The wedding was a sacred and solemn ceremony, demanding absolute silence. The main figures of the ceremony were the emperor, who would transform into a wolf and consummate the marriage, and the chosen woman who would be his bride. The family and close relatives seated in the celestial shrine were mere observers, their role being to ensure that the emperor and his bride properly consummated the marriage, and that the bride showed complete obedience and respect to the emperor.
Through this process, the bride officially became part of the royal family. Any relative who could also transform into a wolf would assist the emperor by licking the bride, symbolizing acceptance into the family.
Kang, adorned in his red ceremonial robes and a jade belt encrusted with blue jewels, was part of today's ceremony. His wide sleeves nearly touched the ground. Fingering the crimson clouds embroidered on his sleeves, Kang pressed his hand against his abdomen, where waves of pain intermittently surged. Though his usually robust body felt unusually strained, he couldn't afford to cause a scene at this grand wedding, the first in four years. He had to endure it, not wanting to disrupt his father's sacred ceremony.
"Hu..."
Kang let out a heavy breath through clenched teeth as he donned the ceremonial crown. He tied the cord under his chin, watching his reflection in the bronze mirror. The cord dangled beneath his well-defined chin.
'Red suits you well.'
The sudden memory of the emperor's passing compliment flitted through Kang's mind. Back then, he had been eating slices of fruit cut by the emperor, blinking as he chewed like a baby bird. The emperor had smiled, slipping a piece of apple into Kang's mouth. The tangy sweetness of the apple had distracted Kang, making him forget the emperor's exact words.
Why had the emperor suddenly remarked on how well red suited him? At that time, Kang had worn a robe tinged with a strong pinkish hue. Puzzled, he shook his head, dismissing the thought. It wasn't worth overanalyzing a passing remark. The emperor always praised him, no matter what he wore.
Adorned with gold bracelets, rings, and earrings, Kang patted the head of his panting pet, Seol, and turned around. It was time to witness the emperor's consummation. Technically, he was to witness the emperor, transformed into a wolf, mate with his bride.
The thought of seeing the heavenly emperor in such an intimate act made Kang blush. He fidgeted with a fan, meant to hide his flushed face. Would he be able to watch properly? The dignified emperor in the throes of passion? Embarrassed at the prospect, Kang climbed into the palanquin, his face still burning, his hands covering his cheeks. Seeing Kang's bashfulness, Damyeong chuckled, finding his innocent discomfort endearing.
On the day of the wedding ceremony, it was customary to refrain from speaking as much as possible. Damyeong followed the palanquin in silence. The quiet extended even through the streets. In the heavenly temple, maintaining silence was considered more respectful than speaking, and the heavy stillness felt appropriate for the occasion. The stillness was almost hypnotic, making one feel drowsy as if a sleep-inducing incense was being burned.
The palanquin passed through the wide-open Eunwoo Gate. Kang focused on the lights that illuminated just enough to see the way ahead, trying to steady his mind. The flames flickered in the late-night breeze, and his thoughts wavered along with them.
The emperor as a wolf, was cute and lively. Kang couldn't imagine how the emperor, even in his wolf form, would embrace a woman. It was said that a wolf’s genitals were so large that a woman would need medicine to endure them. Just how big could it be?
Despite not having received proper sex education because of the emperor, Kang's mind was filled with lewd thoughts. His fair cheeks blushed and wouldn't cool down. Kang fanned his face, trying to cool it down, but it was in vain. Giving up on calming his excitement, he sighed heavily and placed one foot on the steps leading to the Temple of Heaven.
Another person was climbing the steps beside him, dressed in the same crimson ceremonial robes as Kang. He smelled of youth, and Kang instinctively turned his head. It was King Jinyeong. Kang hadn't seen his brothers much recently, as he had been avoiding going out since King Gyeonghye's attack. Seeing King Jinyeong made Kang smile warmly in greeting.
But Kang hesitated as he looked closer. Was his vision deceiving him? King Jinyeong's lips were colorless, his eyes shadowed with fatigue, and his gaze was unfocused and distant. He looked pale and ill, which made Kang's heart pound with fear. He worried that King Jinyeong might suffer a fate similar to King Gyeonghye, who had lost an arm in an instant. Kang didn't want to witness another misfortune befall his family. His heart raced as he dashed up the steps and grabbed King Jinyeong's wrist.
Whack!
King Jinyeong flinched and violently shook off Kang's hand. Holding his now-reddened hand, Kang stood there, stunned, trying to offer a reassuring smile.
But King Jinyeong turned his back, his complexion dark with rejection, leaving Kang unable to speak. King Jinyeong's swift departure left Kang rooted to the spot, struggling to comprehend the sudden change. His chest tightened, his breathing became erratic, and his emotions were painfully visible.
