Chapter 70

As Yeon-oh’s hand moved closer, Seonjae snatched and gripped it. Although Yeon-oh’s hand was not small, the man’s hand was so large that Yeon-oh’s hand felt as tiny as a child’s.

“Why is a performance impossible when your hand is not injured?”

Seonjae whispered like a child full of complaints.

“It is midday. It is time for you to attend to state affairs. If this concubine holds Your Majesty by performing the Geum in broad daylight, would there not be talk that the wicked hand that seduced the Son of Heaven’s ear must be cut off?”

Yeon-oh did not know exactly what was being said about his performance in the court. But he knew that unpleasant words and rumors were openly circulating about his act of performing the Geum for the Emperor in exchange for gold.

“The head of that fellow will be cut off by Me first.”

Seonjae gripped Yeon-oh’s hand fiercely, preventing it from slipping out of his grasp. Though he held the hand tightly, preventing its escape, the man’s demeanor did not pose any threat to his hand, making Yeon-oh think that he genuinely loved the Geum performance.

“Please do not speak frightening words. Your Majesty is a wise ruler…”

“I told you not to flatter Me with words, that flattery.”

“It is still midday.”

The Emperor chuckled at the conversation that was going in circles. A situation already experienced in the audience chamber was repeating itself. His laughter was fierce yet hollow, so Yeon-oh did not repeat what he had said.

Seonjae, silent for a moment, slowly released Yeon-oh’s hand.

“All of you, stand down.”

He said, looking at those who were guarding him. The man, having dismissed those around him, headed toward the study.

“…”

Yeon-oh looked at the Emperor’s back as he headed toward his study as if he were the owner, then glanced sideways to prompt Grand Eunuch Wan. The eunuch shook his head at Yeon-oh, who was requesting an explanation of the situation with his eyes.

“Panwonsa. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] Pan! Won! Sa!!”

Grand Eunuch Wan only mouthed the word, repeating it. Yeon-oh could vaguely understand the gesture.

“What are you doing, Consort Gwi-bi?”

A dispassionate and cold voice sought Yeon-oh.

“I am going…”

Yeon-oh sighed deeply and headed toward the Yeongsangjae. As expected, the Emperor was brazenly occupying the study desk.

“Come here.”

“…”

“I believe I will become angry if I have to tell you to come closer one more time.”

Yeon-oh had no way of knowing why the Emperor was upset. It was difficult to grasp the situation where the angry man neither came to him to pick a fight nor took out his anger, but merely showed his displeasure little by little. He was clearly angry, yet it was vague to say he was angry at him. The man’s actions resembled a child sulking because he needed attention.

“Your Majesty, was something displeasing?”

Yeon-oh showed concern one more time, as if soothing a being seeking affection. The Emperor, sitting in the large bolster seat the imperial eunuchs had brought, rested his arm on the desk and extended his hand.

Yeon-oh, looking nervously at the large hand showing him its palm, this time put his hand over it more quickly. Seonjae gripped the hand placed over his firmly, pulled it back sharply, avoiding the desk.

“Yes, I am displeased.”

The man’s dark eyebrows were angled discontentedly. The large hand tightly gripped Yeon-oh’s hand that was inside his. He held the hand securely so it could not easily be pulled out, but no particular pressure was applied to Yeon-oh’s hand.

Yeon-oh once again got the impression that the Emperor was very fond of his hand.

“Did the Panwonsa displease Your Majesty?”

Seonjae paused upon hearing Yeon-oh’s careful words. He seemed to know who had informed him of the events surrounding the Emperor. He briefly glared outside the door and then erased the frown. Then he smiled faintly.

He could not blame the person in front of him for that.

Seonjae sighed deeply and hugged Yeon-oh around the waist in front of him. Yeon-oh, surprised by the long arms wrapping around his waist, stiffened.

“Your Majesty?”

The man embraced the waist that flinched and sprang up in surprise, inclining his face to bury it into the hesitant embrace. The startled Gyo Yeon-oh smelled of tree shade in a forest on a rainy day. Whenever he cried, was startled, or felt sorrowful, the scent of a dense forest on a rainy day would rise up.

“You should have asked who made Me displeased. If you figure it out right away, the people next to Me, or the person who told you something they shouldn’t have, will be in trouble.”

“I apologize… Please, pretend not to know the person who told this concubine. Is it not because that person was worried about Your Majesty?”

Seonjae grumbled, burying his face deeper into the embrace that evoked the scent of greenery.

“It must be nice for My uncle and the nephew to speak their minds to Me. They are so noble and excellent.”

Yeon-oh was extremely troubled. He could not dare to push away the Emperor’s face leaning into his embrace. The other party was the Emperor. Though they had exchanged sharp words, he was the man’s concubine, so they were also strictly married.

Yeon-oh, who had flinched at the Emperor’s sudden action, fell into another dilemma. A concubine should not comment on court affairs. However, he could not simply pretend not to know. After a brief hesitation, Yeon-oh opened his lips.

“Did the Panwonsa not follow Your Majesty’s command?”

