Villainous Concubine Has Run Away chapter 23

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The day after the fever broke, I felt better, and Joo Minhyuk suggested we go get some fresh air.

I’d woken up way past lunchtime, only to find him still sitting beside me on the bed, working.

He hadn’t left.

That honestly surprised me.

I worried he might not have slept because of my tossing and turning in bed.

He’d come all the way here early, just for me… and I’d spent the whole time half-dead, just sleeping.

I felt so guilty.

After checking that my fever had gone down—touching here and there and even using a thermometer—he finally brought me outside.

We went to the market, hopping from stall to stall, devouring fish cake skewers, especially the rice-cake ones I’d been craving.

It was a simple happiness I hadn’t felt in a long time.

I even forgot everything that happened between us yesterday.

I was worried the hickey-covered neck might make things awkward, but thankfully it didn’t.

But once one worry faded, another crept in.

‘Was it really okay for us to be out like this, just the two of us?’

Even while eating, I kept glancing around nervously.

Sure, my face wasn’t well-known, but Joo Minhyuk was a different story.

There probably isn’t a single person in this country who doesn’t know what he looks like.

Young, handsome, and the Emperor—of course he was popular both at home and abroad.

If people realized that the Emperor was casually sitting in a market eating fish cakes, no guards in sight, things could blow up fast.

He wore a cap, a mask, and a casual jumper, so it was unlikely anyone would suspect.

Still, even knowing there were undercover guards nearby, I couldn’t shake the unease.

Could they react fast enough if something happened?

Minhyuk, on the other hand, was as calm as ever.

“I’m more than capable of protecting my own Concubine. Don’t worry.”

It wasn’t like I asked him to protect me…

But what gave him such confidence?

Anyway, we made it through the market unnoticed, and now here we were at the beach.

The ocean felt completely different now that the weather had cooled.

In summer, the sea was bright and blue.

Now it felt… gray.

A bit lonely.

But beautiful in its own way.

Amazing how the same sea could feel so different depending on the season.

“The wind’s cold. We shouldn’t stay too long—you can’t get sick again like yesterday.”

I nodded obediently.

There was an official event tomorrow.

If I got sick now, I’d cause real trouble.

Better to head in early and prepare.

“Concubine… I’m getting an important call. I’ll need to step away and take it. It might be a while, but I have to.”

Minhyuk looked apologetic, his voice trailing off. I told him it was fine. Go take care of it.

“I’ll just hang out here. Go ahead.”

With a sheepish smile, he moved away, putting some distance between us so the sound of waves wouldn’t interfere with his call.

Even while on the phone, he kept stealing glances at me, making sure I was in sight.

I stayed nearby, playing with the sand to pass the time.

I don’t know how long I was doing that…

The sea breeze, already strong, suddenly turned into a gust of wind.

My hat flew off.

‘No!!’

That was the one Minhyuk bought for me today!

I jumped up and ran after it, but the damn thing kept slipping away.

Why does it fly so well?!

Minhyuk had told me not to move too far, but when I glanced back, he was still deep in conversation.

If I hurried and grabbed it, I’d be back before he even noticed.

The hat finally stopped at the feet of a group of people.

One of them picked it up and held it out to me.

‘Phew! Saved.’

But… my face was fully exposed now. Was it safe to go alone?

I looked around, unsure where the guards were.

When I turned back, I saw Minhyuk looking around too—his eyes met mine, and he froze.

‘Crap. I’d better hurry.’

“That’s my hat. Thank you for picking it up.”

I walked toward the person, trying to take back my hat politely.

But the guy just looked at me, then casually hid the hat behind his back.

‘What the hell?’

“How do I know this is yours? Got any proof?”

He asked with a mischievous grin, watching my reaction.

‘What?! What kind of weird situation is this?’

Minhyuk’s temperament came to mind—and panic set in.

I wasn’t in the mood to play games with a stranger.

“It’s definitely mine. I got it as a gift today. Thanks for picking it up, but could you give it back now?”

It wasn’t expensive, but it was a hat that Joo Minhyuk bought for me at the market, saying we should share it.

“Exactly. If you can prove it’s yours, I’ll give it back. Along with my number.”

