By Zephyria 
Min-hyeok installed a small camera in the eyes of the cat plushie he had gifted Hae-joo. Unlike a typical home camera, this was a professional device that an ordinary person could not easily obtain. It was an expensive piece of wireless equipment capable of transmitting directly to a nearby receiver, but he didn’t actually install or use it.
His initial intention was to uncover the Grand Imperial Concubine’s strange behavior, and he had a vague hope that he might learn something about the Prime Minister’s affairs. However, strangely, his conscience bothered him, and he couldn’t bring himself to look. It was behavior that didn’t align with his personality, as he usually executed his plans without hesitation.
After their first sexual encounter, his obsession and possessiveness toward the Grand Imperial Concubine grew strangely strong. There was something subtly irritating about Hae-joo, and Min-hyeok turned on the phone connected to the camera to figure it out. As expected, Hyun-wook couldn’t resist and had already scurried over to Hae-joo, beginning to spill everything in great detail.
But why on earth was his way of speaking like this? Were the two of them this close? Using terms like “this brat” and “that brat,” and even light swearing common among close peers… This wasn’t just insubordination; it was simply impossible. Moreover, not just the behavior, but the conversation itself was too bizarre.
The two were not in a relationship where they could share such conversations. They hadn’t spent their childhood together. Their families were certainly not close, so there was no reason for them to have parted ways. He didn’t even have a clue as to what “meeting again” was supposed to refer to.
“Seo-joo… So Kang Hyun-wook came to see the Grand Imperial Concubine to tell him about Seo-joo, is that it?”
Seo-joo appeared again. This time, the description was more specific and clear. The two had searched for a person named Seo-joo, and they were very close. While Seo-joo’s relationship with Hae-joo was deeper than with Hyun-wook, a strange emotional thread connected him to Hyun-wook. However, this person named Seo-joo did not remember the two of them.
No matter how he thought about it, this was too strange. The three had met again, they had been very close, and only Seo-joo didn’t remember them. Exactly when? When did they meet, become close, and repeatedly part ways? Hae-joo was hiding these oddities. And it seemed Han-bin knew about this as well. Han-bin…
“Did they switch people halfway through?”
He even went as far as thinking this. If so, could someone have replaced the Grand Imperial Concubine? Perhaps the current Grand Imperial Concubine, who had been living well outside, was brought into the palace, and because of that, the three were separated; Hae-joo and Hyun-wook met again in the palace, but for some reason, Seo-joo lost his memory of them.
At the time of the marriage, the twelve-year-old Grand Imperial Concubine had a quite different personality. He was more bold, more proactive, and his greed and obsession were severe. Because of that, it was incredibly difficult to cater to his whims.
Then, from one day, his personality changed completely. The reason Min-hyeok remembered the shift so clearly was that he liked the Grand Imperial Concubine from that point onward. Starting around age fifteen, Hae-joo no longer sought Min-hyeok out nor bothered him.
From then on, he consistently showed proper etiquette, calling him “Your Majesty,” and did not initiate conversation unless it was absolutely necessary. A person who had been lively and loved bustling, flashy things now wanted to be alone in silence and voluntarily avoided mingling with others.
He spent his time shut away in his Imperial Pavilion reading books, and the extent of his activity was silently going out to buy snacks. Even to Min-hyeok’s questions, he would simply smile awkwardly and reply “Yes, yes,” before passing by. It was as if the person had been swapped.
“Haha, I’ve really gone crazy. What kind of nonsense is this…”
Even if he had changed, what about his appearance? His voice? Not a single thing had changed about the Grand Imperial Concubine, not even the palace etiquette ingrained in his body. You couldn’t just find someone that identical, nor could you bring someone in after plastic surgery. No matter how powerful that family was, replacing a person and putting them in the palace wouldn’t be easy.
It was just Min-hyeok’s absurd imagination. He wondered how frustrated he must have been to imagine such a thing. That was how full of questions the conversation between Hae-joo and Hyun-wook was. There was too much to investigate, so it was a situation where he couldn’t afford to approach emotionally. Thus, his mind became so cluttered that he avoided Hae-joo for a few days.
However, the sight of Hae-joo’s back as he left after waiting for him kept weighing on his mind, so Min-hyeok would secretly go to watch him sleep and return at dawn, repeating this cycle. The person sleeping in the bed was simply the Hae-joo that Min-hyeok knew, and seeing him look so fragile made him feel sorry for overthinking. He had only acted that way because he was confused and felt a sense of unfamiliarity. Regardless of the full story, the fact that the Hae-joo here was Min-hyeok’s Omega did not change.
So, composing his confused heart, he went to Hae-joo’s Imperial Pavilion to see his sleeping face once more, entering the bedroom as he always had. He wanted to touch Hae-joo’s soft skin and feel his warm temperature. But…
Hae-joo was not in the bed. It was past 2:00 AM, well after midnight. Did he go to the bathroom? Once Hae-joo fell asleep, he didn’t wake up until morning. Furthermore, there was no trace or warmth of anyone having been lying in the bed. Min-hyeok turned on the lights and looked around the bedroom.
