Even My Life Is Yours Chapter 42

“Gamwi Yeo, raise your head.”

It was the command of the most august person in this nation. At a command that no one could refuse, Hongyo lifted her head, which had been bowed so low her forehead touched the floor. And then she froze. She wondered if this was what it meant for one’s thoughts to stop when one was too surprised.

Why? The question hadn’t even formed. Stiff with shock, Hongyo couldn’t even think that staring so intently at the royal face was an act of immense disrespect.

Why is Senior Brother Kyungrak on the emperor’s throne….

She wondered if she was seeing the wrong person, but that face and voice were unmistakably Senior Brother Kyungrak’s. However, his expression, which betrayed no emotion, was quite different from the Senior Brother Kyungrak she knew. It was a different sight from the one who was always full of mischief and laughed cheerfully, making her briefly wonder if she was mistaken.

But his confident demeanor, befitting the dragon robe, and the overwhelming presence unique to one who has reigned over others since birth, even while appearing humble, was definitely Kyungrak. Sitting on the throne as if it were naturally his from birth, Kyungrak had a fundamentally different air from some nameless provincial noble. Even when she first saw him, she had felt he possessed a spirit different from ordinary people, but seeing him like this, no seat seemed more fitting for him than that of the emperor.

However, apart from that, she couldn’t help but be bewildered. Hongyo couldn’t even think of tearing her eyes away from his royal face and was just staring when she saw the corner of Kyungrak’s mouth curve up crookedly as he rested his chin on his hand. At that, she immediately bowed her head to the floor and spoke.

“I-I am eternally grateful!”

The Kyungrak she knew was generally gentle and mischievous, but he had a merciless side to those who tried to cross the line. The smile he just showed was also a part of that playful side, but that was only before the line was crossed. If there was one thing she knew, it was Kyungrak when he looked like that. It was like a warning he only bestowed upon those he cherished and liked.

She didn’t know how it had happened, but the Kyungrak sitting on the throne now was not the brotherly senior she knew from the dojang, but the emperor of this nation. Hongyo, who was instinctively good at navigating the line between what was a joke and what was not, realized she would be in for a hard time if she acknowledged knowing Kyungrak now, and she hastily returned to the demeanor of a subject before her sovereign. Even so, she couldn’t begin to fathom how things had turned out this way.

But unlike the confused Hongyo, Kyungrak spoke nonchalantly.

“I will never forget the valor you showed at the hunting ritual. Normally, I would want you to display your skills in a provincial army right away, but you are such an excellent talent that I’ve grown a desire to keep you by my side for a while. Therefore, serve me and the Hwayeonggyeongjang with all your heart and loyalty.”

At a glance, it was a remark that seemed to praise her skills, but anyone with a mind to think would have realized it was a warning not to question Hongyo’s status. For a mere adopted son of a Miko who lived off the state’s payroll- not even a child of a high-ranking official or a provincial noble with lands on the outskirts- to enter the Hwayeonggyeong without even taking the military examination was an extraordinary exception.

Those in the hall with sharp minds quietly looked at Hongyo. No matter how outstanding her performance at the hunting ritual, entering the Hwayeonggyeong, which was composed mostly of nobles’ children, was only possible through the emperor’s influence.

And the one who made that influence possible was….

“Now, I shall introduce the Hwayeonggyeongjang.”

While Hongyo, head bowed to the floor, was still unable to process this unbelievable situation, Kyungrak was unperturbed. Rather, a cheerful voice echoed through the Daeyeongjeon Hall, as if he had been waiting for this very moment.

“I hereby appoint the Sixth Royal Brother, Cha Gamyoung, as the Hwayeonggyeongjang of the Hwayeonggyeong.”

Anyone with a bit of sense or those who had served the current emperor closely would know that the source of that influence was the Sixth Royal Brother. Wasn’t he the younger brother whom Kyungrak cherished and favored the most among his seven brothers, even excluding the one who had passed away? It was said that this child had saved the life of such a brother at the hunting ritual. Therefore, it would not have been a difficult task for the emperor to ignore all precedent and place this child in the Hwayeonggyeong.

However, it was unexpected for the Sixth Royal Brother, who had not a speck of ambition for power, to take the seat of Hwayeonggyeongjang. Of course, there was no one more suitable in terms of skill, background, or appearance, but it was unheard of for an emperor, who had no children yet, to entrust military power, of all things, to a brother who could usurp his throne. Though the Sixth Royal Brother was young now, wouldn’t he come of age after this year? It was impossible to know what they were thinking, whether the emperor had granted him this position or the Sixth Royal Brother himself had requested it of the emperor.

But even in that brief moment while the ministers were quickly calculating the situation, there was one person who couldn’t even think to use her head.

Hongyo looked at Gamyoung with incredulous eyes. A shock greater than when she saw Kyungrak sitting on the emperor’s throne enveloped her entire body. A jolt, as if a lightning bolt had struck her head, coursed through her. Without even waiting for Kyungrak’s permission, Hongyo unconsciously lifted her head and looked at Gamyoung. While everyone, including the ministers, had their heads bowed, only Gamyoung, Hongyo, and Kyungrak had their heads raised.

