Flower of Evil

Ⅰ. Lee Woo (4)

Hee-won always said what the Empress wanted to hear.

Whenever I grow tired of everything else, he is the only one that comes to my aid and eases my worries.

Lee Woo turned around and smiled ever so gracefully. Hee-won’s dark world brightened a little more because of the Empress. He would not be exaggerating if he said that her smile was like that of a goddess because it was just so pretty.

“I heard there was some dispute in the palace because of a palanquin.” Hee-won carefully said.

Hee-won knew. He knew that the Emperor’s little flower, Noble Consort Song, had already been rife with rumors both inside and out of the country. Most of the rumors were about her beauty, and it was expected that everyone would be disappointed when they became aware that the noble Consort was young, immature, and had only her face as an asset. As a matter of fact, the more a rumor spreads, the more fake and made-up it will be.

Her beauty was so outstanding; it made the Emperor treat/see her like a princess despite not being one at all. The only reason she was even qualified to be the Noble Consort was her elevation in status to that of a noblewoman. If she was somehow able to conceive a prince, there would be a huge rift due to her and the Empress’ status in court.

“Yes. Everyone is questioning his Majesty. I think it bothers him too.”

“But how are you?”

Lee Woo suddenly couldn’t speak. Her brows furrowed as she looked at Hee-won. The patient prince smiled a little and patted her head as if he were soothing her worries and telling her that she did a great job regardless of her inability to do anything.

“My Lord, you can’t treat a grown woman like this.” She said while frowning.

“Then don’t frown like that, my Lady.”

""

The prince took her hand once again, which she happily obliged. Lee-Woo suddenly remembered her brother, who often talked about the prince.

‘Such a pitiful person. He’s not lacking anything, but it’s his brother that still became the emperor. His Majesty the current emperor is also great. But I sometimes imagine what it would be like if he were the emperor instead. Probably because of his gentle nature, he has been destined for greatness.

Hee-won was not stupid. He would never confuse kindness with stupidity. It was just that he was so innocent that he just accepted everything that came his way.

‘He is both so sweet and wise.’ Lee-Woo silently thought.

But one of the scary things about Hee-won was that he treated even the most rotten people with sentiment. ‘It was scary yet pitiful.’ He was a gentle-looking man with long lashes and shadows under his eyes, but he knew. He knew everything; he was merely acting like an idiot to suppress his anger and keep the country peaceful.

“Your Majesty?”

“I’m sorry, I suddenly started reminiscing about the past… nevertheless, my Lord, I am the Empress, I can’t be a child forever. I need to set an example for everyone to follow.”

Unaware, they both arrived at the Empress’s palace. When both of them finally noticed, they faced each other and smiled elegantly. As the prince was a tall man, the Empress had to raise her head to match his sight.

“You can go now, my Lord. I’m afraid his Majesty will throw a fit when he finds out that I have kept you here for such a long time.” Hee-won bent his head to level with the Empress’s height and gazed at her.

“Your Majesty, it’s okay. You are doing well already. Even if you rest for a while, no one would say anything because you deserve to. You know… let loose a little. Besides, you can’t put a bird in a cage and expect it to be happy..”

Tears welled up in Woo’s eyes at Hee-won’s words.

No one told me that every day in the palace was like walking on a tightrope.

All of her family and Hee-won too asked the Emperor to treat Woo well. But there was only so much her family could do; they still feared that Woo would eventually slip up and face punishment. It was painful for everyone to see her crying, so she was afraid to make a mistake. With this, even when she was about to fall asleep, would stay in constant fear, anxiety, and tension.

Hee-won was the one who tenderly said what she wanted to hear and looked after her heart the best. So when he said those words, she suddenly wanted to cry. She appreciated that Hee-won accepted her, but it made her feel a little weak.

“Prince—”

“I should probably go… I can’t be too late so as to not anger the Emperor.”

