Sun entered Cheol’s room soundlessly, but even with Cheol’s eyes firmly fixed on the ledger in front of him, he could sense Sun was scowling at him. When it became clear the staring would not stop, Cheol waved Eunuch Choi away. Eunuch Choi bowed and waddled out of the room, closing the doors behind him. Cheol placed the ledger down on the table and folded his hands together.
“You are upset with me,” Cheol said.
“Yes.” Such promptness.
“I’m starting to think you’ve taken more of a liking to Min-jun than I’d expected.”
“He is a good man,” Sun replied, sounding grave as always. “He makes you happy.”
“Oh?”
“All the flowers have died since you decided to let him go,” Sun said, lowering his voice. Cheol’s gift was still a secret after all, and he did not doubt there were more than a few servants who would gladly sell that information to the highest bidder. Sun sent a pointed glare at the vase of dead lilies behind Cheol. He couldn’t even perform the simple task of keeping them alive.
Cheol had noticed, of course. He hasn’t been able to grow anything since Min-jun had fallen ill. Certainly, Cheol could keep his emotions under lock and key until they were a mere whisper in the back of his mind, but his ability did not always listen to reason. Cheol’s green thumb had vanished the moment he’d returned to the Palace.
“Winter is coming.” Cheol shrugged. “It’s natural for the gardens to whither away. I can’t keep them growing forever. People will become suspicious.”
“Everything dying overnight is not normal,” Sun said. “What if they do not bloom when spring comes?”
“I will not force Min-jun to stay by my side for something like that.” How could he put the burden of his own abilities onto Min-jun? They were his to control. Min-jun deserved to live a life outside of the shackles of Cheol’s love for him. Even with that resolve, whenever Cheol reached inside of himself, he could not find the part that healed, that fostered growth, that created life. The power that had been with him all his life was silent. It left him feeling hollow, as if his heart and mind had been removed, leaving behind only an empty husk.
“I overheard Min-jun’s conversation with that medicine man,” Sun said. That drew Cheol’s attention. Iseul, that was the man’s name. Cheol had disliked him from the moment he stepped into the Throne Hall, but after the manner in which Iseul had looked at Min-jun . . . Cheol had to keep himself from gouging the impudent man’s eyes out.
“It must’ve been something important if you’re bringing it up.” Sun wasn’t the gossiping type, after all.
“Min-jun will never be safe outside of the Palace walls,” Sun insisted. “The man had threatened to expose him to their leader.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Lf klii cfnfg yf rjof klatlc atfw flatfg.”
“Lf’ii tjnf sbe.” Vec rtloafv bc tlr offa, uijcmlcu rlvfkjsr. Djrtoeicfrr? “Ccv wf.”
They’ve grown . . . quite close. Cheol sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He had not expected their friendship to become such a hindrance. “Who am I, Sun?”
Vec ybkfv tlr tfjv. “Tbe jgf Llr Zjpfras, atf Blcu bo Vjgb.”
“Blcur vb cba tjnf atf iezegs bo qeaalcu atflg ibnfv bcfr olgra. Rba ecifrr atfs klrt ab ifjv atflg Blcuvbwr ab gelc. P klii cfnfg yf jyif ab ibnf tlw jr tf vfrfgnfr.”
“Is that your father’s influence?”
Cheol met Sun’s gaze. They did not bring up his father often. Before Min-jun had arrived at the Palace, it had seemed as though Cheol would walk a path completely separate from the previous King. With Min-jun’s sudden involvement in their lives, that had changed, and now everyone watched Cheol as if he might be plagued by a sudden, hereditary, violent rage. Undoubtedly, Hye-jin had also fallen prey to these concerns. Cheol himself had done so on more than a few occasions.
“It is not,” Cheol replied. “I simply cannot see his story ending in anything but tragedy if he should stay. It will be difficult for him to move on at first, but he will adapt. He’s good at that.”
Sun would not move from his spot, unconvinced and unwavering in his loyalty. “He is afraid of something beyond the Palace walls. He can’t live a normal life as long as he is in danger.”
“Then go with him,” Cheol said, unrolling another scroll in an attempt to end the conversation. It was too much to ask of Sun, and perhaps that is why Cheol did ask it of him. Staying with Min-jun would mean leaving Ji-won, and that was something Sun could never do.
“Very well.”
Cheol peered up past the top of the scroll. “Sun . . .”
