By Zephyria 
It has been a week since Joo Min-hyeok left for the United States. It was only last week that we went to the amusement park, but strangely, it feels like an eternity ago. While there are no complicated issues, since both Joo Min-hyeok and the Queen Dowager are gone, I am currently the highest-ranking person in Korea. Consequently, I’ve been spending a quite busy time.
Had I been relying on Joo Min-hyeok more than I thought? It feels as though the weather has grown significantly colder since he left. December is naturally cold by season, but it felt as if the perceived temperature had plummeted. Joo Min-hyeok informed the public of his absence before departing for the U.S.
There was no detailed mention of what the matter was, but the fact that it wasn’t a vacation fueled the public’s curiosity. And my own curiosity grew as well. What is Joo Min-hyeok doing right now? In truth, I haven’t heard from him since our phone call the day before yesterday.
Of course, I know he must be frantic since he left due to the Queen Dowager’s illness, but I wanted to know how the situation was unfolding. What was wrong, and how long would the treatment take? Since that last call, checking my phone has become a habit.
“Sigh… it takes time for the tests to be done and the results to come out, so I should wait a bit longer.”
However, the palace is eerily quiet. It wasn’t as if Joo Min-hyeok had taken other attendants with him, yet it was silent. Even without Joo Min-hyeok, the numerous affairs of the palace continued to run without stopping, so the people who always worked should still be there; it’s just a feeling I have.
“I wish he’d come back soon.”
“Who? His Majesty?”
“Yeah… I’m just feeling anxious for some reason.”
“What’s this? Separation anxiety? What is there to be anxious about? Security is tighter than ever, and everything is stable.”
When I showed my anxiety, Hyun-wook laughed, asking if I had separation anxiety. But I couldn’t bring myself to laugh, as if admitting it. Something just feels strange. The air inside the palace felt stiff and rigid, as if charged with tension.
“…What about Seo-joo? Is he still doing well?”
“Yeah. Same as usual. Why, do you miss him?”
“I always miss him. But I can’t leave my post right now. Why does my chest feel so tight?”
Yes. My chest feels tight, and I feel as if something is weighing me down. Perhaps it’s because Han-bin hyung is strangely unreachable and Joo Min-hyeok is gone. How did the past version of me have the heart to send Joo Min-hyeok to the Movie Palace? I’m this restless just because he’s not by my side…
“Hyun-wook. Everything is really okay right now, right? I mean my grandfather. Isn’t he busy acting as the Imperial Regent while His Majesty is away? Why isn’t he visiting the palace?”
“His Majesty said he would handle the business cleanly before leaving. I nearly died because of that. He also said he’d hold video conferences. This isn’t the old days; the state affairs don’t paralyze just because the Emperor is absent.”
“Right… I suppose so.”
He told me he wouldn’t be gone long. Fifteen days. He said fifteen days at most. Even if there was a reason to depart again, he said he would return first. And perhaps because I was stressed, I felt that stinging pain in my abdomen again.
I was fine, but it’s happening again? I guess this really is psychosomatic.
Furthermore, Hyun-wook told me that before leaving for the U.S., Joo Min-hyeok had ordered him not to leave my side and to attack without a second thought if there was anyone suspicious. Thus, Hyun-wook did not leave my side for a single moment.
There are many rooms, so he could have rested comfortably anywhere, but he insisted on sleeping on the sofa in front of my bedroom. I tried to dissuade him, saying it was uncomfortable, but he was so stubborn that he wouldn’t listen. And that day, too, there was no contact from Joo Min-hyeok.
[How is the Queen Mother? She isn’t very ill, is she? I’m contacting you because I’m worried.]
Since I didn’t know the situation over there, I didn’t call, fearing I might disturb their rest. Still, since the person who always contacted me in the evening had given no news, I sent a text first. I fell asleep with my phone beside me, not knowing when a reply would come, but Joo Min-hyeok did not answer the text.
Perhaps because of that, I tossed and turned that night and even had a strange dream. I don’t remember it clearly, but it was a deeply distressing dream. My anxious psyche likely manifested in that way. The wind, the air, the atmosphere inside the palace—everything was subtly different. I don’t know how to describe it, but it was just… like that.
And whether by chance or fate, my anxiety soon manifested in a visible form. It was the eighth day since Joo Min-hyeok had left the palace for the U.S. My grandfather, who had been nowhere to be seen, finally appeared. And he wasn’t alone; he was with his familiar political faction.
