The senior court lady waiting inside the bathhouse roughly stripped Bu-yeong n*ked and plunged her into the water.

Bu-yeong held her breath and struggled. Just as she began to wonder if she might actually drown, the pressure on her head eased. Gasping for air, she broke the surface and coughed violently. Water had rushed up her nose, stinging her nasal passages and throat as though they had been pierced by needles.

“I shall bathe Your Majesty now.”

The court lady spoke in a dry, emotionless tone. There was no hint of mockery or pity in her gaze; only sternness that would not tolerate the slightest error.

Two maids standing by approached and began scrubbing Bu-yeong’s body with soft cloths. By the time her skin turned red as if scalded, the senior court lady took out a small vial, removed the stopper, and poured its contents directly over Bu-yeong’s head.

Bu-yeong shut her eyes tightly. Nevertheless, she could clearly feel the sensation of the fragrant, slippery liquid trickling down her cheeks.

The three women washed every hidden crevice of her body thoroughly, then dressed her in nothing but a thin chimui before leading her outside.

Outside the bathhouse, a palanquin was waiting to carry Bu-yeong once again, this time to Gwanggeon Palace. Unlike the jolting ride there, the palanquin now moved slowly, as if gliding on a gentle breeze.

Dressed and polished, Bu-yeong was no different to a doll offered to the emperor. In that sense, the attendants were merely transporting an object with the utmost care.

‘To think I have to see that face twice in one day.’

Bu-yeong clenched and unclenched the hem of her skirt in her hands. No matter how many times she swallowed her dry throat, she couldn’t calm the pounding of her heart.

‘I’d rather be humiliated in front of a crowd. Being alone with him like this… it’s the worst.’

Before long, the palanquin came to a stop, and from beyond the curtain came the voice of the senior court lady.

“We have arrived. Please disembark.”

Bu-yeong stepped down slowly, her feet heavy with dread. She followed behind the senior court lady, past the outer gate, through a long corridor, and beyond several more doors before finally arriving at one adorned with an intricate design.

The eunuch standing guard outside the chamber announced upon seeing her.

“Your Majesty, the Empress has arrived.”

No reply came.

A tense silence stretched on for what felt like forever. It was thick and stifling. Bu-yeong cast a furtive glance at the court lady. She remained motionless with her head bowed, waiting for the emperor’s command. As someone who served him directly, she kept her expression unreadable and emotionless.

After a long time, the door finally opened and the head eunuch emerged to speak.

“Please, enter.”

Bu-yeong followed him into the bedchamber.

In the centre of the room stood a grand bed, large enough to rival the Cold Palace’s entire sleeping quarters. It was adorned with crimson sheets and golden dragon-embroidered blankets. Although the Emperor usually preferred subdued bedding in shades of grey or black, tradition dictated that he use red on full-moon nights, which were reserved for the consummation ritual.

Next to the bed stood a round table laid with wine and food. The Emperor sat before it, wearing his night robe and reading a book.

Bu-yeong walked to the side of the table, knelt on the floor and bowed deeply. An empress was only required to perform a simple bow, but Bu-yeong had never even been granted that courtesy by the emperor.

He did not bid her to rise. Instead, he merely flipped another page, as though he hadn’t noticed she was in the room.

A cold wind blew in through the open window, sending the pages of the book fluttering. Such an autumn breeze was nothing to a man like the Emperor, who had spent years on the battlefield, but to Bu-yeong, whose body had long since wasted away, it felt like a cruel storm.

Her frail shoulders trembled faintly and, finally, the Emperor’s gaze shifted from the book to her.

“I thought your skin was thick enough not to feel the cold.”

“……”

With a wave of his hand, the Emperor gestured for the book to be put away. The eunuch approached, carefully closed the volume, and asked in a low voice,

“Shall I prepare the bedding now, Your Majesty?”

The Emperor did not answer. He simply continued to stare at Bu-yeong.

Seeing this, the eunuch cautiously added,

“Shall I place a pifung-ui over Her Majesty?”

“Head Eunuch.”

The Emperor’s cold voice and frosty gaze turned toward the head eunuch. The eunuch immediately dropped flat to the floor and begged for forgiveness.

“This lowly servant has overstepped and spoken out of turn. I deserve to die for my insolence.”

He struck his own cheek with his hand. A few sharp slaps echoed through the chamber before the Emperor gave his command.

“You’re noisy. Leave.”

“Your mercy is boundless, Your Majesty.”

Rising to his feet, the eunuch stepped back a few paces and gave a signal to the waiting attendants. The eunuchs moved in perfect unison—shutting the windows, snuffing out the lanterns, and leaving only a single candle burning by the bedside before quietly withdrawing.

Once the room had fallen into silence, the Emperor finally spoke.

“You don’t seem the least bit ashamed of this hollow ritual of consummation. If it were me, I would’ve ended my life long ago.”

With those words, he rose and lay down on the bed.

