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Join the ServerGangcheon ignored them and strode into the Empress’s Palace.
He could feel the presence of the court ladies hurrying busily behind him.
Despite the number of people following him, the Empress’s Palace was as silent as if it were submerged deep underwater.
The rustle of his robes as he walked with long strides sounded strangely desolate.
Gangcheon furrowed his brow, feeling a sense of unease.
He entered the inner chamber where the Empress spent most of his time, but the room was empty.
As Gangcheon scanned the vacant space and turned his head, Head Court Lady Yang, who had followed him in late, bowed and spoke cautiously.
“His Highness is currently on the raised loft.”
“I shall go and bring him to you…”
Before she could even finish her sentence, Gangcheon left the inner chamber and headed for the loft that looked out over the rear garden.
The door connecting to the corridor was open, allowing him to see the Empress’s profile from inside.
The Empress was staring blankly at the garden with a book laid open on a small desk.
Gangcheon watched him for a while, but the Empress merely rubbed the edge of a page between his fingers, his gaze fixed outside the entire time.
It was as if he had no interest whatsoever in the book he was fidgeting with.
Considerable time had passed since he was ordered to attend the banquet, yet seeing him dressed in such simple, unadorned clothing, it was clear he had never intended to attend from the start.
His long, untied hair blew in the wind, obscuring his profile.
Because of that, his face was not clearly visible, yet one could tell at a glance that heavy sighs were leaking incessantly from his parted lips.
Gangcheon watched his lips exhale sigh after sigh and scowled.
The unpleasantness he had felt earlier reared its head once more.
He felt a sickening churn in his chest.
As Gangcheon stepped onto the loft, Haeryeong, sensing his presence, turned his head in shock.
His wide, round eyes crinkled slightly before he immediately knelt on the spot and bowed his head deep.
“You claimed to be unwell, yet you do not particularly look the part.”
Seeing Haeryeong’s back flinch, Gangcheon issued a command to those behind him.
“Head Court Lady Yang. Ensure the Empress is fully groomed within half an hour.”
Gangcheon narrowed his eyes into a smile toward Haeryeong, who was looking up with a troubled expression.
“I have personally come to fetch you, so hurry your preparations. I shall wait for you.”
“Your servant is…”
Gangcheon ignored Haeryeong’s words and continued.
“Do not make me repeat myself. Empress, you cannot refuse my command.”
Haeryeong stole a glance upward before slowly lowering his eyes.
Looking down at his trembling pupils, Gangcheon pulled his lips into a wide smile.
“Dress yourself beautifully. I have bestowed an armful of jewelry upon you, so adorn yourself magnificently.”
“I know well that you are a useless thing of no account, but surely you can at least act as a pretty flower by my side. Is that not so?”
Haeryeong’s head dropped further and further.
His cascading hair covered his face entirely, acting like a bed canopy.
Watching the black strands sway gently in the breeze, Gangcheon leaned down and reached out toward him.
As he caught the deeply bowed chin and tilted it up, the trembling eyes were laid bare.
“I shall tell you what the Empress is to do at the banquet. Adorn yourself elegantly and smile happily by my side.”
“Act as if you are a person who has nothing more to envy in this world, as if you are overwhelmed by my favor. That is your duty. Do you understand?”
The Empress closed his eyes in resignation.
“I obey the Emperor’s command.”
Gangcheon released his chin and stood up.
As he stepped off the loft, he passed the waiting Head Court Lady Yang and commanded:
“Pay close attention to the Empress’s grooming.”
As Gangcheon moved, the staff waiting in the corridor leading to the loft followed silently behind.
Walking toward the inner chamber, Gangcheon sensed the Empress’s presence at the rear of the group and clicked his tongue softly.
Upon entering the inner chamber and taking his seat, Gangcheon ordered the Empress’s jewelry and clothing to be brought forth.
The court ladies diligently brought out garments suitable for a banquet, but not a single one satisfied his eye.
‘Are the silks from Yeonan I bestowed recently still being tailored?’
As Gangcheon’s expression grew displeased, the court ladies’ movements became even more frantic.
He wondered why everything they possessed was either white or blue.
Clicking his tongue, he rejected the numerous outfits the court ladies displayed before finally settling on a robe of red silk with black accents.
Seeing the garment magnificently adorned with gold leaf, Haeryeong’s face turned stony.
“I am terrified to speak… but those are the wedding robes I wore when I came from Yeonseo. I do not believe they are suitable for a banquet.”
Gangcheon stole a glance at him as he sat with an expressionless, downcast gaze, then nodded toward Head Court Lady Yang.
“Let us simply say that I wished to see you in your wedding attire again after all this time.”
After choosing a black belt embroidered with phoenixes in gold thread, Gangcheon watched silently as the Empress was assisted with his change of clothes.
Having always seen him in plain attire, the sight of him in such voluminous, undulating silk was quite beautiful.
