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Join the Server“Very well.”
“Convey my gratitude to the Empress in my stead.”
“Tell him that while my poor health prevents me from visiting in person, I shall pay my respects as soon as I recover.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Court Lady Han bowed her head while gauging Sirak’s mood.
Just before Court Lady Han stepped out, Sirak called her back as if a thought had suddenly struck him.
“I am worried about whether my father has returned.”
“Send someone to my private residence to inquire after the well-being of my mother and father.”
Sirak also instructed her to bring the zither that had been in his room on their way back.
“It is a keepsake left by my late biological mother.”
“It came to mind because she has been appearing in my dreams so often lately.”
When he mentioned wanting to at least see the instrument, Court Lady Han nodded deeply with a look of pity.
“I shall send someone immediately.”
“Please, Your Grace, rest a little longer.”
After Court Lady Han left, Sirak lay down and closed his eyes.
Hidden inside the zither was the tea he had received from Hyeon-pyeong before entering the palace.
It was the tea the man had told him to keep and feed to the Emperor if things ever became unbearable.
Hyeon-pyeong hadn’t specified exactly what it was, but it was surely poison, or something very close to it.
Still, Sirak hadn’t brought it with him when he first entered the palace.
He knew all too well that the Black Shadow Unit was watching, and he wondered if he would ever even get the chance to serve it.
Thinking about it now, it was a good thing he hadn’t.
Had he brought it then, he might have been discovered the moment the Emperor began to suspect him.
Sirak deliberated on whom to give the tea to.
‘Should I pretend it came from the Empress and give it to the Emperor?’
‘Or should I frame it as a gift from the Emperor and give it to the Empress?’
The Emperor was suspicious and highly likely to recognize the tea, so it seemed wiser to give it to the Empress.
The question then was how to deliver it without being caught by the Emperor or the Black Shadows.
After spending a long time agonizing over the method, Sirak recalled a certain eunuch at the Great Hall who had shown him favor and smirked.
Avoiding the eyes of the Black Shadows was a nuisance, but he could simply pretend to go meet the Emperor and pass it to him.
The Emperor would surely turn him away at the door, and if he then feigned a collapse from heartbreak, a eunuch of the Great Hall would have no choice but to attend to him.
Sirak closed his eyes with a sense of peace for the first time in a while, hoping he would meet the man then.
That evening, Sirak prepared to go see the Emperor despite his still-unwell body.
Even though he had merely sat still while being attended to by the court ladies, when he stood up, it felt as if the ground were rising up to meet him.
However, without even taking a moment to wipe away his cold sweat, he headed for the Great Hall alone with Court Lady Han.
Perhaps because he hadn’t eaten properly for days, the journey to the Great Hall was an arduous ordeal.
Dragging his trembling legs and stopping repeatedly to rest, he finally reached the Great Hall by the Hour of the Pig.
Upon arrival, Head Court Lady Hwang of the Bedchamber met him with a frigid expression.
“What business brings you here, Your Grace?”
Sirak managed to steady his gasping breath before answering her.
“What business do you think brings me to the Great Hall?”
“Tell His Majesty that Sirak is here.”
“Tell him I have words to share with him.”
Sirak deliberately referred to himself by his name rather than his title as Noble Consort.
He was curious to see if the Emperor would feel even a sliver of nostalgia and agree to meet him.
“His Majesty has instructed that you return home.”
Sirak wanted to tear the mouth off the Head Court Lady who spoke so indifferently, not even making a show of relaying the message.
He wanted to barge right into the Emperor’s presence and demand an explanation.
He wanted to know if the reason for this neglect was simply because the man’s trust had been broken.
Sirak believed that was not the case.
There likely hadn’t been any trust to begin with.
‘Otherwise, how could he flip his heart as easily as turning a palm?’
Therefore, Sirak found the Emperor’s anger toward him even more incomprehensible.
‘If you never trusted me, why act enraged?’
‘Was it not the Emperor who first failed to keep any of his promises?’
‘Was it not the Emperor who first whispered that I was the only one he would look at, only to be swayed by the Empress’s wanton hip-grinding?’
Sirak clenched his fists hidden within his long sleeves and struggled with all his might to steady his breathing.
His wide-open eyes stung from the effort of suppressing the urge to hurl insults at the Emperor.
“Noble Consort, please return before you provoke His Majesty’s wrath further.”
The Head Court Lady urged the glaring Sirak to leave.
Seeing her looking so calm, as if wishing he would simply vanish, he felt a scream rising in his throat.
He bit the flesh inside his cheek so hard to stay silent that he tasted blood on the tip of his tongue.
That metallic tang seemed to clear Sirak’s mind slightly, and his churning chest gradually settled.
“Just ask him once.”
“He stated he was retiring to bed immediately.”
