By Zephyria 
Lately, things have become even noisier both inside and outside the palace. The center of this noisy controversy is none other than me, the Grand Imperial Concubine. People engaged in fiery arguments over me. I found those disputes, which took place regardless of my own will, incredibly uncomfortable and unpleasant. Their main point was this: a person from a family that incited a civil war should not remain in the palace as the Emperor’s concubine.
The Prime Minister had prepared a plan to replace the Emperor to seize control of the country and revive an utterly absurd class system of commoners and untouchables. Furthermore, a document was discovered ordering the execution of everyone from the opposing faction if the rebellion succeeded. It was truly appalling. I cannot fathom how he could even think of such a thing…
It was ridiculous enough that he tried to change the country’s Emperor to suit his own tastes, but since he planned and attempted to put such an absurd delusion into action, it is only natural that the arrows are now pointed at me. Moreover, the Prime Minister already had a strong negative image due to his usual extravagance and notorious power trips, so there were no people or media outlets to defend him.
As for me, since my usual conduct had been quiet and without incident, and it was revealed that I had suffered physical and mental abuse from the Prime Minister, there was a significant amount of public sympathy. The officials presented a compromise to the Emperor: since the hardships I endured were severe, if he accepted a divorce, they would let me live quietly without linking me to the Prime Minister’s family.
The statement that they would protect me separately if I parted ways with the Emperor was also a form of pressure on him. They even issued an ultimatum that if their demands were not met, they would have no choice but to demote me to a stripped commoner. The reason they were pressuring the Emperor like this was that Joo Min-hyeok was dragging his feet too much on this issue.
He insisted that he could never let me go, refusing to bend his opinion despite the escalating conflict. An Empress… He is putting me in such an awkward position. There is no history of a child from a family that staged a coup becoming Empress. I don’t know what he’s thinking, considering they would have dragged out even a reigning Empress.
I was exhausted by all of this and just wanted to leave this place quickly. Their words were also correct. One cannot treat the bloodline of a Prime Minister, who planned to seize the country and kill them, as an Empress. Even remaining as a concubine would be an eyesore, let alone being Empress. I refuse that as well.
And I no longer have the confidence to live in physical proximity to Joo Min-hyeok again. Every time I see him, the feeling of betrayal for using me, the anger that he pretended not to notice while I was being beaten, and the memory of my miscarriage will come flooding back. I do not want to live such a hellish life. I wanted to accept the ministers’ proposal, divorce, step down, and live quietly.
∗ ∗ ∗
Infuriated by something, Min-hyeok slammed the desk and stood up.
“Say that again. Do what, exactly? Put the Grand Imperial Concubine on trial?”
“…If you do not bend your will, we have no other choice.”
“On what charges would you put the Palace Lord on trial?”
Along with a low voice suppressing rage, a small tremor appeared at the corner of Min-hyeok’s mouth.
“There are many justifications, Your Majesty. He is a member of the Prime Minister’s family. The easiest way would be to launch an investigation into whether the Grand Imperial Concubine truly knew that the Prime Minister was plotting treason.”
“What?”
Min-hyeok looked around at the people surrounding him, whose words and actions bordered on threats.
“Your Majesty. Currently, the Palace Lord’s position is also very difficult. Above all, we heard that the user himself has requested a divorce and has stopped eating. You must consider the user’s health.”
Min-hyeok let out a hollow laugh as he looked at the face of the person who was stubbornly asserting their opinion while pretending to worry about Hae-joo.
“Worrying about his health? I don’t think you are actually worried about the Palace Lord’s health.”
“I am speaking out of sincere concern. His body is already frail from the Prime Minister’s beatings, and he even suffered a miscarriage. It is only natural to be worried when he is not eating properly in such a worst-case state. Above all, since his heart is uneasy, there is no way his health will recover.”
“Your Majesty must take a step back. In a situation where he should be stepping down from the position of Grand Imperial Concubine, will the situation be resolved if you push for the position of Empress?”
“The Grand Imperial Concubine looks to be in very poor health; I am worried that something even worse might happen. If you truly care for the user, Your Majesty must yield.”
Min-hyeok burst into laughter as he watched the officials relentlessly cornering him. Until now, despite his young age, he had worked tirelessly on state affairs for the sake of the country and its people. He thought of the country and the people before himself and granted all their requests.
Yet, what returned to him was interference: You yield, let go of the Grand Imperial Concubine, if you don’t want him to live as a criminal, divorce him and let him go. Perhaps Min-hyeok had taken things too lightly. But it felt cruel that not a single person was on his side.
Hae-joo, whom he had just visited, still rejected Min-hyeok. He refused to talk or even look at him, spending the entire day lying helplessly, just letting time pass. That was why Min-hyeok was also plagued with worries. Was this truly for Hae-joo’s own good?