The way he strode into the palace with such triumph was strange. He said he was sick, but it seemed that wasn’t the case. His complexion was better than ever, and the robust physique characteristic of an Alpha created an even greater sense of intimidation. At my grandfather’s appearance, Hyun-wook pressed close to my side, and the security personnel around me also closed in tighter.
And finally, my grandfather arrived right in front of me. He showed me courtesy and bowed his head. I frowned at his obedient demeanor but did not let it show. I bowed my head in return to his greeting. It had been a very long time since I had seen my grandfather.
After being humiliated by the Emperor, he had been stripped of all authority to approach me. The fact that he had come to me must have been possible only because the Emperor was absent. I stared at my grandfather in silence.
“It has been a long time, Grand Imperial Concubine user. I have heard rumors and am well aware of the golden love between His Majesty and the user. News has reached my ears as well.”
“…Is that so?”
“Isn’t it truly a relief that your Omega Pheromones are being produced normally?”
“Yes. I think so too.”
In a conversation devoid of substance, my grandfather and I probed one another. I wondered what he was thinking and how on earth his entry into the palace and visit to my quarters had come about.
“I cannot tell you how proud I am that you have successfully completed the first night as well.”
Proud? There’s no way.
“In truth, my insides were twisting with resentment, and I couldn’t sleep. I even fell ill. It would be stranger if I felt nothing after having both my grandsons snatched away by the Emperor at once. Is that not so?”
“They weren’t snatched away; they returned to where they belong. My brother returned to the military, and I simply went to my Alpha.”
At my calm answer, he twisted his mouth wide and let out a sneer. It was an expression that anyone could recognize as mockery. Does he really want to act this childishly toward a young grandson?
“How triumphant you are. Do you believe you are loved by the Emperor?”
Then is it that I’m hated? That’s not it. Well, I’m sure that’s what you want.
“Do you think that fox-like Emperor would love you just because you’ve gone mad?”
Hyun-wook tried to protest the Prime Minister’s informal speech, but I stopped him. This man is not someone Hyun-wook can handle. First, I had to discern his intentions.
“Then, Grandfather, what do you think of His Majesty’s actions?”
“Well. But this much is certain. There is no way the Emperor loves you, my grandson. Child, you are of my blood. My blood, which the Emperor hates more than anyone else’s.”
“The person His Majesty hates is you, Grandfather, not me, so that emotion has nothing to do with me.”
I didn’t even blink at my grandfather’s attempt to drive a wedge. I have seen the side of Joo Min-hyeok. Ever since Joo Min-hyeok helped me and took my hand, I could find no hypocrisy in his eyes. He was always sincere. But as if to mock my thoughts, my grandfather burst into loud laughter.
“This is why you are naive. It seems you’ve fallen for the affection of sharing a bed and mixing bodies. You see, a creature called an Alpha… if they are drawn to an Omega’s pheromones, they can embrace an Omega they do not love. Being an Alpha, I know this better than anyone. ‘I am different. I am not such a being’—other Omegas must have thought that too.”
“Are you resorting to this method now? You’re doing this on purpose because you know I’ve grown close to His Majesty.”
“It is not on purpose; I am telling you the reality. Foolish thing. Do you really think he poured out all his sincerity to you? Absolutely not. So, do not regret it and think carefully again. Whether you will return to me, who will hold your hand, or whether you will be abandoned by the Emperor and become a wretch with nowhere to go.”
Why is this man suddenly visiting and saying such things? I maintained a composed expression because I didn’t want to show it, but my hands trembled with anxiety. If Hyun-wook hadn’t been by my side, I might have collapsed.
Looking at me with satisfaction, my grandfather turned and walked a few steps, then stopped and looked back at me as if remembering something. And I know that expression. The face of someone who knows the answer but won’t tell me, just testing the waters and probing.
“I wonder if the Emperor will even be able to abandon you.”
“…What is this reckless talk?”
“Whether it is reckless or not remains to be seen. The Emperor must be alive to either abandon you or not.”
“What did you say?”
Has that old man gone mad? That man definitely knows something right now. I bit my trembling lips hard and thought of Joo Min-hyeok, who hadn’t contacted me for days. Goosebumps rose down my spine.
“I said he must be alive to either embrace you or abandon you. Your life is going to be quite pitiful.”
He said only that and closed his mouth with a smile, as if he had no intention of saying more. He had an expression as if he had finally released the grudges he had accumulated. Why is he shaking a person up with such words?
Watching until my grandfather disappeared from sight, I thought of my brother along with Joo Min-hyeok. What happened to my brother? And Joo Min-hyeok? I was anxious and afraid. I knew that the current situation was somehow strange.