Chapter – 09
A Bad Premonition (2)
Ana Rosa thought that if she had been the Emperor, she would have cut off that Crown Prince’s head first. Then she opened her mouth.
“As you said, this person is the Empress of Daemun. It is not proper, according to the law, for me to concern myself with the etiquette of Ausis officials. That country’s matters should be handled by that country. Your Highness the Crown Prince is known for your bold nature and for not being too bound by formalities. However, this person cannot act the same way.”
The Crown Prince ground his teeth openly.
‘Damn woman. Just wait until I ascend the Dragon Throne. You…’
Barely holding back his anger, the Crown Prince glanced at Ana Rosa’s neck. The pale, slender skin visible between the overlapping collars stirred his dark desire.
This woman was the Empress, yet still a virgin. She had married at twelve, and she had grown up as the Empress of Daemun. No one would have dared to touch her.
The Crown Prince did not believe most of what his father said, but he firmly believed that the Emperor had never touched the Empress. His father’s tastes were famous. And the way the Emperor treated this woman…
Just thinking about it made him feel sick. When he became Emperor, he had already decided he would take this woman for himself. He had to. She was a vessel that held his father’s essence. If she was his father’s cherished possession, then as the eldest son, was it not his right to inherit her?
That gaze did not escape Ana Rosa.
“Madam Han.”
At Ana Rosa’s words, Blanca immediately spoke.
“Her Majesty the Empress cannot speak regarding the conduct of foreign officials. It is also forbidden for her to meet foreign officials privately. If I may cite the relevant clause in the Daemun Code—”
“Enough.”
There was no such clause in the Daemun Code. The Crown Prince knew that. But these yellow- and red-haired women would twist other clauses in a convincing way and overturn his composure.
Whenever he looked at the Empress and her close aide, Han Buryun, he was reminded of the old saying: “Education for women should be limited.” An educated woman did not know obedience, but instead stepped forward boldly and broke a man’s spirit. Truly, there was not a single word wrong in that saying.
The Crown Prince stood up without even touching the tea brought by the court maid. Watching him rise, the Empress did not bother to stand. Surely he had not come all the way into the inner palace just to say such trivial things.
Holding her teacup, Ana Rosa watched his back as he walked away. With that temper of his, he would certainly throw one last remark before leaving…
As expected, just before he completely stepped out of the guest hall, he turned back to her.
“By the way, why are people from that country looking for a physician? Does that country not have any physicians?”
It seemed that Count Menios had done something noticeable. Or perhaps the Crown Prince had set someone to watch him.
“A physician? Who is looking for a physician?”
When Ana Rosa feigned ignorance, the Crown Prince narrowed his eyes. She met his gaze directly, as if truly curious. Then he said,
“I was worried that perhaps Your Majesty was unwell.”
“This person is perfectly fine.”
“That is good. You must remain healthy for a very long time, so that you may enjoy all the glory arranged for your future.”
It was as if she could hear the unspoken words: So that after I ascend the throne, I may thoroughly claim you.
Ana Rosa looked at his face and gave a faint, mocking smile.
“Of course. This person is young, healthy, and has no problems at all. Once one passes forty, however, who can say? One might develop sores, or suddenly have a nosebleed and collapse.”
The Crown Prince’s eyes widened. Last year, he had collapsed from a nosebleed. Worried about his position as Crown Prince, he had strictly silenced everyone in and outside the Eastern Palace. Most people did not know—but Ana Rosa did.
And the sores. Painful sores covered his body. That was why, every winter, he went to the distant villa with the hot springs.
Because the Emperor knew about his health, he did not scold the Crown Prince for troubling the people by traveling far each winter. He simply told him to go and return in good health. It was the one luxury the Emperor chose to overlook, even though he hated burdening the people.
Flames seemed to spark in the Crown Prince’s eyes. He appeared to think that his father had told his young wife all the details.
Ana Rosa did not bother correcting that misunderstanding. Even if she did, he would still want to believe that the Emperor was wronging him.
