Fake Concubine 96

However, ​Moon ​Hae-min ​steadied ​his heart as ​he ​thought ​of ​Bok-deong-i. ​Had he not come ​this ​far with the ​sole determination to ​unravel ​the ​suspicions ​surrounding ​Bok-deong-i’s ​death?

“……It was Grand ​Prince ​Gwang-han.”

He ​added how he ​had deduced this. In ​the process, ​he had ​no choice ​but to ​reveal ​that ​Hee-yul had become ​Grand Prince ​Gwang-han’s man.

He didn’t feel ​a shred of guilt ​toward Moon Hee-yul. Since ​Hee-yul had ​put ​him in danger first, there was ​no loyalty left to ​protect.

“However, ​I ​do ​not ​know why Grand ​Prince Gwang-han ​kidnapped ​me. I doubt ​I ​possess any utility to him……. ​But I ​swear ​by the heavens ​that ​I ​have ​told ​only the ​truth. ​Please believe ​me, my lord.”

“I believe you. And you ​certainly have a ​clear utility.”

“Me?”

Hae-min’s eyes ​widened. It wasn’t a ​critical [stolen content]issue ​in this [Read on Read BL Novels]situation, ​but ​he truly couldn’t ​fathom what utility ​someone stolen contentlike ​him, ​who didn’t ​hold ​even a ​minor ​government post, ​could ​possibly ​have.

“Yes. Because of ​that ​very fact, ​you ​can ​provoke ​me.”

“That cannot be.”

Song Seol smiled bitterly. It was perhaps for the best that Hae-min did not know the state of his heart during each passing day from the moment he realized Moon Hae-min had vanished.

“Now then. I have yet to hear how the fire started.”

“Ah, that……. I wanted to escape that place by any means necessary. But I was shackled, and I had no weapons, not even a blade, so there was nothing I could do.”

“…….”

“So, I set it on fire.”

“Wait.”

Song Seol pressed his temple with one hand and asked.

“I feel like a few steps were skipped. Why did you reach that conclusion?”

“Because if I had any utility, he would unlock my shackles to save me from the flames. I intended to take advantage of that moment.”

“Moon Hae-min…….”

Song Seol let out a groan. He wore the most complex expression he had shown since their reunion. He hadn’t even looked this conflicted when they were discussing how Hae-min had become a concubine in Hee-yul’s stead.

“Please do not worry about me, my lord. I was safe thanks to covering myself with a cotton quilt soaked in water.”

“It was well done to use your wits, but there is a limit to recklessness. What would have happened if something had gone wrong?”

“But thanks to that, I escaped, didn’t I? I am safe. Although the coat you gave me is now full of holes.”

He added this cheerfully on purpose, but Song Seol’s expression showed no sign of softening.

“Hae-min.”

“Yes?”

“Do not do that again.”

Anxiety seeped into his gentle voice. The anxiety of what would happen if Moon Hae-min were to be placed in danger again.

“No, never mind. There will be no ‘next time’ to begin with.”

“Yes…….”

“But if, by some slim chance, something like this happens again, I will save you.”

“…….”

In that moment, Hae-min thought of Song Seol helping him when he had almost been killed by a tiger. That scene, which he had already recalled several times, played back in his mind once more.

“Why is there no answer? Do you not trust me?”

“No. ……It is the opposite.”

He had no choice but to trust him.

He had thought there was no one in this world who would come to save him. But he was wrong. If it were Song Seol, he felt that the man would truly come to save him time and time again, even if he fell into crisis once more.

“Um, then please…… tell them it was an accident. That it was a tragic accident that befell me.”

Words he had secretly wanted to hear. Words he had given up on, thinking, ‘Wish for something more realistic,’ but now he craved them again.

“It was an accident.”

“…….”

“A tragic accident for which you are not at all to blame.”

Tears welled up. Despite having finally stopped crying, it felt as though another flood of tears was about to stolen contentburst forth. Wondering why he was crying when he hadn’t even done anything particularly virtuous, unauthorized copyHae-min clamped his mouth shut. However, the emotions that had surged once had no sign of calming down.

“Ugh…….”

“Moon Hae-min?”

“……Hngh.”

As he burst into sorrowful sobs once again, Song Seol looked slightly flustered. But only for a moment, before he opened his arms.

Normally, he would have declined, but since he was already out of his mind, Hae-min decided to do something a bit more absurd. He approached Song Seol and buried his face in the man’s chest.

The warmth where they touched was cozy. Just like when they had shared their body heat on a cold night in the mountains.

Song Seol wrapped his arms around Hae-min. Instead of pulling him in tightly as if to choke the breath out of him like before, he stroked him gently, as if he might break if touched too hard.

“You must have suffered a great deal all this time.”

Instead of answering, Hae-min wailed loudly. Except for when unauthorized copyhe lost Bok-deong-i, he had never cried like this even as a child, [unauthorized copy]but the tears poured out uncontrollably.

