Chapter 89

A visitor arrived at the Empress’s Palace before dawn. The Empress, with a teacup before her, coughed.

“Cough, cough… Consort Gwi-bi spent the night in His Majesty’s private chamber. Could His Majesty have finally met the love of his life? Consort Gwi-bi is in a difficult position now.”

“Even if Consort Gwi-bi is briefly favored, could she possibly compare to Dam So-ui?”

The Empress, suppressing her cough, laughed at the guest’s words.

“Consort Hyeok, remember this. Dam So-ui began as a Companion (So-ui), and she will end as a Companion. That is the promise between His Majesty and this palace. My mother may be disappointed, but this person has no affection for her maternal family. I cannot give the Dam clan, who acted so arrogantly when I was in trouble, a higher honor than that of a Companion.”

“Empress.”

“For consorts, His Majesty’s favor is most important, but favor is fleeting. It cannot last a lifetime. However, if she has a title, she can always see His Majesty, and if she has both talent and beauty, she can seize an opportunity. Like Consort Gwi-bi now.”

Consort Hyeok approached the Empress with a pitiful expression, seeing her cough for a long time as she tried to continue her speech.

“Please stop speaking. You must take care of Your Majesty’s health.”

“Thank you. Ah, I have prepared what I spoke of. The Head Court Lady will take care of it for you. Thank you also for bringing the news today. A person as frail as I am is hard of hearing, so where would I hear such news if not from Consort Hyeok?”

“I am undeserving of such words. I hope your sister has not caused the Empress any worry? I only came to inform you because I thought you should know.”

Consort Hyeok spoke with utmost caution. The Empress reached out her hand and patted the anxious shoulder, showing intimacy.

“You worry for nothing, even though I have thanked you. Now, I must prepare to pay respects to the Empress Dowager.”

“I shall withdraw.”

Even after Consort Hyeok withdrew, the sound of the Empress’s persistent, hacking cough continued for a long time in her palace.

******

As in any consort’s chamber, the Donhu Palace was busy from early dawn. Dam So-ui, who was preparing to pay respects to the Empress Dowager, suddenly hardened his expression.

“What did you just say?”

“His Majesty is said to have kept Consort Gwi-bi in his private chamber last night.”

The young court lady whispered with a sulky face, as if she had suffered a slight from her lover.

“In His Majesty’s private chamber?”

Dam So-ui’s expression was noticeably rigid.

“Yes, Your Ladyship.”

The court lady, busy delivering the news, did not notice this. Other court ladies, busy with their own tasks, were drawn by the gestures of the messenger and added a word or two.

“They say His Majesty called Consort Gwi-bi to the study early yesterday to attend him.”

“Because of that, there is a lot of talk even in the court.”

“People who don’t know better must think Consort Gwi-bi’s looks are very handsome.”

The court ladies of the Donhu Palace were forced to choose their words carefully when they had to praise Consort Gwi-bi.

“Consort Gwi-bi is a beauty. Coming from the Gyo House, she must be very talented. They say she plays the Geomungo very well, too. It is rare for a consort to attend His Majesty in the study, but it is not something that cannot happen.”

Dam So-ui greatly praised Consort Gwi-bi on behalf of his court ladies. Seeing this, the court ladies each sent pitiful and warm glances toward their kind master.

“In my eyes, Dam So-ui is much more beautiful.”

“Of course.”

“Even if you don’t play the Geomungo or anything like that, His Majesty comes to see Dam So-ui much more often.”

Dam So-ui smiled graciously at the comforting words of the court ladies and waved his hand. He seemed to want some time alone after finishing his grooming.

The court ladies quickly withdrew, and Dam So-ui was alone in an instant.

“Did I say something I shouldn’t have? It wasn’t a disgrace…”

Dam Seo-jun, left alone, muttered to himself. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] The gentle face reflected in the mirror had settled into a chill.

******

Everyone in the Presence hall saw Yeon-oh emerging from the Emperor’s private chamber. The court ladies there showed no sign of surprise or confusion. However, Yeon-oh felt an unprecedented level of meticulousness and friendliness from the eunuchs and court ladies escorting him.

Since he woke up just in time to pay respects to the Empress Dowager, Yeon-oh was completely flustered. Following the urging of Head Court Lady Dong, he quickly left the Cheonghan Hall, which was the outer palace area, and hastened toward the Empress Dowager’s Palace. The Empress Dowager and the court ladies in her palace treated him as they did every other day.

