By Zephyria 
In front of a detention center near Seoul, where access is strictly controlled, a luxury sedan—entirely out of place for the setting—is parked. This facility is primarily for those convicted of serious crimes, not for common offenders who have committed minor offenses. Perhaps because of that, both the air and the atmosphere surrounding the place were bleak and heavy.
Deep underground in this strictly controlled facility, prisoners under special state management are confined in solitary cells. In front of the stairs leading down to those cells, Hyun-wook and Sang-seon were waiting with tense expressions.
The two seemed accustomed to this kind of waiting, as if it weren’t their first time, but their expressions remained uneasy. As always, they stood guard by the stairs in a rigid, motionless posture. After a while, the sound of wide-soled dress shoes echoed from below the stairs.
“…He’s finally coming out. It ended sooner than I thought.”
“Indeed. For some reason, it didn’t take as long today.”
Hyun-wook replied in a low voice, lifting his wrist to check the time.
“You know the drill, right? Just stay behind me and don’t say a word, just like always.”
“Yes. I am aware. Good luck.”
“Luck, my foot… You’re the one suffering. I at least got to work at the palace since I skipped the overseas schedule, but you had to travel abroad with him and now, as soon as we landed, you’re seeing this gruesome sight again without even a moment’s rest.”
“I am fine. It has always been this way.”
“That’s exactly why I say you’re suffering. Being stuck with that sensitive person for days… and then he starts this commotion the moment we arrive.”
Hyun-wook merely smiled at Sang-seon’s worried concern. In truth, it wasn’t that difficult, and even if it were, he wouldn’t dare say a word to the Emperor. Especially when the Emperor was as sensitive as he was today, one had to be careful even to breathe in his presence.
As soon as they finished speaking, the sound of footsteps echoing through the space drew closer. Hyun-wook, in a state of high tension, lightly bit his lip. Sang-seon also let out a short sigh, pulled a clean towel from inside his clothes, and stepped toward the entrance of the stairs.
Soon, Min-hyeok’s cold face, devoid of any emotion, appeared at the top of the stairs. Contrary to his expression, which looked as if nothing had happened, his piercing eyes were laced with murderous intent.
Blood—someone’s red blood—was splattered across Min-hyeok’s face, neck, and white shirt, drawing immediate attention. Thanks to the crimson bloodstains that clashed with his neat appearance, the atmosphere around him became even more eerie. As Min-hyeok ascended with a stoic face, wiping blood from his arm, Sang-seon quickly approached and offered a clean handkerchief. Min-hyeok took the handkerchief habitually.
The people held here were those who, along with the rebellion, had kidnapped and imprisoned Hae-joo in an attempt to frame Min-hyeok. They were the Prime Minister, who was stubbornly clinging to life in a solitary cell, his eldest son, and several ringleaders who had actively participated in the plot.
The blood Min-hyeok was currently wiping away likely belonged to the former Prime Minister or his eldest son. The father and son locked in the underground solitary cells of the prison could not even die; they had become prey for the Emperor, who visited them unpredictably. Calling them ‘prey’ was a generous way of putting it; what occurred inside was closer to private retribution.
They were sinners who deserved to be ground to dust for robbing Min-hyeok of the chance to clear the misunderstanding and apologize to Hae-joo. Min-hyeok vividly remembered the horror of the day Hae-joo was beaten by the Prime Minister. That was why he came here and dealt with them exactly as Hae-joo had been dealt with.
Shouldn’t they know how painful it was? Min-hyeok had no intention of stopping this until the day the Prime Minister and his son died. Whenever he saw them writhing in agony, Min-hyeok would casually tell them that he had no intention of beating them to death, so they should blame their own annoyingly long lifespans. Min-hyeok planned to make them feel this shame and humiliation until the very last day of the Prime Minister’s life.
Even Sang-seon didn’t know where Lee Si-yoon, who had spoken too loosely, had gone. Some said he had been sent to an Alpha detention center, while others said he was locked in a solitary cell where he couldn’t see anyone or even move his body. Regardless of which it was, it couldn’t be a favorable environment for Lee Si-yoon. He was likely living in hell right now. It was uncertain if he would ever make it out alive.
Having finished his secret business for the day, Min-hyeok wiped the blood from his hands and spoke toward Sang-seon. His cracked, dry, mid-to-low range voice resonated through the area.
“Sang-seon. What is the meaning of this?”
“…Pardon?”
When Min-hyeok suddenly threw out an incomprehensible question, Hyun-wook and Sang-seon exchanged puzzled glances. ‘What does he mean by that?’ ‘I don’t know either.’ After exchanging such looks, the two, fraught with tension, gave an honest answer to Min-hyeok’s words.
“Your Majesty, I don’t understand. Was something uncomfortable?”
“Uncomfortable?”
At Sang-seon’s question, Min-hyeok frowned, as if wondering what exactly had become uncomfortable. Noticing the change in his expression, Hyun-wook swallowed hard.
“Is there perhaps another Emperor in this country that I’m unaware of?”
