CH 23.1

“No. Just like what you said, those were that kid’s choice and his own fault.” 

“Then why…!” 

“Therefore, he may not have an intention for it, but isn’t our Yeonbin indeed a loyal subject to His Majesty and a filial son to you, My Lord?” 

Juwon’s lips were sealed tight at his wife’s question. Hwawoon couldn’t get pregnant with a male’s body, and not only getting love, but he was also hardly treated as a concubine, so the Yeon Family’s influence that soared up to the sky stopped because of Yeonbin. 

Nevertheless, Yeon Juwon did nothing despite knowing that. Despite knowing that Hwawoon acted against the emperor’s wish, he didn’t persuade or scold him, and he also didn’t ask the emperor to tolerate his son. 

Actually, despite knowing that Hwawoon had no qualification to be a concubine, Juwon sent him to the emperor’s side. Then, he declared Hwawoon was no longer a member of his family after he left, and he only watched Hwawoon being isolated and shunned in the imperial palace.

Sukjin smiled softly, holding the teacup that had already cooled down in her hand again.

“What I’m saying is… even if His Majesty doesn’t know about that, you can’t pretend to not know it, My Lord.”

“…”

“Because you pushed your son’s back even though you knew how he would live for the rest of his life.” 

Since it had been long after the sunset, darkness surrounded everywhere. Until Sukjin emptied the tea and left her seat, Juwon couldn’t say anything else to her. 

***

The emperor doubted that this might be someone’s scheme. He was certain that someone dared to do sorcery in the imperial palace to cover his eyes and lead his steps. If not, then there was no way he would walk to Jeongan Palace on his own. Yihan really thought like that. 

He only wanted to take a stroll. Yihan wanted to erase his thoughts of Hwawoon that came to mind immediately when he finished his work. It was no different from falling into his scheme if he kept thinking about Yeon Hwawoon, so Yihan tried to organize his thoughts while walking slowly at night.

Therefore, how could Yihan explain the urge to run away he felt back then? The confusion that was close to fear that Yihan felt when he halted his steps and found Jeongan Palace before his eyes?

The hardest thing for him to understand happened after that. If he walked here by mistake, then he just needed to return. If he said the word ‘let’s go back’, then the palanquin that chased after the emperor would be prepared before him. Then, the emperor would be able to walk away from Jeongan Palace and go to the empress palace, Unhwa Palace, or any other place without needing to walk on his own.

Nevertheless, Yihan didn’t do that. He didn’t turn his steps.

Instead, Yihan left everyone behind and decided to enter Jeongan Palace alone. Despite thinking that he shouldn’t do that; despite blaming himself for falling into Yeon Hwawoon’s cunning tricks; Yihan followed the road shone by the moonlight and couldn’t stop his steps.

He just walked searching for Hwawoon, who was in the garden, hushing down every mouth he encountered so that they could not announce his presence. At that time, he couldn’t figure out what he wanted. He could make a petty excuse that he came to reveal his true self at an unexpected time like last time, but the emperor knew that it was not true.

Then, when the emperor faced him in front of all the chaos;

When he saw Yeon Hwawoon staying under the moonlight in front of his complicated, chaotic, and fearful emotion; 

“I’m being far from His Majesty’s gaze is the way for me to help him.”

When he heard Yeon Hwawoon self-mocked himself with such a sad gesture and voice; 

The emperor didn’t look into what he felt then. He didn’t want to know. He thought it was fine and it was nothing. Just like a bird that put its head in a pile of fallen leaves and mistook itself for hiding, the emperor simply repeated that this feeling was nothing.

The sorrowful face of Hwawoon under the subtle moonlight; the desperate yet anxious voice as if he was sincerely concerned about the emperor; and his heart, which started beating when he saw him with the tempo he felt for the first time, all meant nothing. He thought so.

“Your Majesty…?”