GMLS Ch 61

“Are you alright?”

“Yes. I’m perfectly fine. That….”

That… are Your Majesty’s jaws alright, I couldn’t bring myself to ask. Muryun, who read my inner thoughts as if they were his own, answered before I could ask.

“I’m fine.”

I nodded my head. Then, albeit late, I clasped my hands in a formal greeting.

“I am in the presence of this nation’s great fortune—”

Before I could finish my words, I was pulled into a sudden embrace. I was flustered. Over Muryun’s shoulder, I could see the Imperial Guards, their eyes wide with shock. However, the eunuch who had served the emperors for two generations, from the former emperor to Muryun, maintained a placid expression. The Imperial Guards didn’t seem fazed either. In fact, their expressions seemed to say, “Of course, this would happen,” which made me even more flustered.

“Your, Your Majesty.”

“I wanted to be by your side, but I couldn’t, and it weighed on my mind so heavily. Are you feeling a bit better now.”

I answered with a lump in my throat.

“……Yes, I’m fine.”

“Fine? You’ve gotten so thin! Have you even eaten anything.”

Muryun, who was fussing over me and examining me from all sides, finally called for the Head Eunuch.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Have the lunch table brought in early…… no, bring it in right now, and go to the royal pantry and bring out everything that was prepared.”

The Head Eunuch smiled faintly and clasped his hands.

“Shall I prepare two sets of spoon and chopsticks.”

“Yes. Prepare two.”

Not only was he quick-witted, but his conduct was also excellent. He was truly the master of the Imperial Palace. He had a junior eunuch relay Muryun’s orders. In the meantime, I was led by Muryun into the office.

“No. Not here.”

But Muryun, who was just about to cross the threshold, muttered so and immediately turned around. Then he crossed the veranda and headed somewhere.

“Your Majesty?”

“Yes.”

“Where are you going now. No, more importantly, weren’t you in the middle of your state affairs.”

“Mm. No. I was just about to have a meal.”

He told a lie without batting an eye.

Muryun’s steps led to Jaryeon Palace, located right next to the main palace. It was originally the place where the empress resided, but now it was empty without a master, receiving only the minimum necessary maintenance.

The palace servants, startled by the emperor’s unexpected visit, bowed their heads. Regardless, Muryun strode briskly across Jaryeon Palace. His final destination was a pavilion above a large pond in the garden within Jaryeon Palace.

I let out a small gasp. Hearing it, Muryun smiled with satisfaction. The pond, large enough to float a small boat, was filled with clear water. Its transparency was beyond words. It looked like one could scoop it up and drink it.

“There was once an empress who greatly loved boating, and an emperor who greatly loved her. When she went out boating far away day after day, the disheartened emperor had this made and gifted it to her. It is said the empress was overjoyed. So be careful. It may look that way, but it’s deep enough for boating without any trouble.”

Somehow, I could picture it. The empress, excited to go out and play, and the emperor, left alone and sullen.

The emperor must have been a timid man. So he couldn’t even stop her and, after fretting over it, came up with the brilliant idea of making this pond. The empress would have been delighted, and would have stayed longer in Jaryeon Palace.

“How cute.”

“Cute? Who?”

Muryun, who overheard my mumbling, growled menacingly.

“Pardon?”

“Are you saying the empress is cute, or the emperor is cute.”

It was the emperor. But I had a strong premonition that I shouldn’t answer truthfully here.

“My apologies. I have spoken out of turn.”

“Not at all. It’s fine, so answer me. Who is cute?”

However, Muryun didn’t let it go.

“The story is cute.”

Like Yeo Yullyeong’s son, I escaped the crisis.

“Is that so?”

Muryun seemed to have lingering doubts, but he didn’t ask further. He crossed the semi-circular stone bridge and headed for the pavilion.

The pavilion was made of a marble floor, six pillars, and a roof. What was unusual was the table placed in the center. Although it contained many impurities, it was an object carved and polished from a single, enormous amethyst.

Muryun, letting go of my hand, told me to have a look around. He was probably referring to the surrounding scenery visible from the pavilion, but my eyes were drawn to the amethyst table. I swept my hand over it. It seemed to have been wiped today as well, as almost no dust came off on my hand.

“Does that please you? Shall I give it to you?”

It was clearly a joke. I chuckled and looked at Muryun, then my expression hardened. The moment I saw him, I knew it wasn’t a joke. If I answered wrong here, this table would end up in my quarters at the Cheongungwan.

“No. It’s alright.”

As I replied with a serious face, Muryun laughed.

“It was a joke.”

I could bet Yeo Yullyeong’s entire estate that it absolutely was not.

Around that time, the eunuch who had gone to the royal pantry returned. Though he hadn’t been told where we were going, he naturally found his way to the pavilion in Jaryeon Palace. Honestly, it was amazing. I wondered if this was the resourcefulness of a eunuch who had “tasted the waters of the Imperial Palace,” so to speak. Standing before the maids carrying the food, the eunuch was imposing.

“Good work. Set it down and all of you may withdraw.”

