By Zephyria 
My body was lifted up far too effortlessly by a powerful force. To be precise, Joo Min-hyeok had simply scooped me up. I think I made a strange noise when he grabbed me, but that isn’t important right now, so I’ll let it slide. What is important is that I am currently held in Joo Min-hyeok’s arms in a very embarrassing pose.
The famous “princess carry.” Why? Why is he holding me like this? Just throw me over your shoulder! I can handle being draped over a shoulder! I can hang off a shoulder like a real man! Why is he making me feel so embarrassed!
“Grand Imperial Concubine. Don’t hide your face; wrap your arms around my neck. Do you think people won’t know it’s you just because you’re covering your face?”
No. This is my last shred of pride.
“Palace Lord! You had such a high fever all night, why did you come out?”
…Brother?
Hearing my brother’s urgent voice, I quickly let go of my face and turned my head to look for him. I could see him approaching with hurried steps from behind. Behind him were several military officers. It seemed there had been an officers’ meeting today. Huh? Wait, then.
So, Joo Min-hyeok is holding me like this in front of those people? L-let’s get me down first. I squirmed, trying to escape from Joo Min-hyeok’s grip. However, his arms were not the kind you could slip out of just by squirming a few times with such weak strength. It was because Joo Min-hyeok had tightened his grip.
“Y-Your Majesty, I will be supported by my brother. How dare I touch Your Majesty’s precious body….”
“What are you talking about? Are you boldly telling me in my presence that you would rather receive help from another Alpha?”
“What? No, he’s not just some other Alpha, he’s my brother….”
“Is the Brigadier General an Omega? And given how many times the Grand Imperial Concubine has been held by me, anyone listening would think this was the first time. How quaint. Your complexion looks poor, so let’s just get moving.”
Joo Min-hyeok snorted as if to say that was nonsense and simply began to walk. Calling my brother “another Alpha”—does that even make sense?
“Your Majesty, are you just going to leave those people behind?”
“I told them to go to the side hall first. It is not something for the Grand Imperial Concubine to worry about.”
Because Joo Min-hyeok was moving as he walked, I had no choice but to wrap my arms around his neck. The way I instinctively clung to him for survival looked absolutely pathetic.
Come to think of it, is this the third time I’ve been carried like this? Once when I collapsed because of my grandfather, a second time when my pheromones exploded. And now, the third.
Counting them on my fingers like this, I really do seem like some frail Omega; I can see why Joo Min-hyeok is making such a fuss. Still, the psychological impact of being carried while conscious is far greater than when I’ve been unconscious.
And considering my height and weight, no matter how strong Joo Min-hyeok is, I must be quite heavy. It takes some time to reach my Imperial Pavilion, so I started to get worried. Being the Emperor, he probably has a lot on his mind.
“Your Majesty, I must be very heavy. It’s a long way to my pavilion, so if it becomes difficult, you may put me down.”
“What do you take me for? The Grand Imperial Concubine repeatedly wounds my pride.”
“How could I possibly wound Your Majesty’s pride? That’s absolutely not it! I only said it because I was worried you might get muscle pain.”
“Muscle pain from this? Grand Imperial Concubine, I entered the Military Academy at seventeen.”
Why bring up the academy all of a sudden? Is there anyone who doesn’t know that? Because he was royalty and the Crown Prince, he entered the school much earlier than ordinary people. I remember the day Joo Min-hyeok enrolled. In the novel, he dropped out after becoming Emperor, but here, he worked doggedly to earn his diploma.
“Do you think I just played around there? Do you think they went easy on me because I entered at a young age, or because I was the Crown Prince? They pushed me like crazy, thinking that since I was young, I’d have more strength, and since I was the Crown Prince, I should roll in the dirt more for the sake of the country. Do you think it was different when I became Emperor? Even in the early days of my ascension, they made me complete the remaining period.”
No, who said you played around…. I know you worked hard. Despite having much to do as a new ruler, Joo Min-hyeok showed a level of madness in handling everything. That’s why I thought he was a lunatic.
“Do you know how much full gear weighs during summer military training?”
I don’t. Suddenly he’s bragging about the army….
