The Missing Hours

He could not comprehend why on earth this body was so exceedingly frail. Back when he was in Gyeong, it had at least been strong enough that he wouldn’t be bedridden like this. Was it because he had traveled too far from Gyeong? Was it because he had come to Tae of his own volition and embraced the Emperor? Or was it because he had gone ahead and done things So-hwa would never have wanted?

Since it was not his own body, there were far too many potential reasons to consider. The mere justification of having been ill for a long period was insufficient to explain why his fever kept rushing back. It had already been nearly a month since he arrived in Tae, yet hadn’t the vast majority of that time been spent languishing and bedridden?

No matter how frail the body was, he was taking restorative pills and drinking medicinal teas every single day, so it should have been more than enough time to show signs of improvement. Yet, for some reason, his strength was only steadily draining away. It felt as though something beneath the bed were greedily sucking out his vital energy.

Having conjured such a bizarre thought, Jin-mok narrowed his shoulders and shuddered. If there truly were something beneath the bed, wouldn’t it be the ghost of Ha Jin-mok? If the soul of Jin-mok, who had met a violent death in this very residence, still lingered, it was a distinct possibility.

Yet, if that were the case, who on earth was he, residing inside So-hwa’s body? Every single aspect of this situation was riddled with strangeness. After agonizing over it for a long while, Jin-mok stopped thinking with his spinning head. The moment he closed his eyes, he plunged into a dead sleep as if losing consciousness.

While the Emperor was away from the imperial palace, Jin-mok spent his entire days repeating a cycle of eating and sleeping. In the interim, the first snow fell. The first snow, which had only lightly blanketed the ground before vanishing, melted away before Jin-mok even awoke. The days grew progressively colder, and it became increasingly difficult for Jin-mok to leave his bed.

Nevertheless, had there been some reward for idling about, eating, and sleeping? The cheeks that had been bone-thin, as though he had never eaten a proper meal in his life, gradually began to fill out, and stamina returned to his body. After about a fortnight had passed, his waking hours became longer than the hours spent asleep.

The Emperor had still not returned, and Jin-mok lived his life without stepping a single foot outside Bogyeong Hall. Once Yun-gyo began to attend to him again, it was a relief to at least have a companion to converse with.

“Shall I bring you the book you were reading yesterday?”

Yun-gyo inquired toward Jin-mok, who was taking a brief rest on the narrow veranda facing the rear of Bogyeong Hall. Heavily bundled in two layers of padded cotton clothes to the point of breathing with difficulty, Jin-mok did not catch his words at first. After asking the child to repeat himself, Jin-mok tilted his head with a thoroughly bewildered expression.

“A book? Did you say I was reading a book yesterday?”

Jin-mok had spent the entire afternoon yesterday in a deep nap, only waking up around the time the sun was setting. He had fallen asleep lying in bed and awoke in that exact same spot, so what was this sudden mention of a book? Matching Jin-mok’s blank expression, Yun-gyo replied.

“While you were seeking a midday nap yesterday, you stated you could not fall asleep and read a book. I distinctly remember serving you a cup of double-boiled herbal tea.”

Sinking into quiet contemplation, Jin-mok questioned Yun-gyo.

“What book did I read?”

“You glanced through the Analects of Confucius for a bit before stating you felt drowsy again and retired to your bedchamber.”

“That cannot be. Yesterday afternoon, I was entirely submerged in a midday nap the whole time. You must have mistaken it for something else.”

The Analects. Ha. Jin-mok suddenly felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. The Analects of all things. How could he, who had not even properly mastered the Thousand-Character Classic, read the Analects?

Originally, Jin-mok could neither read nor write at all. He had only known how to write the three characters of his own name, and had merely picked up a few necessary characters after entering the palace. Yet, through some bizarre occurrence, he had become capable of reading and writing after awakening in So-hwa’s body.

Even if he had somehow become literate, there was no reason a country bumpkin would suddenly take pleasure in reading books—unless it were to study the Thousand-Character Classic anew. Perhaps due to focusing his thoughts so abruptly, a headache surged through him. Pressing his hand near his temple, Jin-mok grimaced.

“My head aches. I must go inside.”

“Shall I summon the Imperial Physician?”

“No. It will likely improve if I simply rest a little.”

Stepping inside to warm himself by the brazier, he felt the headache fade slightly.

“It seems sitting in a cold spot brought on the headache. Now that I am before the fire, it has eased a bit.”

When he assured the anxiously hovering Yun-gyo that he was fine, the child’s expression brightened considerably.

“I shall prepare some warm tea, so please wait a moment, honored guest.”

“Thank you.”

“Not at all. It is merely my duty.”

Warming his hands over the brazier, Jin-mok waited for Yun-gyo to return. However, it was not Yun-gyo but another court lady who brought the tea inside.

“Where did Yun-gyo go?”

“He stated he was heading to the Royal Dispensary to collect the medicine you are to take this evening.”

Had the medicine run out already? He had thought the Imperial Physician always wrote prescriptions with plenty to spare. It was a pity, as he had intended to share a cup of tea with him for the first time in a while.

