Chapter 42
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: It's Not Stamina
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"How pitiful. If it were me, I'd never let a beauty like you waste away neglected like this."
Cheonwi's hand gently wiped away the Suk Consort's tears. A tender touch, followed by a sweet whisper in her ear. His temptation wormed its way into the cracks of her heart, hollowed out by betrayal.
"Don't... do this..."
The Suk Consort weakly tried to push him away, but Cheonwi didn't retreat. If anything, he pressed in deeper.
His hand grasped the tie of her robe.
Swish.
The sound of the knot coming undone rang out louder than it should have.
The Suk Consort's eyes widened. But she no longer had the strength to resist. Despair from being abandoned by the Emperor, combined with the intense stimulation from the man before her, had numbed her reason.
"We can't... This would be betraying His Majesty..."
Her voice trembled. It wasn't refusal—it was her final hesitation.
Cheonwi lifted her chin, locking eyes with her. His gaze gleamed like a wolf's.
"His Majesty committed the sin first. This is revenge, my lady."
"R-Revenge...?"
"Yes. The surest, most thrilling revenge against an emperor who's forgotten you and drowned himself in pleasure."
Cheonwi's lips brushed past the Suk Consort's neck.
A stifled moan escaped her lips.
"Ah..."
That was the signal.
Without hesitation, Cheonwi scooped her up and carried her toward the bed.
How much time had passed?
The Sword Queen standing guard in the corridor was dying inside.
"Hngh! N-No more...!"
"My lady, we're far from done."
"Ahn! I-I'm sorry...!"
Even with the Inner Palace's excellent soundproofing, the moans echoing down the hall made it impossible to tell if Cheonwi was deliberately letting the sounds leak or if things inside were just that intense.
Namgung Soyeon's face burned like a ripe persimmon, leaving her at a loss. For the mighty Sword Queen to have her inner energy disrupted by mere sounds of passion between man and woman.
'Master... you're too much...'
It was then, as she stamped her feet in frustration.
Bang.
The door to the Suk Consort's chambers flew open, and Cheonwi strode out. His attire was impeccably neat, without a single wrinkle. In stark contrast, through the open doorway, the Suk Consort lay sprawled on the bed as if passed out.
"M-Master. Are you leaving now?"
Namgung Soyeon hurried over and asked. But Cheonwi shook his head with a grin.
"Leave? We're just getting started."
"Pardon?"
Cheonwi jingled a keyring dangling from his finger.
"One consort isn't enough. Since we've started this 'safety inspection,' we might as well see it through."
Cheonwi's footsteps led straight to the next room—the Deok Consort's chambers.
"His Majesty has arr— Kyaaah!"
The Deok Consort's scream quickly turned into a wet moan.
Next came the Hyeon Consort, then Lady Jo of the Noble Ladies.
One by one, the Emperor's women fell like dominoes along the Inner Palace corridor.
Cheonwi showed no signs of tiring. His peak bedroom arts honed as a top host in his previous life, a body tempered by martial prowess, and silver-tongued words stoking their sense of betrayal toward the Emperor—these three weapons brought the consorts crumbling down without mercy.
"Aaah! My darling!"
"More! Give me more!"
The lights in the rear palace burned through the night.
The once-silent Inner Palace had transformed into a den of revelry.
Namgung Soyeon, left alone in the corridor, now crouched with her ears plugged.
"Beast... pervert... lecher..."
It was unclear if her mutterings stemmed from jealousy or awe.
The next morning.
Brilliant morning sunlight bathed the Inner Palace corridor.
Creeeak.
The first door to open was the Suk Consort's.
She poked her head out, her disheveled hair hastily tied back from the night. Her face was flushed with the remnants of passion, her expression refreshed as if a decade-old blockage had finally cleared.
"Farewell, my darling."
The Suk Consort bowed deeply toward Cheonwi's retreating back as he walked down the corridor.
The title had changed. No longer "Chief Eunuch" or "you"—now it was "my darling."
Creak, creeeak.
One after another, the doors of the Deok Consort, Hyeon Consort, and Lady Jo opened.
As if by prior agreement, the consorts who'd received his love all night stepped out to see him off.
"You must come again!"
"I'll wait for you tonight too, my darling!"
"Who needs His Majesty? You're the best, my darling!"
It was a bizarre, shocking scene unimaginable as the Inner Palace's morning view.
Cheonwi waved without looking back and leisurely exited the corridor.
Namgung Soyeon, waiting at the entrance with hollow eyes, greeted him. She hadn't slept a wink all night.
"Master... you're incredible. Your stamina... it's not human."
"It's not just stamina that makes it work. The real key is the art of stealing hearts."
Cheonwi slung an arm arrogantly over Namgung Soyeon's shoulder and smirked.
"See? That's politics. Starting from the Emperor's most intimate secrets and making them mine. That's true regime change."
"Sigh... If that's politics, I'll never touch it in my life."
"You'll learn it someday."
Cheonwi left those meaningful words behind as he departed the Inner Palace.
Despite conquering it all night, his steps were as light as a feather.
