Quite a lovely person.
Even with the face hidden, it was palpable through the aura.
Judging by the fine jawline visible now and then through the veil, it was undoubtedly a beauty. Even though trembling faintly as if unable to hold it in…
Was meeting those thugs really that shocking?
Song Wongyeong didn’t even imagine that it was a reaction directed at himself. After all, he thought, who would possibly hate the person who rescued them?
I’m curious about the face inside that veil.
Song Wongyeong was about to peek in cleverly, but quickly gave up his curiosity.
Better not. If a rumor spreads, my whole family might be executed.
Song Wongyeong smacked his lips. Still, he couldn’t just leave someone in danger.
“Since it’s dangerous, let us head to a bright area first. I will guide you. Wontae, you go ahead.”
“Hyung!”
“It’s fine, so hurry. Let’s meet at the inn later.”
At his brother’s urging, Song Wontae reluctantly set off toward the tavern.
After soothing his brother and sending him off, Song Wongyeong voluntarily took the lead.
“Follow me, Young Lady.”
From behind, as they followed Song Wongyeong, a quiet clicking of a tongue could be heard. Song Wongyeong turned around and tilted his head.
Did I mishear?
Must be an illusion. Surely, after being helped, they wouldn’t be this annoyed.
If that were the case, they wouldn’t have followed along so meekly.
Song Wongyeong took it lightly and brought up an appropriate topic for conversation. Living alone in the inner palace without a companion to talk to had made this a habit.
“Even if it’s Gyeong’an, back alleys are dangerous.”
“…”
“Did you lose your way while coming out to play?”
“…”
Not a word came from behind the veil. This person was truly terribly silent.
Whoever lives with them is going to have a rough time.
Better stop; what right did he have to worry about anyone else? Who was the one stuck in a corner of the imperial palace living as the emperor’s male concubine?
Song Wongyeong shook his head gently and continued guiding. Before long, the bright light of the night market shone in the distance, and a main street appeared.
“If you go over there, you will be safe.”
Song Wongyeong turned around. The people he had rescued remained silent.
Even the man who appeared to be a servant had his head turned at an angle, as if he didn’t even want to be spoken to. His master was using the veiled hat as a shield, remaining silent.
Truly strange people.
In the past, these were people he wouldn’t even deal with, but present-day Song Wongyeong was different.
While locked up in the inner palace, loneliness had piled up tremendously, and meeting someone to talk to was a welcome treat regardless.
And a beauty, at that.
Though he had judged based purely on the atmosphere without seeing the face. Regardless, the fact that this person was a beauty was what mattered. Who on earth dislikes beauty?
I’d love to escort them to their destination if I could, but…
If he did that, the time he returned to the palace might be delayed. Regrettable as it was, this was where it ended.
“It was a pleasure to meet a beauty like you, Young Lady. Well then, farewell.”
Song Wongyeong offered a final greeting with a beam and slipped onto the main street first. He quickly blended into the lamplight and the crowd.
Contrary to Song Wongyeong’s advice, Seomun Cheon did not budge an inch.
Sensing an unusual aura from behind the veil, the Chief Eunuch spoke up hesitatingly.
“Um, that person just now was…”
Hoping against hope that it wasn’t, the Chief Eunuch started, but Seomun Cheon seemed to have recognized him as well.
Indeed, when Song Wongyeong had leaped into action, it was Seomun Cheon who had secretly signaled the guards to hold back. Furthermore, his voice, flowing out lower than usual, was filled with rage.
“It was Noble Person Song, the son of the Vice Minister of the Chancellery.”
Snap! As force was applied by Seomun Cheon’s hand, the folding fan he held snapped in two.
“Your… Young Master!”
Seomun Cheon raised a hand as if telling him to stop. The voice leaking through the veil was spookier than an early summer rainy night.
“My concubine was going around committing audacious acts outside the palace.”
The snapped fan fell to the ground with a thud. Hiding in the alley cast in night shadows, Seomun Cheon tracked Song Wongyeong with his eyes.
However, he had already vanished. His breath trembled faintly with rage at having been mocked by a mere male concubine.
“Chief Eunuch. Let us return.”
“How dare he!”
The moment he returned to Jeongyang Hall, Seomun Cheon threw off his veiled hat and flew into a rage.
At the emperor’s thunderous rage, the eunuchs guarding the palace bowed their heads deeply, completely clueless as to the reason.
The Chief Eunuch hastily dismissed the young eunuchs. Only after all listeners had disappeared did Seomun Cheon directly mention the matter and vent his anger.
“A mere concubine, daring to roam outside the palace without fear?!”
Seomun Cheon slammed the table and clicked his tongue. The table almost broke from the force, but he didn’t care.
“Is the bloodline of the Sanggwan Song clan all that arrogant and insolent? Or did he grow up arrogant because he’s the son of the Vice Minister of the Chancellery?!”
“Th-That is… Then, what do you intend to do with Noble Person Song?”
The Chief Eunuch was at a loss, asking cautiously while trapped in a dilemma.
“By rule, a concubine leaving the imperial palace without Your Majesty’s permission is a grave crime. Dealing with it as high treason would not be enough.”
“…”
“Furthermore, to dare address Your Majesty as ‘Young Lady’… Gasp!”
