Chapter _
Part _
1
Rouff, Rouff-Rouff!
“Someone please go put a gag in their muzzles! Quick!”
The Palace Women glanced at each other, frustrated by her fussing, thinking that this was just beginning.
Everyone understood that if you mistreated the Emperor’s property, even your bones wouldn’t be salvageable after your death. Nevertheless, at least the dogs were tethered, which made Hwa-bi’s grumbling all the more insufferable.
“My Lady. Please keep your composure. It’s only been two days, and if My Lady keeps fretting over these things, you’ll wear yourself out. Please accept this with grace….”
Hwa-bi’s constant lasing out caused a dark shadow to spread across the face of Ipa, the head of the Palace Women assigned to the Palace of the First Prince.
In terms of age, Ipa was twice as old as Hwa-bi. While it was not possible to draw a direct comparison between a Palace Woman and a high-ranking Courtier, Ipa recognized that for a woman, life in the Palace would not be all that different. There were times when fortitude was more beneficial than ferocity. There were times when obliviousness was like a salve of wisdom.
More often than not, the palace was more like a kaleidoscope than a maelstrom of chaos.
However, there was one thing that all the women of the Court understood collectively. The way to survive in this place where one never knows what will happen next is not to carefully pick your battles, nor is it to cautiously keep your head down. It is to keep your mouth shut!
So even in the most tempestuous part of the Imperial Court within the Yukwon, in the Palace of the First Prince, Lady Hwa-bi had managed to keep her distance. With the Emperor’s decision to abandon the concubines altogether, there would be no more Imperial heirs being produced in the foreseeable future, and in the meantime, the Crown Prince would grow up in safety and security. All Hwa-bi had to do now was to keep her head down and patiently wait.
However, something had shifted within Lady Hwa-bi.
Starting from the first day that the Emperor had the dogs delivered to her door, it was as though she were washed clean of her patience, and was apt to lose her temper.
It was not merely that she detested the dogs.
She shuddered under the implied threats that the Emperor was sending her in the form of ferocious dogs, demanding that she remain silent and obedient.
Lady Hwa-bi had only sought to solidify her route to becoming Empress Dowager, however, the Emperor had reminded her very simply that such a course would lead nowhere until he had provided one for her.
Every time she heard the dogs barking, it was the indignity of being defeated that haunted her.
For someone who had considered herself a master of the art of patience, at some point, she had ceased to be patient. She had actually fallen under the delusion she was already the Empress Dowager.
Ipa suppressed her sigh and cautiously addressed her again.
“Lady Hwa-bi. If you cannot bear to hear them any longer, shall I prepare a set of idang(耳?: earplugs) for you?”
“Are you suggesting that I should live with my ears covered as though I were already dead?”
Hwa-bi swept the top of the tea table with a vicious scream. The Palace Women shuddered in horror as the shards of shattered porcelain flew up and struck their bodies.
The sound of barking dogs made Hwa-bi startle.
“I can’t live like this…… I didn’t enter the Inner Palace for this! I didn’t come here and raise Hee’s child as though he were my own…….”
Hee was the name of the late Empress.
Ipa recognized that she should stop her tirade right there. The palace may have been quiet without an Empress, but there was no shortage of keen ears.
“Lady Hwa-bi. I beg you to cease your rage and…….”
Ipa was about to speak her mind when,
“Uh……, the dogs have stopped barking.”
The Palace Woman spoke, turning white. Hwa-bi just barely managed to compose herself enough to turn around and inquire.
“What happened, the dogs, are they gone?”
Ipa quickly snapped to it.
“Go out and take a look.”
“What……? But,”
As Hwa-bi paced back and forth both frightened of the dogs and disgusted with the Palace Women, an official assigned to the palace entered the room.
“Lady Hwa-bi. I have come to inform you that the Crown Prince is taking the dog away for a while.”
“He’s taking the dog?”
Hwa-bi’s complexion changed color and she sprang to her feet.
“To where? Where does he say he’s taking the dog? Does he mean that the Emperor has agreed to allow us to get rid of the dogs, is that what you mean?”
“No, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said he was taking his dog out to play for a while.”
“Playing with his dogs?”
Suddenly all of the energy drained out of her, and she sank back into her seat as though her entire body had given out.
“This is why it is useless to raise another person’s seed, for how else could that immature creature fail to comprehend his mother’s heart? If he had been a child born of my womb, he would have rushed to the Emperor a hundred times, or a thousand times, and begged him to take those beasts away from me.”
“My Lady!”
Ipa shouted, urging her to be more careful.
The sound of the dogs had gnawed away at her fortitude these past few days, but it was too dangerous to say such a thing. Lady Hwi-bi shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes.
“I misspoke. If I had not been so distraught over the dogs, I would not have said these things. The Crown Prince, please……do not allow my son to hear the words of his mother’s pleading.”
However, the words she had already spoken would not go away. Ipa bowed her head, which had grown increasingly heavy with worry.
Lady Hwa-bi realized that she had made a mistake and calmed herself down, she leaned her drooping shoulders against the backrest like a wilted flower and wiped away the last of her tears.
When the Crown Prince is a little older and the time for him to rule over the heavens and earth, this situation will be better.
It wouldn’t be too much longer before the Empress Dowager could treat him like an unseen puppet, and the Empress Dowager could dismiss him to the back room like an old man.
The way the Emperor was behaving with his Guest, the time for the other concubines to make plans had long passed.
