Yoongi paced back and forth in front of Aroma of Riches' three entrances.
Yoongi didn't know if he should walk through the left or right entrance. He took a deep breath and walked through the right entrance.
Yoongi thought men wouldn't want to serve someone like him. The moment he was inside he realized his thoughts were too naïve.
Someone named Yeol-Moo served Yoongi. Yoongi thought he was in the wrong place because Heo Yeol-Moo looked and walked in a feminine way.
"Are you a man?" Yoongi asked.
"You're hateful," Yeol-Moo said flirtatiously. "If I'm not a man, do you think I'm a woman?"
Yeol-Moo knelt in front of Yoongi who sat on a bed, which made Yoongi move slightly backward.
Yeol-Moo usually served regular customers but he made an exception for Yoongi. He loved serving men like Yoongi who looked cold on the outside but was naïve on the inside.
"Master, I'll pour wine for you," Yeol-Moo said.
Yoongi was repulsed by the strong fragrance on Yeol-Moo's body, he again moved back on the bed.
Yeol-Moo raised the cup of wine to Yoongi's mouth. "Master, I'll feed you."
Goosebumps rose on Yoongi's skin and he grabbed the cup of wine from Yeol-Moo.
"I have hands," Yoongi said.
Yoongi drank the wine and frowned. After he walked into the room he could smell the pouch fragrance but it wasn't harmful. But combined with the wine it was a strong aphrodisiac. Also, the fragrance and wine brewer needed to be highly skilled to make such a strong aphrodisiac.
Yoongi thought the brewer's skills were impressive. He wondered if the purpose was to stimulate their guests or to extract secrets from their vulnerable guests.
Since the brewer wasted a lot of energy to make a strong aphrodisiac then Yoongi wasn't going to disappoint the brewer. But he wasn't affected by the strong aphrodisiac and thought for a while about how to act drunk.
"Ah... my head hurts," Yoongi said and slowly swayed his head side to side.
Yeol-Moo laughed softly. "Master, of course, your head hurts. You drank too fast. Don't you know how to drink slowly? Or is it master has many grievances? You can tell me your grievances, it'll improve your mood."
Yoongi felt too much repulsed being touched by another person. But he needed to act drunk so his body didn't recoil from Yeol-Moo's hand on his forearm. He decided he was going to wash his body thoroughly after he returned to the manor.
"Master, what's upsetting you?" Yeol-Moo asked.
"My master forced me to do something I didn't want to do," Yoongi said.
"Who is your hateful master?" Yeol-Moo asked.
Yoongi continued to sway his head.
"Master, who is the hateful master that forced you to do something you don't want to?" Yeol-Moo asked.
Yoongi thought Yeol-Moo was a beautiful man and had a persuasive voice. If it was someone else, Yeol-Moo would have extracted all their secrets from birth. But he wasn't someone else. The strong aphrodisiac and Yeol-Moo's beauty didn't go to affect him ever. He knew if he wanted to find out why Aroma of Riches wanted to extract secrets from their guests, he needed to use a little honesty to fool Yeol-Moo.
"My master is gentle fifth prince," Yoongi said. "He forced me to... to..."
Yeol-Moo's eyes brightened after he heard gentle fifth prince. "What did gentle fifth prince force you to do?'
"He forced me to... too... I can't say..." Yoongi said.
Yeol-Moo heard 'I can't say' and wanted to vomit blood.
Yoongi slowly stood and swayed his body. "It's late. I need to return to the manor otherwise gentle fifth prince will be suspicious."
Yeol-Moo watched Yoongi stagger outside. He regretted he couldn't extract secrets from a golden cat-like Yoongi.
After Yoongi left the Aroma of Riches, Yeol-Moo searched for Gentleman Jeong.
Yeol-Moo found Gentleman Jeong outside a guest and a woman server's room.
"Gentle fifth prince sent one of his servants here?" Gentleman Jeong asked.
"Yes," Yeol-Moo said.
"Gentle fifth prince protects his manor like a steel cage," Gentleman Jeong said. "He doesn't easily give secrets away. I didn't expect him to send someone through our door. It's our good fortune. Did you send someone to follow his servant?"
"Yes," Yeol-Moo said.
"Good," Gentleman Chen praised. "Take good care of this fish for me. I want to see what he plans to do."
After Yoongi lost the man Aroma of Riches sent to follow him, he rushed to his chamber, took three warm baths to rid of the strong fragrance on his body, and slept on his bed.