At the Chief Eunuch’s words, Seomun Cheon’s rage surged once more. Seomun Cheon sat slumped in his chair, huffing and puffing. The more he thought about it, the angrier and more absurd it became.
“…Indeed. By rule, I should punish him for the crime of mocking the Emperor and treat it as high treason.”
As Seomun Cheon muttered, the Chief Eunuch shut his mouth tight.
Though it was also the Chief Eunuch’s role to chime in and soothe the Emperor’s rage at times like this, he had just committed a sin with his own mouth. Furthermore, Seomun Cheon was a cold-blooded ruler who judged everything by rules.
Just what kind of punishment is His Majesty planning to bestow?
While the Chief Eunuch was nervous, Seomun Cheon himself was thinking of something else. His mind was filled entirely with his concubine whom he had met outside the palace, Noble Person Song.
Ever since ascending the throne at a young age, had there ever been a time when his mind was this chaotic and someone was this insolent?
“Not only did he leave the palace without permission, but despite being my concubine, he acted like a man and approached another woman.”
Except for the fact that the person he mistook for a woman was Seomun Cheon, every word was true. Seomun Cheon recalled Song Wongyeong whom he had met earlier.
Daring to do so, when he gets knocked down just by bumping into someone!
When they collided in the alley, Noble Person Song, seen up close, was smaller than expected.
Although it was a firm man’s body, for some reason it felt lean. Beneath the clothes he had changed into, a fragrant scent of powder wafted out.
Anyone seeing him would think he’s a libertine living surrounded by women.
And that face.
The face observed through the gap in the veil was, by anyone’s standards, a handsome and dashing man. It was to the point where the ridiculous outfit draped in silk seen this morning couldn’t even be recalled.
Yet despite that, didn’t he step forward reliably to protect Seomun Cheon, doing all sorts of manly things while spouting nonsense about ‘Young Lady’?
He definitely has some ulterior scheme.
From what I saw this morning, Song Wongyeong seemed to enjoy that strange attire. He had even flirted in every way possible to catch the eyes of the Emperor himself.
Yet acting like he wasn’t like that outside…
“Your Majesty? Shall I summon Noble Person Song?”
The Chief Eunuch asked repeatedly. Given the chance, he looked ready to go to Noble Person Song’s residence, tie him up, and drag him over.
Seomun Cheon glanced at the Chief Eunuch and waved his hand. Judging by his seemingly indifferent attitude, his anger had softened slightly.
“Let us wait and see for now.”
“Pardon?”
Seomun Cheon rested his chin on his hand and grinned. A cruel playfulness settled in his majestic eyes.
“Chief Eunuch, I find this quite amusing right now. Since ascending the throne, isn’t he the very first person to displease me to this extent?”
Seomun Cheon’s gaze turned toward the far northwest. It was precisely the direction where the inner palace was located. Beyond the high wall outside the window, at the end of the destination reached by crossing it, would likely be Noble Person Song’s residence.
Just what trick is he trying to pull by dressing in such a state?
He said he was going back to the inn, but did he even return to his residence? Perhaps around now, in the pitch-black palace, he might be cursing the thugs he met earlier. Imagine that far, the corners of Seomun Cheon’s lips curled up crookedly.
“Observe Noble Person Song closely and inform me of the times he goes out. We shall go on an incognito outing again soon when that happens.”
Seomun Cheon smiled as he thought of Song Wongyeong. Just imagining that man kneeling at his feet and apologizing for failing to recognize him brought him delight.
“Um, forgive me for asking while you are enraged… but what if Noble Person Song does not leave the palace?”
“Then I shall make him come out.”
After pondering deeply, Seomun Cheon asked the Chief Eunuch:
“When is the next night market?”
“In five days.”
“In five days, is it?”
It was a date neither too fast nor too slow. Finishing his calculations, Seomun Cheon subtly instructed the Chief Eunuch:
“Let us go out then. Ah, and just in case, leak a rumor that I will be visiting the inner palace.”
“Th-The inner palace? When do you mean?”
The Emperor, who had never visited the inner palace before, suddenly bringing up the inner palace left the Chief Eunuch flabbergasted.
Asking if he didn’t even know that much, Seomun Cheon tapped the Chief Eunuch’s forehead lightly with the broken fan.
“Whenever I feel like it, of course.”
“Ouch! Your Majesty!”
The neat corners of Seomun Cheon’s lips curled up crookedly.
“Aren’t you curious as to how far my concubine will dare to mock me?”
Rather than the words ‘Young Lady’, the fact that he failed to recognize him bothered him even more.
Regardless, Seomun Cheon was the Emperor and Song Wongyeong’s husband. A concubine failing to recognize the Emperor’s face was utterly absurd.
Seomun Cheon tightly gripped the handkerchief he had been holding since before returning to the palace. The handkerchief, faintly smelling of white powder, was the one handed over by Song Wongyeong earlier.
“I am truly curious as to when the Noble Person will finally recognize me.”
The Emperor’s interest had unwittingly turned toward Song Wongyeong.
Unaware of this, Song Wongyeong had secretly returned to the inner palace, pulling a blanket with frayed stitching over himself and falling asleep.
