Chapter 134 (2/2)

He felt he was so stupid while leaving the palace.

He thought it would be rude to Kyoyoung if he hugged her to forget about Kyosul, no matter how s.e.x.u.a.lly she approached him.

'I'm screwed up…' He reproached himself.

'I can't afford to waste my time playing this kind of emotions game.'

He pulled himself together.

Imperial palace, throne, emperor: he reminded himself of the great cause he had lived with all his life.

***

Bipaan had to harden his expression when he was told that someone came from the Dongbi Palace to visit him. In fact, he inevitably saw Kyosul because of imperial events, but tried to keep his distance from her. But it was not easy for him to give up his affection for her.

It was at this point when he was struggling to forget her when she came back again.

He even thought that she might want to make fun of him after she found out his true feelings about her.

”Long live the Crown Prince! I'm honored to see you. The Crown Princess has not yet come back to her residence!”

The person from the Dongbi Palace was not Kyosul but her nanny.

Given her way of greeting him quickly, she looked very desperate. Obviously, she had been agonizing about this for a long time before coming to see him. She kept wiping sweat on her forehead as if she was very tense.

”What do you mean she didn't come back?”

”She went for a walk around noon…But she hasn't come back yet. I dared to call on you because I was worried something bad might have happened to her.”

'”It's already quite dark outside.”

He looked outside.

He was as nervous and worried as the nanny.

”Call up the Imperial Guards right now.”

He ordered the eunuch and then stood up from his seat.

'I'm afraid she has been hurt while running around in the field.'

He recalled the tomboy image of Woorum, who ran around hills like a rabbit and climbed up and down trees faster than a squirrel. As there were large trees in the palace, he naturally thought that she might have been attracted.

The first place he visited was the library in the East Palace, but the officer in charge of the library said he never saw her. Then he reluctantly looked around all the likely places in the library and the back garden of the outer palace in vain. Coming back with a heavy heart, he arranged a search team of the Imperial Guards.

'She can't go there…'

Suddenly, he called the nanny quietly as if he smelled a rat.

”Let's go to the South Palace.”

”…Pardon?”

The nanny was stunned. Given her reaction, he felt the nanny must know something regarding her disappearance. Pretending to be calm, he issued an order.

”Go to the South Palace and check out where Prince Ruhae is right now.”

The nanny's face turned white. Trembling like a leaf, she moved up and down her dry lips.

”Well, Your Majesty…”

”Hurry up!”

He didn't reveal his feelings. After quickly ordering them to hurry up, he turned away.

He could feel the nanny's glance at him.

Her glance was telling him, 'Do you already know? How did you know? How come…'

But he ignored her desperate glance, and he didn't want to let her know that he also knew something.

There was no update from the Dongbi Palace, and there was no official record on her entrance or exit of the palace.

The nanny sent to the South Palace soon returned. Her face was white and tired. She couldn't easily open her mouth and hesitated for a while.

”Even the South Palace people say they don't know Prince Ruhae's whereabouts.”

On the night, Kyosul disappeared, Ruhae also disappeared. He wiggled one of his eyebrows.

That's what he expected, but confirming it always was a tough thing for him.

”When did she leave the palace?”

”… At noon… . ”

He cast a glance afar, while staying silent.

The search team of the Imperial Guards were out everywhere to find their whereabouts.

Bipaan wanted to protect Kyosul by all means, but things didn't work out as he wished.

'What a tough day it is!'

While standing alone, watching the soldiers on the search with a nervous look, he looked lonely.

The situation surrounding Kyosul's missing unfolded more uncomfortably in Bipaan's eyes.

Unexpectedly, Prince Dukwol and Oran visited him to help with their search efforts.