FIB Ch 14 part 1

PR by neji

Once the rain began to fall, it did not seem to end. When he heard the raindrops falling outside, Hong-yeom shook his head.

Three days had already passed. Even though various people tried to stop him, Heon did not move a muscle. The only one who could have made him move was MoonWon, but she was busy packing after declaring that she would move out once the rain stopped.

“At this rate, he might die, Mistress.”

MoonWon’s busy hand froze in midair. Her calm eyes shook for a brief moment. After having regained her composure, MoonWon gazed at the luggage she had packed.

No matter how much she consolidated, she was not satisfied.

“He won’t die just because of this.”

“I know you’ve experienced that before, Mistress. But… that’s why you should know better. I’m talking about the kinds of feelings you’d have had when you’re going through something like that.”

“Since when have you known him so well to be telling me this?”

They all tried to persuade MoonWon otherwise, but SoYoon, Yuhwa, and even Yeori were afraid to bring it up with her. MoonWon would either cut them off before they began or become very prickly like now, so no one dared to say a word.

“I don’t know the Master very well. But I know you very well, Mistress. I’ve served you for many years now.”

“……”

“You can’t let go of the things that you ought to let go. A family can become your responsibility, but they shouldn’t be a burden.”

“A burden?! How can you say that?!”

“You call it selfishness, but it’s not actually selfishness on your part, is it?”

Having hit the nail on the head, Hong-yeom’s question remained unanswered. MoonWon didn’t know what to say.

Couldn’t she say that living quietly with her family was what she selfishly wanted? Wasn’t wishing the good health of her family for her own sake? 

“I don’t know what love is. But maybe I’m able to bring it up like this because it doesn’t have anything to do with me. I’m not telling you to return to him. I’m just saying that for once, you should do something you want to do.”

“……”

“If you truly want to leave, then let’s go out and look for a house once the rain stops. I’ll do as you say, Mistress.”

After saying his piece, Hong-yeom bowed and went outside. Left all alone, MoonWon approached the window. Despite her wishes, the rain did not stop.

Seeing Heon remaining as still as a statue, MoonWon bit her lips.

‘Please just go.’

She continued to swallow back the words she dared not say aloud. Like déjà vu, her own memories began to overlap with the scene before her.

Because she had no one else she could trust but Heon, she had blindly clung onto him. Even though she knew it was a lost cause, she stubbornly held on because she was so desperate.

When she was the one kneeling outside, how had Heon felt?

If she had switched places with him, it would have been less painful than watching from inside.

After closing the window, MoonWon leaned her forehead against it.

“If I ignore him for a little longer, he’ll give up.”

Even though she knew there was no way Heon would quit, MoonWon tried to console herself. Unlike herself, Heon had too many things on the line. He would never recklessly give it all up.

If something urgent happened at the Palace, he’d definitely move. And then they’d be able to conclude their relationship like she had done with JaeHoon.

After rationalizing it in her head, MoonWon closed her eyes.

* * *

How could it rain so much during the winter? When she heard the sound of rain once again, MoonWon bit her lips. The past three days had crept by in agony. Even when Junghwan came, saying there was urgent news from the Palace, Heon did not move.

As if he were on a mission to prove his claim that he’d die, Heon remained kneeling. Seeing this, MoonWon’s mouth ran dry.

Heon was going to die.

Just the thought of it suffocated her and made her vision go dark.

“Ah…”

MoonWon opened the window and closed her eyes. Although she had only spewed heartless, venomous words at him, she really did not want to see him die.

She opened her eyes.

“This wasn’t something you had to do.”

If only Heon hadn’t done anything, MoonWon would have managed to erase all traces of him from her heart.

However, everything that man had done was for her sake. Even though she continued to receive such generous treatment, venomous words continue to pour out of her lips. But instead of trying to avoid her, he continued to meet her head on.

“This wasn’t something you had to do.”

All the responsibilities MoonWon had tried to avoid were taken on by Heon. He told her it was definitely something he needed to do. And now he was trying to completely let himself go.

Did she have any right to bring him to such a state?

“If something happens to you…”

Her racing heart suddenly stopped beating.

MoonWon quickly closed her window. For a moment, it was as if she were in a void where all she could hear were her breaths. Her eyes began to water.

Did she not care if Heon died?

Before she could answer her own question, MoonWon ran out the door.

* * *

In the past, MoonWon had remained kneeling despite the fact that her mourning clothes had been completely drenched with rain.

