Chapter 22: The Ghost of a Reason

That was impossible. Today was his very first meeting with Ahnok. Yeo Jae-won narrowly managed to steady his wavering, confused gaze into a single line of focus. At the end of his sight, unlike the fragment of his memory, stood a youth with a fresh, youthful face clad in a pale blue robe, standing tall and straight.

The boy—Ahnok—resembled a premature water lily blooming quietly upon a pond. His face was small and white, and his unique aura cultivated that very impression.

His large, watery eyes were the first thing one noticed. Surrounded by thick, long lashes, those eyes looked like those of a young deer filled with vigilance upon encountering a hunter.

Below the bridge of his straight nose were lips that held a faint, rosy flush. It was a marvel how such distinct features fit so harmoniously within such a small face.

Because his hair was gathered and tied up, his neck was fully exposed. Though multiple layers of clothing wrapped around him, the elegant line of his long neck was clearly visible.

There was nothing coarse or unusual about the lines connecting his face, neck, and shoulders. In fact, compared to the rougher frames of other men his age, he was on the slender side. Yet, because his contours were so well-defined, he projected a dual impression: a sorrowful fragility that felt as if it might shatter at a touch, coupled with a vivid, clean clarity.

The boy, who had been holding his chin up with a touch of haughtiness, bowed his head in greeting.

“Seol Ahnok of Baekya-bu offers his greetings to His Highness, the Prince of Myeong.”

It was a soft, pleasant, melodic voice. Perhaps it was his clothes or his lean frame, but he brought to mind a forget-me-not destined to bloom in the coming season.

However, regardless of impressions, the person before him was merely his twenty-year-old betrothed. Sorting through the clutter in his mind, Yeo Jae-won offered him a seat.

At the end of the day, he was a man and an Eumin. Furthermore, he was from Baekya-bu, not a powerful family in the capital—a presence that offered Yeo Jae-won no political advantage whatsoever.

He had intended to drive a wedge between them from the very start. Since he loathed the idea of taking concubines, he had no intention of bringing others in to disturb the residence. His plan was to tell the boy to stay quiet and not struggle to catch his eye.

Yet, Ahnok had been the first to speak, saying he had a request. Yeo Jae-won grew curious about what a request from someone who looked so quiet and innocent would entail.

Tension and grim determination flickered across that clean face. Yeo Jae-won, harboring a faint smile, asked mischievously:

“I’m a bit confused—is this an attempt at a trade? Or are you seeking a one-sided favor from this Prince?”

The face that stiffened instantly invited interest rather than displeasure. When asked if he would grant the request if it were a favor, Yeo Jae-won nearly laughed aloud. An answer that sought to take without giving anything of one’s own didn’t sound repulsive to his ears.

Surprisingly, however, what came out of Ahnok’s mouth was information regarding the late Crown Prince. Sinking into a serious expression from that point on, Yeo Jae-won closely analyzed Ahnok’s words and quickly realized that the foundation of his claim was based more on speculation than physical evidence.

“And the proof?”

If the boy possessed evidence, he would have charged at him with a fairly useful card. But as Yeo Jae-won expected, Ahnok was momentarily lost for words.

Yeo Jae-won was the one who harbored more doubts about the Crown Prince’s death than anyone else. He, too, had a suspicion that someone was behind the Deputy Head of the Imperial Medical College and the medicinal boy. He was simply being cautious because he didn’t know which direction to approach from to secure concrete evidence.

While he could use Ahnok’s words as a basis to re-investigate the medical prescriptions, even that didn’t guarantee a result.

In the end, what this fresh-faced youth brought was mere speculation. A hasty guess without a solid guarantee.

Boys of this age were often like that. How many times had he himself, in his youth, charged forward without evidence only to be torn apart in the royal court?

If the boy intended to live as a commoner, Yeo Jae-won wouldn’t have bothered to speak up, but if he was to become his consort and a member of the Imperial family as the Princess of Myeong, he had to be warned.

Rising slowly, Yeo Jae-won stood close to the forward-staring Ahnok and spoke of the ignorant and pitiful.

Nevertheless, the youth kept his neck stiff and met Yeo Jae-won’s gaze, refusing to bend his will as he made his request.

“…Therefore, I implore you, Your Highness, please break this engagement with me.”

With an appearance resembling the fragility of a delicate wild flower that might snap if plucked, the boy spoke with steadfastness.

It was a request that completely bypassed Yeo Jae-won’s expectations—he had anticipated a plea not to take concubines or a request for Baekya-bu to gain power.

To ask for an annulment.

Yeo Jae-won, who had let out a hollow laugh while wrinkling the bridge of his nose, soon pulled the corners of his mouth up.

“What shall I do?”

“…”

“The conditions you proposed are interesting, but I cannot grant an annulment.”

A name that felt as if he had called it many times; a small, frail, and youthful impression—yet a stubbornness that stood in total contrast. A tenacity to say everything that needed to be said.

