Spring Snow - Chapter 2 Part 2

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty…”

The alluring voice, dripping with charm, was crushed against the emperor’s broad shoulders. After patting her two or three times, the emperor thought he would slowly push her away, but he raised his large hand and roughly pulled her off his shoulder before grabbing her by the arm. Empress Dowager Hwa looked at her son with a dazed expression. Her face, tinged with shyness, trembled uncontrollably.

“Do I truly appear as your husband to you?”

“Your Majesty…”

“Are you still seeing the man before you as your late husband? Is that what you are saying? Is that why you made your daughter-in-law kneel on the cold floor?”

“I… I…”

“Mother!”

The sound of the emperor’s roar echoed up to the ceiling of Jeongyeong Palace. The emperor’s face had no expression. It was so excessively calm that it seemed dull. The man who, in front of the Grand Empress Dowager, would never raise his voice but would instead stir her emotions. Yet… she never knew the emperor could raise his voice like this.

Her crumpled face was a mess. The emperor, who had grabbed his birth mother’s shoulder and looked down at her fiercely, twisted his lips in an expression of someone who could no longer bear the humiliation. Empress Dowager Hwa raised her hand and gently stroked the emperor’s cheek.

“I know. My son…”

The emperor released his grip on her shoulder. He walked away from his fragile mother, as though she could vanish in the wind, and approached Eunhwan. Just as he had done in front of the Grand Empress Dowager, he scooped Eunhwan up and cradled her in his arms. The maid, who had regained her senses, came to Empress Dowager Hwa, wiping her cheeks. Empress Dowager Hwa, like a child, entrusted her face to the maid’s hands while instinctively rubbing her lower abdomen. Eunhwan stared at the emperor in shock. He carried her out of the palace and then set her down again. The two stood silently in front of the pond at Jeongyeong Palace, staring at each other for a long while.

“Didn’t I tell you not to do something so reckless?”

“B-but…”

“How is she? Your mother-in-law.”

“I… I just…”

“She is a woman who has lost her mind.”

“…”

“She’s been like this ever since the late emperor passed away.”

Eunhwan lowered her head, unable to meet his gaze. The man, who had been holding back his frustration in front of her, twisted his lips and muttered quietly.

“Of course, she wasn’t in her right mind even when the late emperor was alive.”

“How could you say such a thing…”

“She wasn’t in her right mind, I’m just speaking the truth.”

“But Empress Dowager Hwa is His Majesty’s birth mother. If you speak so harshly…”

“What does it matter that she’s his birth mother? It was Uyon, the governor, who raised me. Not her.”

The emperor looked at Eunhwan with cold eyes. Eunhwan couldn’t find the words to reply and bit her lip. Suddenly, the emperor raised his hand and gently stroked her swollen forehead, before crinkling his face in discomfort. Eunhwan, unable to bear the throbbing pain, took a step back, but the emperor’s hand pulled her back toward him.

Do not seek out the Empress Dowager again. Even if she calls, you will not come.”

“But Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager is a senior member of the royal family.”

“Did you not see her? Even though she has lost her mind…”

But she hadn’t completely lost it. When her son scolded her, she quickly regained her senses and looked at him with clear eyes. Suddenly, the maid who had been caring for her at Jeongyeong Palace came out and bowed.

“The Empress Dowager wishes to receive a visit from Lady Ga. His Majesty, you too…”

“Is this how you would have your daughter-in-law kneel on the cold floor, and now you’ll serve her tea?”

“Your Majesty, please understand the Empress Dowager. If you do not understand, there is no one in this world she can rely on.”

The maid lowered her head with a face full of pleading. Yet the emperor remained indifferent, his expression as cold as ever. Eunhwan tugged at his sleeve. He looked at her face, then slowly turned and ascended the stairs again.

When they returned to Jeongyeong Palace, Empress Dowager Hwa was holding the young crown prince in her arms. He was no more than seven or eight years old. A skinny little boy with delicate bones. He had long, soft eyebrows, a well-shaped nose, dark eyes that blinked rapidly, and full lips. Like a child who hadn’t fully weaned, the crown prince clung to Empress Dowager Hwa, sucking on his thumb while nestled against her chest.

“Crown Prince, you should greet His Majesty.”

Empress Dowager Hwa patted the crown prince’s thin shoulder and urged him. The child, still sucking on his thumb, glanced at the emperor before rising to salute. Then, he immediately leapt back into his mother’s arms. Empress Dowager Hwa, cradling him as if he were a baby, held him tightly once more. The emperor, seated, twisted his face in displeasure and called the boy in a stern voice.

