Chapter 12: The Road Paved with Promises

Hwaun, who had been hurrying toward the door, suddenly stopped and looked back at Ajin. When he called “Ajin” once more, the maid answered with a smile, as if she had already anticipated his worry.

“Do not worry, Master. You look absolutely beautiful right now.”

It seemed that while he had been mindful of his appearance all day not knowing when the Emperor might call, the sudden summons had made him self-conscious. Ajin looked warmly at her master’s face, which was dazzlingly beautiful—needing nothing added and nothing taken away.

As the new year began, a new fashion trend had emerged among the women of the capital. It involved modifying male attire to highlight a neat and elegant atmosphere, with light makeup and minimal ornamentation. The source of this trend was so blatant that anyone with eyes could see whom it was modeled after.

Since trends in the capital naturally followed the most beloved person in the Imperial Palace, this shift was an inevitable flow.

“His Majesty is waiting. Let us go quickly, Master.”

Yet, the very owner of that trend was hesitating, caught in minor worries about how the Emperor would perceive him. Capturing that lovely sight in her eyes, Ajin nudged him forward by gently leading his arm. Only after the Emperor’s name was mentioned did Hwaun snap back to his senses and resume his steps.

In the courtyard of Jeongan Palace, a palanquin was already prepared. However, as Hwaun stepped down toward it, Eunuch Oh blocked his path. To the puzzled Hwaun, Eunuch Oh spoke.

“Jin-bi Mama. If your body is not uncomfortable today… would you consider letting the palanquin follow behind and walking for a while?”

It was an abrupt and somewhat rude request. No matter how high a status a eunuch serving the Emperor held, he had no right to make such demands of a concubine without an explicit order. Hwaun raised a hand to stop Ajin, who was about to step forward with wide eyes to point out the breach of etiquette, and asked:

“You mean for me to walk all the way to Anjeong Pavilion?”

“Since your health is delicate, you may board the palanquin at any point. However, if only for a short while, would you not like to enjoy this fine night a bit more?”

“Very well.”

Though he didn’t quite understand why, Hwaun knew Eunuch Oh was not a man to commit such a rudeness without reason. Answering readily, Hwaun turned to the worried Ajin and said lightly, “Let us go.” Left with no choice, Ajin stood by his side, and Myeong-an followed naturally, raising his voice to the bearers.

“Follow behind!”

The most beloved man under the heavens slowly walked the night path, with the Emperor’s head eunuch attending him. It was a rare sight.

“What is this…!”

Hwaun let out a startled gasp and stopped in his tracks just as he passed through the Jeongan Gate. In his trembling eyes, the night scenery beginning right in front of the gate was vividly captured. It wasn’t just Hwaun who was lost in wonder; Ajin and all the following servants stood speechless, staring ahead with dazed expressions.

“…His Majesty prepared this for you, Jin-bi Mama.”

As if he had been waiting for this exact reaction, Eunuch Oh stepped forward and spoke in a gratified voice. Hwaun’s gaze remained fixed forward, unable to even look back at the eunuch.

The path, which should have been shrouded in darkness, was brilliantly lit. As if worried the walker might misstep, rows of candles lined the way, illuminating the entire road to Anjeong Pavilion. That wasn’t all. Upon the path Hwaun was to tread, flower petals had been scattered like embroidery, guiding his way.

As the soft autumn night breeze blew, Hwaun felt as if the entire world was filling with the fragrant scent of flowers. His heart swelled as if it might burst. With every breath, the atmosphere before him rushed into his lungs. This was, in essence, the Emperor’s heart.

“Because the road you walk will always be this fair and beautiful.”

“…….”

“This is the promise His Majesty bestows upon you.”

At those words, Hwaun recalled what Ihan used to say to him like a habit. I am sorry for making you walk such a long road alone, for making you endure that time in loneliness while carrying everything by yourself. Ihan had apologized again and again with those words.

