Holding the documents I had initially intended to send through a court lady, I headed straight to Joo Minhyuk myself.
Inside the envelope, along with the divorce papers, was a document listing the precautionary notes I had to follow after the divorce.
Perhaps because it was an official imperial divorce, the laws and procedures were quite complex, unlike those for ordinary people.
This part in particular was bothersome: ‘For two years after the divorce, the individual must reside in a designated city so that imperial officials can maintain contact. Within three years after the divorce, the individual shall not remarry.’
What on earth is this?
Isn’t this an extreme invasion of privacy?
“Why are there so many things telling me what not to do when I’m on my way out? Once we turn around, we’re strangers.”
Since this was the first divorce in the history of the imperial family, there was no precedent to check if the things written in these precautions were actually justifiable.
I didn’t know who drafted this, but these clauses were clearly laced with personal feelings.
It was obvious they wanted to keep an eye on me because of the possibility that I might communicate with my family’s side regarding matters of the clan.
Giving them the benefit of the doubt for everything else—no, what business of theirs is it to interfere with whether I remarry or not?
The moment I read it, I felt a surge of anger, but I decided not to let a sudden outburst of emotion ruin everything when the goal was so close at hand.
An unexpectedly swift divorce was a blessing in itself.
It was better to endure a few years of this than to be deposed to a commoner and fall into an abyss.
I decided to look on the bright side and wrap things up.
I had passed my news to my dad through Hyunwook, and my brother didn’t show much outward sign of it, though the whole situation seemed to leave him deeply complicated.
In truth, the person having a harder time than me might be my brother.
Because he is a man of few words who doesn’t display his emotions, I couldn’t even begin to fathom how bitter he must feel inside.
I wanted to get him into psychological counseling, but the circumstances didn’t allow for it.
Right now, it is best for us to quietly hold our breath.
If the palace found out we went to a hospital for counseling, people would surely gossip, asking what we could possibly have done right to be receiving counseling.
Once the situation settles down a bit, I should take him to a hospital then.
As I was organizing my future plans in my head along the path, the figure of someone I had no desire to see appeared up ahead.
Ah, damn Lee Siyoon.
Why did I have to run into that weasel-like face and ruin my eyes?
Knowing full well that he had been subtly going around badmouthing me, I couldn’t harbor any pleasant thoughts.
I was painfully realizing exactly what kind of animosity Han Heesung had displayed toward him.
Lee Siyoon also seemed startled to see me; a brief look of surprise crossed his face before he composed his expression and approached me.
I intended to just pass right by him as he lowered his head to greet me.
“Hello, Your Highness.”
“Right. You’re working hard.”
Though I didn’t know what exactly he was working hard at.
“Your Highness must be busy with so many things to sort out, but you look better than expected, so my mind is at ease.”
Sorting out? Is he talking about the divorce?
“I hope you spend your remaining time well with your family and bring things to a peaceful conclusion.”
I couldn’t understand what Lee Siyoon was talking about.
What kind of time did I have left to conclude things with my brother, my remaining family, for him to speak that way?
I couldn’t grasp his inner thoughts—whether he was simply mocking me to scratch at my insides as I was getting divorced and leaving, or if there was another meaning.
I just stared at him blankly with an expressionless face.
“Ah, I am sorry. It must be a sensitive matter, yet I acted without any tact.”
“Seeing how you dare to strike up a conversation with a first-rank imperial concubine first, it seems you have no thoughts at all, so of course you wouldn’t have any tact. If you have something to say, don’t hold me back rudely and just say it straight.”
At my relentless, sharp words, Lee Siyoon assumed a visibly flustered expression.
Why are you pretending to be innocent and acting shocked?
“That is, I was referring to Your Highness’s future whereabouts. After all, you will be living alone and separated from now on, so wouldn’t it be good to have a lot of time to spend together?”
At Lee Siyoon’s incomprehensible words, whether they were nonsense or not, I felt like I needed to hear him out until the end.
Just what reason would there be for me to live separated and alone?
“Leaving after a divorce must be difficult enough, so I was worried about you being confined alone under the control of the imperial family. Though it isn’t a formal deposition to a commoner, it’s a decision that was inevitably made because of the situation the Prime Minister caused, so Your Highness can understand, right?”
What is he talking about?
Confined alone under the control of the imperial family?
I had never heard such words from anyone.
I frowned and hurriedly recalled the contents written in the precautionary notes.
It was true that there was absolutely no mention of it.
There was a clause asking me to live in a designated city for a few years after the divorce and follow the instructions of the imperial family.
Even then, they said it wouldn’t cause any major discomfort?
Nowhere did it say that I would be living alone.
“I have no memory of hearing such words anywhere. With what intention are you delivering this information to me?”
“Ah! This was a secret, wasn’t it? I wasn’t supposed to say anything, but Your Highness’s appearance looked so pitiful that my heart grew weak and I leaked it.”
“…What?”
For someone who just leaked a secret, the expression with which he looked at me was full of ridicule.
Whatever his intention was in bringing that up, I could tell all too well that it was not for my benefit.
