* * *
After the chaos had passed, the Great Concubine’s palace was enveloped in deep silence.
Minhyuk dismissed everyone except a few court ladies and stayed by the Concubine’s side as he lay asleep under IV fluids.
Sweating profusely from a sudden fever, the Concubine occasionally let out a soft moan before falling into a deep slumber.
Minhyuk found the figure asleep before him strangely unfamiliar.
He was a person who felt more like a stranger than someone you would call a spouse.
Their marriage was purely political, forced by the pressure from the Concubine’s powerful household.
Outwardly, it may have appeared as a solid alliance between the Empire’s most influential family and the royal court, but the truth was far from it.
It was the royal family that had been consumed by the Concubine’s house.
The former Emperor had been weak, and the Concubine’s family had wielded enormous power since the Joseon dynasty.
Minhyuk had gone through the wedding ceremony at a young age, knowing nothing, and the only thing that made it even remotely bearable was that the Concubine had once adored him—intensely.
But at some point, the Concubine had begun to pull away from him, and Minhyuk, in turn, found no reason to favor someone so distant.
They treated each other with formal courtesy, with no interaction beyond Minhyuk occasionally checking in on the Concubine for surveillance purposes.
He kept him close only because he was still politically useful.
But witnessing the Prime Minister treat him that way—it made Minhyuk furious enough to lose his composure.
The Concubine had trembled in fear before the shouting Prime Minister.
Judging from his tone, his actions, and the way he had raised his hand without hesitation, this kind of treatment had clearly been going on for a long time.
Even though the Concubine was legally the Emperor’s one and only Concubine, the Prime Minister treated him like a subordinate of his own household, not as royalty.
That alone revealed what the Prime Minister truly thought of the Emperor.
Just how little did he think of Minhyuk, that he could treat the Emperor’s omega so shamelessly—someone acknowledged by the whole empire?
The image of the Concubine trembling in fear lingered stubbornly in Minhyuk’s mind.
Left neglected within the palace, without his care, the Concubine had been abused even by his own blood relatives.
And right here—right inside Minhyuk’s palace.
That was clearly the Emperor’s responsibility.
“Come inside.”
He called to the court lady waiting outside.
The court lady entered, visibly tense.
“Did the Prime Minister come to the Concubine’s quarters often?”
“…Yes. He came frequently and made things difficult for the Concubine.”
“He touched him? Was this kind of thing common?”
The court lady bowed her head in silence, then nodded with a quiet, “Yes.”
Seeing that, Minhyuk was at a loss for words.
The silence in the room grew heavy, and the court lady shifted uncomfortably.
“…What did they usually talk about?”
“There wasn’t much talking, really. The Prime Minister would usually just get angry. He constantly demanded why the consummation hadn’t happened yet, and threatened not to leave the Concubine alone unless he bore a child… He pressured him constantly. The Concubine would flinch at the mere mention of consummation. And after the Prime Minister left, he always suffered high fevers.”
This was the first Minhyuk had heard of it.
No one had ever told him, nor had he seen any signs.
And honestly, he had never cared enough to find out.
He wouldn’t have been able to argue if someone said his household was a mess.
“Why didn’t you report it?”
“The Concubine didn’t want to escalate the matter… He strictly ordered us to keep it quiet.”
“So you all just stood by while your master was being hit.”
“I’m sorry. I failed in my duties. I’ll accept any punishment.”
“Is he always this sickly?”
“He has a weak constitution, and when something like this happens, his fever tends to spike severely.”
“I see. You may go now.”
There was no need to punish anyone. Minhyuk himself had treated the Concubine with negligence.
He had only kept him nearby to use him, with no intention of treating him sincerely.
He had even been preparing to take in more Concubines from the royalist faction to ensure an heir, giving the Concubine contraceptives to prevent pregnancy.
The Concubine had only been necessary until the Prime Minister’s family fell.
Once they were ruined, Minhyuk had intended to discard him and turn him into a commoner.
Until then, he had planned to make it look like they got along, but even that hadn’t gone as intended.
He had wondered why the Concubine avoided him so much, but now he understood—the Prime Minister’s excessive pressure had driven him to dread even the idea of consummation.
That old man was useless in every possible way.
“…Why do I feel so unsettled?”
Was this sympathy?
When he saw the Concubine collapse, he had picked him up without even thinking.
The man was shockingly light for his height—fragile, even.
It unsettled him.
Emotions like this were utterly useless for the plans he had.
Minhyuk decided to take today’s incident as a win.
One way or another, the Concubine had received help from him.
That gave him leverage. Later, he could use this debt to demand something in return.
There was a reason people said “give and take.”
Now that the Concubine had taken, Minhyuk had every right to ask for something he wanted.
That, at least, was good.
“Yeah. That’s good enough. Solving this much is plenty.”
With that conclusion, Minhyuk stood up.
But then he felt a delicate sensation at his fingertips.
The Concubine’s slender, powerless fingers brushed his hand.
Was he waking up?
“…Don’t go.”
“What?”
Was he conscious?
“Don’t go… Stay a little longer.”
Those feeble fingers reached again, trying to grasp his.
