Villainous Concubine Has Run Away chapter 39

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As soon as I heard the sound of something breaking downstairs, I ran out barefoot in a panic.

Hearing the shouts for “Your Majesty” and the vivid sound of things being pulverized by a powerful force, I couldn’t stay inside.

“Aack!”

Another stinging pain shot through my lower abdomen, making my legs stumble as I ran.

It must be psychosomatic pain.

Seeing how my stomach hurt whenever I got stressed thinking about Joo Minhyuk, it was definitely caused by my nerves.

Then, I spotted Joo Minhyuk just as he was smashing another door and stepping out.

Worried that he might have another fit, I screamed toward his back.

“Your Majesty!”

Ugh! My stomach…

The cycle of pain was short enough to make me consider calling a doctor.

Hearing my voice, Joo Minhyuk raised his arm to wipe the sweat from his face and turned around.

…Huh? Did that bastard just smile?

I think he smiled. It was dark, and his arm was covering his face, so I couldn’t be certain, but I thought I saw the corners of his mouth lift when he saw me.

Would it have been better if he were laughing?

A second later, his face was set in a severe, frozen expression.

Kicking aside the scattered furniture, he walked slowly toward me like a wild beast.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, I knew that rather than getting angry, the urgent task was to calm this madman down.

He scanned my figure from a distance without missing a beat, and his gaze stopped briefly at my feet.

Ah, I’m barefoot, aren’t I?

“Where did you go without a word, Grand Royal Concubine? I’ve been looking for you for a long time.”

I frowned as I watched him ask so mildly with a gentle smile.

You lunatic.

Wipe that blood off your face before you talk.

The blood trickling down his cheek bothered me.

He caused such a ruckus; how could he expect not to get a scratch?

So, in the end, it was true that this disaster happened because I wasn’t there.

I bit my lip as I looked at my palace servants trembling in the corner.

How terrified they must have been, watching a large Dominant Alpha—and the Emperor at that—smashing solid doors like they were chopsticks.

Joo Minhyuk stood before me, swaying slightly.

The pressure made it hard to even look him in the eye, but since this was caused by me, I had to keep my wits about me and fix this.

First, I bowed my head to greet him.

But Joo Minhyuk grabbed my chin and tilted it up.

“I asked where you were, Grand Royal Concubine. I almost ended up building you a new residence, but you came out just in time.”

“And what exactly are you doing in my quarters, Your Majesty?”

“I was waiting for you. Isn’t it natural for a husband to seek out his Omega?”

“Then seek me out quietly! Why are you smashing someone else’s home? What are you going to do about all this?”

“Do you think I can’t fix something as trivial as this? I asked where you went, so why aren’t you answering?”

“Where would I go at this hour? I went to sleep!”

“Why didn’t you sleep in the bedroom? Why did you wander off and make me search for so long? You must have known I would come.”

The hand holding my chin tightened.

‘Ow! It hurts!’

Why is he so furious?

I really don’t understand.

I’m the one who should be angry; what kind of audacity is this?

“That’s exactly why I left! Because I didn’t want to see you! Because you only like my body!”

“…What?”

Since I was caught and couldn’t move anyway, I glared at Joo Minhyuk with wide eyes.

I have a temper too! I’m angry too!

Is it because he’s bored after having me a few times?

He has to tell me what he’s sulking about for me to know!

And then what? “Trust me”? “Only trust me”?

As if I could.

I shook off Joo Minhyuk’s hand and lowered my head, muttering to myself just loud enough for him to hear.

“What do you mean by that? Why would I only like your body?”

“You should know better than anyone what I mean. You told me to trust you because we’re a real couple, but you’re the one who avoided me despite knowing I was waiting. What else could that mean? It means you’re tired of me now.”

“Don’t speak so carelessly when you don’t know anything.”

“I’m not being careless! You’re the one who made me say these things.”

He’s the one who avoided me, yet what crime is it for me to wander around my own palace?

To smash someone’s quarters in the middle of the night like this?

It’s absurd.

Until recently, he held me as if he’d die without me and told me to trust him—to act so inscrutably now would hurt anyone’s feelings.

Tears threatened to spill again. I’m living here trusting only one person.

I was leaning on him without even realizing it.

And then he treats me with such coldness?

I crossed my arms and turned away to avoid Joo Minhyuk’s gaze.

When he tried to grab my shoulder to turn me back, I screamed at him.

“Don’t touch me!”

I felt Joo Minhyuk’s hand, which was about to grab my shoulder, freeze in the air, and the surroundings went silent instantly.

