Chapter 24

The Emperor fixed his gaze on the figure performing the ritualistic bow before him, but offered no acknowledgment.

The man spoke toward the outside.

“Everyone withdraw.”

The cautious footsteps attempting to approach the hall ceased, replaced by the sound of rapid retreat. Once the hasty steps faded, only a heavy silence remained.

The tall Emperor watched Yeon-oh for a long time. The body, bowed in respect, showed no trace of movement or trembling.

“…”

The man took one step closer to Yeon-oh.

“Was the pretense of a pure-hearted idler from a boring countryside village a lie?”

A twisted hint of laughter was embedded in the Emperor’s low, subdued voice. Hearing the deep, low voice, Yeon-oh’s eyes wavered ambiguously.

“I apologize deeply.”

Since it was not a question that required a true answer, Yeon-oh replied as he had been taught.

“I have brought the esteemed young master of the Gyo General’s Household into My concubine’s palace.”

Yeon-oh raised his lowered gaze at the cold voice descending upon his head. Although he knew it violated protocol, it was difficult to remain silent.

The deceitful person was not him; it was the Emperor. The one who was truly great was not Yeon-oh or the Gyo General’s Household, but the Imperial Family and the Emperor.

It seemed the Namcheon Grand Merchant had properly followed Yeon-oh’s request. Seeing the Emperor, who was usually so difficult to catch a glimpse of, rush straight over to show his displeasure, it was clear the Dam family had pressed Dam So-ui considerably regarding Namcheon’s demands.

“I apologize deeply, but I am hesitant to hear such reckless words.”

Yeon-oh’s bowing posture was flawless. The words and tone used to report were also correctly following protocol. However, the insolence contained in the gaze that looked up at the Emperor was difficult to ignore.

Woo Seonjae smiled with an arrogant face. To him, who was always ranked first in arrogance and had suffered many difficulties because of it, the opponent’s attitude, which reminded him of arrogance, was amusing.

“This is not the Gyo General’s Household; it is the concubine’s palace.”

“I am well aware.”

“It must be difficult to relinquish power. Consort Cheob-yeo, do you not know that you are a Cheob-yeo and Dam So-ui is a So-ui? Having been born the legitimate son of the Gyo General’s Household, Consort Cheob-yeo must not have properly learned the hierarchy of the concubine’s palace.”

The Emperor had personally arrived to admonish him for using the power of the Gyo General’s Household to pressure the Dam family and Dam So-ui.

What immense affection this was.

He had not even seen the Emperor’s face on the first night of their wedding, but he arrived immediately because of a minor issue concerning the family of his cherished favorite.

Was it possible that there had been some misunderstanding? Yeon-oh’s hope, which he had not entirely let go of, was now miserably shattered.

“I apologize deeply, but this concubine has never violated the rank hierarchy with Dam So-ui.”

“Gyo Yeon-oh.”

“Do you have a command?”

The Emperor’s eyebrow slightly arched as he looked down at Yeon-oh, who was following the protocol with refined movements.

“Threatening Dam So-ui by intimidating the Namcheon Grand Merchant and causing difficulty for the Seokwol Dam family—is that not threatening her?”

“This concubine received the Baekhong on the morning of her entrance to the palace. While this concubine has no complaints toward the Imperial Family or Your Majesty, there were small side effects from the Baekhong, so a punishment was sent to the Namcheon Grand Merchant. It is regrettable that the Dam family and Dam So-ui have encountered difficulties.”

The Emperor let out a stunned laugh, looking at Yeon-oh pretending ignorance of his own actions. Instead of a circular response, he delivered a direct command.

“Withdraw the punishment placed upon Namcheon.”

“That cannot be done. Is this concubine not the legitimate son of the great Gyo General’s Household? Until the displeasure this concubine holds is appeased, the punishment placed upon Namcheon cannot be withdrawn.”

“I have indeed brought a truly formidable person into My concubine’s palace. Are you refusing an Imperial command?”

The Emperor erased the smile from his face and adopted a chilling expression. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] At that cold face, Yeon-oh’s heart instantly became heavy.

“A concubine who refuses an Imperial command would be punished. However, this concubine will not withdraw her decision. If this concubine were to simply disappear, Namcheon would continue to follow the punishment she issued, and the Seokwol Dam family and Dam So-ui would continue to be quite inconvenienced.”

