Chapter 16: The Emperor’s Rabbit Ears and the Hangover Cure

In a sudden rush, Lee Doha stiffened like a broken doll, then abruptly buried his face in the duvet.

A choked laugh erupted from above his head.

Lee Doha, now utterly dumbfounded, found himself laughing too.

He remained face-down in the duvet, hiccuping with mirth.

Upon closer inspection, the long, sweeping sleeves belonged to a *gonryongpo*, the ceremonial robes of a king.

Lee Doha felt utterly bewildered as to why he was wearing such an outfit.

He vaguely recalled Yoo Seo, who usually darted around the entire school, also wearing a *gonryongpo*.

Regardless, it meant he had been wandering the school grounds wearing a rabbit headband and a cheap *gonryongpo* emblazoned with a bizarre, glaring dragon.

‘Ah, this calls for a leave of absence. A full-on sabbatical.’

The sheer absurdity of it all left Lee Doha with nothing but laughter.

When he finally lifted his head, Siohan, predictably, had a face flushed crimson.

He was clearly struggling to suppress his laughter, a sight that struck Lee Doha as remarkably novel.

Siohan’s face, so smooth that not even a speck of dust seemed capable of clinging to it, usually appeared devoid of any visible veins.

His features were more sculpted than human, and his movements were so deliberate, each action almost unreal.

To see such a person exhibiting such vibrant mirth was truly invigorating.

‘He’s actually laughing.’

A grin spread across Lee Doha’s face as he lunged forward.

“!!!”

Siohan tumbled backward with a soft thud, his golden hair scattering in shimmering strands.

Lee Doha swiftly snatched up the rabbit headband and, still chuckling, placed it on Siohan’s head, whose eyes were wide with surprise.

Despite practically pouncing on him, Siohan offered no resistance, making the task effortless.

Lee Doha had intended for them to share in the absurdity, but after a moment of initial shock, Siohan showed no signs of embarrassment or dismay.

Instead, as he looked at Lee Doha, who was now straddling him, a peculiar smile played on his lips.

“Does it suit me?”

Siohan flicked one of the soft, fluffy rabbit ears.

Lee Doha had completely forgotten just how thick-skinned this emperor truly was.

Siohan was utterly unashamed, even with the ridiculous, fuzzy rabbit ears adorning his head.

He seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself.

“Hwairam. You said ‘cute things’ were your mother’s preference, didn’t you?”

“‘…I did,’ he conceded.”

Lee Doha’s voice cracked at the end of his reply.

The mirth had vanished from his face as he swallowed hard.

Siohan’s golden hair lay scattered exquisitely across the pale blue duvet.

His previously flushed face now retained only a faint blush, looking remarkably pristine.

One of his eyes, however, was slightly bloodshot, as if he had indeed taken a direct hit from the headband.

Lee Doha wanted to tease him, to ask how the ‘First Knight’ could be so clumsy as to get hit by a mere headband, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Siohan, with that face and the white rabbit headband, truly looked…

‘…like a pervert.’

“Now that I think about it, I seem to like cute things too.”

“…”

Siohan idly stroked the white rabbit ears.

Then, with a gentle motion, he removed the headband and placed it back on Lee Doha’s head.

Lee Doha froze, rigid as a statue, unable to move a muscle.

Siohan burst into laughter once more.

“However, I don’t think it would be wise to wander around like this in front of others.”

Siohan’s hand, having slid from the headband, came to rest near Lee Doha’s right eye.

It hovered just beneath his eye, exactly where Siohan had carved his name.

Lee Doha instinctively winced at the light, almost caressing touch.

Siohan’s thumb gently traced the delicate skin beneath his eye, over his name.

The tip of a long finger brushed his earlobe.

At the tender, enveloping touch, Lee Doha shifted his head, seemingly trying to evade it, yet ultimately leaning further into Siohan’s palm.

He felt a sigh threatening to escape, so he pressed his lips together tightly.

“…I think I’m going to throw up,” he managed.

Siohan blinked.

“What?”

“I feel like it’s coming up… *Ugh*.”

“H-Hwairam.”

As Lee Doha mimed retching, Siohan stammered, a flicker of panic crossing his face for the very first time.

Lee Doha clamped a hand over his mouth, as if he might vomit something foul at any moment.

With Lee Doha still straddling him, Siohan found himself unable to escape, unable to block, and utterly flustered, floundering for a solution.

Siohan’s hand went to Lee Doha’s shoulder, then, as if wondering if he should pat his chest, moved there instead.

Finally, he cupped a hand beneath Lee Doha’s chin, as if prepared to catch whatever might come up.

Lee Doha’s shoulders convulsed, and with another “*Ugh*”, he abruptly collapsed onto Siohan.

Siohan flinched, his body trembling slightly.

“…Hwairam,” Siohan whispered.

Lee Doha, his face buried next to Siohan’s head, was biting his lip, trying to stifle his laughter.

Siohan, who had been unfazed by the rabbit ears, clearly had no immunity to the prospect of actual filth.

And what was with that hand? Had he really intended to catch it if Lee Doha had vomited?

Seeing Siohan, usually so composed and sly, in such a state of panic, filled Lee Doha with a satisfying sense of relief.

He finally understood why Siohan had found it so amusing to watch him flustered.

Siohan let out a silent sigh and gently patted Lee Doha’s back, as if encouraging him to laugh freely.

Lee Doha, who had been suppressing chuckles, eventually let out a soft groan.

After his fit of laughter, his body suddenly felt heavy and fatigued.

The hangover, momentarily forgotten amidst the chaos, now crashed over him like a relentless wave.

