The only way to sneak into the King’s estate would be to hand them the proper identification tag. That was why Min-jun was currently hiding in a bunch of thorny bushes near the estate.
A court lady exited the estate carrying a basket of sheets that needed laundering. She was from sedapbang then. Would it be suspicious for her to suddenly enter the estate so soon after leaving? Still, this was the perfect opportunity. He couldn’t afford to lose time.
Min-jun approached the woman, greeting her with a bow in greeting, and then, as he passed her, slipped his foot between hers. The woman would’ve tripped had he not caught her by the waist. Unfortunately, the basket went flying, spilling the white sheets onto the muddy ground. Oh dear.
She stared up at Min-jun with wide eyes, a slight blush tinging her cheeks. Min-jun gave her a slight smile and pulled her back to her feet. He took her hand between his and felt the loop of the tag between his fingers. She’d kept it in her sleeve. There.
He pulled it out and patted her hand for good measure.
“Are you alright, Miss?”
She blushed further, stepping back from him. “Y-yes. Thank you.”
Min-jun stepped around her to put the sheets back in the basket, and she quickly kneeled down to help him, although it meant getting her skirt muddied.
“I’m terribly clumsy,” the woman said, quietly. “I trip over my own feet, really.”
Min-jun helped her stand and balance the basket in her arms. He gave her another charming smile. “You seem plenty graceful to me, being able to carry such heavy loads.”
“Oh, thank – thank you,” she spluttered, the blush spreading down her neck. Tch, if only the King could become overwhelmed so easily. She muttered a goodbye and then scurried away with her basket of sheets.
“Be careful on your way now,” Min-jun called after her, though she was just a tiny figure on the road now. Hidden in the folds of his robes was the woman’s identification tag. He lowered his voice. “I’m sorry. I will return it to you if I can.”
Min-jun headed back toward the gates of the King’s estate. Two young, muscular guards met him there, and one of them held their hand out for his tag. Min-jun handed it to him. The guard’s eyes darted as he read the name on the tag, and then his gaze fell on Min-jun again. One thin eyebrow arced up as the guard took him in, skeptical.
Min-jun pretended to be embarrassed by the scrutiny, casting his gaze down, and then glancing up through his dark lashes. His cheeks warmed and he wrapped his arms around himself. How can a loyal guard look at one of the King’s women in such a way? Who was he kidding? Many court ladies went on secret rendezvous with the men of the Palace. Min-jun had found more than one court lady or maid stealing kisses from handsome men around the Palace grounds. The King was not particularly jealous, after all.
The guard returned the tag to Min-jun, letting his fingers brush over the back of Min-jun’s hand. Min-jun let out a soft “oh!” to distract him further. Do not think about the woman who just left with this very name with a face much different from my own. Yes, yes, just focus on how much you’d like to seduce me. Plan it out to the last detail.
Min-jun stepped over the threshold into the center of the King’s domain. The air felt colder, somehow. The servants were downcast. Even here, where the King spent most of his time, not even a pop of color emerged amidst the barren landscape.
Perhaps he is upset? A tiny part of him hoped it was because of Min-jun.
As he crossed the courtyard to enter the main chambers where the King resided, a familiar face stepped out of the shadows of the curved eaves. Lady Hye-jin!
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.
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“Right away, Your Ladyship.”
For a moment, she did not move. His heart raced, thinking he’d been caught, but then Hye-jin descended the steps and he saw the turquoise silk of her skirt move past him, along with the tips of elegant pink shoes.
Wine. What a perfect excuse she’d given him. Min-jun asked the nearest court lady where the wine was stored and they pointed him to the wine cellar, which smelled of liquor and wood shavings. He chose a bottle of the finest wine it offered. If the King was going to die tonight, they might as well partake in heavenly liquor.
The King’s chambers were toward the center of the building, were they not? Min-jun simply walked around the corridors until he found a large number of servants outside a set of doors.
“Wine for the King,” Min-jun whispered to the eldest Eunuch, who announced his arrival to the King.
“Court Lady Choi will now deliver the King’s wine for a better rest!”
He hasn’t been sleeping?
A tired, exasperated voice answered. It was low and gentle, like a warm summer breeze, sending shivers up Min-jun’s spine.
“Enter.”
