Steam rose from the small outdoor bath, designed for the emperor, like a little pond. To cover the emperor's naked body, a curtain featuring a phoenix playing in the mountains was installed. To block the sunlight that bathed the emperor's beautiful body, the eunuchs entered the bath with sunshades. Considering that the emperor might get thirsty while bathing, they made the water cold by adding ice brought from the icehouse. No detail could be overlooked. The chief steward, who had served the emperor since childhood, proudly scanned both inside and outside the bath with eyes sharp from the wrinkles around his eyes. More than fifty people, including eunuchs, guards, palace maids, and even a concubine to assist with the emperor’s bath, knelt. It was now time for the emperor to arrive.
The emperor’s feet lightly stepped on the stone path. The sound of his feet stepping on the stone or earth, so common to others, was nowhere to be heard due to how light and effortless it was. As the emperor entered the outdoor bath, he spread his arms, and the palace maids approached to remove his regular clothes. Layer by layer... as they were removed, the emperor’s robust and masculine torso was revealed. He had broad shoulders and a straight back. Every time he bent his back or moved his arms, the muscles connected to his spine twitched. Every part of his body moved with vitality, as though it were another living creature.
The maid who had undressed the emperor, including his shoes and socks, retreated. A concubine, the youngest of the women in the harem, entered the bath with the steam rising like fog. She was the youngest concubine, a woman who had been appointed four years ago. The only reason she was chosen to assist with the emperor’s bath was because of one thing: her hands were gentle and delicate. The emperor did not know her name, her age, or how many children she had. When he saw her trembling with fear, he smiled lightly. Without a word, he motioned with his finger, and she hesitated, biting her lip, as she approached to remove his thin garment. Her hands trembled, perhaps afraid of even the emperor’s breath. The emperor, losing interest, stared at her round shoulders and slender wrists for a moment before slowly moving his hand to lift her chin. The face held in his large hand turned pale as if she were about to cry. The emperor, while turning her face to inspect it, quickly withdrew his hand. The concubine, lowering her face as if to apologize, continued removing his clothes with trembling hands.
His smooth and beautiful body was revealed, occasionally obscured by the fog. Was this how the emperor, who founded the first kingdom of the world, might appear if he reigned again? His wet silver hair hid his beauty, which seemed almost inhuman, as though she were not of this world. His appearance was so beautiful that it was difficult to even describe, and the concubine blushed. Perhaps because of the fog, his appearance felt even more mysterious.
The emperor, leaving the still-dazed concubine behind, entered the bath. As he submerged into the warm water, the tension accumulated from excessive duties and pleasures slowly began to ease. He leaned against the edge of the bath, his long arms draped over it, and tilted his head back. His neck was sore.
“What are you doing?”
The emperor’s relaxed tone carried a hint of irritation. Only then did the concubine hurry over, kneeling by his head, and began to massage his shoulders and neck. She was afraid he might get angry and send her to the cold palace. To be sent to the cold palace meant never receiving the emperor’s love again, and dying alone in cold neglect. Recently, four concubines had been sent to the cold palace. The number, just over a month, was alarming.
She had to survive by receiving even a small amount of the emperor’s affection in whatever way she could. Trembling like a chick, she massaged his neck and delicately rubbed his arms, as he had taught her. Only after hearing the emperor’s languid, warm breath did she exhale in relief.
“I won’t send you to the cold palace, so don’t worry.”
At the emperor’s words, the concubine was startled and collapsed to the floor. The wet stone made her forehead flush red.
“Your Majesty! I’ve never had such thoughts! Would I ever be afraid of my one and only husband and serve him clumsily? I’ve never neglected the lessons you taught me… I have always...”
“Do you love me?”
The emperor turned his head and laughed. He laughed as if he had heard an absurd lie, shrugging his shoulders as he chuckled, then glanced at the surface of the water again. He extended his arm and reached for a wine cup. The concubine, crawling on her knees, poured wine into the cup. It was the wine the emperor enjoyed drinking every time he bathed. The emperor drank the wine quietly and gracefully, then set the cup down. When the concubine approached to massage his neck, the emperor raised his hand to stop her. The concubine froze in place like a stone and bowed her forehead to the floor.
She must not reveal her desires. Her heart must always be controlled, like the calm surface of a lake.
She bit her lip and calmed herself, following the countless teachings she had learned. The voices of the concubines who had screamed in fear of being dragged to the cold palace were still vivid in her mind, as if they had just happened.
"How is the Consort?"
The emperor asked about the Consort’s well-being, whom he had not seen since the attack on King Gyeonghye. The consort was not doing well. She was in torment, unable to die even though she wanted to. She cried every day, laughed, smashed objects, and finally collapsed on the floor, calling her son’s name while pounding her chest. Her chest was covered in bruises, both inside and out. The emperor had left the bruises to spread, even when they reached her head. It was clear neglect; it was murder.
