Fake Concubine 95

“……Moon ​Hae-min!”

Song ​Seol ​shouted ​his name. It ​was ​clearly ​‘Moon ​Hae-min,’ ​not ‘Moon Hee-yul.’

At this ​point, ​Hae-min felt the ​tension suddenly drain ​out ​of ​him. ​Had ​he ​not been in ​the ​palanquin, ​he would have ​collapsed on the spot. ​He had ​expected his ​identity to ​be discovered, ​but ​experiencing ​it firsthand was ​another matter ​entirely. Truly, it seemed ​he had been ill-prepared ​in many ways.

The bearers ​slowly lowered ​the ​palanquin. Hae-min gripped the armrests tightly. ​He wondered if he ​could ​just ​stay ​attached ​to the palanquin ​for the ​rest ​of his life. ​Of ​course, such a thing was ​impossible, so ​Hae-min ​stepped out.

“M-my Lord.”

There ​was ​no ​need ​to ​worry about ​what ​expression to ​make. His facial muscles were moving on ​their own anyway. ​With a face ​that looked like it ​was both ​crying and laughing, ​Hae-min ​reunited with Song ​Seol.

“Greetings, ……ugh!”

Song Seol ​strode forward ​and ​pulled him ​into ​a [visit our site]sudden, ​fierce ​embrace. [unauthorized copy]Those ​sturdy ​arms ​tightened around Hae-min ​as ​if [unauthorized copy]to ​crush ​him. ​Gasping ​for air in distress, Hae-min thought:

‘He’s going to strangle me to death…….’

Only just before his vision went completely blurry did Song Seol loosen his grip. Instead, he grabbed Hae-min firmly by both shoulders, as if afraid he might vanish again.

“Have you been well in the meantime?”

Hae-min greeted Song Seol. Inappropriately for the situation, his voice was not just polite, but cheerful.

Was this the result of his earlier resolution to ‘act normally, as usual’? Or perhaps his mind had gone a bit strange due to excessive terror. At the same time, his heart hammered in his chest upon seeing him. It was sheer gladness.

“Have you been well?”

Song Seol let out a hollow laugh. ‘Well.’ It was a word that stood in exact opposition to his own recent state.

The day before yesterday, immediately after meeting Grand Prince Gwang-han at the State Tribunal. Song Seol had first investigated whether the information he heard was true. He had desperately hoped it wasn’t, but…….

‘……Grand Prince Gwang-han kindly informed stolen contentus visit our siteof the house’s location. We headed [visit our site]there, and, well, that is.’

The hesitant State Tribunal official barely managed to continue.

‘We confirmed the presence of a man’s corpse. It was severely burned, making it impossible to recognize the face.’

‘……Anything else.’

‘The roof, the walls, and the pillars were all burnt to the ground. The only thing remaining was this…….’

The official presented a shackle. The attached iron chain rattled with a heavy sound as it trailed along.

Song Seol took the shackle with trembling hands. It was all too obvious what it had been used for. How terrified must that fragile thing have been, bound in shackles? What must he have felt the moment the thatched house caught fire…….

As agonizing as it was to lose Hae-min, his heart tore apart when he considered that the other must have suffered even more. Unable to bear the grief, Song Seol bolted upright from his seat.

‘M-my Lord. Please compose yourself!’

The startled official tried to restrain Grand Prince Byeokran. He had been ordered by the King to ‘be faithful to Grand Prince Byeokran’s commands, but to assist him so [unauthorized copy]that he would not make a mistake while swept away Read on Read BL Novelsby emotion.’ [unauthorized copy]At the time, he hadn’t thought Grand Prince Byeokran, of all people, would be capable of such a thing. But the current Grand Prince Byeokran seemed to have completely lost his reason.

‘It is not yet certain. There is a possibility that the burned man is not the person you are seeking……!’

Only then did Song Seol stop dead in his tracks. He turned to the official and asked.

‘Do you truly think so?’

‘Yes. He must surely be safe.’

Despite the answer, the official’s attitude lacked confidence. He had simply offered pleasing words to soothe the Grand Prince’s wrath.

Even knowing this, Song Seol could not let go of hope. Moon Hae-min would be safe. No, he had to be safe. That was the only way he could believe.

But if, by some chance, the burned man truly was Hae-min…….

The fire that burned that house must have spread to Song Seol’s own heart. Seeing as every breath in and out was this painful.

He had mobilized soldiers to search the area around [unauthorized copy]Mount Baegak, but no trace [unauthorized copy]of Moon Hae-min could be found. Song Seol spent two full days feeling as if his blood were drying up. And yet.

Now, Hae-min was right before his eyes. Moreover, looking perfectly safe and bright.

“My Lord?”

