Chapter 101: At Last, Home

As their wet tongues rubbed against one another, Haeryeong’s waist shivered at the agonizingly sweet sensation.

Standing on his knees, Haeryeong let out a low groan at the piteous feeling radiating from where his lower body was pressed flush against the Emperor’s.

His mind screamed that he wanted to push the man away, yet his arms clung to the Emperor’s damp inner robe and would not let go.

While he gasped for air through his nose, the man’s scent piled up within him, filling his entire body.

“Hngh…”

At the signal of Haeryeong’s moan, the Emperor’s hands moved with urgency.

The sound of the wet, knotted ties of his robe being torn away along with the stitching echoed in the room.

The clothes clinging to his skin were stripped off roughly, leaving behind a sensation as if the man were licking him with his tongue.

At that slight contact, Haeryeong felt his penis, trapped inside his trousers, twitching vividly.

The Emperor’s hands hurriedly caressed his body before moving down to firmly grasp his buttocks over the fabric of his pants.

Haeryeong could not make a sound; he simply shivered and went rigid.

His consciousness floated so far away that he didn’t even realize their lips had parted; it was only much later that he realized the man’s hand had delved into his trousers.

The Emperor licked his neck.

Resting his cheek against the Emperor’s face as the man’s lips toyed with his wet skin, Haeryeong exhaled a long, sweet sigh.

It felt as though it were his body, yet not his own.

Unable to either cling or push away, the hands that had been clutching the Emperor’s clothes were now wrapped around the man’s neck.

The sound of water splashing and overflowing drifted into his muffled ears from a distance.

While he listened to that sound in a daze, the Emperor’s hand parted his buttocks and delved into his wet entrance.

“Ah!”

Haeryeong could not hold back an aroused cry the moment those long fingers poked deep inside him.

At the same time, the penis inside his trousers bucked and spat out a trail of mucus.

Hearing the Emperor’s low chuckle, Haeryeong pulled the man’s face closer.

As their parted lips overlapped, the Emperor offered his tongue.

Sucking on his tongue like a parched beast, Haeryeong heaved his hips in time with the Emperor’s hand movements.

His insides tingled while his entire body, from his head down, felt as though it were melting away in a dizzying heat.

****

“Haeryeong-ah.”

A low voice pulled his consciousness back to the surface.

Haeryeong hunched his shoulders at the ticklish breeze hitting his face.

A soft chuckle pricked his ears.

Haeryeong smiled involuntarily at the breath touching his ear.

“Open your eyes.”

Haeryeong struggled to lift his eyelids.

The Emperor was holding him, hovering over him and brushing his hair aside.

Haeryeong, blinking slowly, recalled the events of the previous night and covered his face with his palms.

He wondered if he had truly been out of his mind.

As the memory of himself intoxicated by the Emperor’s scent and actively pulling the man closer resurfaced, his face burned hot.

Leaning in close to his ear, the Emperor laughed softly and pressed a kiss to the back of his hand.

“Since you are awake, you must get up.”

“I am told the Yeonseo delegation arrived at dawn; if you wish to share breakfast with them, you must hurry.”

Haeryeong bolted upright in the Emperor’s arms.

His unfastened hair slid down his body, covering half of his face.

The Emperor, lying diagonally on his side, merely raised a hand to tuck the hair back.

“The delegation has arrived?”

“They arrived at the palace late last night and are currently resting from their travels.”

“I sent word for them to come in time for breakfast, so they should be awake by now, but the Empress was sleeping so soundly I found it difficult to wake you.”

‘Heavens.’

Leaving the Emperor behind, Haeryeong hurried out from under the quilt and called for Iryeon.

“Iryeon, are you there? I must hurry with my grooming, so bring the washing water.”

“Yes, Your Highness. I shall bring it in immediately.”

A bustling energy could be felt from beyond the door.

Haeryeong stepped down from the bed and gathered his disheveled hair, smoothing it out.

Looking back, the Emperor was still staring at him from his reclined position, looking like a man with no intention of getting up.

‘Why is he so leisurely?’

As Haeryeong met his gaze blankly, the Emperor let out a chuckle and waved his hand.

“It is your family whom you haven’t seen in a long time. Enjoy your meal in peace. I shall lie here a bit longer before returning to the Great Hall.”

“Your grace is boundless.”

It seemed he wasn’t entirely lacking in tact after all.

Haeryeong finished washing and combed his hair while the man watched.

After his hair was put up lightly and secured with a hairpin—ensuring it wasn’t too excessive—Iryeon and the other court ladies entered with an armful of clothes.

The Emperor, who had been lying down, suddenly stood up and began to interfere.

He claimed that one robe was too pale and another had a tacky pattern.

After rejecting every single item Iryeon held up, the one he finally chose was a light pink robe with red accents.

“Does this not make me look too young?”

When Haeryeong asked with concern, the Emperor shook his head lightly.

“It has been several years since you last met; looking a bit more youthful will not be a bad thing. Now, hurry and get ready.”

‘Did he receive a report from the Black Shadows that the delegation is ready?’

At the Emperor’s command to hurry, the court ladies’ hands moved even faster.

