The Coldness of the Moon

Even at Yi-seol’s words, the man did not sheathe his sword.

Still feeling the cold touch of steel at the back of his neck, Yi-seol looked at Yeonhwa, who stood frozen in the distance. Looking closer, he saw that someone was pointing a sword at Yeonhwa from the darkness beyond the lamplight.

Sword-wielding men wandering the palace at this hour… Was something wrong?

By the time his tension reached its peak—so much so that his legs gave way and he nearly collapsed—the sword at his neck disappeared. Taking it as permission to turn around, Yi-seol slowly, very cautiously, turned his body.

“…That child holding the lantern is from my palace… Ah…!”

“…….”

“…….”

“…What are you staring at so intently?”

Even after turning fully, Yi-seol couldn’t finish his sentence. Though the night was dark and void of light, the distance between them was barely the length of a sword—if it had been someone he knew, he should have recognized them at first sight.

Yet, even facing a familiar face, Yi-seol’s voice trailed off, and he tilted his head in confusion. Only after hearing the other’s voice again did he startle in shock and drop to his knees.

“…Y-Your Majesty!”

“…….”

“Your Majesty, I beg your pardon. I failed to recognize you and was disrespectful…”

“Rise. You are harming my flowers right now.”

Without listening to Yi-seol’s stammering as he knelt with eyes tightly shut, the Emperor cut him off. When Yi-seol opened his eyes, he saw the Emperor’s leather shoes before him and the marigold crushed beneath his own knees.

Stumbling to his feet, he stepped back a little, but the Emperor still stood only a step away. The Emperor, whom he saw for the first time since receiving the decree, was still so beautiful that Yi-seol dared not look directly at him. His heart fluttered as if the indifference he had felt since the first night was now stirred by meeting the Emperor again.

As the Emperor handed the sword he was holding to the side, a man in a black mask appeared soundlessly from the darkness, took the weapon, and vanished again. Yi-seol swallowed dryly at the silent movement. Watching the Emperor blink slowly made his mouth go completely dry.

“What were you doing here?”

“…This consort was just… I—I beg your pardon…”

“I will ask again. What were you doing in my marigold garden?”

Yi-seol shut his eyes tightly again. He had thought someone was tending it, but to think it was the Emperor himself…

His tone was gentle, without anger, but also without kindness. His voice, devoid of any emotion, clashed incongruously with his handsome features gleaming in the moonlight.

He hadn’t known it was the Emperor’s garden, nor was he doing anything harmful to it. He had only come to take a few seeds. There was nothing wrong, so there was no need to be so scared. Calming himself, he composed his mind.

“I heard the marigolds here are a spectacular sight, so I came to view them.”

“Flower viewing at this late hour?”

“…The weather is cooler than during the day, so it is pleasant to walk…”

At the Emperor’s muttered words, Yi-seol’s voice trailed off, and he lowered his head again. The wind, which had felt cool, suddenly swept coldly between them. It was the coldest air he had felt since coming to Geum. Suddenly, he felt that this air was like the Emperor’s heart toward him.

Even after hearing Yi-seol’s answer, the Emperor remained silent. Yi-seol debated whether to add that he had come for seeds but decided not to, afraid he wouldn’t be allowed.

“I apologize. I truly did not know it was Your Majesty’s garden. I will not set foot here again.”

“I never commanded you not to set foot here.”

Just as Yi-seol’s face brightened at the unexpected words, the Emperor continued slowly.

“But let me never see you again. Whether day or night. Today is the last time I will see you here.”

“…….”

“You may take the stolen seeds.”

Having said that, the Emperor turned away without lingering. As he turned, the eunuch who had been holding a lantern in the distance hurried over and lit the path ahead. He gave a slight, respectful bow to Yi-seol, who was dazedly staring at the Emperor’s back, but Yi-seol did not see it.

Only when the Emperor had receded into the distance and the light illuminating him could no longer be seen did Lady Ju approach.

“My Lord, are you alright?” she asked urgently, but Yi-seol could not answer.

“My Lord, what happened!” He didn’t even hear Yeonhwa’s tearful voice as she came running from afar.

He simply stood there, frozen, feeling nothing but sorrow at the receding back of the Emperor.

****

Yeonhwa hated doing laundry. It was because of the memories from her time in the laundry room, where she had been responsible for all the menial chores. Until she served Yi-seol as her master, laundry work was the most detestable thing in the world. So, in Bi-eun Palace, she left the laundry to other maids, but their work was never satisfactory, so Yeonhwa had no choice but to pick up the washing bat again. She should have heeded her mother’s words that one makes one’s own fate through work.

Yeonhwa, who was ruthlessly beating the laundry, suddenly shuddered as the events of the previous day came to mind. The Emperor had suddenly appeared at the marigold garden of Nokyeom Pavilion, where she had brought Yi-seol hoping to earn his praise. Trembling at how such a thing could happen, she thought of Yi-seol lying ill from last night until this morning and let out deep sighs.

