While doing so, before he knew it, all classes had finished too, and it was time to return to the palace again.
Just like when going to school, when they finished the performance of several black cars passing through the school gate and leaving, before long Hwan and Huiseo could arrive at the palace. From then on, the two had to move along different routes for a while.
The main reason was that the two had different residences.
As already revealed, Huiseo was staying in the palace servants’ dormitory building located in front of Gyeonghoeru, but Hwan’s quarters were prepared in front of Hyangwonjeong, quite a bit further north than that. Regrettably, there was quite a distance between the two places.
Because of that, having to part ways right from the parking lot was something Hwan always disliked.
‘This is why I wanted to escort Huiseo there.’
Since the imperial elders said absolutely not and firmly opposed it, even Hwan had no other recourse.
When they returned to their respective quarters like that, Hwan and Huiseo would have time to briefly catch their breath, like putting down bags and changing clothes. After that, now Hwan would wait at his quarters, and Huiseo would come find him. Rain or snow, it was the two’s unchanging routine.
Sometimes Huiseo, being human, had days when he was tired and wanted to rest alone, but when parting, he could never turn away Hwan, who always became dejected and muttered in a pitiful voice, “…See you later.”
That too, but in fact, if he didn’t go, he’d definitely quickly change his attitude and barge in with eyes sparkling. Huiseo knew well that rather than making a big deal like that, obediently going along was the peaceful path for both. Others also called this reaching the state of enlightenment.
But today was an exceptionally exceptional day.
“Huiseo-ya.”
When the palace servant who came to personally meet them at the parking lot called that name, before Huiseo could react, first the expression of Hwan beside him crumpled with a whoosh.
“This way today.”
The palace servant who appeared like that played the role of guiding the two who should scatter to their respective paths in the same direction. And none other than the path heading straight to Hwan’s quarters at that.
However, the reason Hwan, who would have jumped for joy and more, blatantly crumpled his expression and didn’t welcome that accompaniment was because, in fact, Huiseo had a place he needed to stop by on that route.
Jagyeongjeon, in other words, the Empress Dowager’s Palace.
The exceptional day mentioned earlier was precisely a day when there was a “summons” from Her Majesty the Empress Dowager.
However, as one might already know from the palace servant slightly calling only Huiseo’s name just now, that summons only applied to Huiseo. Hwan found that truly disagreeable.
Huiseo said nothing every time, but no matter how oblivious Hwan was, he knew that what they called him to say could never be good words.
‘…This time it’s probably because of yesterday’s incident.’
It meant the incident where Hwan had openly thrown a tantrum in front of people because Huiseo couldn’t accompany him to the ceremony the day before. Not only would that have been reported separately, it was also reported several times as interesting gossip in all kinds of media, so it would definitely be a story related to that.
‘Why on earth…!’
Of course, it wasn’t that he’d done well.
The reason Hwan was dissatisfied was why they called only Huiseo alone instead of him to scold. When it was himself who did wrong.
‘Is the problem that Huiseo couldn’t come in the first place?’
If so, it was even more absurd.
This time especially, even more, Huiseo had an unavoidable circumstance of being “sick.” Despite the fact that a report about that too had definitely already gone in and they must know, the fact that they still summoned him—Hwan couldn’t help but find it so heartless. It was too much. It made no sense.
In a situation where he was already watching reactions over only getting three vocabulary quiz questions right, with misfortune piling on misfortune as things got more tangled, naturally Hwan had no choice but to rage and block the way.
“Absolutely not.”
Hiding Huiseo behind him, he stubbornly insisted he absolutely wouldn’t hand him over. Even knowing it was useless. Hwan found it hard to endure this situation of giving Huiseo another burden like this.
Of course, if he’d acted maturely in the first place, it wouldn’t have happened.
Yes, he was sorry for not being able to do that.
So this time especially, would he be tired of, sick of his no-good self—his chest pounded anxiously. His whole face was burning hot and the hand holding Huiseo’s arm was even trembling—pareureul. Being so anxious, so scared, he couldn’t let go even more.
Because if he went and heard unpleasant words, his frightening imagination seemed like it would really become reality.
Since Hwan was stubbornly holding out with such desperate momentum, the awkward standoff lengthened in the parking lot of all places. So a few more palace servants also rushed over and began to coax and appease Hwan.
“Your Highness, if you really do this, it’s troublesome.”
“It’ll be just a moment. Really, just a moment and we’ll send Huiseo to you…”
“I’ve said it many times, no matter what, it won’t work.”
The more so, the deeper the troubled expressions of the people around him grew. Though Hwan, as always urgent only about the situation right before his eyes, didn’t seem to know, in fact, the later it got, the more troublesome it would be for Huiseo.
