Chapter 19: Trapped in His Favor

“Fate is bestowed by the heavens, so wouldn’t we have found a way to meet regardless?”

‘Was that fate not meant for the Noble Consort?’

Haeryeong had no desire to open his mouth and retort, so he simply wore a smile, but that didn’t seem to satisfy the man.

The Emperor’s gaze sharpened instantly.

He was a man who was incredibly exhausting to please.

Haeryeong hadn’t realized it when watching from afar, but the closer he got, the more draining it became.

He could no longer understand how he had ever harbored affection or expectations for such a person.

“Even so, no matter how great the heavens are, connecting the opposite ends of the continent would be a difficult feat, would it not?”

Haeryeong looked up into the Emperor’s narrowing eyes and curved his own into the shape of a crescent moon.

“Since Your Imperial Majesty is so tender, I cannot even imagine anyone else occupying the throne.”

“It is almost a waste to have lost my memory, yet when I think of meeting you any other way, I feel this current bond is quite regrettable.”

‘Must I really go this far?’

If he weren’t the Emperor, Haeryeong would have flown far away to some distant place by now.

If he were just an ordinary man, Haeryeong would never have lit the wedding candles with him, and even if he had, he would have fled long ago.

As he thought this, he suddenly wondered if he truly would have fled.

‘No, foolishly, I likely would have spent my nights in tears instead of running.’

It was a very possible scenario.

The Emperor let out a short, airy chuckle, his heart finally seeming to ease.

“You have a point.”

“It is merely a shame that you have forgotten all those memories.”

Haeryeong felt a chill at how calm the Emperor’s eyes were, matching the casual tone of his voice.

How could a person speak such heartless words so effortlessly?

How brazen.

Haeryeong’s body trembled even though he knew the man had not yet set aside his suspicions and was merely testing him.

He felt as though he were facing someone who wasn’t human—not a beast, either, but something entirely different—and the fear made him shiver.

“Do you have a chill?”

“Yes… the weather is quite cold.”

“It has indeed turned cold quite suddenly.”

The Emperor commanded the nearby court ladies to bring a tangpa and pulled Haeryeong’s quilt up to his neck.

Pat, pat. The touch on his chest was tender, but because the fear still lingered, the trembling did not subside in the least.

“The Imperial Physician has arrived, Your Majesty.”

“Let him in.”

Perhaps because the threat to his life had vanished, the physician’s face looked much healthier over the past two days.

While he took Haeryeong’s pulse, Iryeon entered with the decoction.

As soon as the physician finished his examination, the Emperor took the medicine bowl and held it to Haeryeong’s lips.

“Drink this and rest well. I shall see you at dinner.”

After accepting and drinking the decoction, which had been sweetened with licorice to reduce the bitterness, Haeryeong closed his eyes as if he were losing consciousness.

His nerves, which had been sharply on edge, seemed to have reached their limit, and his consciousness snapped.

Haeryeong fell into a deep sleep, forgetting that the Emperor was still by his side.

****

Two more days passed.

The Emperor still shared all three meals with Haeryeong and slept at the Empress’s Palace.

Hearing news that the court ladies of the Consort’s Palace were constantly coming and going, Haeryeong let out a sigh as he sat on his bed.

“I hear the Noble Consort is absolutely desperate.”

“His Majesty hasn’t even glanced toward the Consort’s Palace lately. It serves him right!”

Jongseon had returned with the gossip and chattered excitedly while combing Haeryeong’s hair.

Even though Iryeon gave her a warning look in passing, the girl was still young and didn’t seem to understand the hint.

Eventually, Haeryeong scolded the child quietly.

“Mind your words.”

“Even if he is not the master you serve directly, he is someone far above your station.”

“I am sorry, Your Highness.”

She was fifteen, an age where one naturally paid close attention to various rumors.

Still, she didn’t seem to know yet that to survive in the palace, one must keep one’s ears open but one’s mouth shut.

Haeryeong suppressed his tired expression and added one more thing.

“His Majesty visits frequently, so be careful of your speech in everything you do.”

“I say this so you do not suffer a needless beating.”

“Yes, Your Highness. I shall keep it in mind.”

Only then did Haeryeong smile and stroke the head of the dejected Jongseon.

“Continue combing my hair. I did not scold you because I hate you, but because I am worried, so do not take it to heart.”

Jongseon’s expression brightened instantly as she took hold of Haeryeong’s hair and began combing again.

“No, Your Highness. I was out of line. I shall be careful, very careful.”

Haeryeong offered a brief smile to the girl combing his hair and quickly fell into deep thought.

It was because he had no memory of the Emperor ever neglecting the Noble Consort like this.

