The Hated Male Concubine

#146

The Emperor, who had been sitting still and watching Jamun answer the question, opened his mouth. Jamun, prostrating, had his shoulders shook as if he were having a seizure. The Emperor’s voice didn’t sound loud or angry, but rather low and heavy. Nevertheless, Jamun was shocked because he felt his voice was like a bolt of lightning that pierced through him. Jamun curled up even more and the Emperor asked him.

“Did you also hear the sound of someone falling into the water like that person heard?”

“N… No, Your Majesty… I… I didn’t hear that…”

Jamun’s voice sounded almost like he was crying. The Emperor’s gaze swept past him and settled back on Seocheon. Seocheon, his head lowered, accepted that gaze calmly and opened his mouth. 

“Your Majesty.”

“How dare you speak to the Emperor!”

At the same time, Eunuch Oh shouted at Seocheon in a shrill voice. It was not the place for a mere guard to talk first without the Emperor’s permission. However, Yihan raised his hand to stop him.

“Speak if you have something to say.”

Yihan wasn’t going to let this matter go. If this happened for someone’s fault, or if it was done with malice, he would punish them so that this would never happen again. A certain emperor was said to have punished all the servants when the woman he loved caught a cold. For the first time, in this place, Yihan understood the feelings of that emperor, whom he had previously thought to be unfitting for a ruler. 

Yihan was holding himself back desperately. His emotion couldn’t be calmed down unless he poured all of it to the one guilty, if there was really someone guilty of this. Therefore, no one should get away with it by framing someone else. As the Emperor gave him permission, Seocheon continued.

“As Jamun proved, this person stayed with him until His Highness Yeonbin fell into the water. Therefore, the most suspicious person is the one who had been with His Highness. I beg of you, Your Majesty, to consider the injustice of this person.”

From time to time, Seocheon did imagine Yeonbin’s death. There were also times when he dreamed to repay Hawoon’s death. Seocheon always felt that Hawoon’s vain death was unfair, and he loathed Yeonbin, who was living a new life by taking Hawoon’s life.

However, he couldn’t accept the punishment for something he didn’t do. Besides, Seocheon had a reason to stay alive at this moment. Seocheon had to stay alive and he had something he had to ask Yeonbin, Yeon Hwawoon, who was lying on the bed, unconscious. So, he tried to say something about So Jeong, who was framing him without reason, but then So Jeong walked ahead on his knees and stopped before the Emperor.

“What is it?”

The Emperor, his voice still as cold as the winter breeze, asked, and So Jeong answered.

“Your Majesty. There is evidence indicating that person was attempting to kill His Highness.”

“…”

“That person was… the closest friend of the guard that died from saving His Highness Yeonbin. He was also the one who took care of the body of that guard, who was an orphan.”

The eyes of everyone in the bedroom widened at the unexpected statement. The Emperor and Empress, as well as the courtiers of Seojeong Palace, were frozen and exchanging glances. Straightening up his posture, Yihan asked.

“Is that… true?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. It is a fact I learned by chance not too long ago. Furthermore, that person was not originally a member of Jeongan Palace, but came to Jeongan Palace of his own accord shortly after His Highness recovered… How could this not be a plan to do something bad to His Highness!”

“…”

“I was going to tell His Highness once he got a little better, but in the meantime, I really… I really didn’t expect this!”

Seocheon felt the emperor’s gaze on him and bit his lip. He felt like everything was finally becoming clear. So Jeong was the culprit. Seocheon was sure of it. All of his suspicious behavior, all of his snooping around behind his back, all of it must have been in preparation for this moment.

But why? Even in the midst of all this, Seocheon was curious about it. He had never met So Jeong before, so it couldn’t be that he had a personal grudge against him. In that sense, So Jeong was trying to kill Yeonbin, and he had Seocheon as a trump in case he failed. Then, for what reason was he trying to kill Yeonbin? Seocheon felt his head was spinning.

