After concluding the formal conversation with Geon, Kim Tae-seok turned away and released the breath he had been holding. Despite appearing indifferent in front of Geon, Kim Tae-seok had actually felt a chill at his arrival.
‘Since when was he there?’
Unintentionally, the cold sweat that had escaped him moistened his back.
He hadn’t expected Geon to appear in the place where Hwan and he had been confiding. Anxious that their conversation might have been overheard, the feeling he first sensed wasn’t Geon’s.
‘Was it a wild animal…?’
It was probably some kind of wild animal, like a wildcat. If not, even if he was the Gwangho Duke, he couldn’t have appeared so nonchalantly after hearing about his assassination.
Even in this secluded area, which was rare for visitors among the supporters, he had thought that no one would eavesdrop. However, the important issue was different.
Ever since hearing the rumor that the Gwangho Duke had come to investigate the truth of the tiger, he knew that he hadn’t died.
Surely, he must have sustained serious injuries. Seeing Geon return unscathed made Kim Tae-seok feel nauseous.
Although he had continuously sent assassins, Geon always returned like a cockroach. He had said that he had been sending assassins continuously, and seeing him miraculously return this time made the stories seem true.
Since no one had succeeded in the Gwangho Duke’s assassination plan, he had personally intervened in this tiger hunt, which was initially intended for post-processing by Min Sang-joo.
However, it ended in failure, displaying a rare instance of a mission gone wrong for him.
“This is all because of that woman.”
Thinking of Yeon Woo, Kim Tae-seok gritted his teeth.
A woman who threw bombs at him and shot arrows.
If it weren’t for that woman, the Gwangho Duke’s assassination plan would have undoubtedly succeeded. Unexpectedly, a woman appeared and ruined his plans.
He was fortunate to have armor inside his clothes. Otherwise, he might have lost his life to such a woman.
The fact that Geon was alive meant that the woman was also alive. Surely, that woman had seen his face.
If the woman leaked information about his identity, not only would her life be in danger, but there would also be a hitch in the assassination plan.
It was already too late, but he had to cut off any potential roots before the situation escalated. Although it might be easy to handle one woman compared to the Gwangho Duke, if he failed, his subordinates would become Min Sang-joo’s targets.
Min Sang-joo was a person who achieved what he wanted without hesitation or regard for means. Kim Tae-seok couldn’t afford to dismiss his warnings lightly.
“… Last time, luck might have been on my side, but there won’t be a next time.”
Kim Tae-seok’s tightly clenched fist trembled.
This time, he must succeed at all costs.
A quiet pavilion in the palace.
Seated in a pavilion, King Ilyul, adorned in a crimson dragon robe, was enjoying tea while savoring the serene atmosphere of the green-roofed pavilion. When Ilyul’s trembling hand held a teacup, small ripples appeared on the surface of the tea.
Ilyul, moving his hand slowly to his lips, as if accustomed to such situations, sipped the tea. It wasn’t the first time his hands trembled. The initial symptoms began with numbness in his hands and feet. However, it didn’t take long for his body to become sluggish, his memory to decline, and his judgment to become considerably clouded.
Since his health deteriorated, voices began to sound blurry, and there were days when he issued decrees without any recollection. Therefore, Ilyul had to keep a trustworthy aide by his side to verify what decrees he had given.
Ilyul’s post-assistant was diagnosed with dementia, and due to the impossibility of carrying out proper state affairs, Ilyul had assigned the regency to Hwan for a long time. Hwan was an inadequate son, falling short of Ilyul’s expectations compared to Geon, the son of the beloved concubine.
Even though he was a child born through a strategic political marriage, there were limits to suppressing one’s nature. Somehow, Hwan lacked the qualities to face adversity, and for some unknown reason, Ilyul couldn’t feel any affection for Hwan.
In his heart, he wished for his firstborn son, Geon, to succeed him. However, due to Hwan being the offspring of a secondary consort and the eldest legitimate son, Ilyul had no other choice.
Moreover, Ilyul had no power to choose the Crown Prince as he pleased, especially with the strong influence of the Min family, who were a noble clan and the ruling power in the central government.
At that moment, a voice from the outside, belonging to a royal messenger, was heard.
“Your Majesty, it is time for you to face Gwangho Duke Nari.”
“Gwangho Duke? Why is he looking for me?”
Gwangho Duke Geon.
He was Ilyul’s first and last consort’s illegitimate son.
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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