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Join the Server“You are perspiring.
I shall have to send a palanquin for you next time.”
Haeryeong bowed his head and declined.
“The distance is not so great as to require a palanquin.
Your servant shall simply make more haste next time.”
The thought that he would be summoned again made his heart feel heavy for no reason.
“So, how have you fared during the days we did not meet?”
The Emperor asked, his hands fumbling with Haeryeong’s face.
His gaze swept over Haeryeong’s features, busy as he touched his cheeks and wiped the sweat from his brow.
“In the mornings, I have been practicing horsemanship as usual, and in the afternoons, the Vice-Director visits daily to instruct me.”
“I see. Is it manageable?”
“For now, I am merely reviewing the lists compiled for previous banquets.”
“A solid foundation ensures a long-lasting memory, so work hard even if it is tedious.”
As if stroking his cheeks weren’t enough, the Emperor whispered while peppering him with kisses.
Haeryeong submissively offered his cheek and replied.
“It is not tedious.
It is enjoyable to study after such a long time.”
“I am proud to see the Empress devoted to his learning.”
“Your grace is boundless.”
Only then was he able to properly see the Emperor’s face, which was now a short distance away.
Was he tired?
His aura seemed more languid than usual.
“Is Your Majesty in good health?
You look weary, which worries me.”
A dimple briefly appeared on his solid, masculine cheek.
He laughed joyfully, seemingly quite pleased by Haeryeong’s concern.
“The busy matters are mostly being handled.
It should… conclude within a day or two.”
Haeryeong had heard that the interrogations were continuing every night.
Since they had been tortured for several days, ‘concluding’ likely meant the prisoners’ lives would end by then.
A chill ran down his spine, making his shoulders shiver.
Noticing this, the Emperor wrapped his arm around him and whispered.
“It seems your body is growing cold.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. It appears so.”
The Emperor cradled Haeryeong completely, alternating kisses between his ear and cheek.
An underlying scent of peach blossoms wafted from the Emperor, who acted as if he were in a fever of desire.
The Emperor, who had been rubbing his lips against Haeryeong’s brow bone, suddenly let out a chuckle.
“It is truly strange.”
“What is strange, Your Majesty?”
“Even during the days we did not meet, your face kept flickering in my mind.
That is why I requested we dine together, hoping I would feel better once I saw you, but…”
‘Why do you trail off like that?
It only makes the listener anxious for no reason.’
The Emperor pulled his lips away and locked eyes with Haeryeong, a deep smile etched on his face.
“Now that I have seen your face, I realize it was longing.”
Haeryeong calmly lowered his eyes.
Without waiting for a reaction, the Emperor finished his sentence.
“I thought I would be satisfied once I saw you, but for some reason, it only makes me more impatient.”
“Your grace is boundless.”
The Emperor, who normally would have picked a fight over such a response, laughed heartily.
“I missed this side of you as well.”
Only then did Haeryeong lift his gaze to carefully examine the Emperor’s face.
He wondered what kind of face the man wore while speaking such lies.
The previous sharpness was nowhere to be seen in the tenderly curved eyes.
His expression did not look suspicious; rather, he simply looked a bit tired.
Perhaps his words were somewhat sincere.
At the very least, perhaps the claim that he wanted to see him was true.
He did not believe the man cherished him.
He simply felt that the Emperor currently found him more interesting than the Noble Consort.
Even if it wasn’t welcome, it meant he wasn’t so pathetic that he couldn’t attract the man’s attention.
The realization that he was even having such thoughts made the tip of his nose sting with sorrow.
“Why do you look at me so?”
“It is because I am moved to behold Your Majesty’s face after some time.”
“Moved?”
“It is my first time seeing Your Majesty look weary, so it feels unfamiliar and novel.”
The Emperor lightly furrowed his brow, seemingly dissatisfied with the answer.
“Is that all?”
Haeryeong stared blankly, wondering what else the man expected, prompting the Emperor to click his tongue.
“Do you not feel as though you have fallen for me again after our time apart, or that old memories have begun to return?”
Haeryeong was at a loss for words.
Even if he were in a position where he had to flatter, the words ‘I have fallen for you’ were not easily spoken.
As Haeryeong hesitated, the Emperor’s eyes narrowed.
“I would rather die than endure this.”
The Emperor scanned Haeryeong with a lukewarm look before calling for the Chief Eunuch waiting on the pavilion steps.
“Manchul. Bring them in.”
Haeryeong waited, thinking dinner was being served, but the items the eunuchs carried behind the Chief Eunuch were unmistakably jewelry boxes.
Over a dozen eunuchs filled the small pavilion to capacity and lined up down the steps.
When Haeryeong turned to the Emperor with startled eyes, the man chuckled and flicked his finger against Haeryeong’s cheek.
