* * *
“I’m really late. I’m screwed.”
I had been zoning out, eating snacks at a convenience store table, when I noticed the sky had turned red with sunset.
Only then did I realize I’d stayed out way longer than usual.
What’s worse, today was one of the two evenings each week I was supposed to have dinner with Joo Minhyuk.
He seemed to take those shared meals seriously, so I’d always made sure to show up, no matter what.
He hadn’t said anything, but he definitely knew I’d been sneaking out of the palace.
He’d silently tolerated it all this time, but today I’d pushed it too far.
I’d stayed out long enough to deserve a scolding.
Using every ounce of strength I had, I ran like mad back to the palace.
I sprinted all the way to my quarters.
If I just climbed over this wall, I’d be there—but there wasn’t enough time to run all the way to the gate.
Heart pounding, I wrestled with myself briefly before deciding to just scale it.
I needed to hurry, change clothes, wash up, and go see Joo Minhyuk—as fast as possible.
I threw one of my snack bags over the wall with all my might.
Just as I was about to throw the second one, a thunderous voice rang out behind me.
“Grand concubine! What do you think you’re doing?!”
Oh… that voice.
Pressed up against the wall, I froze at the sound I least wanted to hear.
It was the person I felt most uncomfortable around in this world—the current Prime Minister of this country and my grandfather.
I didn’t even want to call him that.
Damn it. Even when he called me, I didn’t turn around.
“Your Highness! I asked you what on earth you’re doing right now!”
Well, yeah. I got caught trying to sneak over the wall.
Ah… I already have no time as it is, and now he’s probably going to go on and on again.
Last time, he even smacked me on the back.
Every time he sees me, he hits my forehead, saying I need to get my act together.
But seriously—this isn’t right, is it?
I’m the Emperor’s official concubine.
The Grand Concubine, no less.
Even if he’s family, even if he’s my grandfather, he shouldn’t treat me like this.
Not even if he’s the Prime Minister of the country.
And yet he barges in almost every day with nagging and slaps.
I tightly shut my eyes and slowly turned my head to see my grandfather’s face, pale with fury.
“…You’re here.”
“Did you perhaps go outside the palace? Looking like that, no less.”
“Yes. Going out is permitted, so I just briefly—”
“How many times have I told you to answer clearly and not trail off when I ask you something! There’s nothing I’m satisfied with! What business do you even have outside the palace? And what are those vulgar things in your hands!”
My grandfather, who had clearly hit his crazy button again, screamed like a madman and stomped toward me, snatching the bags from my hands before I could say a word and throwing them to the floor.
This is outrageous.
His behavior just now defies the laws of decorum—even insulting to the Emperor himself.
I can’t understand why this man is always so violent.
What is it this time that’s set him off?
Did something happen during the state council meeting?
Scenes like this never appeared in the novel.
There was no particular narrative between the Grand Duke and this man, which made his treatment of me all the more confusing.
Could it be that in the story, something similar happened in secret in Daebin Palace?
Or is it that me possessing the Daebin Palace’s body changed the course of the narrative?
I knew he had a hot temper from the frequent descriptions of his fiery nature, but there was never any mention of him treating the Grand Duke like this.
And even while I was lost in thought, he didn’t stop.
“What even is this outfit? No wonder the Emperor treats you like that!”
Shouting louder now, my grandfather grabbed my arm and started turning my body this way and that with rough force.
My arm’s going to pop out of its socket!
“Well, His Majesty doesn’t particularly—”
“Don’t you talk back to me!”
Just as he was yanking on my arm, he suddenly raised his other hand as if to hit me.
Has he lost his mind?
This isn’t even inside my quarters—it’s out in an open pavilion.
If someone sees this, gossip is the least of my concerns—it would put me in a deeply humiliating position.
If this is how I’m treated by my own family, people will start looking down on me.
The one who’s really disrespecting me isn’t the Emperor.
It’s this man.
It was already too late to dodge, and there’s no way I can overpower my alpha grandfather.
All I could do was flinch and squeeze my eyes shut. I’ll get my revenge later.
You old bastard!
But… even after he raised his hand, I didn’t feel anything.
……?
He’s not the type to hold back out of pity.
I braced myself, shoulders tense, waiting for the next moment—but nothing happened.
What is this?
What the hell is going on?
I cautiously peeked open one eye and slowly looked up.
“…Your Majesty?”
Standing before me was the Emperor, holding my grandfather’s raised arm and breathing a little heavily.
When I called him with a voice that trembled like a leaf, Joo Minhyuk’s eyes shifted to me.