Then all she had to do was remove Consort Hye-bi and Consort Yeo-bi from the Inner Palace and put in their stead a well-behaved, modest young maiden who would obey her orders. If they were a little less bright, they wouldn’t be a threat to her position as the Empress Dowager even if they did bear the Emperor’s offspring.
“Haa…….”
Regardless of how hard she tried to compose her resolve, the remaining days were still too long.
As the palace grew quieter without the constant barking of the dogs, the hours that had seemed unbearably agonizing now dragged by in a tedious boredom that sent chills down her spine.
If you’re reading this anywhere other than Foolishtranslationss.wordpress.com, it was stolen from the translator’s website. Reading this anywhere other than the translator’s website ensures that the translator may never translate any other works. Thank you.
2
Heun now regretted his decision to go out into the front garden as he listened to Yeonmyung nag him about getting too much sun, saying that would prolong his illness.
At that moment, a blue-covered palanquin was clearly seen coming toward the Yiyang Palace, it definitely belonged to the Crown Prince’s Palace.
“Oh my…….”
Yeonmyung’s complexion changed and she became agitated, she was afraid that something unpleasant was surely about to happen.
“Uh……what shall we do, My Lord, shall we hurry up and head inside? Oh, no, even if we go in, if you are ordered to come out……,”
“It’s too late to do anything about it, we have already been seen, and we can’t just close the shutters and play hide-and-seek.”
Heun slowly rose to his feet.
The sun was shining beautifully. Soon the pale cherry blossoms would bloom, and the season of splendor would begin here in Taewoongseong. Heun fumbled with his hair, which was just barely past the nape of his neck.
-It would look so beautiful with you standing in the midst of them with your long hair flowing down.
A voice whispered past his ears before he had time to get angry about it.
“Haaa…….”
He sighed.
Lately, he has been sighing a lot. Or rather, he was more cognizant of his sighs.
At night, when all the Palace Women were gone, a lone shadow would linger in front of his door.
He knew who was standing there without having to ask. The Emperor would only return when he fell asleep just as he said he would, and he would always leave before the last light of the moon was swallowed up by the dusk.
The shadow seemed to fall across the door and onto the bed. He waited for a day, then two, and finally, he opened the door. Ja-Ryung stood facing him, his shoulders tense
His wordless black eyes were as hazy as the moon. He had the same broad shoulders, the same lean body, the same athletic build, and the same rugged beauty, but his eyes were like looking at the moon. Heun abruptly spoke.
-Don’t stand there unless you are trying to keep me from sleeping. Your shadow tickles my eyes and I can’t sleep.
-…….
After a moment’s pause, Ja-Ryung moved his lips to reply.
-Alright, I’ll step back.
He looked like he was suppressing a grin. Heun was bewildered and asked,
-Why is it so funny, why are you smiling?
-Wouldn’t you be smiling too?
-What do you mean?
-I haven’t seen your face in three days. Isn’t that enough reason to smile?
-…….
It was Heun who stopped this time.
-Madness……What does that even mean? You’re crazy! It’s not like you’re smiling because I’m nice to see. There’s no way that’s the reason, because regarding any of this absurdity as love, doesn’t make sense in the first place…….You’re just out of your mind!
Heun said through gritted teeth.
-I know, it’s getting late.
He shifted his feet to put some distance between them.
-Now I won’t wake you. You can go back to bed and get some sleep.
Heun saw Ja-Ryung’s shadow stop precisely at the edge of the doorway, the distance was detestable.
-Don’t put on such a ludicrous charade of acting like a gentle little lamb, it can not make you appear like a normal man.
-I’m not attempting to imitate any other man.
He smiled again as he said that.
-I’ve learned the hard way that you can fly away in an instant. I have to be vigilant and observant.
-What?
Heun gritted his teeth at that.
-Anyone would have escaped if you had done what you did to me.
-But not you.
Ja-Ryung shrugged.
-You didn’t stab me when I told you to, and you refused to hit me when I told you to. That’s why I’m holding on because I can’t really let go.
-……You’re a madman. What are you talking about? You should save that for a world where you’re not the Emperor!
Heun gathered himself and slammed the heavy door shut. Afterward, he slumped back down to the floor, exhausted.
-Good night.
A hushed voice slipped through the crack of the door and settled down, causing the nape of his neck to burn.
Heun defended his flesh like a man on fire. The shadowy figure which stopped in its tracks so as not to encroach on the door, did not disappear until after dawn.
That was the previous night, and he sighed softly.
“My Lord. Are you so anxious at His Highness the Crown Prince’s arrival? Shall I go and announce that you’re indisposed in advance?”
As usual, Heun was both grateful and embarrassed to have Yeonmyung offer to help.
“It’s too late.”
The palanquin had stopped. The Doji-gam removed the veil, grabbed the Crown Prince, and lifted him out of the palanquin.
The old man stepped back and bowed low. The Crown Prince stepped out of the palanquin and came straight to Heun’s side. There was no way he could have gotten away even if he had feigned illness.
“This Honored Guest greets His Royal Highness.”
Heun cupped his hands in salutation, and the Crown Prince nodded to show his respect.
Before Heun could ask what business he had, the Crown Prince smiled broadly and gestured to the Doji-gam. The Dojigam gestured to his men again, and they brought two dogs with thick leather straps around their muzzles and necks.
“What is this…….”
Heun looked at him in shock and the Doji-gam appeared very embarrassed.
