I Reveal to You My Deepest Secret (2)
"First, drink the tea in front of you."
Yi-hyang commanded.
Yunseo drank the tea he had poured earlier.
As she took a breath after drinking, Yi-hyang—who had briefly closed his eyes as if reviewing everything she had said—opened them again and looked at her.
"Have you told this story to anyone other than me?"
…I'm alive.
At the very least, he has no intention of harming me over this!
"No, I have not."
"Good. From now on, absolutely—absolutely—you must not so much as breathe a word of this to anyone but me. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"Second, what you said earlier—you must never bring it up again. Not even to me."
"…Pardon?"
"First of all, do you really think I would die so soon? When you came to me just now, you had already told Court Lady Park—ah! Come here and help me remove my robe."
"…Pardon?"
"You said I died of boils, did you not? I don't wish to wear this suffocating dragon robe a moment longer. Come and attend to me."
…Why is this going in this direction?
What were all those countless scenarios I ran through in my head for?
As her tension dissolved, irritation rose in its place.
"Your Highness, did you just ignore everything I said?"
"What?"
"That I am three years older than you—and that I was a professional who healed people's hearts."
"So what?"
"Damn it—in my world, there are no kings and no crown princes. You and I are equal human beings under the law."
"!"
"And I—over there—well, there are institutions like Sungkyunkwan, but many of them, universities. And among them, I attended the best national university, one that even the most outstanding men in the country struggled to enter. I wrote papers alongside my professor as their most promising student. Do you understand? I was someone who had begun to make a name for myself in the field of trauma counseling and therapy."
Once her anger flared, all the contempt, disregard, and humiliation she had endured in Joseon as a mere court lady surged up uncontrollably.
In love, the one who loves more is the weaker one.
In the relationship between Yunseo and Yi-hyang, Yi-hyang was the weaker one.
From just a few of his words, Yunseo could tell—he loved her deeply enough that he had no intention of making an issue of this, and was instead more concerned that the matter might leak and reach the king's ears.
This is my chance to correct the imbalance!
Rather than becoming a weakness, revealing that she was a soul from the future had turned into her strength.
Yi-hyang, who loved her dearly, was genuinely afraid she might be executed by King Sejong, just like Jeon Gyun.
But a threat of death only works on those who fear dying.
For Yunseo, who had already resolved to die for the sake of even a shred of dignity, such threats held little power.
If she were to die, she had already asked Maegum and Eom Jachi to ensure Grand Prince Suyang would be killed. And to avoid a painful death, she had hidden a single pill of poison inside the bright red silk pouch embroidered with pearls that Maegum had given her.
"In my world, I spoke politely even to children. From now on, when we are alone, you must speak to me with respect as well. Language shapes thought. If you keep calling me 'Yunseo' like you would a child and speaking down to me, how can I ever stand as your equal?"
"Ha…!"
Yi-hyang stared at her in disbelief, his eyes trembling as if he could not process what he had just heard.
What—what are you going to do about it, you hopeless romantic?
"I chose to remain in the palace because I love our Hongwi deeply, but truthfully, from here to Jamsil Ferry—let me see—if ten ri is about four kilometers, then I can run a hundred ri without rest. I can even swim across the Han River. If things go wrong, I'll slip out of the palace unnoticed, cross the river, and disappear somewhere in the southern provinces!"
…Though now that I've said that, I'd better run north if I actually flee.
"..."
"..."
Silence fell over Bi-hyeon Pavilion.
Yi-hyang's mind was overwhelmed by the flood of unfamiliar information and the unfamiliar version of Yunseo before him, while Yunseo inwardly savored her mischievous satisfaction.
Though her heart had been shaken by his striking appearance and relentless affection—
If she could choose, Yunseo would still rather remain Hongwi's nurse, build a secret organization using the knowledge that Maegum was part of an assassin network, eliminate those who needed eliminating, amass wealth alongside Lady Park, and live comfortably.
To her, Yi-hyang—who constantly showered her with affection and kissed her openly even in front of palace attendants—and even King Sejong, who commanded them to share a bed, were deeply humiliating presences.
Yunseo, who had once clearly confirmed through his clothes that Yi-hyang was not suffering from psychogenic impotence, had already been planning to end this restless courtship and consummate their relationship soon.
But the issue, as always, was the difference between a voluntary choice and a forced command—the matter of human dignity.
In a battle of silence, the one who speaks first loses.
And in the end, the one who could not endure it—the one who loved more—was Yi-hyang.
"Listen."
Yunseo raised her crescent-shaped brows.
"…Listen."
"Yes, Your Highness. I humbly listen."
Yunseo smiled brightly, genuinely, in her delight—and Yi-hyang felt his heart drop.
That smile—lifting the corners of her lips and softening her eyes—she had shown only to Hongwi and Lady Park.
Even in moments when their breaths tangled in kisses, she had never fully let down her guard with him. Yet whenever she looked at Hongwi, her entire face softened, her eyes brimming with immeasurable affection.
He found that woman—who loved his son so deeply—beautiful, yet resented that she did not show him the same affection.
But Yi-hyang was the Crown Prince of Joseon.
"Kwon Yunseo, I command you—prostrate yourself and listen!"
