The Hated Male Concubine

#159

As the eunuch who served the Emperor directly, it would be a felony to reveal the Emperor’s condition, but this was not the case when it came to revealing it to the Empress. Even if he were to be punished, Eunuch Oh would gladly accept the punishment if it meant that the Empress would be able to take care of the Emperor. Jaran quietly nodded and gestured to Seon. Seon handed the box she had been holding over to Eunuch Oh, and Jaran spoke.

“I brought a lotus seed soup, so for now, give it to His Majesty. I’ll help you think about what to do next.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you.”

“Take good care of His Majesty.”

“I will devote my heart and soul to serving His Majesty.”

Accepting Eunuch Oh’s greeting, the Empress stared at the firmly closed doors of the Great Hall for a moment before turning away.

Jaran’s eyes deepened as she climbed into the palanquin. She had thought that the Emperor’s relationship with Yeonbin had been quite settled, but now she wondered what had happened between them to cause the Emperor to be shaken. As expected of the Imperial Palace, a place that wouldn’t easily find serenity.

***

Yihan sat absentmindedly in the Great Hall, thinking about Yeon Juwon’s expression that he had seen at the morning assembly. Yihan had expected him to address the matter, but he hadn’t shown any sign of it in front of the Emperor, even though it was obvious he knew what had happened to his son. Yihan only saw a glint of concern in his deep eyes.

Needless to say, his family must have been shaken. It hadn’t been that long since the Emperor showered Yeonbin with love as if he had never treated him coldly. Yet, the Emperor suddenly detained Yeonbin in his residence. What a caprice this was. Nevertheless, rather than blaming the Emperor’s whims, Yeon Juwon kept his mouth shut, believing there must be a reason for it.

Yihan knew he had to explain something to him, but he couldn’t bring himself to say anything. What on earth should he say? It would be very absurd to tell Yeon Juwon that he had confined his son because Yeonbin himself claimed that he was another person. In the end, Yihan couldn’t stop Yeon Juwon, who bowed deeply to him and walked away lonely.

Meanwhile, Eunuch Oh, having conveyed his words to the Empress, approached. Yihan stared at the bowl of lotus seed soup he placed before him and then opened his mouth.

“Has the Empress returned?”

“… Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Is there anything else she said?”

“No, Your Majesty. She was only worried about your health.”

Yihan sighed and raised a hand to sweep across his face upon hearing Eunuch Oh’s words. Evident weariness settled over the Emperor’s closed eyelids.

He hadn’t slept a wink all night. He had drunk alcohol, but it was no use. When he closed his eyes, the image of Yeon Hwawoon’s face, his voice, and his coldness as he didn’t stop him even once came back into his mind, breaking his heart and melting it, making him unable to fall asleep.

Yihan thought about it over and over, but he couldn’t come up with an answer. It was hard for him to believe that Yeon Hwawoon was really “Hawoon,” but there were too many doubts to dismiss it as mere nonsense. Usually, he would have consulted with the Empress about matters that kept him up at night, but this wasn’t something he could easily confide in her.

Either Yeon Hwawoon was really someone else, or Yeon Hwawoon was truly insane. Neither of these scenarios should be made public. It wasn’t just because it might tarnish the Imperial Family’s reputation or cause chaos in the Palace. There was another reason why Yihan didn’t want anyone to know about this, even if it meant he had to bear the frustration alone.

It was because, no matter what the outcome of this matter, once it got out, it was obvious Yeon Hwawoon wouldn’t be able to live in this Imperial Palace merely as the Emperor’s concubine.

If another soul did indeed occupy Yeon Hwawoon’s body, it would be impossible for him to remain in the palace as “Yeon Hwawoon.” Moreover, if he was a commoner guard, no one would let him go, not even the Yeon family.

The same would be true if Yeon Hwawoon was simply insane. Now, Yeon Juwon’s influence was so great that no one would dare to stand up to him, but if there were rumors that Yeon Hwawoon was insane, there would be people who would use it to try to outpower him in any way possible. It was only natural that they wouldn’t let a concubine who claimed to have switched souls with someone else stay in Jeongan Palace.

