Chapter 8 : A King’s Silent Compassion

Since all the emotions that could never be permitted to a lowly commoner had already been granted by the most noble Emperor under the heavens, Hwaun could finally speak the words he thought he would never be able to utter until the day he died.

Ihan simply gazed into Hwaun’s eyes for a long time without a word. He was carefully carving every single word Hwaun had exhaled into his own heart. Then, he gently took Hwaun’s hands, which were touching his face, and devotedly kissed the tips of his fingers, his wrists, and the white, tender flesh revealed along the fallen sleeves.

All the pain that had been tormenting Ihan until a moment ago was pushed a thousand miles away, not daring to approach. This was something only Yeon Hwaun could achieve.

“I… because I love you so much….”

It was a confession he had made countless times on countless days, yet not once had it been anything less than precious. Hwaun’s answer was not heard in words. Instead, he accepted Ihan’s lips—which pressed against his once more—deep inside, surrendering his entire self. The single trail of a tear shed by Hwaun was the answer to that confession.

“He stopped in front of him?”

Ihan, who had been leafing through a book while listening to Eunuch Oh, suddenly stopped his movements and turned his head to ask. He was just hearing from Eunuch Oh about how Hwaun had acted when passing through the outer gate today—specifically, when passing in front of Seocheon.

“Yes. It is said that he stopped for a moment, encouraged him by saying he was working hard, and told him to take good care of himself so that he could serve Your Majesty well.”

“…I knew it. That fellow must have used his eyes to signal his pity, taking advantage of a gentle person’s heart to make him worry.”

By ‘that fellow,’ he meant Seocheon, who was guarding the outer gate of Anjeong-jeon.

Eunuch Oh swallowed a sigh at the Emperor’s words, which flowed out immediately as if there were no need for deliberation. It wasn’t as if Hwaun did this every time he entered or exited Anjeong-jeon; since Seocheon had been reassigned, this was at most the second time Hwaun had stopped to speak to him.

Of course, it wasn’t a common occurrence for a concubine to bother speaking to a guard, but if one considered the special bond between the two, it was not incomprehensible.

On the day Hwaun was granted the title of Consort, Eunuch Oh had heard an unbelievable truth from the Emperor regarding Yeon Hwaun. It was something that defied common sense, but since the Emperor—who was like the heavens—had confirmed it, Eunuch Oh could not dare to doubt it.

In fact, once one moved past the doubt of whether it was possible for two souls to switch, it was actually more convincing when looking at Hwaun’s rapidly changed behavior.

Knowing that a mere commoner was daring to wear the skin of a concubine and pretend to be the son of a loyal subject, Eunuch Oh knew there could be no greater treason. Yet, in the end, he had no choice but to keep his mouth shut and pretend he had heard nothing.

The Emperor had already permitted it. If Eunuch Oh wanted to question the right and wrong of this matter, he would have to question the Emperor, and there was no way Eunuch Oh—who had long ago resolved to offer his life in loyalty to his lord—could do that. As long as the Emperor was happy, Eunuch Oh was fine with anything else.

Eunuch Oh struggled to maintain his composure and continued.

“The one who spoke directly with the Jin Consort was not Seocheon, but another guard standing watch with him. After leaving those short words, the Jin Consort immediately came inside to see Your Majesty.”

“It is only natural, as Jin-bi is always upright in his conduct and has eyes for no one but me. The problem is that fellow. He must have stood there looking at him with such a pitiful face that Jin-bi had no choice but to stop. I am certain of it.”

Despite Eunuch Oh’s rational explanation, Ihan was stubborn. He was acting out of spite, even though he knew it was an absurd stretch.

Indeed. The Emperor of the Great Anguk, Seong Ihan, was currently jealous of a guard who was once a mere commoner. Recalling that this ridiculous situation was by no means the first time, Eunuch Oh shook his head so slightly it was imperceptible.

In fact, it was the Emperor’s will to appoint Seocheon as the guard for the outer gate of Anjeong-jeon. It was a move Ihan had made unilaterally, something neither Hwaun nor Seocheon himself had requested.

After learning Hwaun’s true identity, the existence of Seocheon was a truly difficult thorn in Ihan’s side. It was annoying enough that he was the closest friend Yeon Hwaun had during the time he lived as ‘Haun,’ and Hwaun had even mentioned that Seocheon suspected and was certain of his true identity.