“Yoonmin.”

“Just leave him be, Your Majesty.”

“Empress Dowager, by indulging him like that, even when he should be old enough to learn royal duties, he behaves like an infant. Do you intend to raise Yoonmin as a fool?”

The joints that were cut off had thorns. Eunhwan was afraid that Empress Dowager Hwa might burst into tears, so she glanced at the emperor. However, Empress Dowager Hwa only quietly gazed at her son. Eunhwan, with a calm expression, looked at the young prince who was clinging to his mother. Was he seven? No. Maybe eight. He was a child who seemed no older than that, even when he was given a generous estimate. But, as a royal male, shouldn’t he be more mature than his peers? Considering everything, the crown prince in Empress Dowager Hwa’s arms looked strange. Of course, Empress Dowager Hwa herself seemed strange as well.

Suddenly, the young prince, who had been clinging to Empress Dowager Hwa’s chest, turned his head and looked at Eunhwan. At first, she thought it was the emperor’s son. He was small enough to easily be mistaken for the emperor’s child. The emperor, too, was of a similar size. Had he married at the proper age or taken another concubine besides Eunhwan, he would have been old enough to have children by now.

If the emperor were a more proper man, he would likely have a line of children by now. Even the late emperor, who had passed away, had his first daughter at the age of twenty. But even then, that was considered late in the palace.

“The crown prince will open his royal residence next summer, won’t he? So, it’s okay to spoil him like this. He is still at the age to be pampered.”

Empress Dowager Hwa stroked the child’s head and looked at the emperor. Her eyes were stubborn. She seemed like she wasn’t going to listen. The emperor, as if recognizing that, didn’t say anything more and just looked at the prince. Suddenly, the child, who had been eating a honey-soaked fruit in Empress Dowager Hwa’s arms, opened his lips.

“Mother, my older brother is staring at me fiercely.”

Eunhwan lifted her gaze and looked at the emperor. As Crown Prince had said, the emperor was frowning as he stared at the child.

‘They were brothers, after all.’

She lowered her gaze again. She couldn’t quite discern their relationship. They resembled each other, but she hadn’t realized that the emperor had such a young brother. However, thinking about it, the emperor’s youngest brother was likely around the same age as the child. After all, it was said that there were thirteen children between the late emperor and Empress Dowager Hwa.

“It seems like Your Majesty is quite fatigued. Yoonmin, it’s time to go see the Grand Tutor now.”

Empress Dowager Hwa patted the youngest child’s bottom. The child, who reluctantly stood up at his mother’s hand, pouted his lips for a moment before quickly turning to look at Eunhwan. Eunhwan didn’t look away but met his gaze. Suddenly, the child waved his hand.

“Goodbye, pretty sister. See you again.”

It was a greeting unlike anything seen in the imperial palace. However, the Crown Prince grinned as he gave his farewell and, without even properly putting on his shoes, ran out of Jeongyeong Palace. He seemed more like a young child playing in the alley outside the palace rather than a royal prince. Eunhwan quickly masked her surprised expression and turned her attention to Empress Dowager Hwa. Empress Dowager Hwa, who she had expected to reprimand the child, instead just smiled brightly as she traced the path her youngest son had taken.

“Yoonmin is a bit spoiled, isn’t he?”

It was more than just a matter of concern; it was worrisome. Though the exact age of the Crown Prince was unknown, typically, male royal children of his age would have already been leaving the palace to open their royal estates and take on an official consort. However, the Crown Prince was still clinging to his mother’s embrace, sucking on his fingers. No wonder the emperor wore a worried expression.

“He’s still only ten years old.”

“Yes…”

Empress Dowager Hwa lowered her gaze. Her white hand, adorned with jade rings, held a round tea cup. Unlike before, her hair was elegantly styled, and she wore a hairpin and earrings decorated with red jade. She looked incredibly beautiful, embodying the emperor’s stunning exterior.

It was almost expected that her son would be equally beautiful, born of such a woman. As she took a sip of the sweet scent of the tea, she raised her gaze. Eunhwan, who had been quietly observing the woman, blushed. Empress Dowager Hwa smiled faintly. She didn’t appear to be a woman of her age; at least, she didn’t seem like a woman who was part of the emperor’s harem. Instead, she looked like a mother. In other words, she didn’t resemble the emperor’s concubine sitting across from him.

Suddenly, the image of the Empress Dowager came to mind.

