Chapter 24: In the Shadow of the Crimson Collar

Time flowed inexorably onward, arriving at the month of May. As late spring deepened, the darkness of dawn receded earlier, and the twilight of evening stretched longer into the night.

Yet, Anok’s life in the detached pavilion grew increasingly frantic. As the wedding drew closer, the tasks that needed preparation only seemed to pile up.

While his second life differed considerably from his first in some aspects, there were parts that remained completely unchanged. The herbal tonic that Court Lady Jo brought every morning and evening was one of them.

Even in his past life, Court Lady Jo had never said much about Anok skipping meals. However, the moment he refused to drink the tonic sent by Consort Sa, she would launch into a grand lecture. She would claim that a subordinate must never show disregard for what a superior had bestowed, and that if word of such behavior reached the Imperial Noble Consort, not only Anok but the Prince of Myeong would be plunged into an inescapable, embarrassing predicament.

When he had known nothing, he had spent his days in constant anxiety, fearing that things would turn out exactly as Court Lady Jo described. So, he had forced himself to swallow the medicine, which neither suited his palate nor gave him any vitality.

Now, however, it was purely by Anok’s own volition. It was a strategy of sorts, designed to completely erode even the slightest shred of interest the Prince might have in him.

Even if he barely managed two or three spoonfuls of breakfast, he drained every drop of the medicine Court Lady Jo handed him. When he passed back the empty porcelain bowl, Court Lady Jo accepted it naturally.

“Ah, today you will be trying on the wedding robes crafted by the Imperial Bureau of Attire.”

At Court Lady Jo’s words as she prepared to withdraw with the porcelain bowl, Anok gave a slow, measured nod.

The wedding robes. Realizing that the wedding was truly right before his eyes made a strange, unbidden emotion swell within him. To think that he was marrying the exact same person twice, of all people… The bitter reality that he could never truly escape Yeo Jae-won’s side weighed heavily on his heart.

“Now that I think of it, I haven’t seen Han-wol since this morning. Do you happen to know where she is?”

Court Lady Jo, Eunuch Im, and the other servants of the Myeong Prince’s manor looked after Anok with meticulous care. Nevertheless, it was always Han-wol who arrived earliest to check if her master was awake, and who tended to his bedding until late into the night.

Anok felt most at ease when he was with Han-wol rather than anyone else. Normally, Han-wol would stand by his side while he ate breakfast and took his medicine, so her absence from such an early hour struck him as bizarre. Because he knew all too well that Court Lady Jo watched for any opportunity to separate Han-wol from his side, a deep anxiety began to fester within him. When the court lady hesitated to answer, his suspicions only amplified.

“Though she is a child brought here by you, Anok-nim, is Han-wol not also a hand who will be working in this manor? I have instructed her to learn the duties of the estate.”

“Who made that decision?”

“Pardon?”

“Did His Highness command it?”

“It is not that, but…”

Anok, who had been sitting quietly, stood up with a pale, cold expression.

As his instructing matron, Court Lady Jo was currently one of the closest attendants serving Anok. However, Anok had no desire to keep her within his inner circle, nor did he intend to sit idly by and allow her to arrogantly overstep her boundaries.

“Lead me to where Han-wol is.”

“This is all for Han-wol’s own sake. The child cannot simply follow you around forever, Anok-nim. She must learn the manor’s work eventually, so would it not be better for her to learn it a day sooner?”

When he was young, he had been easily deceived by such words. It is all for your own sake; if you act like this, you will only bring shame upon yourself at the Imperial Court; I am teaching you harshly so that you will turn out well, so you must endure it…

To the young Anok, whose self-esteem was chipped away day by day and whose pride was ruthlessly trampled, those words had sounded incredibly plausible. There was even a time when he had sincerely relied on Court Lady Jo. Yet, in the end, none of it had ever been for his benefit.

The target had merely shifted, but Court Lady Jo was attempting to repeat the exact same treatment from his past life. He could not help having been ignorant and deceived before, but knowing the truth now, he could not allow himself to fall for it a second time.

Even if what is destined to happen will happen, what can be changed must be changed. Standing tall, Anok silently stared down at Court Lady Jo. Having failed to eat properly over the last few days, his face had thinned, giving him a sharper, more piercing gaze than when he had first arrived.

