The Secret Night at Unyeon Palace (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 16
Half-awake, I gently opened my eyes at the sensation of someone stroking my face.
With difficulty, I lifted my heavy eyelids and met Woon’s gaze—his eyes brimming with infinite tenderness as he looked down at me.
Propping his chin in his hand, he lay on his side, gently caressing my face.
“Are you awake?”
“What happened? I’m certain I was in Biyeonru…”
“You collapsed into sleep so suddenly that I carried you all the way here. I’ll need to prepare some restorative medicine for you—your constitution is far too frail; really now.”
“It’s not that I’m frail—it’s that Your Excellency possesses excessive stamina. By the way, it feels like quite some time has passed. Why didn’t you wake me?”
Since I hadn’t even risen by the time the sun reached its zenith, I dreaded facing the people of the palace.
Worse still, if they discovered that not only was I not alone—but that the two of us had been together… Just the thought made my cheeks burn.
Yet, unlike me, Woon’s expression remained utterly composed.
“You looked deeply exhausted, so I simply didn’t wake you. After all, you’ll need proper rest if we’re to make love again—or do anything else, for that matter.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m just speaking generally. Aren’t you hungry?”
“I’m fine. I’ll eat later if I get hungry.”
“In that case, shall we go to Dowonjeong—the pavilion we couldn’t visit before? We can rest there a while, then head to the Yeonmujang; the timing should work out. Go ahead and change your clothes first.”
She nodded and sat up from her seat.
Neatly folded attire had already been placed beside her—she had no idea when it had arrived.
Eun Seol turned her head mid-motion, just as she was about to change.
Woon was still lying on his side, staring intently at her.
“Please step outside. I’ll change and join you shortly.”
“There’s no need for false modesty between us. Don’t mind me—just go ahead and change.”
The corners of his lips curled upward in a quiet, amused smile.
He lazily tapped his jaw with his fingers, briefly closing and then reopening his eyes.
“Even so… Can Your Excellency truly undress anywhere, at any time?”
“If my wife asks me to undress, I can do so at any moment—even right now, if you’d only say the word…”
He rose from his seat, poised as if ready to strip immediately.
“That’s enough—please go outside!”
Eun Seol, now stern-faced, pushed him out the door.
Beyond the door, a soft chuckle and low voice reached her ears.
“I’ll wait for you at Dowonjeong. Don’t keep me waiting too long—hurry along.”
A faint cough sounded, followed by silence outside.
Only then did Eun Seol finally exhale the breath she’d been holding and pick up the clothes laid before her.
* * *
Eun Seol slowly walked, raising her eyes to the sky.
The cloudless heavens were clear and pure.
She hadn’t realized before just how joyful and fulfilling it could be to walk bathed in the warm sunlight.
Feeling the sun’s gentle warmth, she walked toward Dowonjeong, where he awaited her.
As Dowonjeong drew nearer, her pace quickened.
In the distance, she spotted Woon seated languidly atop the pavilion.
Though the spring breeze brushed her cheeks and the calls of unknown birds drifted from somewhere, her eyes saw only the Grand Prince smiling at her.
He took her hand as she climbed the pavilion steps and guided her to sit before him.
“I’ve prepared yakgwa and flower-petal tea. I recall you like yakgwa—please try some.”
“How did you know I like yakgwa?”
“Well… You simply look like someone who would.”
“What? Can you actually tell that just by looking?”
He burst into an unrestrained laugh, amused by how she played along with his utterly unfounded claim.
“I, on the other hand, was told *you* like yakgwa. According to Court Lady Eom, it’s the first thing you seek after training ends.”
“It isn’t that I *like* it—it’s that yakgwa holds memories for me. I seek it out because I want to preserve those memories.”
“What do you mean, ‘preserve memories’…”
For a fleeting moment, she felt petty upon hearing that his reason for seeking yakgwa—something he didn’t even claim to enjoy—was to hold onto cherished memories.
Embarrassed by her own ridiculous thought, she hastily bit into the yakgwa in her hand.
After a long silence, she surreptitiously turned her head—only to find a faint smile lingering on his lips.
“It’s nothing much. Just something that happened over ten years ago—long, long ago.”
The fact that he still remembered and called it a “memory” even after more than a decade suggested it involved someone profoundly precious to him.
Though curious about the story, she chose not to press further.
If he didn’t wish to speak of it, she had no desire to force the issue.
Lost in thought, she suddenly snapped back to awareness at the sight of a large hand appearing before her eyes.
He tilted his head.
“Are you troubled by the thought that I might still be unable to forget someone?”
“Oh—not at all. If it were something that concerned me, you wouldn’t have mentioned it in the first place. Besides, it’s all in the past.”
“My wife is not only beautiful but wise as well. You’re right—it’s truly nothing to worry about.”
With unhurried tenderness, he stroked her cheek.
His gentle hand slowly trailed downward until it softly cupped her chin.