“His Highness has asked me to show you the dogs…….”
“You mean these dogs?!”
“Yes. That’s right, thanks to the visit of……well, there are now dogs in Taewoongseong, so he is very happy about that, and he has come to pay his respects.”
“Oh.”
The Crown Prince was looking up at him with bright eyes. He was a small child, and his little neck seemed to be straining. Heun bent his knees so they were at eye level and asked the Crown Prince a question.
“Do you like dogs?”
“I like them.”
The Crown Prince was unexpectedly polite to him.
When he’d come with Hwa-bi, he’d thought he was a taciturn child, but apparently not. Heun was surprised that he liked these ferocious feral dogs, and he was even more surprised that he wanted to show them to him.
“What do you like about them ……?”
He blinked at Heun, as though looking for a way to continue the conversation, and then he answered earnestly.
“Because my father gave it to me…… and so I like them……..”
“Is that right……?”
“I’ve never seen a dog before. It’s fluffy and fun to touch.”
The Crown Prince’s answer made an unexpected impression.
Heun couldn’t help but think of his own five-year-old self whose thoughts were conveyed from his heart, rather than his words.
Taewoongseong was designed for a twenty-nine-year-old Emperor; it was built for Wonge who made the whole world seem cramped.
It was too big for a five-year-old child. Heun knew from experience that every inch of space outside of his tiny body would be filled with loneliness.
That’s why he kept on talking. Just as his five-year-old self was lonely, the five-year-old Crown Prince would be lonely as well.
“But he’s too big and fierce for you to play with. If you’re not careful, you may end up getting hurt yourself.”
“Oh…… ah?”
His bright, innocent eyes blinked. There was no way Heun could tell him that the dogs weren’t meant to be a gift so the Prince shouldn’t keep them with him.
“It’s good to cherish gifts, but if the Crown Prince’s jade body is injured many people will be heartbroken, so always be careful when you see a dog.”
“…….”
The Crown Prince blinked some more, and then he spoke.
“Are you worried about me?”
“Of course, anyone would be worried.”
“Yes. Alright, I’ll be careful then.”
After carefully stroking the dog’s back, whose neck was harnessed tightly, the Crown Prince asked Heun another question.
“What do you like, Honored Guest from the Gok clan?”
Heun thought for a moment, then replied.
“I enjoyed the candy you sent me the other day.”
“What……? No, not that…….?”
The Crown Prince smiled sweetly but stammered in embarrassment.
“So, you’re asking me which animal I like.”
“Yes.”
He was supposed to think about it, but instead, he spoke automatically.
“I like birds.”
“Birds……?”
“Animals who have wings and fly. I like the birds that have really big wings and fly really high, but I also like the birds that can fly slowly and for a really long time even on their little wings.”
“……?”
The Crown Prince looked up and rolled his eyes from side to side. It was only then that it dawned on Heun that because he’d never seen a dog before. He probably had not seen a bird either.
“You don’t know about birds?”
“Unless my mother has them……,”
Heun remembered the barred window in the corner of his room that was only partially open. He also remembered the joy of seeing the birds through the gap and the loneliness of not being able to reach them no matter how hard he tried.
The fact that The Crown Prince hadn’t seen a dog or a bird by the age of five might suggest that Hwa-bi wasn’t very concerned about his education.
Heun choked back a sudden bitter thought.
Yeonmyung had told Heun that Hwa-bi was in a position to become the Empress Dowager. Perhaps there was no reason for her to desire a smart Emperor. If The Crown Prince appeared lonely, it was not because his eyes were deceiving him.
“If you wouldn’t mind, would you like to go see some birds?”
Again, the words came out before thinking.
The Crown Prince’s eyes widened in amazement. In fact, he wanted to make that expression first.
The fact that the Crown Prince was five years old was quite dangerous. His small, bright eyes kept picking up on things that Heun had already forsaken and breaking the boundaries that kept them in place.
“Yes! Yes, that’s great!”
The Crown Prince abruptly shouted so loudly that everyone was taken aback, and Dojigam was busy looking back and forth between the Crown Prince and Heun, while the others struggled to hold back the laughter that was about to burst out.
“Climb into the palanquin. There are many trees in Yeohwan-jeong, and birds often fly there. You can watch them there.”
“Yeohwan-jeong?”
The Crown Prince seemed unaware of the place.
“Yes. It’s a long way around the Imperial Palace of Gangnyeong. You’ll need to take a palanquin, so if His Highness goes ahead, I will follow shortly.”
The Crown Prince nodded, and Dojigam led him back into the palanquin. On one side, the men were busy with the dogs. The shades were lowered to block out the sun, and the palanquin was soon on its way.
Heun turned and looked at Yeonmyung.
“We’ll have to walk, is that okay with you? You might not be comfortable walking, so I can go by myself.”
Yeonmyung jumped to her feet.
“What do you mean, My Lord? You’re walking all the way to Yeohwan-jeong and you want to go alone? Jiwol has urgent business to attend to with the fishing boats, so if she can’t go, I must go! How in the world can you travel without a Palace Woman even if you’re a male Honored Guest? You can’t do that. I could not let you.”
Heun and Yeonmyung followed at the end of The Crown Prince’s palanquin procession.
Yeonmyung’s feet never fully healed and Heun, who had become accustomed to always being shackled, had a sluggish gait. It wasn’t long before he was falling behind.
The palanquin ahead of him stopped as though he were waiting for him, he quickened his pace, as he drew closer to the Crown Prince he spoke.
