At that time, when he realized that the emperor was standing there, Hwawoon got up from the swing and approached Yihan while looking straight at him. The emperor took a step back. He was like a frightened person.

Like a person who faces a disaster that cannot be solved with human power. Like pushed by the irresistible power of fate even if he was the emperor who had the absolute power under heaven. The emperor shrank like that and kept stepping back. 

“Greetings, Your Majesty.” 

Hwawoon kneeled and gave his greeting. Yihan couldn’t easily let out any voice, so he raised him up with a gesture of his hand.

“Your Majesty, what brings you here at this time?”

Was it possible for a mere human to avoid the big disaster, fate?

Yihan stood there and looked down at the man, who was already in front of him at some point, and stared at him with a worried look. He felt breathless. He felt like a sturdy knot was tied up tightly and clenched on his heart.

While the emperor was desperately resisting all the emotions he felt and didn’t give any answer, Hwawoon, the man who had become the culprit of all these disasters, took a step closer to Yihan with a contradictory worried look.

“You don’t look good, Your Majesty. Is there… is there something that happened?” 

Ironically, Hwawoon looked afraid. He was afraid of the emperor who looked pale. The very emperor was still ignoring and insulting him. Hwawoon was worrying about the very emperor, who mocked and didn’t believe him. 

“Why don’t you bring the eunuch with you… Your Majesty, do you want to come inside for a moment? Should I call the physician for you?” 

When he couldn’t find Eunuch Oh, who always stood by the emperor like a shadow, Hwawoon became even more anxious and asked. Hwawoon looked like a person who didn’t remember anything about how harsh the emperor treated him last time.

The emperor, Yihan, who was still looking at the worried feelings expressed in the eyes that could not be thought to be false, slowly moved his hand and grabbed Hwawoon’s wrist.

“Your…Majesty?” 

Hwawoon finally looked at Yihan with a bit of a flustered expression because of his sudden action, and soon, Yihan opened his mouth.

“What are you?” 

Hwawoon’s heart dropped the moment he heard that. The question of ‘what are you’ sounded like a question that dug up through his lies. Hwawoon reflectively pulled his hand that was held by the emperor, but instead of letting off his hand, Yihan held it even stronger and pulled him closer, meeting his eyes. 

The space between the two, which had already been close, was now close enough for their breaths to reach the tip of each other’s noses. Yihan’s hand, which was big enough to hold both of Hwawoon’s wrists in one hand, held Hwawoon’s wrist stronger. It was a force that Hwawoon was unable to escape from. Hwawoon’s pupil began to shake. 

“Yo-your Majesty…”

“There’s no way Yeon Hwawoon can do this. This… you… you can’t do this to me.”

The emperor looked like he was bewitched. He felt that it would be better if the one in front of him right now said he was not Hwawoon, but a fox with nine tails who was transforming and trying to lure himself away.

“I… to you, this… this…”

Because if that wasn’t the case, then Yihan couldn’t explain the feeling he felt for Hwawoon at this moment. He didn’t want to explain it as well.

“Your Majesty… I… I…”

Hwawoon hesitated, couldn’t bring himself to speak out words that were held in his mouth. He could not know exactly why the emperor looked so confused and anxious, but it was not wrong that all the actions he, who was Hawoon, had done as Yeon Hwawoon, were so disturbing and uncomfortable for this person. 

“Ah…!”

Suddenly, a little moan flew out of Hwawoon’s lips. This was because Yihan’s hand, which had been holding Hwawoon’s wrist with a strong force from the beginning, was pressing Hwawoon with a stronger force. 

“I have no more expectations of you.”  

Rather than words for Hwawoon, the words said by Yihan at that time were closer to his own determination. He thought it was the moonlight’s fault. He believed that because the unusually bright moonlight gently wrapped Hwawoon, he was captivated with useless feelings.

If not, then how could Sung Yihan, how could it be no other else but Yeon Hwawoon,

How could he want to pull him into his arms and hug him? 

Yihan thought that it would be impossible if he was being rational.

“I don’t believe you…”