“That cannot be, Your Majesty. There cannot be two Emperors in one country. Why would you say such a thing…?”
As Min-hyeok continued to speak in riddles, as if playing a game of twenty questions, Hyun-wook felt his blood run dry. He wondered who would be slaughtered after such a question. Before Hyun-wook and Sang-seon could answer, Min-hyeok, who was wiping the blood from his face and neck, spoke again in a cold voice.
“They say the Emperor is taking an Empress? That’s not me, so then who is it? Hmm?”
Upon hearing those words, Sang-seon immediately realized the situation. His Adam’s apple bobbed sharply.
“Do I have to see such an unpleasant article the moment I return to Korea? What happened? When did this break?”
With a face that said ‘the inevitable has happened,’ Sang-seon lightly bit his lower lip and quickly answered Min-hyeok’s question. If he didn’t answer straight, a bolt of lightning would surely strike.
“I apologize, Your Majesty. It broke at dawn.”
“…At dawn, huh…”
Min-hyeok trailed off, quietly observing Sang-seon. To Sang-seon and Hyun-wook, that short interval felt like hell. Min-hyeok had changed. After Hae-joo disappeared before the misunderstandings and conflicts could be resolved, the smile had completely vanished from his face.
The fake but pervasive smile was now nowhere to be found, and the relaxed, sly demeanor was now unimaginable. Min-hyeok no longer performed actions like smiling to cater to the other person’s mood as he once had.
Thanks to his innate qualities as an Emperor, it was a period where state affairs and public sentiment were more stable than ever, but Min-hyeok alone became unstable and colder. Occasionally, he would ask Hyun-wook personal questions. He was curious about the Hae-joo of the previous life.
He asked how the old Hae-joo differed from the current one, what kind of daily life he led, what he liked, and what he usually did for fun. Then, after hearing how much Hae-joo had suffered and how he had died, he would fall silent and always sink into thought. As Hyun-wook was recalling Min-hyeok’s sorrowful daily routine, he snapped back to attention at the Emperor’s thunderous voice.
“What kind of excuse is that? Is this the first or second time this has happened? What does it matter if the article broke at dawn or in the middle of the night? There must have been some sign before it became an article. The movements of the press agencies must have been different; you couldn’t stop that one thing?”
“I am sorry. It is all my fault.”
“Correct, it is all your fault, Sang-seon. How on earth are you utilizing the many people around you that you’re being played like this?”
There was not a shred of mercy in Min-hyeok’s attitude. In truth, gossip about the Emperor’s personal life—such as an Empress or concubines—was nothing new. Since Min-hyeok hadn’t particularly cared, it was something people talked about all the time.
That was why they thought he would just let it slide this time. They thought he wouldn’t care about such fake news, but they were mistaken. It was a clear mistake on Sang-seon’s part. He should have monitored the press agencies sensitively and blocked the article the moment there was a sign. Absolutely. There was a reason why the torture ended early today and why there was an excessive amount of fresh blood for the time spent.
“This is why I can’t trust anyone. When those of you who are like my own hands and feet work this poorly. Find out where the leak came from. Clean up the press agency that first broke the story, and the reporter as well. They need to learn the weight of their words.”
“Yes, I understand. I will clean it up thoroughly without any mistakes.”
“What ‘new Empress’ that I don’t even know? Especially after I’ve completely abolished the concubine system.”
Min-hyeok had abolished the concubine system. The reason was that it was an unnecessary system that did not fit modern society. In an era where it was natural to form a family with one spouse, it was an anachronistic custom that should have been removed long ago. Everyone was positive about it, and the bill passed swiftly. Thus, even the Emperor could now only have one officially married spouse.
“Your Majesty. Regardless of this article or the concubine system, shouldn’t Your Majesty also have an Empress? For your own sake…”
When Sang-seon gathered his courage to speak cautiously, Min-hyeok muttered bluntly.
“How am I supposed to bring in an Empress when I already have a legal spouse? Are you telling me to break the law I created and commit adultery?”
“…Ha, Your Majesty. That’s why I’m saying, why did you make things so complicated…”
“Where do you think you’re sighing? And what’s so complicated? How can you break a sacred promise like marriage so easily? Hmm? You’re determined to make me a divorcee, aren’t you?”
“How is that a forced argument? You clearly said back then that you would divorce. That’s why you officially declared your separation from the Grand Imperial Concubine user, and everyone, including the Grand Imperial Concubine user, knows it. Even the party involved knows it!”
“I said I separated; I didn’t say I divorced. Did I say anything wrong?”
At the sight of the Emperor, who was almost nonchalant, Sang-seon—disrespectfully—could not hide his emotions and let out a sigh. That was how complicated the matter was. Sang-seon could not stop Min-hyeok, who held out until the end without producing the divorce papers.
As a result, Min-hyeok was, quite literally, in a state of not being divorced. Far from divorcing, he had torn the divorce papers signed by the Grand Imperial Concubine in half, put them in a drawer, and never took them out. The two were still legal spouses maintaining a marital relationship.