“Court Lady Jo, you said it yourself just now—Han-wol is a child I brought here. Therefore, her sole responsibility and duty is to attend to me.”

“…….”

“Where that child goes, what duties she learns, and what she does is for me to decide, not you.”

Unless Court Lady Jo was acting completely unreasonably, Anok was generally one to quietly acquiesce and listen. However, there was absolutely no reason to tolerate this kind of insolence and overstepping of authority.

After casting a frosty glare at Court Lady Jo, Anok stepped outside. It was only after wandering through the manor grounds for a long while that he finally spotted Han-wol, carrying a basket piled high with laundry.

“Anok-nim, you’re awake? Did you manage to eat some breakfast?”

“Yes. Have you eaten?”

“Not yet… I’ll go eat right after I set this down!”

“Then put it down and come along. I will have them set a table in the detached pavilion.”

“I can just eat in the kitchen, it’s perfectly fine.”

Anok silently shook his head. His expression wasn’t as frigid as it had been in front of Court Lady Jo, but Han-wol, sensing a strange tension in the air, quickly excused herself, saying she would be back in a flash.

He could not sit back and watch a child who was like a younger sibling to him be treated with such disdain. Furthermore, Han-wol was his servant. To look down on her and slight her was a direct challenge to his own authority.

Anok had lived for years as the Crown Princess of the Eastern Palace and as the Empress of the Gyoyeong Palace. In his past life, he had not been one to step forward to act in an authoritative or high-handed manner, but he had learned that such meekness was not entirely a virtue. If one was too soft, even subordinates would eventually treat them with contempt.

Only after having a table set in the detached pavilion and confirming that Han-wol had eaten her breakfast did Anok begin practicing for the wedding day alongside Court Lady Jo. By the time they finished, midday had arrived. After a light lunch, the court ladies sent from the Imperial Bureau of Attire arrived.

“It seems you have lost even more weight in the meantime. The fit is quite loose. It isn’t to the extent that it must be taken in, but… if it causes you discomfort, Anok-nim, we can take measures to adjust it. What would you like to do?”

The Jeogui—the ceremonial robe embroidered with pheasant patterns over blue silk—had certainly been tailored according to the measurements taken when Anok had first arrived at the Myeong Prince’s manor. However, just as the official from the Bureau of Attire noted, his weight had dropped further, leaving the robe significantly looser around his frame than before.

With both arms extended and his hands clasped before his chest, Anok glanced down at his attire and shook his head with a gentle smile, indicating that it was fine.

“If you are fine with it, Anok-nim, then…”

The official from the Bureau of Attire was about to suggest that they could make temporary adjustments on the day of the wedding if it wasn’t uncomfortable, but she suddenly glanced past Anok’s shoulder and gasped in shock. She was so startled that the words died in her throat. Anok, looking down at the official who barely reached his chest, turned around to see what had caused such a reaction.

“……We greet the Prince of Myeong.”

At the official’s words, the surrounding court ladies who had been assisting with the fitting instantly lowered their bodies in a deep bow. Standing quietly in a corner of the spacious room with his hands tucked behind his back was Yeo Jae-won.

He appeared to have changed out of his official uniform after returning from the court; instead of his usual formal court attire, he wore a black undergarment beneath a deep dark-red robe.

Despite having thoroughly startled everyone in the room, his stride as he approached was nonchalant and laced with a trace of boredom. He alone seemed entirely at ease.

Because of the heavy Jeokgwan—the ceremonial phoenix crown—perched on his head, Anok could not bow his neck deeply and merely lowered his gaze. Sensing the shift, the officials from the Bureau of Attire who had been surrounding him quickly scattered to clear a path for Yeo Jae-won to step closer.

Despite how casually he had thrown around words about Anok catching his interest before, Yeo Jae-won had not shown a single hair of himself near the detached pavilion since then. Eunuch Seok and Court Lady Lee would drop by occasionally to ask after his well-being, but that was hardly Yeo Jae-won’s personal doing. Consequently, Anok had assumed the prince possessed not a shred of interest in him, making this sudden appearance entirely unexpected.

Was it like this in my past life? Anok frowned slightly as he looked up at the man before him. He was certain nothing like this had happened before. His memories of the previous timeline consisted only of receiving a cold warning to live quietly during their very first meeting, followed by grueling wedding preparations while enduring scoldings from Court Lady Jo.

