Fake Concubine 91

“I ​am ​deeply ​sorry, ​my Lord. But ​I ​beg ​you ​to ​consider my foolish circumstances. ​Hee-yul ​is the only ​son of the ​third ​generation. ​To ​prevent ​the ​line of the ​Geumcheon ​Moon ​clan from ending, ​I had no choice ​but to…”

“Who ​said they ​wanted to ​hear such ​excuses?”

Song ​Seol ​cut him off ​sharply. Apologies ​were useless, and he ​was even less interested ​in Lord Moon’s circumstances. ​The only ​thing ​he wanted to know was Hae-min’s ​whereabouts.

After packing all of ​Hae-min’s ​belongings, ​Song ​Seol ​left the room. ​Lord Moon ​followed ​hurriedly, stumbling in ​his ​socks.

“M-my Lord! Where are you ​going…!”

He had ​to ​find Moon Hae-min.

However, ​Song ​Seol ​kept ​his ​lips tightly ​sealed. ​He had ​no desire to speak with Lord Moon ​any further. He ​felt there was ​nothing more to be ​gained from ​the man.

“Grand Prince! ​P-please, ​listen to me ​for a moment.”

Lord ​Moon grew ​desperate. ​He knew ​that ​Grand Prince ​Byeokran ​was quite ​fond ​of ​Hae-min. But seeing ​him ​today, it ​seemed ​his ​affection ​for Hae-min was far deeper than he had imagined.

It was something Lord Moon found difficult to understand. What was so great about that boy? It was true he was quite pretty, taking after his mother, but he lacked any real charm.

Regardless, he could just chalk it up to Grand Prince Byeokran having peculiar tastes; the priority now was to stop him. If he made an enemy of Grand Prince Byeokran—who was [stolen content]rumored to potentially be invested as the Crown Prince—his entire stolen contenthousehold might truly be Read on Read BL Novelsruined. Ultimately, Lord Moon closed his eyes tight and blurted out.

“I will give you Hae-min!”

At those words, Grand Prince Byeokran, who had been walking away without hesitation, came to a dead stop. Lord Moon seized the opportunity to keep talking.

“Though the beginning was not ideal, you have already formed a bond with my unworthy son, have you not? Therefore, please take Hae-min.”

Song Seol turned his head. His gaze was incredibly fierce.

“Your words are contradictory. How can I take someone who isn’t even here?”

“T-that is…”

“Furthermore, Moon Hae-min is already mine, so the word ‘give’ is inappropriate.”

“…I am sorry.”

There was no leisure for a war of words. However, Song Seol insisted on adding one last remark.

“Above all, Moon Hae-min is not unworthy.”

“Pardon?”

Lord Moon looked utterly bewildered. He seemed to [stolen content]have no idea what that meant, but [Read on Read BL Novels]Song Seol walked away without further explanation.

Even if the claim of being the legitimate eldest son was a lie, it was true that they shared blood. Yet, how could Lord Moon and Hae-min be so different? From personality to appearance, there wasn’t a single shred of resemblance. If there was one commonality, it was the fact that they had both deliberately deceived him.

“…”

A wave of betrayal washed over him again, but Song Seol did not stop walking. For now, finding the vanished Moon Hae-min was more important than anything else.

1. Confession

The girl’s family welcomed Hae-min. Like the girl, the entire family were herbalists.

Perhaps it was the fate of those who worked in the mountains, but they said they had helped stranded people many times before. Because of this, no one thought Hae-min was strange. Like most stranded travelers who passed through this house, they assumed he simply had his own story.

At first, they assigned Hae-min tasks involving physical labor. Carrying luggage or chopping firewood—the kind of work a sturdy man would typically do.

However, while Moon Hae-min was a man, he was not sturdy. He had never been particularly strong to begin with, and he had grown even weaker after being imprisoned. Thus, far from being helpful, he was merely a hindrance.

‘Hmm, it can’t be helped.’

The girl’s father muttered this after watching Moon Hae-min struggle with an axe and nearly chop his own foot. Hae-min felt discouraged, wondering if he would be kicked out, but the man simply gave him a different task. It was weaving straw mats.

“Put it in the loop. Pull it out. Yes, put it in again.”

“Like this?”

“Yes, you’re doing well on your own now.”

In a few days, the two had grown close enough to speak informally. At first, they were wary and somewhat awkward, but that was no longer the case.

Feeling inwardly proud of the praise from the girl, A-jeong, Moon Hae-min worked the loom. He had struggled at first because it was difficult, but thanks to his diligent learning, he was finally getting the hang of it.

The bottom and body of the mat were complete. Now, he had to shape the mat. Hae-min wove the mat upward from the bottom. As his hands moved, the mat took on a slightly curled-in shape.

“You’ve gotten quite good at the curling part.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Your health seems to have improved too.”

A-jeong said, scanning Hae-min. In response, Hae-min gave a shy greeting.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“It’s thanks to you teaching me so well. And for treating me.”

Not only that. She had provided him with a place to sleep and food to eat. Upon learning he was an Eumin, it was A-jeong who had brewed herbal medicine with the effect of suppressing the heat cycle. At this rate, instead of receiving payment, he felt he should be the one paying her.