The touch was so weak that Minhyuk’s own fingers twitched involuntarily.
For a moment, he simply held the Concubine’s fingertips.
And then, gently, he took his hand.
The Concubine’s hand, too weak to even hold back, simply sagged in his.
“…It hurts… I’m lonely. I’m scared…”
Delirious with fever, the Concubine whispered through tears, releasing the long-buried emotions within.
Lonely, afraid—feelings likely nurtured in a palace where he had no allies.
He probably would never have said such things while sober.
He murmured something else, as if calling for someone, but the voice was too faint to make out.
Feeling unexpectedly soft-hearted, Minhyuk sat back down and held the Concubine’s hand again, unable to leave.
“What? H-His Majesty stayed with me all night?”
It was late afternoon by the time I woke up, had porridge and medicine, and heard the shocking news from my court lady.
I couldn’t close my mouth in disbelief.
“Yes. He didn’t sleep at all and sat by your side, holding your hand.”
“H-Holding my hand?”
Why did he hold my hand?
I was absolutely stunned at the idea of Joo Minhyuk holding my hand.
Sure, I was grateful he drove out my grandfather yesterday.
I was thankful he looked after me when I collapsed.
But staying up all night, holding my hand? Wasn’t that going way overboard?
Why would he do that?
What is he plotting?
I was suddenly terrified—what if I said something crazy in my feverish delirium?
“Did you hear anything from Grandfather?”
Knowing his personality, I was scared of what might come next.
That man could easily burst back in and stab someone, no hesitation.
“No. He will no longer be allowed to contact the Great Concubine directly. Security has already been stationed outside your quarters, and no matter where you go, you will now be personally escorted.”
Personal escort?
Hmm…
That sounds more annoying than comforting.
Still, I should go thank Joo Minhyuk properly.
Honestly, what he did yesterday really was a big deal.
If it weren’t for him, I’d have been beaten and utterly humiliated by my grandfather.
When I requested an audience with the Emperor, Joo Minhyuk’s assigned attendant guided me to the audience chamber.
It was my first time stepping into this room.
So this is where Joo Minhyuk works.
The smell of paper was overwhelming.
“Your Majesty, the Grand Concubine has arrived.”
“Bring him in.”
As the attendants opened the doors, I immediately saw Joo Minhyuk inside.
His massive desk was stacked high with endless documents, and two large computer monitors sat in front of him.
Wow, I guess being an emperor isn’t something just anyone can do.
He’s so busy—am I even allowed to take up his time?
“Ah, hello, Your Majesty. Thank you for making time for me, even though you’re so busy.”
“Busy, huh. Come, have a seat over here.”
Setting down the fountain pen in his hand, Joo Minhyuk guided me to the sofa.
He was only wearing black suit pants and a plain white shirt, but he looked incredibly handsome.
Seriously, wow…
“How are you feeling? Is it okay for you to be walking around like this? I was really shocked yesterday.”
“I’m fine. Your Majesty, thank you so much for yesterday. Thanks to you, I was able to avoid something terrible.”
He only offered a faint smile at my gratitude and didn’t say anything else.
As he handed me a cup of tea, Joo Minhyuk looked at me with a hesitant expression, like there was something he wanted to say.
“I never imagined something like that was happening to you. I feel terribly sorry for having been so oblivious.”
He looked at me carefully, with a face full of caution.
Of course.
No one would have imagined that a royal Concubine was being beaten by his grandfather inside the palace.
It’s not just Joo Minhyuk—anyone would’ve found that unthinkable.
There was nothing for him to feel sorry about.
“I understand now why you kept it hidden. But why didn’t you tell anyone else in your family? Wasn’t there some other way you could’ve asked for help?”
Family? What family?
Our parents died early, and it was our grandfather who raised my brother and me.
In our household, he was like a god.
As orphans, there was no way we could defy the man who raised us.
To our grandfather, we weren’t the beloved children of his deceased second son or precious grandchildren—we were just shields for the sake of the family.
And as for my older brother, an Alpha, he had to endure even harsher discipline than I did.
“Wouldn’t your brother have helped if you told him? You two seem very close.”
“…My brother?”
I looked at him as he nodded gently, then lowered my cup and shook my head weakly.
How could I ask someone who got beaten even more than I did for help?
Honestly, I’m just relieved he’s been stationed overseas right now.
“My brother… doesn’t know. That I was getting hit too. If he finds out, he won’t stand for it. He’ll be devastated.”
“Too?”
At my words, Joo Minhyuk furrowed his brow and his eyes flicked as if deep in thought.
“Concubine… do you mean to say…”
I nodded, thinking he had figured it out correctly.
It’s a shameful, humiliating family matter.
The kind of thing you want to keep hidden from the world.
I’d stayed silent all this time because of that—but maybe this was an opportunity.
A chance to save both my brother and myself from our grandfather’s grasp.
Now that Joo Minhyuk had opened the door, I had no choice but to seize this chance.
Looking at Joo Minhyuk’s shocked expression, I put on my most pitiful face—the best I could manage to stir his sympathy.
Come on, Joo Minhyuk.
Save my brother and me.
And in return, I’ll guarantee you a life of happiness with your Omega.
* * *