He wanted to ask why he was being rejected, but an inkling of suspicion silenced him. They were all brothers, meant to share affection among themselves. The princes, like the concubines, had to share the emperor's favor to survive. King Gyeonghye's downfall was not merely due to the attack but also the emperor's cold favoritism. While King Gyeonghye lay wounded and crying out for the emperor, the emperor ignored him and tended to Kang, who was suffering from stomach pains. The emperor had laid Kang in his bedchamber, soothing him until the pain subsided, ignoring Kang's attempts to mention King Gyeonghye.
Perhaps King Jinyeong had realized this. He looked pale and sickly, possibly in pain. It was said that he had fallen ill after the fall of Ju-kuk, and maybe the illness had returned.
Kang felt a heavy sense of dread and a bitter taste in his mouth. He covered his mouth to suppress the urge to vomit. Strange occurrences were happening repeatedly.
“Ah…”
As the pain that Kang had been trying to ignore grew more intense, he bent over. Relatives, familiar faces, cast suspicious glances his way. Goosebumps rose on his skin. Kang forced himself to straighten up and continue walking. In the darkness, illuminated only by faint, softly dancing lights, Kang's eyes remained clear and focused. Sweat trickled down, and he wiped it away with the back of his hand. Covering his face with his folding fan, he moved to his assigned seat in the third row from the left column. Across from him sat his mother. She wore a serene, light-green ceremonial robe and a delicate veil that shimmered as if dusted with silver.
The distance felt insurmountable. Kang clenched his fists on his lap, enduring the pain in his waist. His mother gave him a subtle, almost invisible smile before lowering her eyes demurely. With nothing else to do, Kang surrendered his body and mind to the artificially heightened silence.
Boom, boom, boom…
The sudden sound of drums echoed like a racing heartbeat. The initially spaced-out beats quickly escalated in tempo. It was a strange sensation. The familiar sound of drums, which Kang had heard at every ceremony, slowly stirred excitement from the depths of his being. His soles felt hot, his throat parched, and his eyes warm with heat. Kang lowered his gaze, aware of the various breathing sounds around him. He opened his folding fan to hide his face, finding it to be his only escape from this situation.
Dancers moved gracefully towards the door behind the platform of the Temple of Heaven. Like birds, they opened the door, bringing forth a woman in a sheer red wedding dress. Holding her by both hands, they guided her to the platform. She knelt, lifting her head without a hint of shyness to meet the gaze of the priest. The priest, eyes filled with greed, opened his firm lips to speak.
He recited the prayer in an ancient language. Though he looked frail and near death, his voice was as sharp and cold as a finely honed blade. He seemed like someone who spoke with a knife in his mouth. Kang listened to the piercing words while watching the door. It wouldn't be long before the emperor, transformed into a wolf, would appear to meet the woman. Kang's heart started to race. Could he really witness his father in such an intimate act? Moral notions, temporarily set aside, reemerged like smoke but were quickly suppressed by the dancers' movements. They beat the drums and danced, welcoming the new concubine in place of the heavens. Her face flushed in response to the drugs administered before the ceremony, reacting to the dance and the almost sobbing song.
Suddenly, the song stopped. The priestesses froze, laying the drums on the ground and bowing low. The door, briefly opened to guide the woman, reopened as the true master arrived.
In the shapeless darkness, a single presence emerged, its golden eyes glowing as it approached. It was not the cute wolf that he had seen many times throughout the year. It was not the same wolf that had transformed, laid him down, and licked him like a puppy from the very first meeting… No, this was the Emperor himself. Like a curtain parting the darkness, the wolf emerged, raising its head to reveal golden eyes as sharp and cold as shards of ice. The long, unblinking golden eyes swept through the Heavenly Temple, cutting through everything with relentless force. The golden gaze, like an arrow, fixed on its target—Kang, seated in the third row of the left column. The wolf’s intense, burning gaze, full of heat, struck Kang’s chest like a blow, causing him to clench his fist.
The wolf smiled.
A voice within Kang screamed to stop it. He wanted to shout out, to say that this was the moment of the wedding, the moment that should have been about the woman waiting for her husband, drugged and helpless. Yet, the wolf did not approach her. Instead, it circled, drawing nearer to where Kang sat. Its golden eyes, unwavering and filled with an intensity that could pierce the soul, stayed locked on him. Kang stiffened, his body tensing at the deep, growling breath of the wolf that reverberated in the air.
The wolf before him was no longer the playful, puppy-like creature he once knew—the one that would transform with excitement, press its back against him, panting happily, or carry him through gentle, snowy plains. He found himself questioning whether this was the same wolf at all.
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Next chapter is NSFW. Contains dubcon, explicit scene.