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Why had the king left his fine quarters behind to come here and behave like this?
It was late at night. Yet the king suddenly appeared with General Hunmu and walked in without a single word. A table of drinks was brought in, and after pouring me a glass, he began downing one drink after another.
I was surprised by General Hunmu’s unexpected presence, but even more startled by the king’s choice to come all the way here just to drink.
Although there were quite a few exquisite side dishes, he drank without even touching them, and I couldn’t even raise my cup, afraid that my body might come even a little closer to his.
“Can’t you drink?”
“...I cannot hold my liquor well.”
I answered quickly, hoping it might lessen the intensity of his gaze, but the king soon set down his cup and looked at me in silence.
At that moment, with the court ladies outside and even General Hunmu present today, I was overwhelmed with worry that the rough handling from a few days ago in this place might happen again.
"You said there is no king where you live, right?"
“…Yes…”
“Then I suppose there’s no need to kill one’s own son just to claim the throne.”
“Pardon…?”
The king soon held out a cup of liquor to me as if to offer it directly. Fearing that refusing to drink what the king had offered would be a grave offence, I had no choice but to drink the liquor, which tasted similar to the cheongju [1] that I had only tasted during ancestral rites.
I didn’t fully understand what the king meant, but even from the little history I had learned, there had been many eras where blood was shed for the sake of power. Had he also killed many to claim this throne?
The bitter, unpleasant liquor slid down my throat, leaving a spreading warmth in my chest.
“Tell me about yourself.”
“...”
“Even if it’s a trivial story, I will listen today.”
I neither wanted to speak nor needed him to listen, but the king turned his head and fixed those pitch-black eyes on me. Still, it seemed better to talk than to be suddenly attacked or have the candle blown out, so I tried to think of something I could say.
"Where I live, everyone has the opportunity to study. This means that children of all backgrounds can learn without discrimination. From the age of eight, we enter a place much like a seodang [2], to begin our studies. Even before I ended up in this world, I had been continuing my education."
“...”
“In my country, there are many different exams similar to the Gwageo [3] exam seen here. I was preparing for one of those exams.”
“You wanted to take a government position, too? Even though you’re a woman?”
“…Broadly speaking, yes. In the place where I live, there is less gender discrimination, so women can also attain government positions.”
“What a strange place. A woman taking the Gwageo exam and rising to a government position.”
Well, given the rigid, traditional education the king received from childhood, he would likely think that way. Even when trying to explain, I recalled how my grandmother, who still held onto the preference for sons, would have reacted, and I slightly lowered my head as if in agreement.
“Do the people there have hair like yours?”
“Ah… this hair colour is dyed.”
“Dyed?”
“Yes, it’s like dyeing fabric. Chemicals are used to change the colour.”
“Why change it to that strange colour?”
"...Where I live, it's for beauty... I mean, to dress up and look stylish..."
“Ha. You mean you changed your hair colour to look pretty?”
The king burst out laughing loudly. Since he had always seemed so emotionless and intimidating, I stared back with wide eyes, watching as he examined my hair colour once again, almost as if seeing it for the first time.
“Once hair is dyed, it doesn’t return to its original colour, but the new growth at the roots remains naturally black.”
“Since you came from another era, do you know anything about me?”
“Pardon? ...?”
“Oh, I haven’t told you yet. My name is Hae Neuru.”
Hae Neuru. Although I had studied history diligently, it was the first time I had ever heard the name of this king.
In truth, although this place used the language I spoke and people wore hanbok, I couldn’t be certain that I had truly come to a past era of Korea.
“…I haven’t studied history thoroughly… so I don’t really know.”
When I heard the name ‘Hae Neuru,’ I wondered if it had any special meaning, but I was relieved it wasn’t Grand Prince Suyang [4]. Historically, it couldn’t be him, but he was the most notorious tyrant I knew of, and I wanted to avoid that fate. Well, judging by the king’s current demeanour, I wouldn’t say he was any better than Grand Prince Suyang so far.
The king shifted his gaze away from my unusual hair colour and lightly traced the rim of the empty cup with his fingers. Until then, I had only watched him pour and drink alone, but feeling uneasy about staying silent, I lifted my cup. As I carefully poured the drink, cautious not to let it spill, I found myself wishing I could just get drunk quickly and fall asleep.
“Yewon.”
Flinch.
“What does your name mean?”
"...It’s a name my grandfather gave me, meaning that I should become the foremost in wisdom."
"To become the foremost in wisdom. Have you thought about how you will survive in this palace?"
“...”
“If your grandfather gave you that name, then you ought to show wisdom worthy of it.”
Even as he drank, the king kept his gaze fixed on me. But when I didn’t answer right away, he pushed the table aside.
As soon as the table, which had awkwardly been between us, disappeared, I once again failed to manage my expression, and it became clear that I was suddenly gripped by fear.
Bam.
"Ah!"
“How about it? Are you going to attempt to seduce me now?”
“…I…”
“I told you that bearing my child would be what keeps you alive.”
Unlike before, the king's eyes were sharp as he stared at me, and his hand gripping my chin made it impossible to speak even if I wanted to.
Then, he loosened the grip from his hand and slowly lowered his gaze, his eyes settling on my lips.
I had no way of knowing. I wasn’t sure if General Hunmu had gone home or was still outside, but I suddenly didn’t want to make any moaning sounds anywhere near him. In other words, I wanted to avoid sleeping with the king at all costs.
“…If I… conceive a child just to save my life… what sin would that child have committed?”
“What?”
“There is still so much I do not know about this palace, and having suddenly fallen into a different era, I still have not been able to gather my thoughts. If, amid all this, I were to become pregnant just to survive and give birth to a child, I would not have the strength to protect or teach that child anything.”
