The wedding arrived faster than anticipated, and all the other consorts were to be present at the ceremony. They had to dress accordingly, so that they struck envy into the hearts of men, while also making sure to not overshadow the actual bride, their soon-to-be Queen. A difficult task indeed for someone as striking as Min-jun but he’d manage.
His court ladies present him with many beautiful hanbok, a few pastels, some jewel tones, bright colors that would be fit for a bouquet. Min-jun turned most of them down. They were either too plain or too eye-catching. He needed something in the middle.
But his court ladies were getting tired, and they still had half a wardrobe to go through. Min-jun shifted behind his polished desk, resting his elbow on his knee. “How about we take a break for now?”
“Thank you, Your Highness!” the court ladies said, polite as ever, before walking toward the door with relief. He’d give them until after his lunch with the King.
Hae Soo-yun stayed with him, gathering the outfits he had already rejected. Her face remained stoic as she picked up a gold jeogori off the floor.
“You must pick something, Your Highness,” she said. She was even more outspoken than Jeong-eun and Chae-won. Nagging, almost. Min-jun found it refreshing.
“I will, but it’s an important occasion. I want it to be perfect.”
The doors slid open, as the King entered the room. “I’m sure anything will look perfect on you, my love.”
Min-jun turned his head away, feigning indifference. That hanbok suited the King’s body like the stars suited the sky. A beautiful adornment. But Min-jun didn’t linger on the King’s appearance. Instead, he focused on scolding him instead. “Aren’t you supposed to be preparing as well?”
“I’ve already done my preparation.” The King sat down next to him. “Sun told me you had turned your entire quarters upside down searching for an outfit that would meet your standards.”
“That’s an exaggeration.”
The King’s eyes raked over the room, and Min-jun followed his gaze. Articles of clothing laid strewn across the floor and over furniture. His wardrobe was empty, and the stores where he’d put the clothes he didn’t often wear were mostly drained as well. So perhaps they had made a bit of a mess.
“So you say,” the King murmured. “Well, I have something to show you.”
“There’s something I’ve been dying to show you.”
Min-jun shook his head but the thought clung to his mind like a bur, its teeth sinking into him and drawing blood. He must move on.
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.
“Zlc-pec?”
Dea jr wemt jr tf vgfjvfv ab jvwla la, atf akb Blcur tjv wfivfv lcab bcf lc tlr wlcv. Rb wjaafg tbk wjcs ilaaif vloofgfcmfr tf rqbaafv yfakffc atfw, cb wjaafg tbk bynlber atf Blcu’r batfg-kbgivis qbkfg kjr. Ktf vjwjuf tjv yffc vbcf.
Ktf Blcu tfiv bea j tjcv obg tlw ab ajxf, jcv Zlc-pec rajgfv ja la obg j wbwfca, yfobgf qgfrrlcu tlr tjcv jujlcra atf Blcu’r jcv lcafgaklclcu atflg olcufgr. Pc aegc, atf Blcu ygbeuta Zlc-pec’r tjcv eq ab tlr ilqr.
“It’ll be alright, love.”
“I know.”
. . .
The place the King had wanted to show him was the Royal Tailor’s office. The seamstresses and the Royal Tailor gathered outside the building to greet them. They bowed in unison as the King and his consort approached, but when Min-jun met the Tailor’s eyes, he felt uneasy.
“Royal Noble Consort Hui wishes to have a new hanbok tailored for tomorrow’s event,” the King said.
“By tomorrow!” Min-jun hissed. Giving them so little time to prepare, they’d be left burnt out by the time morning arrived. Min-jun raised his hands in front of him. “Th-that won’t be necessary –”
“I’ll do it!” the tailor proclaimed, arm pointing up toward the sky. Ah, now Min-jun understood. The tailor reminded him of Song. That gleam in the tailor’s eyes could only mean one thing. Min-jun slowly inched closer to the King out of instinct, taking hold of his arm.
The tailor cleared his throat, realizing his enthusiasm might’ve come off a bit too strong. “I-I mean, please follow me inside so we can decide on the best course of action.”
Min-jun glanced up at the King, who nodded gently. Reluctantly, Min-jun loosened his hold on the King and stepped forward to follow the tailor inside. The tailor led them down the wide halls and into a spacious room with shelves of fabric. It was eerie how similar it was to the store the imposter King had taken him to, but Min-jun focused on how they were different. It was brightly lit from the sunlight streaming in through the large windows. Beneath his feet, the floor was warm. The fabrics lining the walls were far more luxurious than anything one would find in a quaint clothing store in the city. A desk full of measuring tapes and pins and needles sat near one of the windows. Designs of various outfits littered the floor and the desk in equal measure.
“Oh, pardon the mess,” the tailor said. “Plans for the Queen’s new wardrobe.”
“I see.”
The tailor paused in the middle of picking up the scattered designs and turned his head to look at Min-jun. “Ah, I did not mean to offend.”
“It’s alright.”
The tailor glanced over Min-jun’s shoulder toward the King, and Min-jun followed his gaze. The King only smiled at him, innocent as could be. Really? Min-jun frowned, suspicion in his glare. You’re not fooling anybody. The King placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Shall we begin?”
“Yes, yes,” said the tailor, ceasing tape measures from his desk. “Pardon me.” He stepped behind Min-jun. “Oh, if you could take off your outer layers. Please.”
