By Zephyria 
“Wow! This is amazing.”
Since they said it was a hot spring, I had imagined it as just some water pooling in an outdoor bath, but perhaps because it was a hotel spa, it was completely different from what I had imagined. It looked like a well-made swimming pool. In my previous life, I had actually never been to a hot spring. And in this life, I had only visited a few traditional Japanese onsens.
This was my first time in Korea. I might have looked a bit naive, but I couldn’t hide how happy I was. There were several different types of baths divided within the large space, so each one felt different, and it was fun to choose which one to enter based on the temperature.
Where is the outdoor bath? Hot springs are all about the outdoors. Just as I was looking around and about to run toward the outdoor bath, Joo Min-hyeok grabbed my arm.
“Don’t run, Palace Lord. It’s slippery, and it’ll be a disaster if you fall.”
Joo Min-hyeok pulled the excited me into the nearest bath. The characteristic scent of hot spring water wafted through the air, and a warm sensation began to circulate through my entire body. However, I couldn’t quite relax into this pleasant warmth.
It was all because of this man, Joo Min-hyeok. Because Joo Min-hyeok was sitting next to me, leaning his head back with a wet towel on his forehead like some middle-aged man. Why is he completely naked? Isn’t this a place where you’re supposed to wear swimwear? I carefully looked around, worried that someone might walk in.
“What’s wrong? Is the water too hot? Why are you so restless?”
Because I was moving so obviously, Joo Min-hyeok lifted his head and looked at me. Perhaps because people always pampered him, he seemed unable to discern what was wrong with the current situation. I leaned in and whispered in his ear.
“Excuse me, Your Majesty! You have to wear a swimsuit here! What are you doing walking around like that? What if someone sees you?”
“A swimsuit? Why?”
“I mean, you’re not wearing anything right now!”
“Who wears clothes like that when they come to a bathhouse?”
Joo Min-hyeok flicked the top of my rash guard, the corners of his mouth curling up. It seemed he found it amusing to tease me.
“This isn’t just a bathhouse, it’s a hot spring! They said swimwear is required. What if someone sees you?”
Good grief, I can’t deal with him. He’s acting exactly like an Emperor. He’s making it so obvious that this is his first time at a public hot spring. Is it because we arrived so early that there’s no one here? Not only is this not an Imperial-exclusive hot spring, but it’s also a co-ed facility; my heart was pounding with anxiety that someone might come along and report Joo Min-hyeok as a pervert.
“Is that why you were so busy turning your head like a meerkat? Palace Lord, are you going to make it this obvious that you’ve never traveled like this?”
“What?”
Joo Min-hyeok turned his body and moved close to me. Uh, uh, what’s he doing? I flinched, startled by Joo Min-hyeok suddenly closing the distance. His handsome, mischievous face was damp with water, making him look like a scene from a commercial.
“Grand Imperial Concubine, have you forgotten what kind of people you and I are?”
“Wha—what?”
Suddenly, Joo Min-hyeok began to lightly touch my bangs, which weren’t yet wet. The sound of water dripping from his body echoed loudly in the space. My body froze at his sudden skinship. What is he doing here, at a place for scrubbing off dead skin?
The sound of my heart beating became excessively loud. I worried about what would happen if Joo Min-hyeok heard it. The fingertips of Joo Min-hyeok, which had been touching my hair, lightly brushed along the line of my face. It tickled.
“I am the Emperor of this country and you are my Palace Lord; who could possibly enter this place while we are here? That would be a disaster. I can’t just show the Emperor’s body to anyone, can I?”
“Pardon?”
“It means no one can enter here until tomorrow.”
Ah, what? That’s how it is? Even so, he shouldn’t be stripped bare like this. Thinking of my concerns…
“E-even so, being completely naked like this…”
“I’m not naked.”
“What? But—ack!”
Before I could finish my sentence, Joo Min-hyeok bolted upright in the bath. Regardless of my will, I closed my eyes and turned my head to protect my sight from the unsightly image I was about to see.
“I told you I’m not naked.”
I slowly opened my eyes at Joo Min-hyeok’s voice, which sounded completely nonchalant. Then, I saw Joo Min-hyeok wearing black shorts. They were a bit short, but he was indeed wearing pants.
“Now that you’ve confirmed it, are you satisfied?”
“Ah… yes. Why didn’t I see them before?”
“I guess it’s because I had them wrapped around my waist. The Grand Imperial Concubine just came wrapped up too tightly. Especially since you’re here with your husband… By the way, Grand Imperial Concubine, are you disappointed? Why do you have that look on your face?”
Do you want me to be disappointed? It’s because nothing much has happened with this husband. Honestly, he’s subtly good at teasing people and speaks harshly. He probably played this prank knowing full well I’d be surprised.
Ugh, seriously. Having sat back down, Joo Min-hyeok couldn’t easily calm his burst of laughter, finding something incredibly funny.
