Chapter 28

The Emperor was leaning against someone else’s bed as comfortably as if it were his own. The man looked at Yeon-oh, who was thoroughly wary of him, then let out a silent laugh. The soundless laughter tickled the heart of the person watching, but that face soon twisted into a frown.

“You aren’t treating me like some kind of scoundrel, are you?”

Yeon-oh could not understand the complaint the man was making. He felt as though he had forgotten something and wanted to remember, but attempting to recall the thought made his head ache and a high-pitched ringing rise.

“This concubine does not know why Your Majesty is here…”

Yeon-oh only felt awkward and uncomfortable. He wanted to hide the inner robe he was wearing, and even as a concubine, he and the man were not intimate, making it strange that the Emperor was occupying his bed in a state of undress.

The Emperor stared intently at Yeon-oh with a look of someone who had suffered an outrageous incident. Yeon-oh continued to guard the man. They were not on good terms, and he was merely embarrassed that he might see him in the revealing inner robe.

Suddenly, the Emperor moved.

The next moment, Yeon-oh’s world spun. The unexpected, violent movement caused his head to shake, and a long, intense ringing followed.

When Yeon-oh, tormented by the pain, managed to regain his senses:

Yeon-oh was pinned down on the bed by the man’s firm body. The man’s bare skin was vividly felt through the thin, translucent inner robe.

As Yeon-oh, who could barely distinguish what was in front of him, tried to push away the Emperor who was mounted on top of him, the man easily subdued his struggling body. The man caught his flailing hands and pressed them firmly down on the bed, and blocked his legs that tried to kick him away with his strong thigh.

“Your Majesty!”

Yeon-oh twisted his waist, trying to escape the man. The Emperor’s body, pressed down with determination, was as solid as a rock. The difference in physique was too great; Yeon-oh’s struggling was virtually meaningless.

In a short moment, Yeon-oh’s breath came in ragged gasps.

“…”

Woo Seonjae looked at the gasping Yeon-oh and slowly lessened the pressure. Yeon-oh’s defiant movements intensified again.

“Your Ma—”

Woo Seonjae, who seemed about to withdraw, immediately subdued and pinned Yeon-oh down again, speaking roughly.

“This is the first time I have been treated with such impropriety for waking up in a concubine’s hall. Seeing you struggle, you must be fully recovered. For the next night you attend Me, make sure you learn the concubine’s proper etiquette toward the Emperor.”

The man continued to press Yeon-oh until the strength to push him away was completely gone, and only when Yeon-oh’s body ceased to resist did he get up.

He tossed back the quilt and rose.

Yeon-oh quickly averted his eyes, avoiding meeting the Emperor’s naked body. Seeing that, the Emperor let out a displeased breath. The man, who walked in the sunlight in the nude, put on an inner robe by himself. He tied the knot roughly and returned to stand before Yeon-oh, who was cowering on the bed.

The man, wearing an outer robe carelessly layered over the sheer inner robe, was imposing despite his untidy appearance. The arrogant face, which seemed to view everyone beneath him, looked down at Yeon-oh, who had turned his head to the side.

“Consort Gyo-gwi.”

The Emperor’s face, bearing a fierce smile, addressed Yeon-oh.

At the unfamiliar address, Yeon-oh looked straight ahead. Although the Emperor’s attire was not neat, he was not in the state of undress he was in earlier. Seeing the perplexed Yeon-oh, the man let out a strained, twisted laugh.

“To be promoted from Jae-in to Gwi-bi in less than a month, that would be a remarkable record in the history of the Yul Imperial Harem. Since you were promoted two ranks at a time, to Cheob-yeo and Gwi-bi, anyone who does not know would think Consort Gyo-gwi receives all of My favor.”

“W-What are You talking about?”

“The Empress Dowager requested that the precious legitimate grandson of the Gyo Clan be promoted to Gwi-bi. Should I congratulate you on your promotion?”

The Emperor, who had been speaking with a displeased look, spun around after seeing Yeon-oh frown while trying to recall something.

Yeon-oh, seeing the departing Emperor, tried to raise his body to bow, but realizing he was clad in the translucent inner robe, he mumbled his respects while half-covering himself with the quilt.

“Your Majesty, please depart safely…”

“Ha.”

Seeing that, the Emperor audibly expressed his disbelief like a mischievous boy.

The Emperor cast one more glance at Yeon-oh, who was bowing to him, and turned his body. The man who turned around let out several exasperated sounds.

The palace eunuchs who encountered the Emperor, who had opened the door and stepped out himself, let out sounds of shock.

“Your—Your Majesty!”

Their voices were startled by the sight of the man stepping out in untidy attire.

“Everyone lower your gaze! Your Majesty, this servant will…”

“The palanquin is outside.”

The Emperor ignored the eunuchs frantically following him and strode out of Giryung Palace with large steps. He released several sounds of bewilderment as he walked.