“I have prepared a gift for you.”
What day was it?
His birthday had already passed last month, so he wouldn’t be receiving a gift for that now.
“Are you not pleased? Your reaction is somewhat disappointing.”
“Your servant is… so surprised I have lost my words.”
“Are you so moved?”
His throat felt tight.
Perhaps it was because he was unaccustomed to this.
“Yes… Your Majesty.”
At the Emperor’s nod, a eunuch holding a jewelry box stepped forward.
The Emperor wrapped an arm around Haeryeong’s waist and urged him near his ear.
“Open it.”
When the lid of the first box was opened, the top tier was filled with jade hairpins that were clearly made of Changryeo jade.
Dragons, phoenixes, plum blossoms, peonies, butterflies, and pomegranates.
They were hairpins carved into all sorts of precious shapes.
The Chief Eunuch stepped forward to lift the first tier, revealing jade rings beneath, and the final tier was filled with jade norigaes.
Another box was filled with items made of red coral, and the one after that was full of gold ornaments.
Precious items he had never even possessed back in Yeonseo continued to appear.
The gold hairpins, intricately crafted, were also decorated with diamonds, rubies, and sapphires brought from other continents.
Before all the boxes could even be opened, Haeryeong let out a hollow laugh.
Was it truly this easy?
Was obtaining the Emperor’s heart such a simple matter?
He felt utterly drained.
His heart felt empty, as if a massive hole had been punched through his chest.
Why did he have to wait seven whole years for something so simple, only to die like that?
Because even tears would not come, Haeryeong simply smiled quietly as he usually did.
The Emperor, who had been staring at Haeryeong’s face, whispered in his ear.
“Are you happy?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Your grace is boundless.”
“I shall fill what is lacking later.
Since these were prepared in haste, there will be missing pieces, so please understand even if they do not fully satisfy you.”
“No, Your Majesty. This is already too much.”
Receiving the gentle stroke against his back, the sting in the tip of his nose finally intensified.
Tears began to blur his vision.
“Are you crying again?”
At the Emperor’s teasing, Haeryeong did his best to pull the corners of his mouth upward.
“No. Is your servant not smiling like this?”
The man could not have missed the trembling of his lips, yet Haeryeong gave it his all.
“I have also prepared an ample supply of silk from Yeonan.
I shall have the servants deliver it to the Empress’s Palace, so have some beautiful robes made for me to see.
The Chief Eunuch will assign a few seamstresses to assist you.”
“I shall do so.”
“Now then, let us eat.”
At the Emperor’s gesture, the eunuchs filed out of the pavilion.
Perhaps they had been waiting below, for as soon as they left, court ladies filled the table with food.
“Did you eat well while I was away?”
“Yes. I did not miss a single meal.”
“And did you take your medicine?”
“Yes.”
Though he had stopped taking the pills a while ago, he still took the restorative decoction with every meal.
The Emperor gently rubbed the back of his hand against the cheek of the quietly responding Haeryeong, his voice carrying a trace of a laugh.
“It seems you have put on some weight since you were ill.”
It was true that his cheeks had filled out more than before.
Feeling burdened by the Emperor’s gaze as he caressed his face as if enjoying the soft texture, Haeryeong dropped his eyes to the table.
After waiting for the warm rice and soup to be served, the Emperor picked up his utensils first.
“Let us eat.”
Haeryeong watched him wet his mouth with the soup, then picked up a piece of flower pancake and placed it on the man’s rice.
“Your Majesty’s noble face has grown quite gaunt.”
No sooner had Haeryeong’s chopsticks pulled away than the Emperor leaned forward and opened his mouth.
Even without a request to be fed, his expression made his desire plain to see.
Haeryeong picked up the pancake again and put it in the man’s mouth.
Before he could even close his mouth, Haeryeong leaned in and kissed his cheek, causing the Emperor’s eyes to go wide.
“Since I have no Imperial heir, Your Majesty is the only one I have to lean on.
Therefore, do not overexert yourself, and may you always be in robust health.”
The Emperor moved his jaw slowly, thoroughly chewing the pancake Haeryeong had fed him.
After swallowing it with a slowness that made it seem as if he were melting the food, he leaned in and kissed Haeryeong with greasy lips.
“The Empress’s reaction is better than I expected, which pleases me greatly.
I am quite happy.”
Haeryeong offered a picture-perfect smile and slowly moved his chopsticks to put rice into his own mouth.
Though the sweet taste of the rice spread through his mouth as he chewed, his appetite had vanished and did not return.
The excitement doesn't stop here! If you enjoyed this, you’ll adore The Moon Reflected In The Water. Start reading now!
Read : The Moon Reflected In The Water
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