In the meantime, the Emperor took a glance at Eunuch Oh, who was standing beside him, and he hurriedly bowed before the Emperor and said.

“Your Majesty, as I recall, that person is… the one who collected the body of the deceased guard and received the funeral expenses you had bestowed.”

Hearing Eunuch Oh’s words, Yihan gripped the armrests of the chair as if he would break them. All the evidence pointed to him as the culprit. It was for the sake of his dead friend. Everything made sense if he was trying to get revenge for his friend who had died in vain overnight.

Yihan closed his eyes, overwhelmed by the tragedy. It had always been his belief that no matter how lowly the life of the untouched, their lives had value. The life of the guard who had died saving Yeonbin was something that Yihan still felt sad about. Moreover, from that person’s point of view, the man who had survived by killing his friend was now favored by the emperor. If the deceased and that person were truly close, how would he not have felt unjustified, and how would he not have been angry?

But that didn’t erase his guilt. No matter how unjust, no matter how angry he was, the crime of harming the emperor’s concubine was never light.

Pressing down all the anger, frustration, and bitterness in his heart, Yihan sighed heavily and was ready to give the order to interrogate Seocheon.

“… Your Majesty”

At that time, a voice so fragile that it was almost unheard called the Emperor. It was Hwawoon.

“… Woon-ah!”

The emperor forgot where it was. No, he called out Hwawoon’s nickname as though he didn’t care about such a thing and hastily approached the bed. The emperor erased his expression, which looked murderous as if he would tear anyone to pieces, and changed it to a loving and sorrowful gaze. Sung Yihan sat down by Hwawoon’s side, kissed his cheek and said.

“It’s me. I’m here. Are you awake now?”

“Your Majesty…”

“Yes. Yes… Woon-ah. It’s okay. Don’t worry, I’m here to protect you now.”

Yihan stroked the corners of Hwawoon’s eyes as he struggled to open them. He felt sorry for his body temperature, which was still as cold as ice. He felt the anger he’d been holding back rise. The thought of what happened could make Yeon Hwawoon go wrong led him to feel the desire to punish everyone involved without considering anything.

As if he could fathom the emperor’s feelings, Hwawoon slowly moved his weak hand to grasp Yihan’s arm and spoke in a very low voice.

“Your Majesty… It was my fault…”

“… What?”

Yihan thought he had heard it wrong and asked back. However, Hwawoon spoke again to Yihan, who had bent down to hear his voice better.

“I… I fell by mistake, so Your Majesty… please don’t blame anyone else…”

Taken aback by the unexpected comment, Yihan reflexively turned his head to look at the men who were prostrating before him and accusing each other. No matter how he looked at it, there were many things that were fishy. He was about to say that perhaps this wasn’t such a simple matter.

“Your Majesty…”

But then, Hwawoon called out to the Emperor again. Yihan, who turned around to face Hwawoon, had his expression softened in an instant. Hwawoon was looking so desperate. With a look of unreadable desperation on his face, as if he could faint at any moment, Hwawoon was pleading to the Emperor. 

“Everything is all my fault. Even if there were mistakes on their part… Your Majesty… this is Seojeong Palace’s matter, so please allow me… to handle it myself… Your Majesty…”

His voice was shaking like a lantern in the wind. It wasn’t just because he was sick, he looked scared.

What is he afraid of? Is it simply because he was almost dead? Or, is it because I will punish them?

While Yihan was unable to draw a conclusion of his thoughts, Jaran, who had been watching the situation closely, cautiously walked over to Yihan’s side and opened her mouth.

“Your Majesty, the most important thing right now is Yeonbin’s condition. Even if there’s something you can’t accept right now, I think you should try to comfort Yeonbin first and deal with everything else later.”

Yihan finally came to his senses at Jaran’s voice. The thought of Hwawoon being in danger was making him unusually agitated. Yihan nodded his head lightly once, then gently stroked Hwawoon’s cheeks and lips once more.