“However, Your Majesty, that will pose a problem for your protection. Was there not an unfortunate incident just a short while ago. Please, take care of your royal person.”

Captain of the Imperial Guard Wi Junghyuk spoke gravely as he clasped his hands.

Normally, I would have stayed quiet, but Wi Junghyuk’s words brought Yeo Yullyeong to my mind. A week had passed since then. I was able to maintain a level of composure that didn’t outwardly show my sense of loss. This too was something I learned from Yeo Yullyeong.

A man to whom I was indebted in a different sense than Muryun. A man who had seeped into me in a completely different way than Muryun. A man who felt more like a real father than the tanner who sold me to a merchant, whose face I could no longer even remember.

“Wi Junghyuk.”

“Yes.”

“Your concern for my well-being is commendable. You are indeed worthy of the position of Captain of the Imperial Guard.”

“I am humbled by your words.”

“But what on earth must be done for that lack of tact of yours to grow.”

“……”

The Imperial Guards and the Miryeonggun withdrew to a distance of ten jang. Wi Junghyuk stood a little way from the pavilion and drew his sword. Today, he was wearing the formal uniform of the Captain of the Imperial Guard. It was white, with golden tassels and gold ornaments that jingled. Thanks to that, a golden stick insect was standing upside down.

Muryun urged me to eat, saying that fellow was just insensitive, not malicious. I nodded quietly, saying I knew that too. Then I asked Wi Junghyuk. If he had eaten. He replied not yet, and I looked at Muryun.

Muryun, sighing softly, called Wi Junghyuk over. Having returned to his human form, he sat down awkwardly. The three of us sat around and ate.

“Come to think of it, where is Monghyul?”

“He’s at Baengnok Palace.”

It was a detached palace in the southwest where the envoys were staying.

“We have him surrounded and under surveillance, but I’m still a little worried.”

Muryun didn’t specify the subject, but I could guess that Monghyul was probably with Tanakhan.

This time, Muryun carefully asked me where Heukwol was. I only replied that he was on an errand for Yeo Yullyeong. Muryun didn’t ask further.

After the meal, the palace servants cleared the table. Instead, they brought out a seven-jeweled tray with fruits and traditional sweets. With no specific orders, Wi Junghyuk couldn’t get up on his own accord. Ignoring him as he struggled to read the room he didn’t have, I turned my gaze outside the pavilion.

I rested my arms on the railing and stared blankly at the pond, which was closer to a lake.

It was already September. About two and a half months had passed since I was poisoned. I recalled that the one who had lasted the longest was a first-rate warrior who lived for three months. If I last that long, I have half a month left. Even if I last longer than that…….

‘Will I be able to see the first snow of this year?’

When I first heard the fact, I was surprisingly calm. Part of it was that it hadn’t fully sunk in, and part of it was that I was confident a top-class warrior like me would surely last longer. But was it because my heart had been wounded? I couldn’t be as confident as I was then.

I turned my head. I had been looking at the scenery, but Muryun had been looking at me. Our eyes met perfectly. I straightened my posture and opened my mouth.

“Your Majesty, there is something I would like to ask.”

“What is it.”

“If I had refused Your Majesty, were you truly going to let me go obediently?”

Muryun remained silent. That itself was the answer.

“You hesitated.”

Contrary to the rebuking content, my voice was gentle. In fact, if he had said he was really going to let me go, I would have been rather disappointed. I might have been hurt and angry.

“Your Majesty.”

“Yes.”

“Could you please close your eyes for a moment.”

Muryun closed his eyes obediently without questioning me. I put my hand into my breast pocket. Two hairpins were caught in my hand.

One was a hairpin with a blackened tip. Now that I was already poisoned, it had all but served its purpose, but strangely, I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away. It wasn’t something I could just leave lying around, so I ended up carrying it with me like a talisman.

The other one was something I bought while strolling through the night market with Muryun. A donggot closer to a hairpin, with a small magnolia flower blooming at its end. From the start, I picked it up thinking it would suit him.

In truth, after paying the owner, I had many second thoughts. Could I gift something so humble to him?

In a commoner’s house, it would surely be a high-quality item, but the recipient of the gift is the august emperor of this nation. Precious things overflowed around him. The Geum Empire, said to be the finest on The Yeon Continent. The emperor, said to be the finest in The Geum Empire. All the precious and expensive things in the world were laid at his feet.

Wouldn’t it be better to commission an artisan? I had that thought, but even if I had one made that way, it would only become one of the countless treasures he possessed. That wasn’t enough.

I fiddled with the donggot in my hand. The small magnolia carving at the end pressed against my fingertips with its uneven texture.

I let out a dry laugh. I had hesitated for myself. It wasn’t that I picked it up because I thought it would suit him. He would have looked stylish with even a twig stuck in his hair.

A magnolia decorating his hair. That was the reason I chose this donggot.

I filled what was lacking with something else. Like the night of the winter solstice that slipped under the covers, I cut a piece of the night market’s night and placed it under the calyx of the magnolia on the donggot. Whenever Muryun sees this donggot, he will surely be reminded of me, who walked with him through the night market.