IBPC | Chapter 16.2

Tae Heerang was lively, always cheerful, and most importantly, healthy. Even as an Eumin, she should be able to endure well. It seems that most Eumins here die before experiencing their third heat…

Thinking of the suppressants as half doses, there was enough for about four times. If she can endure that long… there shouldn’t be any problems, right? The heat cycle is longer at first, so she might overcome it before turning sixteen.

While Seoyul was shaking off his remaining worries with positive thoughts, he lowered his gaze. Then he looked at Heegon sitting in front of him.

Heegon had been silently watching him for a while.

“Uh… why?”

Feeling awkward under the obvious gaze, Seoyul awkwardly smiled and touched his cheek with his hand. Heegon quietly smiled.

“It’s nothing, just…”

He was happy to see Seoyul smiling without any reservations in front of him.

He thought he might never see this face again.

If there is such a thing as fate, he thought it might be this moment. Or perhaps Seoyul—his existence—was it.

Seoyul had come here, calming his rut and managing his heart. Moreover, he had saved Heerang’s life, which was in danger due to her manifestation. How precious and invaluable could he be?

And on top of that, he had conceived a child that no one else could—

“……?”

As Heegon was lost in thought while looking at Seoyul, he suddenly noticed something and focused his gaze. His previous thoughts quickly vanished as he concentrated on Seoyul’s current state.

“Are you alright?”

Heegon put down the teacup he was holding and asked Seoyul. Seoyul blinked, looking puzzled.

“Yes? What do you mean?”

“You seem to be sweating… continuously.”

“…Am I?”

At Heegon’s words, Seoyul hesitated and raised his hand. He wiped his chin with the back of his hand, showing a startled expression.

As Heegon said, sweat was indeed forming on his face. Cold sweat he hadn’t realized.

Seoyul wiped it with his sleeve and smiled weakly.

“Oh… Ah…? That’s strange, why am I sweating… Is it hot?”

Seoyul turned his head back to the open window. But outside, a pleasantly cool breeze was blowing. Seoyul looked at Heegon with an embarrassed gaze. At that gaze, Heegon stood up and approached Seoyul.

“You couldn’t even finish your dinner earlier… If you’re not feeling well, should I call Pacheon?”

Heegon worriedly placed his hand on Seoyul’s shoulder. Seoyul shook his head.

“No, it’s not that. I don’t have a fever, so I don’t know why I’m sweating… I’m fine.”

“……”

“I do feel a bit heavy, but… it’s been like that for the past few days…”

“Then you should have said something. I’ll call Pacheon right away—”

Heegon turned his head towards the door. Seoyul reached out and stopped him.

“But it’s too late now.”

“However…”

“If I sleep early, I might feel better… If it’s still like this tomorrow, I’ll ask him to see me in the morning. I think I’m just tired.”

Seoyul smiled and pulled Heegon closer.

Heegon looked down at Seoyul for a moment and then supported him to stand up.

“Then I’ll have them bring washing water. Go to bed early tonight.”

Heegon led Seoyul to the bed. Following him, Seoyul looked up at the night sky through the window he hadn’t closed.

“I will.”

Heegon, who had been asleep, was pulled out of his slumber by a sound near his ear.

“H… uh…”

A faint but painfully trembling moan. Realizing this, Heegon flinched and opened his eyes. He immediately looked at where Seoyul was lying and got up.

“Yul-ah…?”

Heegon called out to Seoyul, but there was no response. Heegon noticed that the room was filled with the dim light of dawn, as if the sun was about to rise. In that light, Seoyul was curled up tightly.

“Your… Highness…”

Seoyul was trembling so much that it was palpable even through the blanket. His voice was soaked with distress, and Heegon wrapped his arms around Seoyul’s body. He could feel the dampness of sweat-soaked clothes.

What is this? Did he sweat this much while sleeping?

Surprised by the sensation at his fingertips, Heegon looked down.

“Why…”

A chill ran down his spine, and Heegon lifted the blanket to check Seoyul’s body. Between Seoyul’s legs, something else was soaked through.

