Long after their love-making was done, Min-jun laid down next to the King, who moved to place a hand on his cheek, brushing his fingers over the bruise there.
“Does it hurt?” the King asked, and Min-jun felt the question went deeper than just the mark on his face. Are you in pain, my love?
“Not anymore,” Min-jun whispered. “It brought up some unpleasant memories, that’s all.”
He was embraced, a kiss pressed to his forehead. “I’m sorry I came so late.”
Min-jun shook his head. “I can handle this much.” He placed a hand on the King’s bare chest and breathed in the scent of fresh linen and sunlit forest. “Just hold me for now.”
The King ran his hand through Min-jun’s hair absentmindedly. In the steady rhythm of the King’s breath, Min-jun drifted off into sleep. Here. He was safe. There was nothing that could threaten him here.
. . .
It didn’t take long for the rumors of the Queen’s punishment to spread. Min-jun had barely sat down to have his lunch when the news arrived. The Queen’s rule over the harem had been restricted. The other consorts would no longer have to share their greetings with her or bow down in respect when she passed. As far as the inner court was concerned, the Queen appeared to be no more than a concubine.
“But wait until you hear the King’s reasons!” said his maids, who were exceptionally chatty today, and gossiped with a vengeance now that their master had been vindicated after such humiliation.
“And what were his reasons?” Min-jun asked. It was a shame, really. Min-jun had hoped he and the Queen could get along.
“His Majesty said that until she learned to wield her authority in a just and righteous manner, she would not be allowed to have any sort of power over his harem.” The maids giggled. “You should’ve seen it, Your Highness! The King was furious with her!”
“It’s not good to take such pleasure in someone else’s misfortune,” Min-jun said, bringing the rim of his teacup to his lips. The maids dropped their smiles, folding their hands in front of them, and mumbled rushed apologies. “Although, rather than misfortune, one could call this justice instead. The King is just, after all.”
The maids brightened, eyes sparkling, free to continue their gossip.
“I would recommend keeping your thoughts to yourself outside of these walls, however,” Min-jun said. “The Queen is still a powerful entity, and I would hate to see any of you harmed over mere gossip.”
The maids blushed, and even the eunuch’s cheeks flushed a light pink at the sentiment. Min-jun smiled and brought the teacup to his lips again.
“In any case,” he said. “What other news have you brought?”
A flicker of understanding flit across the servants’ faces. They sat down across from him, conspiratorially. For the last several days, Min-jun had tasked his servants with squeezing out every piece of information they could manage from the Palace walls.
“The messengers from the villages in the north have returned. They say there’s been an outbreak of a mysterious illness, but no one knows what it could be!”
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.
Min-jun’s heart skipped a beat. A mysterious illness? Surely it couldn’t be . . . “And the symptoms?”
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“Where is the King now?”
“Attending to his scholarly work at the Pavilion near the lake.”
Perfect. “I will go speak with him.”
. . .
The King was seated facing away from the lake, the sunlight catching in his black hair, his lips slightly downturned as he focused on his work. A fur coat wrapped around his shoulders and his nose was tinged red. Winter had arrived.
The servants announced his presence and the King startled to attention. The frown on his face eased into a smile, just as his brow relaxed.
“My love.”
“My King,” Min-jun replied, as he ascended the steps, his long overcoat swaying in the wind.
The King raised an eyebrow at his attire. Min-jun would admit he hadn’t anticipated how frosty the day would become, so he had underdressed in his autumnal clothes. “Aren’t you cold?”
“Not at all, Your Majesty,” Min-jun said.
The King clicked his tongue, rising from his seat. He quickly pulled off his own cloak and placed it around Min-jun’s shoulders. “You should be more careful. With your condition, it’s easy to get frostbitten.”
“I should keep you close then,” Min-jun replied, taking advantage of their proximity by leaning on the King’s chest. The King chuckled softly, bringing his arms around Min-jun.
“Such affection from my lovely consort.” The King kissed the top of his head. “What is it you want, really?”
“I heard about the Time’s Plague.”
The King didn’t answer for a time, but when his reply came, he did not seem surprised or evasive. It was as if he’d anticipated it. “I had thought I’d seen a few eavesdroppers flying around. So that’s how you’ve been occupying your time.”
“It’s because I know you still hide things from me,” Min-jun said, pouting. “Although we’d promised not to hide anything from each other.”
“You’re right,” The King replied, raising his hands placatingly. “I had omitted a few details. Though in my defense we only learned of the Time’s Plague this morning.”
“I want to go there,” Min-jun said, his tone decisive. He would not compromise on this.
The King smiled, albeit he seemed defeated. “I figured you’d say that.”
“And what do you say to that?”
Fondly, the King caressed his cheek. “I want to keep you here where I know you’d be safe, but . . . I have learned from my mistakes. You cannot be stopped.”
Min-jun’s heart began to beat easier, as he nodded, relieved. He took the King’s hands in his. “Yes, I –”
“I’ll come with you, of course,” the King said.
