* * *
After sending everyone away, Minhyuk kept Hanbin back in the royal study.
They clearly had things to discuss.
Minhyuk had already roughly explained Haejoo’s situation and recent events.
He could now tell that Hanbin shared the same perspective as Haejoo.
He’d always wanted to recruit Hanbin, but couldn’t, because he was the Prime Minister’s grandson.
That had been frustrating.
But now? It was the opposite.
This joy was incomparable.
Even if Hanbin didn’t help directly, it was enough that he didn’t walk the same path as the Prime Minister.
It didn’t seem like Haejoo or Hanbin would side with the Prime Minister anytime soon, which alone brought Minhyuk some peace.
Hanbin was even more upright and incorruptible than Minhyuk had thought.
How two decent people like them came from the Prime Minister’s bloodline was a mystery.
But the fact they hadn’t been tainted and had grown up with sound judgment?
That deserved praise.
Usually unreadable and composed, Hanbin couldn’t hide his rage upon hearing about Haejoo’s situation.
It was clear why the Prime Minister had kept the two as leverage against each other.
“Did you speak with Grand Concubine? He probably wasn’t in any shape to talk much. Take your time. It must have been hard to hear such painful news right after reuniting.”
“Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty. If it weren’t for you…”
“I was shocked too when I found out. If I had known sooner, I would’ve helped. But every time I asked, he’d just stay quiet and worry about the brigadier. He insisted his brother couldn’t find out.”
“He probably never meant to tell you, Your Majesty. He knows better than anyone the relationship between the royal family and my household—and so does the Prime Minister. That’s why he treated Daegung so cruelly. He knew no one could be told. That’s why Daegung probably waited for me alone.”
Hanbin looked pained as he described Grand Concubine’s situation.
Minhyuk felt the same heartache.
He remembered that trembling voice, crying softly about being lonely.
Grand Concubine must’ve lived for so long without any help, exposed to abuse and just barely surviving each day.
It was unimaginable, the depth of that despair.
Maybe that’s why he avoided people and stayed secluded—possibly due to depression from everything he’d endured.
Originally, Minhyuk’s plan was to completely wipe out the Prime Minister’s family.
That clan had far too much influence, constantly threatening Minhyuk’s position.
And they never got tired.
Staged suicides, assassinations—there were too many to count.
Among them was the late emperor, and many other royals above him.
Corruption ran so deep there wasn’t a single clean part left.
The only solution was to uproot it entirely.
Which meant these two siblings had to be discarded too.
But now?
Minhyuk was already scheming how to exclude them from that plan.
To do that, he needed certainty.
He had to uncover the strange coldness he’d felt from Grand Concubine—what was its true nature?
There’s definitely something he’s hiding, something unrelated to the Chancellor.
It sounds strange to say, but this too seems to be connected to Kang Hyunwook.
And also to that person named Seojoo, who was supposedly just a cat. Hanbin might know something.
“Yesterday, Grand Concubine was feverish and seemed to be looking for someone.”
Minhyuk, who had spoken this far, observed Hanbin’s face.
But Hanbin’s expression betrayed nothing.
He simply waited for Minhyuk to continue, his face utterly impassive.
“Seojoo? He asked me to find someone named Seojoo. Are you familiar with that name, General?”
“…Seojoo?”
Hanbin’s tone didn’t waver, but when the name was mentioned, a flicker passed through his eyes—something Minhyuk didn’t miss.
No one else would have noticed it, but Minhyuk’s lips curled slightly, having caught that subtle shift.
“I heard Seojoo was a cat Grand Concubine raised as a child. He must have been lonely enough to recall an old pet from his childhood.”
“…I see. He’s mentioned it to me before, but I didn’t think much of it. Perhaps being ill brought up old memories. I’ll take better care of him.”
“No, I’ll take care of him. The Chancellor won’t be able to get close to either Grand Concubine or the General for a while. Please leave Grand Concubine to me and focus your attention on state affairs.”
Minhyuk smiled as he wrapped up the conversation, having clearly pinpointed Hanbin’s weak spot.
At the mention of the ‘cat,’ Hanbin’s eyes had narrowed.
Though he quickly collected himself and responded like a seasoned general, Minhyuk had already seen enough. He couldn’t act right now, but this was sufficient.
At least it confirmed one thing: Seojoo wasn’t a cat, just as Minhyuk suspected.
And Hanbin knew something about him.
Now Minhyuk just had to find out what.
Hopefully, Seojoo wasn’t that “special person” to Haejoo.
Lately, Kang Hyunwook has been so busy that I can’t see him outside of work hours.
Even after work, we always used to be together, but these days, he disappears the moment his shift ends like he’s on some urgent errand.
He must be busy with school or something.
“Tch, acting like we’d be together all the time, but now he’s always off doing something.”
Of course, I understand that Hyunwook has a life here too.
He has family, friends, responsibilities—more than anyone else, I know that.
But even so, I can’t help feeling a little hurt.
Even though Hyunwook is as kind and devoted to me as ever, something still feels missing.
But that emptiness—it’s not because of Hyunwook.
It’s not something he can fill either.
Then what is this void I’m feeling?
It’s like I want something to fill me up, but no matter what, I still feel empty.
I think…
I think I’m feeling lonely.
Even with my brother here, he’s too busy.
Hyunwook is too busy.
Minhyuk said he’d visit often, but I haven’t seen him since that day.
I mean, it’s not like we’re close enough to hang out, even if things got a little friendlier.
But I guess… I was hoping, without realizing it.
With everything about my grandfather and how Minhyuk took care of me while I was sick, I started wanting him to pay more attention to me.
And every time I felt that way, I felt even lonelier.
Why is it that thinking of Minhyuk makes me feel lonely?
At what point did I start feeling that way?
I don’t get it.
Am I becoming like the Grand Concubine from the original novel?
That can’t happen.
That’s the express train to a tragic death.
“My condition’s been kind of off lately…”
“You’ve been cooped up in your room for days, saying you wanted to take care of your health. How about getting some fresh air?”
Not because I wanted to, but because Minhyuk practically locked me in there.
“…Should I?”
“The autumn leaves around the rear garden pond are beautiful. Let me accompany you.”
Wrapped in warm clothes prepared by the court lady, I walked slowly toward the rear garden.
The place was huge, so I’d only planned to peek at the entrance of the pond area before heading back.
But before I even reached it, I had to stop.
Near the entrance of the lake, a small group of people was chatting warmly.
It wasn’t hard to recognize the people standing there, looking in my direction.
Oh—it’s Minhyuk.
But… who’s that next to him?
As I watched the group and saw them walking this way, I instinctively ducked behind a large bush.
The court lady, who ended up hiding with me, recognized the people with Minhyuk and whispered in my ear.
“Gungju, do you recognize who those people are with His Majesty?”
“Um… no. Do you?”
“There’s the Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District, Han Sungyoon—he’s the younger brother of the Minister of Justice. And the young man beside him is Han Heeseong, the Chief Prosecutor’s son. His Majesty and the Prosecutor have met before, but this is the first time the son has joined them.”
I know the Minister of Justice.
But wait… who did she say?
Han Heeseong?
The moment I heard that name, a shock slammed into my brain.
There’s no way I wouldn’t recognize that name.
That’s the true protagonist of this world.
The real Omega destined for Minhyuk—Yeong Hwagung’s Han Heeseong.
* * *
Genuinely tweaking waiting for the chapters to unlock