Chapter 26: A Hawk That Dreams of the Sky

“It is still a young boramae, I see?”

“What is that, Your Majesty?”

“Ah, I suppose in Yeonseo you call it a cheongmae. In Yeoran, we call a hawk with blue feathers a boramae. Have you given it a name?”

Haeryeong approached the window and nodded.

“Yes. I have named him Changcheon, after the clear blue sky.”

The Emperor stared blankly at Haeryeong’s face before letting out a somehow satisfied smile.

“A good name. It suits him well. Tell me whenever you need anything. I shall have a new glove and hood brought to you shortly.”

The Emperor personally closed the window that had been left open and gave Haeryeong a warning.

“If you leave it open like this, he will fly away. A hawk is inherently a creature that yearns for the sky.”

“Does he fly away even after being tamed?”

“A bird is a creature that can fly away at any moment, even after staying with you for years. So, ensure you put the hood on him whenever you place him on the perch. Do not cry after he has already flown away.”

Listening to his words, Haeryeong actually felt a desire to let Changcheon fly free.

‘A creature that yearns for the sky.’

Chang-i had wings, so he wanted to let him fly as much as he wished.

Unlike himself, who was bound to this palace and unable to move an inch, he wanted the bird to fly far, far away.

The Emperor, who had been in a good mood for some reason, did not return to his quarters after dinner and remained in the bedchamber.

Thus, they retired to bed much earlier than usual today.

While they were soaking together in the bath to prepare for sleep, the Emperor, who had been sitting back relaxed, suddenly straightened his head and asked a question.

“Are you not bothered by being with me like this, Empress?”

‘What was there to be bothered by?’

When Haeryeong wore a puzzled expression, the man lightly furrowed his brow.

“You were so embarrassed by a simple kiss, yet why are you so indifferent to being like this?”

“That is because… are we not wearing clothes?”

They weren’t washing completely naked; they were both wearing thin inner tunics and trousers, so what was there to be shy about?

Furthermore, having been served by others since childhood, he was accustomed to showing his bare body.

Besides, even if he had never seen the Emperor’s naked form, Haeryeong had shown his own bare body before him many times.

Though being prostrate like a dog had been humiliating, it was a far cry from the shyness or embarrassment the man spoke of.

Failing to understand what the Emperor meant, Haeryeong hesitantly lowered his gaze.

The Emperor rubbed his face with his wet hands and moved through the water to approach Haeryeong.

“Then I suppose I must do something shameful.”

When Haeryeong lifted his eyelashes, damp with steam, the man had drawn even closer.

Struggling to suppress the urge to retreat, Haeryeong waited quietly for his lips to approach.

He was steeled by the memory of his vow to give the Emperor whatever he wanted, yet the man stopped just before reaching him.

“Haeryeong-ah.”

At the quietly called name, Haeryeong lifted his downcast eyes to look at him.

Haeryeong cautiously swept his tongue across his parched mouth.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

When he barely managed to part his stuck-together lips to reply, the man moved to the very edge of his personal space and whispered against the bridge of his nose.

“You do it.”

His breath began to hitch slightly at the sweet flower scent that started to waft between them.

When Haeryeong tilted his head and offered a gentle kiss, the Emperor giggled and twisted his head.

“You are not a child; is this the end of it?”

Every time he spoke, his warm breath tickled and swept over Haeryeong’s lips.

Haeryeong parted his trembling mouth slightly, taking the man’s lips into his own and sucking gently.

When he took the plump, soft flesh into his mouth once more, the man parted his lips and pushed out his flushed tongue.

Haeryeong bit the wet, slippery tongue and sucked on it slowly.

A faint, tickling sensation passed as the small bumps on the tongue brushed against his lips.

The Emperor received the kiss while slowly caressing Haeryeong’s back over his wet clothes.

When his body flinched at the touch that stroked him without urgency, the man let out a chuckle against his lips.

“You must breathe.”

When the Emperor whispered during a brief moment their lips were apart, Haeryeong let out a jagged breath.

The Emperor pushed into the mouth that had parted briefly to gasp for air, occupying it with his thick tongue as if to conquer it.

Haeryeong waited quietly with his fisted hands resting on the man’s chest.

‘I hope he grows bored and this loathsome kiss ends quickly.’

It was a long while later before Haeryeong was finally released.

After changing into fresh clothes with the help of the court ladies and entering the bedroom, he saw the Emperor’s bare back as the man was being dressed.

Though it had been a while since the war ended and three years since he became Emperor, his back was still covered in solid, well-defined muscles.

His gaze was stolen by that back, so different from his own body, until he met the eyes of the Emperor, who had finished donning his tunic and turned around.

The man approached with a smile crinkling his eyes and leaned down to peer into Haeryeong’s face.

“What are you staring at so intently?”