Although he knew that she would never betray him, the one drop of suspicion was like poison to him and made him lose all reason. Ultimately, he had to hear her truth during the time she had collapsed from having reached her limit to realize and stretch out his hand.

Although this situation was different from hers, despite his exhausted body, his mind was surprisingly clear.

At some point, he could no longer feel the bone-chilling rain. 

‘In the end, this may all be for the best.’

After blocking out his surroundings, he found that his thoughts had become more alert.

Either way, Heon realized that he did not have anything that belonged to him. When Consort Yu left, his father died, so he decided to try and protect the bamboo grove his father had left behind. However, the bamboo grove he struggled to protect could be taken away in the blink of an eye by one imperial decree from the Emperor.

‘Not one thing was my own all this time.’

Although he hadn’t been greedy, MoonWon was the one who had approached him first. And because of his stupidity, she left.

By ending his life here like this, it might actually be for the better of everyone involved.

As he was lost in thought, he realized that the raindrops were no longer falling on his face. Opening his eyes, Heon felt his lips stretch into a helpless smile.

“Sorry.”

His body was exhausted, and it was possible that the figure in front of him was really her.

He felt that he could kind of understand why MoonWon had spoken her truth in a moment like this. Just the sight of her began to fill his hopeless heart with some warmth.

“I know that my behavior won’t change anything. I know I’m being unnecessarily stubborn.”

MoonWon remained silent as she gazed down at Heon. When he saw that she was not responding in anger, Heon let out a tired sigh. It didn’t matter if she was merely a hallucination. Even if he truly bared his heart out to her now, it wouldn’t change anything. She would not accept him.

“You don’t have to accept me. And I won’t force you to stay by my side.”

His weak voice was drowned out by the torrential rain. Power to turn SeoMoon upside-down. Doyoon’s acknowledgement. None of it mattered.

Heon’s hope was one and always the same.

“I just want you to let me look at you like this from time to time.”

He no longer felt the pouring rain nor the cold winter winds.

Unable to endure any more of this, MoonWon stopped biting her lips and opened her mouth.

“Why are you going this far?”

“Because… the most…”

Unable to properly hear his answer, MoonWon approached him. However, before she could take two steps closer, his voice made her gasp.

“Because when I was with you… I felt the most… at peace.”

The umbrella fell to the ground.

Because she told herself she needed to protect SoYoon and Yuhwa… Because she told herself she didn’t want to see Yeori and Hong-yeom get hurt… She had deliberately tried to avoid this confrontation.

But she could no longer think of an excuse.

“I…”

MoonWon’s hand closed around Heon’s cheek.

The pouring rain drenched her skin and made her go numb. All she could feel at this moment was Heon’s freezing cheek against her palm.

“You…”

“…So don’t throw me away.”

MoonWon collapsed in front of Heon.

Opening his tired eyes, Heon looked at MoonWon and grinned. Heon’s body slowly leaned against hers and grew limp.

“Ah…”

From the very start, the depth of their thoughts had been different.

She believed the best thing she could do was to avoid him, but to Heon, the best he could do was to protect MoonWon’s everything. Although she didn’t want to become a burden to him, she was already making him shoulder so much alone. 

“Junghwan, are you there?”

When he heard her voice, Junghwan stepped forward from a short distance away.

When she saw him lower his head in greeting, MoonWon spoke up.

“Please help me.”

The latched door of her heart had now crumbled into dust.

* * *

After changing Heon into some dry clothes, the doctor felt his pulse and stood up. He lowered his head to MoonWon when she approached and began to give her his report.

“The Master’s condition is not good. There was definitely some damage taken from being in the rain, but because he didn’t take care of himself before then, he will be in critical condition for some time.”

“Are you saying he’s in danger of losing his life?”

“I cannot guarantee anything, but I don’t know what would have happened if he had taken any more harm.”

MoonWon looked at Heon. When she heard that his condition was a lot worse than expected, her expression stiffened. Although she knew that he wasn’t well, when she heard the doctor say that his recovery was not guaranteed, it came as a great shock.

“When he wakes up, I will prescribe a tonic for him. Although he may seem fine now, the fever will come very soon. If his fever does not die down, it will be very dangerous, so I will attend to him.”

“I will stay by his side and attend to him. I’ll call for you if something goes wrong.”

