Futile Love

The imperial family meeting including all the concubines was called.

A cold atmosphere dominated the palace. Even though it was late into the night, the lights were lit up all over the Imperial Palace. All of the paths that were lit led to Daejon. The Queen, the emperor’s favorite concubines, the four princes and their wives, as well as the concubines who didn’t win the emperors’ favor were all gathering at Daejeon. The women who didn’t know the situation tilted their heads out of curiosity, but followed the emperor’s order. Only one of the women, Oran, walking beside Dukwol, barely holding back the urge to burst into a smile.

Daejon was filled with all the members of the royal family.

Ohyulje was seated on the highest chair, and Queen Taeryong sat in a small chair next to it. Then, in the chairs arranged on the right and left sides of the queen, the first concubine Ye and second concubine Su sat.

At the lower stage the wives of the princes at the four palaces and three concubines sat side by side. As Mu and Dohwan were left at the hands of the nannies, they did not come to Daejeon.

It was a long time after everybody took a seat that the emperor stood up from his seat.

“The reason I called all of you here in one place today was because I heard a reckless rumor for which I might have to punish the person involved under the law.”

Looking around the royal members gathered, he screamed, pointing to the bottom of the stairs.

“Crown Prince and Crown Princess, Prince Ruhae, come out and get on your knees!”

Several women began to whisper here and there.

Unlike Bipaan, who silently followed without changing his facial expression, Kyosul and Ruhae’s faces turned white already. The three knelt down with the stairs in between, lowering their heads.

When the emperor was about to open his mouth, Bipaan shouted, with his head down, “I’m honored to announce to you. I’m worried that your discerning eyes might be blurred by Dukwol’s groundless rumors. How dare he doubt Dohwan’s biological father? I am suspicious of his underlying intention to make such a false statement. ”

Although Bipaan’s actions might be regarded as very rude, the emperor did not rebuke him. Quietly listening to Bipaan with a nod, those gathered in Daejeon without knowing why came to know the reason.

As they came to learn more about the “birth of Dohwan Taehwangun” and Ruhae’s appearance along with Bipaan and Kyosul, they were astonished.

Crown Princess Kyosul and Prince Ruhae?

Only Dukwol and Oran as well as Yomin, Ruhae’s official wife, didn’t seem to show any change in their facial expressions.

Stopping others’ whispering by raising his hand, Ohyuje called Dukwol, “Come forward, Dukwol.”

He rose from his seat, and Oran, who was not called, followed him. The emperor did not bother to stop her. They kneeled down behind Bipaan, Kyosul and Ruhae.

There was a brief silence. Suddenly, the emperor knocked on the armrest of the throne and yelled, “You, bastard! How dare you make such reckless remarks before me? How dare you spit out such imprudent words in front of the emperor? Don’t you know that although you’re my eldest son, I settled for making you No. 2 prince in the succession to the throne because of your frivolous temperament?”

“Calm down, Your Majesty. It’s not just a rumor that’s getting around for no reason. ”

“It looks like you haven’t yet come to your senses!”

In spite of Ohyulje’s anger, Dukwol didn’t budge a bit. He was too confident before the angry emperor, though he lowered his head when replying to his question.

Dukwol never expected that the emperor would convene an imperial family meeting and get angry before all of them. Things got more complicated than thought. Dukwol put his brain to work quickly. It would be easier for him to take issue with a simple case first than an overly complex one.

So, Dukwol decided to talk about the suspicious interactions between Ruhae and Kyosul instead of arguing that Ruhae was Dohwan’s biological father.

“If you’re in doubt, please ask Ruhae and Kyosul directly. There must be some reason why this kind of rumor about them is getting around.”

Dukwol brought the emperor’s attention to them.

Kyosul was shuddering violently at that moment. In the end, Bipaans’s eyebrows wriggled slightly.

“Crown Princess! Prince Ruhae! ”

“Your Majesty, Dukwol’s behavior is so rude and…”

“Shut up, Bipaan!”