Min-jun did so on shaking legs. Suddenly, he was filled with insecurity. Calm down, he urged himself as he walked into the room. The floor lanterns filled the room with a strange sort of gloom. And there, on the other side, was the King. His shirt was left untied, revealing his torso all the way down to the navel. His chest, his toned abdominal muscles, all of them were placed on full display and Min-jun couldn’t help but stare at them for a moment too long. Min-jun’s hands tightened on the wine jar.
“Hope you get laid by your handsome King!”
“Come forward,” the King said, not bothering to even spare him a glance. There were the signs of sleep deprivation on his face. Dark circles, an ashen face, and even a distinct sleepiness in his gaze.
As Min-jun approached the desk, the King’s brush paused over the paper, creating a pool of ink. He lifted his head to look at Min-jun, as the man lowered himself to the King’s table and placed the jar of alcohol and one ceramic cup in front of him.
“Min-jun?” He acted as if he did not recognize him. As if he could not trust himself enough to believe his own eyes.
“My King,” Min-jun replied. “It’s been a long time since we’ve talked like this.”
“How on earth did you get past my guards?” the King asked. Min-jun brought a finger to the King’s lips.
“I’m sure someone of your intellect can figure it out.” Min-jun rested his chin on his hand. “Your security is rather lackluster.”
The King stood up and walked around the desk, slipping past Min-jun, who watched him with a cautious expression.
“Where are you going?”
“I will have my guards escort you back,” the King replied, stoically. “I will not listen to your nonsense.”
“Nonsense!” Min-jun ran after him, pushing back against the King’s bare chest. “Your Majesty, I believe the only one speaking nonsense is you.”
The King took Min-jun’s hands. “You are no longer my Consort, or have you forgotten that as well? You have no right to be within my quarters.”
No longer my Consort. You’ve been abandoned. I no longer need you. You’re worthless to me. These were the words that passed through Min-jun’s mind as the King treated him as little more than a pest.
“I –”
“Enough of this,” the King continued, not even giving him a word in edgewise. “Those clothes. Have you stolen them from one of my court ladies?”
Your court ladies? Since when had the King ever shown any possessiveness toward them?
“Your Majesty –” Min-jun placed a hand on the King’s arm, but it was shoved away. What? This wasn’t what he’d thought would happen. Why was he pleading with the King in such a manner? What happened to all his planning?
“What’s happened?” Min-jun asked, quietly, desperately. “What’s made you like this?”
“I’ve simply lost interest. It is what Kings do. We have the pick of the most beautiful people in the Kingdom, after all.” The King leaned down, violet eyes so dull compared to the vibrant hue Min-jun had always known. The hue that he remembered loving so much in his childhood. “Perhaps you were overconfident.”
Yes, that much was clear now. He’d been so blind. This was who the King had been all along. He could no longer hang onto this position. There was no other way to go about it. Hell, how could he have thought the King foolish enough to spare him a drink? Those memories they would drink to. They meant nothing to him, just as Min-jun had meant nothing to him. Perhaps, Min-jun was only good for short-lived flings like this. He was meant to be alone in the end. There was nothing to be done. His mission had failed.
Oh?
Giving up already?
You have forgotten your only decent quality, my darling. That pretty face of yours, your lithe body, your pleading voice. Give him a taste. Give him a taste. Go on.
Min-jun kissed the King, and hoped his desperation didn’t show too much. Met with teeth, Min-jun pressed against the King’s body, wrapping his arms around the King’s neck. The King wrapped an arm around Min-jun’s waist. Their breaths mingled as they parted. There was something different in the King’s eyes, something other than indifference. Min-jun’s tongue swept over the King’s lips. He felt disgusting. His lips touched the King’s again, and he entered the King’s mouth, remembering all their other kisses, more heated than this one. The King responded in kind for a moment, driven by something like instinct, like desire. Hold me. Please hold me.
“I’ll give you whatever you want. I’ll let you do whatever you want,” Min-jun whispered in his ear, embracing him. He buried his face in Cheol’s shoulder, breathing in that familiar scent. “So don’t cast me aside, please. My King. My Cheol.”
The King suddenly shoved Min-jun away, forcing them to part, rejecting the last of what Min-jun had to offer him. Min-jun sank to his knees. I gave everything I had, and it still wasn’t enough? His lip trembled, and his eyes began to water. He hid his face behind a trembling hand. To cry in front of his enemy! As if he wasn’t embarrassed enough.
