“We were just talking,” Iseul said. He held his arms out in front of him in a placating gesture. Sun put an arm out to shield Min-jun, pushing him safely out of Iseul’s reach.
“You raised your voice at His Highness and tried to touch him,” Sun said in a chilling tone. He’s going to run him through. Min-jun was certain of it. “Had the King been here, your head would’ve already been chopped clean off. I only show you mercy because his Highness has not asked me to kill you yet.”
Iseul’s lips curled into a cruel smile. “His Highness? If I recall correctly, the King has long since abandoned Min-jun. What? Is he possessive over his discarded toys as well?”
Sun dug the tip of his blade into Iseul’s throat, just enough for a droplet of blood to drip down the blade. “You dare speak His Highness’s name?”
He was right, though, wasn’t he? The King had abandoned him. A sinking feeling lodged itself in Min-jun’s stomach. Still, nobody wants you. They want your body, your mind, and to leave you after with nothing but a shattered heart. Pick up the pieces quickly, my flower. You’ve no time to waste.
“Sun,” Min-jun said, putting a hand on the man’s shoulder. He wore the black and gold uniform of a Palace guard, of Min-jun’s guard. “That’s enough. Let him go already. It’s not worth it.”
Sun withdrew his weapon but refused to step aside. He stood firmly between Iseul and Min-jun. One of them would have to leave, and it would not be Min-jun.
“You should think about my offer some more,” Iseul said, as he stepped away from them. Sun put his hand back on the hilt of his sword, daring the impudent man to say another word. With an ugly scowl, Iseul turned and left them in the corridor. Sun turned to face Min-jun, his golden eyes softening.
“Are you alright, Your Highness?” Sun asked. He stepped closer to Min-jun, scanning him for injuries. “You should not enter secluded areas with men like that.”
“Quite alright. I can handle Iseul well enough. He’s simply stuck in the past,” Min-jun replied, readjusting his hanbok. It must’ve loosened in his little scuffle with Iseul. “You do not have to call me by that title anymore, Sun.”
Sun hung his head. “It does not feel natural to call you by any other name, Your Highness.”
“Won’t the King be cross if he hears you continue to call me that?”
“Do you truly believe His Majesty wants to abandon you?”
When had Min-jun ever been able to predict the King’s true desires? Min-jun’s feet would not move from their spot. He feared he might fall to his knees if he did so, what with the weakness he felt in his body now. “I don’t know. I haven’t a clue what he is thinking.”
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.
“Rbcf bo er vb,” Vec rjlv. “Pa rffwr ilxf tf’r mtjcufv bnfgcluta, yea . . .”
“Dea?”
“P vb cba yfilfnf la.” Ktfgf kjr j olgwcfrr lc Vec’r nblmf atja Zlc-pec mbeiv cba vfcs. Lf klrtfv tf mbeiv rtjgf Vec’r mbcolvfcmf.
There was chatter coming their way. The doctors were returning to their work. Would Iseul return to them, hoping that Min-jun would eventually come around, or would he return to Mother? Come around? Please, Min-jun would sooner die than return to Iseul’s waiting arms. Min-jun’s body was all Iseul was after. Truthfully, the man had been an awful lover. All he knew how to do was take and take. Min-jun couldn’t recall a moment when Iseul asked about what he wanted. Even if they did end up running away together, it would be a constant battle for dominance. They would argue all day, and then Iseul would pull him away for a round of rough sex that only ever ended with one of them feeling any sort of satisfaction. Rinse, repeat. Honestly, would it have killed him to ask if I even enjoyed it? Of course, that would be too much to ask for of Iseul. He was already doing Min-jun a favor, he’d say. This was Iseul’s reward for putting up with Min-jun.
Zlc-pec rtlnfgfv. Rfnfg. Rba lc j wliilbc sfjgr kbeiv Zlc-pec jiibk atja ab yf tlr oeaegf. Ktf Blcu kbeiv tjnf ab jcrkfg obg tlr jmalbcr atfrf qjra ofk vjsr. Zlc-pec ibbxfv eq ab wffa Vec’r ujhf. C cfk vfafgwlcjalbc kjr ila klatlc tlw. “Gb sbe xcbk ktfgf tf lr cbk?”
Sun considered as they began to walk toward the exit. “At this time, His Majesty is likely at the pavilion near the King’s quarters with Hye-jin. They often do their work there.”
He needn’t say more. Min-jun walked past him, finding the strength to move again. If the King had changed his mind about allowing Min-jun to keep his position, then Min-jun would simply have to change it again.
. . .