No matter how much Hwaun insisted that it wasn’t the Emperor’s fault or that those days weren’t difficult, it was no use. Ihan held it in his heart as if it were an unpardonable sin.

“His Majesty… for me…”

“Yes, Master. So please, walk along the path of His Majesty’s heart.”

Clenching his robes with both hands, Hwaun finally took a slow step forward at Eunuch Oh’s gentle prompting. His legs felt shaky and his head felt light, but he had to endure. He had to capture every bit of this precious heart the Emperor had given him and make it his own.

With every step, petals swirled around Hwaun’s feet. The candlelight, harmonizing with the moon, danced in the wind, decorating the world. Even if one were to see the legendary Peach Blossom Spring, it surely could not be more beautiful than this.

When his vision blurred with tears, Hwaun hurriedly wiped his eyes with his sleeve. He did not want to waste a single second of this time or a single inch of this space given to him.

Eunuch Oh, walking a short distance away, added:

“Please board the palanquin in a moment, Master. His Majesty was worried that walking all the way to Anjeong Pavilion might harm your health.”

Despite preparing something so magnificent, the Emperor’s only worry was Hwaun himself. The Emperor’s delicate affection embraced Hwaun softly. Hwaun shook his head with a smile.

“No. I will walk to Anjeong Pavilion just like this. I want to take in the entire scenery of this night… every single bit of it.”

It wasn’t that Eunuch Oh wasn’t worried, but he understood the feeling. Who could remain composed after receiving such a massive outpouring of an Emperor’s love? If Hwaun didn’t take the palanquin, his arrival would be delayed and the Emperor would grow more anxious, but Eunuch Oh decided not to mention that part.

“Ajin.”

“Yes, Master.”

“I would like to select some undamaged petals to keep.”

This time, Ajin nodded with a bright smile across her face.

“Yes, Master. I will pick several beautiful ones and keep them safe, so do not worry.”

She then signaled to the court ladies following behind. The girls following the Master had been specially selected for their quick wits and skill; they would surely pick the best ones. Jeongan Palace was no longer a place of only young and inexperienced servants.

Having finished speaking to Ajin, Hwaun focused on the path ahead. As Eunuch Oh and Ajin tactfully increased the distance to give him space, Hwaun felt as if he existed alone in a world created solely by the Emperor.

It was said that the story of the man who walked the path embroidered with flowers and light for his lover that night was told like a legend for a very long time in distant places.

“It has been a long time since I heard he left Jeongan Palace, so why has he not arrived yet?”

The Emperor, who had been pacing the front courtyard of the pavilion anxiously, finally lost his patience and raised his voice. The eunuch standing by his side in Eunuch Oh’s absence bowed deeply, his face pale.

“P-please calm yourself, Your Majesty. It has been quite a while since the report that Jin-bi Mama passed the middle gate, so he should arrive any moment.”

“I told him to walk only a little and take the palanquin, so why is he being so stubborn with his weak body…?”

The Emperor spoke with his lips twitching, his expression making it unclear whether he was complaining or delighted. He was worried because Hwaun was walking the whole way, yet the fact that Hwaun was doing so because he loved the gift so much seemed to fill the Emperor with pride.

“…I cannot wait. I will go out to meet him myself.”

“M-Majesty!”

The Emperor, Seong Ihan, who had been standing on his tiptoes without a shred of royal dignity to peek at the path where Hwaun would appear, finally could not stand the restlessness and began walking toward the gate. Come to think of it, if he had gone out and waited further ahead from the start, he could have seen Hwaun sooner. He didn’t know why he had been being so impatient here.

As the Emperor suddenly began to walk fast, the servants behind him fell into a panic, scrambling to find the palanquin, but Ihan strode across the courtyard as if none of that had anything to do with him.

“The Jin Consort has entered!”

What stopped Ihan in his tracks was a shout in a familiar voice. It was a voice he had heard a tiring number of times since becoming Emperor, yet this was the first time it had ever sounded so welcome.