Yeho by Anasis
Part 19
Part 19
I was very nervous, and I grabbed my
hands firmly. Both Soa and I were in shock that the Land Embracing Palace was
calling for me. I was barely able to wear clothes, and Soa did my make up with
her trembling hands. I simply put up my hair up and came to this Land Embracing
Palace following the person that they sent. Right now I’m sitting down inside
the inner palace.
“The Empress is entering.”
I stood up right away hearing an
outside maid announcing and soon the door opened. Her hair was gorgeously put
up with the gold yongjam (hairpin with the dragon’s head), and she was wearing
a light violet colored dress. Her face with red lipstick was intimidating. She
walked slowly and sat down and send away all the maids. And she looked at me
with her cold eyes and pointed at a seat.
“Sit down.”
“I…I’m grateful, Your Highness.”
I barely replied and sat down slowly.
I put my head down nervously thinking if she noticed anything.
“So, is it comfortable in the
Heavenly Purified Palace?”
“Yes, it is.”
“That’s good.”
She said it like that and drank a sip
of the tea that was already prepared.
“I like cooled down teas, so I
always prepare beforehand. Do you enjoy teas?”
Her tone made me look at her
unconsciously.
“I don’t enjoy it that much.”
“That’s too bad. I was about to ask
you to try this good quality tea that just came in. To give that as a gift to a
person who doesn’t enjoy tea is such a trouble.”
Her tone was confusing for me. I didn’t know if she was reproofing or not. But still she was drinking her tea
and looked straight forward at me.
“Actually you and I can’t be in a
situation where we enjoy our chatting like this. Since you are the Madame who
entered the Heavenly Purified Palace, and I am the Empress.”
I was struggling not knowing how to
reply to that, but she continued.
“Do you know all the North Empire’s
tyrants in the past all had their Madames in the Heavely Purified Palace?”
I felt all of my blood was drying
out after hearing that.
“I…I don’t…”
“It’s the fact. That’s why I was the
first person to oppose His Majesty when he announced that he will take you in
the Heavenly Purified Palace.”
“I see.”
“Do you know why?”
“I don’t know.”
“It’s because it’s not too much to
say that the Emperors who took their Madames in the palace are half insane.”
“Your… Your Highness!”
I shouted with shock, and she
smiled. Her smile on her cold face was very cold, but I didn’t feel any
hostility.
“This is the fact also. But in the
past, those emperors left their madames in there for a very short time. They
probably had a headache because those women acted like they were the empress or
something. But anyway while they were in the Heavenly Purified Palace, the
emperors did whatever they asked. Even the things that would ruin the country.
That’s why they are called tyrants.”
“I’m… overwhelmed.”
I said it like that, and she still
didn’t erase her smile and continued.
“That’s why I opposed you. I knew he
was obsessed with you than any other emperors in the past. It looked like he
won’t even notice even he go bankrupted by giving everything to you. That’s why I
opposed him more. But something was strange.”
She stood up and slowly came to me
and looked down on me. I was trembling so much and looked at her I was scared
that she might find out I’m a male.
“One day passed, and two days
passed. I didn’t hear anything that something went out of the royal storage. I
didn’t even hear the governments were being replaced. It was strange. Nothing
was like this in the history. If it was His Majesty’s other concubines, they
would act crazy to chop off my arms and legs. Or trying to grab everything from
the royal storage.”
Her bitter words made me just
blankly stare at her.
“And it was very memorable during
the Planting Festival. Dragon’s fairy that calls out the rain. Because of your
humble acts until now, all the conservative high officials are starting to look
at you well.”
I didn’t know what the Empress was
talking about. It started to give me a headache. She noticed my state and
smiled her cold smile and went back to her seat.
“So, I’ll get to the point since you
don’t seem to get it.”
Because her tone was either
disregarding me or just considering me, I had a puzzled look.
“I, the North Empire’s Empress
Yeonchu Sangah, will borrow the Yeonchu Family’s powder and become the small
kingdom’s princess and this country’s Madame’s background.”
“Pardon?”
I replied like I was whispering. I
didn’t even think that it was rude to stare at the Empress for so long. The
Empress smiled like it was funny.
“Compare to being the dragon’s
fairy, your face is too dopy."
“Your Highness, what did you mean earlier…”
“There is no meaning. Literally I
will be your background, in other word I will be in place of your home country.”
“I…I don’t get…”
The Empress looked at my confused
look and smiled deeply. She held her tea cup and continued.
“I don’t like you.”
“That’s easier for me to understand.”
I relaxed that finally there was
something I understood. She raised her eye brows and drank one sip of her tea.
“Yes. There is no way for me to like
you since you broke my pride into pieces as a woman. But I knew this was an
arranged marriage, and I knew His Majesty doesn’t look at me more or less than
an Empress ever since I got married to him. I have no intention of bullying you
just because of that. My pride doesn’t allow that.”
She said it and took one more sip
and continued talking.
“Then the only thing I’m really
focusing is one thing. Make my husband into the greatest emperor in the
history. That is my reputation, and my family’s reputation. And…”
She shook a small bell that was
placed next to her. Then a maid carefully came in, and there was a small boy
came in along. Unlike any other boys, his face was serious, handsome, and his
body was built. Looking at his black eyes like black pearl, I knew this boy was
his at once.”
“Unless you give birth to a child
and threaten this child’s place, I can ignore that you took away His Majesty as
a husband.”
The Empress looked at the boy and
smiled gently to him, and the boy smiled along. The Empress moved her focus from me to this child.
“How are you doing today, First
Prince?”
The boy replied briskly.
“I feel very good because the
weather is really nice, Mother. I’m thinking of riding Wanah around the
palace.”
“Oh, really? Then I can’t bother
you. I will be waiting for you here and tell me all about it after riding
Wanah, First Prince.”
“I will, Mother.”
He replied and was leaving the room
and took a glimpse at me and ran outside the room. I looked at the Empress.
“Is that the only thing you worry?”
“Yes. There is nothing else I want
from you except for that. If anything, this can be the shield from the other
reckless concubines. Since you are obedient, innocent, and even better you
don’t have greed and ambition, you are very convenient.”
I paused because the Empress treated
a person like a tool. It looks like the only person that she actually has a
meaning to is that boy who just went out. I closed my eyes and calmed myself
down. I needed some time to organize all the things that the Empress had said
like a hurricane. She was just drinking her tea like she is waiting for me. For
a short time of a silence, I opened my eyes and looked at her.
“I don’t have anything I want.”
“I know. I knew it when I saw you
during the Planting Festival. I predicted your character looking at your very
humble looking dress. I heard a person like that existed, but I never actually
met anyone like that. I was surprised.”
Even she said it like that, her face
didn’t look any surprised at all. I sighed again.
“There won’t be anything you will worry about.”
Her one eye brow went up, but she
didn’t ask further.
“I knew that.”
“Just let me stay in the palace.”
She put down her tea cup. It was
first time seeing her eyes that dark.
“…You love His Majesty.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Then do you love somebody else?”
The Empress asked like she was
attacking me, and I sighed again.
“Your Highness.”
“See. It is His Majesty.”
She said it cynically and drank her
tea. She opened her red lips again.
“His Majesty is a very lucky man.”
I didn’t understand what she said. I
had a puzzled look, and her cold face had a smile again.
“What kind of a man has both women
who will assist him to become the greatest emperor and who just loves him as
who he is at the same time?”
I made a blank face after hearing
her.
That moment.
-Bang!
The door made an explosive sound and
turned it into pieces. I couldn’t say a word because I was in shock, but the
Empress just put down her tea cup and frowned little bit.
He was standing there holding a shining sword.
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