“Is there anything you wish to say, Your Highness?”
The Crown Prince stuck his head out of the palanquin.
“The feet are strange.”
“What……?”
Following the Crown Prince’s gaze, Heun’s right foot was caught sight of. Heun nodded with an acknowledging expression.
“It true that my foot is more inconvenient than other people’s. Although they are strange I am only a little bit slower, but it doesn’t prevent me from walking, so if His Highness will go first, I will soon,”
The Crown Prince interrupted him with his next words.
“Why are your feet strange, are they diseased?”
“No, Sire.”
“Have you injured your foot?”
“No.”
“Then why is it?”
There was still a lot that the Crown Prince didn’t know. He was the same way in his imprisonment. There was so much he didn’t understand, and with no one to tell him, it became another form of loneliness.
Heun spoke slowly as if his answer would ease his own loneliness.
“A long time ago……I hurt my heel a long time ago, that’s all.”
“So all is not healed? Can’t the Royal Physician fix it?”
“No. It’s healed. I don’t need the Royal Physician.”
“If you’re healed, why is your foot strange? Maybe it’s not healed yet and you don’t realize it. Then it’s a big problem.”
Now that he thought about it, it was a very long time ago. It was in his previous life that he had his foot broken, and in this life, he hadn’t done anything to it. As for the habit of always dragging his shackles, there would be no reason for only his right foot to be lame.
Maybe it was because it was smaller than his left foot. Otherwise…….
“It’s…… a habit I have left over from when I was injured and had to limp, I’m accustomed to doing it now, but it’s okay, it’s not like I’m suffering or anything.”
The Crown Prince’s eyebrows, which had been raised in concern, finally settled back into place.
“If it is, it’s a bad habit. My mother always said that bad things must be fixed.”
“……Yes, Your Highness.”
“‘Well, you’re right, a bad thing should be fixed.”
So maybe he should fix his bad habit with his right foot too.
“Yes, Your Highness. I will try…… to fix it.”
“Yes. You should fix what’s wrong, that’s what you should do.”
The Crown Prince turned away, and Dojigam lowered the curtain again and set the palanquin in motion. Yeonmyung and Heun followed.
Yeonmyung, who had stepped behind to let Heun take the lead, spoke softly as she followed.
“My Lord. Your foot. You said you wouldn’t let it get in the way anymore.”
“Ah.”
Heun stopped walking and looked at his feet.
There was no reason to drag them any longer. They weren’t shackled, nor were their heels crushed; it was merely an old memory that was crippling them.
It was a bad habit, a malicious habit, of a bad memory that he couldn’t shake.
“Suddenly, it seems, things are getting in the way.”
“Yes, My Lord?”
“Actually, I knew it was different, but I guess I just got stuck in a bad habit.”
“Ah, ah…… Well, that’s good. His Royal Highness has said some very good things. You’re right about breaking old habits. I always thought My Lord had lost the use of his foot. Having said that, I’ve never seen you walk for any length of time, because you’ve always been so delicate and almost always in bed. Still, I don’t think it’s good for you to hobble around because you look like you’re in pain, and the Crown Prince is already worried about you.”
The Crown Prince poked his head past the veil and glanced toward them as though to prove Yeonmyung’s point. He seemed to be checking to see if Heun was walking well.
“Look at that, he’s so worried. The Crown Prince has such a good heart, doesn’t he, My Lord?”
“Yes. He is a good person.”
Enough to worry a man who has no ties to this place like Heun.
Heun was walking. He felt awkward, as though he were learning to walk for the first time, something he had never bothered with before.
Watching Heun walk cautiously and slowly, Yeon-myung smiled broadly.
“My Lord, you’re doing well! You already have a different gait. It’s very good to see.”
“Is it……?”
The nape of his neck was itching, probably because it had been brushed for so long.
His eyes were bleary because he’d been kept awake by someone’s impudent shadow until dawn last night! The shakiness in his steps was simply because he felt uneasy.
It wasn’t different this time around because the shadows never invaded his inner sanctum and remained in the same place until the light of dawn, or that his limbs weren’t chained at night. It wasn’t because instead of crushing his heel the Emperor’s tongue gave it a laborious licking.
Just as Heun hadn’t realized until now that he didn’t have to limp anymore, Heun hadn’t realized that his bad habits, those bad memories that had wormed their way into his body, didn’t actually have to hurt anymore.
“You know what, My Lord?”
At a certain point, Yeonmyung who followed behind, smiled shyly at Heun and spoke.
“You know, My Lord, you’ve gotten pretty. The large wounds have healed nicely, and your hair is looking better and better…… My Lord Guest’s eyes are so bright too. At first, they were so dull that I thought they looked quite sad, but not anymore! My Lord isn’t just beautiful on the outside, he has a kind heart too, and I’m always proud of that.”
And then she shrugged her shoulders and made a heh-heh, giggling sound. Yeonmyung’s bashfulness flowed to Heun in return.
“Such words are of no use to me, I am a man.”
Yeonmyung has changed him into a very different person. It was like the time when she helped change his relationship with the Emperor into something very different.
It didn’t sound right. He wasn’t a person someone should be proud of, just like he wasn’t proud of his relationship with Ja-Ryung.
“My Lord, what are you talking about? Since you’re so sweet, His Majesty the Emperor wants to visit only you, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wants to see you too.”
“It’s……not like that.”
“Hmm? Why do you keep saying otherwise?”
