Chapter 35: Side Story 7: The Emperor’s Repentance

Currently, the Emperor spent his nights nowhere but Jeong-an Palace. However, Bi-young knew that the reason the Empress was not plotting to conceive was not simply because of Hwaun.

‘I believe I possess a body that finds it difficult to conceive.’

Bi-young remembered those words the Empress had once whispered as if in passing.

Thus, Bi-young felt a sense of relief in the current situation. Since the other women of the palace were not being called for the night at all, the possibility of a concubine accidentally conceiving before the Empress had vanished.

The fact that the Empress had begun searching for an imperial bloodline meant the Emperor had already granted his approval. If the Empress found a suitable child to adopt and the Emperor established that child as the foundation of the nation, no one would dare threaten the Empress’s dignity.

But that was strictly the Empress’s position. What, then, was the future Bi-young hoped for? What was the future she could rely on?

“Her Imperial Majesty the Empress arrives—!”

The booming voice announcing the arrival of the Empress, Jaran, echoed in Bi-young’s ears, snapping her out of her deep thoughts. Bi-young and Song-hyeon quickly rose and knelt.

“We greet Her Imperial Majesty.”

“Rise.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Bi-young followed Jaran’s command, standing and lifting her head. Her eyes met Jaran’s in midair; she didn’t know how long the Empress had been watching her. Jaran couldn’t possibly know what she had been thinking—no matter how noble, the Empress was no mind reader.

And yet, Jaran smiled with eyes so deep they seemed to understand everything. Seeing that face, Bi-young’s heart strangely settled into a calm. At the same time, her heart thudded with an unknown flutter of excitement.

“It is truly wonderful to spend time together like this after so long.”

“We feel the same, Your Majesty,” Bi-young immediately chimed in as the Empress took her seat at the head of the table. The messy, cluttered thoughts in Bi-young’s mind were smoothed away by the sound of Jaran’s voice. It felt like lying beneath a thousand-year-old tree, enjoying a cool breeze.

“I personally selected this play, so please enjoy it.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Bi-young tucked Jaran’s gentle smile into her heart and turned her gaze toward the stage, where the performance was beginning.

If the Empress gains a son, that child will be a child of the Inner Court. That child will be one protected by me and Song-hyeon, and he will grow up showered in the Noble Consort’s affection.

Finally letting out a long, deep breath, Bi-young straightened her back and focused on the play. Indeed, the Empress’s choice was impeccable; the performance was of high quality and thoroughly engaging.

Walking the Path Hand in Hand

“Huuu…….”

In the deepening twilight of evening, the Emperor was pacing back and forth in front of a certain concubine’s bedchamber, unable to bring himself to enter.

The man hovering anxiously like a puppy needing to go outside was none other than Seong Ihan, the Emperor heralded as the greatest sage-king in history. The building before him was the sleeping quarters of Jeong-an Palace, where Yeon Hwaun resided.

The one feeling the most scorched by this sight—the Emperor refusing to let his arrival be announced and merely stomping his feet on the cold ground—was, naturally, Eunuch Oh.

“Your Majesty, please just enter.”

“…Do you think I’m doing this because I don’t want to go in?”

I’ve committed a sin, so I’m too ashamed to show my face.

The following thought was something one would never expect to come from the mouth of an Emperor. Eunuch Oh, having received a pointless rebuke, no longer cared about such minor sparks.

After sighing several more times, Ihan finally seemed to make a decision. With a solemn, almost tragic expression and a rigid gait, he moved into the pavilion.

Upon entering the inner chamber, the first person he saw was Ajin, who looked as if she had been waiting for him. The Emperor tip-toed forward and gestured for her to come closer. Ajin approached with quick steps and knelt.

“I greet Your Majest—”

“Shh! No need for greetings. Stand up.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Even as he spoke to Ajin, Ihan’s eyes kept darting toward the interior. The bedroom door was firmly shut, making it impossible to see inside. Ihan whispered to Ajin:

“How is the Noble Consort’s condition?”

“He took his medicine, had a good sleep, and after waking up, he ate his dinner without issue. He is fine now.”

“Hoo, I see. That is a relief….”

The Emperor had checked on Hwaun’s status several times while working, but only after hearing it directly from Ajin did he finally seem at ease.

It had been wonderful to tease and embrace Hwaun in the Hall of State… until the problem arose. Ihan had failed to restrain himself and had completely lost his reason. Taking Hwaun in the middle of the vast Hall of State was a massive deviation even for Ihan.

Having been crowned Crown Prince at a young age and having lived as the textbook definition of a righteous ruler, Ihan’s minor “deviations” were always centered on his time with Hwaun. His occasional excessive excitement was partly due to the thrill of these novel, forbidden situations.

But still, I shouldn’t have used Seo-cheon as an excuse to torment him to his limit.

Ihan repeated the regret he had been nursing all day.

“And… did the Noble Consort seem angry, by any chance?”

The Emperor, apparently having no intention of reclaiming his lost dignity, asked the lowly maidservant Ajin with extreme caution.

This was the core of today’s problem. Ihan hadn’t been satisfied with taking Hwaun on the desk; he had eventually sat Hwaun on top of him in his chair and claimed his fill. Not only that, he had carried the exhausted Hwaun to a private room and spilled his seed inside him so many times that Hwaun eventually fainted.

Only after hearing that Hwaun had to be practically carried back to Jeong-an Palace and had fallen ill did Ihan’s heart sink with guilt. Of course, it was far too late.

He was also at a loss as to how to face the Empress, since Hwaun had missed her play because of him. But the priority now was soothing Hwaun, who might be rightfully angry at Ihan for putting him through such an ordeal. Hwaun was sometimes frustratingly polite, so he wouldn’t openly rage, but Ihan knew from experience that when Hwaun turned cold, he was surprisingly resolute.

Ajin glanced at the firmly closed bedroom door and replied with a cheeky face.

“From what I saw, he didn’t seem angry… but then again, I wasn’t the one who did anything wrong to him….”

“Hmph! How dare you speak such things in the presence of—!”

“Hey! Why are you shouting? What if you startle the Noble Consort!”

Ajin’s answer was essentially saying that since the Emperor was the one who made the mistake, he should be the one to take responsibility. Eunuch Oh glared at her instantly, but once again, it was only Eunuch Oh who received the Emperor’s scolding.

They say if you love your spouse, you even bow to the pillars of their house. The Emperor loved Hwaun so much that he seemed to find even the servants of Jeong-an Palace adorable.

“Phew…. You all may withdraw.”

Only after the small commotion did Ihan finally resolve to enter. He waved his hands at Eunuch Oh and Ajin and walked toward the bedroom with cautious steps. Standing before the closed door, the Emperor took one more deep breath before carefully stepping inside.

“……?”

The sight that greeted him was Hwaun, dressed in simple and neat everyday clothes, sitting on his knees on the floor.

While Ihan stood frozen in shock at the unexpected sight, Hwaun bowed his head until it touched the floor and spoke:

“This sinner greets His Imperial Majesty.”

“S-sinner? What on earth…! No, no, first, please get up! The floor is cold, why are you…!”

The Emperor was in a total state of panic. He had to refute Hwaun’s words, but more importantly, he had to quickly raise Hwaun, who was likely not in good health, off the cold floor.

However, Hwaun gently resisted Ihan’s attempt to pull him up by the shoulders and continued.

“How can a sinner, whom Your Majesty personally saw fit to punish, dare to lift his head and straighten his knees before you?”