There was now no trace of emotion visible on the Emperor’s face.

“Are you not worried about the Gyo General’s Household?”

The man’s expression suggested he could wipe out the Gyo General’s Household at any moment. As the Emperor, the man could indeed do so.

“Your Majesty, please do not forget. The Gyo General’s Household is a Family of Meritorious Subjects. Although I know the path Your Majesty has walked, you cannot destroy the Gyo General’s Household, which holds the Plaque of Immunity from Death granted by the Founding Ancestor.”

“Do you think I would care about such things?”

“How could a humble person like this concubine know Your Majesty’s deep intentions? However, the descendants of the Gyo General’s Household hold various positions in the court, and if You were to remove them all, I feel Your Majesty, who diligently manages the state affairs, would be burdened. Does Your Majesty command this concubine to commit suicide? The palace protocol is difficult, and my knees feel as if they will shatter, so please give your command quickly.”

There was no expression on Yeon-oh’s face. Seeing the face that impassively asked if he was commanding suicide, Seonjae, who had been discussing the gravity of the Imperial authority with a chilling expression, sharply furrowed his brow.

The man looked at the face requesting him to command suicide quickly because his knees felt shattered, then reached out his arm and lifted Yeon-oh, who was still paying respects.

“I have truly brought an extraordinary person into My concubine’s palace. What wrong has Dam So-ui done to you? The world is not fair. Just as you were born the young master of the Gyo General’s Household and enjoy greater wealth and honor than others, is it not the same logic that Dam So-ui receives My affection and is treated more highly than you in the Imperial Palace?”

Yeon-oh thought his heart had been severely broken after seeing the Emperor’s rejection on the first night of their wedding and the collapse of everything he had believed in.

However, seeing the man who had asked him to be his person now calmly state that Dam So-ui received better treatment due to his affection, his heart felt truly crushed.

Yeon-oh tightly sealed her lips, feeling the heat rising to his eyes at the unremarkable words.

“I know… the world is not fair. Just as the people of the Gyo Clan cherish and worry about me even if it means bearing a loss, while the Dam family presses Dam So-ui because it doesn’t align with their family’s interests.”

Yeon-oh gave a twisted smile. He was ashamed of himself for uttering such pathetic words.

“Are you trying to lecture Me?”

“I am merely returning Your Majesty’s words as they were given.”

“I have indeed brought a truly extraordinary person into My concubine’s palace.”

The man repeated the same words he had spoken several times, letting out a cold laugh. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] Seeing that face, the heat surged into Yeon-oh’s eyes, and he felt indignant and sorrowful.

“Why, why did You bring me into the concubine’s palace…?”

Yeon-oh, with red-rimmed eyes, looked up at the Emperor. The man, seeing the face that had consistently been arrogant and disrespectful now slightly trembling, cast a silent gaze.

The cold face only looked at Yeon-oh. Receiving the arrogance and chill in his eyes, Yeon-oh’s eyebrows twitched and then wrinkled into a frown.

“Was it to bring a man, Dam So-ui, into the concubine’s palace? To throw the Gyo Clan concubine desired by the Empress Dowager into the Harem, so You could get permission for Dam So-ui’s entry…?”

Receiving the Emperor’s silent gaze, Yeon-oh asked himself the question and found the answer himself. Tears instantly welled up in the eyes that were already burning with red heat.

Woo Seonjae’s eyebrow slightly twitched, as if commending Yeon-oh for figuring out the correct answer.

“Why, why was it me of all people? Your Majesty must have known the Empress Dowager wanted a member of the Gyo Clan to bear an heir…”

Yeon-oh suspected that the Emperor’s neglect might have been predetermined from the moment he appeared on the Gyo Household’s agreement. But a part of him hoped desperately that it was not so.

That his interest had simply cooled as quickly as he had reached out to him previously.

He had thought his affection for Dam So-ui would be the same. But it was not. He had been thoroughly used by the man—for the sake of the lover the Emperor truly cherished.

Now, even if his interest in him had vanished meaninglessly, he had thought they might at least live as acquaintances who maintained minimal courtesy.

It was all meaningless hope.

The Emperor approached Yeon-oh. As the tall man came closer, a shadow fell across the face stained by shock. Yeon-oh, who had strictly adhered to protocol the entire time, forgot even the basic courtesies he had learned.

“Yeon-oh-yah.”

