Chapter 48
Chapter 48. The Black Night, We (2)
Yoonseo's body mechanically cut through the current as she advanced toward the center of the Han River.
If you run for a long time, if you swim for a long time in deep water where the current is slow, there comes a moment like that.
A moment when every muscle in your body loosens pleasantly, your breathing becomes as comfortable as walking on flat ground, and everything—the sky above your head, the earth beneath your feet, the water, your body, your soul—feels as though it has become one, settling into stillness.
A rare moment of absolute peace, when it feels like you could keep running forever, keep slicing through the water endlessly; when even if your breath stopped as you ran, even if you sank while cutting through the current, you would have no regrets—when all the many things in life seem trivial, no longer worth clinging to.
As she swam toward the southern sandbank glowing white in the distance, pushing aside the flowing water over her body, Yoonseo was savoring that rare moment of peace.
Even the suffocating daily life of being confined within a space no larger than a two-kilometer radius, no matter how grand the palace, and the sorrow of existing at the very bottom of a rigid social hierarchy—she cast it all aside. Both her body and mind rejoiced in the pure harmony of movement.
Then, just as she had about twenty meters left before reaching the southern sandbank, she suddenly felt a tight pull at her waist.
"!"
The rope tied around her waist yanked her backward.
In that instant, Yoonseo raised her body upright in the water, paddling only with her legs and left arm. Her right hand instinctively reached for the cord at her waist—and the small dagger tucked in the pouch beside it.
Should I cut it?
It was her first time swimming since coming to Joseon, so she had brought a small dagger in her waist pouch in case her leg cramped.
If she pulled it out and cut the rope, then swam further southwest, chose a suitable place to climb ashore, and disappeared like this—
No matter where she went, she was confident she could live better than in that palace filled with suffocating rules, obligations layered upon obligations, and the ever-terrifying Sejong.
Yoonseo relaxed her entire body and lay back comfortably on the water.
Carried by the current, her body slowly drifted downstream along the Han River, and moonlight flooded her vision like a temptation.
The moment she opened her eyes wide and filled them with the slightly waning moon, her right hand instinctively clenched the dagger in her pocket.
At that very moment—
"Yoonseo!"
Lee Hyang's voice broke the moon's spell.
"Kwon Yoonseo!"
His anxious, desperate voice pulled her head toward its direction as if by magic.
A small boat, carrying a lantern, rowed toward the center of the river in pursuit, and the rope at her waist tightened even more.
Yoonseo slowly turned her head back and looked up at the sky.
"!"
Then she saw it—black clouds rapidly gathering around the moon in a sky that had been completely clear.
As if telling her to return.
As if warning her not to be enchanted by the moon and lose herself, not to run away—
To that man of Joseon, restless because he could not give everything he had to offer,
To our Hongwi, who had fallen asleep without sorrow, clutching an empty skirt hem—
As if pushing her back, the black clouds fiercely began to devour the moon.
It was a sign urging her to decide, a revelation.
Closing her eyes, Yoonseo whispered toward the moon being swallowed by the clouds.
"The summoning of the ring was forced… but now, this is my choice."
Lee Hyang, your waiting has come to an end.
Yoonseo raised her body again and began to swim toward the center of the river—toward the alluringly flickering lantern light.
Her heart reached Lee Hyang before her body did, gliding over the water ahead of her.
"Yoonseo!"
When Yoonseo, who had vanished without a trace into the ever-darkening curtain of night, finally reappeared, splashing through the water—
Lee Hyang was so overjoyed that he stamped his feet, only to be scolded by Cheonga, "Your Highness, the boat will capsize!"
"Your Highness!"
Yoonseo stood upright in the water as if standing on land and called out to him.
"Yoonseo. Come up here."
Lee Hyang extended his hand.
But Yoonseo shook her head.
"Your Highness, look at the sky. Those are dark clouds."
Lee Hyang and Cheonga, who had been staring only at the dark river in search of her, lifted their heads toward the sky.
"Ah, Your Highness! It seems the rain prayer is already taking effect!"
At the sight of the clouds, Cheonga shouted excitedly, nearly dropping the oar.
"Let's go back, Your Highness. It looks like it will pour soon."