Dark. No, it was blood so red it appeared black.

“Yul-ah—”

Heegon, overwhelmed with shock, trembled as he quickly embraced Seoyul’s body. Seoyul’s body, weakly drawn into Heegon’s arms, was drenched in cold sweat. Seeing this, Heegon felt his heart drop heavily, as if it were plummeting.

Heegon urgently raised his voice towards the outside, cradling Seoyul’s pale face.

“Is there… is there no one?!”

Heegon’s cracking voice echoed precariously in the dawn light.

“Bring Pacheon immediately, hurry!!”

“What happened?”

Though Pacheon was called urgently, Seoyul lost consciousness in Heegon’s arms before Pacheon arrived. Pacheon, examining Seoyul’s body, did not answer with a gloomy expression.

Strangely, there had been no divination about Heegon’s offspring. At the time, Pacheon thought his spiritual powers had temporarily waned, or that the energy of the unborn was not yet strong enough. He had said nothing to Heegon, fearing it might bring bad luck. But it seemed it was meant to be this way.

Even the divination he had seen last time… he had reluctantly accepted that sometimes the results could not be accurately predicted. But now…

Pacheon glanced at the lying Seoyul and then whispered in a low voice to Heegon.

“I’m sorry. …It seems the child was stillborn.”

At Pacheon’s words, Heegon’s eyes widened momentarily. His eyes, which had been shaking, quickly regained composure.

“Why all of a sudden—what caused this?”

“That, I cannot determine. It is common for pregnancies to be lost early on… In truth, I must confess now… I did not see any offspring for Your Highness in my divination.”

“What do you mean?”

“After the child was conceived, I cast divinations for safety… but nothing about Your Highness’s offspring appeared… I assumed it was because it was still early…”

At Pacheon’s difficult words, Heegon ran a hand over his face.

“So, it was destined to be this way?”

“That, too, I cannot guarantee.”

“…If I have no offspring, does that mean there is no possibility in the future?”

“That is not the case. It’s just… the child conceived this time… was not meant for Your Highness.”

The child Seoyul had conceived, which did not appear in Pacheon’s divination. It was not meant for him…

Heegon could not lift the heavy, uncomfortable feeling that had settled in him. But he could not let himself be dragged down by it endlessly. Because, despite everything, there was something else he was most concerned about.

“What about Yul, the child? Is his body harmed? I heard that a stillbirth can weaken the body as much as childbirth.”

“That is yet to be seen… but for now, he seems fine. It was very early…”

“……”

“There may be more bleeding… but I will monitor him closely.”

Pacheon observed Heegon’s face. Heegon, with a hardened expression, lowered his gaze before approaching Seoyul’s bed. After silently looking down at Seoyul for a long time, he clenched his fists tightly. Seeing Seoyul’s pale complexion, Heegon furrowed his brows in distress.

“There was… a lot of bleeding. He was in pain too. Will he be alright?”

“It was not yet time for the womb to grow, so there should be no major issues.”

“…Whatever it takes, prepare medicine to restore Yul’s health.”

Pacheon briefly replied that he would do so.

There was much to say about the situation, but it was not the right time. It was not appropriate either. Pacheon watched Heegon and Seoyul before quietly leaving the room.

Left alone with Seoyul, Heegon sat down beside him with a devastated expression. Seoyul’s body, covered in cold sweat, was chillingly cold. Heegon reached out to wipe the sweat from Seoyul’s forehead.

As Heegon spent some time caressing Seoyul’s face and hands, Seoyul flinched, furrowed his brows, and slowly opened his eyes.

“…?”

As Seoyul regained consciousness, Heegon’s eyes trembled with slight tension.

Seoyul stared blankly into space for a moment before meeting Heegon’s gaze, who was looking down at him. Seoyul looked up at Heegon with a very weary face.

Seeing Heegon’s face, Seoyul seemed to understand. What had happened. A hot sensation lingered below his aching, throbbing abdomen. Seoyul instinctively sensed it.

“The child… is gone, right?”

