Seol-i
I was finished. The sweet kiss with Chosun had barely ended before a newly arrived, suspicious palace maid had uncovered an enormous secret.
"Ghk... M-my lady? Could we put that down first and talk this over?"
"Why act like you don't enjoy it? It feels even harder now that I'm touching it. Or is that just my imagination?"
"Hah... N-no, it's not your imagination. It really did get harder. But first, please let go so we can settle this with words..."
"Shouldn't you start by explaining why something like this is attached to you at all? Strolling into the Queen's bedchamber with such a splendid, throbbing piece of equipment... I'm getting far too excited. What am I supposed to do about that?"
"Cough... There were circumstances beyond my control. Please, if you could just not ask about that much..."
"Is that so? But you're not seriously asking me to keep quiet for free, are you?"
"...?"
What was she getting at? The moment she discovered I wasn't truly a eunuch, I was trapped with nowhere to run.
I truly didn't want it to come to this, but the only way out of the crisis was to silence her permanently—by killing her.
If we'd met on a battlefield, maybe. But how was I, two months into life in ancient China, supposed to murder a palace maid? And yet, to my surprise, she said she would agree to a "deal"—if I met her conditions.
"What would you have me do?"
"What else? In this tedious palace life, what could a girl possibly want? Just give me a little pleasure."
"..."
What... was she saying? Was she telling me to offer up my body?
It was true that the palace was full of maids desperate to relieve their urges, and she might well be one of them.
And it was also true that I, the only one still equipped with "that," could serve as a human dildo.
On top of everything, she was a beauty nearly on par with Chosun. Every time I saw her, she would glance at me with those sensual eyes, and my gaze would wander to her without my meaning to.
This was a complete win for me alone, wasn't it?
"Attach me to the Prince of Chenliu. Not on rotation like now—let me attend her every single day."
"..."
Ah. Of course. Why would a woman like her settle for getting screwed by me? She had my weakness in her grip, and she meant to use it for a complete life reverse—becoming a maid of the innermost circle.
"Haa... May I ask why you want that?"
"Why else? She's about to become the Son of Heaven. If I stay close, who knows? Maybe she'll make me head of the palace maids someday."
"Is that truly all? If you mean any harm to Her Highness..."
"Never. If you can't trust me, I'll prove it."
"And how exactly do you plan to prove it?"
Soft footsteps...
Without answering what that proof would be, the palace maid went ahead into Yu Hyeop's bedchamber. No—so how was she going to prove it...?
Was this even all right? What if she hadn't only discovered my secret, but overheard my conversations with Chosun as well?
If that were the case, she would run straight to Dong Zhuo tomorrow and report everything that had happened today. Should I kill her right now?
Thud, thud...
For the moment, I entered Yu Hyeop's bedchamber. The palace maid was sitting at her leisure beside the sleeping girl.
"Why come in? Don't tell me you've already started lusting after me?"
"Can I truly trust you?"
"I already told you. All I want is to remain at the Prince of Chenliu's side. If you still can't believe me, stay and watch all night."
"..."
If someone meant to assassinate Yu Hyeop, there could be no better opportunity than this. The woman did look somewhat suspicious, but she didn't seem to be lying.
I had no choice but to spend the night there. As if mocking me, she leaned back in a chair, snoring softly through her nose, and fell into a sprawling sleep.
Two days passed that way. To my surprise, the palace maid never left Yu Hyeop's side for even a moment, and so proved her innocence.
In truth, if I arbitrarily assigned a palace maid, someone was bound to grow suspicious. Yet whether it was her gift for speech or something else, Yu Hyeop not only failed to doubt her—she grew close to the woman far faster than to any of the other maids.
"Speaking of which, I hear new puppies have been born in the palace? You know the dogs the late Emperor raised, the ones the Son of Heaven took over? They say she whelped six of them."
"Puppies, you say, Seol-i?"
She had even been given a nickname: Seol-i—Snow. There was no special reason; her skin was simply as white as snow piled deep in midwinter.
"Which is why I was thinking... what if Your Majesty took them in and raised them yourself?"
"What do you mean by that? Their master is the Son of Heaven, so aren't the pups the Son of Heaven's as well?"
