The Hated Male Concubine

#153

“That’s not a hard request to fulfill, but… are you sure everything is okay?”

“Of course, Your Highness. What is it that could go wrong with me?”

Sukbi, Biyoung, looked at Hwawoon, who was sitting in front of her with an uneasy expression on her face. Seeing Yeonbin sitting as neatly as usual, she felt strangely uneasy.

Yeonbin had suddenly come to visit her. For a moment, Biyoung’s face lit up with a smile, but then Yeonbin suddenly knelt down on one knee in front of her and said he had a favor to ask, leaving Biyoung feeling confused.

From what she had heard, there was a young court lady whom he had beaten to death in the past, and he wanted to find her body, which had likely been dumped somewhere, and give her a proper burial. He hoped she could assist him with that. He mentioned that he had entrusted the rest to a eunuch named So Jeong, and she just needed to inform him.

Biyoung, who considered Hwawoon her savior, had always felt uneasy because she hadn’t been able to repay him. So when Hwawoon asked her for a favor, it was something she should have welcomed. However, in the back of her mind, Biyoung felt uneasy due to the atmosphere around Hwawoon and the nature of his request. Moreover, if it involved So Jeong, wasn’t he the eunuch who might have been connected to Hwawoon’s drowning incident? No matter how much she thought about it, Biyoung couldn’t help but have doubts.

“It’s certainly an easy task… But, isn’t this something you could handle yourself?”

That was the strange part. This was something that Hwawoon could handle independently. It didn’t seem so difficult that he needed to come to Sukbi, kneel down, and ask for a favor. Furthermore, Yeon Hwawoon in front of her now had a strange aura, as if he were about to vanish into thin air, which made Biyoung feel uneasy for no apparent reason. Hwawoon replied.

“There are some things I can’t tell you all right now. Of course, if it’s too difficult for you, you can refuse. I’ve put you on the spot needlessly.”

“No! No, it’s fine. This is far from difficult… If it’s your request, I’ll always be the most willing to help you, so don’t hesitate to come to me in the future.”

Aside from the oddity of the situation, Hwawoon’s request wasn’t the one Biyoung would have trouble with. Hwawoon smiled gently at Biyoung’s response and bowed once more.

“Thank you, Your Highness Sukbi. And…. I’m saying this just in case, but if anything happens to me….”

“……?”

“If you can fulfill the request I made today, regardless of what happens to me, I would greatly appreciate it.”

“You… There’s nothing wrong, right?”

“Of course, Your Highness. Everything is fine, so don’t worry.”

This certainly felt strange. Something was definitely amiss. However, despite Biyoung’s repeated inquiries, Hwawoon only smiled and replied with a calm demeanor. It seemed like Hwawoon was never going to reveal the truth here. Thinking that she would have to visit the Empress after Hwawoon returned, Biyoung pretended that she felt nothing and offered Hwawoon some tea. She remained far from at ease.

***

“Your Highness, do you have something in mind?”

Ahjin, who had been observing Hwawoon without being able to say anything, finally gathered the courage to speak. Hwawoon, who had allowed Ahjin to tend to his hair, glanced at her through the mirror, making eye contact. At that moment, Ahjin felt that the pupils of those eyes, which she had seen a thousand times before, were strangely unfamiliar, causing her heart to sink.

Hwawoon’s gaze remained as soft and gentle as ever, but Ahjin sensed a subtle foreignness in it. Her heart continued to pound. An unidentifiable feeling of anxiety crawled up her spine and sent a chill down her neck, but no matter how much she contemplated it, she couldn’t discern why.

“Ahjin.”

“Your Highness, you’ve been making me so anxious lately….”

As Hwawoon seemed about to say more, Ahjin spoke up first, unable to contain her fear any longer. Hwawoon, whose mood had been unusually hard to read since he had his private meeting with So Jeong and Seocheon, appeared to be like a person in a completely different world. No, that didn’t capture the feeling Ahjin experienced.

He remained silent, seated in the bedroom. As Ahjin gazed at her master’s face, his expression downcast and motionless, she suddenly wondered if this was how his face had always appeared. She had known him for long enough that she could envision his face even with her eyes closed, but today, Hwawoon seemed unfamiliar and awkward. It wasn’t just that his demeanor had changed; it was as if his eyes, nose, lips, jawline, and entire face had transformed into that of a different person.

“… Ahjin, can you go to Jungcheon Palace right now?”