Min-jun stripped down to his white undergarments. More than the tailor’s gaze, Min-jun felt the King’s eyes boring into him. Ah, Min-jun just couldn’t pin him down? Was the King attracted to him or not? Did he want him? Surely, he knew Min-jun wouldn’t refuse if he asked, but perhaps that was what was holding him back. He didn’t want to force the issue.
The tailor began by measuring the width of his shoulders, his waist, then his hips. He measured his height, the length of each leg and each arm, and then stepped back, his eyes aglow.
“I dare say, Your Highness, your body is incredibly proportional. A golden ratio, if you will.”
“Thank you?” The tailor and Song would undoubtedly get along. Min-jun put his clothes back on, and with a little help from the King, all the ribbons were tied back into place. The King pressed a quick kiss, one that went unnoticed by the tailor, to Min-jun’s temple. Min-jun met his gaze, surprised. What was that for?
“Alright, alright,” the tailor mumbled to himself, scribbling on a piece of paper. “You give me too much to work with, Your Highness. Someone as beautiful as yourself is . . . is an endless source of inspiration. Silk. Blue, perhaps? Or violet. Yes that will do. And the embroidery. Roses? Lilies? Birds? Ah, I’ll see to it later.”
Min-jun glanced back at the King, who seemed undaunted by the tailor’s rambling.
“Well, we’ll leave you to it,” the King said, an arm at Min-jun’s back. “I trust that you’ll have everything ready by tomorrow?”
“Yes, of course,” said the tailor, absentmindedly, as he began to pour over his work. It had been the first time Min-jun had seen someone other than himself be so dismissive of the King. Acknowledging this, he felt a great amount of respect for the strange tailor.
. . .
The King and Min-jun walked down the path from the tailor’s office, though neither of them had any destination in mind. The sky overcast above them, and their hands just a breath apart. The trees, though barren, had begun to show the first signs of frost, ice lacing its way into the bark’s crevices. Min-jun’s breath turned to mist on the cool air. Winter had its appeal too, he supposed. Although he wasn’t looking forward to the mess the snow always brings. Soggy boots, muddied with slush. It was a terrible thing.
“I suppose you’ll really be a married man after tomorrow,” Min-jun said, letting their shoulders touch.
“I suppose,” the King said. Min-jun noted how his expression soured. In a strange way, Min-jun felt a pang of satisfaction at the sight.
Still, that didn’t change the fact that the Queen would soon have the closest ties to the King out of all of them. The harem would be under the jurisdiction of the Queen. They would all have to do their best not to cross her. And, unlike with the other consorts, consummation was expected of the King and Queen. Lady Ok-jeong had been brought into the Palace for the sole purpose of providing an heir. Her family must be thrilled to know their daughter would be Queen Dowager one day. That, Min-jun supposed, wasn’t an enviable position either. She lucked out that the King turned out how he did. Hell, she even seemed to have feelings for the King, if that kiss at the tea shop was anything to go off of.
Speaking of the kiss.
“You kissed her that day in the tea shop,” Min-jun said, trying to maintain his casual facade as he always did when Ok-jeong was involved..
“Oh. I suppose I did.”
Min-jun crossed his arms over his chest. “So you must not be entirely disinterested in her.”
“I was trying to endear her to me,” the King said. “She’s a valuable pawn.”
“If I recall correctly, I was just a pawn for you in the beginning as well.” He was overdoing it a bit, but the King deserved to be teased a bit after dragging Min-jun all over the Palace grounds. “Perhaps time will change things. Affection can spring up in even the most unlikely places.”
“You were never a pawn,” the King said, quietly. “I was intrigued by you and didn’t want to admit it to myself, that’s all.”
Somehow, that got to him. Min-jun’s stomach did a flip, as he bit down on his lower lip, thinking of a reply that wouldn’t give away his feelings on the matter. “And? What did you find intriguing about me?”
The King glanced at him, amusement on his lips. “I’m beginning to think you enjoy fishing compliments out of me more than is healthy.”
“And shouldn’t you, as my husband, oblige me?” Min-jun took the King by the collar and brought him closer. Their eyes met, a challenge flickering between them. Well, Min-jun should enjoy his last day as the one closest to the King to the fullest. He had the feeling the Queen will want to keep him to herself.
Oh. They couldn’t let that happen, now, could they?
“Let us return to my quarters, Your Majesty,” Min-jun whispered, as the King pulled him closer, his warm hands on Min-jun’s hips. “It is getting cold.”
A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry for the late update. I came down with a nasty cold basically right after finals and am still trying to recover. But not even a virus can keep me from my boys. Hopefully the next chapter will be here on time (I really want to aim for that Christmas deadline). There will be many kisses and a wedding (although not the one we wanted). Thank you so much for your continued support for this little novel. If you liked this chapter, please consider leaving a comment down below.
aaaah damn it it’s not the good briiiide 🥹🥹
Hello author, I truly hope you feel better!! Thank you so much for the update… I can’t wait for the next chapter 😊❤️❤️
Ah! You’re such a tease… You cut us off at the good part!
I hope you’re feeling better soon! Don’t feel too pressured! As much as I’m looking forward to the next chapter, it’s important to take care of yourself!
I think a little skinship is in order after Cheol had to see him in his underwear – and had to see the tailor see him in his underwear (I like how this genre acts like their underneath layers are as skimpy and erotic as a lace thong 😄). I got some satisfaction from Min-jun calling out his husband about the kiss.