Chapter 65
“You seem to know Hyeonbi well.”
“Since I am a woman, I was often assigned to guard the consorts’ palace, so I had many opportunities to see her.”
Being a Yongrim with keen senses and good hearing, Hui-je must have heard all the conversations in Jayeongjeon, yet she showed no interest in the talk about the late emperor. Or perhaps she was pretending. However, judging by her current attitude, it seemed more like the former.
“I see. Then His Majesty… must have relied on her a great deal.”
After hesitating to bring it up, Yun-seo immediately regretted it. He barely concealed his dejected expression as he clenched his fist.
“Yes. But… the two of you are comrades-in-arms.”
Hui-je made a strange gesture toward Yun-seo, exaggeratedly raising and lowering her eyebrows. When he stared at her blankly, not understanding her meaning, she suddenly let out a spirited shout and threw a light punch into the air.
“Comrades-in-arms, I mean.”
Then she chuckled, “Hehe,” with such a pure and innocent expression that Yun-seo simply nodded, thinking anyone would be pleased by such cheerfulness.
“Yeondeok, stay. Everyone else, withdraw.”
Upon reaching his chambers, Yun-seo dismissed the court ladies. Feeling that his tightly pulled-up hair was making his headache worse, he let it down, which seemed to make breathing a little easier.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“Yeondeok, what do you think?”
“About… that story?”
“Yes.”
Yeondeok evaded the question with a slightly frightened look. When Yun-seo waited patiently, he finally spoke in a hushed voice.
“Actually, I’ve heard about it outside too.”
“About what?”
“That the late Emperor… himself…”
“Why would such a rumor spread?”
“I don’t know exactly. Just that it seemed strange that His spiritual energy was chaotic even though he wasn’t strictly governing with the hellish path before his death.”
This was a very flimsy basis for drawing any conclusion. Still, could there be smoke without fire? Especially concerning the late Emperor’s death?
‘Well, one thing comes to mind now. Father was irresponsible, and Mother wanted to hold him accountable for that irresponsibility.’
Irresponsible. If he truly took his own life, wouldn’t that be the perfect description?
Recalling the Empress Dowager’s cold attitude toward him and Hwi’s words describing it as venting frustration, Yun-seo felt like a seven-piece puzzle was finally being completed.
When Yun-seo clutched his head as if tearing at his hair, Yeondeok quickly approached to stop him. Yun-seo pulled his head out from between his arms and sighed deeply.
If this were true, then Hwi had ascended to the throne at the age of twelve following his father’s suicide. Wasn’t this too, too cruel? How could such a burden be placed on a child already weighed down by ascending the throne at such a tender age!
“I need to lie down.”
Yun-seo collapsed onto the bed and covered his eyes with his arm. Just imagining Hwi’s world—how noisy, cruel, and oppressive it must have been—made his whole body sink. The burning warmth that had desperately embraced him penetrated his skin once more, stirring his protective instinct. A long sigh flowed endlessly from Yun-seo’s lips.
“Your Majesty, a message arrived while you were resting.”
After taking a brief nap and waking up, Lady Jo came to relay information.
“What is it?”
“Your father requests an audience with Your Majesty and asks to be informed of a suitable date.”
Talk of the devil, as they say. Or perhaps the proverb “even tigers come when you speak of them” is more fitting. Yun-seo let out a weak laugh and shook his head.
“It would be improper to meet privately with my father, who holds an important position in court. Please refuse this request and any future ones.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
In any case, meeting his father would likely result in demands not much different from those he received at home. Instructions to gain the upper hand in his relationship with the Emperor, to earn his favor and use it.
Could he just ignore this? He desperately hoped his father would exercise restraint in the court as well. Yun-seo repeatedly clutched and released the hem of his robe before thinking of his older brother, Wongyeong.
It might be better to meet my brother instead. At least he could help keep father in check…
Just the thought of facing Wongyeong made his head throb. Yun-seo sighed and decided to go outside for some fresh air.
Keeping the court ladies who tried to follow at a distance, he slowly walked around the courtyard. Night had already fallen, vividly spread out with its accompanying stars.
The night breeze against his cheek barely felt cool. Summer would soon arrive. He would welcome one season here, then bid it farewell.
Yun-seo carefully recalled the discussion he had with Hyeonbi today. He didn’t completely agree with her. While her opinion—that having received benefits, one must also accept the responsibilities—wasn’t wrong, such an approach alone might cause problems to fester somewhere.
