Chapter 49: Amnesia Side Story 3: The Cold Shadow of the Past

“Your Majesty, are you in any pain?”

“What?”

“Does… does your head perhaps ache?”

Even after hearing words that bordered on verbal abuse, Hwaun’s voice was filled only with concern. It was a tone Ihan had never heard before. Before Ihan could respond to this strange dissonance, Eunuch Oh, having realized the gravity of the situation, began shouting toward the door.

“The Physician! Bring the Imperial Physician at once!”

A storm had descended upon the Imperial Palace once more—a place where everyone had thought the trouble would end the moment the Emperor woke up.

The Imperial Physician was drenched in sweat as he examined the Emperor. It was no wonder; not only was he facing the mountain-like pressure of the Emperor himself, but the Empress and the Noble Consort were sitting right behind him, waiting for the results.

Furthermore, since the Emperor claimed not to remember significant events that everyone else in the palace knew, the physician felt like he wanted to vanish into thin air. But there was no escape.

“How is His Majesty?”

It was Empress Jaran who finally broke the silence. The Emperor seemed uninterested in the physician’s answer, instead staring intently at Yeon Hwaun with a glare that was anything but loving.

Even after the physician arrived, the Emperor had raged, asking why “someone like Yeon Hwaun” was by his side and demanding he be removed. It was the Empress, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, who calmed him down.

‘Your Majesty, there is a reason for everything. Please trust me and allow the Noble Consort to remain here.’

If there was one person in the palace Ihan trusted absolutely, it was Jaran. Even the Emperor could not ignore a request she personally vouched for. Thus, Hwaun was allowed to stay.

Finally, the physician spoke in a trembling voice. “First… there are no other abnormalities in His Majesty’s physical body.”

“No abnormalities…?”

“Yes, Your Highness. However… it appears that due to the impact on his head when he fell, he has temporarily lost some of his memories.”

Even the bold Jaran could not help but let out a low groan. The Emperor was not just a man; he was the Son of Heaven and the nation itself. For an Emperor to lose his memory was a national disaster.

“This often happens after a sudden shock,” the physician added, trembling under the dark atmosphere. “Since there are no other issues, his memory should return naturally with time. However… we cannot know how long that will take.”

“We cannot know…”

“Yes, Your Highness. It could return tomorrow, or it could take a very long time.”

Eunuch Oh turned pale, and Hwaun bit his lip until his face went white. But the person most shocked was Ihan himself.

“I… lost my memory? That is impossible.”

Ihan couldn’t believe it. He knew who he was, he recognized everyone in the room, and he could recall every corner of the palace. There were no gaps in his memories of the imperial family, the officials, or his life.

Sensing his confusion, Jaran asked, “Your Majesty, do you remember the heavy snowfall from a few days ago?”

“Of course I remember. The damage in Shandong was particularly severe, so I ordered the Ministry of Revenue to handle it personally.”

His political memory was perfect. It was a relief, yet the worry remained. Eunuch Oh then asked cautiously, “Then, Your Majesty… how much do you remember regarding the Noble Consort—no, regarding Yeon-bin?”

Ihan answered confidently, just as he had about state affairs. “Did he not cause a scene, claiming he would drown himself in the pond?”

“Oh, heavens…”

Eunuch Oh lamented, forgetting his etiquette. It was a sigh from the depths of his soul, and though he was the only one who voiced it, everyone in the room felt the same.

Of all things to forget, he forgot his love for Yeon Hwaun. And he only remembers him at his absolute worst.

It was a cruel twist of fate, considering Hwaun himself had become a new person after that very pond incident. As an awkward silence fell, Ihan looked around, feeling strangely out of place. Eunuch Oh shook his head, and Jaran pressed her hand to her forehead.

Only Hwaun looked straight at him with eyes of unreadable depth. To Ihan, that gaze felt incredibly foreign—it was an expression he had never seen from the “Yeon Hwaun” he knew.

He wanted to snap at him for staring, but the words wouldn’t come. Just as he tried to figure out this strange sense of dissonance…

“Ugh…!”

A sharp pain tightened in Ihan’s chest. His head throbbed as if someone were squeezing his brain.

“Your Majesty! What is wrong?” the Empress shouted at the physician.

“Your Majesty, your memories will return slowly, so do not try to force them now! Forcing it will only cause harm!” the physician urged.

But Ihan didn’t need the physician to tell him where the pain was coming from. It was an instinctive sensation.

“That thing… get him out. Now.”

The Emperor’s trembling finger pointed at Hwaun, who had stood up in shock.

“Make him vanish from my sight… immediately!”

Ihan shouted desperately. Though he didn’t know the exact reason, he was certain of one thing: Yeon Hwaun was having a negative effect on him. He found no comfort in Hwaun’s out-of-place expression of concern.

“What… what are we going to do…?”

“Ajin.”

Hwaun calmly called out to Ajin, who was pacing frantically on the verge of tears. Only then did Ajin stop and bow her head guiltily.

“I’m sorry, Highness. I’m just making things more chaotic…”

She knew her master must be the most heartbroken, yet here she was causing a scene. But Hwaun shook his head.

“It’s not that, Ajin. I’m saying you don’t need to worry so much.”

“…Pardon?”

“It is a great relief just that His Majesty woke up safely.”

“W-well, that’s true, but…” Ajin couldn’t understand. Yes, he was awake, but he had forgotten everything about her master. All the progress, all the love—gone. She was terrified he would treat Hwaun cruelly again. “Highness, how can you be so calm…?”

Hwaun gently stroked the bracelet the Emperor had personally given him when he was appointed Noble Consort.

“They said it will return with time. That is enough. What I worry about… is how confused and uncomfortable His Majesty must be until then.”

“I’m worried about you…” Ajin pouted. She knew it was a consort’s duty to think of the Emperor, but her duty was to Hwaun. “He forgot he loves you… what if he treats you poorly again like before?”

That was Ajin’s greatest fear. She remembered all too well how much the Emperor had despised Hwaun in the past.

Hwaun simply maintained a serene expression.

“His Majesty waited for me through all the time I was lost and wandering with my own memory loss. It would be wrong of me if I couldn’t endure this much.”

“Highness…”

“As long as he is healthy, I can wait and endure as much as is needed. So, Ajin, steel your heart and do not worry.”

Ajin wanted to argue that this was different, but her master seemed to have already accepted the situation.

Hwaun smiled softly at her and turned to look out the window. Snowflakes were beginning to drift down.

It would be a lie to say he wasn’t anxious. Remembering the cold, frozen eyes of his lover made his heart sink. But he believed they would return. He believed his Emperor would not leave him like this forever.

He could wait. Just as he had chosen to be near the Emperor when there was no hope of ever being close, Hwaun could wait for a thousand, or ten thousand years.

Waiting was what Hwaun did best.