The Secret Night at Unyeon Palace (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 12
The hot steam rose incessantly inside the bathhouse, obscuring vision with thick mist.
Woon slowly removed each piece of clothing he had draped over himself and submerged his body into the tub.
The water, slightly warmer than comfortable, and the faint, delicate orchid fragrance relaxed his body and lifted his mood pleasantly.
He leaned back against the tub, tilted his head, and closed his eyes.
His long, loosened hair spilled over the edge of the tub.
Inside the quiet bathhouse, the sound of dripping water harmonized with the rhythm of his heartbeat.
Woon rested his arms along the rim of the tub, closed his eyes, and remained motionless for a while, lost in thought.
—“How can it be acceptable that the wedding night still hasn’t been consummated?”
This was what Court Lady Eom had blurted out in disbelief the moment he visited the inner quarters right after returning from the palace and arriving at the residence.
“It doesn’t make sense. That’s precisely why I intend to… see to it tonight.”
He murmured this aloud, aimlessly, into the hazy air.
He swept aside the strands of hair clinging to his forehead and exhaled heavily, as if stifled.
Court Lady Eom’s parting words, tossed toward his retreating back, pierced his heart.
—“She is a delicate person. Please cherish her dearly and never say anything that might wound her heart. Understood?”
He never wished to hurt her.
She had been the one he desired from the very first moment he saw her.
The thought of her—whom he’d longed to keep by his side—looking at another man filled him with unbearable anger.
He had believed she loved Kim Hee Gyeom.
Thus, he thought she refused the wedding simply because of him, and that her expressions hardened only whenever she saw him.
Had he paid just a little more attention, he would have realized that wasn’t the case at all.
Hurt by her indifference, he’d unwittingly spoken cruel words—but never with any intention to wound her.
He was a foolish man who’d inflicted pain upon a gentle soul without even verifying the truth.
He wiped his wet face repeatedly with his palms and rose from his seat.
At that moment, the water inside the tub sloshed violently and spilled outward.
He hastily dried himself off and slipped a long robe over his inner garment.
His steps toward the inner quarters were unhurried and light.
* * *
Eun Seol repeatedly stroked her chest, struggling to calm her racing heart, and took several deep breaths.
Ever since Court Lady Eom told her that the Grand Prince had entered the bathhouse, she’d remained in this agitated state.
Her heart pounded as though malfunctioning, and she grew so tense and restless she couldn’t sit still.
While she paced nervously inside the room, the Grand Prince’s voice sounded from outside.
“Everyone may withdraw. Court Lady Eom, please fetch what I requested earlier.”
She heard the replies of Court Lady Eom and the other maids, followed immediately by the door opening.
At the sight of the Grand Prince stepping inside, her breath caught sharply in her throat.
His long hair hung loose, hastily tied back with a cord. Draped over a pristine white inner garment was a deep blue outer robe—and his appearance was utterly captivating.
“Beautiful” was the only word that came to mind.
A faint orchid fragrance wafted from him as he approached.
Only when he stood right before her did Eun Seol finally snap out of her daze.
Smiling softly, he leaned in and whispered quietly into her ear:
“This secret night is the perfect occasion for sharing a secret love. That’s why I prepared everything.”
He sat down and looked up at her.
“If you keep standing like that, you’ll come to regret it later.”
She hesitated, unable to sit down immediately.
She was trembling too much, too nervous—her mind utterly blank.
In an instant, his arm seized her wrist and pulled, drawing her into his embrace.
“Your, Your Excellency!”
“See? Didn’t I warn you that you’d regret it? Surely, you weren’t hoping for something like this?”
“No? Ah, no—I wasn’t.”
In her struggle to pull away, she accidentally yanked the cord fastening the front of his inner garment.
The loosened cord gave way effortlessly, failing to support her weight.
Just as she began toppling backward, his strong arms yanked her forward again.
Her eyes landed precisely on his bare chest, exposed through the parted garment.
His firm, muscular chest was fully visible before her—and her face flushed so deeply it felt impossible to grow any redder.
“What are you… doing right now?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—truly, it wasn’t intentional, I just…”
“You’re more devious than you appear.”
