Fake Concubine 32
Just as he pressed the teacup to his lips again, a call came from outside the door.
“My Lord, it is I, Kim Nak-hui. I have something to tell you.”
Moon Hae-min turned his gaze toward the door. Why would Song Seol’s adjutant be visiting the private residence?
“Tell him to wait.”
“I beg your pardon, My Lord. It is an urgent matter.”
At those words, Song Seol stood up. As he flung the door open, a gust of cold wind rushed in. Moon Hae-min shuddered, thinking casually, ‘The outside air has become this cold.’ On the other hand, he was surprised at how he had forgotten this chill for so long.
“What is it?”
“Well, that is…”
Kim Nak-hui, who usually delivered his business without preamble, hesitated uncharacteristically. Seeing this, not only Song Seol but even Hae-min sensed that something was amiss.
“…I will be back in a moment.”
Song Seol said, looking back at Moon Hae-min. Watching his retreating figure as he left the guest room, Hae-min suddenly focused on Kim Nak-hui.
Kim Nak-hui had a troubled expression.
“…”
Was it just his imagination, or was there a hint of grief on his face? He wanted to examine it more closely, but the door closed, making it impossible.
Left alone in the guest room, Moon Hae-min turned pale. For some reason, he had a bad feeling. The food he had just eaten churned in his stomach, and his heart beat with anxiety.
An indescribably ominous premonition reared its head. It would be a relief if it were merely groundless worry, but…
Normally, they would have spoken in the outer quarters, but Moon [visit our site]Hae-min was currently there. Therefore, Song Seol entered a room beyond the Read on Read BL Novelsmain hall. Kim Nak-hui, following him, hesitated.
“What is the matter?”
“My Lord, it is…”
Unable to bring himself to continue, Kim Nak-hui’s lips merely trembled before he finally delivered the news with great difficulty.
“Word arrived from Hanseong today. …Your son has passed away.”
Informing a father of his son’s death was truly a cruel task. Unable to overcome his sorrow, Kim Nak-hui dropped his head low.
“…What on earth are you talking about?”
As expected, a terrifying Chromatic Scent erupted from Grand Prince Byeokran. Being a yang-person, Kim Nak-hui was crushed by the scent, unable to even breathe properly.
“The child was said to be doing well; how could he pass away overnight?”
“He… he is said to have woken up in the middle of the night [stolen content]in distress and then simply stopped breathing. There were no signs of strangulation, and a silver spoon was placed in his mouth [stolen content]to visit our sitecheck for poison, but it did not turn black. Thus, the exact cause has not yet been revealed…”
“They don’t know the exact cause? What were the wet nurse and the servants attending the child doing!”
“Even so, they attempted to hold the wet nurse accountable, but fearing the interrogation, the wet nurse took her own life first.”
“She committed suicide?”
“That… yes, that is correct. She took her own life without leaving a single suicide note…”
Song Seol frowned.
The sudden death of the child was already a situation hard to believe. But for the wet nurse to take her own life as well.
He asked in an extremely low voice.
“Was there truly no note?”
“Yes, so it is said.”
“Then the claim that she took her life out of fear of interrogation is nothing more than a guess.”
“T-that is true.”
“It wasn’t that the wet nurse committed suicide…”
There was a possibility she had been killed by someone.
The death of a child was a tragedy, but it was also something that happened occasionally. It was for this reason that a feast was held once a child survived their first hundred days. However, this case did not seem to be such a matter.
“My Lord, perhaps…”
Kim Nak-hui did not dare continue. But Song Seol felt he knew what he was going to say without hearing it, for he was thinking the same thing.
“…Was this the work of Grand Prince Gwang-han?”
The current royal family was severely lacking in heirs. The previous king had only two princes, and the king before him had fathered only one prince without a single princess. Thus, excluding Grand Prince visit our siteGwang-han, Grand Prince Byeokran was the only one left to carry on the royal lineage.
The child had been born into such a situation. Although he was only third in the line of succession, for the ambitious Grand Prince Gwang-han, the birth of a new royal member would have been unwelcome. He would have been even more anxious, as he was already under suspicion of assassinating the Crown Prince.
It was undoubtedly the work of Grand Prince Gwang-han.
“That heinous bastard dared to…!”
Song Seol grit his teeth. He was certain that Grand Prince Gwang-han had assassinated the child following the Crown Prince. Even without physical evidence, the circumstantial evidence was so clear that it was obvious.
“My Lord, should we not also inform the young master…?”
