William smiled satisfactorily and revealed the reason.
“I actually knew, you know.”
What did he know?
My spine went cold with an ominous premonition. Regret washed over me that I had asked for nothing.
“Ah, I suddenly don’t want to know anymore. I’ll tell you the story to the end, so you don’t need to say more.”
“Hmm? I suddenly want to talk about it though?”
William kept bringing his face close to mine as I tried to avoid him.
It was clear I couldn’t think properly lately because of my heat cycle. Otherwise, how could I have created this situation when I could have easily predicted it with just a little thought?
Seo Ajun, why are you like this lately? Get it together.
But regret was always too late.
Despite my attempts to stop him, William began listing the reasons why he had to come wearing his uniform.
“So you should have managed your expression better when looking at the knights.”
“What did I do?”
“Whenever you saw knights, you were so delighted you couldn’t take your eyes off them and your mouth hung open. How could I not notice?”
“Your Majesty… even if I did that, people would normally think I was staring because I liked the knights, not because I liked uniforms like Your Majesty thinks.”
William snorted.
“No matter how clever you try to be, give up because you’ve been caught. Our Danny couldn’t possibly like other Alphas. With me right beside you, you look at other people? That’s not because you like those Alphas, but because you were attracted to something else about them.”
I had nothing to say to his sharp and accurate observation. How often must he have observed me to know even such trivial details? William’s obsession frightened me anew.
But on the other hand, I was relieved that William had high self-esteem. People with anxious attachment usually mistake that their partner doesn’t like them due to low self-esteem. But William believed I naturally liked him.
If William had shown anxious attachment stemming from low self-esteem like ordinary people, he would have shown twisted obsession that destroys himself or negates others.
As someone who had changed his future of becoming a tyrant, I thought it was a miracle that I had made William this way. So with some pride, I decided to let myself be caught by his hand. To blame and deny him would be like spitting in my own face.
I looked at William with sparkling eyes. His face, which had been smiling slyly, quickly turned red.
“Yes, Your Majesty. You observed well. I like handsome men in uniforms. Thank you for enduring discomfort and showing me such a wonderful sight for my sake. I’ll remember it and not forget.”
William looked flustered, as if he hadn’t expected me to react this way, but soon returned to his original expression. Then he smiled broadly and spread both arms.
I gladly went into his embrace.
“You can forget. I’ll wear it often.”
My chest tickled at his low, soft voice.
“Let me stay like this for a moment then change clothes. I want to hear the story comfortably.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
***
“The woodcutter who spilled red bean porridge on the celestial horse’s back ended up… never able to ascend to heaven again and became a rooster. That’s why roosters cry so mournfully every morning, longing for their wives in heaven.”
“That’s ridiculous! Cancel that story. Make a new one. It’s too cruel.”
William, who had listened intently to the entire fairy and woodcutter story, had been extremely angry throughout the story, and now that I’d finished, he was on the verge of a rampage.
“Your Majesty, please calm down…”
“Do I look like I can calm down right now? The woodcutter is an idiot. Why did he return the fairy’s clothes? He knew she’d run away if he had them!”
“To keep his promise. He promised to return the clothes when she bore a child.”
William scrunched his face in displeasure, pretended to accept it, then got even angrier.
“Fine, let’s say that’s acceptable. So he rode up in the bucket, right? But why did he come down? If he had just stayed there, they wouldn’t have been separated!”
To William, who had suddenly reverted to acting like a ten-year-old, how could I explain that the union between a fairy serving immortals and a human was impossible from the start, and that betraying his elderly mother on earth would be something only the worst scoundrel would do? After pondering, I said this:
“Because he believed. He believed they could meet again even if he went and came back. The fairy, as if rewarding that faith, told him to ride the celestial horse and return. Though she did tell him never to dismount.”
“Faith…”
William muttered the same word several times, then shook his head as if he still didn’t understand.
“In that story, the mother who purposely made hot red bean porridge for her son she was meeting after so long seems like the mastermind to me. Why?”
Only after hearing William’s words did I realize today’s story choice had ended in failure and despaired. Why did I choose a story about a loved one running away, of all things? Knowing he would over-immerse himself.
Since it had already happened, I had to somehow fix it.