“Ah, but I really do feel sick.”

“Would you like something to eat?”

“What is there…?”

“Well, I wonder. There must be something, surely. This is the imperial palace, after all.”

Siohan replied, his voice tinged with amusement.

However, they were both sprawled sideways across the vast, elongated bed.

Since the bed’s occupant would typically sleep with their head at the headboard, the cord for summoning palace attendants was, naturally, by the head of the bed.

Siohan gently patted Lee Doha’s shoulder.

“Hwairam, could you pull that cord?”

“What cord?”

Lee Doha reluctantly lifted his head.

Indeed, the bed was so expansive that the cord was frustratingly out of reach.

‘Why don’t they just put them everywhere? Who knows when you’ll need one?’

Lee Doha buried his face back into the duvet and mumbled.

“‘I’d have to get up for that…'”

Yet, he felt an overwhelming sense of bother.

He didn’t want to move an inch, feeling as annoyed as one might upon realizing the light was still on while nestled perfectly in a cozy winter duvet.

Normally, in such situations, one might cleverly exploit a sibling, but Lee Doha, having always relied on his unique ‘specialty,’ rarely had to endure such inconveniences.

And his mother, who would typically swat his back and tell him to get up for such a minor task, wasn’t here now…

However, he had his contractor.

His contractor, as fragile as a sugar confection, might just violently cough up blood again if he used even that small ‘specialty.’

He despised that outcome even more than the inconvenience.

So, Lee Doha resolved to get up.

“Just pull it, Hwairam.”

Siohan pressed firmly on his back.

It wasn’t a force so strong that he couldn’t possibly get up, but Lee Doha yielded to it, remaining still for a moment before speaking with a sigh.

“I’m sick of blood.”

“Hwairam. It’s just a cord.”

Siohan chuckled, but Lee Doha couldn’t bring himself to laugh.

In Yoo Seo’s terms, Siohan was the kind of person who couldn’t even wait for his ‘blood’ to reach 100 before eagerly expending it.

Could he truly trust this ‘I’m fine’ assertion?

In Lee Doha’s mind, Siohan was already the type who couldn’t even manage two marshmallows.

‘He’s supposed to be King Sejong,’ Lee Doha grumbled inwardly, recalling Kim Yoon-hye’s words.

“Your body is—”

“I’m fine.”

“…”

“I’m fine, Hwairam.”

The hand wrapped around his back stroked slowly, reassuringly.

Lee Doha remained silent for a long moment, ultimately concluding that further argument would be futile.

As Siohan had said, it was just a cord, and the time spent debating it would be no different than simply pulling it.

Besides, Siohan had already emerged victorious from a much longer, more significant struggle against Lee Doha, hadn’t he?

The moment Lee Doha exhaled a faint sigh, the cord by the head of the bed, untouched by anyone, was firmly pulled.

For such a minor task, a mere gesture was unnecessary; no flash of light even appeared in his eyes.

Lee Doha cautiously lifted his head, keenly observing Siohan’s demeanor.

Thankfully, Siohan’s pristine white face didn’t turn deathly pale like a dying patient, nor did he violently cough up blood or suffer a nosebleed.

He was still smiling gently, looking at Lee Doha, and truly seemed fine.

But how? Lee Doha was utterly perplexed.

It had only been yesterday that Siohan had been burning with fever, collapsing in a heap.

Yet, immediately after summoning Lee Doha, Siohan appeared remarkably well.

Could his previous displays of weakness have been an act? Was he actually testing Lee Doha?

As Lee Doha narrowed his eyes, the massive doors swung open with a heavy thud.

A bowing palace attendant scurried inside.

“Your Majesty, did you call?”

“Hwairam, what do you want to eat?”

Instead of answering the attendant, Siohan asked Lee Doha.

He must have noticed Lee Doha’s suspicious gaze, yet he feigned complete ignorance with an air of perfect innocence.

Since there was no benefit in feeling unwell, Lee Doha decided to let it slide for now.

“Dried pollock soup.”

“Dried pollock soup?”

Siohan repeated the question, and the attendant’s shoulders twitched.

Dried pollock soup, for context, is a broth made with thinly shredded dried fish.

As for what else goes into it, Lee Doha, naturally, had no idea.

‘His mother’s touch?’

Too bothered to explain, Lee Doha answered with a question of his own.

“What do people here eat for a hangover?”

“Hmm.”

Siohan pondered for a moment, then shrugged.

His mother had been a powerful empress, and Siohan, as the sole legitimate heir, had been the first in line of succession since before his birth.

His status had never once wavered; he was born a grand prince, became a crown prince, and then an emperor.

Thus, he had never been so thoroughly steeped in alcohol as to require hangover relief.

Even if he had gotten drunk, he certainly wouldn’t have sought culinary remedies for it.

Siohan and Lee Doha simultaneously looked at the bowing attendant.

Even with their eyes downcast, the attendant’s shoulders tensed, as if they could feel the scrutiny.

“What do we eat?”

“…Goat’s milk mixed with raw egg and butter, Your Majesty.”

“*Ugh*.”

‘Are they crazy?’

Just hearing it made him feel like he would vomit.

Lee Doha buried his head again, and the attendant, startled by the sound of someone retching in the Emperor’s bedchamber, snapped their head up.

If it truly was the sound of someone throwing up, they were prepared to throw their own body to prevent even a single spot in this noble room from being defiled.

However, their jaw dropped.

The attendant seemed utterly shocked by the scandalous sight of a man wearing bright red robes, adorned with a grotesque, glaring creature that could be either a toad or a dragon, and sporting rabbit ears on his head, currently straddling their Emperor.