Warmed by the heat radiating from his fingertips, she unconsciously parted her lips.
In that instant, he tilted his head and pressed his lips to hers.
Their breaths intertwined.
She ought to have pushed him away—but her languid body refused to obey.
An unfamiliar sensation, different from the previous day, left her breathless.
To steady herself as she nearly toppled over, she clutched the hem of his outer robe.
“Thanks to you, my lady, I suspect I may genuinely come to like yakgwa after all.”
Woon whispered, his lips brushing hers as he traced their outline with his fingertips.
She saw desire shimmering in his eyes—his voice, thick and low, carried an unmistakable edge of sensuality.
Sensing danger if they continued, she leaned back.
Then, with a quick glance around, she murmured,
“What if someone sees us…?”
“This isn’t me kissing my own sister—it’s me making love to my wife. Who would dare object? Since we’ve already started, how about we postpone today’s horseback riding lesson and head straight to Yeonhwadang instead?”
“…”
She wondered whether the man before her was truly the Grand Prince Jinheon she thought she knew.
Not only was he shamelessly slick—he was brazenly so.
She opened her mouth to respond—but instead sighed deeply and fell silent.
* * *
Since that night spent together in Biyeonru, Woon visited the inner quarters at every spare moment to spend time with her.
Whether reading books or resting after returning from the Yeonmujang, he was always by her side.
Occasionally holding her hand for evening strolls seemed to be his sole pleasure.
Though everyone frowned—not disapprovingly, but with mild chiding—at his overt displays of affection, Woon appeared utterly indifferent.
The embarrassment and awkwardness belonged to her alone.
Still, she was happy.
The love she’d once thought intangible had now become wholly hers—
Thus, her happiness was beyond words.
Intoxicated by the joy he gave her, each day spent in Woon Yeon Palace felt fresh and delightful.
Before long, spring passed and Dano—the threshold of summer—arrived.
From early morning, Geum Ok began pestering Court Lady Eom.
“Madam Court Lady Eom, please come with me! Okay?”
“Child, come now—go where? If you want to go, go with the others.”
“No—I want to go with *you*. Didn’t you say there’d be plenty to see? So let’s go together.”
Geum Ok pouted and bowed her head deeply.
Watching from nearby, Eun Seol signaled to Court Lady Eom with her eyes, urging her to go along.
Only when Court Lady Eom finally paused her tasks and reluctantly gave permission did Geum Ok’s face brighten.
“Eat well, buy whatever you like, enjoy the sights to your heart’s content—and come back slowly.”
“Madam, are you truly not coming?”
“Go with Court Lady Eom, enjoy the outing, and return. I must wait—I was told His Excellency might be late.”
“Then I’ll bring back lots of delicious treats when I return!”
Watching Geum Ok’s joyful departure, Eun Seol turned her gaze toward the main gate.
Woon, who’d mentioned having somewhere to go, had hurriedly left the palace early that morning.
“His Excellency is quite late.”
“Indeed. I’ll manage things here—you go ahead, prepare, and enjoy yourself.”
“I’ll return before it gets too late. I’ve already instructed Seokban, so please be sure to eat your meal. Oh—and take this.”
Court Lady Eom handed her a wrapped bundle.
“They say wearing a changpo hairpin on Dano wards off misfortune. Attach this to His Excellency’s waist sash.”
What she received were a changpo-root hairpin and a small loop for fastening it to a sash.
Having rarely left the detached quarters, she’d never properly celebrated Dano before—and thus had no idea what festivities or sights marked the day.
Consequently, even such small details felt novel and fascinating.
.
.
.
It was still slightly early for evening, and with everyone gone out to celebrate Dano, Woon Yeon Palace lay eerily silent.
Eun Seol sat on the daecheong maru, fiddling with the changpo root Court Lady Eom had given her, waiting for the Grand Prince’s return.
Lost in thought, she startled at the sound of a familiar voice.
“Were you waiting for me?”
She hadn’t noticed Woon approaching until he stood directly before her—and rose hastily in surprise.
“Judging by the silence, everyone must’ve gone out. But what’s that in your hand?”
“Court Lady Eom left it for me. She said carrying changpo wards off misfortune.”
“Oh? Then please fasten it for me.”
As she hesitated, he stepped closer, hands clasped behind his back and chest extended toward her.
She threaded the changpo root through his belt loop and secured it firmly.
The moment she stepped back, he closed the distance again and pressed a light kiss to her lips.
As she tried to glance around, he cupped her face in both hands.
“No one’s watching. If you keep blushing like this, I might be tempted to do something even more improper.”
“Your Excellency!”
“Shall we go out too? Eat something delicious, enjoy the sights—you wouldn’t dislike that, would you?”
How could she possibly dislike it?
She—who had lived her entire life unaware of what Dano even meant—could hardly refuse.
Especially not when she’d be celebrating it *with him*.
“I don’t dislike it. I’d like to go.”
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
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