By Zephyria 
I know this face. The eyes aren’t smiling, but the corners of the mouth are turned up—something’s bothering him right now, isn’t it?
“What do you mean about it being the first time? Tell me what you were thinking. I’m fine.”
The hand draped over my shoulder touched the skin where his lips had lingered moments ago. As Joo Min-hyeok’s fingers rubbed the nape of my neck, goosebumps rose on my skin, and I instinctively shrank my neck back. But Joo Min-hyeok didn’t mind.
“I didn’t say it to make Your Majesty feel bad…”
“I’m not offended at all. So feel free to speak comfortably.”
I think he is offended. How am I supposed to speak comfortably when he’s like this!
“You said it earlier. That it was Your Majesty’s first time too. If you’ve never done this before, both Alphas and Omegas can get nervous, and since you wouldn’t know the method… Ah, was that a lie? Then again, for a high-spirited Dominant Alpha to have stayed… until now…”
“…Stayed what?”
Joo Min-hyeok’s speech slowed, and the corners of his mouth curved upward even more. Ah, that’s the look he gets when he’s annoyed. Realizing it was better to shut up, I stopped talking with a smile, but Joo Min-hyeok was relentless.
“What about a high-spirited Dominant Alpha until now? Being high-spirited doesn’t make me a beast. Are you speculating that I would have embraced other Omegas simply because I couldn’t control that one urge? Does the Palace Lord want to make me out to be some kind of dog?”
That’s not what I meant.
“Let me be clear: I have never met any other Omega. I have no intention of meeting Omegas who might have done who-knows-what with who-knows-who, nor have I ever thought about it. Do you understand, Grand Imperial Concubine? I have no intention of doing so in the future, either. I am not the kind of person who embraces just anyone because I cannot govern a single desire.”
He seemed quite offended, as Joo Min-hyeok looked at me, emphasizing every word. I just couldn’t believe that such a wonderful Alpha—a Dominant one and the Emperor, no less—had never been involved with anyone until now. After all, we had only maintained a legal relationship until this point.
“You’re so popular, so I just wondered. I’m sorry. Still, if it is your first time, theory and practice are completely different, so it’s natural to feel a sudden surge of fear. Dominant Alphas are human too… In that situation, I wanted us to discuss it together and do our best.”
Joo Min-hyeok just stared blankly at me as I rambled. Again, his eyes weren’t smiling, only the corners of his mouth were turned up. Those corners are going to reach his ears. A chilly silence lingered for a few seconds before Joo Min-hyeok finally spoke.
“You really know how to prick my pride. Discuss what together? From what I saw earlier, you didn’t seem to have the luxury for that. Things like this are instinctive, so you can just leave it to the Alpha. It’s a shame you didn’t have a fever today; otherwise, you wouldn’t have been able to get up from here.”
“…Is that so?”
“The Grand Imperial Concubine should focus on taking care of his health. Now that we’ve broken the ice today, the second time will be easier. Be well-prepared, because I won’t be able to stop then. I’ll make you realize that you’ve made a slip of the tongue. Looking forward to it?”
Ugh, I hate that confidence. Just you wait. Every word Joo Min-hyeok spoke sounded sincere, and it felt like he would actually do it. Then, what am I supposed to prepare?
By the way, why are we having such provocative conversations? Not long ago, we were in a relationship where we lived as strangers, not even knowing if the other was dead or alive. Just as there are no friends between a man and a woman, it’s the same between an Alpha and an Omega. Joo Min-hyeok laid me down and pulled the blanket up to my chest.
“Sleep for now. Once your fever drops, shall we go out for a bit tomorrow? It would be a waste to just leave. I suppose the fever was God’s will, telling us to at least do some short sightseeing.”
At the word ‘sightseeing,’ my simple mind made my eyes sparkle. Since I’m already here, I have to try the water rice cake skewers, right? I heard they’re very famous. As I stared wide-eyed, planning for tomorrow, Joo Min-hyeok covered my eyes with his palm.
“Go to sleep quickly and let’s wake up tomorrow.”
Right. I worked hard playing today. It’s no wonder I have a fever. There was contact that made me wonder if it was okay to move past it so naturally, but since it didn’t feel bad, I should let it go. If I don’t, it’ll just be awkward. Perhaps thanks to Joo Min-hyeok’s palm, I naturally closed my eyes and slowly began to feel sleepy.
Come to think of it, there was only one bed earlier. Am I sleeping in the same bed as Joo Min-hyeok today? I have very bad sleeping habits. I move around a lot even when I’m sick, so it’ll be uncomfortable for him. Worrying about Joo Min-hyeok waking up because he got kicked by my foot, I fell completely asleep.
