Chapter 14: Aphrodisiac Wine

Wei Shiyoung took a sharp breath in, but could not exhale it.

At the terror that he was destined to die like this after all, his mind went completely blank.

Without twitching a single brow, Prince Jin moved his sword.

Against the razor-sharp blade, the robe tie snapped and fell away.

Although his flesh was not cut, an icy chill seemed to emanate from the blade, making his skin tingle with a sharp sting.

With the tip of his sword, Prince Jin slid Wei Shiyoung’s robe down.

His shoulder and chest, where the scrapes had yet to heal, were laid bare.

Wei Shiyoung shuddered in terror, not daring even to cover his exposed body.

So terrified was he of Prince Jin standing there with a drawn sword that he could barely breathe.

“Your lecherous disposition is none of my concern.”

“…”

“However, if you scheme any vile tricks here, I will reduce your body to a state where you can never dare attempt such things again.”

“I-I shall engrave it upon my heart.”

Wei Shiyoung barely managed to part his lips.

Only upon forcing out his voice did his trapped breath finally burst free.

Looking down at Wei Shiyoung gasping for air, Prince Jin spoke coldly.

“Tomorrow, we shall enter the imperial palace to pay our morning respects to His Imperial Majesty.”

“Originally, it is a gathering of the imperial family, but you too must enter the palace.”

“Pardon?”

“His Majesty has summoned you.”

Wei Shiyoung’s eyes flew wide.

For His Majesty, who was as exalted as the heavens, to single him out and summon him did not seem like a fortunate matter.

It was likely because the incident that occurred at Prince Wu’s estate had reached the Emperor’s ears.

Regarding that matter, Wei Shiyoung was in no position to utter an excuse even if he had ten mouths.

Though it had been an unavoidable choice for himself and his family to survive, to an outsider ignorant of the circumstances, it was an act of casting all fidelity to the wind.

Furthermore, since he had discarded a marriage decreed by the Emperor himself, his guilt was only compounded.

“You must not wear such harlot-like garments to a gathering before His Majesty.”

“Seeing that you have no proper attire, I will dispatch someone to prepare clothes for you within the day.”

“I thank Your Highness.”

“And above all else.”

Prince Jin brought the sword close beneath Wei Shiyoung’s chin.

Fearing that the blade might nick him, Shiyoung tilted his head straight up.

Perhaps that was precisely what Prince Jin had intended.

For the moment he raised his chin, his gaze locked directly with those golden eyes.

Something dark and profound lay sunken within those bright golden irises.

That subtle contrast made Prince Jin appear all the more breathtaking and terrifying.

“Do not act foolishly in the imperial palace.”

Whenever Prince Jin spoke, it sounded as though an unspoken threat lingered behind: ‘If you do, I will slaughter you.’ This time was especially so.

Wei Shiyoung moved to nod, but remembering the blade at his throat, he spoke instead.

“Yes.”

“I will never cause Your Highness any trouble.”

Only at those words did Prince Jin withdraw his sword.

As the blade slid back into its scabbard, Wei Shiyoung exhaled the breath he had been holding.

“…”

Casting a final glance that signaled his displeasure with everything about Wei Shiyoung, Prince Jin departed the room.

His presence, difficult to detect unless one strained every sense, gradually faded into the distance.

Even after confirming that Prince Jin was no longer anywhere near the room, Wei Shiyoung remained frozen stiff like a stone for a long while.

If it were simply facing Prince Jin empty-handed, he could bear it somehow, but whenever the man held a sword, maintaining his composure was nearly impossible.

For the terror of the dream where he had been slaughtered by that very blade rushed back to overwhelm him.

“Haaah…”

Finally relaxing his tension, Wei Shiyoung let out a prolonged sigh.

To think he had to enter the imperial palace tomorrow of all times.

Human nature was truly fickle, for the insidious thought crept in that remaining under house arrest was far preferable to entering the palace.

‘How long has it been since I last set foot in the palace…’

In truth, as a prince’s consort, it was proper for Wei Shiyoung to pay his morning respects regularly as well.

However, Prince Wu, who loathed the thought of bringing along a male Yin taller and broader than himself, had strictly forbidden Wei Shiyoung from entering the palace all this time.

Because of that, Wei Shiyoung had only been permitted inside the palace during grand occasions such as New Year’s Day or the Grand Sacrificial Rites.

Since the last time he entered was at the start of the new year, a full half year had already passed.

The scolding that he was a disloyal consort who failed even to pay basic morning respects already seemed to echo in his ears.

While it could not be helped since his imperial elders neither knew his circumstances nor had any reason to understand them, being reprimanded was still something he dreaded.

Sighing heavily as he recalled the Empress’s piercing glare, Wei Shiyoung suddenly struck upon a splendid idea.

‘If I have a prophetic dream and learn in advance what will happen tomorrow, would that not be of some help?’

Although precognitive dreams were not something he could control at will, one never knew.

He had been having prophetic dreams with bizarre frequency lately, so perhaps tonight would be no exception.

Harboring a sliver of hope, Wei Shiyoung flopped down onto his back.

1. Nuptial Wine

“Good heavens, truly…”

“No matter how much you disliked the robe, how could you tear off the ties like that?”

“Do you know how shocked I was when I opened the door?”

