Chapter 48
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Conception
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The Chief Physician had devoted his entire life to the art of medicine. He wasn't the sort to diagnose pregnancy merely from a pulsing vein. No, he could discern the very nature of the 'energy' woven into the pulse.
The energy emanating from the Empress's womb right now was nothing like Emperor Hyeonjong's faint and feeble qi. It burned like a blast furnace, blazed as fiercely as the sun, and above all, overflowed with an intensely virile 'yang energy'.
This... isn't the Imperial seed. This vicious yang qi... could it be?!
The Chief Physician's gaze involuntarily flicked toward Cheonwi. In this palace, there was only one man who exuded such absurdly potent yang energy.
It's him! That monster's seed!
The physician's pupils trembled as if struck by an earthquake. Speaking this truth aloud would not only doom his entire clan but shatter the Imperial prestige to dust. No, his own head would roll first.
That was when it happened.
Cheonwi, who had silently approached, clamped down on the Chief Physician's shoulder with an iron grip.
"Urk!"
The Chief Physician let out a short yelp. Cheonwi's grasp felt like steel tongs. Bone-crushing pain surged through him, accompanied by a chilling killing intent that enveloped his entire body.
Cheonwi leaned in close to the physician's ear. To onlookers, it looked like exuberant encouragement, but the voice that reached him was the whisper of the Grim Reaper.
"Impressive pulse diagnosis, old timer. You're a true master."
"Th-that's..."
"His Majesty's 'miracle' has come to pass, right? He's been praying so fervently every night lately—must've moved the heavens. Isn't that so?"
Cheonwi's eyes curved into crescents. But deep within those eyes flickered a cold, piercing glare.
Spout nonsense, and today marks your funeral.
A silent threat. The Chief Physician instinctively understood. Confessing the truth here would end with him dropping dead from a 'mysterious heart attack' on the spot. He wanted to live.
The physician swallowed hard and snapped his head up. Then, he launched into the most theatrical performance of his life.
"Y-yes, indeed! This is a miracle!"
His voice rose to a falsetto pitch.
"His Majesty's devout sincerity has touched the heavens... th-that is, through the Dreamstone! Yes, the sacred energy was conveyed via the Dreamstone! This transcends all medical knowledge—it's the Imperial blessing, the epitome of divine mystery!"
Utter nonsense. Pregnancy via Dreamstone? Even a child would scoff. But the atmosphere in the Empress's chambers was thick enough to numb rational thought.
"Ooh! A miracle from the Dreamstone!"
"Long live! Long live! Long live the Empress!"
The surrounding maids cheered, swallowing the physician's drivel hook, line, and sinker. Or rather, they wanted to believe it. It was an Imperial joyous occasion, after all.
Cheonwi flashed a satisfied smile and pulled a heavy pouch of gold from his bosom. He slipped it smoothly into the physician's sleeve.
"Well done, old timer. Watch your health... no, watch your mouth. You need to stick around long enough to see this child born, don't you?"
"H-how could I not, my lord? From this day forth, I'll seal my lips with a lock."
The Chief Physician clutched the gold pouch and fled the Empress's chambers like a man escaping a demon. His back was drenched in cold sweat.
After the commotion died down, silence returned to the chambers. The maids and attendants withdrew, leaving only Cheonwi and Yeonhwa alone.
Yeonhwa reclined diagonally on the bed, gently caressing her lower abdomen. Her expression was a complex tapestry of emotions—imperial dignity masking the anxiety and excitement of a woman.
"Inside me... your seed is growing, Cheonwi."
Her voice was soft but trembling.
"Yes. I poured everything I had into it. My very soul."
Cheonwi sat on the edge of the bed and took her hand. It was warm.
"If we're ever found out... our child..."
Yeonhwa trailed off. The moment it was revealed not to be the Emperor's bloodline, the child's fate was sealed. That was her greatest fear as a mother.
Cheonwi wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her into his embrace.
"No need for pointless worries. Who would dare touch my child?"
His voice carried unyielding strength—not mere bravado, but the arrogance of Dark Heaven's leader who shook the continent, fused with a father's resolve to protect his woman and child.
"I told you, didn't I? This country is mine now. Or more precisely, our child's."
Cheonwi placed his large hand on Yeonhwa's belly.
"The moment it's born, I'll have it named Crown Prince. Once it starts walking, it'll play with the Imperial seal. When it begins babbling, it'll preside over court. I'll turn this vast empire into a giant playground dedicated to our child."
Yeonhwa let out a soft chuckle.
"You sure talk big. You seem more emperor than the Emperor."
"Brother Hyeonjong can be the figurehead... or the pretty face. The real power will be our son's."
Cheonwi's jest lifted the shadow from Yeonhwa's face. She buried her face in his chest and sighed in relief.
"Very well... I believe you. You actually seem capable of it."
Moments later, confirming Yeonhwa had drifted off, Cheonwi quietly slipped out of the chambers. His steps were light as feathers, but his destination was clear.
The Emperor's quarters.
It was broad daylight, yet Hyeonjong remained buried under the covers, lost in dreamland with his Dreamstone VR device strapped on.
