Chapter 69: Echoes of the Past, Shadows in the Garden

“Is something amiss at the Ministry of Justice?”

Although Anok spent more than eighty percent of his day by his master’s side, he addressed Eunuch Im—whose wide network of acquaintances made him famously quick to catch the wind of any rumor—with a casual, offhand query. As if waiting for this exact moment, Eunuch Im eagerly recounted the details of the brawl that had taken the capital by storm.

“……And so, it is said that Duke Yu personally petitioned the Ministry of Justice to oversee the final judgment. Furthermore, the Censorate is expected to initiate an official audit into the Assistant Director of the Capital Market Board within the coming days.”

With his eyes narrowed into thoughtful slits, Anok tried to dredge up the memories from seven years past, yet all that resurfaced were sparse fragments of his own dire circumstances at the time. The painful memories of that agonizing era had, at times, evaporated without leaving so much as a trace.

In the end, Anok could recall nothing beyond the simple fact that Duke Yu firmly supported Prince Hye. Since a political connection existed, it was only natural that Prince Hye had personally stepped into the fray. Yet something about the matter left an uncomfortable, lingering aftertaste.

The whole affair was remarkably insidious. While the brawl itself might have been a stroke of random chance, was there truly a need to drag such an issue all the way up to the Ministry of Justice? Even putting aside the fact that the dispute involved a government official and the second son of a ducal house, it felt deeply unnatural.

Observing Anok lost in deep contemplation, Eunuch Im and Court Lady Yu maintained a respectful silence, standing a short distance away to guard his side. Only the shimmering rays of the afternoon sun hovered beside Anok, bathing him in warm, shifting light.

Meanwhile, immediately following Eunuch Im’s brief visit to the Ministry of Justice, Eunuch Seok slipped into the inner hall.

Knowing full well that his master preferred to keep servants at a distance when buried in state affairs, Eunuch Seok usually conducted himself like a shadow—present, yet practically invisible. However, he felt he must inform his master that Eunuch Im had come by to scout the premises.

The Vice Minister of Justice was still standing beside Yeo Jae-won. The two men exchanged a few final remarks regarding the conflict between the Market Board official and Duke Yu’s second son. Only after the Vice Minister received his orders and withdrew did Eunuch Seok step closer to his master.

“His Highness the Consort is currently waiting at the Hamyang Pavilion.”

“He remains there instead of returning to the estate?”

“Indeed, Your Highness.”

It was Yeo Jae-won himself who had not expected Anok to wait for him. Displaying a rare moment of visible surprise, he quickly smoothed his expression back into an indifferent facade.

Though he had spent the entire morning meticulously concealing his injured hand from the eyes of others, Yeo Jae-won now paid no heed to the cloth exposed beyond his sleeve as he hurriedly straightened his desk.

Seeing clearly that his master intended to depart in haste now that affairs at the Ministry of Justice were roughly wrapped up, Eunuch Seok stepped forward to assist him.

“Are you taking your leave for the day, Your Highness?”

The Vice Minister of Justice, who had stepped away for a moment, brightened noticeably at the sight of his formidable superior—who was far more terrifying to deal with than the Minister himself—preparing to depart. Before him, Yeo Jae-won merely offered a silent nod, naturally tucking his bandage-wrapped hand back into the deep folds of his sleeve.

“The court is bound to fall into an uproar over the dispatch of the diplomatic mission to the Realm of Jangseo.”

The reason why Duke Yu, a key partisan of Prince Hye, had gone out of his way to cause a disturbance over his own son’s brawl and drag it to the Ministry of Justice was glaringly obvious. No matter how Yeo Jae-won handled the matter, Duke Yu would find fault with the verdict, using it before the Emperor to paint Prince Myeong in a negative light and naturally elevate Prince Hye in contrast.

Grasping the underlying scheme, the Vice Minister of Justice nodded in understanding.

“Every official in the Ministry of Justice shall exert their utmost effort to ensure this matter is resolved without flaw.”

Before stepping entirely outside the administration building, Yeo Jae-won paused. He briefly deliberated whether to voice his thoughts aloud, but ultimately decided against it.

“Pay no mind to Duke Yu’s faction. Settle the matter with absolute, unyielding impartiality.”

“I shall keep Your Highness’s words firmly in mind.”

The Vice Minister of Justice understood enough from these words to realize that Yeo Jae-won had no intention of dancing to Duke Yu’s tune, even with the coveted leadership of the diplomatic mission to Jangseo on the line.

While Yeo Jae-won believed the Market Board official’s manner of delivery had been flawed, he deemed the man’s core concerns entirely valid. While securing the position of chief envoy would offer a grand opportunity to amass political merit, he had no intention of abandoning what he believed to be right according to his principles merely to obtain it.

Stepping out of the official quarters, Yeo Jae-won walked toward Hamyang Pavilion with long, brisk strides. Only Eunuch Seok, far shorter in stature, struggled to conceal his distress as he scrambled to keep pace behind him.

It would soon be the season for trumpeter vines to bloom. Thinking of the blossoms that would soon hang plump and alluring like ripe fruit along every surrounding wall of Anhwa Garden, Anok could not help but recall the day he had met his demise.

His past self—the self of merely a few months ago—could never have imagined harboring the audacity to talk back to Noble Consort Sa, voicing aloud the defiance he had previously swallowed in silence.