Lee Woo was a bit sad about this goodbye. She was afraid to turn around and have the happiness inside her squeezed out again. After she entered the palace: the pain, suffering, and despair that she felt were kept away from the ears of her family. She knew they would feel restless at their powerlessness if she tried to say anything, so she swallowed all her grievances.

She was afraid of the harsh words that would rain on her if she were to complain. In this country ruled by the patriarchy system, a woman’s voice will only be treated as a trivial matter. So she closed her eyes tightly and kept a straight face almost all of the time.

Hee-won was the only one who helped her during the times she was feeling troubled. He gave her candy, fed her noodles, and comforted her whenever she cried. And she cried a lot. Since then, he visited Lee Woo from time to time and would always patiently wait for her to finish crying. Hee-won understood the situation better because he, too, experienced it a lot.

“Court Lady Park.”

“Yes. Your Majesty?”

“Isn’t there a good chrysanthemum tea that came in recently? Take a portion and wait outside His Majesty’s office and give it to Prince Hee-won.” At Lee Woo’s command, the Court Lady left the palace. After Court Lady Park left however, Woo felt like crying. The other Court Ladies that were busy combing her hair were all nervous. Since Court Lady Park was often the only one allowed to touch the Empress intimately like this, everyone was extremely afraid that they would do something that could trigger the Empress’ wrath.

“Don’t worry. I won’t punish you for plucking a few strands of my hair.” Woo smiled lightly and looked back at the Court Ladies. It was because when she, herself, first entered the palace, it took some time before she got used to the intimidating atmosphere of the Royal Family. Feeling abandoned by her real family, she never had a great time inside the palace, where the laws were strict.

The trembling ladies all smiled apologetically despite having nothing to apologize for.

“Your Majesty, Prince Hee-won is here.”

“Hello.” After he saw Lee Woo off, Hee-won immediately went to the Emperor’s palace. The emperor then welcomed him with warm greetings and pleasantries. Despite being half-brothers, Hee-won never coveted the throne nor had any intention for the position. This alone made the Emperor calm down.

“Prince! Why are you so late?” The Emperor got up from his seat and smiled at Hee-won. They shook each other’s hand with happy smiles on their faces. The Emperor’s hospitality didn’t end there however, when he invited the Prince for tea.

The Emperor was in a situation where there were only a few whom he could call his friends. And Hee-won was one of them.

“My apologies, Your Majesty… On my way here, I saw the Empress, and we had a little chat.” Hee-won smiled.

“Oh, you saw the Empress??” The emperor replied awkwardly to Hee-won’s words. Because he remembered what he had done. It was even more so, knowing that Hee-won and Woo had a special relationship like a brother and sister, but the emperor couldn’t be more bothered. It was his most trusted brother and friend.

“Yes… Speaking of which, are you planning to work until late at night? If you want me to leave, I can go.”

“The daily appeals are the problem. I’m afraid if I were to avert my eyes even for a bit, the work will start to pile up.”

The emperor only ever spoke of his tired words to his half-brother.

The things I couldn’t say in front of my mother and Noble Consort Song.

I used to confide only to my half-brother. He was the only one I could confide in, so I ordered the prince to often come and visit the palace.

The brothers spent their time joking around with each other, sharing stories. The emperor’s face, who didn’t mind procrastinating for a bit, looked at ease.

“Shouldn’t Prince Hee-won also start looking for a wife to start a family with? That way, I, your brother, will come to see you often.”

The emperor asked Hee-won in a secretive manner. He had already passed the age of marriage. Primarily, members of the royal family get married at the ages of fifteen or sixteen years old. But at that time, there was a factional fight over the crown prince position, so they missed their opportune time for marriage. After becoming an adult, he wandered around, so he was alone until now.

“There are so many places I haven’t seen yet.” Hee-won laughed softly.

And he thought of Woo.

Beautiful Woo, I remembered the passionate heart hidden in that calmness.

