A luxury sedan, entirely out of place for its surroundings, sat parked in front of a detention center near Seoul where public access was strictly controlled.
This was a facility primarily used to house violent offenders, not a place where prisoners convicted of minor, everyday crimes would stay.
Perhaps because of that, both the air and the atmosphere surrounding the area felt bleak and heavy.
Deep in the strictly secured basement of this place, criminals under special state management were confined to solitary cells.
Standing in front of the stairs leading down to that basement, Hyunwook and the Chief Court Chamberlain were waiting with tense expressions.
The two appeared accustomed to this kind of waiting as if it weren’t their first time, but their expressions were far from comfortable.
As always, they stood at attention, guarding the stairway.
A short while later, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed from below the stairs.
“…He’s finally coming out. It ended sooner than I expected.”
“Indeed. For some reason, it didn’t take very long today.”
Hyunwook replied in a low voice, lifting his wrist to check the time.
“You know the drill, right? Just like always, don’t say a word and just stand quietly behind me.”
“Yes, I know. Hang in there.”
“What do you mean, hang in there… You’re the one suffering. I at least got to work in the palace after being excluded from the overseas schedule, but you traveled abroad with him, couldn’t even rest the moment we landed, and now you have to witness a gruesome sight again.”
“I am fine. It has always been this way.”
“That is exactly why I say you’re suffering. Being stuck with that sensitive man for days… and the moment he arrives, he’s executing another purge.”
Hyunwook merely offered a small smile in response to the Chief Chamberlain’s worried concern.
In truth, it wasn’t terribly difficult, and even if it were, he wouldn’t dare utter a single word to the Emperor.
Especially on days like today when the Emperor was highly sensitive, one had to be careful even just breathing in his presence.
No sooner had they finished speaking than the echoing footsteps grew closer.
Hyunwook bit his lip slightly, his body growing rigid with tension.
The Chief Chamberlain also let out a brief sigh, pulled a clean towel from inside his garment, and approached the entrance of the stairs.
Before long, Minhyuk’s cold face emerged at the top of the stairs, entirely devoid of any emotion.
In stark contrast to his expression, which looked as though nothing had happened, a murderous intent gleamed fiercely in his eyes.
Splashes of someone’s red blood completely covered Minhyuk’s face, neck, and white shirt, immediately drawing the eye.
The bright bloodstains, highly incongruous with his neat appearance, made the atmosphere surrounding him feel significantly more surreal.
As Minhyuk walked up while calmly wiping the blood from his arm, the Chief Chamberlain quickly stepped forward and offered a clean handkerchief.
Minhyuk accepted it with practiced familiarity.
The individuals trapped down there were those who, along with inciting rebellion, had kidnapped and confined Haejoo to frame Minhyuk for the crime.
Specifically, it was the former Prime Minister, his eldest son, and a few ringleaders who had actively participated in the plot, stubbornly clinging to life inside those solitary cells.
The blood Minhyuk was currently wiping away likely belonged to either the former Prime Minister or his eldest son.
Locked away in the solitary cells beneath the prison, the father and son were denied even death, instead becoming prey for the Emperor who would visit without warning.
Calling them ‘prey’ was a polite understatement; what transpired inside was closer to acts of private vengeance.
They were sinners who deserved to be ground to dust, having stripped Minhyuk of any chance to clear the misunderstanding with Haejoo and offer his apologies.
Minhyuk vividly remembered the horror of the day Haejoo was beaten by the Prime Minister.
Consequently, he came to this place to torment them in the exact same manner Haejoo had suffered.
Shouldn’t they experience firsthand just how agonizing it was?
Minhyuk had no intention of stopping this routine until the day the Prime Minister and his son died.
Every time he watched them writhe in agony, Minhyuk would drop a quiet remark: I have no intention of beating you to death, so blame your own foolishly long lifespan.
Minhyuk planned to make the Prime Minister feel this shame and humiliation until the final day of his life.
As for where Lee Siyoon had been sent after running his mouth, even the Chief Chamberlain did not know.
There were rumors that he had entered an Alpha prison, and other whispers that he was locked in a solitary cell where no one could visit, unable to even move his body.
Whichever it was, it certainly wouldn’t be a pleasant environment for Lee Siyoon. He was undoubtedly living in a living hell right now.
It was uncertain whether he would ever make it out alive.
Having completed his covert business today as well, Minhyuk wiped the blood from his hands and spoke to the Chief Chamberlain.
His cracked, dry, baritone voice echoed through the space.
“Chief Chamberlain. What is the meaning of this?”
“…Pardon?”
When Minhyuk abruptly threw out an incomprehensible remark, Hyunwook and the Chief Chamberlain locked eyes in confusion.
‘What does he mean by that?’ ‘I have no idea.’
Exchanging glances that communicated roughly that sentiment, the two brought forth a tense but honest answer to Minhyuk’s statement.
“Your Majesty, we do not know what you mean. Did something displease you?”
“Displease me?”
At the Chief Chamberlain’s question, Minhyuk’s brow furrowed as if something truly had displeased him.
Noticing the shift in his expression, Hyunwook swallowed hard.
“By any chance, is there another Emperor in this country that I am unaware of?”
“That could never be, Your Majesty. A nation cannot have two Emperors. Why do you speak of such things…”
With Minhyuk continuously throwing out questions like a game of twenty questions, Hyunwook felt his blood running cold.