However, given that the stability of the Yongrim and ultimately the security of the nation depended on the power of the Yeong Chunhwa, and given his position as empress, he would now have to prioritize the greater good.
Whether he wanted it or not, he had entered this palace and become empress. So he needed to become a person worthy of that position. Because now the people were under his care. At the very least, he could support Hwi’s blind spots to prevent severe poverty due to personnel issues or the horrific practice of buying and selling children.
He felt grateful and glad that Hyeonbi had pulled him out of the well, so to speak, yet it hurt. The world was too difficult and complex to understand just by reading books. He feared and worried whether he could do well.
Eventually, his thoughts reached the late Emperor’s death. This made his chest feel congested and even heavier.
‘No. That’s not right. When a twelve-year-old child ascends the throne, it’s natural to doubt and worry. Especially when the fate of the country depends on that one child.’
If I had been by your side, I would have embraced you, young as you were. To prevent even you from clawing at yourself.
He was just thinking that it might have been better if he had bloomed at eight and entered the palace to meet Hwi right away, when a shadow fell over him. Turning around, he saw Hwi standing there. To think that he would appear just as Yun-seo was thinking of him. His immature heart seemed to overflow.
“Why are you out here?”
“…I couldn’t sleep.”
“Indeed, it’s too beautiful a night to simply fall asleep.”
The soft light from the lanterns illuminating the courtyard extended to Hwi. Yun-seo faced him, taking in Hwi’s face under the moonlight. Looking at him like this, Hwi seemed not like the sovereign of a nation but simply his own beloved, making Yun-seo’s heart flutter.
“If you can’t sleep, shall I show you something wonderful?”
“What is it?”
Hwi stepped forward and wrapped his arm around Yun-seo’s waist. Just as Yun-seo was about to flinch at the sudden contact, Hwi gripped his waist firmly and leaped high into the air.
“Ah!”
Yun-seo tightly embraced Hwi and squeezed his eyes shut.
His body soared into the air like a bird, then fell, then leaped up again, repeatedly touching the ground and rising. With his ears blocked and his heart seemingly dropping, he couldn’t regain his composure.
“You can open your eyes now.”
Trembling as he clung to Hwi like a lifeline, Yun-seo slightly opened his eyes at Hwi’s words, then quickly pushed him away.
“What are you doing!”
“When you see this view, you’ll forgive me.”
The corner of Hwi’s mouth curved upward, playful and confident. Thinking this man was teasing him, Yun-seo turned his head abruptly, only to discover the scene spread beneath his feet, making his eyes widen.
The quiet imperial palace shrouded in darkness was visible at a glance. Amidst the scattered lamps marking the paths, the torches of soldiers on night patrol moved along the roads, looking just like a gentle dance.
Judging by the central east-west position, they were standing on the grand hall. The seemingly endless imperial palace had boundaries, beyond which faint lights could be seen. Yun-seo was enveloped by a contradictory and mysterious feeling—sensing the vastness of the imperial palace while simultaneously feeling he could hold this space in his hand.
The moon hanging in the night sky was brilliant, its light creating a mysterious atmosphere as it filtered between the eaves. The court ladies circling the palace looked small, like walking dolls.
“Well, do you like it?”
Awakening from a dreamlike state as if having entered a lunar landscape, Yun-seo turned to Hwi. Hwi’s eyes, containing a faint smile, were looking down at him.
“Do you come up here often?”
“Sometimes.”
“What do you think about?”
As if he had never considered this question, Hwi turned his gaze away to take in the scene extending beyond the eaves, then spoke.
“I felt the passage of time.”
Hwi’s matter-of-fact statement transported Yun-seo to a different version of him. Hwi, who after finishing state affairs would not—or could not—retire to his chambers, but would come up here alone to look down at the scene below. His burden. His world.
Yun-seo reached out and grasped the tips of Hwi’s fingers. Hwi’s gaze returned and lingered intently on Yun-seo’s face, not looking away.
“You must have been lonely.”
As if this too was an unexpected response, Hwi blinked slowly, then smiled with furrowed brows.
“I didn’t bring you here to feel loneliness. How regrettable.”
Hwi’s fingers intertwined with Yun-seo’s. It had been a long time since they had held hands like this. Longing surged like a high tide, and a comfortable sensation, like floating gently on calm water, enveloped his body.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