After saying that, Yoonseo turned first and began swimming powerfully toward the northern shore, where Maegeum and the other guard eunuchs were waiting.
If her swimming before had been relaxed and leisurely, now it became a fierce stroke—a modified freestyle.
Watching her back as she rapidly cut through the water, arms slicing and feet splashing as she surged toward the sandbank, Cheonga spoke to Lee Hyang, who was once again staring blankly at her.
"Your Highness, if you were to have Lady Kwon teach our naval troops how to swim—"
Then, perhaps realizing how absurd that sounded, he fell silent and resumed rowing diligently after her.
Lee Hyang looked up at the sky again.
A heavy wind, thick with impending rain, began to stir the once-calm river.
By the time the boat reached the dock, Yoonseo had already climbed out of the water and was heading toward Maegeum.
"Yoonseo."
Lee Hyang stepped off the boat and quickly walked toward her.
"Yoonseo, there's a blanket in the pavilion over there to warm you. Let's go."
The Mangwon Pavilion, built by King Sejong and granted to Prince Hyoryeong, was now surrounded by a temporary canopy that formed walls on all sides.
A lantern had been placed inside, and a soft light flowed out dreamily from within.
Just as Lee Hyang took Yoonseo's dripping hand and reached the front of the pavilion, lightning flashed in the distance, followed by a rumble of thunder—and then large raindrops began to fall.
"It doesn't seem like changing clothes will help."
With lips turning blue, Yoonseo shivered and looked around at the pitch-black surroundings where even the moonlight had completely vanished.
Lee Hyang lifted the canopy and gently pushed her inside the pavilion, whispering,
"You'll catch a cold. Dry off first, change into dry clothes, then wrap yourself in a blanket before we go back."
As Yoonseo climbed the wooden steps leading up to the pavilion, she suddenly stopped.
Lee Hyang remained standing where he had pushed her up, like a stone statue.
This time… it's my choice.
Yoonseo stepped back down one step, meeting his eye level.
In the darkness, his gaze was just as it had been when she first saw him—firm, restrained, and now filled with puzzlement as he looked at her.
"Your Highness!"
Yoonseo reached out and cupped his face with both hands.
She could clearly feel his body stiffen.
"Your Highness!"
Her voice dropped, soft and seductive.
"…Your Highness."
"Hm?"
"Please… dry me."
"!"
"Because it's raining. Since one must maintain proper conduct until the rain ritual is complete… wouldn't it be alright to stop tonight, Your Highness?"
"…Yoonseo."
"Please, stop waiting now, Your Highness. Tonight… I have fully taken you into my heart."
Whispering, Yoonseo took Lee Hyang's hand and led him inside the canopy.
At the center of the wooden floor lay a thick blanket prepared by Lee Hyang's order, three towels for drying, and the bundle of clothes Yoonseo had brought.
Boldly, Yoonseo untied the ribbon of her dripping jeogori.
Just as her white undergarment was about to be revealed in the softly spreading lantern light, Lee Hyang quickly lifted the blanket and loosely wrapped it around her body.
"Your shadow… it will all show."
"…What?"
"It's bright in here and pitch dark outside. The outline of your body will be cast outside as a shadow."
"But Your Highness, earlier you told me to turn my back—"
"Now that I'm inside here, do you think men—no matter how disciplined—would turn away just because they lack certain desires?"
"..."
What is wrong with this man?!
Why was he so unrestrained before, but now—why?!
As Yoonseo stared at him, flustered, Lee Hyang gazed heatedly at the pale line of her neck exposed within the blanket, and the faint glimpse of her chest beneath it, and whispered,
"Now that I think about it… you were right, Yoonseo. I held you as if to show you off—someone so beautiful, so confident."
"…Your Highness."
"So, Kwon Yoonseo. I will cover you with this blanket, so quickly change your clothes. Let us go. To the warm ondol room… let's go."
His voice grew faster, almost coaxing.
Inside the blanket wrapped around her by Lee Hyang, Yoonseo fumbled as she removed her wet clothes.
Under his gaze from above—he, so tall—her gradually revealed bare skin grew more and more embarrassing.
"Your Highness… at least close your eyes—"
"I have already seen and touched everything, my lady. There is no need to be shy now."