“You will?” Min-jun asked. “But what about your duties as King?”
“Stopping this plague is my duty as King.”
For some reason, a certain unease swept over Min-jun. If Mai was there, then Mother’s other henchmen might not be far behind. Min-jun chewed on his lip. “I don’t know. It’s dangerous . . .”
Min-jun trailed off at the look on the King’s face. The King spoke in a teasing manner. “Dangerous? Like selling myself to a trafficking ring without telling anyone?”
That bastard. Min-jun opened and shut his mouth, unsure of how to answer, until he settled on, “I . . . I told someone. I did. And . . . and it worked in the end, didn’t it? Honestly.” He placed his hands on his hips. “I can’t believe you’re still bringing that up. This situation is clearly differenmph.”
The King quieted his complaints with a kiss, his arms looping around Min-jun’s waist and bringing him close. Min-jun glanced toward the servants, who had obediently turned away from the scene. Ha, damn it all.
Min-jun kissed him back, wrapping his arms around the King’s shoulders. It brought back memories of the previous night, so clear that a warmth spread through his body. He’d almost forgotten what he’d come here for. How quickly the King made him lose sight of things. All his worries seemed to melt away in his embrace.
The cloak slipped off Min-jun’s shoulders as they continued, probably making everyone else in the vicinity either green with envy or dreadfully embarrassed. The King was bold, indeed, showing such affection in public. The Queen would be livid.
“Besides, I wouldn’t mind spending the journey with you alone. Far from all these prying eyes,” The King whispered in his ear, just as he had the night before, his lips touching the shell of Min-jun’s ear, although the words he’d whispered then had been a bit more vulgar. As though the King had uttered those words again, Min-jun flushed.
“So,” Min-jun replied, breathless. “That’s a yes?”
The King brought Min-jun’s knuckles to his lips, kissing them as he looked up at him with those violet eyes. “It’s a yes.” Slowly, Min-jun nodded. Good. Good. It was a start. Still, the worry persisted. So much could go wrong.
As if sensing his uncertainty, Min-jun was taken into another warm embrace, but this one felt more comforting than arousing, like a reassurance that all would be well. “We’ll find her. I promise.”
Min-jun’s hands grabbed handfuls of fabric. “I know. I know.”
“I love you, Hae Min-jun,” the King whispered so softly that the wind nearly swept up the words.
As much as he wanted to echo those words back to him, Min-jun’s pride rebelled against it. Pride that could only be quieted in the early hours of the morning, when the King was fast asleep, or when they were making love and Min-jun’s brain quieted for long enough for his heart to speak its own mind.
Not now, when he’s in broad daylight, surrounded by servants, and perfectly sober. “So sentimental.”
The King had noticed, undoubtedly. He always noticed these little things. But other than a slight drop in his shoulders, he did not show any reaction.
Someone behind them cleared their throat. A young man from the Investigation Bureau had arrived. Min-jun separated from the King, who turned to face the young man, although he held tight to Min-jun’s hand.
“The Minister of Personnel has told us he’d talk,” said the young man, his cheeks red. Whether it was from the cold or the embarrassment, Min-jun couldn’t tell, but by the way he’d cleared his throat, he’d wager it was the latter.
“And?” the King asked.
The young man coughed again, clearly nervous in front of the King. He glanced at Min-jun and blushed some more. “Well, he’ll only talk to one person . . . that’s what he said, I mean . . . well, you see –”
“Who is the person he’ll talk to?” the King asked.
“Oh well.” The young man tapped his fingers together, and Min-jun felt a pang of pity for the poor thing. It must be bad news if he was so nervous about it. Or perhaps the King was just particularly frightening today?
Min-jun glanced at the King, who returned the gesture as if expecting him to speak. Min-jun shook his head briefly. No, the King looked as he always did. Mildly intimidating, but ultimately benevolent and gentle.
Perhaps Min-jun was biased?
“It is His Highness . . .” The young man gestured to Min-jun with both hands. “Royal Noble Consort Hui.”
A/N: Hello everybody! I’m sorry it took me so long to post this chapter. In other news, I anticipate I might actually be finishing this novel up before it reaches 200 chapters (optimistic? Maybe.). It’s sad to think this story might be ending soon, but I can promise everyone a happy ending at least. Thank you all for being so patient as I get my act together. The next chapter will be uploaded sooner than last time, I hope. If you liked this chapter, please leave a comment down below.
I’m delighted to see a new chapter up! Some unfortunates in other stories get compared to Min-jun and fall short. It occurs to me that Cheol is not a “once bitten” kind of guy, huh? Second time with Min-jun even though the first was so painful, and now he wants to go investigate the Time’s Plague even though it almost killed him. And Min-jun just throws himself into danger like there are more of him if it doesn’t work out 😄. These two!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this chapter! These two just never learn from their mistakes lolol. Where would Saro be if these two didn’t constantly throw themselves into danger?
forget face and just give dog food to everyone!!
lolol they really should