The consorts, too, were surprisingly indifferent.

In fact, he arrived at the Empress Dowager’s Palace so narrowly that he had no leisure to check anyone else’s reaction. He was so rushed that his memory was hazy about how the greeting began and ended.

Returning to the Giryung Palace, Yeon-oh dismissed his attendants and sought sleep. Whether it was due to exhaustion or the release of tension, sleep rushed over him as soon as he closed his eyes. He filled the day with sleep.

The fatigue was far greater than the consorts’ duties, social interactions, and the daily routine of the palace. The complicated thoughts that had bothered his mind were pushed away and disappeared by the exhaustion.

Yeon-oh woke up late in the evening, confirmed that there were no particular duties, and sought sleep again.

He knew this was not the time for this.

The Imperial Palace, especially the consort palace, was not a place where one could afford to sleep late and relax. One had to keenly grasp the complex situation circulating beneath the surface and firmly reassure one’s own people.

He had to quickly find out what kind of rumors were circulating about him emerging from the Emperor’s chamber. Surely, the consort palace and the court would be noisy about his actions this morning.

In the court, the vicious Consort Gwi-bi would probably be harshly denounced, and the consorts would be exchanging words depending on their social relations. While knowing would not immediately allow him to do anything, knowing would allow him to prepare.

Knowing all this, Yeon-oh still spent a leisurely day. He had no energy left to do anything. Sinking into sleep from exhaustion, he thought peacefully that sometimes he just had to be like this to reduce his worries.

He decided to take just one day of rest, no more and no less.

******

The dawn was chillingly blue. Having slept all day yesterday, Yeon-oh woke up early, merely wiped his face with his hand, and headed outside. Since he had given instructions the night before, there was no one near his inner quarters.

Tok, to-dok.

As he left his pavilion and entered the corridor, a moist sound echoed from the eaves. After this rain, the heat of summer would begin in earnest.

Yeon-oh went back into the pavilion, brought out an umbrella, and opened it.

Thud.

A sharp “Clack!” sound of stones hitting each other overlapped the sound of him closing the door. The sound echoed from a place somewhat far away. Yeon-oh, with the umbrella in his hand, headed toward the source of the sound.

Following the sound back, he came upon a scene that was still messy from construction. In the vacant lot where a defective cannonball had exploded and they were fixing the wall, construction materials and equipment were piled up to build a new wall. It seemed the sound was made by broken stones falling.

“For that to be the case, the sound was loud.”

It sounded exactly like a stone being kicked hard. He was puzzled but had no way to confirm it.

The gently falling rain intensified slightly.

“Oh, the rain….”

It was just the moment Yeon-oh lowered his face to open the umbrella in his hand. He felt a presence, as if a dark shadow had rapidly swept past him from behind.

“…?”

Yeon-oh, holding the umbrella, quickly turned his body to follow the presence. It seemed he was mistaken, as nothing was visible.

Kugung!

The sky roared loudly, as if responding to the rain, which suddenly became violent. The surroundings flashed bright! Yeon-oh turned his head again, searching for the presence.

Tatak, Tak!

A strange sound came from the direction the presence had seemed to originate. It was the direction of the orchard. It was a place where people usually did not come and go.

Yeon-oh ran toward the source of the sound. An incomprehensible sight unfolded at the place he ran to.

Hwa-reuk!

Even though heavy rain was falling, a large tree planted in the orchard courtyard was on fire and blazing fiercely. The umbrella in Yeon-oh’s hand dropped to the ground with a thud.

“Is no one here!”

At his shout, human voices were heard from the area where the night watch court ladies were stationed. Cheong-ryu, who happened to be leaving the court ladies’ pavilion, approached, rubbing her eyes.

“Consort Gwi-bi, what… Fire! Fire! The orchard is on fire! Consort Gwi-bi, please move away!”

At Cheong-ryu’s urgent shout, Yeon-oh snapped out of his surprise.

“I am fine. You all, fetch water in buckets. Quickly! Cheong-ryu, wake up the sleeping court ladies and tell everyone to come out.”

“Yes, Your Ladyship!”

The duty eunuchs and court ladies moved, carrying buckets filled with water. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] Meanwhile, Cheong-ryu knocked on the doors of the court ladies’ lodging, waking everyone up.

“Fire, fire!”

Amidst the fiercely falling rain, the beautiful garden tree blazed fiercely. The intense flames lasted a long time until the tree was reduced to bare branches.