“……”

Heegon couldn’t bring himself to speak. But it was enough of an answer.

Seoyul blinked weakly a couple of times. Then he clasped the hand Heegon was holding.

“Because I’m… recessive… I somehow got pregnant, but… it seems I couldn’t maintain it.”

“……”

“What should I do…?”

Seoyul’s slightly labored breathing. A voice that seemed both okay and as if he had somehow known this would happen. Heegon lowered his head and gently embraced Seoyul’s face.

“As long as your body is fine, that’s all that matters. It’s okay, don’t worry.”

Heegon’s large hand patted Seoyul’s head. Seoyul swallowed a sob-like breath and closed his eyes again.

In truth, he had been scared all along. He thought he couldn’t get pregnant, so he wasn’t prepared or resolved at all. But when he suddenly heard he was pregnant, fear was all he felt.

Could he really have a child in this place, did he really have to give birth? It was hard to believe because he couldn’t confirm it properly.

But only after losing what had been a part of his body for a short while did it feel real.

I was carrying Tae Heegon’s child.

He had heard many times that recessive Eumins were like that, that it was common—but experiencing it was neither common nor ordinary.

In the place where fear had left, sorrow settled in. But he wasn’t consumed by it, thanks to Heegon’s quiet, low whispers, reassuring him that it was okay, that it was okay.

Seoyul closed his eyes again.

⊹₊⟡⋆

After taking the medicine Pacheon had prepared, Seoyul slightly frowned. As he put down the empty bowl, Heegon placed a small snack in Seoyul’s mouth. Seoyul accepted it, and Heegon set the empty bowl aside.

Seoyul, having dismissed even the court ladies, quietly watched Heegon as he took care of him. And despite having asked several times, he sought reassurance once more.

“Are you really okay?”

Seoyul, with a sullen face, touched his lower abdomen, where the bleeding had stopped. Heegon, in response to the repeated question, gave the same answer each time.

“As long as your body isn’t harmed, that’s all that matters. Don’t worry about it at all. Didn’t I tell you? You’ve become more precious to me than the child.”

Of course, Heegon had said that before. That he had become more precious than the child.

At the time, Seoyul thought he was lying to placate him. But seeing Heegon, who was full of concern for him even in this situation, made him feel embarrassed.

He really was more worried about me than the child, he thought. But still…

Could it really be okay? The child was someone Heegon needed and had been waiting for.

“I guess I was stubborn. I should have checked my condition before sleeping, as Your Highness said.”

“Pacheon said it had been progressing for days. It’s not your fault—”

“I—”

“……?”

“Where I live, there aren’t many dominant Eumins… I mean, there aren’t many dominant eumin who can get pregnant. Especially since I’m a recessive eumin, it’s hard for me to get pregnant… Somehow, I conceived after meeting Your Highness. But it seems it was too much for me. So I’m not sure if I can get pregnant again. Even if I do, I can’t guarantee the child will grow safely…”

“Yul-ah.”

Feeling Seoyul’s emotions sinking, Heegon quickly stopped him. Heegon lifted Seoyul’s lowered gaze to meet his own.

“Don’t worry about such things, just focus on recovering your body.”

“I…”

“This situation isn’t your fault, but if you keep blaming yourself, I’ll end up blaming myself too.”

There was an unhidden sense of guilt on Heegon’s face as he looked at Seoyul.

Seoyul thought it was because of his own constitution, but Heegon’s concerns were different.

Perhaps, because he had forcibly imprinted on Seoyul. Because of that, both mentally and physically, Seoyul might have been exhausted, leading to this result. If he had been more attentive to Seoyul, this might not have happened.

Though Heegon didn’t say it out loud, Seoyul seemed to understand what he was thinking. So he held Heegon’s hand and nodded.

“…Alright. I won’t think that way, so Your Highness shouldn’t think otherwise either.”

Seoyul caressed Heegon’s hand. In response, Heegon reached out and embraced Seoyul’s face.

Though their hearts were heavy for different reasons, the comfort they found was the same. Thus, the two leaned on each other silently, enduring the painful time together.