Chapter 17

The distance from the Empress Dowager’s building to Giryung Palace was far.

The distance that had felt short while exchanging words with Dong Yeong on the way there now felt extremely long and strangely suffocating because he was accompanied by an unfamiliar Chief Eunuch.

When they arrived in front of Giryung Palace after the long walk.

Yeon-oh intended to express his gratitude to the Chief Eunuch and offer a reward. He was just thinking of asking Dong Yeong to take care of it and reimburse him for the silver she used.

However, the Empress Dowager’s Chief Eunuch did not stop and entered Giryung Palace.

“…”

Yeon-oh, his eyes filled with doubt, walked in after the Chief Eunuch.

“Consort Gyo.”

“Eunuch Gong?”

“The laws of the Imperial Palace are strict. Since Consort Gyo is still a Consort (Jae-in), you cannot keep maidservants from your private household. It is also necessary for the close attendant maidservants brought from your private household to learn more of the Imperial Palace etiquette.”

The Chief Eunuch’s words were smooth.

“…”

Yeon-oh found it difficult to fully grasp what he was saying. He only felt bewildered and had a sense that something was wrong.

“Bring them out.”

“Yes!”

The Chief Eunuch, who had spoken gently to Yeon-oh, now issued a command to the young eunuchs who had somehow entered the building. His face when issuing the command was solemn and cold as an iron wall.

The young eunuchs moved swiftly and brought Geumgye and Jeokju, who were working in the back of the building, out to the courtyard.

“Let go of me!”

“Gasp! Who are you! Why are you doing this…!”

Geumgye and Jeokju protested fiercely at the sudden outrage. Pulled into the courtyard by the hands of the eunuchs, they struggled until they spotted Yeon-oh.

“Young Master!”

“Consort Gyo!”

The movements of the eunuchs pulling the two showed no hesitation.

“Children… Eunuch Gong, why are those children…”

Yeon-oh belatedly understood the eunuch’s earlier words. He only now grasped what it meant that since he was still a Consort (Jae-in), he could not keep maidservants from his private household.

“Consort Gyo.”

“You cannot…!”

Dong Yeong firmly held onto Yeon-oh, who tried to spring forward to confront the Chief Eunuch.

“Young Master!”

“Young Master!”

Geumgye and Jeokju, dragged out through the building gate by the eunuchs, cried out loudly. Yeon-oh wrenched himself free from Dong Yeong, who was trying to hold him back.

“Consort Gyo!”

He ran frantically toward Geumgye and Jeokju, who were being pulled out of the building.

“Geumgye! Jeokju!”

“Young Master!”

“Young Master!”

They reached out their hands toward each other, but the movement of the eunuchs taking them away was fast. The number of eunuchs blocking Yeon-oh instantly increased.

Yeon-oh, halted by the human barrier, was pushed back toward the building. He collided with the blocking bodies and fell to the floor while trying to break through the line of eunuchs.

“Eunuch Gong, where are you taking those children!”

Yeon-oh shouted from the floor. At his loud voice, the Chief Eunuch slightly furrowed his brow.

“Consort Gyo, the laws of the Imperial Palace are severe. Always consider the dignity of a concubine. Since the two have grown up in a private household, their Imperial Palace etiquette is still lacking, so this humble servant will ensure they receive proper instruction in a good place.”

“Instruction…?”

Yeon-oh wanted to argue that he was constantly hurried through the lessons and had already learned the Imperial Palace etiquette and rules. And hadn’t the Imperial Palace already permitted the close attendant maidservants from his private household? There were many things to argue and question.

“Consort Gyo, congratulations on becoming a concubine.”

The Chief Eunuch offered a refined farewell to Yeon-oh, who was sprawled on the floor, and departed.

******

‘What, exactly, went wrong?’

Only one question arose in his mind. The answer to it was already settled.

‘Everything went wrong.’

After the eunuchs had swept through, Yeon-oh returned to the chamber and wept, leaning against the bed. He knew he had to collect himself and think, but his sorrow and bewilderment were too great.

No one stopped him from crying. There wasn’t even an insincere word of comfort. Everyone who would have shared warm words with him had been taken away.

Yeon-oh, who had spent the first night waiting for the Emperor with his eyes open, spent the next night crying and wide awake.

