YCHW Ch 58

Yoonso’s hand, which had been about to loosen his heavy garments first, paused. Yoonso looked back at Yeondeok, who had become a proper court attendant in just a few days.

“Can’t you at least… call me as you used to?”

“I, no, this humble one wants to, but…”

Yeondeok fidgeted, watching Yoonso’s expression. He, too, seemed to find him unfamiliar, which was both bitter and, at the same time, made a laugh escape.

“This is the first time I have laughed, thanks to you.”

“Don’t be upset, Your Majesty…”

“Alright. I suppose the honorific is unavoidable, but let’s drop the ‘humble one’ and whatnot. Doesn’t it give you goosebumps?”

“It does.”

The honest answer made him feel drained, and another laugh escaped him. At that, Yeondeok, as if his tension had also eased, showed a bashful, awkward smile.

“There are so many things to memorize. A slow-witted kid like me could get his head chopped off for one tiny mistake.”

“If they chop off your head for a little mistake like that, they’re the barbarians. Don’t worry. Who would dare touch the empress’s confidant?”

Yoonso asked, as if mocking himself, and then, as he tried to take off his clothes, he struggled with a knot that wouldn’t come undone easily on his own. Yeondeok quickly came over and helped him undress.

When he had taken off all the clothes he was wearing and stepped into the warm water, he felt languid, as if he could finally live. However, when he was reminded that this bath, too, was for the next procedure, it was difficult to rest comfortably. Yoonso pulled his knees to his chest, rested his head on them, and let out a weary sigh.

“Your Majesty, how are you feeling?”

Yeondeok asked in a genuinely concerned tone. Yeondeok knew that Yoonso had been with the emperor on his journey, but he didn’t know anything more because Yoonso hadn’t told him. Not that this wedding was the second one, nor that this was not, in fact, their first night.

“I do not know. I have now set foot on a path of no return. So, wouldn’t it be better not to think at all?”

Warm water was ladled over his body, which had dried in the meantime. A soft cloth gently wiped his skin. The warm steam rose and moistened the corners of his eyes, making his gaze become damp as if with tears.

“Young Master, you are someone who will be loved anywhere and will overcome anything well. Although you have come down an unwanted path, everything will be alright, so please do not worry.”

Yeondeok lowered his voice and whispered, as if worried the wrong form of address might be heard. Yoonso was grateful for his kindness in caring for him even though Yeondeok himself must have been finding everything difficult and arduous in this unfamiliar place, so Yoonso nodded his head.

“I heard something. They say His Majesty the Emperor is a generous and benevolent person. He may look intimidating on the outside, but he’s not difficult to serve. And since he suffered for a long time without a Forsythia to be his partner, he will treat you well, Young Master.”

At the word Forsythia, the corners of Yoonso’s mouth tightened. Yoonso slipped under the water up to his shoulders, submerging his face, before coming back up. He swept back his wet, clinging hair and leaned his head against the tub. Yoonso’s eyes, staring somewhere into the air, lost their light and became empty.

When he came out of the bath, court attendants came to help with Yoonso’s adornments. When he asked if he had to do something this cumbersome every day, he was thankfully told that since a Forsythia must go to the Hell Diagram at any time, he would not have to adorn himself to this extent on a normal day.

Though, he couldn’t exactly call it a relief, being in a position where he had to go to the Hell Diagram.

Yoonso was guided by the court lady into the east chamber. The sun had set by then, and bridal candles were faintly illuminating the room. The space, which exuded the atmosphere of a bridal chamber, gave Yoonso no particular feeling.

When even Yeondeok left and he was alone, he felt his throat tightening again. The fate of having to receive the Son of Heaven loomed closer, weighing down the air heavily.

As he was fidgeting with the hem of his clothes, which felt uncomfortable for being so smooth and unhindered, he heard a presence outside the door. With court attendants everywhere, perhaps there would be no more sudden appearances and disappearances like a goblin, he thought, just as the door opened.

Yoonso immediately rose from his seat and knelt.

“I am in the presence of His Majesty the Emperor. May you enjoy an eternal spring.”

“Please rise.”

It was formal speech. Hwi had merely spoken formally, but it felt as if he had been struck by something, and Yoonso blinked his eyes blankly. The realization that his relationship with him, his position, had truly changed, settled coldly like a winter rain. A defiance of unknown origin welled up, and Yoonso did not rise but remained firmly in place.

“I am sure you are not unaware that the emperor’s throne and the empress’s throne are equal. You should not lower yourself like this.”