The emperor’s anger was already at its peak. Everybody else was quiet, and only his loud voice resonated through Daejon.

“Your Majesty!”

Finally Ruhae opened his mouth.

He clasped his fists, but his face was white, but his eyes shone as if he was firmly determined.

Everybody turned their eyes toward him.

And he opened his mouth, after all.

“I do… ”

What he just said made all of them hold their breath immediately. Breaking the cold and heavy silence, the emperor shouted, “Tell me again.”

The atmosphere of Daejon became stern.

“I do love the Crown Princes, no, Woorum Mokhwa”

There was silence again.

They couldn’t even afford to whisper, stunned by his shocking confession.

They were just speechless as what he said was just nonsensical and should not happen.

When no one even tried to move, Dukwol jumped out of his seat with a sneering smile.

“See, Your Majesty! The Ruhae is betraying the basic moral laws of humans…”

“Shut up!” There was heard a low but terrifying voice.

Overwhelmed by the voice, Dukwol stopped talking unconsciously. It was not Ohyulje’s voice but Bipaan’s.

Bipaan lifted his head, got up from his seat, turned and approached Dukwol. Though he was four years younger than his half brother, Bipaan was much taller than Dukwol. His towering height overwhelmed him. He quickly came up to Dukwol, grabbing him by the collar and pulled his face. His black eyes were fixed on Dukwol’s right away.

Dukwol felt goosebumps, but heard a low, but clearly audible voice in his ears.

“Without knowing the hill is high, the moon is trying to rise above it,” Bipaan said.

Of course, the ‘moon’ here was referring to Dukwol, and the hill Danmok, namely Bipaan.

Dukwol always ignored him with a mysterious look. He was below Bipaan as the second prince,and he felt like he was a lowly slave when he stood before Bipaan. So, he hated Bipaan. He wanted to beat Bipaan.

He always felt slighted because Bipaan took the position of the Crown Prince simply because he was born to the Queen, though he was younger and less talented than him, but he knew clearly that Bipaan was not an easy rival to deal with.

That’s why Dukwol always pretended to smile. He hid his dark eyes full of hatred in his crescent-shaped eyelids and swallowed anger in a gently curved smile. He wanted to get him off guard by just smiling as if he had no other intention. And he wanted to make him fall off the cliff the moment he was caught off guard and take away everything from him, including his position and status in the imperial family.

But Dukwol thought Biapan was too easy a target.

“Don’t you know the person you’re now blaming? If you blame the Crown Princess, it is the same as blaming me. It seems you’re too stupid to realize that.”

“Crown Prince!”

When Ohyulje called him quietly, Bipaan released his grip on the collar and pushed him before lowering his head to the emperor, but the emperor did not reproach his actions. He just called Bipaan once, but didn’t even look at Dukwol who fell down.

Thrown on to the floor, Dukwol made a little moan. Oran approached him and supported one of his arms. Her sharp gaze turned to Kyosul, who was looking at Bipaan with surprised eyes. Kyosul lowered her head to the emperor and sat down again quietly.

Ruhae’s shocking confession was buried in a bit of confusion, but thanks to the confusion, the emperor could size him up in a genuine way. There was a smile on his lips.

“Ruhae, what did you say?”

“It is just as I said. I love the Crown Princess.”

In the end, Kyosul cried. The emperor could not miss her tears dropping on her skirt.

“Why are you crying, Crown Princess?”

Unlike when he dealt with the princes, he spoke to her in a soft tone, with a voice that seemed to appease a young child or speak to a precious daughter.

But Kyosul felt discomfort in that voice. She flinched at his voice, and quickly wiped tears, but her lacrimal gland when once opened did not know when to close.

“Why are you crying? Are you crying because you received someone’s love that you should not have? Or are you crying to sympathize with him?”

Kyosul, who had buried her face in her hem, barely raised her face and opened his trembling lips.

“…I do love Prince Ruhae.”