Chapter 39 (1/2)

“How can I help you, Crown Princess?”

He was putting his trembling hand on her slowly. Slowly, little by little and very slowly he touched her face with his fingertips again.

The moment his hand touched her, tears came from her eyes. He couldn’t figure out whether it was her fever or lovesickness that made her drop tears. And she faintly said, “….jin.”

Her tears, which came out the moment his hand touched her, and her unfinished calling ‘jin’, deeply etched a tear in his mind. Though the name she called was not clear, he sensed clearly whose name it was.

He turned his mouth up slightly, and he stopped tilting his head, which seemed unstable a moment ago. His blurry eyes, reflecting his complicated feelings, became clear now.

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“Got it. That’s enough.”

There was no ambiguity in his short response. Without any pitch, his voice was flat and dull. He wiped her tears with a gentle gesture and turned.

He paused for a moment but never looked back.

Just like he came in quickly, he went out without hesitation.

After he left the room, the nanny came back to her room.

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“Oh my god! How could this kind of thing happen?”

The nanny was still putting her hand on her lips, much embarrassed by what she saw a minute ago. Blinking her eyes, she took turns looking at the empty seat near her bed and the door now closed firmly.

She couldn’t believe that the man had been here only a few minutes ago. Astonished by the fact that he came to see her, she couldn’t take her eyes off the door for a long time.

***

The princes of the four palaces gathered at one place. They were coming out of the main hall of the Central Place. Emperor Ohyulje called them once a week to discuss state affairs.

While each of them was on his way back, Bipaan sensed that somebody was shadowing him when he visited the flower garden of the Central Palace.

“Come out!”

Even without turning around, Bipaan shouted. Someone at a distance approached Bipaan. He was Ruhae.

“What’s the matter with you? How can a prince like you shadow me like a worthless scoundrel?”

Despite Bipaan’s insulting remarks, he didn’t change any facial expression. In fact, he was accustomed to Bipaan’s way of speaking like this.

Bipaan always used to look down on those below him as lowly men. Standing beside him, Ruhae said, “I hear your wife has been sick in bed.”

“I’ve never heard that she is sick. Are you sure?”

As Ruhae mentioned the Crown Princess as just ‘wife,’ Bipaan thought she was his second wife, not Kyosul.

As Bipaan answered with no particular interest, Ruhae bit his lip.

“The woman I’m referring to is the Crown Princess Kyosul.”

“In this strict imperial palace, you had better call her by the right title.”

“Brother Bipaan!”

When Ruhae raised his voice, Bipaan turned his head and looked at him. He was wearing a poker face.

Bipaan’s face was impassive in the past. Still, outsiders could figure out how to interpret his expressions but not now. It was as if Bipaan was elevated to a totally different world.

“How dare you raise your voice before your Crown Prince, brother?”

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His low voice rang with authority. Ruhae shuddered before he knew and clenched his fists.

“Sorry, I was disrespectful to you.”

“As you expressed regret, I will forgive it.”

“Did you go and see the Crown Princes?”

Bipaan looked at Ruhae silently. His dark blue eyes looked pretty gloomy.

“I don’t feel it necessary to respond to such trifling things.”

His voice was calm as usual. Ruhae felt miserable.

Bipaan was like a tree that he could not dare climb or a figure he could not dare challenge. Ruhae even felt his presence beside Bipaan was a disrespectful act itself.

Was Bipaan not a human with a beating heart?