Chapter 37: The Falcon’s Flight and the Golden Cage

Haeryeong shifted his gaze from the hawk to Suyong and tilted his head.

“Speak your mind.”

“It is not wise to treat different animals so disparately when taming them, as the way you treat the horse and the hawk seems too different…”

Suyong continued while gauging Haeryeong’s expression.

“Animals have feelings too, so if you treat them with such obvious partiality, their hearts are bound to be hurt; thus, if that fellow is not to your liking, it would be better to choose a different horse.”

Haeryeong, who had been listening in silence, nodded after a moment.

“I was shortsighted.”

That must be true, for even an animal would be hurt if openly discriminated against.

Having been treated that way his entire life, Haeryeong gained a profound realization from Su-yong’s words.

He looked back at the horse to find Nureongi staring at him, slowly blinking his large eyes.

Haeryeong smiled at the horse and waved his hand.

“I shall see you tomorrow, Nureongi.”

With a snort, the horse shook its head and finally trudged away, led by the stable master.

After watching the scene for a while, Haeryeong let out a sigh as he passed by Su-yong.

“You should have offered such advice to His Imperial Majesty as well.”

If there had been even one person like that, would he have reconsidered his actions?

Su-yong asked back blankly, as if he hadn’t quite caught the whispered remark.

“Pardon?”

Since it was not something worth repeating, Haeryeong quietly closed his mouth and walked toward a place suitable for training Changcheon.

Fortunately, there were many wide, flat areas near the stables, so there was no need to go near the Great Hall.

Swaying with every step, the hawk tilted its head back and forth.

Haeryeong smiled quietly at the soft gurgling sound coming from its throat.

“It is nothing.”

The hawk tilted its head again rapidly.

It looked curious, as if asking him to say more.

“What is it you want to hear, and why do you wear such an inquisitive expression?”

‘You’re making my heart weak, making me want to pour everything out to you.’

“You wouldn’t understand even if I told you, would you?”

Rolling its round eyes and gurgling, the hawk slightly spread its wings and crouched.

Then, with a flutter, it shook its tail feathers vigorously and let out a long, sharp cry.

“Yes, you want to fly; we are here now, so fly to your heart’s content today, for I shall let you fly all day long.”

He wondered if he could avoid lunch by using hawk training as an excuse.

Though he knew it was impossible, Haeryeong wanted to delay the time.

He had no desire to meet the Emperor again and see that sly smile.

He did not want to see the smile the man wore as he moved his hips atop him throughout last night and this morning.

But he knew it wouldn’t work, for the Black Shadow members would request to return once the time came.

They wouldn’t even let him use the excuse of losing track of time while focused on training.

Haeryeong watched with a dejected look as Su-yong ran far ahead to take his position, then he let the hawk fly at his signal.

Because the distance was short during the calling session, the hawk flew low.

He wanted to let it fly far away, but despite having wings, the hawk flew toward Su-yong’s glove as if it were already tamed.

Landing lightly and fluttering its wings, Changcheon wagged its tail feathers as it ate the meat.

In the meantime, Haeryeong shifted his gaze to the distant sky.

Even while looking at the vast blue expanse, his chest remained tight, and a sigh escaped him.

Why was it so stifling?

He vaguely knew the answer but didn’t want to be certain, so he turned his eyes away once more.

And he quietly called for his hawk.

“Chang-ah, come here.”

The hawk took flight even without a loud call.

Su-yong had likely released it right on cue, but the hawk flying toward him was still a beautiful sight.

As expected, when the time came, Su-yong approached and suggested they wrap up the training.

“Someone from the Office of Falconry will come soon, as it is time to start practicing with decoys.”

“Is that so?”

“After about a week of practice, we will head to the forest for actual pheasant hunting; you must build up your strength in the meantime, as you need to become accustomed to the horse.”

“I understand.”

Su-yong spoke up again, acting somewhat hesitant as Haeryeong nodded silently.

“And Your Highness, please do not be so formal with me; treating me comfortably is enough.”

“But are you not His Majesty’s right hand? How could I treat such a person comfortably?”

Su-yong laughed with an innocent expression.

“His Majesty told me to serve Your Highness from now on, so I am now Your Highness’s man.”

‘But you are a member of the Black Shadow Unit.’

Haeryeong swallowed those words and looked at the man’s friendly smile.

The Black Shadow Unit was a guard that answered only to the Emperor’s commands.

Even if the Emperor had assigned him to Haeryeong, it likely didn’t mean he was handing him over entirely.

It was more likely for the sake of surveillance.

As he thought quietly, Haeryeong realized a fact he had previously overlooked and blinked rapidly.