Embarrassed by showing a live broadcast of a domestic dispute, I glanced at the servants.

Everyone was watching us with serious faces, except for the Chief Secretary, who looked like he had just seen something he shouldn’t have.

Their eyes were shining so brightly we wouldn’t even need streetlights.

H-how do I fix this?

“…It’s not like that. Don’t misunderstand. I never liked only your body. It’s not that.”

“But you did avoid me. If you’re going to be like that, why bother looking for me? Why do you sneak in every night to hold me while I sleep? And then vanish in the morning without a word. It hurts my pride.”

I wanted to handle this in a manly, composed way, but I couldn’t.

In the end, I got choked up again, turned my back to Joo Minhyuk, and made a sniffling sound. It hurts.

“Why are you barefoot? You’ll hurt your feet.”

“I heard the sound of someone smashing the house and thought there was an earthquake.”

I snapped at him while secretly wiping my tears and nose behind his back.

“…This won’t do. Excuse me.”

“What? Aah!”

I was suddenly lifted by Joo Minhyuk’s quick hands and ended up in his arms again.

This was already the second “princess carry.”

Last time was in front of military officials, and now it’s in front of my palace servants…

Hearing the servants catch their breath, my face burned.

I even flailed my legs, asking to be let down, but he flatly ignored my request.

“Chief Secretary, tell the maids to go in, and you should rest too. I’ll call people to clean this up when it gets light.”

“Yes, Your Majesty…”

A sigh seemed to escape the extremely exhausted-looking Chief Secretary.

Honestly, seeing the state of us, how annoyed must he be?

I was angry at Joo Minhyuk, but it was so embarrassing to see their faces that I buried my face in his chest.

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After setting me down in the bathroom, Joo Minhyuk began washing my feet with warm water.

The floor was clean enough that there were no wounds, but he washed my dirty feet as if it were nothing.

Even if we’ve seen everything there is to see, having someone wash you is a different matter.

After drying them with a towel and meticulously applying lotion, Joo Minhyuk tried to carry me out, but I held him back and washed the scratch on his face.

To think he looked cute when he frowned slightly as the water touched the sting… I’ve really gone crazy too.

It’s not normal to think a man who smashed a house just because I wasn’t in the room—as if he had an intermittent explosive disorder—is “cute.”

I stared at the man who held my hand to show he was fine.

Joo Minhyuk didn’t avoid my gaze either.

Was today’s incident a lovers’ quarrel, or was it a dual outburst from two people who couldn’t handle their emotions?

Whatever it was, I had to know the reason.

“I don’t understand your heart, Your Majesty. You ignored me with indifference for my whole life, then you helped my brother and me against my grandfather, took care of me, and told me to trust only you—so why are you avoiding me? If you’re angry at me, don’t avoid me; tell me. I can’t trust you if you’re like this.”

“And what about you? Did you tell me everything? Without hiding anything?”

Hiding something?

What?

Why is he asking this instead of answering my question?

Things I haven’t told Joo Minhyuk?

Hmm… there are a lot of things

I haven’t said.

A lot… but that’s absolutely not meant to deceive him.

It’s a secret I can’t tell anyone.

Even if I wanted to, he probably wouldn’t believe me.

I know there aren’t many people in the world like my brother Hanbin.

My silence isn’t a matter of not trusting Joo Minhyuk or a matter of liking or disliking him.

This is my private past.

Specifically, my past life.

‘I died and came back to life, but I was born with all my memories. I met my brother Seojoo and Hyunwook again, too. I actually wasn’t your original fiancé.’

I can’t exactly say that, can I?

I’ve agonized over this issue dozens of times.

But the conclusion was always the same: let’s not say anything.

Nothing good comes from telling him, and hiding it doesn’t exactly have a huge impact on Joo Minhyuk.

It’s an issue that simply doesn’t need to be brought up.

“Why are you asking that? Did you hear something about me? There are plenty of people around you who think poorly of me, Your Majesty.”

“…It’s not that.”

Even if it isn’t, something is bothering you!

This is so frustrating!

Besides, he’s not the type of person to just ask that for no reason.

What on earth is it?

The only thing I haven’t told Joo Minhyuk is that one thing…

“If there’s something you haven’t told me, say it. I’m willing to listen to everything.”

Willing to listen.

Does he really know something?

Of course, that couldn’t be possible…

I frowned and scanned Joo Minhyuk’s expression, and I felt a chill from his gaze.

An inexplicable chill that my five senses were warning me about.

Should I give him a hint?

Hesitating, I parted my lips to say something—anything—to him.

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