Their destination was the Imperial Palace's rear garden.
The vast imperial hot springs, once exclusive to the Emperor and royals.
But now, under Cheonwi's orders, major construction had been underway for days.
"Is the work done?"
"Yes. While you were... enjoying yourself in the Inner Palace, Master, the engineers pulled an all-nighter to finish."
As Cheonwi arrived at the garden, the massive covering was being pulled back.
Namgung Soyeon's jaw dropped at the revealed sight.
"W-What in the world is that?"
Amid the elegant tiled roofs and pavilions, enormous tubes in vibrant colors coiled like serpents, interconnected.
Bizarre structures curved smoothly before plunging into the hot spring baths.
Magical devices sprayed water from all directions.
The imperial hot springs were being reborn as an "Imperial Water Park."
Cheonwi nodded in satisfaction.
"Now it's time to enjoy the real paradise."
The water park was one of the modern wonders from his past life that he'd missed most. How he'd longed to share a delightful date there with the noble ladies of the palace.
While the Emperor wandered a fake paradise in VR, Cheonwi had fulfilled his long-held wish by building the real thing in reality. Of course, the master of this paradise was Cheonwi himself, not the Emperor.
The grand rear garden of the Imperial Palace.
This beloved retreat for the Emperor and royals, with its year-round mild aura, had been reborn under Cheonwi's touch into something grotesque yet wondrous.
"Alright, grand opening."
With a snap of Cheonwi's fingers, the final massive silk curtain shrouding the view cascaded down.
"Eek?!"
"W-What on earth is that?"
Yeonhwa, Snowflower Princess, and Namgung Soyeon's eyes widened in unison.
Like a massive azure dragon coiled atop the elegant tiled roofs, smoothly crafted blue tubes crisscrossed the air. Their ends plunged toward a massive artificial lake—no, a "pool."
Magical devices dotted everywhere sprayed cool streams of water, creating rainbows, while the ground was paved not with plush Western carpets but special non-slip tiles.
This was an unprecedented facility, not just in the empire but across the entire Eastern Continent.
An imperial exclusive "Water Park."
"The palace hot springs are closed starting today. Just soaking in a tub is for old folks."
Cheonwi slipped on his custom-made sunglasses from his workshop and grinned, getting into the mood.
"From now on, enjoy refined 'water play' here."
"Water play... you say?"
Empress Yeonhwa asked in disbelief. By her common sense, even dipping one's feet in a stream for "water play" was undignified. Let alone in such an outlandish setup.
But Snowflower Princess reacted differently.
"Wow! Big brother! What's that twisty one? A slide?"
"Spot on. It's called a 'waterslide.' Dive into the water feeling like you're flying through the sky."
"Sounds fun! I wanna try it right now!"
As Snowflower grabbed her skirts and tried to rush forward, Cheonwi lightly yanked her by the collar to stop her.
"Whoa there. Hold it. Your outfit's not appropriate."
"Huh? My outfit?"
"Jumping in that cumbersome silk robe will turn you into a water ghost. So I've prepared something."
Cheonwi pointed to a silver tray he'd readied in advance. The maids pulled off the covering cloth, revealing the contents.
Silence fell over the garden.
"......"
"......"
The three women's gazes fixed on the tray.
Handkerchief-sized scraps of fabric.
No, barely scraps—combinations of thin straps and cloth too skimpy to call clothing.
"Th-This, this is..."
Yeonhwa's face turned red as a ripe persimmon in an instant. With trembling hands, she picked up an item from the tray.
"Underwear...? No, even more indecent than underwear... You're saying I should wear this...?"
It was the epitome of the audacious, unimaginable in this era: a bikini.
"Indecent? This is cutting-edge functional attire from the West, infused with magical engineering."
Cheonwi rattled off bald-faced lies without batting an eye.
"You need to minimize drag in water for easy movement. It maximizes the body's hydrodynamic shape by stripping away excess fabric—a true product of science."
"Liar... You just want to see us half-naked..."
Yeonhwa retorted. But Cheonwi put on a stern face.
"My lady, do you see me as some lecher? I stayed up all night designing these for your safe and comfortable water play. If you hate it that much, go in wearing a hat and overcoat. Don't blame me if you drown from the weight of soaked clothes."
"Ugh..."
Yeonhwa fell silent. She couldn't outtalk Cheonwi. And oddly enough, it was persuasive. Those outfits would indeed make moving in water easier.
"If big brother says to wear it, I will... but it's so embarrassing..."
Snowflower's face was already beet red, but she'd drink poison if Cheonwi offered it. Shyly, she picked up the yellow bikini.
Last was Namgung Soyeon.
She silently stared down at the black bikini. It was boldly designed with ties, fully reflecting Cheonwi's tastes.
"No restrictions on movement sounds good to me."
She played it cool, but her eyes kept darting to the mirror. Deep down, she yearned to show off her toned figure to Cheonwi.
"Changing rooms are over there. Get changed and come out, VIP guests."
Cheonwi beckoned.
A moment later.
The changing room door opened, and three goddesses who would set the empire's summer ablaze stepped out.