In his previous life, the Consort had entered the palace when Haeryeong was twenty, and from then until Haeryeong died at twenty-four, such a thing had never happened.

Haeryeong pondered for a long time how to interpret this change.

With the situation turning out so differently, he wondered if his previous life had been a dream, or if fate had been altered because his own actions had changed.

If things changed like this, knowing the future wouldn’t be of much use.

He didn’t think the Emperor had lost his feelings for the Consort.

There had to be a reason for his behavior.

It was most likely that the Emperor couldn’t visit the Consort’s Palace because he was too busy monitoring Haeryeong out of suspicion.

But even so, this was excessive.

Neglecting the Consort without even sending a single message was truly unexpected.

‘Is there something happening that I do not know about?’

Even if there was, he had no way of finding out right now.

He couldn’t very well order someone to gather information on the Emperor or the Consort’s Palace while he was pretending to have lost his memory.

Furthermore, how could he give such an instruction while avoiding the eyes of the Black Shadow Unit, who were constantly watching?

As they say, even stealing requires experience, and for Haeryeong, who had lived his life far removed from such schemes, this was a difficult problem.

His head began to throb from the long deliberation.

‘Should I not have claimed to lose my memory?’

He hadn’t imagined his actions would be so restricted.

His life had never been truly free, but when the Emperor showed no interest, he at least had some room to breathe.

He had been able to occasionally share tea and conversation with officials who were at odds with the Ministry of War, which was aligned with the Consort.

He hadn’t shared deep thoughts with them, but he had at least been able to pick up on the rumors circulating in the palace.

Now, however, even that was impossible, leaving him feeling suffocated.

‘Should I say I have regained my memory now?’

No, that wouldn’t do.

Given the things the Emperor had said, Haeryeong feared what kind of grudge he might harbor if he suddenly claimed his memory had returned.

Even if the man’s words had been meant to test him, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t fly into a rage at being “deceived.”

To be honest, he secretly hoped the man would get angry and depose him.

But that was merely a hopeful wish.

If he was unlucky, it might just bring forward the death he was destined for at twenty-four.

No matter how desperately he thought, he was in a checkmate position.

The dull ache in his head began to sharpen into a throbbing pain.

‘What should I do? Truly, what should I do?’

With his movements restricted and his contacts limited, his choices were also narrow.

‘Is there no other way? Do I have no choice but to play along with him as he pretends to be tender?’

“Sigh.”

Haeryeong let out a quiet sigh as he massaged his throbbing temples.

****

Being kind to others was not difficult at all.

It was thanks to the lifelong education he had received regarding the virtues of a gentleman.

Furthermore, because his parents and siblings were of a mild nature, he had lived in harmony throughout his childhood, so there was no reason for him to be prickly.

But why was it so difficult when it came to that man?

Haeryeong thought blankly as he looked at the Emperor, who had visited him, saying the weather had cleared and suggesting a walk to the Buyeong Pavilion.

As he began eating solid food instead of porridge, Haeryeong’s physical condition was improving rapidly.

So, when he had time, he had been strolling through the rear garden, which the Emperor apparently didn’t like.

Did it offend him so much to see the Empress relaxing while he was busy with state affairs?

Haeryeong felt stifled, unable to understand the man’s heart for coming all this way in the middle of his duties to suggest a walk.

But what power did he have to stop him?

Haeryeong quietly followed the Emperor out.

Perhaps because ten days had already passed in March, the spring sun was quite strong.

Although the cold wind remained, the sunlight was warm, so it didn’t feel as cold as before.

In fact, because he was wearing a thick overcoat at the Emperor’s command, he even felt a bit hot.

The Emperor looked at Haeryeong, whose cheeks had turned red, and asked with curiosity.

“Is your fever rising again?”

“No, Your Majesty. It is simply that the sun is quite warm.”

“Still, the wind is cold, so keep it on.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

Instead, the Emperor signaled, and a large parasol was soon held over the two of them.

Once the stinging sun was blocked, the heat subsided a little.

As Haeryeong let out a sigh of relief, the Emperor—walking beside him—let out a short chuckle.

“If you were that hot, you should have told me earlier.”

“I am ashamed… it was not to that extent…”

Because the Emperor kept giving him pointed looks, he couldn’t speak in his usual ingrained manner, and it felt as though his heart were bursting.

Whether he knew this or not, the Emperor simply laughed joyfully whenever Haeryeong stopped mid-sentence.

‘Seeing how much he enjoys it, is he doing this on purpose?’

‘In any case, what a terrible disposition he has.’

Still, on the surface, the atmosphere was not bad.

In fact, it looked quite good.

It had to, since the Emperor was acting tenderly and Haeryeong was acting shy.

But how much longer would he have to keep up this charade?