Unlike the Empress Dowager, who wore a dark red robe embroidered with phoenix or dragon motifs, Empress Dowager Hwa wore a yellow satin robe embroidered with pomegranate and magnolia flowers in gold thread. Despite her status as just the emperor’s concubine, her attire could easily be imagined as that of a young concubine in the emperor’s court. The patterns of pomegranates and magnolias only accentuated this.

Of course, she wore it all effortlessly, as if she were a young, beautiful woman with a husband still alive. She seemed even more poised and beautiful than Eunhwan, who, despite revealing the contours of her chest in a tightly fitted gown, was still a concubine in the emperor’s court. However, despite this, Empress Dowager Hwa was a matron of the imperial household. Her status was far different from that of Eunhwan, who had exposed her bosom for the emperor’s sake. Eunhwan lowered her gaze to look at the wine-red satin robe, embroidered with vine patterns of grapes, and the beautiful moon and flower motif.

“Huana.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty?”

“Is that how you should call me?”

Suddenly, Empress Dowager Hwa whispered as she set down the round tea cup. Eunhwan, while reaching for the tea cup, caught a glimpse of the translucent skin visible beneath the sleeve that had slipped down. With her clear, radiant face, exquisite features, slightly raised eyes, and the delicate, reddish glow on her face, she was undoubtedly a breathtaking beauty, one who could make even a woman like the famed “Wasasha” envious.

“Please refer to me by my title. Huana is a noble consort.”

Empress Dowager Hwa glanced briefly at her eldest son. The golden thread-embroidered pomegranate and magnolia flowers on her yellow satin robe became more prominent as the sunlight streamed through the window. A thin silence descended.

“My daughter-in-law, Your Majesty. Anyone who lives in the palace loses their name. Just as Serlan is no longer Serlan and became Hwa Gwi-bi, Eunhwan too will need someone to call her by name.”

Empress Dowager Hwa answered firmly. Her unyielding attitude resembled that of the Emperor, as if she had inherited this trait from him. Once she set her mind to something, she would hold onto it until she was satisfied. The Emperor thought of how he had never taken a primary consort until the age of twenty-seven because he disliked the skin of women.

“Eunhwan won’t lose her name. I will call her by it every day. And besides, Your Majesty, you haven’t lost your name, have you? Even after you were granted a title, your late father called you Serlan every night. How can you tell lies to your daughter-in-law?”

The Emperor whispered quickly. Mentioning his deceased father, he spoke without hesitation. Empress Dowager Hwa’s cheeks turned a deep shade of red. Her eyelids fluttered slightly, and she bit her lower lip.

“Your Majesty.”

“I’ll get up now. Gwi-in must be feeling cold on her knees as well, so I’ll take her with me.”

“Your Majesty.”

“You mustn’t lose yourself while I’m away.”

“···‥”

“I’ll visit again in the evening.”

Although he hadn’t heard the words to rise, the Emperor stood up. Eunhwan, who had been staring blankly at the hat, looked confused. The Emperor grabbed Eunhwan’s shoulder and helped her up. Empress Dowager Hwa had a stiff, expressionless face.

Just as she was about to turn and leave, the Emperor suddenly grabbed Eunhwan’s wrist and pulled her towards him. In the moment, Eunhwan found herself in his arms, her heart pounding as she looked up at him. His face was pale and beautiful, reminiscent of the Empress Dowager, yet with a manly firmness that mirrored his mother. Despite that, things were so off-kilter. It almost seemed as if the Emperor was deliberately causing friction whenever he spoke to her.

‘But he did say he would visit again in the evening.’

“What are you staring at?”

It was when they were about to climb the steps together. The Emperor asked in a nonchalant tone, directing the question at Eunhwan.

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

“Why? Do you think I’ve been too harsh on the Empress Dowager?”

“It’s not that···‥.”

“The concubine always starts to speak and then stops. Know this, I do not appreciate such women.”

Eunhwan shut her mouth tightly. Her heart skipped a beat.

“Then speak quickly. What were you thinking? What have you been stuffing into that small head of yours?”

The Emperor, with a cold expression, pulled Eunhwan into his arms as he spoke of not liking such women. As Eunhwan still fidgeted, nervously watching him, the Emperor kissed her cheek and stroked her slender waist.

“I just… I just thought that the Empress Dowager looks a lot like you, Your Majesty.”

“Of course, she’s my own flesh and blood. It’s inevitable that she would resemble me.”

“Yes.”