Sun kneeled down before the desk. “I shall continue to protect His Highness with my life.” He bowed deeply. He was sincere. “Should the person behind all this show their face in front of His Highness again, I will be sure to eliminate them.”
Cheol stood just as Sun turned his back to him. The doors opened for Sun, and he passed through them without another word, disappearing around the corner. Cheol was left alone with just the flickering floor lanterns, the rustling of papers in the wind, and a sinking feeling in his stomach. He hadn’t planned on losing two people he loved dearly in such a short span of time.
Cheol glanced at the withered lilies in the vase that stood behind his desk on a wooden pedestal. They drooped woefully, dried petals littering the floor. He let his hand hover over them. They would not respond. If anything, they withered away even faster.
Control yourself, Cheol. He’d brought this upon himself, and yet, here he was being completely undone. You’ve let him go once before.
That was where all the trouble began, wasn’t it? Letting Min-jun go, thinking that he would be able to live a normal life with Cheol gone. He’d even given up his memories so he wouldn’t be tempted to take Min-jun back to the Palace, where he would’ve been confined for the rest of his days. Naivete at its finest. Or perhaps the trouble had begun with their first meeting when Cheol had decided that he’d like to learn more about the pretty boy and his unfaltering sense of justice.
Cheol stood up from his desk. He needed to clear his mind.
. . .
Outside, the wind had picked up but the rain had stopped, and Cheol strolled through the courtyard connected to the King’s quarters. The earth would not respond to him. Where there had been the power of creation and life, now there was only the ability to bring death. He cast his eyes toward the heavens. If he went on like this, Saro would suffer in more ways than one.
He reached the barren plum blossom tree. They were meant to bloom in winter as a harbinger of spring, but they had not bloomed since Cheol was very young. No matter how he tried, not even a leaf would appear on its thin branches. It had once been his mother’s favorite part of the entire Palace. That was when she had still loved his father, and his father had not yet become so obsessed with possessing her.
Cheol touched the rough bark. Nothing. He sighed and sat down with his back against the bark. The cool air was a comfort at least.
His mind slipped back to the moment Min-jun jumped into the lake.
The initial splash drew everyone’s attention, and soon the wailing started. They all peered through the veils of rain. Sun stood alone as a figure near the lake.
“His Highness has fallen in the water!”
“He’s trying to drown himself!”
No, that cannot be. Cheol looked to Sun. Why was he not doing anything? Only standing there with his hand outstretched. No. No. This must be part of a plan. But time passed by, the rain grew deafening, and Sun was not following Min-jun into the water.
“Cheol,” Hye-jin called, trying in vain to gain back his attention. His heart pounded in his ears.
How long had it been already? A human could only hold their breath for so long. What if Min-jun had hurt himself on the way down? He could’ve hit his head and fallen unconscious. Or gotten stuck between rocks. Or perhaps he really was trying to drown himself.
It was a losing battle. Cheol hurried down the steps of the pavilion and toward Sun. The rain turned his clothes heavy, but his legs felt stiff. He could not move fast enough.
“Why are you still standing there?” Cheol asked. No, he yelled it. He screamed it at him. For the first time in years, Cheol had completely lost his temper. The world was tinted red.
“It is you he wants to save him,” Sun replied. “I cannot go after him.”
“You are meant to protect him! Not follow his every order blindly!” Sun was supposed to follow Cheol’s orders without hesitation. When had he become so stubborn?
Sun stared at him, unfazed. Cheol stared back at the spot where Min-jun must’ve jumped. In his place was the single golden hairpin he’d pulled from his topknot. Always had a flare for the dramatic, haven’t you?
Cheol began to strip off his scarlet robes until he was down to his white undergarments. The water was close to freezing but what chilled him to the bone was the expression on Min-jun’s face. Min-jun looked as if he did not care if he was saved or not. As if there was nowhere he’d feel more at peace than in these freezing waters.
Cheol knew his grip on Min-jun’s arm was too tight. It might bruise, and Cheol hated nothing more than to hurt Min-jun. But he felt that if he did not hold on tightly to him, Min-jun might slip through his fingers.
A slender hand made its way to Cheol’s back, gripping the fabric of his shirt firmly. Cheol pushed through the surface of the dark waters and pulled Min-jun onto the muddy ground of the shore. The rain came down in sheets, almost painful against his cool skin. Min-jun coughed the water out of his lungs, gasping. And then, the coughs slowly morphed into manic giggles. Cheol stared, mud between his fingers, under his fingernails, and water tracing down his body. He was shivering from more than just the cold now, as Min-jun’s peaceful face lingered in the back of his mind.