Hae-joo grew thinner and more lethargic by the day. Because he didn’t eat, didn’t exercise, and didn’t take his medicine properly, his already weak body only grew weaker. A fear even emerged that he might actually die at this rate.
Min-hyeok hadn’t known that his misjudgment would leave such a deep wound on Hae-joo. He thought it was the right thing to do at the time… If they had only talked and discussed it, perhaps things wouldn’t have reached this point. Feeling exhausted, Min-hyeok rubbed his face a few times and leaned back against the sofa.
“Your Majesty.”
“…What. I want to rest for a bit.”
“Please have some tea first.”
Sang-seon brought warm tea and checked Min-hyeok’s complexion. He looked more tired now than he had during the process of discovering the Prime Minister’s treason and preparing for it, or even when he had suppressed the Prime Minister. Min-hyeok, who had such great stamina that he had never shown signs of exhaustion, was appearing this worn out for the first time, even to Yul.
“You also think it’s right for me to step back, don’t you?”
Though he couldn’t answer, it was evident that he thought so. Min-hyeok’s demand for an Empress was indeed excessive given the timing.
“Looking at the Grand Imperial Concubine’s usual conduct, I believe he is suitable to be Empress. However.”
“However, the Prime Minister ruined everything. That man was useless from start to finish. I should have just killed him then.”
He should have killed him the moment he lost his mind seeing Hae-joo being beaten. What was so important about a decisive confession admitting to the civil war that he had to stand by and watch Hae-joo be covered in blood? Min-hyeok let out a long sigh with his eyes closed.
“…I can’t be without Hae-joo. I can’t let him go. But if I don’t let him go, I feel like Hae-joo will die. I don’t know what to do.”
“Right now, no matter what you say, it won’t sound sincere.”
“Then what do you want me to do?”
Min-hyeok slowly lowered his head and opened his eyes. The gaze that had always shone with intelligence was now lifeless, as if dead. A person must originally take responsibility for their own actions. That is how everything in the world works. Nothing is free, and nothing just passes over. No matter the timing or the form, one must eventually take responsibility. Though he said he didn’t know, Min-hyeok knew this well.
“I’ve heard that parents and children, or siblings, often get along better when they live apart than when they live together.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“For now, take a step back and let the user go.”
Min-hyeok’s pupils dilated at Yul’s words. He wanted to refuse, to say no, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak.
“You both need time to think while apart. When people are pushed too hard, they become more twisted and start to rebel.”
“I can’t. If I let him go like that, and he leaves completely, what am I supposed to do?”
“It is because of that impatient heart that you are ruining things. It’s a miracle the user is even functioning right now. On top of the assault and the miscarriage, everyone is now telling him to leave; if he stays here any longer, he really will die.”
As Yul said, Hae-joo’s condition was abysmal. His health was terrible, and due to stress, he wouldn’t eat or take medicine. He rejected Min-hyeok and had lost his smile. Saving Hae-joo was more urgent than the greed right in front of his eyes.
“If we’re going to be apart, should I just lock him up somewhere? If he recovers while staying somewhere where I am not…”
“Lock him up… Have you gone mad? Do that if you want to meet a complete catastrophe. Do you think anything other than a literal end will happen if you do that? If you want to live your whole life being shunned, that method isn’t bad.”
Yul looked at Min-hyeok with a disgusted expression and a tone that asked if he had truly lost his mind. In truth, it wasn’t just a random thought. There was a degree of sincerity mixed in. He had often thought such things lately. Should I kidnap Hae-joo and hide him? But as Yul said, that would be a catastrophe.
“Your Majesty, public sentiment is already volatile; if you appoint the user as Empress, the situation could worsen. Since the public sympathy is strong, it would be a better direction to step back and plan for the future.”
“There’s also the opinion that I should divorce him but keep him by my side. They say they understand the heart that cannot discard him. They say as long as he isn’t Empress, it’s fine. Do you know what that means? They want to find an Empress from their own families to build their own power base. I absolutely cannot stand that.”
The situation had come where he had to make another deal with the officials. He would have to nail down that he would do as they wanted, but they must grant what he wanted in return. Otherwise, there would be no parting with the Grand Imperial Concubine.
In Min-hyeok’s life, there are no other concubines or Empresses. He had to make that clear so that no problems would arise when he brought Hae-joo back later. Min-hyeok could not lose Hae-joo. That was why he was letting him go for a while.
If this state continued, Hae-joo’s heart would leave completely. Rather than that, he had to give him room to breathe so that his heart wouldn’t end. He would never let him out of his sight, so he only hoped that the separation would not take long.