation of admiration was over, the door opened again. Geumgye came in, quickly closed the door, and approached Yeon-oh’s side.

“Young Master.”

“Yes.”

“There is an uproar outside.”

The news Geumgye brought was unexpected.

“An uproar?”

Yeon-oh couldn’t fathom what kind of uproar would occur at a concubine’s wedding ceremony.

“Chief Eunuchs are in front of the Imperial palanquin.”

A look of unease appeared on the face of Geumgye, who was often told she was haughty, proud, and unaffectionate by strangers.

“Are the Chief Eunuchs guarding the Imperial palanquin?”

Geumgye’s expression darkened further at Yeon-oh’s question.

“It seems the Chief Eunuchs are saying there is a procedure that must be completed before the Young Master enters the palace. The head of the household is strongly refusing.”

“A procedure? What kind…”

“They say it is medicine that prevents a man from being able to see women and children.”

Geumgye reported what she had found out with difficulty.

“…”

Yeon-oh stopped moving for a moment.

It was said that the Imperial Family had everything, with all sorts of tribute goods coming in. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] It was plausible that the Imperial Family would possess medicine that prevented a man from being able to see women and children.

‘The wedding.’

Although the Emperor already had an Empress and several consorts, Yeon-oh believed his words that he wanted Yeon-oh to be his person were sincere.

For Yeon-oh, the wedding was an exciting and sincere event. He had not anticipated that the start of the marriage would be with the loss of something he possessed.

However, he could not nullify the marriage now. Though the belatedly known condition was unexpected, he had no choice but to accept it.

Yeon-oh, who had been preparing for the wedding since early morning and sitting still after putting on the red cloth, slowly rose to his feet.