The doctor bowed and left the room. MoonWon rolled up her sleeves. The doors opened and Yeori and Hong-yeom entered with a large basin of water and some towels. MoonWon gestured to the table next to her.

“Place them here and leave. I’ll do it.”

While Yeori and Hong-yeom did as they were told, MoonWon’s eyes never left Heon. After Yeori left the room first, Hong-yeom was on his way out but stopped to look at the both of them. 

“Seeing you like this, I can see that both of you are the exact same.”

“What do you mean?”

“Back when you collapsed in the rain, the Master acted just as you are now.”

When MoonWon gazed at Hong-yeom with confusion, he smiled. She was merely more expressive than Heon, but it felt like he was watching the events of the past repeat all over again.

“He said he’d do it himself and told us to stay away. Back then, the Master was the only one who nursed you.”

MoonWon was at a loss for words. She recalled how she thought she felt her mother’s touch during one of her feverish dreams. Although she didn’t remember exactly what she had said, it looked like the person who was by her side at the time was Heon.

The painful past shook her heart once again.

The emotions she tried to suppress began to run amuck.

“You may leave now.”

MoonWon felt her face grow warm and turned around as Hong-yeom went outside. Once he had completely disappeared, MoonWon moved to take out the towel from the icy water in the basin.

She glanced down at the feverish Heon and let out a sigh.

“I’m worried sick over here, but how can you look so at peace?”

Although his body was so hot that it was almost scorching to the touch, his breaths were calm and steady. If this was because his heart was at peace, MoonWon didn’t mind, but if it was because he had let it all go…

As horrible thoughts continued to run through her mind, MoonWon shook her head.

“I thought that if I acted heartless, you’d give up.”

After placing a cold towel on his forehead, MoonWon caressed his cheek. When MoonWon’s cold hand touched his skin, Heon let out a feverish breath.

“Even though I knew you weren’t that kind of man.”

Her wishful thinking had brought Heon to this point.

How could she blame someone else? Ultimately, the one who had created this problem was none other than herself.

When the towel grew warm, MoonWon plunged it back into the cold water.

Now wasn’t the time to be thinking such things.

“I still have something I need to say to you. So…”

After keeping the towel in the water until her hand was frozen numb, MoonWon squeezed out the excess water and carefully wiped Heon’s face.

“Don’t just say your piece and go away.”

Then she grabbed his feverish hand. Although she knew that this wouldn’t make him wake up from his deep slumber, this was the best she could do.

She brought his hand to her cheek and closed her eyes.

The only sound in the room was the sound of the rain outside. MoonWon stayed by Heon’s side for a long time.

Other than the times when the doctor came in to check up on Heon, MoonWon did not leave his side. The fever did not go away for two days, and her heart squeezed inside her chest. However, it finally began to die down the next day.

But Heon did not wake up. Not only was the doctor bewildered but so was everyone else in the residence. Surprisingly, MoonWon was the one who seemed to remain calm.

‘Wasn’t he working himself to exhaustion until now? He will wake up once he’s had enough rest.’

Because her voice was so steady and sure, everyone else could do nothing but wait as well.

As if time had stopped, each passing day felt extremely long. After three days had passed, the rain began to come to a stop. After washing and changing her clothes, MoonWon entered Heon’s room.

Sitting on his bed, MoonWon cautiously stroked Heon’s cheek.

His body had returned to normal, but he was still in a deep sleep. Although she wanted to shake him awake, she held back because she wanted to let him get some well deserved rest.

“The rain has stopped, and the weather has gotten better.”

Once the door to her heart had opened, all the thoughts she had avoided began to flood her mind. She knew that her reality would be difficult to accept. Not only Consort Yu but JaeHoon had also never given up his interest in her.

‘It doesn’t matter.’

She thought this would all be solved if she avoided it, but everything was still the same. She had believed that everything would have gotten better, but Heon was almost at the point of collapse.

There were many reasons, but the greatest one was…

“I can’t give up on you.”

The brief time they had shared their hearts and become one was also the only time of peace in her life. 

She carried those brief moments in her heart and endured until now. Even though she wanted Heon to give up on her, the love she had received from him was too deep within her heart, and she could not completely give him up herself.

She didn’t know if her decision would be for the best or for the worst.

But if her heart and his were the same, she could not let her rejection become a deadly poison to him.

“It’s a lot harder to sit here and wait than I thought.”

She tried to reassure herself by saying she was fine, but she could not help but feel anxious.

