Fake Concubine 87

“……Hee-yul ​has ​already ​become ​my concubine, so ​what ​is ​this ​delusional ​nonsense? Furthermore, Hee-yul is ​not ​a Scentless Eumin.”

“I-I ​humbly apologize. It ​is ​possible ​that ​these ​are ​groundless rumors, but ​they ​are ​circulating in secret, ​and I felt it ​necessary to ​inform Grand ​Prince Byeokran ​as well…….”

His ​head ​throbbed ​once again. This ​headache was ​exceptionally stubborn. From the ​front to the back ​of his skull, something ​felt as ​if ​it were pressing down, pulsing painfully.

Song ​Seol raised a hand ​and ​pressed ​firmly ​against ​his temples. Seeing ​his expression, ​the ​woman asked in ​surprise.

“My ​Lord, are you unwell? Shall ​I call ​for ​a eunuch?”

“No. That ​will ​be ​all, ​so ​tell me ​more ​about the ​rumors.”

“Yes, My Lord.”

The woman continued her story. ​She explained the ​route [stolen content]through which ​she had encountered the ​rumors and ​claimed [visit our site]that her ​source ​was quite reliable.

Meanwhile, ​Song Seol’s face ​grew increasingly ​cold. ​The reason ​was ​that these ​rumors—which ​it wasn’t ​even ​certain ​were true or ​false—had ​clawed at ​his ​heart.

Hee-yul ​was ​his person. The only one he could embrace, the only one who released their scent for him. Who dared try to attach another existence to Moon Hee-yul?

Even if it weren’t true, the mere existence of such rumors was unpleasant. Song Seol spoke, struggling to suppress the surging rage.

“I understand. I shall look into this matter separately.”

“Yes, My Lord.”

The woman bowed deeply and withdrew.

Left alone, Song Seol sank into silent thought. Something submerged at the bottom of his memory seemed to be on the verge of surfacing. The more he struggled to remember, the worse the headache became. Moreover, his heart beat with an ominous rhythm.

Thump, thump, thump.

Thump, thump…….

Suddenly, an afterimage flashed before his eyes. It seemed as though some kind of carnage was unfolding, but it was blurry as if shrouded in fog, making it impossible to see clearly.

‘I called out my husband’s name, so why do you not call mine?’

Song Seol grit his teeth. It would be better if nothing came to mind at all; it was frustrating to have fragments of memory flickering so vaguely. Above all, he could not tell if this memory was real or a lie.

‘Moon Hee-yul.’

‘I do not wish to…….’

‘You are Moon Hee-yul. Now and forever.’

Hee-yul shed tears. Bloodstains on his cheeks flowed down with them, making it look as if Moon Hee-yul were weeping tears of blood.

He wanted to wipe away Hee-yul’s tears, but it was merely an illusion. A fragile, futile illusion that seemed as if it would shatter at a single touch.

“…….”

He closed his eyes tightly and opened them again. In an instant, the headache, the remnants of memory, and the illusion of the weeping Moon Hee-yul evaporated. It felt as if he had woken up after being bewitched by a nine-tailed fox.

Despite the disappearance of the symptoms, Song Seol’s mood remained extremely low. He was confused, which was unlike him. While he was at a loss as to where to begin, for some reason…….

He missed him terribly.

“Moon Hee-yul…….”

Hae-min let out a sigh. The words his half-brother had spoken two days ago kept circling in his mind.

‘I will become his Eumin and raise our family’s status.’

He had been speechless at the time, and thinking about it again, he was still just as speechless. Setting aside the fact that Moon Hee-yul had decided to become Grand Prince Gwang-han’s person—even if he became a secondary consort, could he truly raise the family’s status?

If it were revealed that the Moon clan had deceived Grand Prince Byeokran, Hee-yul would also be punished. Even Grand Prince Gwang-han would not be able to pardon Hee-yul’s crimes. Furthermore, if he blatantly protected Moon Hee-yul, he would end up in conflict with Grand Prince Byeokran…….

“Well, it’s practically as if they are already in conflict.”

The one who had practically kidnapped him was Grand Prince Gwang-han. If this fact came to light, a clash between the two Grand Princes was inevitable.

‘How did I end up caught in the middle of this…….’

Was this what it meant for a shrimp’s back to break in a fight between whales? For Moon Hae-min, who only wanted to live quietly, the current situation felt utterly bleak.

Hae-min slid down the wall, leaning his back against it. As far as he knew, Song Seol had been on good terms with Crown Prince Sohae. This was evident from the grief-stricken expression he wore when delivering the news of the Crown Prince’s passing.

However, it seemed his relationship with his other nephew, Grand Prince Gwang-han, was not so good. Whether that was due to Grand Prince Gwang-han’s violent temperament or other political reasons, he did not know.

“Why is everything so complicated…….”

