CH 31.1

“It’s just the medicine that I take all the time. I’m not sick in particular.” 

Hwawoon answered Yihan’s question in a low voice. Unlike Yihan’s concern, Hwawoon did not seem to have added any excessive interpretation to the emperor’s question. If it had been in the past, Yeon Hwawoon would have been clinging to him, saying, ‘I can’t believe you’re very worried about me, Your Majesty’.

“…”

Yihan contemplated more because of that. In the past, he was fed up with Yeonbin whining; ‘I’m sick here, I’m sick there’. Later, he even didn’t worry about him, but now, when he said he was okay, he wondered what had changed that led him to secretly worry.

Right now, Yihan was even confused by the thought of whether Hwawoon’s wrist that he held on painfully last night was all right.

His lips kept twitching on their own. He knew he didn’t need to stir any trouble by asking that, but his lips kept moving as they pleased.

Are you okay? Is the wrist that I hurt last night okay? Did it hurt a lot? Did it bruise a lot?

He wanted to ask those. He wanted to worry. In fact, he wanted to let him know he didn’t do that on purpose. 

He was terrified by that now. All the senses inside him that were blocking him were allusively making Yihan afraid.

Yihan eventually rose to his feet, unable to say anything. He had to get out. He felt like he had to get out of this place right away.

“… there!”

Yihan quickly raised his voice, just in case Hwawoon said anything more to himself. Eunuch Oh, who had been waiting in the distance, immediately replied, “Yes, Your Majesty,” and then Yihan looked at Hwawoon, who also stood up following him, while saying,

“We’re going back.” 

“… Yes.”

Right then, Eunuch Oh looked up at the emperor for a moment, but when he saw Yihan’s expression, which looked like a frightened child, he just bowed and answered. To suddenly come and to suddenly go would be hurtful for the concubine, but it was meaningless to say that out loud because it was not the first time this thing occurred at Jeongan Palace.

“Your Majesty.”

However, it was Hwawoon who held onto the emperor’s escaping steps. For a moment, the emperor, Eunuch Oh, and even Ahjin all wondered if Hwawoon would cling to the emperor who was leaving the room without explanation just like in the past.

Hwawoon, who calmly walked a step closer to the emperor, opened his mouth.

“I don’t know if I could ask about this, but…” 

“…”

“Your Majesty, nothing happened to you, right?” 

Then, looking up slightly at Yihan, there was a sign of concern on Hwawoon’s face that no one could deny. He was worried about the emperor, not upset or humiliated by the emperor’s attitude, which came and went at will without even tasting a sip of tea. 

“Yesterday and today, you look very troubled.”

Somewhere, there was a sound of something crumbling. It was a sound that only Yihan alone heard.

“At times like this, you must take care of your health more, Your Majesty.”

Those were such ordinary words. Such words and worry were natural for every concubine to say. Then, why were the words said by Hwawoon just now so unfamiliar and heavy, pressing down on Yihan’s ears, nose tip, and heart? 

“…… Let’s go.”

That’s why Yihan couldn’t say anything else and eventually turned his body. He wanted to look back as he heard Hwawoon’s voice sending him off, but he didn’t do that. He couldn’t do that.

Yihan was really afraid of all of this.