“More devious than I appear?” Flustered, Eun Seol leaped up and scrambled to sit far away from him.
After all, who had created this situation in the first place?
Slightly indignant, she shot him a sideways glance—only for him to suddenly reach out his hand toward her.
Confused about what he was doing now, she stared fixedly at his face.
“Give it here.”
“…Huh?”
“The cord you’re holding. Unless, of course… you prefer things as they are.”
“Here you go.”
Even as he re-fastened the disheveled hem of his inner garment and tied the cord securely, his eyes remained intently fixed on her face.
He stroked his chin, hesitated briefly, then quietly spoke.
“There’s something I wish to tell you, Madam—about our wedding night.”
“Your Excellency, it’s ‘this one’—not ‘Madam.’”
Before he could continue, his words were cut short by Court Lady Eom calling from outside.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and Court Lady Eom entered, carrying a tray of wine and snacks.
After placing the tray before them, she backed out of the room, a gratified smile playing on her lips.
Once Court Lady Eom departed and the surroundings quieted, he poured wine into the cups on the tray.
“The ceremonial nuptial wine mustn’t be omitted on the wedding night. Come, let’s drink one cup together.”
“I don’t drink alcohol.”
“Drinking the nuptial wine on the wedding night is what truly makes a couple husband and wife. This isn’t merely wine—it symbolizes the alliance we are now forging. We can’t exactly share blood, can we?”
“Ally”—a rather unfitting word for this occasion—but she’d heard that the nuptial wine was indeed requisite on the wedding night.
“They say drinking the nuptial wine leads to a harmonious and happy married life. It isn’t very strong—please try it.”
At the mention of a happy married life, her gaze shifted to him.
How wonderful it would be if this moment—right now—were truly sincere.
She lifted the cup and drained it in one go. Her throat burned as though scalded, and heat surged through her entire body—yet it was bearable.
She had to endure it.
He refilled her empty cup and spoke again.
“After just one more cup, I’ll finish what I started to say earlier.”
So she drank. Another cup. She drank obediently, without even understanding why he kept urging her to drink.
A gentle dizziness began creeping in, so she refused any more wine.
Her words, too, started slurring.
“Here—try this as well. Ah, open wide.”
“Why… why are you doing this to me, really? I—I’ll eat it myself.”
It was mortifying beyond words—insisting on feeding her mouthfuls himself when she’d already said she’d eat it.
Why was he suddenly behaving like this?
Could it be he intended to get her drunk and then knock her out?
If that were the case, he needn’t go to all this trouble—he could’ve simply said so.
“Madam, are you alright? You’re not drunk, are you?”
“Yes. I’m fine. Please go ahead.”
“Then I shall continue with what I intended to say earlier—but first, I have one question for you.”
“…”
“Why don’t you ask? That day, a maid and I emerged from the same chamber on the wedding night—but why don’t you demand an explanation?”
Eun Seol barely managed to lift her heavy eyelids and looked at his face.
The smile he’d worn earlier had vanished entirely; his gaze was now solemn and grave.
“Do I even have the right to ask? To you, I must already seem utterly despicable—so what grounds could I possibly have to question you?”
“That’s not it at all. I don’t know why you think that way, but I’ve never once regarded you as despicable. And about that day… absolutely nothing happened with that maid. Even if you doubt other things, I ask you to believe me on this point at least.”
He claimed nothing had occurred with Min Ah.
Judging by his serious expression, it seemed genuine.
—“But you see, the butterfly finds a fragrant flower and simply alights there—doing nothing, just sitting. One might expect it to be intoxicated by the scent, yet it remains unmoved. Did this butterfly alight upon the flower because it liked it?”
—“That butterfly needed neither the fragrance nor the nectar of any other flower. Aren’t you curious about the reason?”
—“A butterfly who already had its beloved paid no attention to anyone else—not even flinching when others fluttered their wings right beside it. It possessed remarkable fidelity.”
Suddenly, So Hyang’s words to her long ago resurfaced in her mind.
She wanted to believe.
Based on the Grand Prince’s character as she’d witnessed it since arriving here, this was likely no lie.
She believed him—that nothing had happened with Min Ah.
Now, she wanted to trust his words, not mere rumors.