“I walked 30km carrying that weight. Ask the Brigadier General. He went through it all too. Therefore, walking through the palace for a moment while holding the Grand Imperial Concubine is nothing.”
I couldn’t even respond and shut my mouth. Since I’ve never been to the military, there’s no way I’d know the details of his hardships, but I was just worried because I’m not exactly light. If the Queen Dowager saw this, she’d probably wring my neck. I’ve truly become so attuned to reading the room since coming here that I rolled my eyes, scanning the surroundings to see if the Queen Dowager was watching from somewhere.
“Grand Imperial Concubine, I have something I’m curious about as well.”
“Something you’re curious about?”
“I went to the Palace Lord’s room last night; do you happen to remember?”
“…Uh, no? Did you come? You should have woken me.”
However, at Joo Min-hyeok’s question about whether I remembered, I felt an inexplicable chill. Did I say something wrong again during my high fever? I had a feeling I’d caused some kind of accident.
“Who is Seo-joo?”
…?
“Pardon?”
Oh my god.
“Who is Seo-joo, that you cried and asked me to find them? Are they someone close to you?”
I’m screwed. I’m doomed, Cha Hae-joo. What am I going to do with this mouth of mine?
People talk nonsense when they’re drunk, so why do I talk nonsense whenever my fever rises? I just spill everything. Perhaps because I saw my brother right before falling asleep, I must have mistaken Joo Min-hyeok for him.
Just as Joo Min-hyeok said, I should stay in my pavilion and rest for a while. If I get another fever, I might blabber about having memories of a past life.
“You can’t seem to answer readily. Could it be a secret lover Alpha? Did you get dumped?”
“…That’s impossible.”
A secret lover Alpha. I always feel this, but Joo Min-hyeok has a subtly foul way of speaking. Yet, strangely, it suits him well.
“It’s a cat I lived with when I was young. It left my side.”
I’m sorry, Seo-joo. When the Queen Dowager called me a fox or a bear, I got upset asking if I was some kind of beast, but in the end, I turned you into a cat. Please understand. Your brother can’t die here.
“A cat?”
I can hear the absurdity in Joo Min-hyeok’s voice. He can be bewildered; there’s nothing I can do about it. I can’t tell him it was my dead younger brother.
“Yes, a cat. It was a cat.”
“Why would you give a cat a name that sounds so much like a person’s?”
“Because I raised it… like a sibling.”
Ah, I should have just said I had a dream or that I couldn’t remember. I forgot that he’s a man with such quick intuition that he might not believe me. But the words are already out, and since I’ve already said it was a cat, I have to push through with it. I can’t exactly confess everything truthfully. Please, just let it go!
“…Then does ‘left your side’ mean it ran away from home? Seeing as you asked me to find it, it doesn’t seem to be dead. But if it left home when you were young, calculating a cat’s lifespan, the probability of it still being alive is low.”
That’s true, I know better than anyone. I saw Seo-joo’s end, and we definitely said our goodbyes. But since there’s a chance we could meet again here, that’s why I asked to find him.
“I know. I know, but I suppose it’s just lingering attachment.”
The regret of not having loved him more. The attachment to a brother sent away too early. I am blindly waiting for a brother who might be living another life in a place other than here. Truly, without any plan.
“Sometimes, letting go of that attachment will be better for the Grand Imperial Concubine.”
I can’t do that. Even if I live a life of waiting every single day, I cannot forget my brother. When I didn’t answer, I felt Joo Min-hyeok’s gaze looking down at me.
“Shall I send you a cat?”
“What? No, Your Majesty! It’s not that I want to raise a cat. I just missed Seo-joo. I think I looked for him more because I have dreams whenever I get a fever. And raising a living creature requires a great deal of responsibility.”
In truth, having never raised a cat, I stopped Joo Min-hyeok, who seemed ready to send one immediately. It would be a disaster if he actually sent one when I don’t even know what to feed it or how to raise it.
“I only suggested it because you looked lonely.”
At his words that he did it because I looked lonely, I looked up and met his eyes. No, I prefer being lonely, so I hope Joo Min-hyeok doesn’t get any closer to me. If he’s this kind, like today, it’s going to be a bit troublesome.