Chapter 51: Unfilled Boxes

He decided that he must fill the jewelry box as soon as they returned today.

Unlike Sirak, who pestered him for this and that at every turn, Haeryeong had remained silent, leading him to believe the man was satisfied.

“The Empress is so frugal that the people might well look up to you,” the Emperor remarked.

Haeryeong stole a glance at him before quickly turning his head away.

His deeply bowed face was hidden by his long, cascading hair, making his expression impossible to read.

“I apologize,” he whispered.

At those words, spoken without a hint of emotion, Gangcheon found himself speechless for the first time.

Since it was a husband’s duty to fill his spouse’s jewelry box, Gangcheon felt as though his own shortcomings had been laid bare.

Haeryeong remained seated in silence without adding another word, and Gangcheon moved his hands after stroking the man’s hair for a moment.

He gathered the half-tied hair and coiled it atop the crown of his head, securing it with a topknot cap until it looked presentable.

After fixing the cap with a hairpin and pulling his hands away, Gangcheon took Haeryeong by the shoulders and helped him up.

Turning the man to face him, he picked up the jade norigae from Changryeo that was in the jewelry box.

It was a pendant he remembered well.

Last autumn, when the tribute arrived from Changryeo, Manchul had remarked that the deep blue hue would suit the colors the Empress frequently wore, so Gangcheon had bestowed it upon him.

He wasn’t so shameless as to brag about it, but since it was something he had given, he attached it to the man’s belt without hesitation.

The Changryeo jade norigae suited the pale jade belt and the light blue robe reasonably well.

It seemed that rogue Manchul did indeed have a discerning eye after his many years in the palace.

Glancing at Manchul, who was waiting nearby, Gangcheon saw him wearing a faint, knowing smile.

Gangcheon cleared his throat instinctively and furrowed his brow.

He shot a glare at the crown of Manchul’s head as the eunuch quietly bowed, then turned back to Haeryeong.

Haeryeong was looking down with an expression that made it impossible to guess his thoughts.

“You are beautiful.”

“Your grace is boundless.”

Haeryeong offered a graceful, shallow bow, and Gangcheon pulled him into an embrace by his shoulders.

Haeryeong allowed himself to be held, but he did not return the embrace.

Gangcheon swallowed a sigh and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“Truly, you are beautiful.”

“…….”

Haeryeong looked up at Gangcheon for a moment, then closed his slightly parted lips.

Gangcheon, expecting a phrase like ‘I am overwhelmed’ or ‘I am unworthy,’ found himself speechless a second time at the man’s sudden silence.

It would have been better if he had seen a flicker of resentment or hurt in those quiet eyes.

But now that even the excitement for the secret outing had vanished, those black pupils were simply hollow.

A strange, constricting sensation swept through his body.

Before the sensation that had briefly raked over his entire frame could disappear, Haeryeong quietly lowered his eyes.

“I am overwhelmed by your grace.”

The moment the man’s gaze dropped, that sensation vanished as if it had been a mere daydream.

Gangcheon blinked slowly and impulsively gripped Haeryeong’s chin, tilting it up.

In the eyes looking back as if asking what was wrong, the dark abyss he had seen a moment ago was gone.

‘Did I truly imagine it?’

As Gangcheon simply stared in silence, Haeryeong parted his lips.

“Your Majesty?”

His voice was also perfectly calm.

‘I must have seen wrongly.’

Only then did Gangcheon allow a smile to grace his face as he released the man from his arms.

“Let us head out now.”

“I shall follow you.”

Even this was no different from usual.

Yet, as he led the way, he found himself constantly wanting to look back at Haeryeong.

Eventually, before crossing the threshold of the inner chamber, Gangcheon turned back and took Haeryeong by the arm.

“Will you continue to be so cold and distant? It wounds me.”

“But, Your Majesty… there are the laws of the court…”

In his bewilderment, he was certainly no different than before.

Gangcheon let out a hollow laugh, noticing his own sense of relief.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Haeryeong sending him a questioning look as they walked side by side.

When Gangcheon continued to walk in silence, the man’s gaze quickly returned to the path ahead.

He had felt a lingering sense of unease, but it was quickly brushed away.

It was because he could sense Haeryeong’s sudden tension the moment they saw the horse standing before the Empress’s Palace.

Gangcheon let out a faint smile as he watched Haeryeong approach the animal.

“Nureongi.”

‘Why is the name so ridiculous?’

Haeryeong was calling out to the magnificent Akhal-Teke with its brilliant golden coat as if it were a common street dog.

And this after he had personally given it the name Hwangcheon.

Yet, for some reason, the horse seemed delighted, its muzzle twitching into a “smile” the moment it saw Haeryeong.

Gangcheon narrowed his eyes and watched the two of them.

As Haeryeong stroked the bridge of its nose, the horse leaned its head into his palm and rubbed against him.

“Empress, it is time we depart.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Gangcheon watched silently as Haeryeong mounted the horse.

The way he placed his foot in the stirrup and swung himself up was surprisingly decent.