Even though she knew Heon’s eyes would open once he had enough rest, she constantly found herself wishing she wouldn’t have to wait long.

“I have so much to say to you, but time seems to be passing so slowly.”

Although she wanted him to rest, she hoped he’d wake up soon, so she could not get herself to leave his side.

How had Heon endured this back then?

MoonWon suppressed the disturbing thought as she shook her head.

If he could do it then so could she. If he had waited all this time for her, she could do it anytime.

She just hadn’t known it because she was on the run in order to avoid facing him. Heon was always around her. It was only a matter of time before he found her.

“Because you didn’t let me go.”

On that rainy day, as he looked at the empty house with helpless eyes… MoonWon still remembered it so clearly. Because she hadn’t been able to run too far away, she had hid in close proximity to the house and watched Heon. The moment seemed to last a lifetime, so she could never get it out of her head.

Because it had been so difficult to see such a side of him, she had gone over the border and crossed into a foreign country. However, Heon had sent men to find MoonWon, trying to catch her if she made one small mistake. Because she did not want to see Heon collapse and lose his spirit, she had hid herself even more.

“Now I will grab onto you.”

Three years. That was enough time to give up on her, but Heon had spent that time waiting for her as he tried to find her. So now it was her turn to wait. A mere few days were nothing compared to that.

* * *

To Heon, his room was a dull and cold place. Whenever he woke up in the morning, he could see his breath. After MoonWon left, he felt that all other luxuries were too excessive.

Barely managing to open his stiff eyelids, the first thing he became aware of was a ceiling that did not belong to his room, the warm temperature, and the scent of the woman he had longed for.

“Mm?”

He definitely remembered pouring out his heart to a figure he had assumed to be MoonWon in the pouring rain. Because the figure had not responded, he thought it had merely been a figment of his imagination, so he began to ramble. But no matter how much he tried to remember, he couldn’t recall what he had exactly said.

‘Damn it.’

Trying to sort out his thoughts, Heon frowned. He could not deny that the room’s fragrance belonged to MoonWon. He couldn’t believe he’d collapsed due to some rain. It was pathetic.

Heon burst up from the bed and quickly closed his eyes. His vision grew dark and the dizziness would not go away.

“Why did you get up?”

MoonWon opened the door and entered inside. She was surprised to see Heon awake, but that only lasted a moment. She put down a basin full of cold water. After placing the towel down as well, she sat down on Heon’s bed.

When she saw Heon look flustered, she cautiously lowered her eyes.

A part of her was fascinated with such an unfamiliar side of Heon, but another part was sad.

This man suppressed the emotions that other people showed freely to the world.

“What were you trying to accomplish by overworking yourself like this?”

“It was a mistake. I didn’t plan on becoming a burden to you. I’ll leave immediately, so…”

“And you’re going to move your body without thinking about your own health, right? Then you’re going to tell me it doesn’t matter.”

When MoonWon hit the nail on the head, Heon’s mouth closed shut as if it were full of honey. She didn’t want to speak like this, but the first words she said to him were critical of him. She couldn’t help the rage that filled her heart whenever she looked at him.

She didn’t mind if he was selfish. She just wished that he would take care of himself. But she knew that Heon would never fulfill her wish on his own.

“If I acted the same way as you, what would you do?”

“I’d try and stop you.”

MoonWon shook her head when she heard his unflinching answer. It was so like him. Before she could criticize him again, she took a deep breath.

“Even after knowing how you’ve been living until now, are you going to continue to live like this moving forward?”

“It’s something I’ll need to solve on my own. If I had only taken care of it before it had gotten this far, then…”

“……”

“You wouldn’t have had such a hard time.”

Although she planned on staying calm when she spoke to Heon, as they continued to talk, her heart began to race faster and faster.

She had already sorted her thoughts and come to a decision.

Ultimately, the one who could end this was not Heon. It was her.

“Then if I decide on how you are to live from now on, are you going to do as I say?”

Heon frowned when he heard MoonWon say the words he never thought he’d hear her say. Was it just a misunderstanding? She had been avoiding him all this time, but now she was looking directly at him.

Although he didn’t know what she’d say, Heon nodded. This moment was more terrifying than facing thousands of enemies head on.

“Give up on your mother.”

Back then, in a similar situation to this one, Heon had asked MoonWon to give up on YongUn when she had awoken. YongUn was family to MoonWon, but Consort Yu was nothing to Heon. When Heon opened his mouth to reply, MoonWon cut him off.