Early the following morning Yoongi was woken up by loud knocks on the door.
The raged Yoongi got out of bed, opened the door, and saw Taehyung's boxy spring smile then he wanted to close the door.
"Hyung!! Wait," Taehyung said. He entered Yoongi's chamber, closed the door, and teased Yoongi with two boiled eggs. "This is for you to nourish your body."
Yoongi heard "nourish your body" and understood Taehyung was mocking him.
"I heard last night you came home in the middle of the night," Taehyung said and winked at Yoongi. "Where else did you go, hyung?"
Yoongi refused to answer. He knew Taehyung knew he was followed.
"You don't need to hide where you went," Taehyung said with a cheeky smile. "You don't need to look at me in that way. We're both men, I understand. In the future, if you want to go there then go. You don't need to hide it from me. Even if you come back in the middle of the night, you don't need to climb over the wall. You can walk through the front door and no one will dare to tease you."
Yoongi broke the shell of the boiled eggs in one go.
"Taehyung, do you want to know what I discovered at Aroma of Riches?" Yoongi asked.
Taehyung nodded his head. "But first tell me where you went. Which of the Aroma of Riches's entrances did your walkthrough? The right or left entrance? I made a bet with my little tigress. She said you're a gentleman and would walk through the left entrance. I said that because you're a gentleman you would walk through the right entrance. Were you a gentleman or not?"
Yoongi broke the table with a loud kick. He didn't expect a married pair like Taehyung and Seorin to be compatible to that extent and enjoyed mocking him.
"Y-yoongi hyung, I was jesting," Taehyung hurriedly said after witnessing the kick. "You don't need to be too serious."
Yoongi calmed himself then he recounted what happened at Aroma of Riches, but he didn't expect Taehyung would be surprised.
"Does that mean you didn't do anything last night?" Taehyung asked. "You're still a pure man?"
Yoongi heard 'pure man' and decided he would find a way to make Taehyung suffer a little.
Taehyung rubbed his chin. "It appears the brothels in Aroma of Riches aren't simply brothels. I need to investigate who is involved in this scheme"' He sighed. "Recently there's been many situations I need to investigate."
Taehyung returned to his chamber. Before any investigations were resolved, a messenger delivered an invitation. On the sixth day of the tenth month were the crown prince and Sang-Hee's wedding banquet.
Taehyung and Seorin looked at each other in surprise. The empress had intentions for the crown prince to marry Sang-Hee early the following year. They didn't know what happened for the sudden change in the wedding day... unless Sang-Hee's body suddenly changed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the palace, the maids and eunuchs quickly left the emperor's chamber.
The emperor's veins were visible on his handsome face and neck while the empress and the crown prince knelt on the floor.
"Good!" the emperor praised. "You dare to do this! I underestimated you! Do you want me to lose all of my dignity? You're not married but you dare to get a lady pregnant!"
"Seokjin~ah don't be angry," the empress said. "It's not unusual for a young man struggling to control their desires."
"Are all courtesans dead, or Brothels wiped out?" the emperor asked. "Why didn't I see him losing his control with them? Ji Eun, don't think I don't know your motives. You don't suit being the kingdom's empress. What kind of mother would encourage this to happen?"
The empress' face paled. "SeokJin~ah, I-"
"Close your mouth!" the emperor ordered and glared at the crown prince. "Why have you become such a despicable son?"
"I deserve to die, Appa" Namjoon said.
The emperor became red in anger and knocked over a vase but it wasn't enough to vent his anger.
The emperor said. "Hurry and deal with the situation! Before the folks know about it."
The empress sighed in relief. She knew the emperor was angry but he would eventually relent.
In contrast, Namjoon smiled coldly. He knew he never even touch her once in his lifetime, but there would be some things he couldn't escape from, because of his mother's sake he have to stay silent.
The emperor didn't want to see the empress and the crown prince any longer and dismissed them from his chamber.
After the emperor was alone in his chamber, he sighed and felt like some things were outside the control of his hand.
At the Park Manor, Sang-Hee was rubbing her stomach anxiously.
"Eomma, this is too risky," Sang-Hee said. "Deceiving the emperor like this is a death penalty crime!"
Princess Ji-Hoon drank tea and spoke calmly. "You only need to know you don't have one now but in the future, you can have one."
"What if I'm not pregnant after I marry Oppa?" Sang-Hee asked.