He also seemed reasonably accustomed to handling the reins as the horse shifted in place.

Sitting atop the horse, he looked like a typical young nobleman, a side of him so different from when he was walking on eggshells around the Emperor that Gangcheon’s gaze was drawn to him involuntarily.

“Nureongi. You must not keep moving.”

‘At least that part of him does not betray my expectations.’

The image of him struggling with the hawk overlapped, and Gangcheon let out a hearty laugh.

Gangcheon swung himself up behind Haeryeong and wrapped an arm around his waist.

As soon as the Emperor mounted, the waiting members of the Black Shadow Unit also climbed onto their horses.

For a moment, the air was noisy with the sounds of horses whinnying and hooves stomping.

“Haeryeong-ah.”

At the tender call, Haeryeong flinched and turned his head to meet his gaze.

“If you are ready, you lead the way; I shall tell you which path to take.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Haeryeong’s body went rigid for a split second before he exhaled a long breath and kicked the horse’s flanks with his stirrups.

“Hyah!”

As the horse started off slowly, Haeryeong gave another light kick, gradually increasing the speed.

To the man who was accelerating as if being chased by the sound of the following hooves, Gangcheon leaned in and whispered in his ear.

“Do not overexert yourself; you may go slowly. Those following will match your pace, so let us ride gently until we have cleared the palace.”

As if he were about to bite his tongue, Haeryeong kept his jaw clamped tight with a look of intense concentration and nodded.

Intending to soothe him, Gangcheon patted the man’s belly, only to let out a giggle when he felt the muscles in his lower abdomen tightening.

“If the rider is this tense, the horse will be tense as well; it would be best if you relaxed your body a little.”

“It is… difficult.”

What was there to be so nervous about on a horse moving barely faster than a walk?

Gangcheon simply chuckled at Haeryeong’s clumsy display.

As they exited through the West Gate of the Imperial Palace, Gangcheon reached forward and gripped the reins alongside Haeryeong.

“Now, shall we increase the speed a bit?”

As Gangcheon kicked the horse’s flanks and urged it forward with the reins, the animal let out a rough snort and began to gallop like an arrow.

Gangcheon rode the horse while holding Haeryeong’s body in a near-complete embrace, as the man had frozen in shock.

Since Haeryeong did not know the roads of the capital, Gangcheon steered the horse until they had reached the outskirts.

After galloping for a long while and finally reaching the open country beyond the city limits, he released the reins.

“It is safe to run freely here. I shall hold you so you do not fall, so run to your heart’s content.”

Haeryeong, who hadn’t been able to utter a single word since they sped up, tightened his grip on the reins.

The horse galloped across the wide fields with all its might.

As Gangcheon gently rubbed the back of Haeryeong’s hand, which was gripping the reins so hard his knuckles were white, the tension slowly drained from the man’s fingers.

For someone who had only recently learned, Haeryeong handled the horse remarkably well.

He kept his back straight and managed to endure the jolting of the horse’s spine with reasonable skill.

Even though he knew Haeryeong was struggling with all his might not to fall, Gangcheon looked at him and thought of something entirely different.

‘Next time, I should have him mount me.’

Since they had only slightly varied their positions in bed due to the man’s lack of experience, he wondered how it would feel to have Haeryeong look down at him with his back straight like this.

While Gangcheon was lost in such lewd thoughts, a smile was gradually spreading across Haeryeong’s lips.

‘He’s excited.’

Because they were pressed flush against each other, he could see the man’s profile relaxing into a look of delight.

Seeing Haeryeong staring at the distant horizon with wide eyes, Gangcheon was reminded of himself when he first went to the battlefield.

The thirteen-year-old Sa Gangcheon, swollen with anticipation for new experiences and war, and the twenty-year-old Lee Haeryeong seemed to share a very similar expression.

He suddenly wished to see that expression properly from the front.

Sensing Gangcheon’s intense gaze, Haeryeong turned his head.

He really was delighted; his round eyes were sparkling with brilliance.

Gangcheon had never raised an animal himself, but he had seen military dogs being trained several times as a child.

He was reminded of the eyes of those dogs who were too gentle and people-loving to be suited for military service.

The eyes of those dogs who wagged their tails in pure joy no matter what was done to them were exactly like this.

Those useless dogs who lacked a talent for training because they only knew how to ask for play.

At the time, he had found them nothing but pathetic.

Yet, why did he find this so cute?

He felt the urge to stroke the man’s head.

He was far more beautiful now than he had been with that mask-like face at the wedding or during their intermittent meetings afterward.

Gangcheon impulsively gripped Haeryeong’s chin and kissed him.

He couldn’t use his tongue for fear of being bitten, but the mere act of licking and sucking on the man’s lips sent a rush of excitement through him.

Still, he couldn’t very well finish the job with the Empress draped over a horse, so he pulled his lips away at a reasonable point.

The gaze that had been half-closed rose to meet his.

Gangcheon instinctively pulled the horse’s reins.