Fake Concubine 14

“Can’t ​you ​remember ​anything?”

Song ​Seol asked again. ​Only ​then ​did ​Moon ​Hae-min snap out of ​his ​thoughts.

“……No.”

“I see. At ​any rate, it ​is ​good ​that ​there ​are ​no foods you ​cannot ​eat.”

“Yes.”

Hae-min ​picked at the ​side dishes placed near ​his bowl. ​He didn’t ​even have ​the heart ​to ​reach ​for the ones ​placed further ​away. He lacked the ​appetite to eat proactively.

“You ​said there are no ​foods you ​cannot ​eat, yet unauthorized copywhy are visit our siteyou eating ​so poorly?”

Only then did ​Hae-min ​realize ​that ​Song ​Seol had been ​watching his ​chopsticks.

“I ​am eating well.”

“Even ​though ​you are only eating spinach?”

I ​suppose spinach ​is ​actually his favorite ​food, ​Song ​Seol ​muttered. ​Sensing this, ​Hae-min ​quickly picked ​up some braised lotus root.

“Eat this as ​well.”

Slightly rolling up ​his sleeve, Song ​Seol pushed a dish ​toward Moon ​Hae-min. It was ​the ​prized steamed yellow ​croaker. Hae-min whispered ​a small, ​“Thank ​you.”

“…….”

He had ​received ​it, but ​he ​had absolutely ​no ​idea ​how to eat ​it. ​Far [unauthorized copy][stolen content]from ​having ​eaten ​yellow ​croaker, he had never even seen it [stolen content]up close. However, he could not refuse a dish offered by Song Seol.

‘Besides, it would be strange if Moon Hee-yul, the eldest grandson of a prestigious family, had never eaten yellow croaker.’

Ultimately, Moon Hae-min poked the fish with his chopsticks. The soft flesh crumbled at the slightest touch. A single piece tasted delicious, but he found it difficult to keep eating. He was afraid of being caught in his clumsiness at removing the bones. Thus, Moon Hae-min moved his chopsticks to other side dishes.

“Um, My Lord.”

He felt it was time to bring up the subject. As he cautiously opened his mouth, Song Seol signaled with his eyes for him to continue.

“I am sorry, but I can no longer perform the tasks you have given me.”

Clack. Song Seol set down his chopsticks.

He had seemed down today, and Hae-min wondered if he had spoken at an inopportune moment. Hae-min regretted it belatedly, but the milk was already spilled.

“And why is that? Is the workload too much?”

“No, it is not.”

“Then, is the work too difficult?”

“That is not it either. It is just that I am afraid of doing work that is above my station.”

“Afraid? Of what, exactly?”

“……I am just afraid.”

Moon Hae-min averted his gaze and spoke vaguely.

Song Seol remained silent. Hae-min didn’t know if he believed his flimsy excuse or not. Either way, Hae-min had no intention of reversing his decision. It would be a lie to say he didn’t feel a sense of loss, but there are things in this world that one must not do, no matter how regrettable.

“Hmm.”

Song Seol let out a low hum. His following words were somewhat abrupt.

“A ship was damaged today.”

“Pardon?”

Hae-min looked up again.

“Which ship are you referring to? Surely…… not the one I boarded four days ago?”

“Yes. The ship carrying exchange goods to be sent to the Geumo Kingdom was damaged in the waters off Yesung Port.”

“But how could such a sturdy ship be damaged?”

Even to Moon Hae-min, who knew almost nothing about ships, that vessel had seemed quite [unauthorized copy]robust. For one, it was massive, and it had carried so many stolen contentgoods without a hitch. Moreover, since it had been perfectly fine when he boarded, he found it hard to believe it was damaged.

“They say it hit a sandbank.”

“Ah…….”

“It is not common, but neither is it rare.”

Even so, it wasn’t something one could simply shrug off as ‘unavoidable.’ It seemed this was why Song Seol’s mood had been dampened today.

“But, My Lord, for a ship to be damaged by sand and not even a reef?”

“Sand accumulated in deep waters is harder than one might think. That is why sand, rather than reefs, is the problem in coastal waters. The position of a reef is fixed, so it can be avoided, but sand is not. There is a limit to how much a Sea-Guiding Ship can assist in this.”

“I see…….”

“Thus, accidents occur where [unauthorized copy]a ship hits a sand mound [visit our site][visit our site]without the captain even knowing. Like this time.”

With his lips slightly parted, Hae-min nodded. He had assumed sand was the kind commonly found on the road, but apparently, it was different. Hearing this, it sounded like a catastrophic accident, and he felt only pity.

“Are the sailors safe?”

“Unfortunately, they are not. Twelve lives were lost. Fortunately, the accident occurred in the waters not far from the port, so the majority were rescued.”

