“This lowly concubine greets Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty, long live, long long live.”
“Yes. While your older brother lies ill like this, what have you been doing without even knowing?”
Even at the sudden venting of anger, Sanwol answered respectfully without changing her expression.
“This lowly concubine should have paid more attention and has committed a crime deserving death. Please forgive me. However, my older brother has had unusually delicate skin since childhood that is easily damaged, and it takes an age to heal, so please look upon him with mercy. I swear there is no one in this Yeongnyeong Palace who has looked down upon Orabeoni.”
When Concubine Yoon bowed her head, the rest of the palace servants all pressed their heads to the ground and cried out “Please have compassion.” The Emperor scanned them with dissatisfied eyes before shifting his gaze back to Sansan.
Sansan was still moaning. Sansan’s scent, which had intensified perhaps due to the sweat he’d shed, tickled the Emperor’s nose. Thinking whether he had deliberately applied scented oil despite his body being in such pain, the Emperor soon forgot the situation and unconsciously buried his high nose in Sansan’s nape.
From the nape beaded with cold sweat, Sansan’s body scent wafted richly. Smelling that fragrance, the Emperor’s lower body swelled with heat again like last night. Not only that. Somewhere in his chest beat unsteadily.
“Did he just sleep all day without eating breakfast or lunch?”
“This lowly concubine made rice gruel to feed him, and the palace servants also brewed medicine for him to drink. It hasn’t been long since he fell back asleep.”
Then was it that he was in too much pain, sleeping and waking, to express thanks? The Emperor felt his impudent feelings toward Sansan somewhat soften.
He reached out his hand and caressed the hot cheek. Sansan’s brow furrowed each time he stroked the swollen cheek. That appearance looked cute again.
Yes. Cute. Because he’s cute, he keeps coming to mind, and he wants to touch him, wants to lick him. The Emperor suddenly felt an earnest desire to share the bed.
“Han-ho. Tell the Imperial Kitchen to quickly prepare the evening meal. Since this one likes chicken, make sure to present at least three or four chicken dishes, and deer blood must also be prepared. Tell them to draw it timed so it can be drunk after the meal. His body seems far too weak, this won’t do.”
The senior eunuch said he would keep it in mind and carry it out, then briefly left his position.
“Concubine Yoon, rise and wake your older brother now. To recover well, he must eat well. Will sleeping alone do?”
Having said that, the Emperor rose from the bed and moved toward the tea room as if giving them space. Then he turned back for a moment.
“Was your older brother originally very shy from childhood as well?”
“…Pardon? Ah…, yes.”
At the Emperor’s sudden question, Sanwol was flustered and gave an ambiguous affirmation.
“I understand that’s why he’s a late bloomer, but he’s stiff as a wooden block so it’s utterly uninteresting.”
Of course, Sansan wasn’t exactly without shame, but in some aspects he was more honest in expressing emotions than ordinary people. He couldn’t hide well what he liked or disliked.
When he liked something, his face would immediately flush, he’d talk more, and his steps would bounce like a child. On the other hand, when he disliked something, he’d just make a tearful face. Then when he could no longer bear it, he’d often scream and cause a commotion.
But Sanwol wasn’t so oblivious as to honestly report such things. She hid her bitter feelings with difficulty and bowed to the Emperor. Her swollen belly was heavy, so she naturally supported her lower abdomen with her hand and said,
“Orabeoni seems to be embarrassed, but this lowly concubine will explain it to him so he understands, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor nodded with a much more satisfied face and continued walking to the tea room.
***
When the Emperor suddenly set down his spoon with a clack during the evening meal, the court ladies and eunuchs standing nearby waiting to be called anxiously watched his mood.
Sansan, who had been holding chopsticks and picking at rice grains like a bird, also immediately put down his chopsticks and lowered his head deeply, having a long history of reading the room.
“Why do you eat like that?”
At the Emperor’s question, Sansan couldn’t answer right away and just moved his lips. He’d finally fallen asleep when urgent hands woke him and he was forced to open his eyes. His body felt chilly, all his skin ached, and his head was heavy. It was hard to even gather his wits, but Yeongchae said he had to go out and eat. There was no way he could eat.
