Chapter 25

“What do you mean by the duty of the Crown Prince’s wife?”

“I am afraid I can’t stand by the Crown Prince If I continue my lukewarm relationship with him like now, so I am going to try harder to build a closer relationship with him.”

Kyoyoung frowned at that. Kyoyoung guessed that Kyosul also heard what Bipaan had told her. Despite that, Kyosul said she was going to do what he obviously would not want instead of following his order obediently. When Kyoyoung thought as far as that, she felt Kyosul was not only young and immature but also stupid.

“His Excellency Crown Prince might not like what you are trying to do as he hates to be bothered.”

“I’ve already told him a piece of my mind. I told him I would work hard to be on intimate terms with him.”

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“So, what did he say?”

“He told me I was quite a daring woman then quickened his steps.

“I see.”

Kyoyoung closed her mouth for a minute. Obviously, the Crown Prince expressed displeasure at Kyosul’s unexpected move, but Kyosul was already determined to befriend him, regardless of his reaction. After turning her initiative over in her mind, Kyoyoung decided to take it to her advantage. If Kyosul carried out her promise to Bipaan, he would certainly be upset, but as long as his anger was not directed at her, Kyoyoung would not have to care about it.

“How can I give you my advice on that? As you have already made up your mind firmly, I’m going to support you quietly.”

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“Thanks, Kyoyoung. I thought you would support my initiative. As you love and miss the Crown Prince, I’m telling you about my idea in advance, so that you won’t feel resentment towards me later.”

“What are you going to do in the future? I mean, how can you befriend the Crown Prince?”

“Well, I’m going to do whatever comes to my mind.”

“Your Highness Kyosul!” While Kyosul was lost in thoughts on her idea, Kyoyoung called her quietly. “Can you promise one thing to me?”

“What is it?”

“While you are trying to get close to him, if you notice any sign that he is warming up to you, please let me know in advance.”

“Sure, will do. Don’t worry.”

Kyosul was choked up when Kyoyoung made that request. She was amazed how much Kyoyoung loved the Crown Prince.

“Thanks so much, Your Highness.”

Kyoyoung was the type of woman who made sure everything would work out smoothly. She felt she could be satisfied with Kyosul’s reassurance. While looking at Kyosul who was kind enough to accept her request with an innocent face, Kyoyoung smiled brightly.

Maybe I can usurp her status as the Crown Princess easily.

Obviously, Kyoyoung’s calm smile was pregnant with a different scheme from Kyosul.

***

Kyosul decided to translate her determination into action quickly. She needed her nanny’s help to carry out her plan, which she came up with after hard thinking. At Kyosul’s order, she did her best. She stopped the eunuch assigned to Donchon Palace and asked him a favor. The eunuch didn’t answer clearly as if he were pressured.

“As His Highness Crown Prince is very diligent in carrying out his official duty, he could be mad.”

“If he is mad, please blame it on me. If I don’t convey my message to you properly, the Crown Princess will be mad at me.”

“Oh my god!”

The eunuch seemed embarrassed. But the nanny didn’t budge a bit. As she served her precious boss Kyosul, the Crown Princess, she had to follow her order. She slipped something into his hands, who was hesitating to respond to her request. With a perplexed expression on his face, the eunuch headed for Dongchon Palace with a heavy heart. On the other hand, the nanny walked back to Kyosul’s residence with a light heart.

While Bipaan was working in the office, he picked a small scroll letter among a pile of scrolls that the eunuch offered. He was in the middle of handling it in the order of his picking up the scrolls. When he grabbed it, he didn’t find anything usual in it. He smelled the fragrance of a spring flower from the letter he picked. When he opened the scroll wrapped in fine silk, a dried tiny flower fell out of it. On the paper attached to the golden silk embroidered with colored threads was dotted with cute writing.

It was a flower-cum-letter.

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Bipaan was speechless for a moment. Even before reading it, he picked up the flower dropped on his knee and put it on the scroll letter, folding it in half. Without turning around, he asked the eunuch standing nearby.