“Your Majesty… the mother must have missed her child too. The reason she made hot red bean porridge was because she thought if he ate it while blowing on it to cool it down, she could see her son’s face a little longer.”
“I don’t know. I don’t get it! Anyway, it was too much. What kind of strange story is that? There’s no plausibility at all!”
Calling a folk tale that had been orally transmitted for thousands of years and gained people’s empathy implausible? While many parts might lack plausibility for modern people to understand after being added to, omitted, and left as symbols, I felt overwhelmed not knowing how to explain that the hidden meaning within old stories was more important than such things.
“Which part do you think lacks plausibility?”
“The celestial horse is a divine being, right? So it can travel between earth and heaven?”
I nodded since this was a correct interpretation so far.
“Then it should be omnipotent. It’s strange that it got startled and flew up to heaven first just because he spilled a little porridge while eating. It doesn’t make sense.”
William… the reason the celestial horse had no choice was because while the fairy’s children were demigods who could be accepted by the immortals, the woodcutter was completely human and couldn’t live together in the heavenly world.
It’s the same for you and me.
You’re an emperor who must take responsibility for the empire, and I’m a person from another world, so it can’t work out.
I had to make an unavoidable choice, but like the fairy who sent the deer and bucket, I like you too, so I hope you’ll understand that later.
Watching William rage, I swallowed words I could never speak aloud. I hoped that after a long time passed, he would remember this story and find comfort.
“Why aren’t you answering? Why?”
“Your Majesty… what are you so angry about?”
“Everything, absolutely everything displeases me. So I’m going to pretend I only heard up to that point.”
“Up to where?”
“Up to where the fairy gave birth.”
“Come on, even so, if you cut it off there, the story won’t be complete!”
William trembled with an angry expression.
“What do you mean it won’t be complete! Listen. I’m going to change the story from now on.”
With a feeling of despair, I leaned back on the bed and focused on William’s words. He began changing the story, mixing in flashy gestures and facial expressions.
“At first she was angry that he stole her clothes, but after living together, there was no man like the woodcutter. Think about it. The fairy was also a divine being, so if she didn’t like him, she would have prayed to God or something to go back up!”
There was no logic more forced than this. I wanted to deny it, but knowing William’s nature of having to see things through to the end once he started, I nodded soullessly.
“Yes, yes. Let’s say that’s so.”
“Living like that and giving birth, the child was so pretty. Children need fathers too… so the fairy went to the pond with the woodcutter every day to pray to heaven. Please understand our love… Moved by this, heaven recognizes their love and the woodcutter and fairy live happily ever after for a thousand, ten thousand years. Having about twelve children! Then he doesn’t have to be separated from his mother either, right?”
“What about the fairy then? She can’t see her parents or sisters…”
At my words, William closed his mouth as if speechless, then continued as if he had a good idea.
“That’s simple! Since they’re divine beings, they can come down to the pond whenever the fairy wants to see them. Why make such a simple thing so complicated? I really can’t understand.”
William grinned at me after finishing his story, apparently pleased with the changed version.
Watching William explode over one story, completely rewrite it, and only then feel better, I had to swallow a bitter smile.
Was this the kind of feeling the fairy had when she had to leave the woodcutter behind?
Looking at William, who remained purely bright without knowing my gloomy inner thoughts, my chest felt electric and tingly.
“Danny, say my story is more interesting. Quickly.”
“…Yes. Happy stories are always the most interesting.”
William pulled my waist into an embrace and lay down with his head on my thigh. I gazed at his pure, transparent skin, then carefully stroked his silver hair gleaming in the moonlight. Without realizing it, a song my mother used to sing in my previous life flowed from my lips.
“Sleep well, my baby. In the garden and green mountains~ The horses and mountain rabbits too, are all sleeping~”
William, who had been quietly listening to the song, slowly closed his eyes and murmured.
“That song seems to enchant people…”
Unable to even finish his sentence, William was soon breathing evenly. Looking at him, I felt like crying from sadness.
Escaping the Imperial Palace to live a long, quiet life was a goal that had never changed since I first set foot in this world, and it was what I wanted, yet I couldn’t understand why thinking about it made me feel so disappointed.
I whispered softly into his sleeping ear.
“Sleep well. My little tiger, His Majesty Emperor William.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