He looked me over briefly, then shot my grandfather a glare brimming with barely restrained fury.
His normally tidy hair was half undone, and the veins in the hand gripping my grandfather’s wrist bulged from the force.
Joo Minhyuk’s face was expressionless as always, but his clenched jaw and tensed neck muscles made it clear—he was pissed.
“…Prime Minister. I don’t understand what exactly is going on here. Were you about to lay a hand on the Grand concubine? Seems like you owe me an explanation.”
His voice, usually low to begin with, now resonated even deeper, like it could flatten the floor.
More terrifying than my frenzied grandfather.
The Emperor had never spoken informally to him before—but now he dropped all formalities.
“Your Majesty, this was merely a matter between family—”
“Family? Who? The Grand concubine? The Grand concubine is my spouse. My family. Not yours. Don’t change the subject. Answer me clearly: were you about to hit him? Frankly, this doesn’t look like the first time. Otherwise, how would you act so naturally? Grand concubine—tell me.”
Why isn’t the old man answering?
Now the Emperor’s dragging me into this too.
I panicked and just rolled my eyes around.
Joo Minhyuk pressed again.
“Answer me, concubine. Has the Prime Minister laid hands on you before? From the looks of things, I’d say yes. Have you been hit?”
Of course I’ve been hit!
Every time he sees me!
But if I speak carelessly, I’ll end up cast out by both sides.
In the original story, Joo Minhyuk was going to discard the Grand concubine eventually, and while my grandfather might not throw me away immediately, if I tread carefully, I can at least last until I die.
Still… I really don’t want to keep living like this.
What do I do?
If I was going to reincarnate into a novel, I wish I’d been born as some no-name extra.
At least then I wouldn’t have to live in fear of dying every day.
That thought made my vision go blurry again with unfair tears.
Stupid tear glands.
My grandfather will yell again if I cry.
I bit my lip hard and lowered my head.
But sure enough, my useless tears spilled, falling onto my hands.
I hurried to wipe them away and clasped my hands tightly together.
I can’t even cry freely.
What a miserable fate.
If Seojoo saw this, he’d be so upset.
Say I look pitiful. I’m even starting to feel feverish.
Maybe the Emperor caught on to the meaning behind my silence, or maybe I just looked pathetic—but he silently stared at me.
His gaze felt like it weighed a ton, crushing me.
I just want to leave this place and live alone somewhere far away.
“…Prime Minister.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Joo Minhyuk flung the Prime Minister’s arm away and didn’t take his eyes off me for even a second.
Maybe he thought I was siding with my grandfather and got angry.
But that’s not it.
“From this moment on, you are forbidden from stepping foot into the Grand concubine’s quarters. You are not to approach this area at all. Without my explicit permission, you are never to meet with the Grand concubine. You will not be able to request an audience without going through me first. Understand this: if you disobey and try to contact the Grand concubine in any way, you’ll pay for it with your life.”
“Y-Your Majesty?!”
It wasn’t just my grandfather who stood there with his mouth agape—I was just as shocked.
Realizing how lost I looked, Joo Minhyuk had issued the exact decree I most desperately needed.
He hadn’t misunderstood me.
His quick assessment of the situation and the unexpected order should have made me grateful—and I was—but at the same time, chills ran down my spine.
I might be thankful now, but from here on out, I’ve caught the eye of someone I really didn’t want to cross.
My mind’s a mess.
How am I supposed to handle things from now on?
I need to act wisely.
In the original story, the Grand concubine loved the Emperor to the point of obsession, and his jealousy was intense.
That’s why he mercilessly eliminated any pretty omegas or women who tried to get close to the Emperor or to the palace, which caused major problems.
Combined with pressure from powerful families trying to rise above the Emperor, the situation became a disaster, and the Grand concubine’s misdeeds only made Joo Minhyuk grow colder.
But right now, I was being calm.
At the very least, there wouldn’t be a worst-case scenario caused by jealousy, so if I tried, maybe I could maintain a good relationship.
If I helped Joo Minhyuk and Yeong Hwagung get together, I’d be able to find a way to survive too.
After all, Yeong Hwagung was Joo Minhyuk’s omega.
It seemed like a decent plan.
But why is my body like this?
Maybe it was because I ran in too fast, or maybe it was the shock of facing both my grandfather and the emperor back to back—but I started to feel feverish and dizzy again.
Joo Minhyuk’s face, which was saying something to me, split into two, then three.
Before I could see four of him rushing toward me in alarm, my vision tilted to the ground—and the whole world went dark.
* * *
