Fake Concubine 100

As ​they ​ate ​together, ​the awkward atmosphere ​gradually ​melted ​away.

The ​initial ​hesitation A-jeong felt toward ​Song ​Seol was short-lived; ​it seemed he ​felt ​a ​sense ​of ​kinship ​knowing that Song ​Seol ​was ​Hae-min’s husband. He ​even went so far ​as to ​encourage him ​to try ​the seasoned ​spinach.

“It ​is ​delicious.”

“I-is it?”

A-jeong beamed ​at Song ​Seol’s praise. Beside him, ​Moon Hae-min, who was ​sipping soybean paste soup, ​was inwardly ​surprised. ​He had expected Song Seol to ​eat without much fuss, ​but ​he ​hadn’t ​expected ​him to actually ​praise the ​food. ​While such a ​comment ​was only natural for a ​guest being ​hosted, ​it felt almost ​miraculous ​considering ​Song ​Seol’s ​status and ​temperament.

“By ​the way, ​I wonder if the people waiting outside ​are alright without ​eating…”

“Hmm… it is ​fine.”

Hae-min swallowed the words ​’probably’ along ​with his rice. ​However, ​A-jeong’s house wasn’t ​spacious enough for ​all the ​guards ​to enter, ​so ​it couldn’t ​be ​helped.

“Right, I’ve ​meant ​to ​ask—A-jeong, have Read on Read BL Novelsyou ​been ​doing [unauthorized copy][unauthorized copy]well ​all ​this ​time?”

“…So-so.”

For ​a moment, A-jeong’s expression darkened. Contrary to his answer, something was clearly wrong. Suddenly worried, Hae-min pressed further.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“It’s nothing major.”

“Tell me anyway. I might be able to help.”

“Well…”

Letting out a deep sigh, A-jeong began to explain the situation.

“You remember my cousin, right? The one who suddenly got a stomach ailment and couldn’t work.”

“Yes, I remember.”

How could he not? It was because that cousin could no longer work that Hae-min [Read on Read BL Novels]had come to help out unauthorized copyhere. While [stolen content]it was unfortunate for the cousin, as a result, Hae-min had been able to rely on A-jeong’s family.

“I thought it was just a temporary bug, but it seems it wasn’t. They say the abdominal pain shows no sign of improving… Moreover, it’s not just my cousin; my aunt and uncle are also suffering from severe stomach pains. It’s gotten to the point where my parents had to go to my cousin’s place to nurse them.”

“I see…”

No wonder A-jeong’s parents were nowhere to be seen. He had assumed they had just stepped out for a moment, but he hadn’t realized there was such a situation.

“Did they visit a physician?”

“They did, a long time ago, but the physician didn’t seem to know what was happening either. We only found out later what the problem was.”

“What was the problem?”

“Poisonous mushrooms. They accidentally ate poisonous mushrooms that had been picked and dried in late autumn.”

“…Oh dear.”

It happened occasionally—people mistaking poisonous mushrooms for edible ones and falling ill. In some cases, it even led to death.

“Are they doing better now?”

“I’m not sure. I haven’t heard any news since my parents left to nurse them. I’m waiting, hoping that no news is good news, but…”

“It will be alright.”

“Yeah, I hope so.”

A-jeong slumped his shoulders and grumbled.

“They’re such fools. My relatives are herbalists too. They know more about poisonous mushrooms than most people, so I don’t know how they could have eaten them by mistake…”

Though his words were a bit blunt, they were filled with concern for his relatives. Hae-min answered cautiously.

“They must have looked very similar to edible mushrooms.”

“Yeah, they say they look like oyster mushrooms. Besides, it was a type of poisonous mushroom they’d never seen before, so they didn’t recognize it. You’ve probably never heard of it either, Oppa.”

“What kind of poisonous mushroom is it?”

“Hwagyeong Mushroom.”

“Yes, I’ve truly never heard of it.”

Hae-min turned to Song Seol and asked.

“Have you perhaps heard of it?”

“I have.”

“You really know it? How?”

That Song Seol, who wasn’t an herbalist, knew about a poisonous mushroom was truly unexpected. When Hae-min asked in surprise, Song Seol replied calmly.

“I learned of it during my official duties. I was told they are dangerous due to their very strong toxicity. I understand they are a rare type of poisonous mushroom; that relative of yours was quite unlucky.”

“But it seems they aren’t as rare as you think…”

A-jeong spoke up timidly. He seemed to be debating whether he dared to contradict the man.

“To find out exactly what they had eaten, they went back to the place where the mushrooms were picked, [visit our site]and lo and behold, it was Read on Read BL Novelsfull of Hwagyeong Mushrooms.”

Hae-min shuddered at the mental image. The thought of a place teeming with such dangerous poisonous mushrooms was eerie.

“So what did they do?”

“They just came back. You can’t just mess with a colony of poisonous mushrooms. Anyway, it’s a relief they at least found out it was Hwagyeong Mushroom and not oyster mushrooms.”

“That’s true, but…”

Hae-min was worried that other people might accidentally eat the Hwagyeong Mushrooms and fall ill. As if thinking the same thing, Song Seol spoke up.

“That Hwagyeong Mushroom colony must be removed.”