Haeryeong hesitated for a moment before replying quietly.

“I was looking at Your Majesty’s back.”

“How lewd of you. Tell me, what were you thinking while looking at my naked body?”

The Emperor leaned down and scooped Haeryeong up, carrying him toward the bed.

Having been carried several times when he was ill, Haeryeong was no longer particularly surprised.

As he leaned quietly against the solid shoulder, the Emperor let out a low, amused laugh and walked carefully, as if cradling a child.

After they had burrowed under the quilt together, the man pressed for an answer.

“I asked what you were thinking while looking at my bare body; why do you not answer?”

“I simply… felt that you were very different from me.”

“In what way?”

“Your skin is darker, and you looked very solid.”

Perhaps it wasn’t a sufficient answer, as he continued to press for more.

“And what else?”

Haeryeong shifted his wide eyes, agonizing over what kind of answer to give him.

“There is… nothing more, I believe.”

The Emperor burst into laughter, seemingly finding something incredibly funny, and his hand began to fumble and trace up Haeryeong’s back.

“The Empress’s back is far too thin. I can feel every vertebra when I touch you like this; I fear you might break if I handle you incorrectly.”

‘Is he saying he will break me if the opportunity arises?’

Haeryeong shivered and burrowed deeper into his embrace.

It was an instinctive action, as he had realized that pretending to be weak worked reasonably well.

“Please do not do that.”

“Do what?”

Haeryeong shivered as he felt the hand that had slipped beneath his tunic tracing his vertebrae one by one.

“I have heard that if one’s spine breaks, they become a cripple. Therefore…”

“You are asking me not to break you?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Tsk.” The Emperor narrowed his eyes and clicked his tongue.

Then, he spread his hand wide against Haeryeong’s back and whispered in his ear.

“I would rather die than deal with that. Enough, just go to sleep.”

Perhaps due to the tension, his back had grown cold, but the man’s large, warm hand covered it and rubbed gently.

Slowly, his stiffened body began to melt into the now-familiar body heat.

The Emperor emitted a scent so faint it was almost unnoticeable, stroking his back until Haeryeong finally fell asleep.

The peach blossom scent, which the man released bit by bit whenever they were together—claiming it was per the physician’s prescription—settled softly within the canopied bed.

His breathing, which had been quick and gasping at first, gradually slowed, and sleep finally began to pull at him.

‘How strange. His touch, which used to make me recoil, is starting to feel slightly tender.’

‘But how long will this whim last?’

Even as he fell into sleep, Haeryeong firmly suppressed the heart that tried to stir within him.

‘I shall expect nothing.’

Chanting it like a mantra, he surrendered his consciousness without hesitation to the encroaching god of sleep.

It was the best choice to avoid thinking of futile things.

After breakfast, Han Su-yong of the Black Shadow Unit arrived.

Since he needed someone to help receive the hawk for his daily “calling for food” training, Haeryeong welcomed him gladly.

At the thought that it was for Chang-i’s training, even the black uniform of the Black Shadows was not so frightening.

There was no open space large enough near the Empress’s Palace to fly the bird, so they headed to the main courtyard in front of the Great Hall.

He was uneasy because it was a place where officials frequently passed, but he had heard there was no other place suitable for Chang-i to fly without obstacles.

The long path paved with flat stones was the same path Haeryeong had walked in his wedding robes on the day of his marriage.

Perhaps because it had been a long time, and the situation was so different now, he felt strangely moved.

After scanning the vast courtyard once, Haeryeong waited for Suyong to move further away and whispered to Changcheon, who was perched on his arm.

“Fly just a little bit. Even if you want to fly far away right now, please stay by my side for just a while longer.”

“Once this hunt is over, I shall release you to wherever you wish to go. I ask this of you, Changah.”

When the hood was removed, the hawk blinked its round eyes and tilted its head back and forth.

Then, it began to hop along Haeryeong’s forearm and spread its wings with a flutter.

Even though he knew the bird could not go far since the training line was tied to the cord connecting its legs, Haeryeong’s heart fluttered at the sound of Changcheon’s wings.

“You want to fly, don’t you? Far away.”

Chang-i looked back at Haeryeong and let out a small, gurgling cry.

Haeryeong smiled broadly at the sound, which felt like an answer.

“I shall ask His Majesty after the hunt is over. If he refuses, I shall release you in secret, so please, just get along with me until then.”

“Ppi.” The short sound, with a slight rise at the end, felt like it was asking why.

Haeryeong paused before answering, “I wonder.”

“Perhaps it is because you are my only friend. I simply want to be with you a little longer.”

Just as Haeryeong finished speaking, Suyong raised his arm, holding a piece of meat in his glove.

At the moment he shouted “Changah!” with a loud voice, Haeryeong lifted his arm and let the hawk take flight.

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