A soft, faint chuckle escaped his lips. Having finally uttered aloud the thoughts he had kept strictly locked in his heart felt surprisingly liberating.

Nor could his past self have ever anticipated hearing the words “I shall wait for you” from Yeo Jae-won—a man to whom he had ultimately been forced to surrender all hope.

Once again, his thoughts drifted back to Yeo Jae-won—a man he now treated as though he had entirely forgotten how to harbor resentment.

The sight of Yeo Jae-won unhesitatingly injuring his own hand to protect him had been thoroughly unexpected. That desperate figure, striving so earnestly to become something in Anok’s life, was an image Anok had never once imagined—so unfamiliar that it felt as though he were gazing upon a complete stranger.

Yet why had the Yeo Jae-won of the past never been like this?

The man of today, much like himself, was living a repeated life. Though he had no inkling as to how such a miracle was possible, Anok currently assumed that Yeo Jae-won had simply been dragged along into his own regression. Perhaps under that influence, Yeo Jae-won had transformed into the very version of himself that Anok had once so desperately yearned for.

Yet that realization changed nothing fundamental within Anok. Ever since the moment he had resolved to embrace death in his past life, his heart had grown utterly exhausted. There was no remaining crevice left within him to open anew.

Just then, a long shadow swept quietly over Anok, casting its shade across his frame.

“……Ah.”

Involuntarily lifting his head, a faint gasp escaped Anok’s lips. Standing before him was the tall, imposing figure of a remarkably handsome man, silently blocking the stinging rays of the afternoon sun with his own body. It was a sight that would make anyone pause in breathless quiet.

“I heard you were waiting.”

“Because there was only one carriage.”

Yeo Jae-won naturally extended his hand toward Anok.

Looking back, Yeo Jae-won had been much the same in his past life. He would rise to his feet before the primary consort seated beside him and reach out his hand. Back then, as a newlywed, Anok would take that hand with an overflowing heart—though as time wore on, he had taken it while struggling to mask his growing inner turmoil.

This time, Anok did not take his hand. Instead, he stared silently at the bandage wrapped around Yeo Jae-won’s wrist before pulling himself up on his own.

Stepping out from Hamyang Pavilion, the two walked quietly side by side along the path stretching beneath the outer walls of Anhwa Garden. While the sight of a husband and wife walking together appeared entirely natural on the surface, a thick, suffocating silence lay between them, carving an awkward divide into their shared steps.

“Did anything happen at Damyeon Palace?”

Intending to shake his head immediately and reassure him that nothing worrisome had transpired, Anok caught himself and paused to measure his words carefully.

For some strange reason, those within the imperial palace firmly believed that Prince Myeong doted upon his consort with absolute devotion. Looking at the present Yeo Jae-won, it was not a rumor Anok particularly felt the urge to deny, yet considering the true state of their bond, it remained undeniably perplexing.

“No, nothing in particular……”

“Did she utter any useless nonsense to you?”

Does Yeo Jae-won somehow know what transpired between Noble Consort Sa and me inside Damyeon Palace? Anok started to cast a fleeting glance sideways, but quickly checked himself, fixing his gaze rigidly straight ahead.

Ever since their bitter confrontation inside Unyeong Hall, it would be a lie to say he felt comfortable around Yeo Jae-won. Thus, Anok merely shook his head, swallowing his words.

On the other hand, Yeo Jae-won could not bring himself to believe Anok’s claim that nothing had happened. Since he did not retain complete memories of his past life, he could not recall the exact dynamic that had existed between Anok and Noble Consort Sa. Yet based on his own strained relationship with Noble Consort Sa, it was exceedingly easy to predict that she would view Anok through a venomous lens.

“Anok.”

At the sudden call of his name, Yeo Jae-won brought his steps to a halt. Walking half a step behind him, Anok—caught off guard by the abrupt stop—nearly collided with his broad back, blinking in startled surprise.

“……Speak, Your Highness.”

It was fortunate there was no one else nearby. Realizing he had unconsciously uttered Anok’s true given name aloud, Yeo Jae-won felt a sudden wave of fluster. Yet Anok seemed to pay no mind to the address itself, far too preoccupied with hiding his flustered reaction over nearly walking into him.

“Whether at Damyeon Palace or anywhere else—if you are subjected to insult or humiliation, do not simply endure it in silence.”

“Pardon?”

“I mean that if you hear unpleasant words, or if someone treats you with insolence, do not swallow your anger for the sake of endurance.”

These words were far more shocking than the sudden use of his name or the near-collision. Anok stood completely frozen, staring blankly at Yeo Jae-won.

In his past life, Anok had always believed Yeo Jae-won wanted him to remain quiet, unassuming, and free of trouble. Indeed, that had likely been the truth back then. He was a man who sought to keep everything—what Anok saw, heard, spoke, and did—under his absolute control.

Yet to tell him not to endure in silence when insulted sounded entirely alien—words that could never have come from Yeo Jae-won’s mouth. After a moment of stunned hesitation, a light, involuntary laugh broke from Anok’s lips.

Was the man standing before him truly the very same person who had demanded that he remain dignified, unyielding, and utterly unbothered before others—as the Consort of the Third Prince, as the Crown Princess, and as the Empress? It felt almost impossible to believe.

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