She wished to thank him for telling her—but her head spun dizzily, and her eyes kept drifting shut.
“Madam, please try to stay awake—we have much to discuss, and many things left to do. You can’t afford to lose consciousness like this.”
“I, too… I too have no improper relationship. Second Junior Lord Kim Hee Gyeom is my master—the one I hold dear… I mean… no, that’s not it.”
As she shook her head, her body swayed unsteadily, unable to maintain balance.
.
.
.
Eun Seol struggled to regain her senses, sensing something amiss, and looked around.
The Grand Prince, who’d been beside her just moments ago, was nowhere to be seen.
“Your Excellency… where did you go?”
To keep from collapsing, she leaned her body against the wall.
After remaining motionless with closed eyes for a long while, she finally exhaled a sigh-laden murmur.
“Don’t come to me… after holding another woman. I dislike it—deeply. I dislike that Your Excellency harbors feelings for another woman… and even more so, that you embrace her. I… I wish you’d love only me. Yet how—how can I possibly say such a thing? How dare I presume to desire you?”
The fact that she was calmly voicing things she shouldn’t say aloud confirmed she was quite drunk indeed.
It was fortunate he wasn’t here.
But then—why were her tears flowing so uncontrollably?
She needed to dry them before he returned, yet her whole body felt drained—she couldn’t even lift a finger.
All she wanted was to fall asleep just as she was.
“I can’t fall asleep… yet again, you leave me behind, Grand Prince.”
Eun Seol closed her eyes and slipped into slumber.
* * *
Woon held Eun Seol close, her back pressed against his chest as she slept.
He’d nearly gone mad with the desire to embrace her as she clung to him, making that heartfelt confession.
Gazing down at Eun Seol, who mistook his chest for a wall and slept peacefully with even breaths, he gently brushed aside the strands of hair clinging to her forehead.
His fingers slowly trailed downward—and paused over her small, flushed lips.
Making a man lose his mind and then drifting off to sleep—this was no fault of the wine.
Gazing at her slightly parted lips and the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest with each breath, he found it utterly impossible to restrain himself any longer.
Pulling her closer, he buried his face against her pale, exposed shoulder.
Then, pressing his lips to her ear, he whispered,
“Eun Seol… open your eyes. Come on?”
He hadn’t expected a reply—but annoyed by her complete stillness, he gently nibbled her earlobe.
That marked the beginning of his torment. With a soft moan, Eun Seol instinctively burrowed deeper into his arms, her earlobe still caught between his teeth.
Her lips, brushing against his bare skin, burned hotly.
As a shiver shot down his spine, his mind clouded—and her hand slipped inside his inner garment, pulling him close.
There could be no torment greater than this.
He’d reached his limit.
Quickly yet carefully, he detached Eun Seol from his embrace.
Rising from his seat, a sigh-like groan escaped his lips.
“You, Yoon Eun Seol, are the first woman to handle my body so freely.”
Somehow, sleep seemed unlikely to come tonight.
Male lead fell into her trap — and shattered when she walked away
This is also on my reread list!
This one is a slow burn, but when it burns, it burns hard.
Definitely worth a read, y’all!
The story follows a thousand-year-old seductive spirit who, on a bet, sets out to charm the male lead—a once-promising but unfortunate cultivator.
But just when she succeeds in making him fall for her, she heartlessly leaves, driving him to madness.
Determined to find her at all costs, he captures her, keeping her by his side no matter what, even if she hates him.
I love this kind of trope—I enjoy watching the male lead suffer in agony.
The ending drags a bit with unnecessary filler, but that’s fine.
As long as I enjoy the beginning, I’m good.
Intro
As an enchantress, Su Heng possesses captivating eyes and charming beauty, easily manipulating the joys and sorrows of living beings at her fingertips.
But to enchant a god, making him taste the bitterness of love’s separation, long-lasting resentment, unattainable desires, and inability to let go…
Do you dare?
Su Heng assists a divine lord in his cultivation, aiming to make him experience all the sufferings of love, so that he can attain the Great Dao.
Only after being chased down from the heavens by the divine lord, confined and completely possessed by him, does she realize how successful she has been.
The once gentle and polite youth has transformed into someone she no longer recognizes.
[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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