∗ ∗ ∗
After showering, Min-hyeok checked on the sleeping Hae-joo. Since his fever had risen a moment ago, he had given him an antipyretic and put him back to sleep. The redness from the fever had subsided considerably, and the cold sweat had dried.
“I knew it when you were floating in the open-air bath.”
The reason Min-hyeok, who had been about to tell him to get out, kept his mouth shut was simple. Seeing Hae-joo lying in the open-air bath, quietly gazing at the sky, he didn’t want to disturb him.
He didn’t know if Hae-joo was thinking deeply about something or simply admiring the sky, but he had been lost in his own thoughts.
And that sight looked so peaceful. He didn’t want to interrupt that time where he seemed to be taking a full breath of relief, away from a reality that always strangled him. That consideration had brought about this result.
Even for someone frail, he wasn’t just normally frail; he needed some kind of treatment. He decided he should get him a health check-up and prepare necessary medicine or herbal tonics. He couldn’t even fathom how difficult it must have been for Hae-joo to endure all sorts of hardships from the Prime Minister with a body like this. He felt that he must take good care of Hae-joo now.
“I was the one who found it harder to endure and felt more regret earlier. You don’t even know that…”
He knew that at some point, the gaze of indifference and wariness toward him had changed to favor. Hae-joo had unconsciously lowered his guard toward Min-hyeok, who had helped him. Min-hyeok could tell. So when he pulled him in, Hae-joo had hesitantly approached.
However, he hadn’t expected Hae-joo to initiate the kiss. When Hae-joo’s pheromones, which felt like they could drive him crazy with pleasure, filled the air, Min-hyeok lost his reason. This time, Hae-joo was lucid and didn’t seem to dislike it, so he tried to embrace him fully, but the fever caused trouble again.
Through this incident, Min-hyeok realized how great a possessiveness he harbored for his Omega. He thought he would never have such feelings for Hae-joo, but as they grew close rapidly, he realized that thought was a complete miscalculation. He wanted Hae-joo more strongly than anyone.
It was almost laughable how easily he fell for Hae-joo. Well, at the time, he didn’t have the mental capacity to think about that. Min-hyeok gently touched the nape of Hae-joo’s neck. If this is visible, other Alphas won’t even think about approaching, right?
The young cousin, that Beta who had recently become close, that crazy Dominant Omega, and the person named Seo-joo who he didn’t know—none of them would be able to approach the Grand Imperial Concubine.
Or should I give him a pheromone shower to mark him as mine, like marking territory? Then they wouldn’t dare ask for Hae-joo.
Just as Min-hyeok released his pheromones and looked at Hae-joo, the phone on the table vibrated. Fearing that the sleeping Hae-joo might wake up, Min-hyeok quickly stood up and picked up the phone. After checking the name on the screen, Min-hyeok looked back at Hae-joo once, then stepped out into the living room and pressed the call button.
“Yes. How did it go? Did they make contact?”
Your Majesty, the Prime Minister has just arrived in New Zealand and is on his way to meet them. He is extremely wary of his surroundings; he’s being unusually cautious.
“Of course he would be. To prepare a rebellion to change the throne, he must have at least that much caution and diligence. You must absolutely not encounter him there. No matter what. You only went there to gather evidence of what the Prime Minister’s side is doing. Just make sure the evidence is solid. Understood?”
Yes, Your Majesty. Our people who have already infiltrated as servants have gathered quite a bit of data. We will connect to the interior via pre-installed cameras. I will ensure there are no mistakes.
The Prime Minister is preparing a rebellion. The person he is going to meet now is one of the descendants of his great-grandfather’s younger brother, who had been living quietly. He didn’t know for what reason the man had been chosen by the Prime Minister, but if the man made the wrong choice here and coveted the throne, they would all die.
Min-hyeok was different from the Late Emperor, who had been generous and soft-hearted. He knew that the best way to deal with those who challenged the Emperor’s authority and crossed the line was to nip them in the bud. However, he was agonizing over what dangers might arise for the Grand Imperial Concubine in that process.
One thing was certain: the moment the Grand Imperial Concubine was separated from Min-hyeok’s family register—that is, the Imperial Family—and returned as the Prime Minister’s grandson, he would be unable to avoid death. Therefore, no matter what, Hae-joo must remain Min-hyeok’s spouse. Thus, he had to deceive Hae-joo’s eyes as well. Without him knowing a thing.