114 – VCR

Since he had already woken up from the dream, there was no use regretting that he had. However, the lingering aftereffects of the dream—which had felt as vivid as reality—were substantial, and he missed Hae-joo’s body heat, which he had felt if only in his sleep.

“…How many hours has it been since I opened my eyes?”

“How many hours? Three days have passed since you collapsed. Aside from the brief moment you regained consciousness and opened your eyes after the procedure, this is the first time you’ve come to your senses. You’ve been lying here for three whole days.”

Min-hyeok, who had been massaging his eyes with his fingers, stopped moving upon hearing Sang-seon’s answer of three days. Three days? Three days? That long?

“Then you’re saying I’ve spent three days lying here? This is insane!”

Startled, Min-hyeok threw off the covers and stood up as if having a seizure. His movements were frantic, like someone being chased. After ripping out the IV needle in his hand in one go, Min-hyeok stormed out, ignoring Sang-seon’s calls.

“Your Majesty! What on earth are you doing?”

Despite the startled Sang-seon’s attempts to stop him, Min-hyeok pushed him aside and practically ran toward the door. Perhaps because he had moved his [unauthorized copy]body after lying still for so long, unauthorized copyhis muscles felt stiff and a sharp pain flared in his abdomen. Clutching his stomach and leaning against the wall, Min-hyeok’s face turned noticeably pale.

“I asked why you are doing this! Your Majesty, you must not move like this right now. Please, calm down!”

Sang-seon used all his strength to block Min-hyeok, who was trying to get outside even while clutching his stomach. Normally, he wouldn’t have been able to withstand the strength of Min-hyeok, a Dominant Alpha, but now it was different. Because Min-hyeok’s body was somewhat weakened, he was able to hold him back. As he was stopped by Sang-seon, a look of frustration appeared clearly on Min-hyeok’s face.

“I don’t have time to stay like this. I have to go to Hae-joo! You said I’ve been lying here for three days? He might have gone somewhere while I wasn’t looking. If I haven’t seen him for three days… what if I miss him and we’re separated again!”

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please just calm down.”

As Min-hyeok continued to try and push past him, the exhausted Sang-seon closed his eyes tightly and struggled to regain his composure. He couldn’t understand why the Emperor was acting so irrationally. The cold, almost dry demeanor of the Emperor was nowhere to be seen.

The Emperor Sang-seon knew was someone who became even more cold-headed and calm than ever when pushed into the worst possible situation. It was unbelievable that Min-hyeok, who possessed superior situational handling skills above anyone else, was acting this way. Was this really the Emperor, behaving like an immature child and speaking without logic? He must be unable to make proper judgments because he was ill. First, he had to make him think with a sound mind.

“Please tell me what your plan is and what you intend to do by going out in this state. Furthermore, you cannot go anywhere while you are unable to control your pheromones like this.”

Sang-seon asked, frowning at Min-hyeok’s pheromones, which were filled with violent [Read on Read BL Novels]stolen content -->stolen contenton Read BL Novels">Read on Read BL Novelsagitation. Min-hyeok looked at Sang-seon with anxious eyes as the latter let go of him and asked about his plan.

“I’m doing this to go to Hae-joo, why ask something so obvious?”

“Why do you wish to go there again?”

Min-hyeok furrowed his brow at Sang-seon, who asked in a tone that seemed to have attained total enlightenment.

“Why go? I told you already. I haven’t seen Hae-joo because I’ve been lying here for three days. I can’t afford to be lying down for this long… what if something happened to Hae-joo in the meantime and I can’t see him again?”

“……Yes, if Your Majesty continues like this, you might indeed be separated from the Grand Imperial Concubine user forever and never see him again.”

“…What?”

Sang-seon spoke nonchalantly, regardless of whether Min-hyeok was offended.

“I mean, if Your Majesty were to pass away.”

Min-hyeok flinched at Sang-seon’s brazen manner of speaking such gruesome words. It was an incredibly rude remark that crossed the line. However, knowing Sang-seon’s personality, Min-hyeok did not hastily lash out at him.

“Do you even know what state you are in right now, Your Majesty? You probably don’t. That’s why you’re moving so recklessly. Right now, you probably don’t even know where it hurts because of the medication administered to your body. Look at your current state!”

Sang-seon, who had been speaking quietly, spread his arms to point at Min-hyeok’s body, his voice gradually rising.

“Your stomach is full of inflammation, and your senses have weakened to the point where you cannot control your pheromones at all.”

Sang-seon frowned as he looked at the IV line on the floor, and Min-hyeok also stared silently at the three or four IV lines that had been plugged into his body.

“Yes, if you want to go, just go. But how long will a body sustained by medicine and injections last once it goes out? If you go out with such poor immunity, bacteria might just swarm the stomach that underwent the procedure. If you pass away then, you truly will never see the Grand Imperial Concubine user again.”

“Why bring up the absolute worst-case scenario? That won’t happen.”