When he first heard that, Ihan felt a surge of jealousy he had never experienced in his life, to the point where he wanted to banish the man from the Imperial Palace forever.

But he couldn’t do it. Getting rid of a single commoner wasn’t the issue; he could have had him killed without a sound if he wished. But Ihan could not bring himself to kill him, nor even to banish him.

Ihan could not imagine how grueling it must be to live out the rest of one’s life under someone else’s name while hiding one’s true identity. Some might say it was a good thing, as he had laundered his status and ended a bottomless life to live a completely new, wealthy, and noble life that couldn’t even be compared to his past. But Ihan knew that his lover actually carried a deep sense of guilt in his heart.

The reason he eventually couldn’t hide this disaster-like truth and confessed it to Ihan was that it was painful for him. The fact that he was occupying something good that belonged to someone else remained a constant wound in his exceptionally kind heart.

So, no matter how much Ihan now knew the truth and permitted his existence, it would never be easy for Hwaun to lose his original name and identity and live another person’s life in their stead.

That was why Ihan had thought: perhaps if even one person who knew the existence of ‘Haun’ and remembered his appearance remained in this palace, it might provide a small comfort to the heart of Hwaun, whose name had been erased forever. For that reason, Ihan swallowed his burning jealousy and kept Seocheon in the palace.

“If he were at least ugly or lacked virtue, I could use that as an excuse to kick him out, but he does his work so well. He’s a very cunning fellow.”

Ihan muttered, grinding his teeth. There was not a speck of doubt regarding Hwaun’s heart. The relationship between him and Seocheon would continue to be that of a Consort and a guard—nothing more, nothing less.

No matter what bond they had in the past, and whether Seocheon knew Hwaun’s identity or not, it was impossible for the two of them to return to the casual friendship they once had.

Nevertheless, thinking of that man made Ihan’s blood boil. He felt wronged and angry. When he thought about the fact that the man knew of Hwaun’s past—that precious, precious time when he lived as Haun—which Ihan himself did not fully know, he felt such a bitter ache that he wanted to punch the air, losing all his royal dignity.

It was for that reason that, while he didn’t kick Seocheon out of the palace, he could not leave him as a part of Jeongan Palace.

However, Eunuch Oh, who had been listening calmly without being particularly swayed by Ihan’s reaction, spoke up in a sly, serpent-like voice.

“Even if you say that, wasn’t it Your Majesty who gave that man special treatment?”

“Do you think I did that because I like him?”

Ihan snapped his head around and glared at Eunuch Oh, raising his voice. Eunuch Oh simply bowed his head, his face still showing not a single sign of being bothered.

Eunuch Oh was right. A guard of commoner origin had overnight become the one guarding Anjeong-jeon, where the Emperor resided. Even if it was just the outer gate, considering that the guards protecting the interior and exterior of Anjeong-jeon were selected from the most talented sons of the nobility, it was an absurd appointment. There was no need to describe how many voices of opposition had boiled over because of this.

Even if it were a reward for saving the life of the Emperor’s most favored concubine twice, it was excessive. It eventually came to pass because of the Emperor’s firm stance, refusing to back down or allow rebuttal, but it was by no means an easy task.

“It is only so that fellow can live well in a good position, so Jin-bi won’t have to worry or think about him. That is all.”

“Is that so?”

Ihan glared at Eunuch Oh even more, finding it annoying how he pretended not to know something he already knew by asking “Is that so?”, before eventually letting out a deep sigh.

“If I can’t chase him far away anyway, it’s better to keep him near me and watch him.”

Having finished speaking, Ihan fell into thought, habitually tapping his finger on the desk.

Actually, if that were the only reason, there was no need to call him all the way to Anjeong-jeon. He could have just provided a moderately good and comfortable position elsewhere.

But Ihan had considered Hwaun’s heart more deeply. The Imperial Palace was a vast place, and especially for a concubine like Hwaun, the places he could go were limited. If Seocheon were to work in some corner of the palace, Hwaun might never cross paths with him again for the rest of his life.

Ihan could not bring himself to say he wished for that. He could not, driven by his own jealousy, use his own hands to completely isolate Yeon Hwaun from his past life.