Sang-Hee was idolize the crown prince and her heart loves him too much. But she never thinks to do something like this even in her dream.
Princess Ji-Hoon put the cup of tea down. "Your aunt said that if you can't get pregnant then you can use another infant as a temporary substitute."
"What?" Sang-Hee asked. "You want me to raise someone else's child?"
Princess Ji-Hoon laughed coldly. "Of course not. No one else's child would have a chance to become emperor. The infant is only a pawn. After you give birth to your own child, the pawn will disappear."
Sang-Hee was frightened to hear her mother's heartless tone. She felt uneasy about killing an innocent child.
"Don't ever forget," Princess Ji-Hoon said. "If you want to be empress, you need to be willing to do anything and sacrifice anything."
Sang-Hee hesitated for a while but nodded her head to appease her mother.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taehyung read a letter from Hyung Sik in the calligraphy room.
Hyung Sik's messenger sent Taehyung some dried fishes. In the letter, Hyung Sik, the great general of Southern Busan wrote the dried fishes were raised by Taehyung in Southern Busan and they tasted delicious.
Taehyung hid the letter. He knew it was Hyung Sik's code that Hyung Sik received his letter about what happened in the palace.
Taehyung thought whether it was a blessing or a curse to be born into an imperial family where the father was suspicious of sons and the sons fought each other. He wants to love his father and brothers wholeheartedly from his childhood, but situations never gave him that precious opportunity. Was he supposed to be defensive and protect his own family or did he need to take revenge to survive?
Later that morning Taehyung and Seorin visited the palace for a family gathering.
Seorin wore a light hanbok and it helped her walk easier.
Consort Jung was taking care of the injured Third prince. So apart from Taehyung and Seorin, only the emperor, the empress, the crown prince, Consort Jeon, and Jeongguk were at the family gathering.
Jeongguk wanted to run to Taehyung but he was scared the emperor would scold him and stood next to Consort Jeon.
"If you want to go there then go," the emperor Seokjin said to Jeongguk. "You don't need to stand there and wrinkle that small face."
Jeongguk didn't understand what the emperor meant until Consort Jeon explained to him then he happily ran to Taehyung.
The empress's jealous eyes watched Taehyung carry Jeongguk in his arms and she smiled politely. "Indeed fifth prince and seventh prince are loving brothers."
"Are they not allowed to be?" the emperor asked.
The empress closed her mouth and didn't dare to criticize Taehyung and Jeongguk anymore.
Consort Jeon saw the tension between the emperor and empress and she wanted to ease their tension.
"Yesterday I received the crown prince and Park Sang-Hee's wedding invitation," Consort Jeon said. "It'll be a happy occasion."
Namjoon's heart sank. He stared longingly at Seorin but she was focused on playing with Jeongguk.
Taehyung noticed the way the crown prince was staring at Seorin and it confirmed his suspicions about the crown prince's feelings toward Seorin.
"Consort Jeon is right," Taehyung said. "It'll be a happy occasion. Congratulations Namjoon hyung."
Namjoon knew the warning look in Taehyung's eyes didn't match Taehyung's happy tone. He nodded his head and politely thanked Taehyung.
The empress only regretted the crown prince didn't marry Park Sang-Hee earlier. After the third prince saved the emperor, some of the crown prince's supporters became restless. The sooner the crown prince married Prime Minister Park's youngest daughter the sooner she would be at ease that the emperor wouldn't give the crown prince's position to the third prince. That is why she has to make the whole plan by consulting with her sister.
The emperor drank tea slowly. In the past, he didn't care the empress wanted the crown prince to marry Prime Minister Park's youngest daughter who had a status that matched the crown prince. But after the assassination attempt, he didn't approve of Park Sang-Hee marrying the crown prince. That day Park Sang-Hee's first reaction was to hide behind the crown prince then Park Sang-Hee pulled her older sister in front of her to save herself. A woman who was scared of death wasn't suited to be the crown prince's wife.
The tension between the emperor and empress increased and it made everyone else around them uneasy too.
Taehyung and Seorin exchanged a look, understood each other's thoughts and they continued to play with Jeongguk.
Consort Jeon broke the tensed silence. "Their wedding day is an auspicious day."
The emperor hid the frown on his handsome face behind the cup of tea. In the past, he only thought Consort Jeon was naïve and kind but recently he thought her intelligence lessened by the day. He glanced at Jeongguk who was laughing wholeheartedly in his fifth brother's lap, only knew how to eat and play, sighed, and put the cup down.