The face buried in the scent of greenery softly responded.

“Yes. He said ‘impossible’ to every single one of My commands. I wondered why I was angry, and it was because he refused the imperial order.”

At the arrogant and childish remark, Yeon-oh simply called the Emperor’s name.

“Your Majesty.”

There was nothing else he could say.

“Are the Gyo Marquisate family not afraid of the Emperor?”

The shoulder muscles of the man embracing Yeon-oh twitched and trembled. It seemed the Emperor’s anger was being conveyed through the twitching back muscles.

“Did the Panwonsa really do that?”

“Do you not believe My word, Consort Gwi-bi?”

“My third uncle has a faint-hearted personality.”

At Yeon-oh’s words, Seonjae abruptly lifted his head. The man’s face looked genuinely exasperated.

“Faint-hearted? Do you know who is best at saying ‘impossible’ to My word in the court? If the Panwonsa is faint-hearted, have all the world’s faint-hearted people frozen to death?”

Yeon-oh, troubled by the words the Emperor uttered in genuine anger, briefly burst into laughter.

“It is true that when my eldest brother was the Jungchu-won Seungseon (Royal Secretariat), he shouted the most at my third uncle, who was in the Ministry of Personnel (Ibu).”

“The Gyo Marquisate family’s head?”

“Yes, my eldest brother used to rage that my third uncle never agreed to anything on the first try.”

The Emperor nodded his head vigorously in agreement.

“At that time, my eldest brother and my third uncle often fought, pointing fingers at each other. My uncle reportedly shouted loudly at my eldest brother, asking if being a Seungseon belonging to the Privy Council meant everything, if he forgot that while the Seungseon was the eldest grandson of the Gyo Marquisate family, he was his uncle and my brother was his nephew, and how dared a nephew raise his voice to his uncle.”

Yeon-oh was burdened by the man’s arms wrapped around his waist and the handsome face leaning into his embrace. He felt choked every time he breathed. However, feeling it would be harder to just be held, he whispered a story the Emperor might like. He could speak more easily because the words were about his close relatives.

“My eldest brother reportedly fought incredibly childishly, saying, ‘If the Privy Council gives an order, the Ministry of Personnel should follow it. How can you not agree even once? Are you ignoring the Privy Council? Did I not politely ask you out of family affection? Can’t an uncle do one thing for his cute nephew? Why do you emphasize being my uncle when you won’t do anything for your loving nephew?'”

It was an amusing situation, considering the third uncle was currently the Panwonsa of the Privy Council.

“I heard that the Gyo Marquisate family often fought among themselves in the court while handling state affairs. Is it not because they are all stubborn?”

“That might be so.”

The Emperor seemed a little mollified. Yeon-oh readily agreed, trying not to disrupt the atmosphere.

“So, the Gyo Marquisate family head and the Panwonsa became sworn enemies?”

“No.”

“I see. Well, they are still family.”

The man’s face, mentioning family, was chillingly subdued.

“That is not why.”

“Then why?”

“My eldest brother, who had to achieve results somehow, co-opted my third uncle.”

The Emperor lifted his face, which had been resting in Yeon-oh’s embrace.

“He is not a person to be co-opted.”

The distinguished face wrinkled into a heavy frown. The man’s expression showed complete disgust. His anger seemed immense due to the repeated refusals.

“They made a deal, he said.”

“A deal?”

“Your Majesty can also compromise, can’t he? My third uncle is also a person who responds to compromise. Surely, you did compromise, didn’t you?”

Seonjae showed an expression of displeasure.

“What compromise.”

The contours of the face wearing an arrogant and sulky expression were handsome, but also dogmatic and childish. Yeon-oh, looking at that face, was puzzled.

“Did you never propose a deal? [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] You were not just having a power struggle where Your Majesty said ‘Do it’ and my uncle only responded with ‘Impossible,’ were you?”

“The Emperor has his dignity.”

The man showed strange stubbornness.

“Isn’t the reason for saying ‘Impossible’ because there are practical difficulties?”

“Are you taking your uncle’s side?”

“Isn’t it true that the strong person, who has the leeway, is the one who bends and compromises? If he says ‘impossible’ to everything, then at that point, ask him what he wants to do. It is disloyal not to want to do anything, so then you can get angry and dismiss him, can’t you?”

At Yeon-oh’s words, Seonjae pretended not to hear, turning his attention away like a disobedient child. His thoroughly sulking face was stubborn. Yeon-oh could not ask who was the most stubborn one.

“You are no longer afraid of Me.”

The man, who had been turning his head sideways, looked up at Yeon-oh and spoke complainingly.

“How could that be… Y-Your Majesty.”

The arms wrapped around Yeon-oh’s waist tightened. Pulled by the force, Yeon-oh ended up sitting on the Emperor’s lap. The man’s face instantly closed the distance to a handspan. Seonjae’s lips buried into his startled neck.

“Lower your voice, Consort Gwi-bi. Is it not midday? People outside can hear.”

“Your Majesty…!”