He stopped making the sounds of displeasure only after he had left the Giryung Palace area. Wan Taegam skillfully draped a court robe over the Emperor’s shoulders as he stopped walking.

“He treated Me like a tang-pa (hot water bottle) before… And now, treating a person… like that… Is it because he was born the legitimate grandson of the Gyo General’s Household?”

The man roughly thrust his arms into the court robe the eunuch had draped over him and continued walking.

And soon, regardless of the Emperor’s intentions, the rumor that Consort Gyo-gwi, who had drunk Ja-an-hong, had received the Emperor’s favor spread quickly throughout the Harem.

******

Even after the Emperor left, Yeon-oh could not easily collect his wits. His dazed face consciously blinked his eyes. Yeon-oh, who tried to sit up on the bed, groaned, cradling his head with his hands.

“Ugh…”

A sharp reverberation was felt even with the smallest movement. A terrible ringing swallowed his head for a long time. It seemed he would have to be careful when moving for a while.

Court Lady Dong Yeong’s use of the title “Master” and her respectful manner of speech felt unfamiliar. Yeon-oh gently pressed his head with his hand, as if soothing the pain, and opened and closed his teary eyes before speaking.

“Come in.”

The hall door opened without a sound, and Court Lady Dong Yeong walked in. The Court Lady gracefully bowed to Yeon-oh, who was clad in the revealing inner robe on the bed.

“Court Lady Dong Yeong greets Consort Gyo-gwi. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] Consort Gyo-gwi, may you enjoy great fortune. Master, I offer my congratulations on your promotion to Consort Gwi-bi.”

Yeon-oh gently pressed his aching head with his hand and raised his eyes.

Dong Yeong, standing before him, looked like a palace servant flattering power.

However, when he had collapsed, the Court Lady had quickly summoned the Chief Steward of Namcheon. She offered her own silver coins to ask for a prescription for him.

He couldn’t accurately remember the words the Court Lady whispered to him when she was soothing him and forcing him to follow the prescription after he refused the medicine.

His memory was fragmentary from the fever.

But he knew that Court Lady Dong Yeong possessed far more intimate and detailed knowledge of the Imperial Palace and the Harem than expected. She was a person who had deep knowledge even of Ja-an-hong, which ordinary people would not know well, to the point of surprising the Chief Steward of Namcheon.

‘Why would a Court Lady know about Ja-an-hong?’

The question did not linger long.

“Court Lady Dong Yeong, thank you for caring for me. Thanks to you, I have been able to open my eyes again.”

“You give me too much credit.”

“Court Lady Dong Yeong, we have not known each other long, and I have done nothing for you.”

A strange light flashed in Dong Yeong’s eyes at Yeon-oh’s words.

“I merely worked diligently because I do not wish to go back to the separate palace.”

Court Lady Dong Yeong lightly dismissed her own competence with an insolent attitude. Yeon-oh did not pry further. He could find out more about Court Lady Dong Yeong gradually.

Instead, he softly uttered what he was curious about.

“I don’t know why Your Majesty was here…”

Court Lady Dong Yeong looked pityingly at the confused Yeon-oh.

“Master, do you know how many days have passed since you woke up?”

“How many days has it been?”

Yeon-oh asked back at the Court Lady’s question.

“You have been unable to rise for eight days since you drank the first Ja-an-hong. If you had not woken up today, it would have been the ninth day. His Majesty came to check on you immediately after he returned to the Imperial Palace from the Heavenly Palace. Is that not great grace?”

Yeon-oh smiled bitterly at Court Lady Dong Yeong’s words. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] In reality, the Emperor had mocked him and spoken only malicious words in his presence while he was sick. Since he had been laid up for eight days, it was highly likely that the Emperor came to confirm whether he was dead or alive.

“But why was he here until morning…”

Yeon-oh mumbled, furrowing his brow.

“I could not check because His Majesty was inside.”

Court Lady Dong Yeong removed the quilt Yeon-oh was clutching. Dong Yeong’s face hardened as she lifted the quilt and inspected the inner robe.

A profound fragrance emanated from the quilt Yeon-oh had been holding and from his body.

It began as a subtle tea fragrance. The faint scent soon became vibrant, like having various fresh flowers nearby. After the bright and noble floral scent, which could only be found in the Imperial Garden, a warm and cozy tone wafted forth.

The comment that a person who drank Ja-an-hong would emit a fragrance was something Yeon-oh had never heard before the Chief Steward of Namcheon mentioned it.

“Court Lady Dong Yeong?”

As Cho Seom-neung, the Chief Steward of Namcheon, had wished, Yeon-oh exuded a refined fragrance. A person emitting a fragrance—it was bizarre even when he heard it, but encountering it now was simply marvelous.

“Consort Gwi-bi is exuding the scent of flower tea and flowers.”

Court Lady Dong Yeong said with a startled face, as if she had seen a ghost.