In his past life, the Emperor had certainly assigned the Black Shadows to the Noble Consort.

Though intermittent, there were many instances where a Black Shadow member followed the Consort.

In comparison, Haeryeong hadn’t even had a proper guard back then, let alone a Black Shadow member.

So why had he suddenly assigned one to him now?

A flash of realization struck his mind like lightning.

‘Could it be… has the favor already shifted?’

Haeryeong’s eyes went even wider, and a cold shiver ran down his spine.

Haeryeong immediately lowered his gaze.

It was to prevent Su-yong from seeing his shocked expression.

But perhaps he was a moment too late, as Su-yong asked tentatively.

“What is the matter?”

Haeryeong shook his head slowly.

“I simply realized I forgot to send word to Yeonseo, and I was worried my mother might be concerned.”

The man didn’t seem to doubt Haeryeong’s words and walked toward the palanquin, signaling they should return.

Haeryeong followed behind him, staring intently at the black-clad back.

‘Did I manage to fool him?’

He couldn’t rest easy.

No matter how innocent Han Su-yong looked, he was still one of the Emperor’s Black Shadows.

The Black Shadow Unit was famous for being cruel and devoid of any human emotion.

Those who saw them during the Emperor’s enthronement—when the blood of the executed officials filled the Great Hall—described them as literal yakshas.

Rumors whispered that they were composed of the most elite officers who had shared life and death with the Emperor during his time in the military.

They were men so loyal they would take their own lives at a single command from the Emperor.

The stories of the Emperor’s time in the military as a prince were famous enough to have reached Haeryeong in Yeonseo.

There was a tale of an officer who had distributed military supplies to refugees and then committed suicide on the spot without a single word of protest when the Emperor commanded it.

The supplies were said to be only a few scoops of grain.

Yet, for giving out an amount hardly enough for a family of four to eat a single meal, he had plunged his sword into his own chest instead of its scabbard at a single word from the Emperor.

Haeryeong hadn’t been afraid of marrying the Emperor for nothing.

Though the man was currently walking around with a hollow, toothless grin, he was by no means an easy person to deal with.

“Your Highness, we shall depart as soon as you board the palanquin.”

Haeryeong could not take his eyes off Han Su-yong even as Iryeon, who was waiting by the palanquin, opened the door.

Just what was the Emperor thinking by attaching this man to him?

The desire for surveillance was obvious, but the fact that he had been assigned exclusively was concerning.

‘Has the favor truly shifted from the Noble Consort to me?’

‘Just because we shared one heat cycle? There is no way.’

Haeryeong set aside his futile thoughts and climbed into the palanquin.

As he sat on the plush silk cushion, his body jolted involuntarily from the pain in the area ravaged by the Emperor and Nureongi.

“Your Highness, may we depart?”

Iryeon, having closed the door, approached the window and whispered.

Haeryeong barely managed to straighten his back and spoke quietly.

“Let us return.”

Every time the palanquin swayed, his lower half throbbed with fresh pain.

Whenever he felt the stinging ache, Haeryeong gripped his hands tight with downcast eyes.

He arrived at the Empress’s Palace a bit later than the usual time for lunch.

At the court ladies’ message that the Emperor was already inside, Haeryeong hurried in.

The Emperor was leaning against the table with his eyes closed.

As a former military officer sensitive to presence, he must have noticed Haeryeong entering, yet he remained perfectly still.

Haeryeong stopped at the entrance and fell into thought.

He needed to offer his respects, but if the man was actually asleep, he feared provoking his temper.

‘What should I do?’

He looked back at Iryeon, but she was only sending him a questioning look, perhaps because she couldn’t see inside past the door.

“What is the matter, Your Highness?”

Haeryeong shook his head and quietly stepped inside.

A soft rustle of his socks against the floor seemed abnormally loud.

When he unconsciously swallowed hard, the Emperor let out a breathy sound and smiled.

Haeryeong politely lowered his knees before the man, who was still leaning back with closed eyes.

“Your Majesty. Your servant has returned.”

The Emperor still gave no reaction.

With his knees bent and his waist bowed, Haeryeong simply waited in silence for him to say “Rise.”

Since it was etiquette ingrained since childhood, it didn’t even feel difficult at first.

He simply assumed the man was displeased by something again and prepared to endure his pettiness.

‘What did I do wrong?’

Haeryeong pondered the reason for the Emperor’s apparent bad mood for a long time while his head was bowed.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t think of a single thing, and his lips began to go dry with anxiety.

📚 Also on NHV Novels

A Boy’s Bizarre Tale

BLBoys LoveDrama

Read Now →
Not interested