The sky had grown overcast, a harbinger of approaching rain. All around the land lay barren. The leaves had been raked away, the flowers had lost their petals and withered away, a sliver of what they had once been under the King’s watchful eye. Min-jun had begun to think he’d never let them die, but in the short time he’d been unconscious, the Palace appeared to reach the bridge between autumn and winter. The first snow couldn’t be far off.
“Your Highness, His Majesty might not grant you an audience,” Sun said, as they moved through the winding roads of the Palace at a brisk walk.
“He doesn’t have to,” Min-jun said. “I just need to see his face.” He needed to see if there was still some of that tenderness in his eyes. Or had he left all of that in the past? Had it all been an act, after all?
Min-jun sucked in a breath. He was drowning in his own mind again. Just one look. And that would be enough. That would be enough.
The pavilion came into view with its white stone pillars and blue-tiled rooftop. The pavilion overlooked the lake with its dark bluish-green waters. The waves lapped at the stone foundation that held the Pavilion up. Rain droplets began to ripple across the surface of the lake, creating circles in the water. It reminded Min-jun of the pebbles he used to toss into the river. The water was so wide, that one could barely see the other shore. Min-jun and the King (though at the time, he supposed the King would’ve been just a Crown Prince) would skip pebbles across the surface to see who could throw the furthest. The King had always won. He’d try to teach Min-jun the proper technique, but Min-jun would only get more and more frustrated. Eventually, the King would step behind him, take his hand in his, align their arms, and . . .
He’d been a flirt even then, tch.
Min-jun reached the shadow of the eaves. Water dripped down the curve of the rooftops. He could see the King there, his gaze cast down to the ledgers in front of him. Hye-jin sat across from him with her back to Min-jun.
“Ah, Your Highness,” one of the eunuchs said, caught in a half-bow. They all seemed more skittish than usual. This one was short and thin, with a hat that kept falling sideways and an anxious, flushed face. He straightened, seeming to recall Min-jun’s new position. “Sir Hae. His Majesty is very busy at the moment. He cannot grant anyone an audience.”
“Yes, I can see he’s busy,” Min-jun said, dismissively. “I’m sure if he spares me a moment, the Kingdom will not topple over.”
“Young Sir,” the eunuch protested, as Min-jun swept past him. His footsteps echoed on the stone steps. “Young Sir!”
The eunuch lunged after him, falling short of grabbing his sleeve. Tch, now that the King had abandoned him, everyone seemed to take the opportunity to treat Min-jun like some rag doll in need of nailing down. A few days ago, they wouldn’t have even dared to touch him.
Sun stepped between Min-jun and the eunuch and drew his sword, the clouds above drifting in the polished metal. The eunuch cried out after Min-jun, his voice cracking. Some of the other eunuchs tried chasing after him, but they were all stopped in their tracks when the King appeared before them. Min-jun stayed a step below the King, who now towered over him. Min-jun could not make anything of his expression. There was a veil between them now, obscuring the King’s mind from Min-jun’s prying eyes.
“Eunuch Choi, fetch an umbrella for Lord Sun and Hae Min-jun,” the King said. “And then escort them back to Jangmi Villa.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” the eunuch said, bowing deeply as he waved at one of the maids to grab the umbrella inside of the pavilion.
“Your Majesty.” Their eyes met, and Min-jun felt a shiver sliver up his back like a cold, clammy hand. His words caught in his throat. The King seemed to look right through him, as if he was hardly important enough to warrant his attention. It was an act. All of it.
The maid had returned with an umbrella in hand. He needed to reevaluate. No, he needed to test the King. Whatever he might be thinking of now, the fact remained that he had saved Min-jun’s life just a day before. If he was planning on getting rid of him anyway, he should have just let him die. The King’s actions did not align with his current indifference.
Min-jun took the umbrella from the maid and spun around on his heel, making sure his indignance was felt by all who were near. He marched past the King’s little gaggle of servants and past Sun, who sheathed his sword and followed close behind him. Min-jun handed the umbrella to Sun. He would’ve thrown it away, but he didn’t want to force the servants to look far and wide for it afterward.
The ground was muddy now, rain falling down on them in sheets. It wouldn’t be stopping any time soon. The water levels would rise, puddles would form, and the lake’s waters would become treacherous.
Min-jun glanced down at his soaking robes, and his squelching shoes. His hair, once perfectly styled, dripped water down his neck and back. He pulled out the silver hairpin that kept his hair in a topknot. Inky black locks loosened, the ends reaching Min-jun’s lower back. A test, hmm? Well, he was already wet anyhow. Sun had put some distance between them out of respect, so he likely wouldn’t be able to stop him in time. And they were so near the edge of the lake already . . .
“Sun,” he started, moving closer to the edge, glancing down into the inky depths. “I must apologize.”
“For what?”