However, A-jeong answered boldly.

“We have more medicine than we know what to do with at home. Do you think I could just stand by and watch someone suffering and sickly?”

“That’s why I’m saying thank you.”

“If you’re thankful, at least try to sleep properly at night.”

Hae-min’s hands paused.

“I sleep well…”

“What do you mean ‘well’? Did you think I didn’t know you toss and turn every night?”

“…”

As is typical for commoner households, A-jeong’s home was small. That was likely why she noticed Moon Hae-min tossing and turning even though they didn’t share the same room. In truth, the layout consisted of a single room divided by a sliding door, so it was ambiguous to even call them separate rooms.

“Sorry, I’ll be careful.”

“I’m not blaming you. I’m just saying.”

“Okay…”

Hae-min resumed his work.

To be honest, he wasn’t confident he could sleep soundly tonight either. Since escaping from that thatched cottage, Hae-min had been suffering from insomnia. The moment he closed his eyes, all sorts of distracting thoughts rushed in and clawed at him.

The same symptoms persisted even now while he was awake. Hae-min swallowed a sigh and thought.

‘What will happen to me when I return to Hanseong?’

There was no one who would welcome him upon his return. Not to mention Lord Moon and Hee-yul, and Song Seol would likely be no different.

Song Seol would soon realize that he was not Moon Hee-yul. Perhaps he had already figured it out, or perhaps he had recalled memories of the past.

‘He will definitely be terrifyingly angry…’

And why wouldn’t he be? It wasn’t a small lie; he had deceived him about his entire identity. This was a matter that would make anyone angry. Both in the past and present, Moon Hae-min had never once felt that Song Seol’s anger was unjustified.

Before they parted, Song Seol had confessed his sincere feelings, saying he was growing fond of him, but that affection was directed toward the person pretending to be ‘Moon Hee-yul.’ It was only natural that he would feel betrayed and disappointed upon learning the truth.

On the other hand, he was a coward. Since it was a mistake he had committed, it was right to face the consequences, but he simply didn’t have the confidence to endure that wrath. Especially if he were forced to live as Moon Hee-yul again… He had hated it before, but now that he knew Hee-yul’s true nature and reality, he shuddered at the thought. Just imagining it made him feel suffocated.

“Whew…”

In times like this, he was glad to have work to do. At least while his hands were moving, his anxieties subsided slightly.

Regardless, he had to return if he wanted to uncover the truth about Bok-deong-i’s death. Come to think of it, [unauthorized copy]he had survived several life-threatening crises, so what was there [visit our site]to fear? Hae-min steadied his heart and tightened the knot.

“Wow, you’re good. Your hands are getting faster!”

Amidst A-jeong’s admiration, Hae-min finished weaving the mat.

At the hour when the dark red sunset was burning out.

A man dressed in mourning clothes entered Grand Prince Byeokran’s residence. He was not wearing official robes because he was in mourning for Crown Prince Sohae, but he was strictly a judge of the Uigeumbu.

Guided by the steward, he entered the guest house. There sat Grand Prince Byeokran with a long pipe in his mouth. As he exhaled, frost-like smoke scattered in swirls.

The Uigeumbu judge knew what that was. It was not tobacco, but Suppression incense. It was an item used when it was difficult to suppress Yang energy with suppressant pills alone.

For some reason, he couldn’t take his eyes off Grand Prince Byeokran as he burned the Suppression incense. But that was only for a moment; the Uigeumbu judge bowed politely.

“Greetings, my Lord.”

“Did you find him?”

Song Seol asked the purpose of the visit immediately, without preamble. He had no patience for exchanging greetings. However, the answer that came back was disappointing.

“I am sorry. We have not found him yet.”

“…”

“However, I have met someone who witnessed him.”

“Who is it?”

Right now, even a small clue was precious. At Song Seol’s question, the Uigeumbu judge answered quickly.

“A traveling peddler who wanders here and there. He didn’t encounter him directly, but he said that even though they only passed each other briefly, the eyes were so unique that they remained in his memory.”

“What color did he say they were?”

“He said they were a celadon-like, jade color, like the sky on a cloudy day.”

It seemed to be Moon Hae-min. Song Seol nodded deeply.

“The exact destination is unknown, but he said he was heading north. He was walking, not riding a horse, and, there is one more peculiar detail…”

“Speak.”

“…He said he was accompanied by a woman wearing a jang-ot.”

Song Seol clenched his teeth.

He had already known that the person was full [stolen content]of surprises, but this was news he had not expected at all. To the [stolen content]point where it was hard to believe.

“Are you sure it was a woman?”

“Yes. Since she had a petite build and was wearing a skirt, it seems almost certain.”

In an instant, a wave of unpleasantness hit him, as if he had been splashed with filth. He felt worse than when he found out that Hae-min was not actually Moon Hee-yul.

‘Moon Hae-min walked with a woman.’

Just imagining the scene made his insides twist. If Hae-min had committed an act of infidelity. If that was why he had abandoned his family and himself to leave forever…