The empress' back stiffened. She lived with the emperor for many years and knew when he was in a bad mood. Regardless of the emperor's disapproval, she would ensure the crown prince married Park Sang-Hee on the sixth day of the tenth month.
After the family gathering ended the emperor, the crown prince and Taehyung discussed imperial court matters while Consort Jeon invited Seorin to her chamber.
Seorin did hesitate to accept Consort Jeon's invitation because she knew Taehyung didn't want her to be close to anyone else in the imperial family. But Taehyung nodded his head to signal she could spend time with Jeongguk and Consort Jeon.
The flowers were in full bloom along the garden path toward Consort Jeon's chamber.
Jeongguk's feet were tired from walking too long. The nursemaid was about the pick him up but he pulled the sleeve of Seorin's dress.
"Carry, carry," Jeongguk said.
"Gukkie, don't trouble your fifth sister," Consort Jeon said.
"Mother, it's alright," Seorin said and carried Jeongguk in her arms.
Jeongguk wrapped an arm around Seorin's neck and held a sweet bun with his free hand. He happily ate and wiped the crumbs stuck on his fingers onto Seorin's neck.
Seorin felt something sticky on her neck and realized it was Jeongguk's saliva and sweet bun crumbs. She glanced at Consort Jeon who wasn't looking at them so she lightly pinch Jeongguk's arm. But the little bunny didn't give any reply as he was too busy savoring his sweet bun.
Inside Consort Jeon's chamber, Jeongguk sat on Seorin's lap opposite Consort Jeon.
"Seorin, thank you for saving Gukkie's life," Consort Jeon said sincerely.
"Mother, you don't need to be courteous," Seorin said. "Gukkie is a good child."
"Seorinnie, you're a good person," Consort Jeon praised.
A maid entered the chamber and passed a small chest to Consort Jeon.
Consort Jeon opened the chest, picked up the golden butterfly hairpin decorated with red gems, and gave it to Seorin.
"This hairpin is for you," Consort Jeon said.
"Mother, this is too valuable for me to accept," Seorin said.
"Take it, please," Consort Jeon said. "This is only a hairpin. Gukkie's safety means more to me."
Seorin heard the sadness in Consort Jeon's tone.
"I'm only ten years older than you but my body can't cope much longer," Consort Jeon said.
"What?" Seorin asked.
"The makeup hides my condition," Consort Jeon said. "I was born with a weak body and after giving birth to Gukkie, my body became weaker. My family has no status and I have no friends in the palace. I'm worried about what's going to happen to my Gukkie after I..."
Seorin didn't know Consort Jeon well. But she thought Consort Jeon was a sincere person. Unlike other people, Consort Jeon never arranged coincidental meetings with her or Taehyung. Consort Jeon only cared about Jeongguk's safety and didn't desire power.
"Seorin, forgive me for being bold," Consort Jeon said. "I'm asking you as a mother... if something happens to me, I hope that you and Taehyung will protect Gukkie."
Seorin saw the desperation in Consort Jeon's eyes. Consort Jeon's sudden request shocked her and she didn't know how to react.
A while later Seorin opened her mouth. "Mother, don't talk about something bad. You need to take good care of your and Jeongguk's health. No one can predict the future."
Consort Jeon was a little disappointed. She understood Seorin didn't want to accept her request.
"You're right," Consort Jeon said. "No one can predict the future. Forgive my boldness earlier."
"Mother, it's nothing," Seorin said.
Afterward, Consort Jeon and Seorin talked about less heavy matters and they played with Jeongguk until Taehyung escorted Seorin to the horse carriage.
Consort Jeon watched Seorin leave then she looked sadly at the butterfly hairpin Seorin left on the table.
In the evening Seorin laid next to Taehyung on their bed and recounted her conversation with Consort Jeon.
"You did well," Taehyung praised.
"In the future, if something happens to Consort Jeon, should we take care of Jeongguk or not?" Seorin asked.
"Rinnie, do you want to take care of Jeongguk or not?" Taehyung asked.
"Jeongguk....um...The bunny is pitiful," Seorin said.
"Then we'll take care of Jeongguk," Taehyung said and smiled warmly at her.
"Jeongguk has a loveable face," Seorin said. "If I was younger I would tease him... "
Taehyung bit Seorin's earlobes suddenly, and said, "Of course, we need to have a child together soon. only then you can have a child whom you can tease comfortably?".