The fever that had been burning inside me finally subsided, and my body felt cool. Up until my last memory, the heat had been rising, and I had felt unbearably dizzy, but now I even felt a sense of calm.
I kept my heavy eyelids closed a little longer, then slowly opened them when I felt a coolness against my collarbone. Earlier, it had been bright daylight, but now it was evening, with candles lit around me.
After blinking a few more times, my blurry vision cleared, and I soon realised that the person sitting beside me was not General Hunmu, but the king.
When I met him again after four days, he looked a bit pale, which somehow made his sharp features stand out even more.
Why was the king sitting beside me while I was lying down?
“!”
As I gradually tried to regain my composure and lift myself up, I belatedly realised I was wearing only a sokjeogori as someone had taken off my outer clothes for me. The king pressed down on my shoulder to keep me from rising, and then...
"Are you coming to your senses now?"
He asked.
Come to think of it, aside from remembering that I met General Hunmu at midday, I couldn’t recall anything else, which meant I had been asleep the whole time.
I usually didn’t even take naps during the day, so how had I managed to sleep straight through without waking up even once?
I had fainted countless times in my life, but this was the first time it had happened from unbearable heat.
"I heard you took the medicinal tonic."
“Yes...?”
Startled by the king’s sudden question, I cleared my hoarse throat and coughed a few times. But with every cough, a sharp headache throbbed in my head. The symptoms felt like heatstroke.
“The tonic that Buyeon Yuhwa supposedly prepared for you.”
“…Ah… yes. She sent it because the heat was severe, and I needed to take care of myself. But I guess the tonic didn’t suit my constitution…”
Judging by General Hunmu’s attitude before I collapsed, he believed the tonic sent by Buyeon Yuhwa caused me to sweat excessively.
Worried that the unusually kind-hearted Buyeon Yuhwa might be blamed for my collapse, I told the king it was a matter of my constitution when he asked again.
But when did he arrive? Had he properly performed the three-day funeral rites?
"I originally planned to see you in a few days, since I had just attended the funeral of the deceased. But as soon as I arrived at the palace, I heard that you had collapsed."
"...I am… deeply sorry."
Ah, it turned out the word 'sorry’ was really handy when there was nothing else to say.
The king slightly raised the corner of his mouth at the words of apology commonly used by the people of this country.
Then he casually wiped my exposed collarbone with the damp towel lying nearby. At that moment, I realised how bare I was and tried to pull the blanket over myself — but the thin summer blanket I normally slept under was nowhere to be found.
“Now you suddenly want to cover yourself? I’ve already seen every inch of your body.”
“...”
“Or maybe not. After all, we haven’t done it yet in broad daylight.”
“!”
“From now on, don’t take any medicinal tonic. Not even if I’m the one giving it to you.”
“...Okay.”
“If you had fallen gravely ill because of that tonic, Buyeon Yuhwa would not have escaped death.”
"Pardon?"
“Since harm was done to the woman under my gaze, it’s only natural that the one responsible pays the price.”
“It's because of my constitution. I am especially sensitive to heat. Besides, when she visited here not long ago, she treated me with great kindness.”
"Did you meet Buyeon Yuhwa?"
“Ah… she came briefly just to exchange greetings. But she left soon after.”
Was I not supposed to tell the king? Though I nervously said she left quickly, the king didn’t reply any further.
Instead, he gently rubbed my dry, chapped lips with his finger.
“There’s still a lot of heat lingering in your body. They say it will last for several more days.”
When I heard it would last for several days, the intense heat I had felt today suddenly rushed back to me. In a palace so strict that one couldn’t even properly take off their socks, just thinking about enduring that heat made my chest tighten and feel suffocated.
“...Um... I have one favour… no, a request.”
"A request? Are you speaking to me?"
“...Please allow me to leave the palace.”
The king’s eyes sharpened. Realising I had spoken too abruptly, my heart flinched, and I hurriedly added more.
“It is hard to endure the heat inside the palace... I want to stay near the water for a few days before returning...”
“...”
“If you would allow me, even for just one day...”
Seeing me plead with dry, cracked lips, the king’s sharp gaze softened slightly. Then he took a gulp from the water beside him.
"Ugh!"
Gulp.
"Cough!"
Suddenly, water passed down my throat through the lips that touched the king’s. The water I hadn’t swallowed in time trickled down my chin and fell between my cleavage.
But the king’s lips didn’t stop there; he licked up every drop of the water that had trickled down between my cleavage.
He carefully tugged at the edge of my chest covering with his hand, licking up every last drop of the trickling water. Then, slowly, he lifted his head and met my eyes.
“We’ve met again after four days, and you’re asking to be allowed outside the palace?”
“…Be… because of the heat.”
Was my request too unreasonable?