"..."
Under Lee Hyang's openly devouring gaze, Yoonseo's hands trembled more and more as she peeled off each piece of clothing that clung stubbornly to her damp skin, dried herself with the towel he handed her, and then covered herself again with the dry garments he passed to her one by one.
When they stepped outside, lifting the canopy, the rain had begun to pour in earnest.
Yoonseo, Lee Hyang, the guard eunuchs, and Maegeum all mounted their horses and slowly made their way back through the darkness toward the palace.
Unlike when they had ridden out, Yoonseo now held the reins with one hand, while with the other she felt everything vividly—the arm Lee Hyang had wrapped firmly around her chest over the fur cloak, the warmth of his body against her back, and the way their bodies pressed together and parted with the movement of the horse.
Of the five guard eunuchs, three rode ahead, while the other two and Maegeum followed behind, escorting the Crown Prince and Lady Kwon. Yet, for some reason, they all seemed to feel they should keep their distance from His Highness, maintaining such a wide gap that even the sound of hooves barely carried.
"Your Highness."
"Hm?"
"It's written in the historical records that you do not indulge in women, nor do you enjoy songs or music… is that truly so?"
"…If it is a song sung by my lady, I believe I could like it very much. Especially that one—the lyrics you wrote and sent me last time."
"Which one? I wrote down every song I know, so I'm not sure which you mean."
"The one that begins with 'In your beautiful voice…'"
Ah!
He meant To My Beloved, sung by Jung Tae-chun and Park Eun-ok.
A love song she had once heard at a concert.
"Mm, then I'll sing it so only you can hear. This is a song composed and sung by a married couple, so if it spreads carelessly, it could cause great harm to their future copyright income. So only you may listen."
Lee Hyang chuckled again, his chest rising, then rested his chin on her shoulder and leaned in to listen.
Yoonseo cleared her throat softly and sang in a low, gentle voice.
[In your beautiful voice, my heart is shaken,
Before I knew it, I had already fallen in love.]
Her song blended quietly into the heavy rain, like a whisper beneath a curtain of black silk.
That night, the ondol room was tender and intimate.
Without needing to prove or display anything to anyone, Lee Hyang carefully yet persistently immersed himself in this woman of the future—one who forged her own path with strength.
And within the darkness, where the sound of the pouring rain concealed every breath of pleasure, Yoonseo, too, accepted everything of Lee Hyang without hesitation.
That day, the Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty, Volume 100 of the Sejong Annals, dated the 17th day of the 5th month in the 25th year of King Sejong, recorded the following:
[It rained. Orders were given to halt rain rituals in all regions.]
And from that day on, a secret rumor spread through the palace.
"Lady Kwon can awaken the Dragon God of the Han River and bring rain!"
Regardless of such rumors, Lee Hyang arranged for Yoonseo to be able to run at dawn in the open grounds of the Geumwigun training site at the foot of Eungbong Mountain behind Changdeok Palace.
Under the pretext that the Crown Prince would practice archery and physical training each morning with a small number of guard eunuchs, he controlled access to create the opportunity.
Even after spending the night entangled together, in the blue light of dawn breaking, Yoonseo ran barefoot for over half a shijin without stopping—and as Lee Hyang watched her, he fell into deep thought.
If he wished to create a path where she could run a hundred ri without rest and then dive straight into a river to swim, then beyond the roads connecting Hanyang, Gaeseong, and Uiju, he would need to build a proper road south of the Han River.
Since he would also need to establish a land route to transport the grain taxes collected in rice from the Gyeonggi region south of the Han River—
Perhaps, while at it… he could make it into a running path for Yoonseo as well.
There was a righteous justification: to collect taxes fairly and enrich the people.
And so, from the late years of King Sejong and throughout Lee Hyang's reign, the grand public works of constructing roads across the nation—providing food and wages to the poor during farming off-seasons, lean seasons, and times of famine—were, in truth, earnestly set in motion by the late-blooming love of a Crown Prince who simply wished to create a path where Yoonseo could run freely.
Thirteen days later, at the end of the fifth month, on her third visit to the Hyeminseo, Yoonseo finally met Grand Prince Suyang for the first time.