IBPC | Chapter 9.1

Seoyul stepped out into the garden to get some fresh air. The weather was bright and clear today, and the flowers in full bloom made for a beautiful sight. Yet, he simply sat blankly in the gazebo at the center of the garden.

It had been quite some time since he returned from his secret excursion. The bruises on his face had almost faded, and the nightmares no longer plagued him. But his heart still felt unbearably heavy…

“Is he not coming today either?”

Since that day, Heegon hadn’t sought him out. He would stop by briefly in the morning, exchange a few meaningless words, and then leave. In those moments, he seemed the same as usual. But ever since they returned, Heegon hadn’t spent the night with him.

At first, Seoyul thought Heegon was being considerate because his face was a mess and his body was still recovering. But even now, Heegon hadn’t said anything about it. Meanwhile, rumors reached him that Heegon had spent the past few nights in Jeokbin’s quarters.

What the hell. It’s not like I’m actually that guy’s concubine or anything.

Seoyul felt upset about the situation, but more than that, he was frustrated with himself for feeling hurt in the first place. He tried to shake it off, sighing repeatedly.

“What are you staring at so intently?”

A voice from behind startled Seoyul. He hadn’t noticed anyone approaching. It was Heegon.

Seoyul lifted his head from where he had been leaning against the pillar and turned around. Heegon was walking toward him.

“……”

Feeling as if his thoughts had been caught red-handed, Seoyul’s face flushed red. He quickly turned away from Heegon.

“It’s nothing…”

But he couldn’t bring himself to meet Heegon’s gaze and instead lowered his eyes to the ground.

Heegon stopped a reasonable distance away and looked down at him quietly.

Since their return, Seoyul often seemed lost in thought. Heegon could understand why. Seoyul had been abruptly dragged into this place and forced to go through such an ordeal. His body and mind must have been utterly exhausted. And on top of that, he couldn’t even leave the palace freely, so there wasn’t much to occupy his mind.

After some thought, Heegon finally voiced what had been on his mind.

“How about learning how to ride a horse?”

“…?”

The unexpected suggestion made Seoyul look up in confusion.

“A horse?”

“There’s a lot of idle time. I thought learning to ride might be a good way to spend it.”

“But… why would I?”

Although he responded that way, Seoyul’s curiosity was obvious. Noticing this, Heegon sat down beside him.

“It’s not that you need to, but you might find it interesting. Besides, it’ll help train your body and could be useful in many ways.”

“But I can’t leave my quarters…”

“I’ll prepare a space in the southern training grounds. And once you get good at it, I’ll take you to the royal villa when the weather is nice.”

As their conversation continued, Seoyul felt a small thrill of excitement.

Honestly, he had been bored out of his mind in this place. The days dragged on endlessly with nothing to do. He had never tried horseback riding before, but learning something new didn’t sound so bad.

A quiet smile formed on his lips, signaling his agreement.

Seeing the light return to Seoyul’s expression, Heegon smiled as well. Then his gaze drifted slightly. A gentle breeze passed by, ruffling Seoyul’s hair. His bangs had grown long, fluttering at the edges of his eyes.

Heegon raised a hand and brushed aside the strands of hair caught at the corner of Seoyul’s eye.

“……”

Seoyul flinched at the gesture and looked at Heegon. For a moment, their eyes met at close range.

Under the shadow of Heegon’s hand, Seoyul’s pupils trembled slightly. The scent lingering from Heegon’s hand tickled the tip of his nose. Or maybe it was the gentle touch of Heegon’s fingertips brushing his skin that made him feel this way. Either way, Seoyul’s heart suddenly pounded, and a faint blush crept up his cheeks.

“……”

Heegon silently observed him for a moment before slightly parting his lips.

It was strange. Every time Seoyul looked up at him with that expression, a suffocating tightness pressed against his chest.

After pausing for a moment, Heegon abruptly turned his head to the side. Then, as if trying to compose himself, he smoothed down Seoyul’s hair a couple more times before withdrawing his hand.

“I’ll have the horse prepared, then. It will take a few days to arrange the training grounds. I’ll order them to finish as soon as possible…”

Trailing off mid-sentence, Heegon suddenly stood up, as if someone had pushed him from behind. Seoyul flinched and looked up at him.

“…Ah.”

Without thinking, he reached out toward Heegon. But before his hand could make contact, he clenched it into a fist and let out a small sigh.

For a second, he had almost grabbed onto Heegon. He had almost asked him where he would be spending the night tonight.

Get a grip, Min Seoyul—

His face burning, Seoyul quickly turned away from Heegon. He awkwardly raised his abandoned hand and pressed it against his cheek.

Suddenly, he felt hot…

Feeling the warmth spreading across his face, Seoyul hunched his shoulders.

Now that he thought about it, he had felt a slight fever since this morning.

Maybe it was best to go back to his room and rest. He needed to calm his racing heart somehow.

⊹₊⟡⋆

“Are you feeling unwell, Your Highness?”

Heegon had been frowning for a while as he worked. The eunuch assisting him hesitated before cautiously checking his expression. Heegon pressed a hand against his forehead, where a light sheen of cold sweat had formed.

“…No, I just can’t seem to focus.”

He replied, his gaze fixed on the documents before him.