“I’m about to do something that will make you worry,” Min-jun said. “Give it a few minutes at least. See how he reacts. I can hold my breath quite well.”
“What?” Sun tried to close the gap between them, to reach out and take his arm, but Min-jun had already stepped off the ledge. “Your Highness!”
The water engulfed him in seconds. At first, the sound of the surface of the water breaking rang in his ears, and then all around was a deafening silence. The water tinted the world blue. It stung his eyes. His lungs were beginning to protest against the lack of air, but Min-jun only let himself sink deeper. The world felt peaceful here, the water so cold that it made his body and mind numb. As if he could let himself float into nothingness. Perhaps he would’ve done so long ago, had it not been for Su-jin keeping him grounded.
Even surrounded by water, however, he could hear the commotion up above. Sun did not dive into the water to save him, as Min-jun had feared he might. He’d give the King a minute or two to show his true colors.
These clothes were quite heavy. He might be sinking faster than expected.
The surface of the water broke again, and Min-jun opened his eyes long enough to catch sight of the King swimming toward him. He had stripped off his red robes and crown and now swam to him in only his white undergarments. When he took hold of Min-jun, his grip was tight, as if he expected Min-jun to struggle. He pulled him closer, the heat of his body warming Min-jun, who pulled on the back of his shirt in response.
The King guided him back to the surface, helping him up onto the muddy ground at the edge of the lake. Min-jun coughed, his breathing labored. Above, a freezing rain continued to fall. The King took him by the shoulders, forcing Min-jun to sit up.
“Tell me, just what on earth were you trying to accomplish by doing something so dangerous?” the King breathed. Min-jun got the feeling he would’ve yelled at him had he not been so winded. But there! He was so concerned he was positively shaking with anxiety.
Min-jun let out a small, humorless giggle. The bastard tried to trick me.
“You dare laugh after the stunt you just pulled?” the King demanded. Ah, how frightening. It only made Min-jun laugh harder.
“I dare? Why so serious all of a sudden, Your Majesty. I thought your love had run dry.”
“Sun, take Min-jun back to his quarters,” the King said, standing up. He might be ignoring him but now it seemed forced. As if he were struggling to keep his eyes off of Min-jun.
Checkmate.
A/N: Min-jun, pretending to drown yourself is not the win you think it is. Thank you all for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you did, please leave a comment down below. I’ve been trying to level up art skills recently so let me know if you want to see my ugly art of HTKAK T-T.
Min-jun doesn’t know who poisoned him, does he? But Cheol does, and he’s…fine with it because she made her point? How much do you have to hurt someone for them to feel more peaceful deep underwater 😥. Ironically, the king could have learned a lot of the information he wanted just by listening to that conversation with Iseul (and probably a few things he didn’t want to know).
The state if the plants around the palace should have given Min Jun the state on Cheol’s emotions.
Thank you for chapter
Yeah that was kind of encouraging huh? I forgot all about as soon as Min-jun jumped 😅. I’m glad you mentioned it.
Min-juuuuun 😭😭
He’s going through some stuff rn 😪. No sense of self worth can really mess with a person. Thank you for reading and commenting!
I’ve been reading along for a while now as a lurker and I’ve absolutely loved every chapter, but I finally made an account specifically so that I can say: Yes!! I would love to see your HTKAK art!! This chapter and Min-Jun’s desperate theatrics throwing himself into the lake was so good it even inspired me to make fanart of that scene which I’ve been working on all evening 🙈
Thanks so much for sharing this novel, I always look forward to every new chapter release!
Ah, I love it when lurkers come out of the shadows! Hello! Welcome! I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying the story so far. I’m still an amateur at art, but I’d love to share that someday as well. On another note, please share your art with us! That’s amazing! If you’d prefer, you can also DM it to me on Twitter @IslandsOfBooks. Thank you for commenting!
I’m happy to share! hopefully this link works just fine but let me know if it doesn’t: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/904912197170364428/988693048005361664/How_to_kill_a_king.pngTruly very excited for the day you feel ready to share your art! I love to see authors’ interpretations of how they envision their own characters in their stories! 😊
You are so talented?!?! This is so amazing! Thank you so much for the time and effort you put into creating something so beautiful. The atmosphere is perfect. Min-jun is so close to what I envisioned! Such a pretty and sad man! Thank you so much for sharing. If you have an Instagram or something, I would love to follow it for more art lol. Do you mind if I share this with my discord server? (with credit, of course). Ahh, I hope to share some art soon too.
THANK YOU!! It was such a good scene and I was able to visualize it so perfectly I had to draw it!! I don’t really use instagram but I do use twitter @tam_thing ! And I don’t mind you sharing it at all, I’m thrilled you like it!