Fake Concubine 84
“Why would a man like that have fathered a concubine’s son?”
“……Because my mother held me in her womb.”
“That wasn’t a mistake. Brother, you weren’t just some child born by chance.”
Hee-yul spoke firmly. How could he be so certain about things that happened before he was even born? Hae-min frowned slightly and shot back.
“How do you know that?”
“Father told me when I was young.”
“…….”
“He said that for several years after their wedding, there were no children between Father and Mother. Father grew increasingly anxious. As you know, Brother, Father places immense importance on continuing the family line.”
“I know. Why wouldn’t I?”
“So, Father took a concubine. That was your mother.”
Hearing stories of his mother from someone else’s lips felt strangely alien. In truth, the very concept of a mother was unfamiliar to Moon Hae-min. She had departed long before he had even passed his second birthday.
Even Lord Moon did not seem to know where she had gone. It didn’t seem as though he was hiding it on purpose; he genuinely appeared clueless. Thus, Hae-min grew up believing his mother had vanished forever. He only occasionally prayed that she was doing well somewhere.
“Your mother became pregnant quickly. And then you were born. But almost immediately after, my mother conceived me.”
“…….”
“That is why you are the elder brother and I am the younger. Because Father created a concubine’s son instead of a legitimate heir. Do you understand? From the very beginning, you were meant to be my substitute.”
A surge of nausea rose within him. Was this also because of the strange medicine Hee-yul had fed him before he fainted? The more he listened to the story, the more his stomach churned.
“If I had been born first, you wouldn’t have even had the chance to see the light of day. So, you should be good to me. It’s practically thanks to me that you were born.”
“Who…….”
His voice wouldn’t come out properly. Hae-min gathered all his strength to barely force a sound.
“Who said… I wanted to be born?”
As with all children in the world, one cannot choose their own birth. He had not been born because he [stolen content]desired it. I would have rather died than live [Read on Read BL Novels]as a concubine’s son. He had thought that many times.
“I didn’t want to be born. I’m your substitute? So I have to be good to you?”
“Yeah.”
“No. If I was born because of you, then you are my sworn enemy.”
Hee-yul’s expression hardened at the venomous retort. The flickering lamp cast deep shadows across his face.
Soon, he let out a sigh, as if he found the situation absurd.
“Ha……. Brother, why are you so incapable of knowing your place today?”
“…….”
“Not everything that comes out of a mouth is a word, and not everyone called ‘brother’ is actually a brother. I am the legitimate son, and you are the concubine’s son. Do you still not understand the difference? You’re quite decent at your studies, so why are you acting so stupidly in a matter like this?”
Hae-min glared at Hee-yul. He had cast aside any notion of brotherly affection. Since Moon Hee-yul was the first to stop treating him as a brother, there was no reason for him to regard the other as a younger sibling.
“I suppose I’ve been too kind to you all this time. Seeing how you’ve grown bold enough to climb over me like this.”
“You call forcing me to play the role of a concubine in your stead ‘being kind’?”
“What of it? It’s only natural for the offspring of a concubine to act as a concubine.”
Hee-yul shrugged his shoulders.
“Anyway, you’ll have to stay here until things are settled. Don’t worry too much. Nothing special will happen.”
“The fact that I’m here is already something special! You… are you planning to keep me tied up like this?”
“Why ask when you already know the answer?”
Hee-yul took a step back. It seemed he was about to leave the room. Frustrated, Hae-min shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Moon Hee-yul! Unlock these shackles this instant!”
“If I unlock them, you’ll run straight to Grand Prince Byeokran, won’t you? I can’t let that happen.”
“You……!”
Moon Hae-min growled. He didn’t know what to call this emotion surging inside him. He had never been this angry in his life; beyond resentment, it felt utterly miserable.
As if mocking him, Hee-yul curled the corners of his lips into a smirk.
“Just bear with it for a while. It might be hard to understand now, but this is the choice for the sake of our family. In the end, you’ll end up thanking me.”
“That will absolutely never happen.”
“Well, we’ll see about that. Be well. I’ll be back.”
Turning around, Hee-yul left the room with a light step. Soon, the door clicked shut.
“…….”
Hae-min glared at the closed door. He considered screaming, but he didn’t think Moon Hee-yul would return just because of that. It would be better to conserve his strength.
‘How could you do this to me…….’
If the opponent hadn’t been Hee-yul—for instance, if Lord Moon had imprisoned him—he wouldn’t have been this resentful. His father was simply that kind of man. He might have just felt hollow, thinking, He’s using me again.
But Moon Hee-yul should not have been like this. After he had become Song Seol’s concubine in Hee-yul’s stead, how much physical and emotional suffering had he endured?
‘……How could you do this to me, Moon Hee-yul.’