Speaking in a timid, barely audible voice, I voiced my embarrassment, and the king gently stroked the slightly damp corner of my mouth again.
“Your fever needs to go down quickly before I can hold you again, so that’s not a bad idea.”
“!”
“I’ll have everything prepared so you can go out tomorrow.”
“…Thank y—”
“However, I will go with you.”
・・・・・
The chilly atmosphere lingered, filling the space between them.
Yuhwa kept a gentle expression throughout, striving to maintain a noble demeanour, but General Hunmu’s gaze on her was sharp and fierce.
In truth, she wasn’t unaware of why General Hunmu had come, but she feigned innocence and spoke first.
“You’ve been here for some time without saying a word. May I ask the reason for your visit?”
“I heard you sent medicinal herbs to a woman named Yewon.”
“Oh my, General Hunmu. Even if you were the first to discover her, she is a woman favoured by His Majesty. Should you really be speaking her name so freely?”
“She collapsed during the day, unable to withstand the heat.”
“I heard about it too. I was about to go check on her out of concern, but when I heard His Majesty went personally, I held back.”
“...”
“I sent the medicinal herbs so she could take care of herself, but it seems the heat here was too harsh to endure. Did you come all this way just to inform me of that?”
"What were the herbs?"
“Pardon?”
"You personally instructed them to be sent, so surely you must know what herbs were used."
“I’m not sure about that… I simply told the physician to send good ingredients regardless of the cost.”
Even upon hearing that Yewon had collapsed, Yuhwa didn’t even blink and continued speaking with a concerned expression.
It was understandable since, upon checking with the physician again, it was confirmed that the herbs she sent were expensive and of high quality, not something that would raise body heat or cause harm. There had been quite a commotion, but since no problems were found with the ingredients, General Hunmu had to come here in person.
“Could it be that the herbs I sent caused a problem...? I only sent them with the intention that she take good care of herself. Are you sure she’s alright?”
“If I say she’s fine, what kind of ingredients do you plan to use next time?”
“Excuse me?”
“This time it ended with just a fever, but next time, you might even add poison.”
“General Hunmu! You’re going too far with your joke. What are you saying right now? Do you really think I sent her strange herbs?”
“I heard there's a maid named Unyeong.”
“!”
“It seems the girl attending to you right now isn't Unyeong."
“Why would you take an interest in a mere lowly maid?”
“Buyeon Yuhwa.”
“...”
“When reckless behaviour goes too far, it leads to anger. It’s impressive that you defeated so many rivals and survived on your own, but please refrain from such excessive actions.”
“General Hunmu.”
“This is your final warning before I report it directly to His Majesty.”
For the first time, Yuhwa’s gaze wavered as she looked at General Hunmu. If he knew about the maid named Unyeong, there was no question he had come well-informed.
At the mention of ‘warning,’ her lips quivered, and she nervously watched General Hunmu stand. He already didn’t like her much, and if, because of this matter, he were to say something strange to the king, what would happen then?
At that moment, Yuhwa’s gaze hardened. She ought to restrain herself, knowing her family lacked any status or influence to defend her, yet her voice cut sharply.
“As far as I know, you’re not in a position to be warning me.”
She stood tall.
“As you know, there are many watchful eyes in this palace. Birds by day, and mice by night.”
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
“No matter how much you worry that the woman might get hurt, is that any reason to hold her like that? Especially when she is His Majesty’s woman.”
“!”
"It seems we each have matters that would cause trouble if they reached His Majesty’s ears, so I advise you to watch your words from now on. Should His Majesty learn what I know, not only General Hunmu but also that woman, Yewon, would find her life in grave danger."
He strode forward.
Clench!
General Hunmu, who had been standing still, suddenly spun around and grabbed Yuhwa’s neck with one hand. It was already a grave sin to lay hands on the Buyeon, soon to be queen, but now to choke her as well?
Yuhwa’s face twisted in pain as she let out a muffled cry, digging her nails into his arm. Yet the gentle expression General Hunmu once wore had hardened into something terrifying, and she dared not utter a word.
“You detestable woman.”
“!”
"I know full well your true nature, but since His Majesty alone intends not to kill you and instead, seat you as queen, I have let you be."
“Ugh!…”
"But from today onward, you must be prudent in all that you do. As you know, I do not fear death. However, should any harm befall that woman, Yewon—"
Squeeze.
“Uh!”
"Without a doubt, you too will find it hard to escape death. Your family will be wiped out so thoroughly that no trace of them will remain. If you wish to see whether my words are true, go ahead and try."
Thud!
"Cough, cough."
The moment General Hunmu’s hand left her, Buyeon Yuhwa collapsed, gasping for breath and coughing violently.
The noise might have brought the maids running, but he continued to gaze at the sprawled Buyeon Yuhwa without the slightest falter.
“Remember this well, Buyeon Yuhwa.”
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