“If we keep this up, we’ll fall further behind, so hurry up before His Royal Highness turns around again.”
“My Lord, you’re walking too fast!”
“If you feel tired Yeonmyung, you may walk slowly.”
However, no matter how much he hurried his steps, the road to the palace seemed unusually long today.
Eventually, the Crown Prince was unable to keep him in sight and offered him a seat beside him in his palanquin. Because he had been unable to refuse it was later rumored that he had ridden the palanquin all the way around the Yeohwan-jeong before crossing the river that day, driving Hwa-bi to the brink of collapse.
⚜⚜⚜
“Smaller creatures are more easily startled. If you try to touch them, they will fly away.”
As the season gradually warmed the landscape became more lush. As the flower buds began to blossom, small birds began to flock to the area. The wall was so high that their party couldn’t get in and out as easily as they could elsewhere, but if they were careful, they could still catch a glimpse of birds like a wajak (瓦雀: sparrow).
The problem was that the Crown Prince didn’t just look, he kept trying to catch the birds.
The Doji-gam and his men scrambled to build a trap, but it was of no use, as the wajak wouldn’t stand still long enough to catch it, and the Crown Prince would always reach for it first.
Even if the young Prince had been patient, he wouldn’t have been able to catch the soaring wajak so easily. He would need a proper broad trap, bait, and a net.
With the right preparations, there’s nothing that couldn’t be caught, but Heun would have preferred to see the bird not be captured and remain at Taewoongseong if possible. If he were to dig in the palace grounds, he would find many bones of birds that Wonje had killed by impaling their wings.
“Why don’t you give it up for today?”
“What can I do to have it?”
The young Prince whose expression reminded Heun of a drug addict, asked, clutching at the cuffs of his sleeves.
“I want it, I must have it, I want it to sleep with me in my bedchamber!”
Heun shook his head in embarrassment.
“It’s not easy to catch a flying creature, you know; it’s got a disposition to be free to roam much higher above the ground than a man can ever be.”
“But…… ah, but I really want it…….”
The look on his face was uncharacteristically grave for that of a child’s, and it made it impossible for Heun to tell him no. Heun had already passed the point of being happy to be alive, however, even if it were only a small thing, his mind quickly recalled his own past.
Heun sighed softly, the way he did when he thought of Ja-Ryung.
“However, Your Highness, if you want to see the birds, you can come here and see them.”
“That’s not the same as having one…….”
“Why is it different?”
“Uh…… uh, you can’t hold what you haven’t caught, and…… and……,”
“A flying animal is a creature that must fly, Your Highness, and it cannot fly if you are holding it in your hand.”
“…….”
The Crown Prince stuck out a pouty lip.
“If I have a flying animal, can’t…… it fly?”
“It’s not that it cannot, but……being a bird means it can fly at any time. If you want to keep it with you, you’ll have to keep it locked up.”
“Then I will keep it locked up.”
“But there’s no point in caging a creature that should be able to fly and preventing it from doing so. Flying beasts fly, and Your Highness likes to watch them fly.”
“Still, it would be better if I…… could hold it in my hands.”
Even a gentle child could be stubborn. Heun realized that it was true to say that he was his father’s child.
“Why do you think so?”
Heun asked in a soft voice, and somehow it occurred to him that he wasn’t actually trying to placate the Prince, but rather he was using this as an excuse to ask him a question he should have asked the Emperor at least once. The young Prince blinked at him for a moment in confusion.
“There are many birds.”
“……?”
“If I just stare at them, they don’t belong to me. They all look the same, and none of them are mine.”
“They are all yours if you look at them.”
“No, they are not mine, they are just birds. It is only mine if it is beside me.”
“Your Highness, you are the Crown Prince of Pa. You possess more than just what you hold in your hands. You possess so much more than you can count with your two hands. That includes the flying animals.”
“No!”
The Crown Prince let go of Heun’s sleeve as though he were offended, but then he clutched it tightly again. He was angry at him for refusing to comply, but he seemed to be disturbed when he turned away completely.
It would have been more expected for a lone Prince to be spoiled, but the five-year-old Prince kept his eyes fixed on what was going on around him.
He remembered Hwa-bi’s face as she entered the Yiyang Palace with him. The look on her face as she watched him tug on Heun’s hair was hardly what you’d call a loving mother’s.
There was a reason he was so eager to talk to the Prince.
“Your Highness, why don’t you take a moment to consider the situation from the bird’s perspective?”
“……What is the bird’s perspective?”
“Well, keeping something that was born to fly locked in a cage would feel very tight and restrictive, and it would take a long time for it to adapt. However, even beyond that, more often than not, the wild bird would simply die because it can’t cope. Flying animals are wild creatures, so they can’t understand that Your Highness is keeping them in a cage because he likes them, they’re just frustrated and resentful of being trapped.”
“……ahh-ahh, ughhh!”
Suddenly, the Crown Prince burst into a torrent of tears and everyone was stunned.
The most surprised was, of course, Heun. The Dojigam approached and scolded the Guest for making the Crown Prince cry, and there was a brief commotion as Yeonmyung argued with him about who was making the bigger commotion.
“Your Highness…….”
To make matters more awkward, the Crown Prince’s grip on Heun’s sleeve tightened, and he refused to let go.
The longer he tugged, the more pitiful it became. He didn’t even know how to be angry with the person who made him cry. He didn’t know the correct way to convey his broken heart, so he just pulled on his sleeve.