That was it. Whatever the truth, Yihan was afraid of losing Yeon Hwawoon. He could make some cheap excuse about how Yeon Juwon had to be indomitable for the Imperial Family to be stable, but he couldn’t use that excuse to pull the wool over his own eyes. Even when it was clear that person had deceived him in some way, Yihan’s greatest fear was losing him.

Indeed, love was such an irrational, unnecessary emotion that weakened a human.

“How could he not stop me even once…”

With his head bowed, Yihan whispered like a sob. He was hurt by Yeon Hwawoon, who didn’t offer a single excuse for his actions. He was angry and sad about his coldness, not even catching his steps after he issued an order to confine him.

My feelings for you were genuine, Your Majesty. I couldn’t tell you because I feel guilty, but deep inside, I love you.

If only Yeon Hwawoon had said those words, Yihan wouldn’t be in such despair and pain.

“Your Majesty…”

Eunuch Oh opened his mouth to call out to his lord, anxiously watching the Emperor hang his head low and cover his eyes with his palm. But he soon closed it back. The Emperor’s shoulders, which usually looked as vast as the sky, now looked so small and frail, making Eunuch Oh unable to say anything else.

***

“Are you saying that His Majesty didn’t even see you, Empress?”

Songhyun, who had been listening to the Empress nervously, soon turned sullen and cast her gaze downward. On her way to the Empress’s Palace with Biyoung, she had hoped that the Empress would have information about the situation, but all her hopes were in vain. Even though she hadn’t gone herself because Biyoung had stopped her, it was obvious that she wouldn’t be able to see the Emperor, given that the Empress herself had failed. Songhyun pouted her lips, but she didn’t give up and opened her mouth again.

“Your Majesty, even so, I don’t think His Majesty won’t see you for a long time. When you get the chance to meet him, you will ask him to forgive Yeonbin, right?”

“How could Her Majesty ask His Majesty to forgive Yeonbin without knowing what wrong he had done?” 

Biyoung answered instead of Jaran. Her statement was not incorrect, but as she said it, she, too, looked at the Empress with a desperate expression. After a moment of silence under the gaze of the two people, Jaran spoke.

“I know well His Majesty wouldn’t do that for no reason.”

Aside from the frustrating and upsetting situation, Jaran was right. Their emperor wasn’t someone who would confine his concubines on a whim, without a specific reason. Moreover, punishing a concubine, especially one with a family as powerful as Yeonbin, by confining him in his palace indicated that it was not a minor matter. It was a punishment that was hard to justify unless he had done something very grave. But no matter how much Biyoung and Songhyun thought about it, they couldn’t imagine that Yeonbin could have done something so severe to the Emperor, which had caused them distress since the morning.

After looking at their serious faces for another moment, Jaran slowly voiced what she had been thinking.

“What if… Yeonbin has regained his memory?”

The two pairs of eyes in front of Jaran widened in horror at her words. Jaran’s words didn’t merely mean that he had regained his lost memories. She must have meant that Yeonbin might have returned to his “former self.”

Songhyun clenched the handkerchief in her hand. In an instant, a chill ran down her spine, and a cold sweat broke out all over her body. Just imagining Yeonbin reverting to his old self was enough to make Songhyun lose her composure. It was not only terrible to have to deal with that demonic Yeonbin again, but the thought of losing the current Yeonbin, who had been kind to her, was enough to bring her to tears.

Meanwhile, Biyoung, who had quickly regained her composure unlike Songhyun, thought carefully before speaking in a calm voice.

“I don’t think that is the case, Your Majesty.”

“How can you be sure?”

“If Yeonbin had reverted to his former self… would that temprament allow him to be obediently locked up in Seojeong Palace?”

“Oh…!”

Songhyun let out a short gasp. Her expression, which had been pale a moment ago, instantly brightened. Biyoung smiled faintly and continued.

“Although I can’t be sure, if that had been the case, a few court ladies would have already been tormented, or Yeonbin himself would have been trying to break the gates down with an ax.”

“Haha. You have a point.”

Jaran let out a light laugh. Even though it was not as much as Songhyun, she, too, had been feeling heavy inside at the thought of Yeon Hwawoon returning to his old self. Sukbi’s opinion was somewhat absurd, but at the same time, it was a very logical and convincing speculation.

“In any case, I’ll find out about it when I see His Majesty, so let’s wait a bit longer.”