Chapter 65: Caught in His Scent

The Emperor, who visited the Empress’s Palace in time for breakfast, wore a jubilant expression, as if he had already received the Imperial Physician’s report.

The moment he stepped off his palanquin, he scooped up Haeryeong, who had come out to meet him, and whispered in his ear.

“I heard your heat cycle has already begun. Is your body holding up well?”

Haeryeong wore a look of distress and submissively bowed his head.

“Your Majesty is currently occupied with a mountain of affairs, and I am terrified and ashamed that my body has chosen such a thoughtless time to act so.”

“The heat cycle is a law of nature. How can the Empress be ashamed of his own body’s state? Please, withdraw such hurtful words.”

“But…”

“Fortunately, thanks to the protection of the gods of heaven and earth, all urgent matters have been concluded. Even if your cycle begins immediately, I can remain by your side, so do not concern yourself too much.”

Haeryeong looked down at him from his slightly elevated position in the man’s arms before casting his gaze to the side.

“Your servant is simply… overwhelmed with apology and joy.”

The Emperor let out a soft laugh as he entered the palace while still carrying Haeryeong.

“If Haeryeong-ah is happy, then my heart is also quite satisfied.”

Haeryeong wrapped his arms around the Emperor’s neck and offered a shy smile.

The Emperor buried his nose in the nape of Haeryeong’s neck and took a deep breath.

“Your scent is not yet that thick. When did the physician say the peak of the cycle would arrive?”

“He predicted it would likely come tomorrow afternoon at the latest.”

The Emperor whispered while nuzzling his lips against Haeryeong’s cheek.

“Then will you move over to the Great Hall starting tonight?”

“I shall do so.”

Haeryeong nodded obediently.

“I shall instruct the Head Court Lady of the Bedchamber to ensure the Empress can stay without any discomfort, so go ahead and settle in before dinner. I shall finish my duties as quickly as possible and return to you.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

As Haeryeong answered plianty, the Emperor burst into a satisfied laugh.

The slight vibration of his laughter transferred directly into Haeryeong’s body.

As the Emperor quickened his pace while steadying his hold on Haeryeong, the doors blocking their path were opened rapidly.

The Emperor passed through each silent door, beginning to emit his scent of peach blossoms.

Due to the rain that had been falling since nightfall, the moisture-laden air hung heavy and still.

Perhaps because of that, his scent seemed to envelop Haeryeong’s body with even more weight than usual.

Whether his fragrance had begun to kindle a small spark inside him, Haeryeong’s chest felt increasingly stifled until his breath finally grew shallow.

“Your Majesty, please… restrain your scent a little.”

The Emperor noticed that Haeryeong was heating up and broke into a smile that was almost annoyingly bright.

“Are you already pestering me so early in the morning?”

“It is not that…”

Entering the inner chamber, the Emperor stroked Haeryeong’s cheek.

As the hot palm cupped his face, a languid sigh escaped Haeryeong involuntarily.

The Emperor headed deeper into the inner chamber without letting Haeryeong go.

“Your Majesty, are you… not having breakfast?”

Haeryeong noticed his own voice beginning to tremble and quietly bit his lip.

The Emperor chuckled and set Haeryeong down upon the bed, where the canopy had already been pulled back.

“If you wish to feed me breakfast, the Empress will have to put in a great deal of effort.”

The Emperor removed Haeryeong’s shoes and placed one knee upon the bed.

When Haeryeong, practically trapped between the man’s thighs, tried to squirm backward, the Emperor followed with a smirk.

With every movement of his hand, the decorative hairpins in Haeryeong’s hair were pulled out one by one.

Haeryeong shivered at the sensation of the thick silk ribbon coming loose and his coiled hair falling heavily against his back.

Before long, the peach blossom scent the Emperor emitted filled the entire bed.

His body caught fire to the point that even his fingertips, braced behind him, began to shake.

Haeryeong let out a hot breath and a weak groan despite himself.

In the meantime, the Emperor unbraided his hair and reached for the sash of his robe.

“Haeryeong-ah.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I taught you the art of fellatio recently, did I not?”

One of the robes of the Haeryeong, who had been cornered at the back of the bed, was stripped away.

The Emperor walked on his knees to follow Haeryeong, and once the Empress stopped, the man sat back on his haunches.

Then, with a radiant smile, he extended his hand.

Haeryeong knew he had to take that hand, yet he could not bring himself to do it.

Was it not obvious what would happen the moment he grasped it?

However, he could not hold out forever, and only after the Emperor urged him with a flick of his hand did he finally reach out.

Pulled forward by a sudden force, Haeryeong collapsed against the Emperor’s chest and scanned his face with a trembling gaze.

“I served you back then, so will you do the same for me today?”

When Haeryeong failed to answer, the Emperor leaned down and kissed his ear.

“You know that time is short, yet you insist on making me anxious.”

“I am… sorry…”

“Can you not do it?”