“Will it really not? Did you know you would collapse like that? One can never be certain about human affairs. The mention of passing away may not be just a worst-case example, but a reality. If [Read on Read BL Novels]that happens, the visit our siteGrand Imperial Concubine user will start a new life as another Alpha’s Omega. He might even bear that person’s child. Ah, of course, he would forget about Your Majesty.”

Min-hyeok’s eyes, which had been staring only at the IV lines scattered on the floor, flashed intensely as they turned toward Sang-seon. These words might have been too provocative for a man who was trying to rush outside for fear that Hae-joo would disappear. But Sang-seon didn’t care.

“…How dare you speak such words.”

“You acted in a way that brought these words out.”

The atmosphere in the hospital room froze instantly at Sang-seon’s scathing bluntness. Sang-seon had never been particularly friendly or sociable. However, he had never been this overtly sharp with his superior.

“Is it only about the user? If Your Majesty were to suddenly pass away without an heir, there would be immense chaos due to the vacant throne. It’s obvious that the collateral branches, the high nobility, and the people on the former Prime Minister’s side would move to seize that seat.”

“Why think all the way down to the bottom? That’s too extreme. You think too much.”

“It is my duty to always prepare for the worst case. Because the citizens suffer more than anyone else when such a situation arises, I must always keep it in mind. Not to mention the national economy being shattered, there would be countries eyeing the opportunity to attack our nation amidst the chaotic state affairs. In short, a situation more dangerous than war would ensue.”

Sang-seon’s words were excessively skewed toward the worst direction. However, as he said, there was no guarantee such a situation wouldn’t happen. No, rather, it was something that could very well occur. It was the [visit our site]sstolen stolen contentcontentituation that would arise if Min-hyeok, who had no children, let alone a Crown Prince, suddenly collapsed.

Min-hyeok’s position was that heavy and important. It wasn’t a seat one could simply occupy with complacency. Listening to Sang-seon, Min-hyeok quietly sat on the edge of the bed. The pheromones that had filled the hospital room began to fade. Having regained his reason, Min-hyeok began to pull back his pheromones little by little.

“For now, please think only of Your Majesty’s health and do not worry about the user. He will actually be more comfortable. Give him time to organize his thoughts in peace. His mind must be complicated with various things due to Your Majesty’s sudden appearance.”

That was true. Min-hyeok knew that. He knew that the one suffering the most would be Hae-joo, not himself. But if he couldn’t see him even for a moment, he felt an anxiety that made his chest feel as if it were burning.

“Do not pressure him too much and give him room to rest. The user is in a very sensitive state, so you must not approach him hastily. It would be best to think of him as an untamed wild animal and approach him carefully, slowly closing the distance.”

A wild animal. It was a term that perfectly suited the current Hae-joo, who never let down his guard.

“And to me, Your Majesty’s health is more important than anything. For the sake of your health, I hope you receive a bit more treatment here. By now, Kang Hyun-wook should have arrived at the island.”

“Kang Hyun-wook? Ah, did he leave for the island?”

“Yes. He said he would contact us upon arrival. As long as Kang Hyun-wook is by the user’s side, he will be safer than anyone, visit [visit our site]our siteso please do not worry. Kang Hyun-wook is a more trustworthy person than anyone, so he will protect the user well.”

Min-hyeok knew that well too. That was why he had sent Hyun-wook to the island. Leaning his head against the bed and closing his eyes, Min-hyeok asked Sang-seon as if remembering something.

“What happened with that? Are the roses ready?”

“Yes, they have been prepared so they can be used whenever you need them. But what do you intend to do with that many roses?”

At the mention of roses, Min-hyeok’s gaze turned sinister. A smile spread across the lips of Min-hyeok, whose eyes were gleaming like a beast’s.

“I think those roses would suit our former Prime Minister quite well.”

“…The former Prime Minister?”

“To be precise, the rose thorns. I’m looking forward to seeing how wonderful that old man’s face will look with thorns embedded in it.”

Min-hyeok laughed aloud while saying these horrific things as if they were nothing. Only then did Sang-seon realize what Min-hyeok intended to do with all those roses. It was clear that the former Prime Minister [unauthorized copyclass="wm" style="opacity:0;font-size:1px;user-select:all;">Read on Read BL Novels]style="position:absolute;left:-9999px;font-size:0;">[Read on Read BL Novels]had put the Grand Imperial Concubine in a difficult position regarding something related to roses. That was why the Emperor had ordered that the thorns not be removed.

“Did he perhaps harm the user with roses?”

He didn’t know how that old man had harmed the young Grand Imperial Concubine with roses, but he had to grasp the general atmosphere, so he had no choice but to ask. Only then could he estimate how long the Prime Minister’s treatment would take. Soon, Min-hyeok gave a slight nod instead of an answer. Ha, this human really did all sorts of things to a young grandson. Having learned the reason for certain, Sang-seon began to calculate how many doctors he should bring along.