“I am letting you know that it’s something His Majesty intended without Your Highness’s knowledge. While it isn’t an official deposition to a commoner, the moment you leave the palace, you will be moved to a private residence that His Majesty has set up. There will be so many watching eyes that escaping or even contacting your acquaintances will be nothing but a pipe dream.”
That is an treatment no different from being deposed to a commoner.
Why? For what reason?
Why did he make this kind of decision?
Why is Joo Minhyuk doing this to me?
I didn’t know where it would be best to verify this.
Since he is a human being who drives wedges between people as easily as breathing, I shouldn’t be shaken until I know something for certain.
“What are you going to do if I tell His Majesty that I heard this from you? Then you will helplessly be punished for leaking a classified matter. What is your motive?”
“It is literally a classified matter, so even if you ask, you won’t get an answer. I can just play dumb and say it wasn’t me, or say that I was threatened, right? And if His Majesty finds out that Your Highness knows about this, you will be hauled away without even having a moment to say your final goodbyes to the people around you. That much is certain.”
If he wanted to toy with me, he succeeded.
Shaken by Lee Siyoon’s words, my mental state was right on the verge of collapse.
I didn’t know if those words of Lee Siyoon’s were the truth or not.
However, since it was a matter that would be exposed very soon anyway, it didn’t seem like he would tell a lie unless he had some other scheme.
“What is your intention in delivering this news to me?”
“Just because seeing Your Highness flustered looks quite nice. I liked His Majesty a lot. I knew His Majesty longer than Your Highness did and I was by his side, but there was never any opportunity at all. Yesterday, I just ended up taking pointless abuse. My pride was hurt and I was annoyed, so I vented my anger a bit. If you suffered it without knowing, your mind would have been at ease until then, but since you found out in advance, your mind must be a hell right now. I feel a bit vindicated.”
Looking at Lee Siyoon’s attitude, this was the truth. Joo Minhyuk had deceived me again.
No wonder he held out the divorce papers so completely out of the blue.
I had wondered what was going on since I was able to get a divorce much easier than expected.
But it was because he intended to lock me up?
Just what on earth does he plan to do after locking me away?
“The ministers said to let you go since you’re divorced, but His Majesty was the one who decided on the confinement. He must have been very angry.”
“I will personally…”
“Personally what? At any rate, His Majesty is not in the palace right now. He won’t return until tomorrow afternoon, and even if he does return, there is nothing Your Highness can do. Unless, of course, you have some other plan. Though even if you do have a plan, the probability of failure is high. You seem very flustered, so that’s enough for me.”
“What’s enough.”
“I mean it’s enough if Your Highness feels misfortune. I absolutely hated seeing you clinging to His Majesty’s side and smiling brightly just because your family background was good, but only now do I see that kind of expression on your face. Perhaps because you are pretty, even that expression suits you well. Now you’ve ended up living with that face for the rest of your life. I am a lump of inferiority complex, but right now, Your Highness’s face is quite satisfying.”
He really has a face that looks like he’s dying of joy.
I didn’t even know a person like Lee Siyoon existed, but it seems he had built up hatred while watching me for a quite long time.
Truly, what is love?
It is an emotion that makes fools out of multiple people.
However, not every person in the world turns that twisted just because they are in a one-sided love.
“Just because you do that doesn’t mean this position will become yours. Joo Minhyuk is that kind of person. He isn’t someone who would keep a flawed, inferior Omega from a worthless family as an imperial concubine. You’ll be lucky if he views you as a loyal hound that does the tasks he orders well.”
He is a truly transparent person.
Both in his inability to hide his ridicule and in how he immediately fell for this kind of provocation.
His expression crumpled far faster than mine.
“At any rate, thanks for the important news. Thanks to you, I’ve snapped to my senses. I hope you grasp your own place well and wake up from your dream a day sooner too. Your face right now suits your insidious personality well. My pride was hurt, but since I got to see your rotten expression directly, I’m satisfied.”
Since words wishing him well wouldn’t come out even as an empty phrase, I turned my feet straight back toward my pavilion.
The moment I turned around and Lee Siyoon’s face was no longer visible, the anxiety I had been holding back erupted. If this is real, it’s a disaster.
Why is Joo Minhyuk so anxious and unable to let go of me to this extent?
Why does he want to lock me up?
There are plenty of reasons.
It could be that he simply doesn’t want to let me go, and on top of that, our mutual feelings have deteriorated due to various issues lately, and my grandfather’s influence probably plays a part too.
Strangely, it feels as though my end is racing toward the exact same situation as in the novel.
And at a much younger age than in the novel, at that.
With my hands shivering violently, I dialed a call to Hyunwook.
“It’s me. We have a huge problem. It seems Joo Minhyuk has planned to lock me up somewhere. Come to me right away.”
I have to do everything I possibly can.
There is no other way. Biting my lip, I looked at the envelope in my hand.
Joo Minhyuk had stamped his seal next to his name and sent the divorce papers to me.
Therefore, it was a situation where only my signature was needed.
Which meant that even if I weren’t around, Joo Minhyuk would take care of the rest on his own.