Heun bent his knees and squatted down to be at eye level with the Crown Prince.
“Your Highness. Please don’t cry. My choice of words was poor, and I did not speak well enough. If your feelings are hurt please punish me. But please don’t cry.”
“…… It’s nice…… but since…… it doesn’t…..hah.,”
“What? Could you say that again, Your Highness?”
“The ……uh, uh, bird do like…… me, but it can’t like…… be…….ha-ahh”
“Oh…….”
He realized why the young Prince was crying. Heun unconsciously stroked the back of the Crown Prince’s hand, which was still clutching his sleeve.
“I’m afraid I didn’t speak very clearly, Your Highness. If you love something, it will know your heart even if it is an animal that cannot speak.”
“Are you sure…… what you’re saying…..is true…….”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“…….”
Heun stroked the back of the Crown Prince’s hand for what seemed like an eternity before he stopped crying. Then he looked up, his tear-streaked eyes were so pure that it made Heun uneasy.
Why were his eyes so pure even as His Grace spoke of trapping and confining the little creature regardless of its needs?
Why was he so lonely? Why was he so burdened? The little bird would only be tempted to fly away and if it did come back it would only be trapped. So how could a bird that stays remain a bird at all?
“Your Highness, you should return to the Palace. If you continue to stand outside crying you may have trouble sleeping tonight. Let’s return and look for the bird another time.”
The Crown Prince rose on his heels and tugged on Heun’s sleeve.
“Will the Honored Guest from the Gok clan come with me again?”
“I will come when Your Highness requests it.”
“Then……can it be tomorrow?”
“I have nothing to do but bask in the sun at Yiyang Palace, so tomorrow will be fine.”
“Alright. I’ll call on you tomorrow.”
The Crown Prince didn’t let go of his sleeve as he walked away, so Heun was forced to match his stride. Yeonmyung stood close behind him, followed by the Dojigam and the others.
As he walked slowly with his young legs, his surroundings came into focus. There were white flower buds that looked as though they could burst open at the slightest touch, as though they would bloom this very night.
-It was beautiful.
The vista would be as Wonje had spoken of it.
Even if he was wrong about everything, he was right about one thing: the scenery would be beautiful tonight.
Heun laughed bitterly. Truly, if he were to run barefoot through this place in a moment of madness, he could almost see Wonje watching him from afar.
As the white blossoms would pile like snow on his shoulders, the Emperor’s shadow would remain right where it was, not intruding on his path.
He would not reach out and disturb him, but nor would he let him go completely either.
Just as it had been yesterday when Ja-Ryung lingered in front of his chambers just outside the door.
So he hadn’t truly become someone else. He was still himself.
His bitterness only deepened.
He must be frustrated. The same man who used to crush and batter him in order to fulfill his own greed is now just playing with his hair.
I suppose it’s true what they say about perception.
“……,”
The Prince suddenly stopped walking. Heun, who was lost in thought, turned to look in the direction the Prince was looking.
Ja-Ryung was standing at the entrance to the Yeohwan-jeong. Just as Wonje had done the other time.
“Ah……,”
The Crown Prince’s little lips curled into a smile and called out “Father Emperor¹”, and the entourage behind him bent deeply at the waist.
¹
Abama mama; is a historical title of address from a Prince/Princess to a King
Ja-Ryung’s expression was indecipherable as he stood there waiting for the Crown Prince and his entourage to approach.
As the distance between them closed, their eyes met. Heun realized that one of his bad habits had been discarded, he no longer winced at the sight of him.
“Let go of his hand.”
The words were sharp and clipped. Heun and the Crown Prince looked at each other, unsure of his meaning.
“Let go of him.”
Emperor Ja-Ryung charged forward and snatched Heun’s sleeve cuff out of the young Prince’s hand. The Crown Prince snapped his head to attention but he didn’t say anything, perhaps because he was equally afraid of Emperor Ja-Ryung.
Instead, it was Heun who spoke.
“You could have simply asked, Your Majesty, …….”
“I said it twice, and he didn’t listen.”
“……What brings you here?”
“Don’t ask me the obvious. I came because you’re here. I didn’t expect this.”
Ja-Ryung turned his head and looked down at the Crown Prince. It was a far cry from the way a father would treat his son, but the young Prince was familiar with this and didn’t cry, instead, he merely frowned.
“Listen carefully. Find someone else to take care of you. Don’t drag a sick man around after you.”
“…….”
The Crown Prince bit his lip. He was at a loss for a suitable response. The Emperor’s words were an accusation.
“Have you lost your tongue?”
“No, I have a tongue…. and this child has received your orders…….”
“Don’t play at being a child, answer me properly.”
The Crown Prince dropped his head down so that it made a little noise.
“Yes,……Father Emperor.”
Haa.
Heun sighed. He hadn’t expected Ja-Ryung to be a doting father, but now that he’d inadvertently been caught in the middle, he found it more than a little uncomfortable.
“I am fine with it. His Highness was kind enough to let me ride in the palanquin.”
At those words, Ja-Ryung’s stare locked onto the Crown Prince and remained fixed. His eyes narrowed like an ice pick, looking like they could pierce through anything.
“You’re taking my Guest to ride beside you?”
Something in his gaze and expression coupled with the suspicious tone of his voice, caused him to feel embarrassed.
“What do you mean by that…… Your Majesty?”