Originally, families were supposed to be harmonious. Then again, since the Moon clan was like a scattered bag of beans to begin with, there was nothing more to say. Setting himself aside, even Hee-yul had been at odds with their father.

Whether it was the royal family or a prestigious noble house, it was a farce that blood-related family members were worse than strangers rather than being harmonious.

‘If it were me, I think I would love my family unconditionally.’

Naturally, Bok-deong-i came to mind. Just recalling the newborn baby in his arms brought tears to his eyes. Hae-min wiped away the stray tears with the back of his hand.

It had already been nearly a year since he lost Bok-deong-i, but Moon Hae-min’s sorrow had not diminished at all. Even as he grew accustomed to the fact that Bok-deong-i was no longer in this world, he would still be overcome with emotion from time to time.

This was especially true after coming to Hanseong. It likely stemmed from the thought that Hanseong was the last place Bok-deong-i had stayed.

‘If our Bok-deong-i were alive, he would have grown up well.’

In truth, Song Seol’s assurance that the child would grow into a fine member of the royalty likely wasn’t a lie. Although his father was born a concubine’s son, his other father was a Grand Prince. Thus, it was clear that if Bok-deong-i had lived, he would have grown up with material wealth beyond envy.

He would have started taking toddling steps, learned how to use chopsticks, and studied literature. As he grew older, he would have taken the civil service exam and might have even entered the political arena.

‘If that happened, would Bok-deong-i have had political enemies too?’

Hae-min let out a hollow laugh. He thought to himself that he was imagining all sorts of things about Bok-deong-i, who hadn’t even survived a hundred days. And not just good things, but bad things as well.

“Uh…….”

However, as he tried to push these thoughts aside, something felt unsettling.

As it was now, Crown Prince Sohae had passed away at this point in the past. And shortly after, Bok-deong-i had also met his death.

At the time, he hadn’t been in his right mind, so he hadn’t thought of it. But wasn’t it quite a coincidence? That two members of the royalty lost their lives in succession.

“…….”

Suddenly, a chilling sensation pierced through his entire body. Moon Hae-min pulled his knees up and hugged them. The clinking sound of iron chains dragging on the floor echoed eerily.

What if someone had intervened in the Crown Prince’s death? What if Bok-deong-i’s death was not something ordained by heaven…….

Just assuming so was painful. But Hae-min could not stop thinking.

Because he was Bok-deong-i’s father. Because he was the only person who remembered the fact that Bok-deong-i had existed in this world, he had to dig into even the smallest suspicion.

“……Moon Hee-yul.”

He murmured the name once more.

There was a limit to what he could deduce while locked alone in a small room. To bring this suspicion clearly to light, he had to meet Hee-yul.

Clang.

The sound of a bolt being slid back echoed from outside, and the door opened.

A man carrying a tray entered. As usual, he didn’t even look at Moon Hae-min as he set out the meal.

“Excuse me.”

“…….”

“I need suppressant pills. Could you call Hee-yul for me?”

No answer came, but Hae-min was certain the man would listen to him.

‘He said he was told to look after me well…….’

It was ridiculous, but the man actually took quite good care of him. Bringing meals three times a day was a start. He had reached a point where he recognized the passage of time by the man’s appearance.

It seemed the man lived nearby. The evidence was the constant warmth of the fire beneath the floor. It couldn’t be this warm unless someone was continuously stoking the furnace.

“I don’t know if you’re aware, but for an Eumin, suppressant pills are more important than food. So please, make sure to tell Hee-yul to bring the suppressant pills.”

Hae-min spoke to the man’s back.

The man closed the door without a word. With a thud, Hae-min let out the breath he had been holding. He wondered why he had been so nervous over something like this.

‘I hope the nervousness was worth it…….’

He thought, biting his chapped lower lip.

Fortunately, Hae-min’s wish was granted. The next morning, Moon Hee-yul actually visited.

“Brother.”

Moon Hae-min, who had been drifting in sleep, rubbed his sleepy eyes and sat up. Looking down at him, Hee-yul spoke as if it were absurd.

“What, are you pretending to have fainted?”

“Because of my heat cycle…….”

He could tell a lie like this without blinking. Since Hee-yul was a Scentless Eumin anyway, he wouldn’t know whether Hae-min was releasing a Chromatic Scent or not.

“Hmm,” Hee-yul hummed in his throat and tossed him a pouch.

“Take it. They’re suppressant pills.”

“Can I trust these? They aren’t some strange medicine like last time, are they?”

“Why would I do that? If I Read on Read BL Novelswanted to harm you, I would have used [Read on Read BL Novels]a more certain method. [stolen content]You’re no different from a captured bird.”

It was unpleasant, but true. Besides, the suppressant pills weren’t his actual goal. Moon Hae-min took the pouch without a word.