“Moreover, sleeping in the buff—even if it is summer, what if you catch a cold?”

“You must enter the palace today, of all days…”

A voice chattering like a little bird roused Wei Shiyoung from slumber.

When Wei Shiyoung did not get up immediately, she even gave him a gentle shake.

Only then did Shiyoung blink his eyes open.

“You must have slept soundly?”

“Mmh…”

He had slept so deeply that he had not even dreamed.

Far from having a prophetic dream, he had fallen into a dead slumber without experiencing even an ordinary dream.

To have fallen into such a dead sleep when he was not even sleep-deprived.

Feeling utterly pathetic, Wei Shiyoung rubbed his face with his hands.

“Then please get ready quickly.”

“His Highness has even sent a lovely outfit.”

Yeonji proudly held out the garment.

Made from lotus-leaf-colored silk, it possessed an understated elegance, unlike the garish red robe he had worn yesterday.

“Will it fit me?”

“I think it will be fine.”

“Look, the width is quite generous.”

Rather than debating back and forth, putting it on directly was the best way to verify the fit.

Wei Shiyoung donned the robe with Yeonji’s assistance.

Perhaps because it was meant for entering the palace, it was an outfit that wrapped tightly so that no bare skin was exposed.

Because of that, it felt a little warm and stifling.

“Everywhere else fits well, but the trousers seem a bit short.”

“Indeed.”

“Could it be that you grew taller in the meantime?”

“Perhaps that is true…?”

Wei Shiyoung tilted his head and pressed down on the crown of his skull.

While being tall was fine, there was a limit; growing any further would be troublesome.

Quite apart from not looking delicate as a Yin, the main problem was having no clothes to wear.

Wei Shiyoung was seventeen when he married Prince Wu.

He had packed all his clothes in bundles and brought them to the capital, but after a year had passed, none were wearable.

For of all times, his body had experienced a massive growth spurt starting from age seventeen.

It was as if his body had exerted itself to grow appropriately now that he had performed his coming-of-age ceremony and become an adult through marriage.

The same held true at eighteen and nineteen.

He had tried his best to squeeze into the clothes he owned, but he merely ended up looking like a grown man who had snatched a child’s clothes.

Whenever he humbled himself to ask Prince Wu for an allowance, he had only received the scolding: ‘You look hideous no matter what you drape over yourself, so why waste money buying new clothes?’

“I thought it was about time I stopped growing…”

“I have run out of silver coins too, so this is a real predicament.”

“I think I can alter this garment.”

“We cannot do it right now, so wear it as it is for now, and I will fix it later.”

“All right.”

“It does not look too strange, does it?”

Wei Shiyoung spread his arms and spun around once.

After scanning him meticulously from head to toe, Yeonji nodded.

Honestly speaking, it looked far better than the clothes Shiyoung usually wore.

Considering the fabric itself was of top quality, that was only natural.

“You look like a scholar who just passed the imperial examinations.”

“We only need to style your hair now.”

“I will do it.”

While Yeonji was skilled at needlework and cooking, she was clumsy when it came to styling hair.

The same was true for Wei Shiyoung, but he did not mind.

Shiyoung believed that simply tying hair up neatly was best.

In any case, there was not much time to spare for grooming.

The moment he gathered his hair and secured it with a hairpin, a call came from outside the door.

“Master Wei, are you ready?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Then please step outside.”

“His Highness is waiting.”

Though the servant’s demeanor was respectful, the title of ‘Master Wei’ rubbed Wei Shiyoung the wrong way.

Prince Jin truly seemed determined never to accept him as a consort, or even as a concubine.

While Wei Shiyoung had just as little desire to wed the prince, if that were the case, how wonderful it would be if he could also skip the imperial family gathering!

Of course, that was an idle wish, and Wei Shiyoung had to play the part of ‘a Yin so deeply infatuated with Prince Jin that he obediently complied with whatever the prince commanded.’

Stepping out of the room, Wei Shiyoung hurried toward Prince Jin with brisk steps.

Prince Jin was dressed in full formal court attire, and approaching him, Shiyoung beamed brightly.

“Your Highness!”

“You look magnificent today as well.”

Fortunately, such acting was not particularly difficult.

In truth, Prince Jin was a handsome man for whom the word ‘magnificent’ was woefully insufficient, and dressed in ceremonial court robes, he was all the more breathtaking.

Though it was formal attire worn only when entering the palace, it sat upon his frame so naturally it felt like his everyday garb.

“It seems you are out of your right mind today as well.”

Prince Jin furrowed his brow as he looked at Wei Shiyoung.

He had thought the man might look somewhat tolerable once dressed in decent clothes, but the frivolous core within could not be concealed.

Upon closer look, his features were quite handsome, and four years ago he had been quite a capable youth, so what had caused him to lose his senses was a mystery.

He could only surmise that the man had learned nothing but corrupt habits at Prince Wu’s side all this while.

Observing Prince Jin, Wei Shiyoung also racked his brain in his own way.

Today, the atmosphere did not feel as though the prince would press him demanding, ‘What is your scheme?’

Perhaps it was thanks to his persistent declarations of devotion to Prince Jin.

Seizing upon this momentum, Wei Shiyoung spoke in a gentle, supple manner.

“They say when love is excessive, one becomes a fool.”

“That must be why I keep letting my tongue run wild.”

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