He could not help the anger that rose up in him. It was mostly the fear talking, Cheol knew, but that did not stop him from grabbing hold of Min-jun. Min-jun continued to giggle away, taunting him with vicious words.
It was all an act. And Cheol could not help but fall right into it.
Cheol inhaled deeply, leaning his head back against the trunk of the plum blossom tree. Min-jun was safe and sound this time, but his mental state would undoubtedly deteriorate after being exiled. What if he hurt himself? What if that leader of his really tried to contact him and rope him into another scheme? Sun might be with him, but Min-jun was smart enough to evade him if he wanted to.
Cheol reached into his sleeve and pulled out a set of matching rings. They were smooth and slightly warm in his hands, the polished jade gleaming in the moonlight.
‘Soul rings,’ the note had said. If that were so, perhaps they would also warn him if Min-jun was in danger of losing his life. Would Min-jun even accept it, knowing that it linked their souls inextricably until death? It’s not like you have to tell him. Cheol quieted the thought. He would not lie to Min-jun just to calm his own nerves.
Soft footsteps approached him, and for a moment, his heart pounded, thinking it might be Min-jun. But even if there was a clear grace and elegance in their movements, they did not carry themselves with the same confidence Min-jun had. Min-jun passed through the halls and courtyards of the Palace as if he expected the entire world to bend to his will. And yet, he seemed to always be on the precipice of falling apart.
“Lady Yun-seo,” Cheol greeted. He did not leave his position by the tree. He did not have the energy to do so. “What brings you here?”
“Your Majesty, I have come to tell you something I have kept from you for a long time.”
A/N: Early update anyone? I’m gonna be switching to three times a week starting next week because I found out that if I keep going at this pace HTKAK will take two more years to finish and it scared me a little. I also got a new computer chair so I am very motivated rn. Tamthing on Chrysanthemum Garden made a beautiful work of art (apologies for the size. that’s my bad), which I have attached to this chapter so we can all admire Min-jun in all his glory. Anywho, thank you so much for reading! If you liked this chapter, please leave a comment down below.
The art is lovely – I didn’t have any trouble expanding it.
Cheol’s vision of Min-jun under water is … well, sad, but also something he needed to see. He started this chapter pretty delusional about what’s best for Min-jun but now it looks like he’s thinking it through even though it’s taking him down. No shortcut memory erase this time.
Sun 🥺…He did pick Min-jun from the crowd applying for the consort position, did he know something then or is his instinct that good?
I’m glad you liked the art! Cheol definitely needs to reconsider the situation from MJ’s perspective. I’m leaning toward the side of Sun’s instinct being that good that he could sense MJ is a good match for Cheol. Between all of them, Sun is probably the one who is right most often. He takes his eldest brother role in the found family very seriously. He’s got a lot of wisdom to him.
Thank you so much for reading and commenting!
Truly want to slap Cheol. Making these one sided decisions is frustrating. It’s Min jun decision to stay by Cheol’s side or not.
Thank you for update. I’d be more than happy to keep reading about these two over the next 2 years
Awww, I’m glad you would stick around for 2 years if it came to that. These two have many more shenanigans to engage in lolol. And yes, Cheol is not very popular rn. He’s making all these important decisions without even consulting the person most affected by them smh
Thank you for commenting!
You’re hurting him plenty with getting min-jun away from you for “his own good” trust me…
AND THE ART IS SO SO BEAUTIFUL OMG I ALMOST CRIED BECAUSE OF THE EMOTIONS 😭😭
I know, same! Tamthing is so talented! I love their art so much. They captured MJ perfectly.
It’s true, but Cheol just can’t see what we see 😭
Thanks for the chapter ♥️♥️
Thanks for commenting!
Getting to read Cheol’s perspective of Min-jun throwing himself into the lake was SO GOOD thank you for that deliciousness! Also Sun choosing to follow Min-jun has me so emotional 😭 I love that the two of them have bonded since their first meeting!
And thanks again for the art feature I’m still so touched & honored you liked it so much, it was such a delight to make!! ❤
Ah, I’m glad you liked it! Sun has already decided MJ must be protected at all costs 😌
Thank you for the art again! And thank you so much for reading and commenting!
Yes! I am excited for the faster updates! Thank you!
I’m glad! I don’t think there will be much of a schedule, but I’ll be updating 3x a week for sure. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!