And Gamyoung quietly met Hongyo’s gaze.

In the Daeyeongjeon Hall, filled only with silence and tension, the two of them held only each other in their eyes. But the gazes they exchanged held different emotions. Brown eyes, unable to hide their bewilderment, revealed their feelings nakedly.

The person before her was the real ‘Cha Gamyoung.’ But dressed in armor instead of his usual neat dojang uniform or casual clothes, he was completely different from the Cha Gamyoung she knew. She had always thought he had a handsome face with a considerable air of nobility, but seeing him like this, his grace was so extraordinary that she wondered why she hadn’t realized it until now.

But none of that mattered. The Cha Gamyoung she knew and the Cha Gamyoung before her now were the same Cha Gamyoung. She was just shocked by the fact that her friend was actually none other than a member of the royal family, and the emotion that followed was a sense of betrayal. She couldn’t believe his ulterior motive in hiding his true identity for all that time, making her believe a lie was the truth.

The eyes, once colored with bewilderment, hardened as if her thoughts had settled. And Gamyoung watched that change without missing a single moment. Without avoiding her gaze in the slightest, his eyes, which faced her emotions directly, were calm, yet a trace of fear remained that he couldn’t hide despite having composed himself countless times.

And between them, only Kyungrak watched the two with interest. Have they grown up and now have the air of proper adults, yet are they still children? Seeing his younger brother, who acted so brazenly and capably in front of him, still feel guilty at the thought of having deceived a friend, he seemed young indeed. In reality, while he had placed Gamyoung as the Hwayeonggyeongjang because he needed someone trustworthy, as he had confessed to his younger brother, it was also because he knew well that Gamyoung was not someone who would covet the emperor’s throne.

He was well aware that Gamyoung had no ambition for power. At his own coronation, his younger brother’s eyes as he looked at the throne had been utterly dry. The only time the ambitionless child’s eyes would light up was when he went out to see the world and mingle with the common people, so revealing his true identity to a friend to whom he had practically given his whole heart must have been extremely agonizing for him.

How could he ever be an emperor, being so soft-hearted? He was so easily swayed even by this person now kneeling at his feet, just because she was a friend.

Kyungrak found such a younger brother adorable. It was so like Gamyoung to be unable to be cruel, to fear being abandoned if his friend found out his identity, and to be unable to resent his older brother even when he used that friend to place him in a government post he so disliked. That was why he gave him that position. Because that child was not ruthless, he might fall ill if he lived outside his sight.

Although he was generally one to cherish his own people, Kyungrak had a particular soft spot for Gamyoung. He had tied down Gamyoung, who wanted to leave his embrace, in a rather cheap way using Hongyo. It would incur numerous petitions and opposition from the officials, but it was not a high price to pay if he could keep his younger brother in the palm of his hand. He also cherished Hongyo in her own way. He still remembered the woman’s hair ornament she had given as a gift at the end, finding it quite adorable.

If asked why he went this far, well… was it because of his nature to have everything he wanted? But beyond that, while Gamyoung was his younger brother, he was also like a son. Gamyoung’s birth mother had passed away before the child could even run around. The former empress, his own birth mother, had taken pity on Gamyoung and entrusted the child to him, so to Kyungrak, Gamyoung was the being who made him realize what ‘responsibility’ was. Having cherished and cared for him in his own way, wasn’t it natural that he still wanted to hold on?

He knew that the end of it was independence, but it was true that he was a bit sad to let him go just yet. And so, he had orchestrated this to grant himself a little more of a grace period. Of course, he wasn’t so unable to distinguish between public and private affairs that he would have given Hongyo the position if she were lacking, but fortunately, Yeo Hongyo possessed quite excellent qualities. It was only potential for now, but what came after would depend on how much she herself applied. She would soon find out upon entering the Hwayeonggyeong that it wasn’t just about martial skill.

That was why Kyungrak watched the two with interest. Would Yeo Hongyo forgive Gamyoung for deceiving her, or would she be so disappointed as to sever her relationship with Gamyoung and abandon her official post? If that happened, Gamyoung would not only abandon this position but might also resent him.

But neither of them would be able to do so. For those whom Kyungrak loved were such people. They were smart and clever but not ruthless, and because they were not ruthless, they could not leave his side.

Kyungrak tapped his cheek with the hand that was propping up his chin. He was immensely satisfied now that he could hold onto Gamyoung and have him at his beck and call. But that was not all he had gained.

‘Absolutely no one must ever know of this matter. No one. Other than you and I.’

It was now time to find out the reason why the previous emperor- said to have been more severe and cold-hearted than himself, who once tried to swallow everything that touched the borders of this land- had suddenly given up everything.

‘Yes, Your Majesty. I will keep this secret until the day I die.’

It was time to find out what that fact was, the one ‘Ki Mohyun’ had answered with at the end of his raspy voice.