Part. 7
He looked at Yeho. Yeho was in pain just to breathe. His feather like hair stuck to his face because of his sweat, and his lips were so chapped that it had some dried blood on it. His effort for trying to feed him well all went to waste in two days. He became a corpse again in those two days. I knew. He was like this because that day I got mad at him. I even saw his pale face because of the cold wind turning blue and kept saying harsh things. And I left him like that. It didn’t make me feel any better, so I ditched the government affair and went to the tourney hall with my sword. I destroyed everything I saw. Many body guards were hurt, but that still didn’t calm me down. I was even thinking of hunt a deer and rip it into pieces. If Soa didn’t report to me that Yeho is not waking up after fainting because of the fever, that poor deer with eyes like him would ended up dead.
After hearing that he was sick, even though the anger was still there I ran to his palace. Realizing how fast I went there made me frustrated. I even grabbed a trustworthy doctor by his neck and brought him to Yeho, but it still didn’t feel right. I acted indifferently while the doctor was checking him up. I felt relieved that we don’t have to worry about it now, and my anger rose again. The doctor was in fear and even after he left, I coldly stared at Yeho who lost conscious and breathing heavily. I was just staring at him, but I got mad at myself not able to leave him.
He’s a man! Just a mere man! A mere man who keeps the white silk dress for one who he loves! I even saved him and now he’s thinking of putting a woman by his side!
I leaned on the edge of the tea table. Unconsciously I put more strength to it and using the strength turn the edge into powder and disappeared.
“Your Majesty.”
I heard Soa’s voice, and I told her to come in with annoyed voice. Without a sound, the door opened and without a sound Soa came into the room. She was still a small young girl, but she was smart and skillful, so I put her as a head of this palace’s servants. He looked at Soa cold but angry eyes. Because of that, Soa moved more careful than usual and approached the bed. She was going to feed him the medicine. I got annoyed looking at her putting her small hand under Yeho’s neck to support him to feed him the medicine. I remembered when I first met Yeho, it was her who I called her out. I looked at Soa.
Is it her? She looks at least 15, and Yeho became 18 this year. Even if he is small, he is a man. He probably got interested in this young cute girl. I smirked coldly. But even so, it’s too much to give a silk wedding dress just for a mere servant. He grind his teeth.
While he was thinking that, Soa finished feeding him the medicine and stepped back. He impulsively grabbed Soa’s wrist. Soa looked surprised, but she didn’t make a sound and looked at him. He didn’t like how she was so calm. He looked at her coldly and bleakly said.
“Will you come to my bed?”
Because of what he said suddenly, Soa’s eyes were full of shock. He smirked and grabbed her chin.
“You are very beautiful. Will you?”
Soa politely replied.
“If you think, I’m truly beautiful then I will, Your Majesty.”
“…It sounds like you are telling me I’m not telling you the truth?”
“Your expression is full of anger, so it doesn’t look like it’s because I’m beautiful.”
He let go of her chin and laughed.
“You are very fast. But if I think you are actually beautiful, then you will let me? Hah! Yeho will cry.”
Because of that, Soa’s eyes got bigger and on that spot, she kneel and placed her forehead on the floor.
“Please take back your word. It’s embarra.s.sing to say His Highness is in love with me. I’m just a palace servant. This body is only for Your Majesty. If you say it like that, I just have to let go of my life.”
“Skillful way of talk but Yeho will still cry.”
He cynically said it and pressed down his anger that was about the burst again. Is that right? It’s one sided love? You probably cried looking at that dress by yourself. But somehow Yeho liking her by himself made me even madder.
“Please take back your word, Your Majesty.”
“What do you mean?”
“What you said is not true, so please take back your word. His Highness treats me like I’m his friend. He never showed that kind of feeling to me.”
“I feel bad for the silk dress that’s hanging in the closet.”
He chuckled and said. Soa twitched because of his word.
“Are you talking about the bride’s dress that His Highness has?”
“You know.”
“I dare to say to you, Your Majesty. That dress is not for me.”
“Then whose is it? It’s our tradition that a man keeps his lover’s wedding dress.”
He coldly said it, and Soa bend down her head more.
“I apologize, Your Majesty. But I think you are mistaken something.”
“I’m mistaken something?”
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”
Soa said it, and he closed his mouth and frowned.
“………..Tell me.”
His low voice hit Soa’s head. Soa bend down more and told him with her calm voice.
“I know that the small kingdom that His Highness came from doesn’t have that kind of tradition that the husband prepares the wedding dress. And His Highness stayed here only for half a year. He is even not used to North Empire’s daily life. He doesn’t know any of this place tradition.”
He bit his lips and touched his forehead after Soa said that. His ears even blushed, but this time it wasn’t because of the anger. It was because he felt so pathetic. He lost his sense because of the white bride’s dress and forgot where Yeho came from.
“…….I behaved indecently.”
He bite his teeth, and Soa lower her shoulder even more. He felt pathetic and empty and said.
“If he didn’t know that tradition, then why does he have that bride’s dress?”
“It’s His Highness’s”
“……Yeho’s?”
“He came here wearing that.”
“…..Wearing….that?”
He just remembered. Yeho came in disguised as Princess Sooyoung. Princess Sooyoung got picked as previous emperor’s concubine. Obviously they gave her the white bride’s dress to wear, and actually Princess Sooyoung had to wear that… He unconsciously chuckled. It had feeling of pathetic and sneering at himself.
“Ahh, I really behaved indecently.”
Soa replied.
“I don’t know what you are saying.”
Because of what she said, he laughed.
“Pretending like you don’t know anything, I don’t have to bring it up again then. You may leave.”
“I’m grateful.”
Soa stood up and took the tray that was next to Yeho. He blankly stared the place and slowly went to the bed. His hand approached at Yeho, and he was breathing better because of the medicine. His skin was little hot and wet. He carefully took off the hair that was stuck on his face because of the sweat and bend down. He lightly kissed Yeho’s pale but smooth forehead.
“I’m… sorry…”
He carefully said a word that he never used before.
“I was wrong…”
He quietly whispered again and sat down on the bed and looked at Yeho. He saw a wet towel, and he awkwardly hold the towel and placed it on Yeho’s forehead carefully. Then Yeho made sound and moved little bit. He calmed his surprised heart.
“…Sister…?”
A weak voice came out through Yeho’s dried and cracked lips. He was surprised and looked at Yeho, but his eyes were still closed.
“Sister…? How about mom…?”
He doesn’t look like he knows where he is. Yeho talked little bit childishly, and he didn’t know what to say to Yeho.
“Did she go out again…?”
He murmured like he resign himself, and grabbed the Emperor’s hand.
“Aho is okay. Don’t make that face, sister… cough.. cough..”
It was adult like, but his way of talking was little childish. At the end of the sentence he coughed. The Emperor panicked and gave him some warm tea that was next to him. Yeho sighed after drinking the tea. After that Yeho moved his head on the Emperor’s lap. Because of Yeho’s sudden action, the Emperor froze. Yeho felt the tension and rubbed his head on his lap.
“Sister…?”
Because of Yeho’s calling, the Emperor hesitantly touched Yeho’s forehead. Yeho relaxed and fell asleep. The Emperor didn’t even realize it himself, but he had a soft smile while looking at Yeho’s pale face.