So in the end, this time too, he had no choice but to step forward.
Huiseo, who let out a big sigh—puk—avoided others’ eyes and wrapped his hand over Hwan’s hand holding him.
“It’s okay.”
“What’s okay?”
Hwan looked back as if even more resentful of Huiseo stopping him, but Huiseo smiled calmly.
“She probably just wants to have tea together.”
“So why tea specifically with you…!”
It made no sense. However.
“Your Highness.”
“……”
“…Hwan-ah.”
At Huiseo’s touch, whispering affectionately as if soothing and patting his hand, Hwan absolutely couldn’t win. Though he was ruthlessly chewing his lower lip because of the resentful feelings that weren’t yet resolved, in the end he powerlessly released the desperate hand that had been holding Huiseo’s arm.
I’m sorry.
Even in such moments, Hwan hated his own pathetic self, unable to say those easy words and only moving his lips.
***
Though he couldn’t stop Huiseo from being called to the Empress Dowager’s Palace, still, Hwan believed there was still something he could do. Because no matter how he thought about it, this situation was unreasonable.
So he tried to rebel in his own way to the end.
The fact that the reason Huiseo was being called was precisely because of Hwan’s such behavior was somewhat ironic, but this was also a breakthrough strategy he could attempt because he was who he was.
“Your Highness, if you return first, we’ll send him to you right away.”
“Yeah, right. I’ll take care of it myself, so don’t worry.”
Though the palace servant taking Huiseo told Hwan several times to return to his quarters first and wait, Hwan didn’t listen even with the edge of his ear. He just followed behind Huiseo like a puppy—joljol. In fact, that wasn’t all.
Finally reaching the Empress Dowager’s Palace, when the palace servant announced their arrival and let only Huiseo inside, from then on he revealed his true colors with determination.
He suddenly sat down with a thud—teolsseok—in the middle of the front yard, even crossing his arms.
“Oh my goodness, Your Highness!”
It was a sight that the head court lady of Jagyeongjeon and other palace servants couldn’t help but be shocked at.
You can’t do this, you must maintain dignity—outside became a pandemonium, noisy and chaotic. It was a ridiculous sight, but this was precisely Hwan’s final means of forcing the Empress Dowager not to hold Huiseo for long in his own way.
‘Just get to the point briefly.’
Otherwise, I might just roll around left and right here.
The eyes of Hwan sitting on the dirt ground were fierce.
Though Hwan coming out stubbornly like that was formidable, the Empress Dowager, who didn’t bat an eye and had a gentle face despite that clamor being audible as is, was equally not easy either—Huiseo thought.
“How childish of him.”
Elegantly holding a teacup in her hand, the momentum of laughing—hoho—as if watching a cute grandchild’s antics was truly remarkable.
Huiseo too could say without exaggeration that he’d grown up in the palace his whole life. And having received plenty of affection as such, there were not a few moments when even His Majesty the Emperor felt like just a friend’s father. However, when the other party was Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, he could never dream of such a thing even once.
From the beginning until now, no matter how aged, she was consistently a frightening and difficult elder of the imperial family.
For such reasons, Huiseo was sitting silently, respectfully on his knees before her.
“……”
In fact, there were no words Huiseo could dare add about the commotion outside either.
Between the two of them, the full-fledged conversation began after spending a bit more time waiting for that noisy commotion to calm down even slightly. The Empress Dowager set down the teacup she was holding silently on the saucer and opened her mouth composedly.
“Well then, Huiseo-ya. I heard you were sick last night.”
“I apologize.”
Huiseo gave an apology readily as if he’d been waiting, as soon as the Empress Dowager’s words ended. Then the Empress Dowager opened her wrinkled eyes wide as if deliberately surprised.
“It’s not as if you wanted to be sick, so what is there to apologize for?”
While smiling benevolently once more, Huiseo too had enough experience to know he shouldn’t naively take that at face value. In fact, the somewhat pointed words that followed next could be said to be the real reason this occasion was created.
“Still, if you’re negligent in managing your health, troublesome situations like this time can arise, so there’s nothing wrong with being more careful.”
At first hearing, it might sound like worry for Huiseo.
However, thinking about the true meaning of the “troublesome situation” emphasized from the Empress Dowager’s mouth, this story was actually closer to a reprimand toward Huiseo for not properly assisting Hwan.
Whatever the reason.
The Empress Dowager’s piercing gaze looking at him seemed like a warning meaning to recall the reason she placed him by Hwan’s side, making Huiseo’s chest prickle for no reason.
she’s so desperate to pretend the imperial family actually has power