Chapter 39

“How can I help you, Crown Princess?”

He was putting his trembling hand on her slowly. Slowly, little by little and very slowly he touched her face with his fingertips again.

The moment his hand touched her, tears came from her eyes. He couldn’t figure out whether it was her fever or lovesickness that made her drop tears. And she faintly said, “….jin.”

Her tears, which came out the moment his hand touched her, and her unfinished calling ‘jin’, deeply etched a tear in his mind. Though the name she called was not clear, he sensed clearly whose name it was.

He turned his mouth up slightly, and he stopped tilting his head, which seemed unstable a moment ago. His blurry eyes, reflecting his complicated feelings, became clear now.

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“Got it. That’s enough.”

There was no ambiguity in his short response. Without any pitch, his voice was flat and dull. He wiped her tears with a gentle gesture and turned.

He paused for a moment but never looked back.

Just like he came in quickly, he went out without hesitation.

After he left the room, the nanny came back to her room.

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“Oh my god! How could this kind of thing happen?”

The nanny was still putting her hand on her lips, much embarrassed by what she saw a minute ago. Blinking her eyes, she took turns looking at the empty seat near her bed and the door now closed firmly.

She couldn’t believe that the man had been here only a few minutes ago. Astonished by the fact that he came to see her, she couldn’t take her eyes off the door for a long time.

***

The princes of the four palaces gathered at one place. They were coming out of the main hall of the Central Place. Emperor Ohyulje called them once a week to discuss state affairs.

While each of them was on his way back, Bipaan sensed that somebody was shadowing him when he visited the flower garden of the Central Palace.

“Come out!”

Even without turning around, Bipaan shouted. Someone at a distance approached Bipaan. He was Ruhae.

“What’s the matter with you? How can a prince like you shadow me like a worthless scoundrel?”

Despite Bipaan’s insulting remarks, he didn’t change any facial expression. In fact, he was accustomed to Bipaan’s way of speaking like this.

Bipaan always used to look down on those below him as lowly men. Standing beside him, Ruhae said, “I hear your wife has been sick in bed.”

“I’ve never heard that she is sick. Are you sure?”

As Ruhae mentioned the Crown Princess as just ‘wife,’ Bipaan thought she was his second wife, not Kyosul.

As Bipaan answered with no particular interest, Ruhae bit his lip.

“The woman I’m referring to is the Crown Princess Kyosul.”

“In this strict imperial palace, you had better call her by the right title.”

“Brother Bipaan!”

When Ruhae raised his voice, Bipaan turned his head and looked at him. He was wearing a poker face.

Bipaan’s face was impassive in the past. Still, outsiders could figure out how to interpret his expressions but not now. It was as if Bipaan was elevated to a totally different world.

“How dare you raise your voice before your Crown Prince, brother?”

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His low voice rang with authority. Ruhae shuddered before he knew and clenched his fists.

“Sorry, I was disrespectful to you.”

“As you expressed regret, I will forgive it.”

“Did you go and see the Crown Princes?”

Bipaan looked at Ruhae silently. His dark blue eyes looked pretty gloomy.

“I don’t feel it necessary to respond to such trifling things.”

His voice was calm as usual. Ruhae felt miserable.

Bipaan was like a tree that he could not dare climb or a figure he could not dare challenge. Ruhae even felt his presence beside Bipaan was a disrespectful act itself.

Was Bipaan not a human with a beating heart?

He wondered if Bipaan could get emotional and express his feelings freely even once during his lifetime. He also wondered if Bipaan’s mask could be broken into pieces to reveal a true expression beneath it.

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“Have you not seen her at all?” Ruhae asked again.

“If you want to keep asking silly questions like that, just leave!”

“Your Majesty, Crown Prince!”

At that moment, Bipaan slapped him with the back of his hand. Raising his head upright, Ruhae looked at him.

“It seems that you haven’t repented. Do you want me to punish you?”

“Don’t do that, brother. Aren’t you worried about your wife?”