The sense of betrayal from the moment he learned Moon Hee-yul’s true nature, the hopelessness of being imprisoned, and the fear he felt while setting the fire all seemed to rush in at once. And he felt sorry for deceiving Song Seol all this time…….

“I’m, I’m sorry, hic, I’m sorry.”

“Let us talk about that after you’ve finished crying. You’re going to lose your breath.”

“I’m truly sorry…….”

And because Song Seol did not scold him, he felt even more grateful, and the tears flowed even more. In the end, Moon Hae-min gave up on calming down and continued to sob.

When the crying had subsided a bit, Song Seol asked.

“Come to think of it, have you eaten?”

“Ah, I had breakfast…….”

“Which means you skipped lunch and dinner.”

Song Seol called a servant and ordered a meal. As if it had been prepared in advance, a feast soon arrived. The table looked as if its legs might break under the weight.

Despite the abundance of side dishes, Hae-min couldn’t even finish half his bowl of rice. It wasn’t because he had no appetite. It was because the tears hadn’t completely stopped, making it difficult to eat.

“You’ll get indigestion at this rate.”

Unable to watch any longer, Song Seol told him he could stop eating.

Once he put down his spoon, it was time for a bath. With the help of a servant, Hae-min entered the bathtub. Soaking his body in warm water made him feel languid and relaxed.

By the time he finished bathing, his strength was spent, and he was half-asleep. Hae-min somehow made it to his room and lay down in bed. The moment his head touched the pillow, sleep swept over him.

Hae-min slept, and slept, and slept again. He fell into a deep slumber, unaware of the moon setting, the sun rising, and the sun setting once more.

“…….”

It was sunset the following day when his consciousness finally awakened in a daze.

The sunlight stretched long through the paper windows. It was too red to be morning light, and the surroundings were too dark for midday. Hae-min blinked, closing and opening his eyes.

“Are you awake?”

A low voice sounded by his head. Coming fully to his senses, Hae-min quickly tried to sit up. However, his head spun, and he had no choice but to lie back down.

“Do not do that; rest more.”

“……How long did I sleep?”

“All day.”

“A-all day?”

“Yes. Ah, since you fell asleep in the middle of the night and woke up at sunset, it wouldn’t quite be a full day.”

“That long…….”

Not just until midday, but until the sun was dipping below the horizon. He was stunned, as he hadn’t known he would sleep for so long. He felt foolish, but thanks to the sleep, his body felt light.

“……Um, yesterday, I showed you a pathetic side of myself.”

“You did not.”

“I am grateful you say so, but…….”

He hadn’t just cried a little; he had wailed his heart out. Feeling a delayed sense of embarrassment, Hae-min bit his lower lip.

“Your lip.”

“Yes?”

“Do not bite your lip. Your lips are already chapped; you’ll hurt them.”

“……Yes.”

Hae-min fidgeted with the edge of the blanket. After comforting him yesterday, he was now worrying over even the smallest detail. His heart began to thumping wildly for no reason.

“Um, my lord…….”

“Do not walk on eggshells; speak comfortably.”

“……Is the reason you do not scold me because of the promise you made before?”

“Promise?”

“You promised that you would not treat me poorly, regardless of the situation.”

“Ah, that.”

As if only now remembering, Song Seol nodded.

“It is not particularly because of the promise.”

“Then why…….”

Surely he couldn’t be entirely without anger. What he had done was not a light mistake, and above all, had he not been furious in the past? That reason was the biggest factor in his hesitation to return to Song Seol. He feared that the man, having learned all the truth, would be disappointed and turn away from him.

As if reading Moon Hae-min’s thoughts, Song Seol spoke.

“Of course, I was angry at first.”

“…….”

“Especially when I heard the testimony that you were accompanied by a woman.”

“A-a woman? When did I……. Ah! If you are talking about A-jeong…….”

“……A-jeong? Who is that?”

Song Seol’s eyes instantly sharpened. But only for a moment, before he spoke calmly.

“I shall hear the details of that later. Regardless, it is enough that you have returned alive.”

Looking back, the worst moment had been when he thought Hae-min had perished in the fire while shackled. He had almost wished that Hae-min had committed adultery with a woman and run away instead. Both anger and jealousy had vanished, eclipsed by the despair that he might have lost Moon Hae-min.

“You have returned to my side without a single major injury; what more could I ask for?”

This was Song Seol’s sincere feeling, without addition or subtraction. Reflecting on the past when he failed to protect Hae-min, Song Seol repeated it as if making a vow to himself.

“An accident like this will never happen again. I will protect you to ensure it does not.”

Song Seol’s face was resolute. Facing this, Hae-min was touched, yet puzzled.

This situation contradicted his expectations. It was different from his plan. Originally, his ultimate goal was to leave Song Seol…….