The prince’s bored gaze suddenly shifted, transforming into a remarkably sharp and meticulous assessment that swept Anok from head to toe. His eyes lingered everywhere, trailing from the kingfisher-feather crown upon Anok’s head down to the very hem of the deep blue ceremonial robe lined with red borders.

Even though he was shrouded in multiple layers of clothing, that piercing gaze made Anok feel almost… exposed, stirring a wave of awkwardness and embarrassment. Instinctively trying to step back, the sudden shift in weight caused Anok to lose his balance under the heavy crown, and he stumbled slightly.

“……!”

“…….”

Fortunately, a firm arm caught his waist, saving Anok from a thoroughly unsightly fall and preventing the ceremonial crown from crashing to the floor before the wedding day.

In his past life, Anok had tripped over his own feet the moment he stepped into the inner chambers of the main residence, and Yeo Jae-won had caught him then as well. He had considered himself fortunate to have avoided that ridiculous blunder this time around, but he had never imagined the moment would repeat itself in this manner.

A scorching heat seemed to radiate from where Yeo Jae-won’s hands gripped his left waist and right arm. To make matters worse, because Anok had been diligently drinking the tonic Court Lady Jo brought morning and night, his body was gradually becoming hypersensitive.

While Yeo Jae-won was an Alpha who could control his scent with absolute mastery, the body of an Omega approaching their heat cycle was vastly different from normal. Anok felt as though the heat was flushing all the way to his earlobes. Struggling to calm his wide, startled eyes, Anok opened his mouth to speak in a hushed, trembling voice, but Yeo Jae-won anticipated him.

“It seems you applied the ointment well.”

Heard from this proximity, Yeo Jae-won’s voice sounded lower than usual. As Anok blinked in confusion, failing to immediately grasp the meaning, Yeo Jae-won’s gaze drifted to the spot on his cheek where the wound had been. It was now completely healed.

It was Yeo Jae-won who had told him to make sure to apply the ointment, and Anok had merely followed his words, yet a strange embarrassment washed over him.

While Anok was debating whether he should offer a belated expression of gratitude or ask to be let go first, Yeo Jae-won smoothly pulled him back to a full upright stance. The warmth that had pressed against his arm and waist vanished in an instant.

Sensing it was best to remove the ceremonial crown now, Anok silently sought assistance. The official, who had been bowing so low her head nearly touched the floor, rushed forward in a flurry of movement.

Yeo Jae-won stepped back, folding his hands behind his back once more. He tilted his head slightly as he watched the official’s busy hands lift the crown from Anok’s head.

“How strange. I have not been starving you, so why have you lost weight?”

“Pardon?”

“Did the official not just say it? That you have lost weight. Anyone would think I am denying you food in my manor.”

“……I apologize. I have simply lost my appetite lately, which led to me skipping meals frequently.”

“And you didn’t do this just to get a reaction out of me?”

Having been liberated from the heavy crown, Anok felt a sudden wave of irritation. At Yeo Jae-won’s sarcastic jab, implying that he was staging a hunger strike because the prince refused to call off the engagement, Anok whipped his head around to face him. His movement was noticeably lighter and smoother without the crown. Yeo Jae-won, seemingly amused by the reaction, flashed his characteristic dimpled smile.

“The wedding robes have been perfectly tailored. If the new bride flees now, where would that leave my honor?”

Stepping remarkably close, Yeo Jae-won reached out to toy idly with the red collar of Anok’s ceremonial robe, his voice dropping to a soft, whispering murmur.

Anok instinctively clenched his jaw. He could not bring himself to give a promise that he wouldn’t run. If an opportunity ever presented itself, if even the slightest crack appeared, his only thought was to escape Yeo Jae-won’s grasp forever.

Yeo Jae-won gazed down at the silent Anok for a moment before smoothly stepping back, acting as though nothing out of the ordinary had transpired.

“I shall see you at the wedding.”

It was utterly impossible to read the emotions hidden within the depths of those long, narrow eyes. Even long after the prince’s gracefully turning figure had completely vanished from sight, Anok kept his eyes locked on the doorway.

Is my fate destined to be entirely subservient to that man, never to be broken for eternity?

Such a terrifying thought settled deep into his chest.

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