Imperial Palace.

“I thought I was someone who could have children of any bloodline other than mine.”

Knowing Eunseol can leave him for the Emperor at any time, Haewoon was mostly worried that this would spark her escape plan.

“Give me a child you cannot run away from.”

So the moment he found out that she was bearing her long awaited baby, he was so relieved. However, his anxiety only got worse rather than going away.

“Haewoon, please….” Eunseol's mouth twitched.

It was pretty, so he bent his upper body and kissed her lips.

"Someone might hear us."

"Hoot--...”

He bit her lips and sucked. Contrary to his relaxed voice, his tongue rushed in and ravaged the inside of her mouth. He sucked on her sweet saliva, put his tongue so deep she couldn't breathe, and eventually made her hang her arms around his neck.

“Haa, haa….”

He kissed her to cover her mouth. His heart throbbed when he heard that she was in the palace and he thought that maybe he should kiss her one last time. He thought that maybe this was good for her. He needed to protect her no matter what kind of abyss she falls into.

He slowly pulled himself away from her and took off his blood-stained armor.

BANG.

It was difficult to put on the armor and take it off alone without an attendant. Even so, he took it off easily. The sound of metal falling off on the floor resounded in the quiet space, making Eunseol’s shoulders shudder.

“You must have been so scared.”

“Haewoon…”

I want to go back home.

She wanted to go back to Jangwon. She was afraid that this place was like thin ice. She begged him for the first time because she was afraid something big might happen in the unfamiliar Imperial Palace. 

“It is the Emperor who has called you here, so you will have to turn a blind eye to such rudeness.”

Haewoon only moved after he took off the clothes that he was wearing under the armor. 

She didn't want to know what he was talking about. But the moment he embraced her, Eunseol reminded herself that this was the emperor's bedroom.

“Haewoon!”

"Well, it's my wife who shut my mouth and wouldn’t let me breathe."

He hugged her softly. The reason she knew that Haewoon was familiar with Yeoncheongung palace was because he headed to the door behind the bed, it was something which Eunseol didn’t even know existed, without any hesitation.

When he pushed the door, a small courtyard appeared. It had a small garden that can only be found in a woman's house and she immediately realized that it was a space far from the emperor's garden. 

“Ah…..”

“Where are we?”

Eunseol soon realized that this place looked like it was outside but it was still inside. Every lantern there was subtly lit up and they were filled with flowers to announce the season, so she mistook it for a courtyard. There was no way flowers could shine so brightly at night.

"I'll make you a place like this in Jangwon."

Eunseol looked at him and with a low voice told him to stop staring at her.