“What is this?” He asked sharply.

The eunuch lay flat on his face and said, “That is a letter sent by the Crown Princess in the Dongbi Palace.”

His eyebrows trembled when he heard the word ‘Dongbi Palace.’ Nobody noticed his subtle uneasiness. He stared at the letter sternly. Though he wanted to open it, he didn’t. He seemed to see Kyosul’s face in the cute writing in the letter scroll. How could she think of inserting a flower into the scroll? It literally contained something that strongly smelled of her cuteness.

“I had the nerve to present it to you as Lady Onyu, the nanny serving the Crown Princess, has earnestly asked me to convey that scroll letter to you,” said the eunuch.

The eunuch was nervous while explaining to him and shivered with fear at the thought that Bipaan might have been offended by the scroll letter. He was harsh and scary, to say the least.

Bipaan didn’t pay any attention to the eunuch who lay flat on his face. Instead, he was looking at the folded scroll letter on his desk, sitting upright. The sweet fragrance of a spring flower tickled the tip of his nose.

Wrinkling his nose, he said in a quiet voice, “Put it away.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The eunuch crawled toward him, with his head lowered and received the scroll letter with both hands. Holding it over his head, he slowly stood up and stepped back. When he reached the door of his study, Bippan called him, “Wait a minute.”

While opening another scroll, Bipaan stopped the eunuch. The eunuch stopped immediately and lowered his body again. Bipaan didn’t say anything for a while even after stopping the eunuch, and then spit out the word casually, “Put it somewhere inside instead of throwing it outside.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Lowering his head, the eunuch headed toward the inner room of his study. Then, he rolled the scroll letter in golden silk and put it on the small desk near the window. There was a faint smile on his lips.

***

After finishing his work for the morning, Bipaan headed for the central palace at the order of Emperor Ohyulje. When he entered the palace, Ohyulje was discussing with his trusted aides about state affairs. Assuming that Ohyulje called him to discuss state matters together, Bipaan was about to join them.

Bipaan felt a bit strange about Ohyulje’s behavior today, but approached him silently and offered greetings, “Long Live the Emperor! I’m honored to see you.”

Going down on one knee, he paid his respects to Ohyulje and sat beside him.

“I heard that…”

When Bipaan was about to ask him about state affairs, Ohyulje opened his mouth first.

Ohyulje mentioned he “heard” something, which made Bipaan feel uncomfortable because the Emperor’s Concubine Yu must have conveyed some rumor about him to Ohyulje when he started with “I heard …” As Concubine Yu had loose lips, she was notorious for making up all kinds of wild rumors, but Bipaan didn’t reveal his uncomfortable feelings.

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“I heard that the Crown Princess Kyosul and Princess Kyoyoung were living alone these days.”

“How could any man with a wicked intention spread such a reckless rumor?”

Without asking him, Bipaan could presume who was responsible for spreading the rumor. Pretending not to know, Bipaan took aim at Concubine Yu.

“Regardless of who conveyed it to me, was the rumor true?”

Ohyulje’s tone, which was slow and light, was now heavy and stern.

“I heard that you didn’t even sleep with the Crown Princess on the wedding night. Is it true that you didn’t visit her and your second wife?”

“…”

“Answer the Emperor’s question!”

Ohyulje raised his voice when Bipaan didn’t reply. The Crown Prince’s refusal to sleep with his official wife and second wife was clearly different from the case of ordinary women living apart from their husbands. No matter how many members are in the royal family, the Crown Prince who was to succeed to the throne had to make efforts to have a child to preserve the royal family. That was the most important duty of the Crown Prince. Ohyulje was enraged to learn that Bipaan didn’t even go and see the Crown Princess and Princess at night, let alone sleep with them.

Moreover, as there was only one grandson within the royal family that the princes in line to succeed the throne begot, the Emperor exploded with anger. Never had there been so few offsprings of the royal family like now. When Ohyulje was the Crown Prince, he had already had three sons and two daughters.