DN17

Chapter 17

The Reason He Wants Her Near

Gyeom slowly turned toward Danseol. His face was cloaked in shadow, making his expression unreadable.

“So, I’m included as well…”

Yet from his footsteps and voice, she could feel the irritation simmering beneath. The way he advanced—slow, deliberate—was like a predator closing in on its prey.

“You say some very amusing things.”
“It was Your Majesty who promised to listen to whatever I asked.”

Danseol’s body trembled, but she forced herself to appear calm. If she showed weakness now, she wouldn’t get what she wanted. She refused to bow to this man.

“Clever girl.”

Gyeom let out a smile that was impossible to interpret—satisfied and dissatisfied all at once.

“My body is mine to protect, is it not?”
“A fair point.”

Unlike moments before, when he seemed displeased, Gyeom actually agreed with her.

“Then you must keep your word—”
“Every rule has its exceptions.”

Before she knew it, Gyeom was standing directly in front of her. His towering frame blocked her path, making him feel larger than life. Perhaps it was because of this unfamiliar side of him.

‘Where am I supposed to look…?’

Her gaze kept drifting to the raw power of his physique. But what truly unsettled her was the mark engraved on his skin—a plum blossom symbol. The exact same mark that was on her own body.

Seeing it stirred her heart into restless noise. What did this symbol mean? And what bound her to this man? She couldn’t begin to guess.

‘It has nothing to do with me.’

Danseol scolded herself for being distracted by useless thoughts. She wanted to deny any connection to him, no matter what.

As Gyeom drew closer, she swallowed hard. He hadn’t touched her, but she felt as though his sheer presence was pressing down upon her, leaving her no escape. Even with room to move, she felt cornered. His existence alone was overwhelming.

“At times, one must endure small sacrifices for the sake of a greater cause.”

When Gyeom leaned forward, his scent wafted over her. A faint, refreshing fragrance.

‘This time, I’m not imagining it…’

She had caught that same sandalwood scent from him before but dismissed it as her imagination. Yet now it was undeniable. Gyeom was the man who had secretly aided her at the pavilion.

Even before she became a palace maid, he had been watching her.

“Why are you going so far just to keep me near you?”

Danseol could not comprehend his behavior. If it was mere desire, he would have taken her the very first night they met. Men blinded by lust never cared for place or circumstance—even if their partner had once tried to kill them.

She had seen such scenes countless times during the war.

Besides, Gyeom had the power to claim her anytime he wished. Yet he didn’t. Instead, he lingered around her, enduring unnecessary trouble.

That could only mean he had a reason—a purpose—for keeping her close.

“I’ve found myself in need of you.”

His hand tilted her chin up gently, and his whisper was low and intimate.

“So just remain at my side, fulfilling the role of a favored concubine.”

But Gyeom offered her no explanation of why he needed her. He withheld even the smallest hint, for if clever Danseol discovered the truth—that she was merely bait, a decoy against the Empress—she might resist.

She knew all too well what kind of woman Empress Cheon Ihwa was.

There was no need for Gyeom to risk telling her.

“What in the world requires such measures…?”
“That is not for you to know. All you need to do is focus on this moment.”

He pulled her closer and pressed his lips against hers.

Elsewhere, Ihwa paced her chambers, face taut with tension. The news that Gyeom had once again slipped out at night had soured her mood to the point she even skipped dinner.

“Your Majesty, I have men stationed near Chiwoljeon. If that palace maid truly appears, we’ll be notified at once.”

Gyeom had left Geoniljeon, and Gyeonji had hurried to Chiwoljeon to wait.

‘No matter how much I investigate, nothing turns up. This is maddening.’

Every night, Ihwa sent her spies to inquire about the mysterious maid Gyeom was meeting, but no trace of her could be found.

That, in itself, was suspicious. Normally, some rumor—true or not—would surface. But this silence meant someone was deliberately covering all traces.

‘Tonight, I will uncover her no matter what.’

She bit her fingernails, eyes burning with impatience.

Then came the report.

“Your Majesty, a messenger has just arrived from Chiwoljeon.”

Ihwa froze mid-step. If Gyeonji had sent word, it meant the maid had appeared. Without hesitation, she stormed out.

“Take me there at once. Lead the way.”

When Gyeom stepped out of Chiwoljeon, his attendant Taeyeom quickly moved to his side. He faltered, seeing his master’s disheveled state. The imperial dragon robe was nowhere to be seen.

“Your Majesty, allow me to escort you back to Geoniljeon.”

But even as he noticed, Taeyeom said nothing. A courtier who served the Emperor had to be skilled in the art of seeing yet pretending not to see.

“Remain here.”

Gyeom lifted his hand, halting him.

“Until the men I sent arrive, no one is to enter this place.”
“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

Though he didn’t understand, Taeyeom bowed deeply. An Emperor’s command was heaven’s will—never to be defied.

‘This place has long been forgotten by the palace. Surely no one will come…’

Chiwoljeon had once been a hall of honor, reserved for women beloved by past emperors. But after Gyeom’s mother died here giving birth to him, the place had been shunned as cursed.

Rumors spread that her ghost wandered on rainy nights, weeping bitterly. No one dared enter—no one but Gyeom himself.

To others, it was ominous. To him, it was the only place he could feel his mother’s presence.

“Even if it was for the good of the throne, this went too far.”
“To evade the Empress’s eyes, I had no choice. Do you think I would do this otherwise?”

When the Grand Empress Dowager had suggested sending a maid to Chiwoljeon, Gyeom had erupted in fury. How cruel, to desecrate the place where his mother had died by turning it into a bridal chamber.

And yet now, he was the one bringing a woman here every night.

Taeyeom could no longer guess at his master’s heart.

Just then, movement in the distance caught his eye. An entourage approached. When he recognized the woman leading them, his face turned pale.

“Y-Your Majesty the Empress…!”

Ihwa strode forward, glittering in gold, jade, coral, and pearls despite the late hour.

“I have come to see His Majesty.”

Her cold voice sent a chill down Taeyeom’s spine. Of all times—she had arrived just after Gyeom departed, while the maid still remained inside.

The situation was dire.

‘No matter what, I must stop her.’

Even without Gyeom’s order, Taeyeom would have done anything to prevent Ihwa from entering. If she saw what was inside, disaster would follow.

“His Majesty has already returned to Geoniljeon. Allow me to escort you there—”
“If His Majesty is not here, then why are you guarding this place like a gatekeeper?”

Her sharp gaze narrowed at him.

“Or perhaps you’re hiding something I must not see?”

Her voice turned icy. Taeyeom’s face drained of color.

‘She knows something!’

He didn’t know if it was the maid she suspected, but Ihwa had clearly caught a whiff of the truth.

‘I must buy time.’

“Your silence proves it—something is hidden inside.”
“Impossible, Your Majesty.”

Taeyeom bowed with practiced calm. Ihwa’s lips curled in a frigid smile.

“Then step aside. I shall see with my own eyes.”

She moved forward, but he blocked her path.

“What are you doing?”
“By His Majesty’s command, no one is to enter.”
“So you would bar even me, the Empress? How outrageous.”
“Forgive me, Your Majesty.”

Despite her scolding, he did not budge. Such was the loyalty of one who had served the Emperor for over twenty years.

To Ihwa, however, he was nothing but an obstruction.