Fake Concubine 63

Grrrr…

A ​low ​growl ​followed ​him. That alone ​was ​enough ​to ​make ​the hairs on the ​back ​of his neck ​stand on end. ​There ​was ​a ​superstition ​that ​hearing a tiger’s ​roar ​could ​drive a person ​insane, and today, he ​realized it ​was no ​exaggeration. It ​was terrifying ​enough ​as ​it was; had ​he actually ​heard a full roar, ​his mind would have ​gone completely blank.

It felt ​as if ​the ​tiger would pounce on his back ​at any moment. In ​truth, ​it ​wouldn’t ​have ​been strange if ​he had ​been ​attacked long ago. ​Could ​it be that the tiger ​had lost ​interest ​in him?

Grrrr-rr!

As if ​betraying ​such ​hopes, ​the ​tiger growled ​again. ​The sound ​came from much closer than before.

It’s really ​the end. I’m ​going to lose ​my life so futilely. ​Moon Hae-min ​felt his strength ​drain ​away as the ​thought crossed his ​mind.

Just then, ​a ​mountain path ​that ​narrowed stolen contentsharply ​came ​into visit our siteview. ​Beside ​it ​was a gentle ​cliff.

‘I’d ​rather fall ​off ​the ​cliff.’

There ​was no room for careful deliberation. Hae-min yanked the reins hard. Simultaneously, Susu pivoted sharply.

“Ah…!”

Only then did his throat open, and a scream burst out. For a moment, his body floated in the air as he was thrown from Susu. That fleeting moment of suspension felt as long as an eternity.

Soon, he plummeted. Moon Hae-min tumbled down the cliff, crashing mercilessly into trees and rocks.

“Ugh, aaagh!”

What if the tiger followed? Would Susu be safe? Had he even survived the fall? Worries flooded in chaotically.

However, he couldn’t find an answer to any of them. Far from looking stolen contentaround, he [Read on Read BL Novels]was in a state where it was difficult even to open his eyes.

“…”

His consciousness faded as he suffered severe impacts here and there. Unaware that he had come to a stop halfway down the cliff, Hae-min drifted into unconsciousness.

It was cold. So very cold.

The chill seemed to seep into his very bones. He had suffered through so much cold that he should have been used to it by now, so why wasn’t he?

At some point, Moon Hae-min’s life had become winter itself. He heard that other people had spring, summer, and autumn, but for Hae-min, there was only winter—a relentless, harsh winter.

Where did it all go wrong? Was it from the moment he became Song Seol’s concubine instead of Moon Hee-yul’s?

‘…No.’

His life had taken a sharp turn then, but strictly speaking, he was doomed from the moment [stolen content]he was born a concubine’s son. Yet, he [Read on Read BL Novels]felt that life hadn’t been this cold during his childhood… He [unauthorized copy]had occasionally felt emotions like spring sunshine; where exactly did it all go wrong?

“…”

Hae-min slowly lifted his eyelids.

He could see nothing. For a moment, he wondered if something was wrong with his eyes, but that wasn’t it. Night had fallen, and the world was pitch black.

“There’s not even a moon.”

Hae-min muttered, looking up at the sky. Since it had been Seol not long ago, it was only natural that the moon wasn’t full yet. Even so, there should have been at least a crescent moon, but it seemed to be hidden by clouds. He felt a strange sense of emptiness over such a trivial thing.

‘I should be grateful just to be alive, but…’

Even he found it miraculous that he had survived that situation. In truth, he still couldn’t believe it. Not only that he was still breathing, but the fact that he had tumbled down a cliff while being chased by a tiger.

It was an act of recklessness rather than bravery. The usual Moon Hae-min would never have acted that way. Even considering the stolen contentdanger [stolen content]of the situation, it was out of character.

“Haha…”

Hae-min gave a bitter smile.

Wasn’t he pathetic? The contradiction of trying to end his own life with his own hands, yet risking a fall down a steep cliff because he didn’t want to die. Perhaps he actually possessed a strong desire for life. Moon Hae-min felt that such a side of himself was wretched and desperate.

Regardless, it was too early to be relieved. He had avoided the tiger for now, but it might suddenly reappear. Moreover, he still had to find his way back.

‘Which way should I go?’

He looked around. All he could see were the dark shadows of trees. It was nearly impossible to gauge his position. Had the sky been clear, he could have used the stars to find his direction, but unfortunately, the thick clouds made even that difficult.

To make matters worse, his physical condition was poor. Whether it was because he had crashed into things while tumbling or because his body had frozen while he was unconscious, his limbs would not move well.

If he tried to move forcibly now, he would only waste his [visit our site]remaining strength. For now, the best course of action was [unauthorized copy]to wait until someone came to rescue him.