“I hate you.” It was barely a whisper. The King couldn’t have heard it, but it held a venom that Min-jun was sure the King could feel.
I hate you. I hate you. IhateyouIhateyouIhateyou. His heart filled with such hatred it might burst. And it did not stop at the King, but extended to the man in front of him. The one who had broken his heart twice now without a word of solace.
There was a soft curse uttered, and suddenly he wasn’t the only one kneeling on the ground. The King sat in front of him, bent over with his arms wrapped around himself.
“Can’t do it,” the King murmured. “I just can’t.”
What was he babbling about?
“I’m so sorry,” the King said. “The words I said to you were so cruel. I knew they’d cut deep. I thought I could force you to leave that way.” He sighed, voice turning a bit hoarse. “But I was a fool.”
He sounded . . . tearful? Min-jun lifted the King’s chin with a finger to see two trails of glassy tears falling down his cheeks. Wh-why’s he the one crying? I’m the one getting kicked out!
“I love you, Min-jun,” the King said, taking his hand and kissing it. “I love you so much, my love. If I had my way, I’d have your wings clipped so you could never leave me again.”
Min-jun, still reeling from the sudden change in the King, could only say a few words. “That doesn’t sound very loving.” And also, you’re the one who keeps leaving me!
The King laughed, albeit it was a weak, mirthless sound. “No, I suppose it doesn’t.”
Min-jun swallowed, clearing the tears in his throat and quieting his doubts for a moment. “Then, why?”
“My memories have returned to me,” the King said. “I remember our meetings in the river towns clearly now. And the night I sent your parents to their deaths.”
Min-jun froze, but even through the fury that took him at the mention of his parents, a quiet voice in his head. No, the voice of his mother, who’d taught him everything he knows about investigating, urged him to look closer.
“Your memories have returned?” Min-jun asked. “So suddenly? How?”
A/N: Back together again! Hope y’all don’t hate Cheol too much after all this lolol. I hope u enjoyed this chapter. If you did, please leave a comment down below!
I was waiting for min-jun to blacken omg… i almost hoped cheol would not do anything and let him sink in hatred… why do i love angst so much now i should just be happy they’re together for now🥲
I’m not positive it’s safe even still! Min-jun sounds a little bit like he’ll make up his mind when he gets his answers – and the king’s answers might not be good enough 😕
But at least min jun won’t be so lost and desperate as he was before, it’s better that’s he’s in the light now
It’s such a relief! I’m glad he didn’t give up.
Yes, that’s true!
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Cheol is still on thin ice but the ice is a little sturdier now. It will definitely start a new chapter in their relationship.
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lmao clozed wants the angst. Don’t worry, there’s plenty more angst to come. I just hope that when it does, you do not blame me for any emotional damage.
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I guess Cheol’s confession wouldn’t have been so impactful without the heartbreaking rejection first, but ow! He’s obviously miserable but Min-jun couldn’t even see that past his life because he’s hurt him so many times. I’m not sure that’s all there was to that self doubt before the kiss though? It didn’t sound like him.
Heheh we need a little angst before the fluff. The self-doubt before the kiss was Mother’s voice affecting Min-jun. It’s stuff Mother has said to him before (or otherwise implied) and MJ has internalized it as a result.
Did Hye-Jin really not recognize Min Jun? Hopefully she acknowledged that Cheol needs him to rule well
She had a delayed reaction but she’ll definitely want to know how Min-jun managed to worm his way back into the King’s heart.
I fully expected min jun to leave and for Cheol to chase him back. But now Cheol has laid his cards in the table! Thanks for the chapter!
That would’ve been very cinematic and worthy of our two drama kings! Thank you for reading!
To be honest when he did all that, just to make min jun leave him, and then when he suddenly turned back to hug him… I was like damnit you are so lucky… If he didn’t confess everything to min jun after he’ve done all that, I swear I would have never forgiven him even until the end of the story and I’d really had to take a break from this… Pheww good thing that didn’t happen, but that also doesn’t give him the card of a good guy he just got a chance to repent….
I just said so much I think this really got in to me today, thank for the chapter ♥️♥️
Aw, I love reading your thoughts! I’m glad Cheol didn’t cross the line here (tho he was close to crossing it). I really wanted to bring Min-jun to the depths of despair before revealing it was all an act. Now Cheol will have to work hard to get back in all of our good graces.
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