He wondered who would be slaughtered next after receiving such inquiries.
Before Hyunwook or the Chief Chamberlain could even answer, Minhyuk, who was still wiping the blood from his face and neck, dropped another remark in a chilling tone.
“They say the Emperor is taking an Empress. Since that isn’t me, then who on earth is it? Huh?”
The moment the Chief Chamberlain received that savage glare, a sudden realization hit him.
His Adam’s apple bobbed heavily.
“Must I look at such an offensive article the moment I arrive in Korea? What happened? When did it break?”
With a face that said what was bound to happen had finally happened, the Chief Chamberlain bit his lower lip slightly and quickly answered Minhyuk’s question.
If he didn’t give a straight answer, lightning would undoubtedly strike.
“I beg your forgiveness, Your Majesty. It broke at dawn.”
“…At dawn, you say…”
Minhyuk trailed off, quietly observing the Chief Chamberlain.
To the Chief Chamberlain and Hyunwook, that brief silence felt like an eternity in hell.
Minhyuk had changed.
Ever since Haejoo vanished before they could resolve their misunderstandings and conflicts, laughter had entirely disappeared from his face.
The hypocritical but ever-present smile was now gone without a trace, and his relaxed, sly demeanor was something completely unimaginable now.
Minhyuk no longer bothered to smile or act to accommodate others’ feelings as he used to.
Thanks to his innate talents as a ruler, state affairs and public sentiment were more stable than ever before, but Minhyuk himself only grew increasingly volatile and cold.
Occasionally, such a man would ask Hyunwook about personal matters. He was curious about the Haejoo of the past life.
He would ask how the past Haejoo differed from the present, what kind of daily routine she had, what she liked, and what she usually did for fun.
Then, after listening to how much Haejoo had suffered and how she died, he would fall silent, sinking deep into thought.
Hyunwook, who was recalling Minhyuk’s tragic daily routine, snapped back to reality at the sound of his thunderous voice.
“What kind of excuse is that? Is this a one- or two-time occurrence? What does it matter if the article broke at dawn or in the dead of night? There must have been some inkling before it became news. The media outlets would have shown movement, yet you couldn’t even block a single thing like that?”
“I am deeply sorry. It is entirely my oversight.”
“You are right, it is entirely your oversight, Chief Chamberlain. Just how on earth are you managing the numerous people around you to allow us to be trifled with like this?”
There was not an ounce of mercy in Minhyuk’s attitude. In reality, gossip regarding the Emperor’s personal life—such as the Empress or imperial concubines mentioned in the article—was nothing new.
It was a topic that had regularly crossed people’s lips, precisely because Minhyuk hadn’t paid it any attention.
Thus, they had assumed he would let it slide this time as well.
They thought he wouldn’t care about fake news of this caliber, but they had miscalculated.
It was an unmistakable blunder on the Chief Chamberlain’s part.
He should have been monitoring the media outlets with heightened sensitivity and blocked the article the moment there was a sign.
Unconditionally.
There was a clear reason why the torture session had ended early today, and why there was an excessive amount of fresh blood compared to the time spent.
“This is why I cannot bring myself to trust anyone. When you, who are like my own limbs, handle matters in this dreadful manner. Find out where the leak originated. Clean up everything, down to the media outlet that first broke the story and the journalist involved. Make them understand the weight of their words.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I will handle it cleanly without a single error.”
“What nonsense about a new Empress I don’t even know. Especially when I’ve completely abolished the imperial concubine system.”
Minhyuk had abolished the imperial concubine system.
The reasoning provided was that it was an unnecessary system out of step with modern society.
In an era where it was natural to form a family with a single spouse, it was an anachronistic custom that should have been eliminated long ago.
Public reception had been entirely positive, and the bill passed through the legislature with lightning speed.
As a result, even the Emperor could now only have a single, legally wedded spouse.
“Your Majesty. Regardless of this article or the concubine system, shouldn’t Your Majesty still take an Empress? If only for your own sake…”
As the Chief Chamberlain gathered his courage to speak cautiously, Minhyuk muttered crossly in response.
“When I already have a legal spouse, by what method am I supposed to bring in an Empress? Are you telling me to violate the very law I created and commit adultery?”
“…Sigh, Your Majesty. This is why I ask why you made things so complicated…”
“Where do you think you are sighing? And what exactly is complicated about this? How can you break a sacred promise like marriage so easily? Huh? You seem absolutely determined to turn me into a divorced man.”
“What kind of forced logic is that? You explicitly stated back then that you were getting a divorce. That is why you officially announced your separation from him Highness the Grand Imperial Concubine, and everyone—including him Highness herself—understands it that way. The party involved believes it to be so!”
“I said we separated, I never said we divorced. Did I say anything factually incorrect?”
Faced with the Emperor’s unbothered demeanor, the Chief Chamberlain, in a breach of etiquette, could not hide his emotions and let out a deep sigh.
This issue was just that convoluted.
The Chief Chamberlain had been entirely unable to dissuade Minhyuk, who stubbornly held onto the divorce papers until the very end.
As a result, Minhyuk was, quite literally, not divorced.
Far from a divorce, he had torn the papers stamped by the Grand Imperial Concubine cleanly in half, placed them inside a drawer, and never pulled them out again.
The two were still a legally married couple, maintaining their marital relationship.
i knew it! of course they’re not divorced, Minhyuk would never allow that