A bright smile appeared on the man’s imposing face. That smile, which the man had worn when Yeon-oh thought they had become intimate, possessed the power to captivate a person’s attention.

“…”

Yeon-oh accepted that he had truly been deceived by the tender, low voice calling his name. A pitiful feeling welled up inside at the familiar address, which the man had fabricated with falsehood.

“It would have been better if you were foolish and simple-minded. Wouldn’t it have been easier for everyone if you had grasped your situation, become frustrated, humbled your existence, and simply sat quietly in the back chambers?”

Yeon-oh’s shoulders heaved greatly at the gentle whisper the man uttered.

The smooth words, masked as tenderness, felt warm like a spring breeze. He felt sorrowful and pathetic for his own feelings, which felt longing and disappointment at the pretense of intimacy in the whisper.

He was ashamed of himself for flinching as if burned by the single slice of a smile and the feigned tenderness the Emperor displayed. Despite being so neglected and ostracized, he still held affection for the man.

Even though he knew it was a lie, his vulnerable heart swayed like a leaf caught in a wave at the warm address.

Tears overflowed from Yeon-oh’s eyes. There was no time to hide or stop them. The tears instantly filled his vision and streamed down his cheeks.

The face suppressing the sound of weeping trembled anxiously.

“If you had run away when the Empress Dowager issued the Baekhong, we would have remained people who shared good memories once. It is a pity that you are not foolish, yet you are stubborn.”

The Emperor spoke while looking into Yeon-oh’s tearful face. He looked at the silently crying face as if it were a pitiful thing, but Yeon-oh already knew the emotion the man displayed was false.

“What state of mind was I in when I drank the Baekhong…”

Yeon-oh, shedding ceaseless tears, poured out the emotions he had been suppressing, forgetting all protocol. The tears continuously streamed down his cheeks and dropped from his chin.

The Emperor’s face, which had been looking as though at a poor and pathetic creature, instantly became expressionless.

“How would I know that feeling?”

The man, whose original features were cold, looked arrogant and merciless when silent. At the words delivered by the face devoid of emotion, Yeon-oh’s heart shattered into pieces.

The choked sob that Yeon-oh was struggling to hold back escaped from his throat. He did not want to cry, but there was no way to hide the surging tears. He wanted to hold back the sound escaping his throat, but the best he could do was remain standing.

He hated his own whimpering, which sounded like a heartbroken child.

The Emperor watched Yeon-oh, who was attempting to cover his mouth with his hand, forgetting protocol, and reached out to gently wipe the tear-stained cheek. Yeon-oh’s heart thumped at the sensation of the large hand, which was warmer than average, touching his cheek.

He could not understand why his heart was stirred despite being so coldly treated and used. He felt stupid and frustrated, wondering what to do with this hopeless fool of a self.

The man looked with interest at the ceaseless weeping and wiped the tear-soaked cheek.

SMACK!

Yeon-oh gritted his teeth and struck away the hand touching his cheek. In the unexpected, violent movement, the Emperor’s struck hand brushed against his own cheek. The noble ornament on the man’s hand scraped his handsome face as it passed.

Yeon-oh gave a twisted smile, seeing the scratch on the Emperor’s face.

“How little do you think of me? I will make you regret bringing me into the concubine’s palace. I will certainly present the Baekhong to your beloved Dam So-ui.”

Inflicting an injury on the Emperor’s face was an act punishable by banishment. However, the man only slightly frowned at the scratch on his cheek, paying it little mind.

He looked at Yeon-oh, who was struggling to smile fiercely while unable to stop the torrent of tears, and laughed with a look of amusement.

“You will have to try very hard to make Me regret it in the Imperial Palace. I suppose I have lost this round. It would be good if Consort Cheob-yeo would correctly observe the etiquette and protocol when dealing with Me once she becomes a Consort Bi.”

Yeon-oh had achieved his goal, but he felt no joy at all. The tears continued without cease.

The man, who seemed about to turn away, spoke to Yeon-oh.

“Yeon-oh-yah, if you are going to act with false malice, stop that crying. And learn how to judge people. You have no ability to judge people.”

The Emperor, who whispered the advice like a generous superior, exited the hall. As he stepped outside and called for his attendants, the rushing eunuch let out a startled sound.

“Your Majesty, your face…!”

Yeon-oh had, at some point, collapsed to the ground without realizing it.