There was no sign of Hae-joo on the clean, tidy bed. He pulled back the covers for no reason, but there was nothing. Strangely panicked, Min-hyeok rushed outside. Normally, he would have called a servant to ask where the Grand Imperial Concubine had gone.
But the moment he realized Hae-joo was gone, Min-hyeok’s reason became paralyzed and his actions grew violent. He recalled the image of Hae-joo turning away during the day with his shoulders slumped. He went through every room, breaking down doors and entering indiscriminately.
He hadn’t intended to break them; he simply couldn’t control his strength. He worried that Hae-joo might have gone somewhere because his feelings were hurt by being avoided lately. He knew it was a problem that could be solved by calling a court lady and asking. However, the single fact that Hae-joo was missing caused Min-hyeok to lose emotional control, and his body moved first. Eventually, he even forgot that he should call a servant. Min-hyeok began calling Hae-joo’s name, even releasing his pheromones. He wasn’t in this area where Hae-joo usually resided. Then, was he in the annex?
“Your Majesty! Please calm yourself!”
Even when the Sang-seon, who had rushed over in surprise, blocked Min-hyeok’s path and asked what was happening, his heart would not settle.
“Where is Hae-joo? Why is the Grand Imperial Concubine not inside at this hour!”
Breathing heavily, Min-hyeok interrogated the palace staff, who were bowing their heads and trembling, without withdrawing his pheromones. For some reason, even the Head Court Lady was nowhere to be seen today. A heat boiled up inside him, and he couldn’t calm down. He had never been like this before.
Min-hyeok was skilled at enduring and being patient. Hiding his emotions and smiling was not difficult for him; it was easier than anything else. No matter how much the Prime Minister’s family and his company openly ignored him as an incompetent royal, he had brushed it off with a sly smile.
But this was the first time his anger had exploded like this. For the sole reason that Cha Hae-joo was not in the bedroom, his entire body trembled.
“The Palace Lord user occasionally sleeps in other locations. We do not know the location; he simply enters wherever he feels like and sleeps, and in the morning…”
“Does that make any sense? Does it make sense that you don’t know where your superior is sleeping? If you handle your duties like this…”
The flustered Sang-seon stepped forward on behalf of the half-crazed Emperor. But the Emperor pushed him aside and approached the palace staff. Seeing the Emperor’s eyes gleaming with a look of madness, the staff tried to hide behind Yul, but Min-hyeok pushed the Sang-seon far aside and dragged them forward.
“…You dare avoid me? I’m speechless that such a situation even exists. You don’t know where the Palace Lord went? Are you all out of your minds, huh? If you don’t know, then who does?”
“It… it is a behavior the Palace Lord user often exhibits whenever he feels stifled. He told us it was uncomfortable and that he hated it if we followed him, so we are in a position where we must listen to the user’s words… Your Majesty…”
“He disappears whenever he feels stifled… I see. I’ll find him myself. No one leave; stay right here. If I can’t find him, someone will have to take responsibility.”
Then, he began to move slowly from room to room, ransacking the interiors and breaking doors as he left. Since anyone who tried to stop him would only risk getting hurt by flying furniture, the Sang-seon sent everyone to a safe place. Back when Min-hyeok was the Crown Prince, he had expressed anger like this exactly once, when the Late Emperor had been insulted by the Prime Minister.
At that time, Min-hyeok had stormed into the meeting hall where everyone was gathered, and upon being insulted by one of the Prime Minister’s people, he had slapped the man’s cheek and overturned the table.
This was the first time since that one outburst. He had been severely disciplined by the Emperor and had trained for a long time in how to govern his mind, so this kind of rage was truly a rarity.
It was only because Min-hyeok suppressed it, but he was actually quite hot-tempered and had a violent side. The Late Emperor had worked harder than anyone to cool that side of him, but the Grand Imperial Concubine had made it explode again. No, it wasn’t because of the Grand Imperial Concubine. It was because of his possessiveness toward him.
Because he couldn’t find him, because he wasn’t in the place he was naturally supposed to be. That’s why he was anxious. He was more anxious because he knew he had hurt Hae-joo’s feelings. So, if he raged like this, Hae-joo would surely come out. Surely. He believed that if he warned him in this manner never to go somewhere else without a word again, Hae-joo would understand.
“Your Majesty!”
It was when he had stopped counting how many rooms he had broken. Hearing Hae-joo’s voice from behind, he kicked away the debris rolling at his feet and turned around. As he turned, wiping the sweat from his forehead, Hae-joo was there. As always, Hae-joo was wearing pajamas with a cute bear on them, looking at Min-hyeok with an uncomfortable expression, his hand resting on his lower abdomen.
Ha, there he is. See, he came out. The corners of Min-hyeok’s mouth curled up upon discovering Hae-joo. Since the hand wiping the sweat covered his face, Hae-joo likely didn’t see Min-hyeok smiling.