“He commanded that if anyone sought him out, we were to turn them away without even asking.”
“Therefore, please, return now.”
Sirak had known the Emperor would act this way.
In fact, he had been counting on it.
However, actually being rejected at the door made him feel as if all the strength in his body were draining into the ground.
“Your Grace!”
As Sirak stumbled and collapsed, Court Lady Han hurried forward to support him.
She leaned in close, asking with worry if he was alright.
But Sirak could offer no answer.
He was not alright.
He had come thinking it wouldn’t affect him, but the blatant neglect he experienced had drained his mental fortitude far more than expected.
“Your Grace, are you alright? Please, come to your senses.”
Sirak, swaying weakly in Court Lady Han’s light grasp, quietly closed his eyes.
A fever rose hot, and his head throbbed.
His ears felt muffled as if he had gone deaf.
As Sirak went limp, Court Lady Han requested help from the Head Court Lady of the Bedchamber.
“His fever is severe; please let His Grace inside.”
“You must at least allow him to be examined by a physician.”
The Head Court Lady of the Bedchamber replied like a sigh.
“His Majesty strictly commanded that no one be let in.”
“How can I ignore a stern Imperial command at my own discretion?”
“I shall assign a eunuch and two court ladies to assist you in taking him back.”
At her nod toward the rear, one eunuch and two court ladies stepped forward.
The eunuch crouched down and presented his back to carry Sirak.
Court Lady Han let out a damp, sorrowful breath as she helped the limp Sirak onto the eunuch’s back.
Standing beside the eunuch who was adjusting his hold on Sirak, Court Lady Han glared at the Head Court Lady of the Bedchamber.
“We shall move quietly to avoid drawing attention, so dismiss the court ladies.”
“Very well. Please return safely.”
Once the Head Court Lady dismissed the maids, the eunuch carrying Sirak and Court Lady Han quietly departed from the Great Hall.
As they approached the stone bridge connecting the main palace to the inner court, Sirak let out a pained groan as if regaining consciousness.
“My stomach… is turning… just a moment…”
The party, already on the bridge, came to a halt at Sirak’s words.
Sirak slid down from the eunuch’s back and crouched on the bridge, pretending to retch.
While Court Lady Han rubbed Sirak’s back, the young-looking eunuch watched the scene with a restless look.
Sirak confirmed his familiar appearance and began to thump his own chest.
Even without trying, a sorrowful sigh escaped him.
At the pained moan, the eunuch bowed and asked Court Lady Han:
“Will His Grace be alright? Should I run and bring the Imperial Physician?”
Sirak lifted his head at those words.
Seeing the tears streaming down his cheeks, the eunuch’s expression became even more anxious.
“Noble Consort…”
“Please… help me up.”
As Sirak wept and reached out a hand, the eunuch hesitated before supporting Sirak’s hand.
Sirak shifted his hips as if to rise, then collapsed back down, pulling the man toward him with all his strength.
In the sudden force, the young eunuch stumbled down, and their faces drew close.
Sirak caught a glimpse of his flustered expression before clinging to his arm and sobbing.
“Your Grace…”
When Court Lady Han called for Sirak piteously, the eunuch let out a sympathetic sigh.
Feeling the man’s hand touch his shoulder, Sirak lifted a face drenched in tears.
When their eyes met, the eunuch’s expression grew even more piteous.
The eunuch began to stroke Sirak’s shoulder to comfort him, but then pulled his hand away in shock.
Taking the hint, Sirak closed his eyes and went limp, pretending to have fainted again.
He did it so the man would touch him once more.
With his eyes closed, Sirak keenly sensed the eunuch’s movements.
Feeling the man’s overly worried reaction just as he had expected, a bitter laugh almost escaped him along with the sense of relief.
‘In the end, men are all the same, whether they have it or not.’
‘They are so easily seduced.’
That thought only made him feel more bitter.
They stay for a moment like a butterfly enchanted by a flower’s scent, only to fly away without a second thought once they’ve had their fill.
Eunuch Jo, who turned twenty-four this year, hurried along while pressing his sleeve with his other hand.
His lips were parched, and he was repeatedly licking them like a dog on a hot day.
Eunuch Jo had been working the night shifts for several months now.
While most staff rotated their duties, Eunuch Jo more often volunteered for the night watch.
There was no grand reason for it.
It was simply because the Emperor visited the Consort frequently.
He had lived in the palace since childhood, yet he had never seen anyone as beautiful and radiant as the Noble Consort.
Although the Consort was an Eumin, and thus a man, he was small enough to fit perfectly in the embrace of Eunuch Jo, who was not as tall as the Emperor.
Watching him smile beside the Emperor felt like the whole world grew brighter.
Therefore, Eunuch Jo had volunteered for the night shifts just to catch a glimpse of him more often.
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