And look at the emperor, he was the one who had it all. Hee-won regretted it.

If I had been the Crown Prince. if I had fought hard. If I had become the Emperor, there might have been Woo next to me. It was a place I didn’t want, but when I think of Woo, I keep getting ugly regrets.

*

“Your Highness. Why did his Majesty not come today?” A young court lady with flushed cheeks opened her mouth. The woman beside her looked at the little girl and smiled broadly. As a wide smile graced her pretty face, it shone as if a full moon had risen. She was the kind-hearted Song Sohwa, also called the Noble Consort Song. She was generous to the palace servants, and she was a noble lady who had no greed for wealth. It is said it was outside the palace where the king had fallen head over heels for her, but those who saw the Queen of Song shook their heads at the rumor. She was just an innocent woman who knew nothing.

It had only been over a year since I entered the palace, and everything was still difficult and clumsy.

Her round eyes, pink cheeks, and plump lips made her look more like a young girl than a sophisticated woman.

“I heard that the Prince has come. It’s been a while since the brothers met each other, so I guess he forgot about our plans.” The court ladies laughed when they saw Noble Consort Song, who pretended to cry playfully. To them, Noble Consort Song was like family regardless if she was their master.

Wearing a pale yellow skirt, she squatted in her garden while watching the flowers bloom. Thanks to the emperor’s care, her garden had the most variety of flowers in all the palaces.

Unlike Woo’s garden, which looked lonely in the fall, her garden was vibrant and beautiful as if it had forgotten to change along with the seasons.

All of it was a symbol of the emperor’s affection, and the overflowing devotion brought a smile to Noble Consort Song’s face.

“They are beautiful, Lee Yeon-ah. I will gather a few for you, and will you bring them to your Majesty? Tell him that the flowers are so beautiful that it would be a pity to see them alone.” No one stopped her even when they saw the Noble Consort walking down with her sleeves rolled up and plucking the flowers herself.

Her skirt got soiled with dirt, but everyone was too busy trying to figure out which flower was the prettiest.

Inside her palace, everyone burst into laughter as they continued to search for the most beautiful flowers.

Everyone glanced at Noble Consort Song, which the court ladies were pleased with. She had been left alone in a foreign country, and the princess, who had been previously weeping for her loneliness, was now smiling broadly with the love of the emperor.

Seeing their owner happy, they roamed around the garden again and again. In the palace, So-hwa might not be the most beautiful, but she was the most lovable one of them all.

*

“Are you here now?” The Noble Consort, who had been waiting for the emperor for a long time, fell asleep. Not long after, the emperor stepped inside the Noble Consort’s residence. He had come to see the flowers sent by the queen. It was self-evident that if it were not for that, he would probably have spent the night with the prince instead.

The emperor carefully went to the side of the bed and looked at the already sleeping princess. He loved this woman so much that in his eyes, everything about her was small and lovely. He wanted to hold her in his arms and give her everything, so within a year her status was elevated for the throne.

I didn’t know what her noble position was, and I was happy again at the innocence she has and that she likes me.

The emperor stroked the princess’ hair and kissed her forehead..

She said she likes nice and pretty things. So I will do everything, so you only receive what I give.

Among the numerous women in the palace, Noble Consort Song was the emperor’s beloved and true love.

Exhausted from dealing with the palace appeals, I went to the lake late at night, and happened to meet her crying court lady. It was Song Gubi. I liked her innocence, who thought I was a guard of the palace and treated me without mercy. She cried profusely that she had entered the emperor’s residence, and the sight of her telling me to run away took her heart. It was good that she looked at who I was, not the emperor.

“Um, Hee-yoon?” The Noble Consort slowly opened her eyes and called out to the emperor. She was the only one who could call the emperor by name.

At that call, the emperor smiled and took So-hwa in his arms.

The emperor was grateful to have someone in his arms who wouldn’t change even if he offered her everything.