“I’m, I’m not hungry…”
Hearing the reply given without even looking, the Emperor was astounded. If he wanted to scold him right now, there were more than one or two places to start.
First, the fact that he hadn’t given the proper thanks despite sharing a meal with the Emperor being a lifetime honor, the conversational etiquette he utterly failed to observe, and the insincerity of not even once asking how the imperial body was despite mingling their lower halves so wetly together last night.
Moreover, what about this morning? While preparing to attend court, hadn’t he just lain sprawled out and ultimately not even greeted him, let alone seen him off?
If it were up to his temper, he would have sent him straight to the Cold Palace and never seen him again, yet instead he’d worried about him and even come to visit again. But that thing doesn’t know to be grateful even though he, the Emperor, is indulging him this much.
However—
“Even if you don’t want to eat, eat. I’m going to share the bed here again today, and you can’t have an empty stomach. If you faint again like yesterday, I intend to punish Concubine Yoon.”
Looking at that face, pale and still sweating coldly, perhaps his body really isn’t well—he can’t even get angry as his temper dictates. He forcibly suppressed his anger once more.
He thought this time at least he’d know to be grateful, but Sansan was silent again. The Emperor’s mood finally soured as he silently resumed his meal. He was of a mind to wait and see what would happen.
“…Um.”
Breaking the silence that had continued for quite a while, Sansan finally opened his mouth. At the appearance of seeming to hesitate about something, the Emperor, anxious for some unknown reason, nodded his chin telling him to go ahead and speak.
“…When will I be able to leave the palace, Your Majesty?”
Though he didn’t know it himself, the Emperor had actually been expecting something. He thought he would at least whisper about last night or say something pleasant to hear. Like the other women or male favorites had done. In an instant, he felt his heart plummet to the very bottom.
“…What?”
The Emperor raised the corner of his mouth coldly and asked again. But there was no way Sansan had the sense to read the Son of Heaven’s mood.
“J-just how many nights I need to sleep, if you could tell me, I think that would be good…”
Sansan had always found it difficult to wait without a deadline. Somewhat, briefly, much, long. Rather than such abstract things, he endured better when given concrete numbers. Because then he could count on his fingers and wait just that number. The phrase “until the Emperor wants” was too difficult and stifling.
“Say that again.”
The Emperor asked again in a voice much colder than before. It didn’t actually mean to say it again, but it seemed he hadn’t understood, so Yeongchae was urgently about to give Sansan a hint when—
“How dare you give hints to your master. Step back.”
The Emperor stopped her with a fierce manner. Unable to do this or that, Yeongchae tightly closed her eyes expecting a thunderbolt and stepped back.
“Yesterday, you-you said you would find me a match and let me leave the palace… So I was curious how many more nights I need to stay here…”
Unable to read the Emperor’s mood, Sansan thought the Emperor hadn’t understood his words well and explained at greater length. The man who had hit him and roughly driven into him last night felt too frightening, so even trying not to, he kept stammering.
Despite the repeated explanation, no answer came from the Emperor. Just when Sansan, finally sensing something was a bit off, was fidgeting with his fingers wondering what to do—
Crash, the sound of over ten bowls flying to the floor and shattering loudly rang through Dongbaejeon’s tea room. It was because the Emperor had raised his arm and swept all the food on the table away.
The bowls containing food flew in all directions and shattered, turning the floor into chaos. Some court ladies were covered in food, some eunuchs had bowl fragments graze their faces causing scratches. Some food also splattered on Sansan.
“Everyone kneel.”
At the Emperor’s command, court ladies and eunuchs alike all knelt and pressed their heads and both hands completely to the floor. Sansan did the same.
“When the master keeps behaving wrongly, it’s all the fault of those who serve. Han-ho. You bring Concubine Yoon back here right now, and the Dongbaejeon palace servants each strike your own cheeks fifty times. For those who show mercy in their hands, I will send them straight to the Office of Punishment, so act accordingly.”
—Smack!
“This servant has committed a crime deserving death.”
—Smack!
“This servant has committed a crime deserving death.”
—Smack!
“This servant has committed a crime deserving death.”
From here and there came successive sounds of slapping cheeks and begging forgiveness. The sound of cheeks rubbing against palms was fierce indeed.