Just as he said, he hadn’t been able to concentrate at all today. For some reason, Seoyul’s face from earlier in the garden kept resurfacing in his mind, lingering at the edges of his vision.

That quiet smile. The way his eyes trembled when Heegon’s fingers brushed against him. And those cheeks, turning red with warmth.

It wasn’t as if he had never seen such expressions before. They shouldn’t have felt so unfamiliar. And yet, why was it…?

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Heegon tried to refocus on his work. Seeing this, the eunuch spoke again, this time in a more careful tone.

“Forgive my impudence, Your Highness, but it is about that time…”

“…?”

Heegon flinched slightly and lifted his head, looking at the eunuch with a puzzled expression.

“Today is…”

He quietly calculated the date in his mind before covering his mouth with a hand, slightly taken aback.

So it’s that time again.

Now that he thought about it, he had felt sluggish all day. But this was the first time his erotomania had crept up on him so subtly—without him even realizing it.

Had this ever happened before? Normally, it would strike suddenly, an unbearable heat surging through him.

Was this because of Seoyul as well? Had seeing that boy’s face earlier left him feeling restless all day?

“Shall I inform Dubo to make the preparations?”

The eunuch lowered his head further when Heegon remained silent. But Heegon couldn’t immediately answer.

His erotomania… it was definitely starting. But did that mean Seoyul had also begun to experience symptoms?

When he had seen him earlier, Seoyul had seemed perfectly fine. There hadn’t been any noticeable change in his scent either. If that was the case, was his own episode starting first this time?

If so…

Heegon bit his lip, displeased, and mulled it over for a moment before issuing his command.

“No, that won’t be necessary.”

“But, Your Highness—”

“Tonight….”

I can endure this for now.

Heegon recalled Seoyul’s face, where traces of his bruises still lingered. Maybe that was why.

Instead of giving in to his instincts, he chose something else.

“I will go to Jeokbin’s quarters. I will be going quietly, so there is no need to make an announcement.”

⊹₊⟡⋆

Jeokbin was looking at her reflection in the mirror. A humming tune was coming from her lips. Beside her, an older court lady was bowing her head.

“They say the prince hasn’t shared a bed with that child since returning from his secret journey.”

“Hmm.”

“Moreover, the prince’s steps have been frequently directed towards Your Highness again, isn’t that fortunate?”

At the court lady’s words, Jeokbin let out a light scoff. She ran her fingers through her lush, long hair with a satisfied smile.

“It was only natural for things to turn out this way.”

“Indeed.”

Jeokbin recalled the face of Seoyul she had seen last time. The audacious way he had looked her straight in the eye, full of confidence. But it was all in vain. Jeokbin struggled to suppress the laughter that kept trying to escape.

“Whether he’s a Yangin or whatever, a man is a man. They’re all the same.”

“Of course.”

“No matter how sweetly they cling to you like a ripe fruit, once they get tired, that’s it.”

“You’re absolutely right.”

“When something that’s mine is touched by another man, affection naturally fades.”

“……”

“Especially if it’s been touched by not just one, but several.”

Jeokbin continued, looking at the hair ornaments in front of the mirror.

“That child, how many did they say he was violated by? They even used the pollen of the Chigi flower, so how wildly must he have played? I heard he couldn’t even get a grip after coming to the palace, causing quite a commotion.”

Pfft— Jeokbin couldn’t hold back her laughter and covered her mouth. Then she noticed the court lady, who had been agreeing with her, suddenly fell silent. Turning her head, she saw the court lady had turned pale and was trembling.

“What’s wrong?”

Jeokbin stopped laughing, puzzled by the court lady’s behavior, and turned around completely. With her widened view, she saw another person.

“……?!”

The moment she saw him, Jeokbin’s eyes widened and trembled. She unconsciously dropped the hair ornament she was holding and stood up abruptly.

“Prince?”

The situation had taken an unexpected turn. Heegon had entered Jeokbin’s quarters, and the eunuch outside was about to announce it. But before that, Heegon’s ears had keenly picked up the voices from inside the room.

Hearing the conversation mentioning ‘Seoyul,’ Heegon raised his hand to silence everyone. In the ensuing silence, the conversation continued. Unfortunately, Jeokbin’s voice was so excited that it carried clearly beyond the door.

So, until Heegon actually entered the room, Jeokbin remained unaware. Only after realizing his presence did she hurriedly close her reckless mouth.

Upon seeing Heegon, Jeokbin shivered as if she had goosebumps and quickly lowered her gaze.

Since when… No, from which part did he hear?

Jeokbin’s mind went blank, while Heegon approached her with an excessively calm expression. He looked at her intently before speaking.

“Why don’t you continue what you were saying?”

“…Prince.”

Seeing Jeokbin at a loss, Heegon tilted his head slightly.

“It was quite an intriguing story, but… there’s something I’m curious about.”

“……?”

“Why do you think that child was touched by other men…?”

The question was asked in a voice that was, contrary to her fears, as calm as usual. Jeokbin quickly rolled her eyes and then cautiously looked up.

Thankfully, he doesn’t seem angry…?

“Well… I heard he was taken to a brothel…”

Jeokbin stammered, watching Heegon’s reaction.