“This is different from what you asked of me in the past. I don’t care whether your mother lives or dies. But I don’t want you to harm yourself like this because of her. I’d rather you just give up on her.”

“That woman is like poison to you and me. If we show her mercy, then…”

“So are you saying you’re going to die with your mother?”

“That’s not it!”

“You almost died. If you hadn’t collapsed this time, you might have actually died. You acted so irresponsibly, and you’re asking me to hold your hand?”

Putting aside the fact that they were a married couple, MoonWon’s tone was sharp. Although Heon could not think of an excuse to continue his plan, he could not do as MoonWon asked.

Seeing how he was at a loss for words, she let out a sigh.

“I can ask you to give up a whole lot more, you know.”

Seeing Heon remain silent, she braced herself. She’d grabbed his hand once before and had been met with calamity. Once was enough.

She had made her decision, but MoonWon didn’t know what Heon could be thinking.

Sitting on the bed, MoonWon enclosed her hand around Heon’s cheek. Heon flinched at her touch. He closed his eyes and shook his head.

“No matter what you say, I…”

“I’m not telling you to give up on everything you’ve accomplished. If you would like to have your revenge and oppose the Emperor and the Crown Prince, then do it. But if you plan on taking all those burdens and doing it on your own, then give up.”

Heon’s eyes never left MoonWon. She met his gaze, her eyes steady. At this moment, she forgot about everything. YongUn, the family she was responsible for, even JaeHoon. All of it.

“As much as you treasure me, treasure yourself. Don’t try to do this all on your own. From now on, before you do anything, talk to me first. If you want me to stay by your side as your wife, give me half of the burdens you carry on your shoulders. That is how you can respect me and show consideration for me.”

“……”

“If you can promise this… I’ll go back. To our home.”

There wasn’t a woman in this world that could drive him up and down like her. The despair he had felt a moment ago disappeared without a trace.

The thing he had wished for during these past three years was drawing near. He had been trying to untangle the twisted threads of fate between them, but because MoonWon had not given her permission, he did not even attempt it.

“Does that mean you will accept me as your husband?”

As if to soothe the tremor in Heon’s voice, MoonWon flashed him a smile. Her hand traveled from his cheek to his hand.

“You haven’t given me your promise yet.”

“I promise. Of course I promise…”

“If you don’t keep your word, I will never see you again.”

MoonWon tightened her grasp on his hand. As she urged him to be truthful, Heon calmed down.

MoonWon was reaching out her hand to him. It might be an opportunity that may never come again, and Heon did not want to miss this one.

“I give you my word.”

MoonWon nodded and Heon let out a sigh of relief.

In Heon’s dream, MoonWon had asked him why he had killed her father as tears of blood ran down her cheeks. Was this all a dream? Heon cautiously placed his forehead on MoonWon’s shoulder.

“The doctor said you should rest for now. I’ll stay by your side, so don’t exhaust yourself.”

Instead of spewing words of resentment, MoonWon wrapped her arms around Heon.

This wasn’t a dream. This was real. No, if this was a dream, he didn’t care to wake up.

As he leaned on the woman he trusted with his life, Heon let out a long sigh of relief.

* * *

A cold swept through the Palace, and Consort Yu shivered.

‘I’ve basically been given a death sentence.’

The duke’s execution date had been selected. The disordered chaos was quickly organized by JaeHoon with support from the Emperor. She watched the bustling eunuchs come and go and flinched every time. She had reached her limit.

“He’s so lost within the skirts of a brat that he doesn’t even care about his own mother!”

He was the son she had labored to give birth to. She did abandon him due to the circumstances, but once her son had gained some power and entered the Palace, she was the first one to greet him.

What kind of son would stand by and watch as his mother was being put to death?!

“I’ve done so much for him. How can he refuse to intervene on my behalf?”

Did Heon not know how debilitating it would be for him to be branded as a son who had killed his mother? No, Heon was an intelligent man. He knew it very well but was only pretending to be ignorant.

With the duke gone, he was the only one she could lean on. That was why Consort Yu could not give up on him. She did her best to calm her trembling body and clenched her fist.

“I can’t die like this.”

There was definitely something she had missed. She had given up everything to enter the Emperor’s embrace only to end up like this.