When the silence stretched on, Hae-min tilted his head. At that, Song Seol realized anew that Moon Hae-min was indeed in his arms. Unable to overcome the surging joy, he embraced Hae-min tightly once more, leaving no gap between them.

“Ugh!”

“You asked if I had been well.”

“I-I’m sorry…….”

“I have not been well. Not well at all. I was so…….”

“……Please let me live.”

Hae-min struggled within Song Seol’s embrace. Then, he suddenly [unauthorized copy]realized that Song Seol [unauthorized copy]wasn’t actually intending to strangle him. Because…….

His body was trembling slightly. This strong man was stroking him endlessly, as if he had finally found peace.

Above all, Song Seol’s Chromatic Scent had changed slightly. The cold feeling remained, but it wasn’t as sharp as before. It even felt cozy, like cotton wool.

“I’m glad you’re safe.”

The moment he heard that low voice, Moon Hae-min knew for sure. Song Seol was not trying to harm him. Far from it, he seemed to have genuinely worried for him.

Something burst inside his chest. Was it relief, or a sorrow that had accumulated unknowingly? Hae-min pressed his lips tight. He felt that if he didn’t, his unfiltered emotions would come pouring out.

But it was useless. Tears rolled down his cheeks. Eventually, Hae-min let out a suppressed sob.

“Are you alright?”

Song Seol quickly released the hug. After checking Moon Hae-min’s face, he wiped away the tears with an incredibly cautious touch.

“I-I’m fine, sorry…….”

His words were broken as he gasped for air. He didn’t look fine, nor did he sound particularly sorry. Nevertheless, Song Seol comforted him.

“Let’s go inside and talk.”

He picked Hae-min up in his arms and headed somewhere. Passing through a wide courtyard, they entered a building located in the deepest part of the estate. It seemed to be the sarangchae.

Song Seol set Hae-min down gently in the room. It was a space flowing with an elegant atmosphere. It reminded him of the private residence in Songdo, so it didn’t feel unfamiliar despite being his first time there.

“Sit.”

Song Seol said, pointing to a cushion. Since it was the seat of honor, Hae-min shook his head.

“I’m fine.”

“If sitting is uncomfortable, you may lie down.”

“N-no. My body is dirty right now……. I look no different from a beggar.”

“A beggar?”

Frowning, Song Seol scanned Hae-min from head to toe. Then, he muttered in a low voice.

“You are a bit scruffy.”

“I told you so…….”

The embarrassment made his tears vanish. Hae-min quickly swallowed an excuse.

“It’s not that I walked around like this on purpose. Sparks flew onto my clothes and made holes…….”

“Sparks?”

At those words, Song Seol’s expression immediately turned fierce.

“Is it true that there was a fire?”

“Huh? H-how did you know?”

Instead of answering, Song Seol shouted, spitting out the words in a voice dripping with rage.

“Which bastard set the fire!”

“……I am sorry. I set it.”

He barely managed to answer in a crawling voice. Since Song Seol already knew about the fire at the thatched house, he didn’t think he could hide the fact that he was the arsonist. It would be better to just confess.

“You set the fire? You did?”

“Yes……. There were circumstances that left me no choice.”

“No matter the circumstances, why? You could have risked your life.”

“That is…….”

Hae-min lowered his head, only rolling his eyes upward to gauge Song Seol’s reaction. Since things had come to this, there was nothing more to hide, but he wondered how much he should reveal.

“Tell me. I will listen to as much as you wish.”

Song Seol urged him gently. He looked more serious than usual. He didn’t seem like he would dismiss Moon Hae-min’s words or get scarily angry.

Facing that attitude, Hae-min gathered a bit of courage. Finally, he opened his mouth.

“It might be a somewhat long story.”

“It doesn’t matter. In fact, the more detailed, the better.”

“Then, I will start with my real name. Though you seem to already know…… I am not Moon Won-yul’s legitimate son, Hee-yul, but his illegitimate son, Hae-min.”

He thought a sharp thunderbolt of a scolding might fall at this point, but Song Seol only nodded.

“The reason I entered as your concubine was…….”

Moon Hae-min confessed honestly. That Lord Moon, who wanted to secure a successor through a legitimate son to carry on the family line, had sent him to Song Seol instead of Hee-yul. He laid out everything, including how Hee-yul had taken him to the tutelary shrine and urged him to take a strange medicine.

“When I opened my eyes, I was in an unfamiliar place. I wanted to escape, but I couldn’t because my right ankle was bound in shackles.”

“…….”

“The person who kidnapped me didn’t say a word. No, in truth, it was certain that he wasn’t the one who kidnapped me. He was likely just working under someone. I thought about who that might be, in my own way.”

“And. What answer did you reach?”

Hae-min hesitated for a moment. It wasn’t that he was worried about his own safety now. What he truly feared was the storm of turmoil that would break out once he spoke.