‘But will anyone actually come for me?’

Hae-min was skeptical. He was currently ‘Moon Hee-yul,’ the legitimate eldest son of the Geumcheon Moon clan and the concubine of Grand Prince Byeokran, but that didn’t exactly lead to a hopeful prediction.

It wasn’t just because of the current situation. It was simply that he couldn’t imagine someone coming to save him.

‘Whatever. If I die here, I suppose that’s just my fate.’

Moon Hae-min tried to put his mind at ease. However, thinking that way made him feel more uncomfortable rather than peaceful. Regardless of what his innate fate was, he wanted to live. Even though he had no reason to live and nothing in particular he wanted to do, he simply wanted to live. It was an honest inner feeling that even Hae-min hadn’t realized.

“…Right, I have to live. After all, this is a chance I fought so hard to get.”

Hae-min murmured to himself. Only then did he feel warmth returning to his fingertips. Taking advantage of the momentum, he pushed his upper body up.

Rustle.

It was at that moment he sensed a suspicious presence. From a distance, there was a sound like something brushing against tree branches.

Moon Hae-min tensed up instantly. Whatever that ‘something’ was, it was clear it wouldn’t be helpful to him. Wasn’t it obvious what kind of creatures would be wandering the mountains at this late hour? Wild boars, snakes, tigers… encountering any of them would be dangerous. Earlier, he had at least been able to escape by rolling down a cliff, but this time, he couldn’t use such a trick.

Rustle… Rustle… Snap.

The sound came again. Moreover, it didn’t seem like there was only one source. He might have misheard due to extreme tension, but he felt presences both in front of and behind him.

‘What do I do…’

His chest tightened. He prayed desperately that the ‘something’ would just pass by, but Hae-min’s luck today was not so compliant.

The clouds scattered with the wind. Only then did the spilling moonlight dimly illuminate the mountain. Simultaneously, the outline of a beast revealed itself.

“…Ugh.”

The moment he faced the tiger, the strength left his knees. Had he been standing, he would have collapsed on the spot.

Sitting as he was, Moon Hae-min scrambled backward. He hoped the tiger wouldn’t pounce on him, but he knew that was unlikely.

To die just as he had realized his desire for life. It was absurdly tragic, but if it meant he could meet Bok-deong-i again, it wasn’t so bad. Just as he was at a loss, clutching a mix of resignation, faint hope, and a handful of remaining defiance—

Swish!

A chilling sound of wind echoed, and the tiger roared violently. It was a ferocious roar, as if it could tear anything to shreds. However, contrary to its menacing aura, the beast staggered its massive body.

Too shocked to move, Hae-min watched the situation with wide eyes. However, he couldn’t quite grasp what was happening.

In the next moment, a black figure suddenly appeared. Without hesitation, he lunged at the tiger. Under the faint moonlight, the blade of a sword scattered sharp flashes of light.

Grrrr…

The tiger growled. It was practically a death rattle. The beast staggered and eventually collapsed.

“…”

Until that moment, Moon Hae-min remained frozen. He didn’t even have the luxury to feel relieved that he had survived. He was barely holding onto his sanity.

Soon, the man who had been standing silently turned around. Because the surroundings were so dark, his face was not visible. However, through the faintly perceptible Chromatic Scent, Moon Hae-min recognized who the man was instantly.

“M-My Lord…”

The man, Song Seol, did not answer and walked toward Moon Hae-min. Hae-min looked up at him blankly. A deep shadow cast over his face, hiding his expression as if it had been erased with ink. However, he could feel that the man was angry.

Hae-min trembled slightly. It was one thing after another—first a tiger, and now Song Seol. Of course, Song Seol was a hundred times better than a tiger, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t afraid.

“I-I’m sorry… I was wrong. I apologize.”

He pleaded in a voice so fragile it sounded as if it might crumble at any moment. Only then did Song Seol speak.

“What is this all of a sudden?”

“I almost died because of a tiger…”

“That would be the tiger’s fault, not yours.”

Song Seol knelt on one knee in front of Hae-min. Only then could Hae-min see his face properly. Song Seol did indeed look angry… and in a way, he also looked worried.

If he was worried, what was he worried about? Could he actually be worried about him?

As he wondered blankly, Song Seol muttered.

“No, since hunting weak creatures is a tiger’s [unauthorized copy]instinct, it’s not the tiger’s stolen contentfault visit our siteeither. Then what is this situation?”

“…I don’t know.”

“An accident,” Song Seol said calmly.

“Just an unfortunate accident.”

“…”

He didn’t know why tears suddenly began to stream down his face. Hae-min quickly wiped his cheeks, hoping that Song Seol hadn’t seen him crying in the darkness.