But there was nowhere she could turn to. The duke’s authority had completely collapsed, and the only ones who had enough power to help her were the Emperor, the Crown Prince, and Heon.

“His Majesty the Emperor has arrived.”

Hearing the voice calling from outside, Consort Yu burst out of her seat. She quickly came down from the seat of honor in her room and tidied her appearance. The calm, cool confidence of the past was nowhere to be seen.

The doors opened, and the Emperor walked inside. Consort Yu flashed him a bright smile, but when she saw Consort Yeong walk in behind him, her eyes trembled. 

She needed to recapture the Emperor’s favor, and that ridiculous brat was an eyesore.

She needed to get rid of her no matter what. But for now, she needed to find a way to survive.

“Your Majesty, you came?”

The Emperor’s eyes narrowed when he saw the Consort uncharacteristically fawn over him. Then he looked at Consort Yeong, who was supporting him.

“Wait for me outside.”

Consort Yeong bowed and exited the room. Left alone in the room with Consort Yu, the Emperor glanced at her.

Despite the fact that she was a married woman, he had put down his dignity as an emperor and given her his love. Even though he knew it was wrong, back then, all he could see was her.

If he had known this would be the result of such a decision, he would not have given in to his urges. But what was done was done.

“I came because I wanted to hear what you had to say.”

“Your Majesty.”

“Did you enter my embrace simply because you wanted power?”

When she heard the Emperor’s question, the Consort swallowed. It seems that the heavens had not abandoned her just yet. The chance she had been looking for had dropped right into her lap. Analyzing the current situation for a while, the Consort finally bowed.

A bad lie would only backfire on her.

The best way to convince the Emperor was a sufficient truth mixed in with a slight fib.

“At first, I merely wanted to leave the bamboo grove. I wasn’t able to win over my family’s wishes and got married. I never wanted to go to that man nor live in the bamboo grove. But…”

“……”

“There isn’t a woman on this earth who would lie in the arms of a man without holding any love for him. This servant was the one who wanted to give you a healthy prince. Do you know how thick my skin had to be in order to endure life in the Palace without a royal son?”

Large teardrops hung on the Consort’s lashes before trickling down her cheeks.

They splashed onto the floor, drop by drop. She looked like she was on the verge of collapse, but she held her ground and looked at the Emperor. The Emperor had never been able to win over this tactic of hers.

“Your Majesty.”

With her head hanging low, the Consort crawled over to the Emperor. With trembling hands, she grasped the Emperor’s feet.

“It doesn’t matter if you do not look upon this servant from now on. Even if you call me a wicked wench and punish me, I will gladly accept it. But please save this servant’s life. I will live quietly and only gaze at your shadow from now on, so please save my life.”

Her entire body began to tremble as if she were going to faint at any moment. The Emperor glanced down at her as she tried to hold back her tears. He narrowed his eyes.

“Please allow me to serve you until I have taken my last breath, Your Majesty.”

As the Consort sobbed, the Emperor let out a heavy sigh.

In the past, whenever he saw her like this, he didn’t hold back anything and gave her what she wanted. But even knowing what he knew now, the Consort still had the ability to make his heart waver.

The Emperor’s hand stroked the Consort’s cheek. Her sad elegance shone bright as she closed her hands around his.

“Can you hand over your son to me?”

“Pardon?”

The Emperor smiled as he caressed her cheek before suddenly grabbing her by the nape of her neck.

“Startled, the Consort’s eyes met the Emperor’s as he continued talking in a low voice.

“The son you abandoned in order to come into my arms. Can you throw him away again?”

“Y-Your Majesty, if you just save me…”

“You were my first love. Show me that my decision wasn’t a reckless one.”

SeoMoon was and always would be a steadfast nation.

If it was for the sake of this country, he would gladly dirty his hands with blood.

Realizing that her final move did not have an effect, the Consort’s eyes trembled. Although he was still her lover, he was the Emperor of SeoMoon first.

“I…”

Her terrified eyes flashed in desperation.

This was not the same man she had known. Her hands trembled as she held onto the Emperor’s hand.

“If I hand over my son’s life into your hands… Will I be able to live?”

Hearing her plea, the Emperor’s lips stretched into a smile. His hand let go of her neck and slowly wiped away her tears. With the same expression as the one he had when he first fell in love with her, the Emperor spoke in a soft whisper.

“Bring me Chief Commander Lee Heon. Only then will you be able to return to the same seat Consort Yeong is sitting in now.”