“…I’m going to that bath over there.”
“Let’s go together.”
Joo Min-hyeok followed me with a bright smile. He was smiling more radiantly than when he had looked at Yeong-hwa Palace.
∗ ∗ ∗
“Grand Imperial Concubine, let’s step out for a moment. You’ve been in the bath too long. It’ll be a problem if your fever rises again.”
Joo Min-hyeok lifted me up as I floated in the outdoor bath and handed me a drink filled with ice.
“Can’t I stay just a little longer?”
“Let’s rest for a bit and then go back in.”
Joo Min-hyeok coaxed me out of the bath in a soft voice. I really had been in there for a long time. Though I had stepped out a few times in between. My body felt incredibly languid, but drinking something cold snapped me back to alertness.
“Shall we eat and then come back?”
But aren’t we sticking too close? Joo Min-hyeok naturally hugged me to support me, and I leaned against his firm body without much resistance. Why is Joo Min-hyeok clinging to me like this? No, wait, I’m the one clinging to his body.
Does Joo Min-hyeok not dislike it? Given the circumstances, he might be acting nice to some extent to use me, but these actions don’t feel as artificial as I expected.
Come to think of it, I don’t know what Joo Min-hyeok’s thoughts were in the novel I read. Back then, the story wasn’t told from the Emperor’s perspective. I knew the author planned to release a side story from the Emperor’s point of view, but I died before I could read it, so there was no way to confirm the Emperor’s heart.
‘The most favored Grand Imperial Concubine. The Emperor favored him greatly and forgave him no matter what he did.’ Sentences like this appeared repeatedly in the novel. If so, perhaps the Emperor truly cherished the Grand Imperial Concubine?
Although the Grand Imperial Concubine and his family were at the center of a certain incident he was embroiled in, he might have actually favored him sincerely despite that. In the end, Yeong-hwa Palace won his heart, but I could dare to infer that he might have loved him in his own way before then.
Anyway, since his true love was Yeong-hwa Palace, such speculation is useless. These thoughts only serve to dampen my mood. Still, I’m curious. What are Joo Min-hyeok’s current feelings?
Is he enduring me and taking care of me because he pities me—someone who was beaten by his grandfather and cursed at by the Queen Dowager—despite me being the bloodline of the Prime Minister whom he loathes, or is there some shred of affection?
Seeing him give me gifts and take care of me when I’m sick, it doesn’t seem like he hates me that much, but what on earth are you thinking, Joo Min-hyeok? Even now, as you personally dry my hair, what do you intend to do with me?
And what do I think of the Emperor? Why don’t I dislike being close to him? I was scared that my thought of wanting to avoid him entirely, set him up with Yeong-hwa Palace, and just preserve my own life was gradually changing. I was afraid my heart would become like the one in the novel.
∗ ∗ ∗
“You’ve had a look on your face like you have something to say for a while now. It was amusing because you kept that expression throughout the entire meal.”
After eating a late lunch and finishing off with ice cream for dessert, Joo Min-hyeok asked me inside the elevator returning to the hotel room. Having my thoughts exposed, I couldn’t control my facial muscles and just curled the corners of my mouth into a bizarre expression.
Seeing me like that, he let out another chuckle. Strange. Why has he been smiling so much lately? Why is he smiling at me so often? He used to only curl the corners of his mouth.
“If you have nothing to say, I will. I bought a pretty house in the countryside in the Palace Lord’s name. I wanted to go on a trip, but I prepared it so you can go there and rest when it’s not feasible otherwise.”
“What?”
What, what? A house in the countryside? In my name? I was speechless at Joo Min-hyeok’s unexpected gift attack.
“Let’s plant a few fruit trees and some flowers there. It’s currently under construction to keep the bugs out, so let’s visit together once it’s completed. If conditions allow, let’s try raising a real cat too.”
…Uh, this is cheating. I wish Joo Min-hyeok would be indifferent to me. Because if I give him my heart, it will become a very difficult situation. A person who has been mistreated every day becomes moved by even a small act of kindness. If Joo Min-hyeok targeted that part of me, I want to praise him for succeeding.
“Why are you crying again? It’s a problem that you keep crying. Are you crying because you’re so happy? It’s quite awkward when you cry while releasing pheromones.”
For someone who says it’s awkward, Joo Min-hyeok is smiling quite satisfactorily. And your pheromones are no joke either, you know. It seems Joo Min-hyeok was determined to seduce me today, and I suppose I want to pretend to fall for his obvious intentions.
Since his effort is commendable, I’ll pretend to give in. While the relationship has tended to progress too rapidly, this is strictly me playing along with his lead. Right. Let’s just say my body was loosened up from the hot spring and the pheromones had an effect.
I moved closer to the face of Joo Min-hyeok as he wiped away my tears, and Joo Min-hyeok did not reject me, embracing me as if he had been waiting.