“Ah…….”

Hae-min let out a sigh. To lose twelve lives—nothing could be more lamentable.

“The loss of property is also severe.”

“Were all those goods submerged in the sea?”

“Some were salvaged. But some were damaged.”

This, too, was distressing. Hae-min knew exactly what had been loaded onto the ship. Ginseng, ceramics, silk—every single item was a precious commodity. Someone like Moon Hae-min could live comfortably for anywhere from a month to ten years just by obtaining any one of them.

“Furthermore, since the exchange goods for the Geumo Kingdom were affected, the situation is complicated in many ways.”

“It truly must be.”

They would have to renegotiate the schedule between the two nations immediately. Although it wasn’t his concern, Moon Hae-min’s head throbbed just imagining the complex process.

“You will be very busy for the time being, My Lord.”

“I suppose so.”

Song Seol replied indifferently, as if it were someone else’s business, and then gazed at Moon Hae-min. In the evening light as the sun set, his dark gaze pierced through Moon Hae-min like an arrow.

“Therefore, I do not wish to let a capable talent go right now.”

“…….”

“It would be best if you continued your work. Do you truly intend to quit?”

Hae-min’s stomach churned. It wasn’t because he felt like he was getting indigestion or because he lacked an appetite.

Capable talent. Those words tempted Moon Hae-min more strongly than anything else in the world. So much so that he wanted to agree instantly, even though he knew he shouldn’t.

However, Hae-min clung to the last shred of his reason.

“I am sorry, My Lord……. But I am ashamed to do work that does not suit my station.”

“Station?”

Song Seol cut him off.

“Who decided that station?”

“Well……”

“One is not the only person who determines their station. Others assign it as well. And I have not viewed your station so lowly.”

That was only because Song Seol did not know his true identity. Moon Hae-min, who could not say so even if his mouth were to rip open, remained silent.

“You seem clever, yet you act clueless in the strangest ways.”

“…….”

“If it is too difficult, shall I change the question? Moon Hee-yul, between you and me, whose rank is higher?”

“It is yours, Your Highness.”

“Then is it not reasonable that my words are correct?”

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t. Right and wrong are not determined by rank.

However, the words of a high-ranking person are absolute, so in that sense, Song Seol’s words were correct.

“I will not force you to work, but if you intend to quit for such a reason, you should reconsider.”

It was a predicament for Moon Hae-min. He had resolved to quit, but now he found himself unable to.

‘But…….’

Despite the situation, instead of feeling discouraged, a subtle joy welled up inside him. Realizing this, Moon Hae-min swallowed a sigh. It seemed he had a talent for choosing only the things he shouldn’t do. Or perhaps he was not just brave, but reckless.

“I understand.”

Hae-min added with much more certainty.

“I will continue to assist you, My Lord.”

“Good.”

Song Seol nodded.

He picked up his chopsticks again. With that, the meal that had briefly paused resumed. Moon Hae-min also picked up his chopsticks and ate some spinach.

Although the food had cooled in the freezing weather, strangely, it tasted better than before. Taking advantage of the mood, Hae-min attempted to flake the yellow croaker.

The white flesh came away. Moon Hae-min carefully used his chopsticks so as not to break the fish, placing a piece on his spoon of rice.

“…….”

The fish, seasoned subtly, melted in his mouth. It was an unfamiliar taste, but a delicacy.

From that day on, Moon Hae-min did the work Song Seol assigned.

The nature of the work was the same as before, but the volume doubled. The importance of the tasks also grew, requiring him to be cautious beyond caution for fear of making a mistake.

Working so diligently naturally led to frequent meetings with Song Seol. However, it wasn’t just for work. Song Seol called for Moon Hae-min for other reasons as well.

Sometimes they shared meals, sometimes they engaged in meaningless idle chatter, and sometimes Song Seol gave him gifts as a reward for his hard work…….

……And sometimes, it was to do those kinds of things.

Moon Hae-min did not enjoy the act. Every time he shared his body with Song Seol, he felt pain, embarrassment, and a desire to hide away. However, regardless of Hae-min’s will, his body gradually adapted to it, and now it was no longer something he loathed.

The only problem was that there was no promise of when Song stolen contentSeol would send ‘Moon [unauthorized copy]Hee-yul’ back. But since that was something that would happen eventually, he only had to wait patiently. Moon Hae-min endured the long, long winter with that hope.

Ten days before the New Year.

Song Seol left for Hanseong. It was to pay his respects to the King and attend the ancestral rites.

The private residence in his absence was as quiet as a snowy night. It had always been a quiet space without bustling noise, but now, a heavy silence lingered.

For Moon Hae-min, this was actually more comfortable. Like a traveler resting for a while hidden in the shadows, Hae-min rested peacefully.