"Zzz... Snore... Mmm... Elf sis..."
Cheonwi stood by the sleeping Emperor's bed. He gazed down with a mix of pity, scorn, and strange superiority.
"Brother, you've got it good. Napping in the middle of the day like this."
Cheonwi plucked a tangerine from the fruit basket on the table. As he peeled it, he tossed out casually,
"Congratulations. You're a dad."
"Mmm... Nyam... Yeah... My son... Hooray... Genius..."
Hyeonjong smacked his lips in his sleep. Something good must've happened in his VR dream.
"My, already basking in filial piety in your dreams. Go on, Brother—dream away for the rest of your life. I'll handle all the headaches of reality."
Cheonwi popped the peeled tangerine segments into his mouth and chewed. Sweet juice flooded his palate. He meticulously stacked the peels on Hyeonjong's bulging belly, building a little tower.
"Here's my gift. So you can at least smell some vitamins."
A tangerine peel mountain now crowned Hyeonjong's gut. Cheonwi chuckled and turned away. It was perfect disdain, the leisure of a victor. He'd laid his egg in another's nest like a cuckoo, but he was the predator ready to devour the entire nest.
That night.
Cheonwi returned to the Empress's chambers. Yeonhwa slept peacefully. He carefully lifted the covers and pressed his ear to her still-flat belly.
Thump, thump.
A faint but distinct heartbeat of life pulsed through. An unstoppable smile spread across Cheonwi's lips. In the tenderest voice imaginable, he whispered,
"Baby, can you hear me? It's Daddy."
As if in response, a subtle warmth reached his palm from her womb.
"Come out soon. Daddy's got something fun prepared. I'll wrap up this whole country as a gift for you. Diapers of gold, sucking your bottle from the throne—it's gonna be epic."
Cheonwi chatted with the baby at length. The night deepened, and the candles in the chambers burned steadily.
And with the coming new dawn.
Deep within the palace, in the Grand Empress Dowager's quarters, another covert scheme was afoot.
"The Empress has conceived, has she?"
An old woman's voice echoed from the darkness.
"Yes, Your Ladyship. A joyous occasion, but..."
"Joyous? We can't let that child be born safely. It could blemish my precious grandson... Time to prepare a very 'special' medicine."
Venomous eyes sliced through the air.
The morning in the Empress's chambers was eerily calm, like the hush before a storm.
In the days since the Chief Physician's visit, the threshold had been worn smooth. Senior palace maids from every quarter lined up with congratulations, piling the warehouse high with tonics and silks to spare.
Yeonhwa found the fuss unwelcome. Instinctively, she knew: the brighter the light, the deeper the shadows. This tiny life in her womb had become the juiciest prey in the serpent pit of the Imperial Palace.
"Your Majesty, a visitor from the Grand Empress Dowager's quarters."
The attendant's voice made Yeonhwa's brow twitch. It had arrived.
The doors opened, and the Grand Empress Dowager's trusted senior maid entered. Behind her, a young attendant balanced a lacquered tray bearing a steaming bowl of medicine.
"The Grand Empress Dowager sends this胎-stabilizing tonic. She said it's a precious remedy to help the little one settle comfortably without startles."
The senior maid's voice was slick as oiled silk. Her smile was impeccably deferential. But Yeonhwa saw it—the faint tremor and chill lurking deep in the maid's eyes.
"......Convey my thanks."
Yeonhwa reached out calmly, feigning composure. As she lifted the bowl, a bitter yet oddly fishy scent assaulted her nostrils.
In an instant, her brows furrowed.
Normally, she'd dismiss it as the usual herbal tang. But now she was a mother. Her senses had sharpened to a beast's edge to protect the child within. This wasn't mere herbage. Beneath it lurked a sinister stench that numbed the tongue.
This is...
Just as Yeonhwa hesitated—
Kaboom!
The ceiling of the Empress's chambers tore open like paper. Amid raining dirt and shattered tiles, a black shadow plummeted like a meteor.
"Kyaaak!"
Maids and attendants screamed and flattened themselves to the floor. Bursting through the dust cloud was, predictably, Cheonwi. He landed and instantly swatted the bowl from Yeonhwa's hand with his knuckles.
Crash!
With a deafening shatter, dark red liquid splattered across the floor.
"Ch-Cheonwi...?"
Yeonhwa's eyes widened in shock. Cheonwi dusted off his clothes and grinned.
"Hold up, Your Majesty. That's not food—it's poison."
"What do you...?"
"See for yourself."
Cheonwi nodded toward the floor.
Sizzle—!
The tiles where the liquid splashed bubbled white foam and melted away. Acrid smoke stung the nose. A few drops on the wooden pillar blackened the wood in seconds.
Fetus-stabilizing tonic? Hardly. This was a vicious abortifacient that would dissolve not just the fetus but the mother's innards—a masterfully refined one, at that.
Yeonhwa's face drained of color in an instant. Terror flashed briefly, replaced by rage boiling from her scalp to her toes.
"This... How dare they..."
Her hands trembled violently. Clutching her belly, she glared down at the Grand Empress Dowager's senior maid, who had collapsed quivering on the floor.
"Dare try to kill my child?!"