"Your Highness!"
"I am not speaking now as your lover, nor as your future husband, but as the Crown Prince of Joseon. Prostrate yourself and receive my command!"
In an instant, his entire presence changed.
Like King Sejong in Cheonchu Hall, Yi-hyang now commanded her to bow and receive his order.
At the sudden shift in their dynamic, a surge of anger and fury rose within Yunseo, and she glared at him sharply.
"Kwon Yunseo, I do not know what kind of system or laws your soul comes from—but the body you stand in now is here, in Joseon. Therefore, you will follow the customs of Joseon."
"…Ha…"
Are rulers born—or are they made?
Was that overwhelming presence—enough to make one's knees weaken at will—something innate, or something he had learned from King Sejong?
With a sigh, Yunseo slowly lowered herself to the floor and bowed deeply.
"From now on, to me—or to anyone—you must never speak of who sided with Suyang and participated in the rebellion."
"Your Highness!"
"What about our Hongwi?!"
Yunseo lifted her head in protest, and Yi-hyang's fierce gaze flew toward her like a blade, sharp enough to cut.
"A subject follows the ruler who allows him to exercise the learning and experience he has cultivated. When the royal house is shaken and the throne changes hands, that is a power struggle within the royal family—it has little to do with a subject's loyalty. As you said, if nearly half the scholars of the Hall of Worthies died because of that event, then it also means more than half survived and served under Suyang's rule. Judging by your tone, that reign did not lead the country to ruin—so it must mean that quite capable men stood on Suyang's side. The moment you speak their names to me or to His Majesty, I would lose half the talent with whom I must govern the nation. How is that any different from half of them dying in a coup?"
"!"
A chill suddenly ran down Yunseo's spine.
Only now did she truly grasp what kind of ruler King Sejong was—and what kind of ruler Munjong had been said to be.
Without realizing it, Yunseo straightened her disheveled collar from earlier and corrected her posture as she lay prostrated.
"Therefore, Kwon Yunseo, receive my command."
"…Yes, Your Highness."
"From now on, anything you have seen in the records concerning people—you must never speak of it for as long as you live, nor even after death. Do you understand?"
"…Yes, Your Highness."
"..."
This is terrifying.
The palace is truly terrifying.
"The one who loves more is the weaker one"—what nonsense.
The one with more power is always the stronger one!
I should have kept my mouth shut and run.
Now that I've revealed it myself, if I disappear, Yi-hyang will surely send search parties after me in all directions. He might even set dogs on my trail like hunting prey!
As she clenched her lips and sighed inwardly, a long shadow fell over her.
"Lift your head, my lady."
"..."
"Lift your head and look upon me—the man you said is more handsome than Bogeom, my lady."
"..."
Yi-hyang, you… damn man.
So confident in your own appeal that you can shake my heart like this—
But what use is cursing now?
Yunseo lifted her head.
Gone was the sharp, fearsome gaze of the ruler from moments ago. Instead, before her stood a handsome man whose eyes were filled with warmth and affection, like sunlight in spring, openly displaying his beauty.
Even so, Yunseo managed—barely—to keep hold of her senses before being completely captivated.
"Yi-hyang, I do not understand sharing my man with other women."
"Mm?"
"If I become your wife today, then you must be mine alone."
"Do you still not know that my entire heart has long belonged to you?"
"Not just your heart—I want your entire body as well, Your Highness."
"That is precisely what I have long desired, Yunseo."
Laughing so hard his broad chest shook, Yi-hyang pulled Yunseo up into his arms.
Then he spread his arms and looked down at her.
He was telling her to help remove his dragon robe.
Was it possible for the innate arrogance of royalty—who never dressed or undressed themselves—to be this… alluring?
With trembling hands, Yunseo began unfastening the buttons at his shoulders.
Then, steadying her wildly pounding heart, she removed his jade belt and set it on the table, loosening the ties of his robe—
Warm breaths, growing faster and closer, broke softly against her face.
The red dragon robe, embroidered in brilliant gold, slipped down with a soft rustle onto the floor of Bi-hyeon Pavilion.
Beneath it was another long, robe-like garment in pale blue.
"Your Highness, did you know Qin Shi Huang died of heatstroke?"
"Mm?"
"I read in a book that he wore layers of poorly ventilated silk garments and rode in a bronze carriage with high heat conductivity during an imperial tour—and ended up dying from the heat."
Yi-hyang laughed again, his chest rising and falling.
Then he cupped Yunseo's face in both hands, drawing closer as he asked,
"In that other world—did you read many books?"
"Of course, Your Highness. The university I attended is so difficult to enter—it's like placing first in the national examinations."
"Is that so? Then I have the most intelligent woman in the world as my wife."
"That is correct. I am someone who has accumulated knowledge across all times and places—mmph."
Yunseo could not continue boasting.
Yi-hyang's lips, filled with desire, had sealed her mouth.
That night, the night in Bi-hyeon Pavilion was long—and burning.
Yi-hyang was neither afflicted with psychogenic impotence, nor with premature ejaculation.
Yunseo found herself regretting that she was not an insatiable woman.
And the next morning, Yunseo took Hongwi's hand and went to the Queen's palace to pay her respects to the Queen.