Fake Concubine ​85

As ​far ​as ​Moon ​Hae-min knew, there ​were ​two ​princes ​in ​the royal family. One ​was ​Crown Prince Sohae, ​who had unfortunately ​passed ​away ​not ​long ​ago, ​and the other ​was ​a ​Grand Prince who ​bore the title of ​Gwang-han.

Grand Prince ​Gwang-han was ​famous for ​his bold ​temperament. ​”Bold” ​was the generous ​way to ​put it; in reality, ​he was said to ​be a fierce and ​reckless man. ​He ​was known to seize upon the ​smallest faults in others ​to ​punish ​them ​harshly, ​and it was ​said that ​he ​never corrected this ​habit ​even after being severely reprimanded ​by the ​King. ​The rumors had ​reached ​Hae-min’s ​ears ​even ​while he ​lived ​shut away ​in his own room, which spoke volumes ​about how notorious ​he truly was.

However, ​that alone wasn’t enough ​to conclude ​that Grand Prince ​Gwang-han ​had kidnapped him. ​Even if he ​was a ​person ​of Grand ​Prince ​Byeokran, he ​wasn’t ​exactly a ​significant ​figure. ​He doubted there ​would ​be any ​benefit ​for ​Grand ​Prince Gwang-han in kidnapping a mere concubine.

Above all, how on earth had Moon Hee-yul become close with such dangerous people?

“Haa…”

His chest burned with frustration, but Hae-min struggled to calm himself. At least he had some theories. Since Moon Hee-yul said he would return later, he could gather more information then.

While lying still in his bedding.

Hae-min once again recalled the day he had been stranded after being chased by a tiger. Back stolen contentthen, Read on Read BL NovelsSong Seol had come to rescue him. It had been so unexpected that he couldn’t describe how shocked he was. In truth, it still felt [Read on Read BL Novels]half-unbelievable even now. He wondered if such a thing had actually happened.

Perhaps it was because he was in a similarly desperate situation. He thought that maybe Song Seol might come to save him this time as well. However, Hae-min quickly brushed the thought aside. That had been an exquisite coincidence; he couldn’t expect such a thing to happen again.

‘I have no choice but to find a way out on my own.’

Before he knew it, the outside began to brighten as dawn approached. Following the pale spreading sunlight with his eyes, he seemed to have drifted off to sleep unconsciously.

“…”

At the creak of the door opening, Moon Hae-min lifted his eyelids. He saw a man entering the room.

“Y-you there!”

Moon Hae-min bolted upright. Their eyes met, but the man turned his head away as if he had seen nothing.

“You there, where is this? I won’t ask for much, so just tell me this one thing.”

The man looked to be in his forties. He placed the tray he [stolen content]unauthorized copywas Read on Read BL Novelscarrying onto the small dining table. On it were rice, kimchi, soup, and utensils.

“Say something!”

Hae-min approached him on his knees. Just before he could grab the man’s ankle, the man nimbly stepped aside. He wanted to get closer, but it was impossible because of the shackles. Meanwhile, the man left the room as if he could neither see nor hear anything.

Clack.

The door closed, followed by a rattling sound. He had clearly locked the door.

“Good grief…”

Moon Hae-min stared blankly at the firmly closed door. He hadn’t expected the man to spill great secrets, but to not utter a single word was too much.

‘Could he be deaf or mute?’

The thought crossed his mind, but it felt more like he was being ignored on purpose. It seemed Moon Hee-yul was determined to keep him isolated.

Hae-min sighed and sat before the small unauthorized copytable. Having fasted since unauthorized copyyesterday morning, [stolen content]his stomach was churning. He decided he had to eat first.

“Wait, is it okay to eat this…?”

He paused just as he was about to lift the spoon. Since he had fainted after drinking the medicine Hee-yul gave him, the food also felt suspicious.

Suspiciously, Moon Hae-min poked the rice with his spoon. He didn’t see anything particularly strange, but he couldn’t put his mind at ease.

But he had no choice. If he didn’t eat this, he would starve to death. He needed to eat to gain strength, and only with strength could he escape.

Ultimately, Moon Hae-min put a spoonful of rice into his mouth.

Fortunately, he felt nothing wrong with his body. It seemed the meals were safe.

Around what felt like lunchtime, the door opened again. The same man from before arrived with a tray.

“You there.”

As expected, the man did not answer. After clearing the [stolen content]bowls Moon Hae-min had used, he set out Read on Read BL Novelsa new [stolen content]meal. Hae-min watched his actions in silence before suddenly lunging at him.