“...”
“If the king continues to keep me in the palace and enemies arise who seek to kill me, it will be my fault for not having understood the palace’s atmosphere by then. Because of that foolishness of mine… I do not want to get pregnant just to survive…”
I tried to express my true feelings as gently as possible, but fearing that the king might punish General Hunmu because of my words, I hastily added.
“If, by any chance, the way I am addressing the king right now is considered an offence… please forgive me.”
The king, who had been gripping my chin, slowly let go of his hand. Then, he poured himself more liquor and gulped it down.
“So, in the end, if you have no choice but to die, you’re saying you’d rather die.”
Clatter.
"Ugh!"
It was then. The king suddenly dropped his liquor cup carelessly and pushed me to the floor. The table didn’t tip over, but the cup hit the ground with a loud noise, rolling until it struck the threshold and came to a stop.
“Aren’t you afraid of death?”
"...I... am scared."
“Yet, you still won’t conceive my child?”
“…I do not want anyone to become unhappy because of me. If I had a child… motherhood would awaken, and I would want to protect it no matter what… but if that happens…”
“...”
“...I am a fearful person. This world… and even the king… so many people still scare me. And I really, really want to go home.”
Was that one drink already making me drunk? The words I had carefully skirted around now came spilling out bluntly.
I was startled by my own words and quickly clamped my mouth shut, but the king had already seen through my true feelings.
As soon as I finished speaking, an unwelcome silence settled over the room. Before I knew it, my eyes welled up with hot tears, ready to spill over like chicken droppings at any moment.
Rustle.
The king, who had been looking down at me, suddenly reached out and gently stroked my cheek.
The softness of his touch gave me a glimmer of hope that perhaps he was more compassionate than I had thought. Maybe, seeing how much I was struggling, he would grant my wishes, like allowing me to return to General Hunmu's residence or letting me leave the palace.
However, at the sound of his voice, I tightly closed and opened my trembling eyelashes.
“You’ve sugarcoated your rejection of me, the king, so well that it almost makes me want you to bear my child.”
Shocked by the king's words, I instinctively recoiled. I couldn't fathom how he could interpret my words in such a way. Even if it was just a polite way of putting it, he was the first person to speak so bluntly about the relationship between people.
No matter how much I stubbornly tried to endure everything else, I desperately wanted to avoid becoming pregnant with this terrifying king’s child. Because of that, at that moment, I couldn’t keep up the pretence any longer.
Eventually, unable to control my emotions, they became blatantly visible before the king, and his lips curled into a bitter, sardonic smile.
I thought I was quite good at controlling my own mind, but in front of this man, it was absolutely impossible.
Seeing me recoil, the king straightened his posture. Then, right before my eyes, he began to take off his clothes, one piece at a time, with a soft thok, thok sound.
With each piece of clothing that fell, my face twisted in distress, but soon he grabbed the bottle of liquor and approached me.
"Do you think you can escape just by backing away like that?"
“…I….”
“Within this palace — no, within this land I rule, there is nowhere you can run.”
He lifted the entire bottle to his lips and downed a substantial amount of liquor in one go. Every time his Adam's apple moved, the firm muscles beneath his loosely undone clothes flexed, rippling in response.
But then, with nowhere to escape as my back was pressed against the wall, the king came so close to me that his knees nearly touched mine. He suddenly poured the bottle of liquor he was holding onto his body. The liquor spilled onto the previously pristine floor, soaking not only his clothes but also his firm skin, where it gathered in damp, glistening droplets.
“Lick it.”
“!”
Clatter, clatter!
The king carelessly threw the empty bottle of liquor and moved even closer to me. The sturdy ceramic didn’t break, but it rolled with a louder sound than when the liquor cup had fallen earlier. For a brief moment, I saw a silhouette appear outside before it disappeared.
“Ouch!”
"How dare you pay attention to something else while I'm speaking?"
“...That’s not it!”
"Lick it. Leave not a single drop left behind."
As I was watching the silhouette outside, the king grabbed my arm and twisted it. When I winced in pain from his strong grip, he released it. Then, as if to trap me, the king placed his hands on either side of me against the wall, blocking any way out.
He cast a meaningful glance at his firm chest and abdominal muscles. That gesture, along with his command to lick every last drop clean, was like a prompt to tease and caress with my tongue repeatedly, as if foreplay before sex.
Having had my first experience not long ago, I just stared motionless at the king's perverse demands.
Then, the king completely took off his wet clothes and once again motioned toward his body with a glance.
At that moment, I could see the patience he was barely containing. He had only spoken twice, once initially and then just once more after I ignored him. The restraint etched on his face made it clear that if I ignored him again, I wouldn’t escape unscathed.
My mind was a chaotic mess, wondering if General Hunmu was outside and if he would be punished again if I defied the king's wishes. Despite not having eaten anything, a bitter taste spread across my tongue, causing me to swallow saliva several times.
But how could I possibly place my tongue on the body of this fearsome king without hesitation?
Translator's Corner:
[1] Cheongju (청주) is a clear, refined rice wine. Source: https://thesoolcompany.com/cheongju-for-two-yes-please/#:~:text=Cheongju%20is%20a%20clear%20refined,the%20fall%20and%20winter%20months
[2] Seodangs (서당) were the name of local private schools providing elementary education during the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties of Korea.
[3] Gwageo (과거) is the national civil service exam conducted during the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties of Korea by the royal court.
[4] Grand Prince Suyang ascended the throne as King Sejo of Joseon, the seventh ruler of the Joseon dynasty in Korea. "Although his ascent to the throne was stained with ruthless bloodshed and the forced removal of his nephew from the throne, he went on to prove himself one of the most able rulers and administrators in Korean history." Source: https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/King_Sejo
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