“Ugh…”

Yeocheong, who had fallen asleep again, woke up long after the morning sun had risen high in the sky. His whole body still ached, and the lingering effects of the scent made his head feel light and dizzy.

“Have you been coughing?”

“Your Highness?”

As he slowly sat up, dazed and sluggish, the sunlight streaming through the window made him realise how late it was. Then a familiar voice came from outside the bed.

“Shouldn’t you be on official business? Why are you still…?”

“No matter how urgent my duties, how could I leave my wife, who was spending her first night alone, and leave the room?”

Contrary to Yeocheong’s assumption that Jihyuk had left, he was still in the room, sitting at the table with documents spread out in front of him. From the looks of it, he had been awake for quite some time. Caught off guard, Yeocheong tried to get up hastily, confused by the sight.

“Ah…!”

But Yeocheong’s body, worn out from the relentless events of the night before, refused to move as it normally would. The moment his feet touched the ground, a sharp pain shot through his lower back, freezing him in place with a faint groan.

“There’s no need for you to get up. I only stayed because I didn’t want you to wake up and find yourself alone.”

“But with Your Highness here, how could I dare…?”

Unless they were seriously ill, it was unheard of for a consort to remain lying down in the presence of their spouse. To make matters worse, Yeocheong had been sprawled out on the bed, sound asleep, while the Crown Prince had been conducting official business.

“There is no need to worry. Now that I’ve seen you awake, it’s best that I take my leave so that you can continue to rest.”

“I…!”

Yeocheong started to protest, but was cut off.

“There is no need for you to accompany me. Since the consort has awakened, you may enter, tidy the room and attend to his condition.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Jihyuk left the room without giving Yeocheong a chance to say anything. As soon as he was gone, the palace attendants entered the room and began to clear up the mess.

“Your Highness, are you alright?”

As Yeocheong made his way back to his own quarters from the bedchamber prepared for the consummation, Yen and Sowol hurried over to check on his condition.

“What time is it now?”

“It’s just after noon.”

‘I slept for that long?’

Yeocheong thought, clutching his throbbing head and moaning softly. Seeing this, Sowol spoke again.

“Shall I call the court physician?”

“No, that won’t be necessary. I’ll be all right after a little rest.”

“Shall I prepare a bath then? Warming your body might help relieve some of the fatigue.”

“Yes, that sounds like a good idea.”

After Sowol left the room to prepare the bath water, Seon began to straighten Yeocheong’s dishevelled clothes. As she straightened his clothes, her eyes caught sight of the numerous red marks on his exposed skin, and she blushed with embarrassment.

‘Goodness… I thought His Highness was a reserved man.’

“Would you like me to prepare some compresses for you after your bath?”

Seon asked, trying to keep her composure.

“There’s no need. I’ve been lying down for so long that my body just feels a little stiff.”

As the initial awkwardness faded, fragments of the previous night began to appear in Yeocheong’s mind – Jihyuk’s relentless attention that left no part of his body untouched, his own loss of composure and how he clung to Jihyuk, abandoning all reason. And then…

‘No… no. Not this easily… not so comfortably…’

He recalled the moment before dawn, when he had briefly woken and nearly acted on a dangerous impulse.

‘It was reckless. There’s no way I could have truly killed him in that situation. And if His Highness had woken up while I attempted it…’

Yeocheong bit his lip, regretting his foolish actions. Seon, apparently interpreting his gesture differently, quickly lowered her head and spoke.

“I… I apologise.”

“Why are you apologising?”

“Are you angry with me?”

“Why would you think that?”

Yeocheong asked, now confused by her sudden change.

Seon hesitated and looked at Yeocheong carefully before speaking again.

“I… I thought it might be because I was staring too much… Is it not?”

She said, her gaze lifting slightly before quickly darting down.

Yeocheong, following the path of her gaze, unconsciously touched the spot she had looked at, causing his face to redden slightly.

“It’s nothing like that, so there’s no need to worry.”

“Ah, that’s true. There’s no need to hide it. Rather…”

It’s something to be proud of. Seon, thinking this, lowered her head again.

‘I knew His Highness the Crown Prince cared for our lady, but…’

Seeing it with her own eyes, Seon felt a sense of pride and her shoulders unconsciously stiffened. With a cheerful smile, she continued to help Yeocheong with his clothes.