“I am not unaware that it is a rule that exists in name only. How could a consort-husband stand equal to Your Majesty?”

Although it was said that the emperor and the empress were on equal footing, he knew well, and had been taught, that this was merely a measure taken to establish the Forsythia’s status and to allow everyone to cherish the Forsythia. If he and that man were truly equal, how could he be in a place he did not even want?

Even while kneeling, Yoonso raised his head in a manner unbecoming of someone trying to lower himself and looked up at Hwi with insolent eyes. A smile formed on the lips of Hwi, who was gazing at Yoonso. It was a smile that showed not the slightest hint of being affected.

“Then I have no choice but to issue a command. Rise. And never lower yourself again. I do not care for that flattery, either.”

The greeting of enjoying an eternal spring was tantamount to the highest blessing one could give to a Dragon’s Scion. To say he disliked it naturally brought to mind the time he had compared the relationship between a Yongrin and a Forsythia to that of a dog and its master. The contempt and cynicism that had been steeped in it.

“If Your Majesty commands it, I cannot dare to refuse. I am overwhelmed with your grace for allowing me to rise.”

Forsythia. Forsythia So Yoonso. Yoonso repeated the name attached to his existence, how he would appear in Hwi’s eyes, and slowly rose from his spot.

Hwi gestured to the chair opposite him and then sat down. Yoonso stared at him, who appeared composed without the slightest hesitation, and then sat. Hwi poured liquor into an empty cup, but while he took a sip, Yoonso did not even touch his.

“Are you not hungry? It would be good for you to eat at least a little.”

Speaking formally made Hwi’s tone of voice even more cloying. The illusion that the Son of Heaven before him was the same master who had cherished him assailed him, and Yoonso clenched the hem of his clothes.

Although he had eaten little due to the grand ceremony, his appetite had vanished without a trace. Hwi, who had recommended the meal, also did not pick up his chopsticks, merely wetting his lips with liquor.

“I went to the trouble of fattening you up, only for you to lose it all again.”

At the sound of a low click of the tongue, Yoonso looked at Hwi as if in disbelief. He had not expected him to mention the time they had spent together so nonchalantly. Swallowing the anger that surged up, he waited for Hwi to explain himself, but the words that came out of his mouth were something else entirely.

“From now on, I will instruct the royal kitchen to serve what you like. You must be tired today, so it would be better to retire early.”

His body tensed, sensing that what was to come had come. When Hwi stood up abruptly, Yoonso bit his lip hard.

Is he going to perform the marital duties without offering me a single word of apology, without giving me any explanation? Is it enough for him to just take my body, the protective energy of a Forsythia?

In truth, if the emperor wanted something, he had to give it, so Yoonso stood up with him, his heart filled with misery.

Hwi sat Yoonso down on the bed and undid his pinned-up hair. Hwi’s fingers touched the hair that cascaded down. He stroked Yoonso’s hair as if caressing a silk garment before his hand moved to his clothing.

His body, tense all over, became rigid as he waited for Hwi’s touch. The cumbersome clothes came off one by one, and when finally only the undergarment remained, Yoonso curled his fingers into a tight fist. Though his nails dug into his skin, he could not feel the pain.

He had never dreamed that something unwanted would happen with Hwi. That he would have to endure him.

Soon, his body leaned back. Hwi supported Yoonso’s back, and his head slowly touched the golden bedding. His gaze traced Yoonso’s face deliberately. When Hwi raised a hand and tucked his hair behind his ear, Yoonso flinched.

“I will stay by your side. Close your eyes and rest comfortably.”

Hwi whispered lowly and then drew his body back. His gaze was the last to leave, and even as he extinguished the candles in the room one by one, Yoonso could not grasp the situation.

When all but the candle farthest from the bed were extinguished and the room had grown dark, Yoonso, seeing Hwi seated on a folding stool, shot up into a sitting position.

“Why do you not take me?”

Hwi’s black eyes, which looked even calmer shrouded in darkness, turned to Yoonso. Yoonso’s lips trembled as he continued to speak.

“Take me. Is that not why you brought me here? I am a flower that Your Majesty can pluck at any time, so what are you hesitating for?”

Was it not because he needed a Forsythia, because he had been waiting for the most suitable protective energy, that he had deceived him? If so, Hwi should have taken him without hesitation. Only then would this entire process not be for naught, at the very least.

On a first night that could not be the first, Yoonso finally failed to hold back the emotions he had been suppressing and let them show.