It felt as though his tongue were stuck to the roof of his mouth with taffy, refusing to move.

Haeryeong lowered his gaze to the man’s already swollen groin before looking back at the Emperor’s face.

“Your servant… does not know if I can do it well.”

“The first time is always difficult; just go through the motions.”

The Emperor leaned down, trailing his lips along Haeryeong’s forehead and the bridge of his nose as he whispered.

“Take off my dragon robe first.”

Haeryeong instinctively turned his gaze toward the door.

The “tails” that had been following them earlier had vanished, and not a single shadow of another person could be seen in the bedchamber.

Watching Haeryeong’s trembling pupils, the Emperor giggled and leaned over.

With his extended arm, he unfastened one side of the bed canopy and burrowed toward the head of the bed while still holding Haeryeong.

“I have made sure no one can see, so hurry and remove my robe.”

With no other choice, Haeryeong reached his trembling hand toward the Emperor’s ceremonial belt.

He applied strength to his fingertips to release the buckle, but they only quivered, and the belt remained firmly fastened.

He swallowed hard, his mouth parched from a mix of bewilderment, tension, and fear.

“I am… sorry. This… is not working… very well…”

The Emperor covered the back of Haeryeong’s hand with his own hot palm and rubbed gently.

“Your hand is cold. Are you very nervous?”

He let out a soft laugh and whispered against Haeryeong’s temple.

“I shall help you with this.”

“I am… deeply sorry.”

The Emperor slid his finger beneath Haeryeong’s palm and released the buckle.

Click.

Haeryeong flinched at the tiny sound, and the Emperor giggled as he trailed his lips downward.

“What am I to do with you being this innocent?”

The Emperor covered Haeryeong’s lips just as he was letting out a gasping breath.

The moment the hot, wet tongue pushed inside, Haeryeong squeezed his eyes shut.

The Emperor ravaged the inside of his mouth roughly.

Every time his breath ran short, Haeryeong desperately inhaled through his nose.

The cloying scent of peach blossoms permeated his nasal passages.

Perhaps because his heat cycle was near, his body was heating up even faster than usual.

While he sat blankly with his mouth open to receive the kiss, the Emperor unfastened the front of his own dragon robe and pulled the collar open.

Battered by the man’s sweet scent, Haeryeong’s head began to throb.

Unable to endure it, Haeryeong braced his hand against the man’s chest as if to push him away and retreated, but the Emperor pursued him instantly.

“Your Majesty, nng… I… I cannot breathe… hah.”

Haeryeong burst into ragged gasps like a man just pulled from the water.

“Oh dear. Are you breathless? Exhale slowly and then take a breath. Good.”

As the Emperor slowly stroked his back, his sensitive, heated skin felt a stinging tightness.

When Haeryeong shivered, the Emperor giggled and swept the fallen hair behind his back.

There was no time to organize his breathing.

Every hair on his body stood on end, and even the slightest brush against the thin fabric caused him to twist involuntarily.

Knowing this full well, the Emperor very slowly began to caress Haeryeong’s body.

With his palm spread wide, he traced down the man’s back and then swept from his thighs down to the back of his knees.

On the way back up, he traced from the back of the thighs to the inside, pressing firmly against the crease of his buttocks.

The fabric of his undergarments and inner trousers was already so wet it was sticking to his skin.

Haeryeong himself noticed he was completely drenched before the Emperor could even point it out.

“You have already made yourself this wet.”

Haeryeong turned beet-red at the Emperor’s blunt observation.

As the Emperor trailed kisses down his face, which had heated up in an instant, a giggle escaped the man.

When the Emperor’s breath tickled the hairs standing on end, Haeryeong’s eyes went languid and glazed over before finally closing.

His heart hammered against his ribs as if it would break his chest open.

In rhythm with that, his headache throbbed with intense pressure.

Even though the Emperor saw Haeryeong furrowing his brow, he continued to move the hand covering the Empress’s buttocks in a slow, grinding motion over the clothes.

Every time the wet fabric rubbed against the sensitive folds, Haeryeong felt a vivid, involuntary twitch from his private gate.

Whenever those folds tightened, a stinging ache shot through his core.

His lips parted reflexively, and the Emperor did not miss the opportunity to join their mouths again.

The Emperor pressed his palm against Haeryeong’s private gate and rubbed, while curling his fingers to trace all the way between his thighs in a teasing motion.

Collapsed in his embrace, it was a long while before Haeryeong realized he had been presenting his buttocks of his own accord.

“You seem to be enjoying this. Shall I touch you more?”

He only realized it because he heard the Emperor’s whispered words, not because he had been conscious of his own actions.

A faint sense of shame heated his face amidst his hazy consciousness.

Finding this incredibly amusing, the Emperor giggled and took a long lick of Haeryeong’s cheek.

“I wonder how much redder you can get. At this rate, you’ll look no different from a red plum blossom, so I suppose I must have that flower-viewing party I missed last month right now.”