Bu-yeong bit her lower lip, her gaze fixed to the floor. Heat rushed to her face, and the corners of her eyes began to dampen.

‘Do you think I want to continue this wretched life?’

The thought of ending it all had crossed her mind countless times. However, if she were to die like this, it would be an admission of guilt, and she couldn’t bear to imagine the consequences for her father, who would be left alone and bereaved.

An owl hooted in the distance and the night passed by indifferently.

The Emperor fell asleep without stirring, while Bu-yeong remained kneeling with sleepless eyes, drifting in and out of dazed wakefulness.

By the time dawn broke and faint light began to filter through the window, she slowly lifted her heavy knees and looked towards the bed.

His eyes were shut neatly above his sharp, chiselled nose.

Had she been thinking only of her own suffering, she could have thrown a stone at his calm face without hesitation. But she could not bring herself to hate him completely.

‘If I were in His Majesty’s place three years ago, I would’ve made the same choice.’

Nevertheless, she could no longer love him. No matter how much she understood what he had done, the wounds left by the past three years could never be undone.

After staring at his sleeping face for a while, Bu-yeong quietly left the bedroom.

The moment the door closed behind her, the Emperor slowly opened his eyes. His sharp gaze shifted from the door through which Bu-yeong had left, to the cold floor where she had knelt all night.

♛༺═════༻♛

Officials in crimson and blue robes stood beneath the golden dragon throne, arranged according to rank.

Once the court was fully assembled, the herald announced the arrival of the sovereign.

“His Majesty the Emperor approaches!”

The ministers knelt to the floor and bowed deeply in respect.

“Long live His Majesty the Emperor! Ten thousand years!”

With each step the Emperor took, the strings of beads hanging from his coronet swayed, revealing glimpses of his face, which looked especially cold today.

After ascending the nine steps, he took his seat on the dragon throne. A minister in crimson robes stepped forward, bowed deeply and addressed him.

“This humble servant dares to make a plea for the sake of the nation’s stability.”

“Speak.”

“Three years have passed since the grand marriage, yet Her Majesty the Empress has still not conceived. It is not fitting to keep an infertile woman on the throne.”

The emperor’s eyebrow twitched upwards, then returned smoothly to its place.

“Furthermore, Her Majesty has committed a grave offence. The fact that her title has not yet been stripped is unjust in itself. Deposing her and confining her to the Cold Palace would hardly be enough, yet she is still permitted to roam the palace freely.”

The emperor swept his gaze across the ministers lined up in the courtroom. One of them cleared his throat awkwardly. Another averted his gaze.

‘Which of them led today’s scheme?’

His eyes settled on a middle-aged man standing in the front row.

“Chancellor Go. What do you think? Should I depose the Empress and select a new one?”

Chancellor Go’s wrinkled lips twitched. It wasn’t that he wanted a new Empress chosen, it was that he wanted his daughter, the Noble Consort, to be made Empress.

“Ah.”

The Emperor let out a short sigh and rose from his seat. Descending the steps at a leisurely pace, he came to a stop in front of the official who had moments ago called the Empress a barren woman.

“So that’s what it was. Now I understand why you were mocking the Empress.”

“N-No, Your Majesty! I would never dare utter such blasphemy. I only spoke out of concern for the future of the imperial line—”

The Emperor’s lips curled slightly.

Then, without warning, he drew the sword from the guard beside him.

Shff—Thunk—

No more words were heard. Only a scream of agony echoed through the court.

“Aaaagh!”

Blood burst from the minister’s thigh, splattering across the floor and staining the pearls of the coronet a deep crimson.

The sound of an animal being slaughtered filled the air, yet the Emperor remained utterly unshaken. He flung the bloodied sword to the ground, and the guard behind him picked it up and slid it calmly back into its sheath.

Chancellor Go’s legs gave out beneath him, and he collapsed to the floor.

The Emperor rolled his stiff neck a few times, then looked down at him.

“Chancellor Go, how could I possibly elevate the Noble Consort’s rank unless she bears me a dragon heir? Only then would you become my father-in-law.”

“Y-Your Majesty…”

Chancellor Go was overwhelmed by a chilling pressure gripping his spine and could not utter another word. His lips simply trembled in silence.

The Emperor let out a short, derisive laugh.

The head eunuch stepped forward and carefully wiped the blood from the emperor’s hands and face with a cloth. Meanwhile, the other eunuchs knelt beside the fallen official, staunching the bleeding in his thigh and scrubbing the soiled stone floor.

Watching them with a calm expression, the Emperor spoke in a detached voice, as though he were looking at nothing more than a butchered piece of meat.

“This morning’s court session ends here.”

With blood soaking the floor, it was impossible to continue the audience.

Even after the Emperor had left the hall, Chancellor Go remained on the ground, unable to get up.

As the wounded official was carried out on a stretcher, he cast a sharp glare at Chancellor Go.

He had promised to offer his support immediately if the official spoke up first. However, when things went wrong, Chancellor Go remained silent, pretending he had played no part in it.