But she could not go to the emperor and ask for help. If she went mad and died, it would benefit the concubine. Her death would bring peace to the other women in the harem. The concubine, recalling the face of the Consort, who had lived in despair, smiled. This was the opportunity. She had to make the emperor abandon her completely.
If she couldn’t bear a child, the consort should also lose her child and the emperor’s love. A sharp malice appeared in the concubine’s eyes, which had softened earlier.
“The consort is in seclusion in Ahyang Palace due to her illness. Every day, she calls out King Gyeonghye’s name, crying, and curses His Majesty. The sound of her lament is so terrifying that I cannot go near Hong Palace, Your Majesty. Not just I, but the other ladies are suffering terribly too…”
She hung her false tears at the end of her sentence, whining to the emperor. However, the emperor, as if he didn’t want to hear it, flicked the surface of the water with his finger lightly. The concubine immediately closed her mouth and placed both hands on his shoulder, massaging it. His firm, masculine skin felt tight under her hands. The scent was fresh and pleasant. As she admired the emperor’s silver hair, wet from the water, she tightened her grip.
“It seems the assassin will be caught soon. When you meet the consort, tell her not to worry.”
“Is that so? That’s a relief, Your Majesty. When the assassins are captured, please be sure to demonstrate Your Majesty’s dignity and power. How dare they attempt to assassinate Your Majesty’s son in this country, ruled by Your Majesty’s authority? It’s an absurd thing to even consider, isn’t it?”
The emperor laughed aloud at the concubine’s skilled lies. He reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her in close. The small body of the concubine almost slipped into the outdoor bath in an instant. She barely managed to grab the emperor's shoulder with her hands to support herself. Realizing what she had almost done, she struggled to pull away, but couldn’t escape from the emperor’s grasp. The emperor, seemingly perplexed, smiled as he brought his beautiful face closer. His smile was so soft and seductive that the concubine swallowed her saliva and hunched her shoulders.
“Do you really think so?”
Confused, she tried to read the emperor’s expression, attempting to understand the atmosphere between them. The mist between them seemed to divide like a valley. The emperor’s smile faded. The concubine, unable to read the emperor’s face, was terrified and hiccuped. She knew that if she gave the wrong answer here, it would only be a matter of time before her head was on the line. What should she say? What could she say to make him release her? In the midst of the anxiety and fear rising from beneath her feet, she trembled and finally burst into tears. The emperor’s golden eyes, as clear and bright as amber, were terrifying. She didn’t want to meet his gaze, his eyes that silently stared at her and interrogated her with no words.
The emperor, watching her cry in fear without saying anything, wiped the smile off his face. He detested crying, whether it was in the palace or anywhere else. Realizing that the emperor hated crying, the concubine tried to wipe her tears, but it was already too late. The emperor suddenly stood up, grabbing her wrist and pulling her roughly.
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty! I was wrong! Please…!”
“Be quiet.”
“Your Majesty, please, just once…”
The emperor ignored her pleas, shoving her outside. She was exposed to the warm sunlight and the indifferent eyes of the eunuchs. She was no longer in the emperor’s pale affection. The emperor looked coldly at her round back as she lay prostrate, and quietly spoke.
“I will never have you serve me during my baths again. Of course, since there is no need for you in the bath, you needn’t come to the palace either.”
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty…! I have sinned terribly! Please forgive the foolish mistake I made without understanding Your Majesty’s will with a pure heart!”
“Why should the Emperor do that?”
The emperor looked at her with unfeeling eyes and massaged his own neck. She nervously lifted her eyes, climbed up his body, and looked at his face. The emperor pushed his wet hair back and smiled openly. His smile was hauntingly beautiful, but as cold as a demon. As she confirmed that his affection had completely faded, her eyes contorted, and tears began to fall.
“What are you even saying?”
He left her behind, no longer having the courage to cling to him, and entered the outdoor bath. The sounds of the eunuchs pulling her out while she begged for forgiveness could be heard. Once the emperor’s affection faded, even the eunuchs treated the concubines ruthlessly. The emperor closed his eyes as he entered the bath.
Only a few hours remained until the wedding. He needed to cleanse both his body and mind here and embrace the woman. It was his duty as the emperor and as a husband. Heaven had chosen women who were worthy of bearing the heir, and he had to embrace many of them, having children from whom the best one could be chosen.
“…I’m tired of this.”
It was truly tiring. Embracing women chosen by heaven without affection, and being forced to face the children. How many people had sacrificed so much to make the best prince and the best emperor? The emperor gazed blankly at the sky. Perhaps because it was the wedding day, the sky was clear without a blemish. It was always like this. Every time the emperor became a wolf on the wedding day and entered the women, the pure white moon would rise and bathe the Heavenly Temple. Even the sky must want to see the process of him having another child…
He licked his lips, adjusting his jade ornament, when footsteps were heard from outside. The emperor closed his eyes, twisting his mouth in anger.