“For one whose head is smaller than my crown, you must be quite greedy for you to covet what is mine. Where did you learn to be so ignorant as to reach out for what belongs to me without understanding the implications?”
“Your Majesty!”
Heun was so astonished that he couldn’t believe his ears. Jimok-cheon was also surprised, as were the rest of the entourage and Yeonmyung.
There was no defense, who could not feel pity for a small child of five being scolded by a father who seemed to have no affection for him? Heun lowered his eyes and reluctantly offered a string of excuses.
“Forgive……me. I forgot myself and was out of line, I spoke out of turn. I will take any punishment you give me without resistance.”
Instead of accepting excuses, Ja-Ryung asked a question.
“What made you speak out?”
“……?”
“I’m asking why you’re so angry with me.”
There was no sign of mockery, no trace of anger, so he must have simply meant he was curious, but that was so out of character for him that Heun was puzzled for a moment.
When was he ever the one to ask for a reason?
Ja-Ryung had never been the one who wanted someone else’s reasons. But now, his eyes followed Heun doggedly, seeking answers. Finally, Heun spoke.
“You said something that doesn’t make sense in this situation…….”
“You’re referring to the fact that this little thing has brought you into his palanquin. Is this something that an honorable son would do, calling on his father’s person as though he were his own?”
“That’s not quite what’s going on here!”
The nape of his neck flushed red.
His heart lurched, and he was unable to suppress the reaction brought on by Ja-Ryung’s strange words. What kind of human being would say such a bizarre thing to his five-year-old son?
“Do you know how old His Royal Highness is? He’s only five years old!”
“That five-year-old pulled your hair out.”
“What does that matter?”
“Why does that matter? He touched what is mine.”
“So that means I……!”
I’m not yours! I never will be, so don’t take it for granted!
The reason why he could say such a thing was because the hair he grabbed happened to be his.
The hair belonged to Ja-Ryung. He had given it to him. It was not as though Ja-Ryung were someone he wanted to give it to.
Heun calmed his voice, which was about to rise.
“His Highness is not treating me with wicked(奸) motives. Today, he just wanted to show me his dog.”
“I don’t know what’s in that tiny black heart.”
“I know you’re not really thinking that. You’re not the kind of person to believe something like that.”
“You’ve always been one to forgive.”
His lips curved up on one side as he spoke. The asymmetry of his expression threw him off balance.
Heun averted his gaze, he was not comfortable looking at him. Somehow, he suspected there was more to that awkward expression than Ja-Ryung was letting on.
For example, Ja-Ryung had heard that the Crown Prince, who had previously torn his hair out, had come to Yiyang Palace with dogs this time so he had rushed over to help.
Ja-Ryung turned and called out to Jiomok-cheon.
“But not me. No matter how good or evil they are, I won’t stand by and do nothing, and I won’t see the dogs I sent to bark at Hwa-bi being dragged to Yiyang Palace. Ilcheon,”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Jimok-cheon stepped forward and saluted.
“Stay with the Guests for the time being, and if there’s anyone you need to cut down, do so on my orders. The Crown Prince is no exception.”
Jimok-cheon’s complexion grew grim.
“You mean, even the Crown Prince……?”
“Be more mindful. I don’t want that insolent little thing to flout my commands.”
“I have received your orders, Your Majesty.”
Heun felt he should stop him.
It wasn’t because he was uneasy with his lopsided expression. It was because if the head of the Ilcheon to be attached to a mere Guest rather than the Emperor himself, it would have caused a great deal of trouble, both inside and outside of Taewoongseong.
Trouble had already begun to germinate from the moment they met. There was no need to add more manure to make it grow faster. When Heun wasn’t sleeping, he was cooped up in Yiyang Court basking in the sun like a sickly chicken, he did not want to force others to learn what he knew,
“Take back your order. It’s excessive, and it is painful for His Highness to hear, do you not understand this?”
His order was meant to be a message. This was no different from the time of the Wonje, only now, people weren’t dying, and Taewooseong Castle wasn’t falling into disrepair. The more Heun’s presence was felt, the more the danger was magnified.
If it was discovered that the Emperor was blinded by a scandalous Guest and that the Guest was from Tohwa, it would not only be the Palace of Taewoongseong that would be in an uproar, it would be the entire Empire.
Heun had already seen how his father, who had taken his family name from him and sent him to live as a slave in a labor camp, changed his face in front of the Emperor. It was bad enough that he was the Emperor’s Honored Guest, and if he had the he Head of the Ilcheon attached to him, his father could change his face a thousand times more.
“Would it make any difference if they knew?”
In truth, this is the way Ja-Ryung was.
“Do you really think the Five Great Families will still be the same as they were during the reign of Wonje?”
“I didn’t expect that to come out of your mouth. Of course, it won’t be the same. I’ve been stepping on their windpipes for a long time now, and I’m sure they’ll make a move before their breath is completely snuffed out.”
“Well, if you can see that, then why are you being like this?”
“Don’t play the fool in front of me. I told you it doesn’t matter. I don’t care if they’re from the Tohwa or from inside my court, I won’t allow anyone to touch you. Do with other people the same way you’d do with me. Swear at them and hit them wherever you please. Do you really think this little thing is of such importance just because it was born from my seed, while it’s this windy and cold out?”
“…….”
Heun couldn’t think of anything to say at the moment, because there was just too much to say.
The Crown Prince was listening. As his father, he should at least make a pretense of caring?