Dawn broke and Court Lady Dong came to wake him, but he couldn’t open his eyes. Court Lady Dong, who tried to force him up, clicked her tongue when she confirmed Yeon-oh’s condition—his head was burning hot.

Yeon-oh could have opened his eyes with some effort, but he wished he could just fall asleep forever like this.

After reporting to the Empress Dowager’s palace that he was unable to pay his morning respects, there was no more scolding from the Court Lady or sounds of servants waking him. It was quiet, both inside and out. However, the luxury of a doctor visiting or a brazier being brought in to warm the room in midwinter did not occur.

Time passed as he was left alone in the cold room.

The first person to visit Yeon-oh, who was completely isolated in the Imperial Palace, was the Empress Dowager. Through his fever-blurred vision, the majestic skirt and delicate face of the Empress Dowager shimmered.

“How pitiful. So frail, what will become of you? You collapsed so readily—it’s not as if your hands and feet were severed. It seems the Gyo Clan has become quite soft. Well, it doesn’t matter. The Gyo Marquisate family has many descendants. I hope the next Gyo to come will be one with abundant blessings of offspring.”

The Empress Dowager left the building, scattering the sweet scent of a sachet. Yeon-oh’s flickering eyes strained to open, then closed deeply.

*******

When Yeon-oh opened his eyes again, he was greeted by the crackling sound of a warm brazier.

Crack.

A gentle, warm air floated around the room along with the pleasant sound.

“Cough…”

At the sound of him coughing while trying to sit up, he heard the door opening from outside. This was strange. Several times now, he had woken up to find no one guarding his side.

“You are awake?”

A welcoming voice, along with the brazier and the warmth.

“Cough! Cough! How many days… have I been lying down?”

The one who entered the room was a young palace servant.

“You were completely ill for three days. I am glad you are awake. The Imperial Physician was very worried because Consort Cheob-yeo did not wake.”

The young palace servant wiped Yeon-oh’s forehead with a white cloth as he coughed.

“Consort Cheob-yeo…?”

Yeon-oh was the lowest-ranking concubine, a Consort. A Consort was barely a rank at all, closer to a candidate to become the Emperor’s concubine, the lowest of the low.

“Ah, you were promoted to Consort Cheob-yeo last night. Congratulations.”

The young palace servant spoke happily upon seeing the bewildered Yeon-oh. It seemed the Gyo General’s Household had been moving quickly behind the scenes while he was out of his mind.

Yeon-oh still had no will to do anything. He wanted to remain in a daze for a few more days, but this was no time for leisure. Too much time had already passed.

He pressed his hand firmly against his forehead, where a dull ache spread from the aftereffects of the fever.

“I was collapsed for three days?”

“Yes, I was worried.”

Yeon-oh recognized the young palace servant who spoke to him kindly. She was the only servant who had anxiously tried to stop Court Lady Dong when she spoke vulgarly—the only one who worried about him.

The young servant looked worriedly at Yeon-oh, who pressed his forehead with his hand and opened and closed his eyes.

“Are you alright? [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] Should I call the Imperial Physician?”

“No. A physician for the likes of me, please. What was your name? I collapsed before I could properly greet the palace servants in the building.”

“This servant is called Cheong-ryu.”

Cheong-ryu looked younger than Jeokju, who would soon be seventeen.

“Cheong-ryu.”

“Yes.”

“How long has Cheong-ryu been in the Imperial Palace?”

“It will be three years.”

There was a limit to what he could gain from a young palace servant who had been in the Imperial Palace for barely three years. Three years wasn’t short, but she would be difficult to utilize widely for information or connections.

“Did you enter when you were very young?”

“I entered when I was twelve, so it was not that young.”

Twelve was an age when children were still close to their parents. It seemed there were children working in the palace who had entered much younger than twelve.

“The longest serving person in Giryung Palace would be the Court Lady, right?”

Cheong-ryu nodded at Yeon-oh’s question.

“Yes, Court Lady Dong said she has been in the Imperial Palace for well over twenty years.”

Cheong-ryu kindly informed him, happy to have information.

“I must have been lying down too much, my head aches. Bring me a light cup of tea. And on your way out, call Court Lady Dong for me.”

At Yeon-oh’s request, Cheong-ryu bowed and withdrew. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] Shortly after, an urgent voice was heard outside the door.

“Court Lady Dong, arriving.”

“Come in.”