Yi-seol, who had stood in place for a long time after the Emperor left, said nothing on the way back to Bi-eun Palace. As soon as he reached his bedchamber, he collapsed and tossed and turned until dawn, moaning in pain. Seeing him drenched in cold sweat, Lady Ju offered to summon the royal physician, but Yi-seol refused. Even when she suggested getting a herbal decoction from the Internal Medicine Bureau instead, Yi-seol declined, though he did not stop Ki-yeon and Yoo Kang from buying medicine outside the palace.

“Here, this is the last one.”

Danhyang, who had brought the clothes Yi-seol wore yesterday, threw them over Yeonhwa’s head and laughed out loud. When Yeonhwa squealed in anger and splashed water, Danhyang laughed even louder and ran away.

Yeonhwa liked the grayish-white clothes Yi-seol wore. The fabric was easy to obtain since no one else sought it, and above all, it suited Yi-seol well. Seeing Yi-seol, with his silvery-gray hair flowing loose and dressed in these clothes, he looked elegant and mysterious, as if not of this world. Yi-seol was truly different from the people of Geum.

After finishing the laundry, Yeonhwa hurried to Yi-seol’s bedchamber with quick steps.

“My Lord! Are you feeling better?”

“Ah… Yeonhwa. Yes, much better.”

“Why are you up already instead of lying down? Huh? You’ve changed clothes?”

Yi-seol had gotten out of bed, changed into his court robes, and was in the middle of having his hair done. Normally, he would have tied it up roughly himself, but Lady Ju had insisted stubbornly, so he had no choice but to entrust his hair to a court lady this time. When he tried to look in the mirror, Juran took it away, saying it looked pretty so he shouldn’t worry.

His head felt heavier than usual, so it seemed she had put in another hairpin besides the danjam.

“You put in another hairpin.”

“Since you are going to Tanyeongdang, this is the bare minimum.”

“My Lord, you’re going to Tanyeongdang?”

Startled, Yeonhwa shouted and was scolded by Lady Ju again today.

“For going to Tanyeongdang, this level of hairpins is nowhere near enough.”

Yeonhwa, pouting while eyeing Lady Ju, carefully examined Yi-seol’s hair. She seemed to be looking for any imperfection.

“It’s a place where His Majesty’s consorts gather. I can’t send you with just a danjam. By now they’re all frantic to put on one more ring, aren’t they?”

“Yeonhwa is right. Do you think the other consorts go to Tanyeongdang to discuss important state affairs? They all come to show off their gold rings.”

“Danhyang, you wench. Watch your mouth in front of the Lord.”

Eventually, Lady Ju scolded her, but Danhyang didn’t seem too cowed. She just grumbled with a sullen face. She was clearly dissatisfied with Yi-seol’s bare hands, devoid of any rings.

In the end, Yi-seol left the gates of Bi-eun Palace with empty hands, wearing no rings at all.

Outside the palace, where there was no shade, it was so bright it was blinding, but his eyes gradually adjusted, and he could see ahead without squinting. His first daytime outing in the imperial palace was difficult. He had been unwell since last night and lacked energy, and the palace staff he passed along the way whispered about him from afar, which bothered him. They seemed mocking, or perhaps clicking their tongues in pity.

Whatever it was, it was not positive talk, and he could hear it wherever people gathered. Though his heart was uneasy, there was nothing else he could do, so Yi-seol walked silently, while behind him the court ladies huffed and suppressed their anger. It was even more exhausting to soothe the girls, who acted as if they would run after the gossips and grab them by the hair at any moment.

“Pretend you didn’t hear. There’s no need to react to every rumor in the palace.”

“Who do those people think they are, whispering such things? They deserve a good scolding.”

“It’s not like they made it up. Anyway, is Tanyeongdang still far?”

“Just turn that corner and it’s there.”

His head still ached a little. He slightly regretted not postponing his attendance. Actually, it wasn’t just his body; the Emperor’s words from yesterday kept circling in his mind, making him feel faint.

“But let me never see you again. Whether day or night. Today is the last time I will see you here.”

It was an illusion to think the Emperor’s voice had been emotionless. It was pure coldness, hostility toward him. Left behind, Yi-seol couldn’t leave that spot for a long time, overcome with helpless frustration.

The Emperor, whom he met for the first time since receiving the decree, hadn’t even asked a single common greeting. If Yi-seol hadn’t revealed his identity and shown his face, the Emperor probably wouldn’t have known who he was. To the Emperor, Yi-seol was barely that much of a person.

The image of the Emperor turning away from him flickered before his eyes. He rebuked himself for becoming dejected whenever he thought of the Emperor, only to fall back into the same feelings again. It was frustrating.

Repeating this thought over and over, he came to his senses and found himself in front of the gate of Tanyeongdang. Before Lady Ju, standing beside him, could announce their arrival, someone opened the door from inside.

Startled, Yi-seol took a step back.