What? “Along with my number”?

What kind of nonsense is that?

He even winked cheesily.

Annoyance surged inside me.

What is this, some sleazy old guy trying to flirt?

This isn’t something you say to a complete stranger.

He probably knows I’m an omega, and I’m guessing he’s not an alpha.

Some outdated vibe or whatever—his friends behind him even started egging him on.

They were all out of their minds.

I forced a smile and asked for the hat again, but his teasing only got worse.

“…I’m married. So stop joking around and give me my hat.”

“Huh? Married? You look super young. That makes no sense.”

Young.

Yeah, I was even younger when I got married. I was twelve.

Just give it back already.

If Joo Minhyuk sees you, you’re dead.

But just then, as the guy looked shocked at the word married, he suddenly leaned his face in close.

Startled, I took a step back—just as a large hand shot out and grabbed his face.

Literally grabbed it.

With one hand.

“Ack!”

Then he roughly snatched the hat from the guy’s hand and handed it to someone else.

“Throw it away.”

It was Joo Minhyuk.

Behind him, a group of large men came running and quickly surrounded me in a circle.

They were Joo Minhyuk’s bodyguards.

“We’re so sorry, Your Highness the Grand Concubine. We lost sight of you for a moment because we were attending to His Majesty…”

I heard the urgent whisper of a guard.

I looked at Joo Minhyuk’s back as he irritably shoved the guy’s face away.

His eyes had that icy look again, just like when we made eye contact earlier as he was running toward me. That temper of his—seriously.

“We got the hat back, so let’s just go. There are too many people here.”

Not just the jerks who were harassing me—some middle-aged folks nearby had been watching too, frowning as if they were about to step in.

Too many eyes were on us.

I pushed my way through the guards and grabbed Joo Minhyuk’s arm, and he looked back at me.

His eyes were wild, like during Grandpa’s time.

Get it together!

Think about your reputation!

You can’t lose your temper here!

The Imperial Family gets criticized no matter what we do.

It’s not worth making a scene.

Or at least, that’s what I thought—but clearly, Minhyuk didn’t agree.

He sighed, took off the hat he was wearing, and put it on my head.

Huh? I really shouldn’t be wearing this.

Minhyuk’s face is well-known, and he hadn’t been wearing a mask since earlier.

I was nervous about his exposed face and tried to give the hat back, but he wouldn’t take it.

“I don’t like other people looking at you. Just wear it. And you guys, what are you doing? What’s the point of having you if you can’t even keep this from happening? Shouldn’t you have stepped in before the Grand Concubine was approached?”

“We’re sorry, Your Majesty. We were focused on you…”

“I hired you because of the Grand Concubine, not for me. He had someone in his face. There’s no telling what could’ve happened next.”

Minhyuk’s whisper turned into a raised voice.

This is all getting blown out of proportion over one hat.

I knew he had guards.

But it was just a hat—it flew off and I thought I could just grab it.

I never imagined that guy would act like that.

I didn’t even think to find the guards for help.

I’d been careless. Reckless, even.

I needed to be more cautious, more aware.

First things first, I had to get us out of there.

Minhyuk didn’t do anything wrong, but even so, it wouldn’t look good if the Emperor became part of a public scandal.

I was getting anxious. Ignoring the beach, I grabbed his hand and quickly pulled him away.

“Let’s go, Your Majesty. And… why did you tell them to throw the hat away? It was a gift…”

“Someone else touched it. You’ll remember it every time you see it. I’ll buy you a new one. And sorry for leaving you alone. I should’ve been with you.”

He grumbled in informal speech, then softened his tone as he apologized.

Honestly, no one was really at fault here.

It was just the strong sea breeze, and a series of unexpected things that didn’t go the way we imagined.

“Seems like I can’t leave you alone. Too many things happen when I do.”

His muttered words sent chills down my spine.

At this rate, he really will lock me up in the palace.

He’s totally the type to do it.

I quickly brushed it off, saying how today had been fun and that it’d be a good memory someday.

I managed to calm him down.

Or so I thought—until the incident went viral online.

The video was taken down almost immediately by the palace, but not before it racked up an insane number of views.

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