Of course, Yu Hyeop knew better than anyone that Liu Bian would not remain the Son of Heaven for long. She already felt guilty enough about seeming to snatch her brother's throne—why was Seol-i so tactless as to say something like that?
"Oh my? You hadn't heard? His Majesty has no interest in dogs, so they're living wretchedly out back with their necks chained. Isn't that terribly pitiful?"
"Is that true? Dogs love walking and sniffing about. They must have been so disappointed."
"So if Your Majesty says you'll care for them, you'd actually be doing them a kindness. Taking in beasts with nowhere else to go—His Majesty would be grateful, if anything."
"..."
It was splendid rhetoric. She eased Yu Hyeop's guilt and, at the same time, handed her the justification of doing one good turn for the brother who would soon be deposed.
"Very well. That aside, Seol-i—I have something to discuss with my Do Yeop. Would you give us the room?"
Seol-i left with a smile that could bewitch anyone. I shuffled over to Yu Hyeop's side and spoke.
"You did well."
"Did I truly? In the end, those dogs will lose their master because of me, will they not?"
"There you go again... Only a few days remain. Steel your heart. Your Majesty has far more work ahead of you, does she not?"
"You are right. Someday I will reclaim the dignity of the Son of Heaven and beg my brother's forgiveness. When that day comes, I will feel a little lighter..."
Poor Yu Hyeop had no idea what end awaited Liu Bian and Empress Dowager He. She might feel betrayed by me when the time came, but for now, the priority was getting her to accept the throne with her mind intact.
"That aside, Your Majesty? Would you grant me one request? It is not something you can grant this very moment. But once you have formally become the Son of Heaven, I would ask that you grant this first of all."
"What is it?"
Softly, softly... I leaned to Yu Hyeop's ear and told her what I wanted. At the utterly unexpected demand, her eyes went wide.
"Why make such a request? It has nothing to do with you, does it?"
"I can only say that all of it is for Your Majesty's sake. I am a man of little ability; remaining at Your Majesty's side is all I can do. But someday, far in the future, there will surely come a time when someone must stand as a shield in Your Majesty's place."
"If you put it that way, I will grant it."
"You must. Even if something should happen to me, this promise alone—you must keep it."
"Why say such a thing? Nothing of the sort will happen to you."
"Well... a person's fate is never more than a step ahead. I could walk out of this chamber right now, cough blood, and collapse..."
"Do not say such things!"
With a sudden rush, Yu Hyeop—who seemed to have developed a taste for embracing me—threw her arms around my waist without warning and began to tremble. I patted her back and spoke.
"It was only a manner of speaking. The matter is that important, and I simply hope you will grant it."
"I will. So do not speak of anything frightening again. I cannot even bear to imagine a world without you..."
Her words struck a soft, aching chord in my chest. In her lonely palace life she had finally found someone she could trust—only to face, right after, a traitor of terrifying power.
If I truly left her side, could she endure it? Even with Chosun as an alternative, no one would be able to serve her as closely as I did.
My heart was heavy. If I followed my feelings, I would break my pact with Chosun and remain at Yu Hyeop's side.
"Lady Seol-i? I have a request."
That night, I sought Seol-i out myself. Since this was a first for her, she tilted her head and asked,
"What is it? Don't tell me you want me to finish what we started back then?"
"What kind of... Of course not. I gave you the seat beside the Prince of Chenliu, just as you wanted. So promise me one thing. That you will never leave that place."
"Hmm... That might be a bit much. I'm a popular girl with plenty of people looking for me. Asking me to stick to the Son of Heaven's side all day long is a little extreme, don't you think?"
"Joking even now... I mean never abandon Her Majesty."
"That one's easy. No one can doubt my loyalty to the Han. So we're good now, right? Right?"
"..."
I still didn't know. What her true intentions were, or whether she truly held any loyalty toward Yu Hyeop—I couldn't be sure.
But she was the only person I could ask. If she was the one woman, besides myself, in whom Yu Hyeop showed any real interest, then even in a world without me, Yu Hyeop would still find enough comfort.
And so time continued to flow. Interestingly, the more it did, the more my anxiety faded and my feelings dried up.
I stood on the brink of death in this unprecedented immersive game—and yet the one advantage I possessed was finally showing itself.
It'll work out somehow...