I came out of the Queen Dowager’s palace and walked in the backyard with the Queen. Her personality showed through in the brief words we exchanged.
She was a warm and affectionate person.
But somehow, she also looked sad. The Queen stopped walking and smiled brightly at Eun Seol.
“If my first child had lived, they would be about your age now.”
“…”
“I didn’t mean to upset you. I just thought that if that child had lived, they would be about your age now. That thought just came out.”
She lost a child.
It seems she didn’t fail to conceive, but had a miscarriage.
How lonely and difficult must it have been for the Queen, unable to produce an heir, to maintain her position.
Just thinking about it made it hard to breathe and my heart ache.
I couldn’t say anything. The Queen’s distant gaze as she looked far away was too painful.
Looking at the Queen reminded me of my mother.
That’s why I enjoyed this time with her even more.
“Your Majesty the Queen, you were here.”
Just as we were about to continue walking and talking, a nasal voice was heard from somewhere.
When she turned her head to see the owner of the voice, she could tell who it was by instinct.
With ornaments so lavish they seemed excessive, voluminous clothing, and such an arrogant expression, there was only one royal concubine who could appear like that.
Who else but Consort Song, daughter of Left State Councillor Song Moon Sik, would dress so extravagantly and appear here?
“Consort, what brings you here?”
“I was just passing by. Who is that child next to you?”
“Introduce yourself. This is the new Royal Princess, who recently married the Crown Prince.”
“Ah, I thought Your Majesty had brought a child to place in His Majesty’s quarters.”
Despite being introduced as the Royal Princess, the Consort showed no courtesy. The sneer on her lips was blatant.
No matter if she’s the king’s concubine, she cannot disrespect the Crown Prince’s wife, the Royal Princess.
Even considering rank, Consort of the 1st junior grade should show respect to her, who is of the 1st senior grade.
Yet Consort Song not only didn’t apologize, but held her head high and twisted her lips.
“Consort! Are you not being disrespectful? Show proper etiquette.”
“If one doesn’t know, it can happen. Why are you getting so upset, someone might think I committed high treason.”
“Consort, mind your words. Even if you didn’t know, aren’t your words too harsh? If you understand now, quickly apologize.”
Consort Song, glaring, reluctantly nodded her head slightly and then turned away from her.
Seeing her straighten her back, relying on her father’s power, it was unbelievable and infuriating.
It was truly the epitome of rudeness.
“Madam Consort Song!”
Breaking the momentary awkward silence, a voice was heard, and everyone turned their heads towards the sound.
From afar, a young court lady came running and greeted the Queen.
When the Consort asked what was going on, the court lady hesitated and couldn’t answer.
“What is it? If you called, you should speak.”
“Well, that… I was told to prepare because His Majesty will be visiting Wolseon Hall tonight.”
The atmosphere suddenly turned cold.
It seems the King is going to Wolseon Hall, Consort Song’s quarters, tonight.
Wolseon Hall, as grand and splendid as the Queen’s palace, had its scale expanded and annexes built a few years ago by the Left State Councillor, its grandeur reaching the heavens.
As a result, Consort Song’s arrogance grew day by day.
The reason for deliberately delivering the news of the King’s visit here was obvious.
She wanted to provoke the Queen and show that she monopolized the King’s love.
Everyone nervously watched the Queen’s reaction, unable to settle down. Even the court lady who delivered the message stepped back, not knowing where to put herself.
Only the mistress of Wolseon Hall, Consort Song, had a bright face.
Judging by the Consort’s relaxed expression, it seemed like a deliberate act planned to show the Queen.
“Your Majesty the Queen, I apologize. This lowly one lacked discretion in delivering a message that could have waited.”
Despite her apologetic voice, a sneer flashed across her lips.
“It’s alright, don’t worry about it.”
“Your Majesty, don’t feel too upset. It’s only natural for His Majesty to visit my quarters since you can’t conceive. Well, even without that reason, he visits my quarters more often than the Queen’s palace anyway.”
“Madam Consort, mind your words! You’re being disrespectful!”
The elderly court lady standing next to the Queen stepped forward and raised her voice towards the Consort.
“Court Lady Choi. Even Her Majesty the Queen is silent, why are you speaking up? Do you have no sense of hierarchy!”
“Who’s the one with no sense of hierarchy… Hah.”
At that moment, the Queen quietly chided Court Lady Choi and made her step back.
“Consort, I’ve always felt burdened, thinking my lack of virtue has been a burden on you. Please continue to serve His Majesty well in the future.”
“How could I not? I will serve His Majesty with all my heart.”
“Thank you.”
A strange smile flashed across the Consort’s face.
It was a cruel smile that guaranteed victory.
One person had no hesitation in causing pain, while the other seemed accustomed to being hurt.
Seeing the Queen enduring all sorts of humiliation and disgrace steadfastly made my heart heavy, as if I was seeing my past self.
Court Lady Choi rushed over to speak with an approaching eunuch, then quietly approached the Queen.
“Your Majesty, you should go to the Queen’s palace. His Majesty has arrived. He said he has urgent matters to discuss with Your Majesty and ordered to bring you quickly.”
“I see, alright.”
The Consort gritted her teeth as she watched the Queen leave the backyard after asking for understanding.
Her appearance was so fierce that the court ladies lowered their heads and watched cautiously.