In truth, the unfairness of the [stolen content]suffering he endured on [Read on Read BL Novels]Hee-yul’s behalf was a secondary issue.
Hae-min had thought of Moon Hee-yul as his brother. Unlike Lord Moon, who wouldn’t even let him call him ‘Father,’ Hee-yul had always followed him well, calling him ‘Brother.’ When studying under their tutor, Hee-yul had even arranged for Hae-min to be allowed in the same room. It was Moon Hee-yul who had secretly brought him precious books from Lord Moon’s study and looked after him with delicious food and clothes.
Hae-min had envied Hee-yul, but he had also liked him. Although it wasn’t a purely selfless affection, he had nonetheless regarded Hee-yul as his brother.
‘Do you understand? Brother, you are my substitute.’
But it seemed he was the only one who thought that way. Hee-yul called him ‘Brother’ in name only; he never truly viewed him as one. To Moon Hee-yul, he was merely a replacement.
“Haha…….”
Hae-min laughed bitterly. Come to think of it, feeling betrayed was an absurdity. Who was he to feel such a thing? He was told he had been Moon Hee-yul’s substitute since the moment he was born.
As he thought this, the surging anger gradually subsided. Yes, it wasn’t even surprising. In the illustrious Geumcheon Moon clan, his existence amounted to nothing more than this……. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t known all along.
Yet, that obvious fact pierced his heart with a particular ache today.
As the night deepened, the room grew colder. Although there was a fire on the floor, it was insufficient to ward off the chill.
‘This wretched cold.’
Moon Hae-min shivered under his cotton quilt. His head grew cold as well, and thanks to that, his momentarily blurred reason returned.
“What should I do…….”
Setting aside his regrets regarding Hee-yul for a moment, Hae-min began to contemplate a way to survive.
His original plan had been to escape while Song Seol was away. Since he had been dragged to an unknown location and imprisoned, the plan had, in a sense, worked out.
‘I can’t stay here forever, though.’
He couldn’t just stay captured when Hee-yul might harm him. Then again, returning to Song Seol’s side was out of the question. Returning to a Song Seol who would be terrifyingly enraged would be no different from jumping into a fire of his own accord.
The best method right now was to unlock the shackles and flee anywhere.
“By the way, where is this……?”
He needed to know his location to devise an escape plan, but nothing came to mind. At this rate, even if he got free from the shackles, he would only wander aimlessly.
Moon Hae-min looked around. Of course, doing so yielded no information.
The room he was in was simple. There was the bedding he lay upon on one side, and a small dining table beside it. Looking at it, it felt as if he had entered any ordinary inn.
If there was one peculiar thing, [unauthorized copy]it was the iron chain connected to the shackles. It was firmly attached to a pillar supporting the roof.
Hae-min tried pulling his leg as a test. The chain only grew taut; there was no sign of the shackles loosening. His ankle, chafed by the metal, stung, so Hae-min stopped moving.
“I can’t even go outside the room…….”
Fortunately, there was a small window next to the door, allowing him to distinguish day from night. He couldn’t see out, however, because of the hanji paper covering it.
“No doubt it’s a place far from people.”
It didn’t seem to be a village or a place where people frequently passed by. The fact that they hadn’t gagged him was proof. No matter how much he screamed, there would be no one to hear and come to his aid.
If so, there was a high possibility that this place was outside Hanseong. But how could the frail Hee-yul have managed to take him out of the capital? He couldn’t help but think that Hee-yul must have some backing.
‘Who on earth is that backing…….’
First, he excluded Lord Moon from the candidates. If the Lord had intended to imprison him, there would have been no need to lure him to the tutelary shrine and drug him. He could have simply locked him up anywhere in the house.
Above all, Lord Moon was secretly quite timid. Regardless of everything, publicly, Hae-min was a man of Grand Prince Byeokran. Kidnapping such a person would be an act of provocation toward Grand Prince Byeokran, and Lord Moon had neither the reason nor the guts to take such a risk.
Then who could it be? Anyone who would dare touch a person of Grand Prince Byeokran must also be a person of immense power. Yet, in this Yeomyeong, there was only one person with a status higher than Grand Prince Byeokran.
‘Could it be the King……. No, there’s no way the King would kidnap me.’
Moon Hae-min shook his head. If the King had wished to punish him, he would have had him formally arrested through the Uigeumbu. There was absolutely no reason to borrow the hand of Moon Hee-yul, the eldest son of the fading Moon clan.
Then, who else was a power-player of similar status to Grand Prince Byeokran?
Staring into the pitch-black darkness, Hae-min sank into thought. He was quite ignorant of worldly affairs and did not know much about the landscape of power. However, amidst that, one person flashed into his mind.
‘……Grand Prince Gwang-han.’
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