However, since it was the child’s duty, he could not display any dejection even if he felt slighted. Jin-mok quietly sipped the tea provided by the court lady, waiting for Yun-gyo to return.

Though the other palace servants were kind, he found them somewhat uncomfortable to deal with. On the other hand, Yun-gyo was young, and perhaps because they had seen each other’s faces for a long time since the past, he was far more comfortable. Even if Yun-gyo’s reactions were colder than before, the familiarity Jin-mok felt did not diminish in the slightest.

Yet, he always harbored a desire to get along just a bit more like they used to. To Jin-mok, Yun-gyo was his sole conversational partner in this vast imperial palace.

Perhaps because his body had warmed up from drinking the tea, drowsiness rushed over him once again in no time. This is trouble, absolute trouble. Unable to resist the overwhelming wave of sleep, Jin-mok let out a sigh as he trudged toward the bed.

And the moment he lay down on the bed as if diving into it, he plummeted into sleep as though his consciousness had been severed clean away.

“So, how has the guest of Bogyeong Hall been faring?”

Prostrating himself flat before the Queen Dowager in the inner chamber of Somyung Palace, Yun-gyo cautiously opened his mouth.

“As his fever fails to subside day after day, he rarely manages to leave his bed, Your Highness.”

“How laughable. For such a frail creature to bewitch the Emperor the moment he arrived at the palace and ensconce himself in Bogyeong Hall.”

At the Queen Dowager’s chilly voice, cold sweat poured down Yun-gyo’s back.

Should the Emperor discover that he was being summoned by the Queen Dowager, his life would immediately be forfeit. Yun-gyo was still too young to be entangled in such perilous matters, but the child was far more intelligent than the Queen Dowager credit him for.

Yun-gyo decided it would be better to report this matter to the Emperor in advance and await his commands. Thus, the child prostrated his body even flatter, straining his ears to the Queen Dowager’s words.

“I intend to meet that person before the Emperor returns. Yet, you claim he is still bedridden and doing nothing but lying down; how can I possibly believe such words? Is that not so?”

“The Imperial Physician enters daily to take his pulse, so you may send someone to the Imperial Medical Department to verify it, Your Highness. In truth, the guest’s vital energy is severely depleted, and moreover, he is unaccustomed to the cold weather, making it all the more difficult for him to endure.”

“I have heard that fine medicinal ingredients are being utilized without stint. Yet, for there to be no improvement to this day—how could such a person properly attend to the Emperor?”

Suppressing the sound of his dry swallow, Yun-gyo cautiously replied.

“How could a lowly servant like myself fathom His Majesty’s intentions? I am merely attending to the guest in accordance with His Majesty’s commands.”

The Queen Dowager let out a small laugh and whispered softly.

“I heard the Emperor singled you out personally. If you have received separate commands, you must speak them without concealment.”

“When the guest first arrived at Bogyeong Hall, I happened to be the one in charge of attendance. Therefore, during His Majesty’s absence, he merely commanded me, a familiar face, to look after him.”

“There is no way that is all.”

Despite the Queen Dowager’s pressing inquiry, Yun-gyo feigned ignorance.

“He merely instructed me to report on the guest’s prognosis due to his poor health.”

“And so, you shuffle to and from the Main Palace every evening to deliver reports?”

“That is correct, Your Highness.”

Slamming her palm down upon the desk before her, the Queen Dowager spoke in a voice like frost.

“Do you expect me to believe such words? For that meticulous Emperor to depart on a long journey and merely command you to report on someone’s health. You dare to mock me!”

Trembling violently, Yun-gyo slammed his forehead against the floor.

“H-How could I dare? I have reported exactly what occurred. I beg for your gracious understanding, Your Highness.”

“You still mouth falsehoods. Must you be beaten until the flesh peels from your thighs before you open your mouth with the truth?!” As the Queen Dowager’s voice grew progressively louder, Prince Yul-pyeong, who had been quietly sipping his tea, spoke up as if to soothe her.

“Your Highness, this is a child personally designated by the Emperor. He is not someone whose person can be rashly touched. Therefore, please calm your mind first.”

At his words, the Queen Dowager let out a huff as if piqued and turned her seat sideways. Seeing the Queen Dowager’s reaction, Prince Yul-pyeong interrogated Yun-gyo on her behalf.

“I have heard that the Main Palace dispatches a carrier falcon to Jincheon every single day.”

“I… do not know what contents are sent. I merely submit the report on the guest’s daily condition and depart immediately….”

“Is that so? Then, recount in meticulous detail exactly what the guest’s condition is like.”

Yun-gyo reported that So-hwa spent the vast majority of his time submerged in sleep, burning with fever. He added that even on the rare occasions he did awaken, it was merely to glance through a book for a brief moment or to quietly stroll around the rear courtyard of Bogyeong Hall, and nothing more. Both the Queen Dowager and Prince Yul-pyeong wore expressions of deep skepticism, but Yun-gyo knew the truth.