The Consort’s anger was strangely directed at Eun Seol, who was standing quietly.
With a distorted face, her gaze swept up and down before stopping on her face.
“I heard rumors that the Crown Prince is crazy about women. Looking at this, it seems he won’t be satisfied with just one wife. You’ll have a hard time.”
While she could endure any insult directed at her, the Consort’s rudeness towards the Crown Prince crossed a line.
Eun Seol suppressed her anger and spoke in a coldly calm voice.
“Consort, you’re fine otherwise, but you should watch your mouth. I’m not your inferior, so be careful with your words from now on. If you insult the Crown Prince one more time, I won’t stay silent.”
With those words, she turned around.
She heard the Consort’s mocking voice behind her, but she left the backyard at a leisurely pace without looking back.
As she exited the palace, Court Lady Eom quietly approached her side.
“You endured well. She’s not worth dealing with.”
“Actually, I was very nervous. I still find it really hard and difficult to deal with people.”
“You did well. Even at my age, I’m scared and afraid when dealing with people. My lady, you’re doing excellently.”
Court Lady Eom’s words were a great strength and comfort.
* * *
Perhaps due to the tension during the day, fatigue set in.
I postponed eating rice soup and went to bed early.
Then suddenly remembering something, I got up again. Lee Woon’s eyes, lying next to me, quickly turned lustful.
“What is it? Can’t sleep? Then shall we…”
“My lord. Please take off your jacket.”
“Ah, my wife, you’re becoming bolder and more lascivious.”
He pretended to give in and slowly took off his jacket.
Impatient, Eun Seol couldn’t wait and completely removed the half-undone jacket.
“My, my wife!”
And she confirmed it.
There really was a deep scar on his left shoulder.
“How did this happen? It must have hurt a lot.”
“Did the Queen Dowager tell you?”
“She was very regretful and sorry about it.”
“That happened so long ago, yet she’s still… No, if that’s the case, she could have just said so. Why did you undress me?”
“I, I was just curious.”
“Surely you don’t expect me to put it back on like this?”
Lee Woon embraced her and fell onto the blanket.
The heat, whether from the summer night or created by them, warmed the air in the room.
Catching her breath, she held the Crown Prince’s hand.
“How old were you when you came to Unyeong Palace?”
“About ten, I left the palace quite early.”
“What kind of person were you when you were young, my lord?”
After being lost in thought for a moment, he took a deep breath.
“I just played alone and studied. Then, recklessly, I went out riding a horse and almost died, but someone saved me.”
“Someone saved you? What do you mean?”
“A very beautiful woman saved me when I was injured. She was truly a lovely person.”
Lee Woon gazed into space with eyes longing for that time.
A beautiful and lovely person? Who could it be to make him have such a tender expression?
His eyes were sincerely longing for someone.
Unlike the Crown Prince, her insides began to twist.
“A beautiful woman saved you, my lord?”
“Yes. That woman practically saved my life.”
“Do, do you know who she was?”
“She left without telling me who she was. Regrettably.”
Regrettably, did he just say it’s regrettable now?
His last words stirred up her insides.
“She was my first love.”
“What? Did you say first love?”
Did I hear wrong?
First love at just thirteen, how virtuous and beautiful must this woman have been for a mere thirteen-year-old boy to fall in love?
“Didn’t I say before that you were my first?”
When she asked pressingly, his pupils trembled slightly.
She felt that he was suddenly becoming reticent, as if there really was something.
Her insides began to twist more and more.
“Were all the things you said to me before lies?”
“How could they be lies? It’s true. Yoon Eun Seol was all my firsts. Really.”
“Then what about what you just said? About your beautiful and lovely first love?”
“I wanted to see this side of you. I wanted to see you jealous, but I think I made a mistake. I won’t play such jokes again.”
“…Is that true?”
“Yes, it’s true. The one who treated me when I was injured from falling off a horse was a young child. If I called such a child my first love, people would beat me up.”
Lee Woon looked at Eun Seol’s face and chuckled.
Even her suspicious sideways glance was lovely.
He was a bit nervous about his slip of the tongue, but he was inwardly happy seeing Eun Seol’s reaction.
Since the mention of first love, her face had gradually hardened.
He wanted to tease her more, but stopped for fear of hurting her sensitive heart.
Her pouting and glaring while insisting she wasn’t upset at all resembled that child from long ago.
While other memories are fading, why does this one become clearer as days go by, I wonder.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
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Daily Life of a Scumbag Man Giving Birth (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: The way for a promiscuous scumbag man to atone for his sins is to let him get… pregnant.
Synopsis:
Meng Huan, a scumbag who has dated countless girlfriends, scammed countless women, transmigrates to a female-dominated country.
Day 1: Whether it’s female dominance or not doesn’t matter. The beauties here are passionate and amorous. Isn’t it easier to scam them than in modern times?
Day 2: After a night, Meng Huan discovers the differences in the female-dominated world. Men here actually have chastity locks and menstrual cycles. This hinders his ability to perform, damn it!
Day 3: What’s wrong with sleeping around? I don’t want you to marry me. I’m meant to be a playboy. I don’t care about male virtues… What? You want to drown me in a pig cage? Marry, I’ll marry!
Day N: Meng Huan inexplicably vomits and receives the shocking news of his life… He’s pregnant.