Even at this moment, he maintained that demeanor. Hwawoon, who would typically have reassured Ahjin by asking why she would think such things, acted as if he hadn’t heard her. To avoid Hwawoon’s gaze, Ahjin instinctively lowered her head and replied.

“To Jungcheon… Palace?”

“Yes. Go and tell Eunuch Oh. Today… I’ll be waiting for His Majesty to come.”

“Your Highness….”

Normally, Ahjin would have been elated to hear Hwawoon wanting to meet the Emperor first, but at this moment, she was more anxious and found it difficult to respond. She sensed that the look in Hwawoon’s eyes and his tone was filled with sorrow.

“Your Highness… Can’t… Can’t you please tell this person what’s going on….”

Ahjin’s voice trembled with anxiety as she spoke.

Since Hwawoon’s change, today was the most anxious she had ever felt. It was as if she stood on the brink of a storm. While she feared being swept away by a massive tidal wave, seeing Hwawoon alone and composed only heightened her fears. She wondered if all this anxiety, like an impending disaster, emanated from her master, whose face she couldn’t quite recognize.

“Your Highness.”

“…….”

“Please don’t do it….”

So Ahjin spoke impulsively. She couldn’t even understand what she was saying. But at that moment, she felt that she had to say those words. Ahjin knelt down in front of Hwawoon, grabbed the hem of his clothes, and sobbed.

“Please don’t do it, Your Highness… Whatever you’re thinking right now, I don’t want you to do it… Please…”

Ahjin wished that her master would scold her instead. She wanted him to look at her with a puzzled expression, asking what she meant by suddenly saying such things. However, Hwawoon simply gazed down at Ahjin with a wistful, resigned expression before responding.

“… Ahjin. Go now.”

Really, all Ahjin wanted to do was cry out loud.

***

Yihan stood in the center of the courtyard in Seojeong Palace, taking a deep breath. Next, he rubbed his damp palms against his emperor robe. Yihan had repeated the same action several times on the way to the Seojeong Palace.

Ahjin had come to inform Eunuch Oh of Yeon Hwawoon’s words. The message was that he would be waiting for the Emperor to arrive. Yeon Hwawoon, who had never been one to make requests, was now openly asking the Emperor to visit him. When Yihan heard this from Eunuch Oh, it seemed to him that the request was proof of how much Hwawoon missed him, and all the negative feelings he had experienced throughout the morning seemed to dissipate.

However, Yihan’s heart quickly sank again. According to Eunuch Oh, the expression on Ahjin’s face as she conveyed Yeonbin’s words was very peculiar. So Eunuch Oh asked her about it, and she said that she felt like something was wrong with her master. It was no wonder that Yihan’s heart, which had been relieved for a moment, began to beat restlessly again.

Yihan let out a deep sigh and slowly took a step forward. Whether it was his hunch or the reality, Seojeong Palace seemed unusually quiet today. Frowning at the sound of his own footsteps on the stone steps, Yihan stood in front of Hwawoon’s bedroom. He walked past Ahjin, who greeted him with a grim expression. When he stepped through the open doorway, Yeon Hwawoon rose from his seat upon seeing him.

Hwawoon smiled warmly at him. Yihan bit his lip as he realized that it was more of a resigned look than a happy one.

“Greetings, Your Majesty.”

Hwawoon put down one of his knees and offered his greeting. As he bowed his head slightly, his hair cascading down his cheeks, and his gestures as neat and orderly as ever, there was nothing different from the usual Yeon Hwawoon. However, Yihan couldn’t understand why he felt so conflicted. Yihan moved toward him with slow steps.

“Raise up.”

The Emperor’s hands, as if handling the most delicate thing in the world, gently wrapped around Hwawoon’s shoulders and lifted him to his feet. Hwawoon got up, lifted his head, and for once, looked directly into Yihan’s eyes. Hwawoon’s face appeared both beautiful and somehow stirring, and Yihan couldn’t resist lowering his head to kiss the corner of his eye. With just a few inches between them, Yihan whispered.

“Are you not sick any longer?”

As Hwawoon replied, “Yes, Your Majesty,” Yihan lowered his lips again, this time to the corner of Hwawoon’s mouth. When their lips brushed against each other, Hwawoon’s shoulders twitched, and he attempted to lower his head. But he couldn’t. Yihan’s large hands had somehow wrapped around his cheeks, preventing him from lowering his head. And before Hwawoon could even blink, their lips were locked together.