“I believe that would be for the best. It would be a disaster if someone else ate them.”

Listening to the conversation, A-jeong cautiously added his thoughts.

“Um, I think it would be fine to just leave them alone.”

Hae-min and Song Seol looked visit our siteat him simultaneously. Startled by [stolen content]the [visit our site]sudden attention, A-jeong flinched but continued his explanation.

“It’s deep in the heart of Mount Baegak. Unless they’re herbalists like us, people rarely go there.”

“How deep is it?”

“Hmm, how should I explain this… Ah, right. It’s close to where I first met you, Oppa. That should give you an idea, right?”

“Uh-huh.”

The memory of when he was kidnapped resurfaced, dampening his mood. The betrayal of his trusted younger brother, Hee-yul, and that strange place. The iron chains binding his ankles, and the bleakness of not knowing when he would ever be released…

Though he had managed to escape after many twists and turns, the bleakness had remained the same. Wandering the mountains indefinitely was a problem, and returning to Hanseong had its own set of problems.

‘Back then, I thought Song Seol would be furious…’

Hae-min stole a glance at Song Seol. He was keeping his mouth shut, deep in thought. Though his face was as blunt as if carved from ice, Hae-min now knew that he was more compassionate than he appeared.

“Do you have something to say?”

Sensing the gaze, Song Seol looked Read on Read BL Novelsat Hae-min. stolen contentThe moment their eyes met, Hae-min’s heart leaped. [unauthorized copy]Even though there was no reason to be this startled.

“Ah, th-that is…”

Why was he suddenly acting like such a fool? Barely calming his pounding heart, Hae-min quickly regained his composure and made an excuse.

“I was just thinking that it would indeed be better to remove the Hwagyeong Mushrooms.”

“I think so as well. While we cannot root out every poisonous mushroom that grows in the mountains, we cannot stand by knowing a colony exists.”

It was a typical response from Song Seol. As a ruler, he had a strong sense of responsibility. Hae-min nodded and asked A-jeong.

“A-jeong, can you guide us to where that Hwagyeong Mushroom colony is?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, that’s not hard.”

A-jeong agreed easily, though he looked a bit bewildered. To this, Song Seol said.

“Then I shall leave two guards behind. Guide them to the location.”

With that, the matter was settled.

After the table was cleared, Song Seol selected two of the guards and gave them orders. The instructions were to follow A-jeong, confirm the location of the Hwagyeong Mushroom colony, and report back. Meanwhile, Hae-min chatted with A-jeong.

“Oppa.”

“Yeah?”

“Can I ask what your real identity is?”

“What?”

It was an absurd question. However, A-jeong murmured quite seriously.

“For some reason, I’ve felt since we first met that you weren’t an ordinary person. I knew there must be some story… Are you perhaps a secret royal inspector?”

“No, I’m not.”

He understood the intent behind the question, but he didn’t know how to answer.

‘What exactly is my identity…?’

He couldn’t introduce himself as ‘Moon Hee-yul’ now, and he didn’t want to say he was the illegitimate son of the Geumcheon Moon clan. Nor could he reveal that he was Grand Prince Byeokran’s concubine. Strictly speaking, that was a lie.

“If it’s difficult, you don’t have to tell me.”

“No, it’s not that it’s difficult, I just don’t know how to answer…”

“Moon Hae-min.”

Just then, Song Seol called him. Since he had been at a loss for words, the timing was fortuitous. Hae-min hurriedly said goodbye to A-jeong.

“I have to go now.”

“Get back safely.”

“Yeah, you be careful too when you go to where those poisonous mushrooms grow. Oh, and take this.”

Hae-min held out a cloth pouch he had prepared in advance. Noticing there was money inside, A-jeong hurriedly waved his hands.

“Don’t refuse. I should at least [unauthorized copy]pay for the food and [Read on Read BL Novels]medicine I’ve had all this time.”

“I’m really fine, though…”

Hae-min had expected this reaction. He pressed the pouch directly into A-jeong’s hand. In doing so, their hands ended up clasped together.

“Moon Hae-min!”

Song Seol called out in a louder voice. He seemed anxious as the sun was about to set. After a nod to A-jeong, Hae-min turned around.

“Let’s go.”

With a rather abrupt gesture, Song Seol grabbed Hae-min’s wrist and pulled him. Hae-min was dragged along helplessly, letting out a small “uh, uh.” No matter how urgent it was, there was such a thing as royal dignity; he didn’t know why the man was rushing so much.

Song Seol strode forward. Because his stride was so wide, it was practically a run. Following him briskly, they were soon far away from A-jeong’s house.

Only then did Song Seol slow down. As Hae-min caught his breath, he suddenly caught a faint Chromatic Scent.

‘Oh…’

The scent itself was weak, but it had a tingling sensation. Hae-min glanced at Song Seol. He wondered if something had happened to Read on Read BL Novelsdisturb his mood. But unauthorized copythey had [stolen content]simply been walking without incident…

“I must stop for a moment.”

Leaving behind those short words, Song Seol came to a halt. As he reached out his hand, one of the guards, as if prepared, presented a tobacco pipe. It was a short pipe, smaller than the ones used in the manor.