Kim Nak-hui spoke up, braving his fear. Normally, he did not interfere in Grand Prince Byeokran’s private affairs. However, this matter involved political issues, and above all, not informing a father of his child’s death was an excessively cold act. And from what Kim Nak-hui could see… the current Grand Prince Byeokran was fully capable of making such a decision.
As expected, Song Seol said nothing. Feeling anxious on his behalf, Kim Nak-hui spoke again.
“My Lord…”
“…”
Kim Nak-hui’s prediction was half-correct. Song Seol had just been thinking that he did not want to deliver this tragic news to Moon Hae-min.
Moon Hae-min’s body and mind were already weakened. Song Seol knew all too well that he was clinging to life solely for the sake of that one child.
If the only news he received was an obituary… Moon Hae-min would be utterly devastated. He might not even be able to endure such immense grief.
Since he had no intention of ever sending Moon Hae-min back to Hanseong anyway, if he just hid this news, couldn’t he live happily without knowing anything?
Such a thought flashed through his mind. But in the end, Song Seol spoke heavily.
“…I will tell him myself.”
No matter what, he could not hide the news that the child Moon Hae-min loved so terribly had passed away. That would be inhumane. No matter how shocked Moon Hae-min became or how much he resented him, he had to tell him.
However, he had absolutely no idea how to bring it up.
“Was it about Bok-deong-i?”
The moment Song Seol returned to the guest room, those were the first words Moon Hae-min spoke.
He rushed toward Song Seol, questioning him urgently.
“What did Adjutant Kim just say? It was about Bok-deong-i, wasn’t it? Isn’t that right?”
“…”
Hearing the desperate voice clinging to hope, Song Seol realized that Moon Hae-min had intuited everything.
There was no need to agonize over how to deliver the news. Moon Hae-min already realized that the child had met with a great misfortune.
“Husband!”
When Song Seol remained silent, Moon Hae-min raised his voice. He grabbed Song Seol’s collar tightly.
“I asked what Adjutant Kim said!”
It was violent behavior, unlike him. But Moon Hae-min was in no state to care about dignity or etiquette. How could he maintain his reason when he didn’t know what had happened to the child he had been separated from?
“Hae-min.”
“…”
“I am sorry.”
At the heavy apology that finally fell, Moon Hae-min felt the blood rush to his head.
White spots flashed before his eyes, and his head spun. When he blinked, it seemed he had collapsed in that instant. Song Seol was supporting him as he knelt halfway.
“Let go of me.”
Hae-min coldly brushed off Song Seol’s hand. Even though he wasn’t in a state to stand on his own, he managed to put strength into his legs.
“Don’t tell me you’re sorry; just tell me. Bok-deong-i, what happened to my child?”
“…They say he stopped breathing in his sleep.”
A shock like the sky falling crashed over Moon Hae-min.
Even if he had expected the bad news, it didn’t make it any less painful. Moreover, Hae-min hadn’t truly believed that Bok-deong-i would have lost his life entirely. He wanted to believe the child would be okay, and above all, Song Seol had guaranteed it.
“You said… he was doing well.”
Just a few words. But those words were all Moon Hae-min had to lean on. How much had he hoped that Song Seol’s words were true?
“You said Bok-deong-i would grow up wonderfully as a royal. You told me not to worry about Bok-deong-i and to worry about myself instead…”
A boiling sob surged up. But Moon Hae-min forced back the tears. What right did he have to cry, he, the pathetic father who failed to protect his child in the end?
“That is why I told you! I asked if we couldn’t send him after at least a hundred days had passed, that I had to be by the child’s side to protect him…! What did you say every time? You said it was fine!”
Even he should have the right visit our siteto condemn Song Seol. No, it was more of a duty. [unauthorized copy]Moon Hae-min clenched his fist on behalf of Bok-deong-i.
Thud, a fist with protruding knuckles struck Song Seol’s chest. Thud, thud. Even as Moon Hae-min punched with all his might, Song Seol remained still. In the first place, Moon Hae-min’s fists were so pitifully weak that they didn’t even hurt.
“Is this okay? Is this truly okay with you, My Lord!”
What truly hurt was Moon Hae-min’s scream. Unable to contain his grief, Song Seol spoke with great difficulty.
“I am sorry. I… was careless.”
“How on earth did the child breathe his last?”
“…They say it happened while he was sleeping.”
“I am asking why he breathed his last while sleeping!”
Having snapped, Moon Hae-min glared at Song Seol. With bloodshot veins around his jade-colored eyes, he looked like a ghost harboring a deep grudge.
“…I am sorry.”
Song Seol repeated only hollow apologies. Even so, they could not provide a shred of comfort to Moon Hae-min. But there were no other words to offer.
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