“Your Highness, the bath water is ready.”

Just then, Sowol, who had returned, called from outside the door. Yeocheong, with a fresh set of clothes in his hand, left the room with Seon, who continued to chatter happily.

“The Fifth Empress Consort of the Song Empire will be happy to know that you’re well, Your Highness. Oh, and there was a letter yesterday, wasn’t there? You were well, weren’t you?”

“…!”

At the mention of a letter, Sowol’s shoulders twitched slightly. It was a small movement, but because Sowol was usually so composed, Yeocheong noticed it.

“Sowol, you mentioned that you have siblings in the Song Empire, right? Have you been in contact with them…?”

“I… I should prepare for lunch. Your Highness, I’ll make sure everything is ready for you to eat as soon as you finish your bath.”

Sowol awkwardly broke off the conversation and quickly made her way out of the room.

‘She must be receiving updates from the palace, so she must know the situation in the Song Empire. Or perhaps… she might even know more than I do.’

While Seon watched Sowol’s hasty departure with a curious expression, Yeocheong remained calm, watching her retreating figure for a moment.

***

Three days had passed since the consummation, and in that time the number of gifts arriving at Yeon Palace had noticeably increased. The palace spread the news quickly.

Rumours that the Crown Prince had stayed by his consort’s side until she woke up, and rumours of the consort’s appearance, full of signs of favour, quickly spread throughout the palace.

“Are you really going to send all this back?”

“Yes. There are things here that would last a lifetime, so why would I want to accumulate more?”

But Yeocheong didn’t even look at the items. As he had done before, he ordered everything to be sent back, except for a few selected items.

“Of course, with the things His Highness the Crown Prince sent me, I have more than enough, but it doesn’t hurt to have a little extra. It’s better to have too much than to have too little and feel lacking.”

“Well… maybe it’s because I’ve lived like this for so long. I just can’t get used to it.”

“You’re not trying to get used to it, are you?”

Yeocheong didn’t respond to Seon’s playful complaint, instead turning his attention back to the book he was reading. With a teasing smile, Seon muttered.

“Perhaps it would be better to just offer books to His Highness instead.”

As he looked at the cover of the book Yeocheong was reading.

“By the way, what kind of book is this?”

Most of the palace attendants couldn’t read. Both Seon and Sowol were illiterate, unable even to write their own names.

So it didn’t really matter if they found out what kind of book it was. Yeocheong answered nonchalantly.

“It’s a book about flowers, herbs and trees.”

“Are you planning to redesign the garden? Well, spring is coming soon. It would be nice to take care of Yeon Palace’s garden.”

“If you like, I can quickly get some seeds or saplings.”

The two, interpreting it simply, spoke as if they were going to collect seeds right away. Yeocheong chuckled softly and corrected them.

“It’s not like that. It’s not a book about growing plants, but about the effects of plants.”

“Effects? Are you planning to make bags or something?”

Seon asked, looking confused.

“…”

The reactions of the two were strikingly different. While Seon still didn’t quite understand what was being said, Sowol’s face suddenly turned pale.

‘Why is she reacting like this?’

Yeocheong couldn’t help but keep his eyes on Sowol’s face, sensing something unexpected. Sowol realised she was being watched and quickly lowered her head in embarrassment.

“Well, would you like me to recommend some flowers that would be good for making sachets? I’m from a rural area, so I know a bit about flowers and herbs.”

Sowol said, trying to sound casual. She spoke as if nothing was wrong, but the lack of colour in her face gave her away.

Yeocheong furrowed his brow, noting her unusually sensitive reaction to what should have been a harmless remark.

“Exactly. What kind of big tasks could there be in the palace?” Yeocheong said, trying to brush it off.

“Ah, yes, of course. But it would be more convenient for you to leave such things to us.”

Noticing the strange tension in the air, Yeocheong playfully agreed with Sowol’s words, causing her to visibly relax and nod in relief.

There had been moments before when Yeocheong had felt a similar unease in Sowol’s words. He smiled faintly, trying to remember those past instances.

But the memory didn’t immediately come to him, leaving only a lingering feeling of unease about Sowol. The conversation ended there, with no further clarity.