That contradictory image piqued a strange interest.

“Because I’ve taken a liking to you.”

It was exactly as he said. It wasn’t a grand declaration of a life-risking romance or love at first sight.

He simply liked him. He liked the boldness of a betrothed—whom he had never met—speaking of unsettling conditions to demand an annulment upon their first meeting. He liked the persistence of a boy who finished every word he had to say, despite trembling like a small animal caught at the tip of an arrow.

The face looking up at him was white, and because his eyes were so round, he resembled a startled rabbit. Young, fresh, small, white…

He felt as though this face was etched somewhere deep in his memory. A habitual headache began to stir, but he still couldn’t find where he had seen this face or why this sense of déjà vu existed.

Only fragments of a very indistinct form floated into his consciousness as if showing him something inexplicable, only to vanish without becoming clear.

As Ahnok lowered his gaze, his long lashes cast a thin shadow just beneath his eyes. Yeo Jae-won watched him in silence.

Eventually, the eyes that met his again—as if he had made a decision—were still trembling slightly, but the tone of the words he spoke was remarkably firm. It almost sounded like a conviction from someone who knew Yeo Jae-won very well.

“But I am an Eumin. Your Highness loathes Eumin, do you not?”

Had I truly met Ahnok once before?

Yeo Jae-won once again swept through his memories quickly yet thoroughly, trying to recall the two syllables of the name Ahnok.

However, among the pieces he remembered vividly, the name Ahnok was nonexistent, save for the few times he had heard it recently.

Anything beyond that… only triggered an unpleasant headache, as if he were slamming his head against a massive wall.

It was suffocating. Since some point—specifically, since the day he became conscious of his betrothed—Yeo Jae-won felt as though he were living his life having forgotten some very important memory.

It felt as if he had lost something he shouldn’t have let go, or as if he had committed a deed he should never have done. It was an eerily lingering, unpleasant feeling of having forgotten it all.

Amidst this, Ahnok continued his speech. The gist was that since the Prince hated Eumin, he should marry a normal lady from a prestigious family instead of someone with his traits.

Thinking coldly, Ahnok’s words were not wrong. Yeo Jae-won did dislike Eumin, and though a momentary interest had sparked, he had no intention of viewing Ahnok as anything more than a betrothed.

But it was suspicious. If this marriage were to be called off, it was Ahnok who would suffer the consequences. Was he not an illegitimate child, not even the legitimate lineage of the King of Baekya? If such a person returned to his hometown after ruining a marriage proposal first suggested by the Daejin Imperial Family, the problem wouldn’t be solved simply by being cast out.

He could use Ahnok’s words as grounds to shift all responsibility onto Baekya-bu and refuse the marriage. As Ahnok pointed out, it was a self-evident fact that marrying a lady from a prestigious family who was not an Eumin would be better.

However, doing so would draw the Emperor’s suspicion. Even now, Yeo Jae-won was refraining from making any sudden moves, despite suspecting Noble Consort Sa’s involvement in the Crown Prince’s death, all to avoid incurring his father’s distrust.

In such a situation, ruining a marriage the Emperor sought to establish and forming a bond with a powerful family would be a self-destructive move.

Setting all that aside, Yeo Jae-won was simply curious.

Ahnok’s words were perfect if heard at face value: breaking an unwanted engagement and marrying a compatible partner. But all of this was “perfect” only for Yeo Jae-won.

That was why it was strange. How altruistic could a boy who had only just reached adulthood be, to demand an annulment without any reward or purpose?

Yeo Jae-won leaned in slightly, quietly peering into the youth’s not-yet-matured face. On his clear cheek, there was a scratch that looked as though fresh red blood had recently bloomed. Staring at that wound, Yeo Jae-won asked:

“Did you not come to the capital precisely to marry me? What is the reason you desire an annulment?”

If the reason for traveling the long distance—which took nearly fifteen days—was merely to face him and ask for an annulment, there had to be a greater reason behind it for it to make sense. At least, that was what Yeo Jae-won thought.

“Does it… matter?”

Straightening his body from where he had leaned in to face him closely, Yeo Jae-won mulled over Ahnok’s voice, which carried a disgruntled tone, during the short time he returned to his seat.

A thought suddenly occurred to him.

If the person before him didn’t carry that shadow of déjà vu, or if he hadn’t left any impression on him, would he have agreed to this proposal?

Perhaps he would have. While he had entered the Eastern Palace and was eyeing the throne, and the issue of an heir was not unimportant, there was also Yeo Song—the son of the late Crown Prince—if one considered the legitimate bloodline of the Imperial Family.

But Yeo Jae-won did not find it easy to be honest.

“It matters. Unless you have a lover left behind in your hometown, a person who throws away the chance to become a Grand Prince’s Consort and begs for an annulment does not seem sane.”

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