Following the Emperor’s instructions to dress elegantly, Haeryeong put on his rings and bracelets, attached all his norigae, and then bowed to the Emperor.

“I shall go now.”

The Emperor, who had been sitting on the bed, stood up and approached, taking Haeryeong’s shoulders to steady him.

He pressed a brief kiss to his cheek before pulling away.

“I shall see you at the Great Hall.”

There was to be a simple ceremony before the start of the Founding Festival.

During that rite, which involved the Emperor’s congratulatory speech and the well-wishes of all the officials, Haeryeong would have to walk across the courtyard alongside the Emperor.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Do not cry too much, and ensure you eat a hearty breakfast.”

Haeryeong quietly bowed his head at the tender voice.

The Emperor, seemingly displeased by that reaction, clicked his tongue softly before releasing Haeryeong’s shoulders.

****

When he stepped out into the courtyard of the Empress’s Palace, he found a group of people already waiting.

Haeryeong spotted the two people standing at the very front of the crowd and practically ran down the stairs.

“Brother! Sister!”

His second older brother, Lee Heamyung, and his third older sister, Lee Heasu, looked at Haeryeong with wide eyes.

Haeryeong rushed to them, throwing his arms around their shoulders and pulling them both into an embrace.

The familiar scent of them felt so foreign that tears began to pour out.

“Your Highness, there are many eyes watching. Why are you acting like such a child?”

Heasu’s low whisper was slightly cracked, and Heamyung’s arms, which were hugging Haeryeong tight, were shivering just as much as Haeryeong’s were.

Haeryeong could not say a word; he simply sobbed, burying his face between their shoulders.

Meeting the family he never expected to see again brought a whirlwind of emotions.

To them, it had only been three years since they last met, but for Haeryeong, it had been seven; the depth of the emotion was bound to be different.

Heasu placed her palms against Haeryeong’s wet face.

As he lifted his head following her hands, the nostalgic faces shimmered through his blurred vision, appearing both changed and unchanged.

“How can your heart still be this weak? You are the Empress of a great empire; you must maintain your dignity.”

Haeryeong laughed through his tears at her words.

‘We’ve just met after so long, she could have let it slide.’

‘But then again, all the family members in Yeonseo have this sort of temperament; that is likely why I live such a stifled life as well.’

He felt like he should sigh, yet even that trait was so nostalgic that his tears continued to flow.

“Do not be so hard on him, we haven’t seen him in years.”

Heamyung gave Heasu a light scold and then gently rubbed Haeryeong’s other cheek.

“Let me look at your face. I rushed here because I was so curious about how Your Highness was faring.”

“Brother…”

Haeryeong barely managed to lift his head, which kept dropping, and sobbed sorrowfully.

Having always been treated like a child due to the significant age gap, hearing such formal speech from them only made his sorrow grow.

Heasu let out a sigh and patted Haeryeong’s back.

Contrary to the long, deep sigh, her touch was infinitely tender.

Unaware that the Emperor was watching the scene through the window, Haeryeong spent a long time weeping in their arms.

Finally managing to stop his crying, Haeryeong offered a sheepish smile with his red, swollen eyes and finally pulled away from the two.

Only then did the two of them offer their formal respects to the Empress with faces full of smiles.

“Both of you, please rise. Tell me, was the journey not treacherous? Why have you arrived so late? This younger brother has been waiting with a craned neck.”

Lifting her head, Heasu shot a light glare at Heamyung.

“Our brother suffered from severe travel sickness on the way, which caused the delay. It was so cumbersome that I nearly abandoned him and came alone, but I managed to restrain myself.”

Heamyung, who was well over thirty, cleared his throat and his ears turned red in embarrassment.

Haeryeong looked at Heamyung with wide eyes.

“Travel sickness? You must have suffered greatly. Brother, now that you are here, please rest well. Are my nephews and nieces all faring well?”

Both of them had been married for over ten years, so they already had a child or two before Haeryeong left for Yeoran.

Heamyung had two sons and a daughter, and Heasu had a daughter and a son; Haeryeong was curious about the news of his niblings, who would be quite old by now.

“Everyone is well. Recently, the Prince Imperial Grandson suffered from smallpox and had a difficult time, but word reached us on the way that he has fully recovered.”

It seemed the eldest child of the first brother, Lee Heagyeong, had been ill.

Haeryeong, who had lived in total ignorance of such news, felt tears pooling again and wiped his eyes with his sleeve.

****

Gangcheon watched the back of Haeryeong’s head through the window of the Empress’s bedroom and clicked his tongue softly.

‘How can one person have so many tears?’

No matter how often he saw it, he could not grow used to the Empress’s weeping.

Whether it was the way he shed tears without making much sound, or the way he sobbed while quietly speaking of his grievances—it was all the same.

When he had left the man alone, no word of him crying had ever reached his ears.

Yet, observing him closely, Haeryeong was far more prone to tears than he had imagined.

In fact, the sight of him smiling was the greater rarity.

‘Is that why? I cannot seem to grow accustomed to him whether he is weeping or smiling.’

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