When Bipaan was about to slap him once more, Ruhae raised his hand to grab his wrist. Without any surprise at all, Bipaan opened his mouth, “I clearly warned you to call her by the official title. After you turned 20, it seems your memory got worse.”

“Brother, don’t you think she is in a poor state? Don’t you think your wife, who has come from a faraway country, is pitiable? How come you don’t show the slightest sympathy when that little woman has been suffering from fever while shivering sadly every day? Isn’t she your official wife? Is it that hard for you to hug and comfort her?”

Ruhae continued while feeling agonized over Kyosul, Bipaan’s wife. Though Ruhae already said Kyosul was his official wife and asked him to hug her, he really didn’t want to say those words to Bipaan. But as Bipaan, who seemed to be made of patches of ice, was too cold-hearted, Ruhae had no other choice but to say so. If Bipaan listened to his words and hugged her, she would feel warm even for a moment.

As long as she could feel warm, Ruhae wanted to do anything for her. He already vowed that he would do it at the sacrifice of his own benefits.

But Ruhae’s appeal to his brother Bipaan went nowhere, as expected. As if he wasn’t least interested, Bipaan responded casually, “I don’t know which woman you’re talking about. My official wife is the Crown Princess. Keep it in mind, Ruhae!”

Ruhae released Bipaan’s hand. Bipaan didn’t raise his hand again.

Ruhae burst into feigned laughter. He realized that the man standing before him was really impossible.

“Got it, brother. Oops, I forgot momentarily what kind of person the Crown Prince was.”

“It’s good that you have realized it finally,” Bipaan responded in an extremely flat tone.

“I just think it regrettable that Crown Princess Kyosul is your official wife. How come she has gotten married to none other than Your Majesty?”

Ruhae stared at him. At his rude question, Bipaan stroked his jaw and said, “I see you have some hidden implications in your words.”

“Yes, you’re right. Could you figure out what kind of implications are hidden in my words?”

Ruhae’s heated eyes met his cold-hearted glance. They looked at each other for a long time without saying anything. Gazing at him with the same cold-hearted glance, Bipaan opened his mouth.

“It seems that the Crown Princess isn’t happy about having gotten married to me. She doesn’t like it. And you wished she had gotten married to you. Am I right?”

Little did Ruhae think Bipaan hit the nail right on the head, so he shuddered, surprised.

“And the reason she is so sick is because she feels the same way as you…”

“Just leave the Crown Princess alone. She doesn’t feel that way. It’s just me who feels attached to her…” Ruhae shouted at him.

In a usual situation, Ruhae’s challenge like that was unthinkable. But he was not scared of Bipaan any more. This time Bipaan was looking at Ruhae with a calm and cold-hearted glance.

“Well, I don’t think so.”

“Are you going to kick the Crown Princess out then?”

“In your opinion, what kind of action do you expect me to take?”

“Just leave the Crown Princess alone and punish me. The Crown Princess just misses you. It’s only me who is giving my mind to her. The Crown Princess has never met me in person,” said Ruhae resolutely.

“You’re now challenging me without any fear, Ruhae.”

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“I’ve thought about this matter for a long time. And I’ve made the decision.”

“Oh, I see. Are you going to kick out your wife then?”

At Bipaan’s sudden question, Ruhae’s eyes were opened wide with surprise. Though he felt sorry for his wife Yomin, he never conjured up her face while he made a firm determination. When Bipaan brought up an issue that he had never seriously thought about, Ruhae was at a loss for words and lowered his head.

“How come you meddle in my matters when you don’t know how to take care of your wife first? I don’t think you are the type of brother that I used to know. I think I’ve got the wrong person.”

Bipaan’s chilly voice pressed hard on Ruhae.

“Please give the Crown Princess a hug.”

Ruhae barely spoke in a dry voice. He hated Bipaan as he had to repeat the same words he already spit out.

“I won’t hug any woman.”

Surprised by his flat tone, Ruhae raised his head. Bipaan’s face was calm and devoid of expression.

“I won’t kick her out because she is a woman who will be helpful in my future.”