Stolen Epilogue [END]

“The rabbit is going to have another litter.”

At this point, she was at a loss for words.

“What on earth do they eat that causes them to have so many babies?”

The only thing that was fed to the rabbits was hay.

Even though all they ate was the hay they had dried in the spring and summer, they continued to have babies.

At first, there were only a few rabbits. But now, the number had increased to dozens.

With each litter, the number grew larger, so now there was a shortage of burrows.

“Should we dig another burrow?”

The palace gardens were now full of rabbit holes.

She had heard that rabbits were supposed to live in burrows, not enclosures, so they had begun to dig one or two holes. But now that the rabbit population had increased so much, the entire garden was full of rabbit holes. But even that was not enough.

There was a task that the court ladies and eunuchs of the Empress’s residence did the most.

They dried grass to feed the rabbits.

After Yi-ryung learned that rabbits should be fed hay rather than fresh grass, the smell of drying hay always filled the Empress’s residence.

“The rabbits are so good at making more babies, so why haven’t we heard any good news in regards to Your Highness…”

Eunah sighed.

Eunah followed Yi-ryung into the Palace and became the head court lady of the Empress’s residence.

And Ja-in also entered the Palace and became the chief guard who protected Yi-ryung.

Keeping the people closest to her nearby was one of the ways the Emperor showed his consideration towards her.

“……”

Only Yi-ryung and the Emperor knew why there was no news of a child.

It was still a secret to everyone.

“I don’t want to have children yet. What do you think?”

The Emperor asked Yi-ryung this question, and Yi-ryung answered, ‘Not yet.’

The Emperor was a man who was in the prime of his life, and Yi-ryung’s blood also still boiled for him.

Because of this, every night when the sun set, they started to explore each other’s bodies in the bedchamber and didn’t leave until morning, but there was still no news of a child.

It was because the Emperor never ejaculated inside her body.

At first, he ejaculated into her body without being aware of it. But when the royal physician told him that doing so would help the baby conceive quickly, the Emperor changed his method.

When he began to feel the signs of release, he would pull out and ejaculate outside of Yi-ryung’s body.

He still felt like they didn’t spend enough time, just the two of them.

The Emperor was worried that if a child was born between them, the child may take his place.

There was no one in this Palace who did not know how much the Emperor cherished and loved Yi-ryung.

The Emperor almost died of an unknown illness during his time as crown prince, and Yi-ryung had also suffered from an unknown illness and was bedridden for a long time, hovering between life and death. At one point, there were even rumors going around the city that Yi-ryung had died.

After nearly dying and coming back to life, the Crown Prince became the Emperor, and Yi-ryung became the Empress.

Because of this, the couple had such great affection for each other that anyone could tell they were a couple of lovebirds.

The previous emperor died of a sudden, unknown disease, and his death was kept a secret, only known to a select few.

“His Majesty the Emperor has arrived.”

Eunah grew startled at the sound of a court lady calling from outside.

When Yi-ryung turned around while holding a rabbit in her arms, the Emperor entered into the garden.

“Your Majesty, I think she’s going to have another litter. Her belly is full. Take a look.”

Yi-ryung handed the rabbit to the Emperor.

The Emperor smiled affectionately as he took the rabbit from her.

“I guess it’s because you fed it well.”

“I think we’ll have to dig another burrow.”

“Why don’t we release it?”

“Release it?”

“Take them to a bigger place and let them free…”

“Then the whole country might turn into a rabbit burrow.”

“Is that so?”

The two people started walking side by side.

The Emperor always came to the rear garden in the afternoon and took a walk with the Empress.

The court ladies and eunuchs tactfully lagged behind, and once he noticed this, the Emperor would start carrying Yi-ryung on his back.

Because Yi-ryung was small and light, the Emperor would easily carry her on his back and walk around the pond in the rear garden several times.

As she was carried on his back, Yi-ryung stared at the red ribbon that was still tied to his hair.

The red ribbon was always visible beneath the Emperor’s crown.

He always tied his hair with the ribbon.

Because it was a gift from her.

No, because it was her wedding gift to him.

It was a secret between just the two of them that no one knew about.

The rabbits and this ribbon were wedding gifts that they had exchanged between them.

The Emperor’s name was Rakwon.

But the Emperor had a name that only Yi-ryung knew.

Dochi.

The man still had a scar on his right hand.

Because the wound had been so deep, the scar did not disappear even after it was completely healed.

Traces of the silk stitches were still visible.

There was a secret that only Yi-ryung, this man, and Sadok knew.

This man’s identity was a secret known only to them.

Other people did not know.

The Emperor’s twin brother, whose name was Heewon, was said to have died long ago.

As soon as he was born into the world, he died as a bloody bundle and was buried in the ground. Only the other twin survived.

That was what the people knew.

That the surviving twin was the Emperor.

His real identity was only known to Yi-ryung, Sadok, and this man.

This man stole the name of his twin brother.

Although he was already dead, he stole his name and identity from the dead and also stole his life.

He married his fiancée and became her husband.

Even now, the man occasionally went to the unmarked earthen tomb in the bamboo forest in the deepest part of the rear garden of the Palace and offered a drink to the deceased.

The only people who knew about this tomb were Yi-ryung, Sadok, and him.

Standing in front of the tomb, the man always said the following words.

“I’m sorry.”

The man was so sorry that he couldn’t say anything else.

After saying this, he returned while holding Yi-ryung’s hand.

When the man apologized to the person in the tomb, Yi-ryung always thanked him in her heart.

The man was sorry, and she was thankful.

And with regret and gratitude, Yi-ryung and the man were still living on.

“Aren’t I heavy?”

Yi-ryung whispered softly to the man who was carrying her.

“You would be if you ate a little more. But not yet.”

“I want to go to that house.”

“When everyone is asleep, shall we climb over the wall and visit?”

The man answered back affectionately.

That little hut was still there.

Sometimes, whenever it came to mind, Yi-ryung and the man would go and visit it.

They would rethatch the old roof, fill it with firewood, and sweep the yard.

Sometimes, they’d even take the time to repair the broken fence.

Whenever they did this, Ja-in would also help out.

Although they would never live there, it was a place that held fond memories for Yi-ryung.

It was a place that was like her mother’s heirloom.

A place filled with happiness that made her miss it when she thought of it and made her want to go back.

But the best place was still wherever this man was.

Anywhere was fine.

As long as she could be with this man, she didn’t care whether it was a palace or a thatched cottage.

Yi-ryung’s heart was already with this man, and this man’s heart was with Yi-ryung.

They were captivated by each other and could not be without the other.

She knew this.

“Your beard grew again.”

Yi-ryung smiled faintly as she looked at the beard on the man’s chin.

It was Yi-ryung’s job to cut the man’s beard.

Whenever his beard grew bushy, Yi-ryung always took a small knife and cut his beard.

The man would sit quietly and let Yi-ryung do whatever she wanted.

Although he was the Emperor, he was just a gentle man in front of her. And although Yi-ryung was the Empress, she was merely a shy woman in front of him.

In the Palace, they were called Emperor and Empress. But to them, they were simply husband and wife.

There was no title more precious than this.

The man was the husband, and the maiden was the wife.

They continued to hold each other’s hands. And he continued to carry her on his back.

And they walked together.

Laughing together, walking together, they continued to love each other.

<Fin>