If the Five Great Families were so great, there’s no way they would have still been separated into five different kingdoms. Tohwa is still the same as it was when it was still the Five Kingdoms of Zhongyang, and its loyalty to the Imperial Family is the same as then.
It was not Heun who was born from his body, but the Crown Prince! He shouldn’t speak as though he were an outsider.
The Prince was a good and decent boy, Ja-Ryung shouldn’t assume that he was the same as himself.
And there was no wind today! Where was this cold wind he was speaking of?
If he were to say something like this, then Ja-Ryung would then pour out counter-arguments like fuel.
Sometimes it was as though they were speaking different languages. Heun didn’t understand Ja-Ryung, and Ja-Ryung didn’t seem to have the slightest intention of understanding him.
The problem was that the words he had just uttered came flooding back to him.
-If you love something, it will know your heart, even if it is a creature that cannot speak.
Although there was no wind today, there must have been a reason why Ja-Ryung said it was cold.
It must have been him who was blind, not Ja-Ryung. How could he call that anything but madness?
No, no. It was never a matter of his heart. He was just a madman, one who was desperate to savagely wield the power he had seized. It must have been the fact that he was Sogaju of the Tohwa that attracted him.
There was never any heart in him.
“……Then do as you please. It doesn’t matter if the Palace becomes a wretched place or not, I have only a short time left to live.”
The wind whistled as though by design, as Heun brushed past Ja-Ryung.
“Wait!”
Heun knew he was calling out to him, but he didn’t turn around. However, moments later,
“……!”
The silk of Ja-Ryung’s robe fell over his head. Ja-Ryung had taken off his Imperial Dragon Robe and placed it atop his head.
“Why did you do that?”
“It’s cold.”
“You must be ill, it is not cold at all today.”
“It is cold.”
They could not understand what the other was trying to say. Heun ground his teeth so tightly it was audible.
“It is too excessive and troublesome. Please take it back.”
“I placed it on what is mine. It is my task to cherish what is mine.”
“Cherish’? Don’t just put it on me. Why would you think putting your Dragon robe on me……,”
“It is a mutually beneficial arrangement. What kind of fool would ever touch what belongs to me while clad with a Dragon Emblem?”
Ja-Ryung turned his head and looked at the Crown Prince with an intimidating stare.
It was uncomfortable to watch the young Prince flinch and shrink back. The smooth silk that pressed against his head was heavy with embellishments, and he felt uncomfortable at Ja-Ryung’s insistence that he belonged to him.
He should not have been saying it in the first place.
It was a strange thing to say, that he gave it to Heun for Heun’s sake.
Ja-Ryung placed his hands on the dragon robe and turned Heun’s shoulders so that he faced him.
“The flowers will be in bloom tonight.”
And so they would be, indeed. For a few days, this place would be a sanctuary for Heun.
“Don’t dare say anything about bringing the Prince.”
“……? I’m not the one who said I was going to come.”
“Of course not, but I said you could. He’s an impudent brat whose only skill is being arrogant, but if you have use for him, bring him in and use him, but don’t bring him in tonight.”
The hand on the Dragon Robe felt strangely warm. Heun jerked his shoulder, and Ja-Ryung finally removed his hand.
“I can’t come tonight either. If you invite someone else, you might forget that you usually watch me.”
“…….”
Heun stopped dead in his tracks. While Ja-Ryung arched an eyebrow in disbelief, he grabbed the Dragon Robe and threw it toward Ja-Ryung.
Thud!
The dull sound of a knot or ornament hitting something echoed.
“That, that…… such, such a thing!”
“Eek!”
Everyone except Heun and Ja-Ryung shared a similar expression. It was as though the Honored Guest had finally lost his mind and was pouring out insanity.
The men closed the distance and surrounded Heun. Instead of helping them, Ja-Ryung looked at Jimok-cheon. After sighing, Jimok-cheon gave in to his command and stood beside Heun.
With that, he became a favored person protected like the Emperor and untouchable for such trivial infractions.
“If you’re watching for a reaction, then don’t do this for me. I am not your concubine.”
Heun also thought he was losing his mind.
It felt like there was a real chill in the air on this warm, sunny day, but the only reason he didn’t feel the chill was because of the black silk Dragon Robe that briefly covered his head.
“Who would believe a man who merely speaks words?”
“……I understand, I will be attentive.”
The Imperial Palace Dojigam hesitated to pick up the Dragon Robe from the ground.
“Alright.”
Ja-Ryung bent down and picked up the Dragon Robe. Heun turned away and could no longer see him. A gust of wind blew in at just the exact moment, sending his hair whipping around.
“Damn it…….”
Heun clenched his eyes shut.
He would rather he was insane for other reasons.
Any reason would be fine, as long as it wasn’t him.
Now I’m coming for you…….
Heun kept on walking, alone, straight ahead like an arrow shot out from a bow.
The limping stride that memory had made into a habit had already ceased since he decided to break it. A single petal flew past his slow steady footsteps and landed on the ground.
It was a moment of blossoming. Even if it seemed to take forever for the icy winter seed to thaw, sprout, and blossom into full bloom.
It is my busy season at work so all translations are on Hiatus until after the winter holidays. Sorry for the inconvenience.
If you’re reading this anywhere other than Foolishtranslationss.wordpress.com, it was stolen from the translator’s website. Reading this anywhere other than the translator’s website ensures that the translator may never translate any other works. Thank you.
Foolish Translations 
Thank You for the new chapter (๑°꒵°๑)･*♡
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