“Especially, I’ve heard since I was young that I resemble my mother a lot. Even my father used to say that. He said I resembled my wife more than him.”

“···‥.”

“But my mother always said I looked just like my father.”

Eunhwan looked at the Emperor with surprise in her eyes. It wasn’t so much the way he referred to the Empress Dowager as ‘mother’ or the late Emperor as ‘father,’ but the fact that he continued to refer to himself as ‘I’ in front of her that startled her. Her heart raced.

“Now even the Empress Dowager says I resemble my father more than her. She says she can’t see much of my mother’s face in me, but it seems that, in your eyes, my mother’s face is still there.”

The Emperor smiled faintly. Eunhwan blinked, her heart pounding. She didn’t know what to say, yet no words came to her. The hand that had been stroking her waist now tightened around her small hand.

“Don’t visit your mother too often.”

“That’s···‥.”

“Answer me. Don’t even step into Huirak Palace.”

“However···‥.”

Eunhwan hesitated and then nodded. As a concubine, the Emperor’s commands took precedence. It was the same for anyone in the palace, whether they were a concubine or anyone else. The Emperor was the highest authority in the palace, no, in the entire country. Moreover, Eunhwan was his subject as well. If she wasn’t the Empress, that was the reality for everyone in her position.

A concubine was a servant who had been granted a rank. So, it was better not to interfere with the Emperor’s mood with a misplaced sense of duty, claiming to want to fulfill her role as a daughter-in-law or as a wife. Such things were not appropriate for a concubine. Those were matters for the Empress, not a concubine…

Furthermore, Eunhwan never intended to live her entire life as a concubine. She had already received a warning from the Empress Dowager. She had promised that she wouldn’t remain like this forever. The Dowager had assured her that she would help her leave the palace and live outside, a promise made in low whispers. There was nothing trustworthy except for that “promise” that came from the Dowager’s mouth, the one spoken softly: “I vow.” Eunhwan had been pushed into the Emperor’s bed for one night, and now she found herself in this position as a concubine.

Now, even if she had forgotten what the Empress Dowager had whispered, it couldn’t be helped. The promise the Dowager had made was likely given when Eunhwan was still a palace maid, not even a concubine yet. Moreover, Eunhwan might already have been feeling betrayed and humiliated by the situation. But she never intended for things to go beyond that single night with the Emperor. There was no will of hers in this matter; her small will was nonexistent.

“What are you thinking about?”

As Daeyeon arrived at Hwaksimjeon, the Emperor’s gaze landed on Eunhwan, who appeared lost in thought. The Emperor’s eyes seemed to say, How dare you focus on something else while I am personally showing you such care, treating you with affection? Startled, Eunhwan lowered her head. Without saying a word, the Emperor embraced her and gently helped her dismount from the carriage.

“Eunhwan.”

“Yes?”

Upon their return to Hwaksimjeon, the Emperor called for her. Eunhwan tilted her head slightly, waiting for the Emperor’s voice to reach her. Suddenly, a long hand lifted her chin. The Emperor called for one of the palace maids. It wasn’t long before a palace maid, carrying a tray with an offering, walked gracefully toward them.

“Go out.”

To Eunhwan’s surprise, instead of asking the maid to tend to her bruised forehead, the Emperor himself gently took the silken cloth and carefully inspected her injury. The spot on her forehead, where she had been struck directly by the diadem, was growing redder and more swollen as time passed.

“Tsk.”

The Emperor clicked his tongue, his face contorting into a harsh expression. He looked as if something precious had been damaged. Eunhwan couldn’t bring herself to meet his gaze and once again lowered her eyes. The Emperor roughly grabbed her chin and, with a stern look, continued to stare at her.

“Mark it. Jim hates it when something he owns gets damaged.”

“···‥Yes.”

“A woman is the same.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

She answered in a voice that was completely shriveled. The emperor, seemingly displeased even with that, hardened his gaze. Eunhwan bit her lips tightly, unable to take even a single breath. Suddenly, heat surged into her eyelids. She blinked to dispel the heat, but it didn’t work as she hoped. The rising vision was horrifically blurred.

Drip-drip-

Moisture trickled down the cheeks and pooled between the lips. Suddenly, the chin was pulled back. A soft, fleshy mass wiped away the moisture caught between the lips. Eunhwan closed her eyes and received the man’s kiss. A faint scent of anise filled her nostrils. The soft skin crushed and rubbed against the lips. Ticklish heat intertwined and finally surged inward. A thick tongue filled the mouth.

“Sigh…”