The Emperor was not doing anything wrong to the Crown Prince. On the contrary, he was shielding his eldest son—who dared to disobey or pretend to obey while committing insolent acts behind his back—under the logic of Confucian duty.
Ana Rosa respected the Emperor deeply, but she could not agree with the way he handled the Crown Prince.
Their gazes clashed as if they might stab each other to death. As always, it was the Crown Prince who looked away first.
He often ground his teeth, swearing that once he ascended the Dragon Throne he would violate Ana Rosa. Yet as Crown Prince, he could not even win a simple battle of stares with her.
“Idiot.”
Unable to hold back, Ana Rosa muttered in Ausis. He might not have understood the word, but he surely caught the tone. It did not matter.
Blanca was walking through the night streets.
Within the envoy, they mocked the Mun Empire for having no gas lamps. But in truth, Blanca preferred Mun’s night streets. There were no gas lamps, but there were paper lanterns instead.
Round lanterns made of paper hung in long rows, each casting its own light upon the streets. That dim yet bright glow—it was so beautiful it almost made one dizzy.
Especially when she crossed a bridge lined with lanterns, Blanca always found herself looking down at the river. The reflection of the lights on the water was simply too beautiful.
“Madam Han, this way.”
The palace slave assigned to guide her urged her softly. The child was fourteen this year, if she remembered correctly. Though sold into the palace, the child was brave and cheerful.
When Blanca saw the bright smile as the child said she was glad to have entered the palace so her parents and siblings would not starve, she could not help but treat her kindly.
So Blanca taught the child letters and arithmetic. Little by little, the child grew and could now think quite sensibly.
“What kind of woman is the courtesan Seoyo?”
“They say that when Seoyo appears, passersby stop breathing, and even the flow of time itself goes blind at the sight of her. They say her beauty is unmatched today.”
“Then why is she not called the greatest courtesan of Yeongyeon, even if she is counted among the finest?”
“Seoyo is beautiful, but she cannot hear. Since she cannot hear, she cannot speak. She cannot sing or recite poetry.”
A courtesan was supposed to be a ‘flower that understands words,’ but since Seoyo could not speak, people said she was merely a flower. Pretty, but nothing more.
Yet when Seoyo actually appeared, those who had said, “What is the use of a courtesan who cannot sing or dance?” could only stand there with mouths hanging open, unable to speak at all.
At that explanation, Ana Rosa came to Blanca’s mind.
Since childhood, Ana Rosa had been famous as a “beautiful princess.” When she married into the Mun imperial family at twelve, she was already a peerless young beauty. Now at nineteen, her beauty could truly be called one that could topple a nation.
Her golden hair seemed made by melting the soft winter morning sunlight, flowing in gentle waves and shining brightly. Her mysterious eyes, like an emerald sea, sparkled with intelligence.
Her high yet elegant nose did not seem arrogant, but firm with will. Her red, full lips—neither large nor small—had the ability to make even a mocking smile appear sweet.
Her clear, pale skin gave softness to her strong presence, and her cheeks, as if brushed with peach blossoms, sometimes even made her seem shy.
Though she had seen that face every day for seven years, Blanca still found herself admiring it. Those who saw Ana Rosa for the first time, whether men or women, often found themselves speechless.
On the day Ana Rosa departed for Mun, a poet of Ausis who saw her from afar wrote that she was “a creation into which God poured special effort.” Blanca believed that phrase described her perfectly.
Yet living beside Ana Rosa, Blanca had come to understand that true peerless beauty was not decided by facial features alone. Women called national treasures usually reached a similar level of beauty in their features.
If one woman drew especially deep admiration, it was because her aura was different.
Seoyo must be such a woman as well. And such women easily captivated others. If they wished to captivate, it would be even easier. And even when they did not intend it, many would wish to be captivated by them. It did not matter whether they were men or women.
I must be careful.
Inside a room at the back of the pleasure house, Blanca pressed her lips together lightly. At that moment, the door opened—and Seoyo appeared.