“…!”

The man nimbly dodged. However, the man wasn’t Hae-min’s target. He flipped the small table over.

Thud!

The bowls overturned with a dull sound. Rice and side dishes scattered, and the spilled soup formed a puddle. He felt uneasy about wasting precious food, but he tried not to let it bother him.

Moon Hae-min glared fiercely at the man, as if asking what he intended to do now. The answer was indifference.

As if nothing had happened, the man turned and left the room. Clack, the door closed, and the sound of the lock clicking followed. Once again, Moon Hae-min was like a rat trapped in a rice jar.

“…Haa.”

Hae-min’s shoulders slumped. He had tried it just in case, but it had no effect. He didn’t know what he had to do to get a reaction out of the man.

‘Instead of testing the man, should I find another way?’

But there was a limit while bound by shackles. Moreover, these damn shackles were incredibly short. He was practically tethered to the pillar.

Hae-min looked down at the shackles with melancholy eyes. They were so brutally strong and sturdy that they must have been made by a skilled blacksmith.

“No wonder it doesn’t budge no matter how much I struggle.”

Hae-min was muttering when he let out a sigh of realization.

He realized anew that the person who had helped Hee-yul kidnap him was undoubtedly someone powerful. Preparing a place like this, crafting shackles and chains, and employing servants required significant financial backing.

It was a circumstantial guess, but it wasn’t of much help on its own. Still, it might serve as a clue.

“…”

Moon Hae-min sank deep into thought.

Meanwhile, time continued to drag on. The sunlight leaking through the paper doors gradually brightened, eventually turning stolen contentinto [Read on Read BL Novels]stolen contenta magnificent crimson. The evening glow was setting.

Since it was evening, would dinner arrive?

Sure enough, the door opened and the expressionless man appeared with a tray. He stepped over the food spilled on the floor and placed the tray on the small table.

Watching him set the table, Hae-min spoke.

“I heard that Grand Prince Gwang-han was a bold man, but he seems more frugal than I thought.”

He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but it seemed the man flinched for the first time. To confirm this, Hae-min provoked him further.

“Coarse rice and vegetable side dishes… If one brings a person all the way to these mountains, isn’t it only common courtesy to provide some meat?”

However, there was no real gain. The man remained so expressionless that not a drop of blood would flow even if he were pricked with a needle. He roughly cleaned up the overturned bowls, rice, and side dishes before leaving the room.

Staring at the heartlessly closed door, Hae-min grit his teeth.

Another night passed, and morning arrived.

Hae-min remained motionless, lying in his bedding. He had been in this state ever since the man had visited the previous evening.

He had nothing else to do, nor was there anything he wanted to do. He had even left his dinner untouched. Even so, the man would bring breakfast. Without saying a single word, just like yesterday.

“Ha.”

Hae-min let out a cold sneer.

Even so, he had no appetite. Perhaps because he hadn’t moved, he wasn’t even hungry. Rather, his stomach felt bloated.

A chill ran through his body. The floor was warm, likely because a fire was lit in the furnace, so why was he so cold?

“I’m so sick of this, really…”

He pulled the blanket over his head. He didn’t know how long he would have to be trapped here. He had been told it would be until the matter was resolved, so surely it wouldn’t be for the rest of his life. Yet, he had no inkling of when he might be released.

Suddenly, Hae-min realized. What he was truly sick of wasn’t stolen contentthe visit our sitecold, but the pain without a promised end.

Experiencing difficult and painful things was fine. He could endure as much as necessary, as long as there was hope that the situation would improve.

But now, there was no hope. With hardships piling up like mountains, what hope could he possibly hold?

‘Even if I escape from here, I wonder if I can live properly…’

All the money he had diligently saved was at his family home. If he returned there to retrieve it, he would likely encounter Hee-yul or Song Seol. In the end, at best, he wouldn’t be able to avoid the life of a beggar.

He felt so hollow that he laughed instead of cried. Just as he let out a laugh like a desolate wind—ha ha—the sound of the door opening echoed.

“…”

Moon Hae-min stayed still. Whether he flipped the table or provoked him, the man never responded. He could no longer think of any tricks to get the man’s attention.

However, the person who entered the room was not the man in question.

“Brother.”

At the familiar call, Hae-min bolted upright. He wondered if it was an auditory hallucination, but it wasn’t. Hee-yul was standing at the door, holding a lantern.