Recalling his face when it was even more youthful than now, Gangcheon wetted his parched mouth with his tongue.
“It suits you well.”
While the belt was being fastened, Haeryeong, who had kept his arms slightly extended, stole a glance in this direction and gave a light bow.
“Your grace is boundless.”
Gangcheon watched him intently and carefully selected pieces from the jewelry boxes the court ladies held to adorn the Empress.
He had his hair put up with a gold-decorated phoenix crown and a phoenix hairpin embedded with rubies imported from the West, then had gold chains and colorful jade decorative cords attached to the pins.
Around his waist, he had a norigae hung with clusters of Changryeo jade and red coral.
Even on his hands, which would be hidden beneath the long, trailing sleeves, Gangcheon had gold and silver bracelets placed before finally nodding in satisfaction.
The overall look possessed not a shred of true dignity, but he did not care.
The only task for the Empress at today’s banquet was to be draped in the gifts he had received from the Emperor.
As soon as the Empress’s preparations were finished, Gangcheon strode out of the palace.
He could hear the sound of Haeryeong following behind, dragging the long hem of his robes across the floor.
Perhaps due to the weight of the voluminous clothing, his pace was slower than usual.
Gangcheon let out a long breath through his nose as he turned and saw the distance between them had widened significantly.
While he stood and waited, Haeryeong approached and bowed his head as if ashamed.
The long decorative cords from his hairpins slid down, dangling near his face.
Without a word, Gangcheon scooped up the man who had drawn close.
“There is no time to dally, so understand.”
It was already time for the officials to be gathered at the banquet hall.
Since he had summoned them all on a whim, they would likely be wondering why the Imperial couple had not yet appeared.
Gangcheon whispered toward Haeryeong, who was hesitantly resting a hand on his shoulder.
“Why don’t you try a smile?”
“What… do you mean by that, Your Majesty?”
“I am saying you should practice the smile you will wear at the banquet.”
When Gangcheon looked up at the man held slightly higher than himself, Haeryeong, wearing a look of distress, forced a smile as his lips trembled.
Gangcheon let out a deep sigh.
“You used to show such convincing smiles even when you didn’t mean them. Is it that you no longer feel the need to do so?”
Turning his gaze away from the face that had instantly turned dejected, Gangcheon spoke one more time as he walked.
“You must be pleased to live such an easy life. I envy you.”
Haeryeong remained silent until they left the palace grounds, only responding as they reached the waiting palanquin.
“I have no memory of living a single easy day since I arrived in Yeoran.”
Gangcheon stole a glance at him and took his seat in the palanquin while still holding Haeryeong.
The man squirmed as if trying to escape his embrace.
“Please let me go, Your Majesty.”
“I did not prepare a separate palanquin for the Empress, so we shall go together like this.”
“That cannot be permitted. I would rather descend and walk.”
Gangcheon stared intently at the stubborn man and leaned his elbow on the armrest.
“You are unbothered by deceiving your sovereign, yet you care about the eyes of others?”
Haeryeong froze as if struck where it hurt.
Seeing him bite his lower lip made Gangcheon’s mouth feel dry for some reason.
Gangcheon wrapped his arm around the waist of the Empress, who had turned his head away without meeting his gaze, and ordered the palanquin to depart.
“You should have kept up your act before me. Who knows? I might have even taken off my Imperial crown and placed it upon your head. Are you not filled with regret for revealing your true colors so soon?”
Gangcheon grabbed Haeryeong’s chin, which was stubbornly facing forward, and forced it toward him.
“I cannot understand why you keep your mouth shut like you’ve swallowed honey. Why don’t you try it one more time? Beg me to cherish you with those whispers, just like you did before.”
Haeryeong’s face drew closer and closer.
Whether it was the Emperor pulling him in or his own face approaching, he could see the man’s tear-moistened eyes growing larger.
Gangcheon lightly sucked on the lips of the Empress, which were puckered from being gripped so roughly by the jaw.
When he used his free hand to lift the voluminous hem and trace his way up the inner thigh, the man’s body heaved violently.
Gangcheon gripped the chin of the struggling Empress even tighter and pulled him in.
Staring into a face contorted as if he were about to burst into tears at any moment, he whispered inches from his face.
“Smile. I told you to smile like a flower by my side all day, yet I cannot fathom why you are scowling so.”
“Let me go… Your Majesty.”
His voice, slightly slurred from his jaw being held tight, felt remarkably similar to the sounds he made when he was melting and wet beneath him.
Gangcheon released the Empress’s chin and issued one final warning.
“At the banquet hall, I expect you to act far more affectionately than this.”
“You are the beloved Empress, so show off that status proudly to the hundred officials.”
You’ve got to see this next! Illusionary Dream will keep you on the edge of your seat. Start reading today!
Read : Illusionary Dream
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