Flower Dream Chapter 18

“I appreciate your concern for me, but I won’t be taken down easily, so don’t worry too much.”

“My apologies, I spoke out of turn…”

“No. It was a perfectly reasonable thing to say. In any case, launching a preemptive strike against Uncle right now carries great risk and lacks sufficient justification.”

“You mean there is no choice but to wait until the First Imperial Prince’s side makes a move.”

“Yes. I believe it won’t be too late to respond after my brother begins to act in earnest. Instead, we must keep watching closely so we can deal with it swiftly at any time.”

“I will immediately contact our informants and order them to monitor the every move of the key figures on the First Imperial Prince’s side, starting with Prince Uichin. I will also thoroughly investigate the movements of the imperial clan members who are siding with them.”

Hyeok Ryeoa laid out her plan with a highly motivated attitude. She had already been regularly observing the trends of those hostile to Shin Ryuwon, but she thought that from now on, she would need to grasp them even more minutely.

“It’s good that you’re full of enthusiasm, but there’s no need to be hasty. It’s not us who are in a hurry, but them. Above all, for now, it’s highly likely that Uncle will stop at just shaping public opinion. Eldest brother will also need to build up more renown.”

“…! You mean the lack of justification applies just as much to the First Imperial Prince’s side.”

With eyes shining as if she understood what he meant, Hyeok Ryeoa inwardly admired Shin Ryuwon’s insight. Shin Sangwon was also an outstanding talent, but he fell far short compared to the achievements Shin Ryuwon had piled up so far. His presence and support among the common people were also weak.

For Prince Uichin and Chancellor Yeon to make the First Imperial Prince Crown Prince, that was the part they had to solve first. The principle of primogeniture, or having fathered a child with the Dragon Eyes—these alone were not enough for him to be acknowledged as having the justification to surpass Shin Ryuwon and become Crown Prince.

“That is correct. So, all we have to do is watch the enemy’s actions, set a trap, and hunt them in return.”

Clink. Setting down the teacup, Shin Ryuwon muttered grimly. He had no desire to become Crown Prince, but it wasn’t in his nature to avoid a fight that others brought to him. However, it was slightly bitter.

“If only he hadn’t made me his enemy, he might have been able to obtain what he wants…”

Gazing up at the moon veiled by clouds, Shin Ryuwon clicked his tongue. Like it or not, they were flesh and blood born of the same womb. Toppling Shin Sangwon was different from executing foreign tribes who invaded the Empire or the armies of other countries.

For that reason, he hoped that even now, Shin Sangwon would give up his greed. Yet the chances of that seemed almost nonexistent. That made it all the more regretful.

“My foolish brother.”

The golden eyes, steeped in the darkness of the night, sank heavily. If Shin Sangwon hadn’t been swayed by Prince Uichin, Shin Ryuwon might have someday petitioned the Emperor to appoint his brother as Crown Prince. To Ryuwon, who had absolutely no desire to become Emperor, Sangwon was an excellent card that could break their father’s stubbornness.

In fact, Shin Ryuwon had once revealed to his brothers that he had no interest in the Crown Prince’s seat. Though, in the end, it seemed neither of them had believed him in the slightest.

“…It’s bitter.”

Having drained the remaining tea without leaving a single drop, Shin Ryuwon smacked his lips. The tea water that had been sweet just moments ago was as bitter as poison. His head feeling complicated, he closed his eyes, sensing a faint headache. It seemed it would not be easy to fall asleep tonight either.

“Hwaaam…”

Dan Yuha, having yawned aloud without realizing it, clamped his mouth shut with a ‘hap’ upon recognizing where he was. Feeling unnecessarily guilty, he glanced around the corridor where no one else was present.

Perhaps because it was a time when even the roosters announcing the morning were still deep in dreams, the interior of the building was entirely submerged in the deep blue darkness of early dawn.

Gulp.

Swallowing dryly at the desolate corridor scenery, Dan Yuha tightly clutched the small lantern in his hand. Usually, the wall lamps were kept lit even in the middle of the night, but today was different. It was due to Chief Eunuch Baek’s request.

‘You are aware that His Majesty suffers from insomnia, yes? Because even the slightest light may disturb his sleep, it is our practice in the Imperial Prince’s Palace to extinguish all lamps in the main building every night. I was hoping it could be the same here…’

‘Yes, shall I extinguish all the lamps on the side of the bedchamber where His Majesty is staying?’

‘In addition to the bedchamber, I would like the corridor, stairs… and even the stone lanterns outside the building to be put out.’

‘Mm, then what shall we do when changing the incense? It must be replaced at least once before morning…’

Dan Yuha asked about the part that was on his mind. He knew some people couldn’t sleep if their surroundings were bright, so extinguishing the lamps in the building was fine, but the problem arose when changing the sleep incense for a new one.

Just as even good medicine becomes poison if overused, incense was the same. Sleep incense helped one to sleep soundly without waking, but inhaling the smoke for too long was rather harmful to health. If done wrong, there was a risk of side effects such as headaches or dizziness.

Therefore, when burning incense, it was best to open the windows periodically to ventilate, or to keep it lit for only one or two sichen before extinguishing it. If that wasn’t possible, it had to be replaced with a new one as much as possible before the existing incense ran out. Once the incense was completely burned, harmful smoke would flow out from then on.

‘As you know, Chief Eunuch, since Honghwa Pavilion is situated in a remote location… if we extinguish even the stone lanterns, visibility will be nearly nonexistent. Entering His Majesty’s bedchamber without a lamp to change the incense would be somewhat difficult for my skill level.’

‘Ah, at that time, you can simply bring a lantern. Our Imperial Prince’s senses are extremely keen, so he wakes easily even at the slightest sign of presence… Once you, Aromancer Dan, go to the bedchamber, he will wake on his own. To enter inside, you would need his permission anyway.’

‘Uh, you mean to wake His Majesty? Usually, I go in quietly and quickly swap out the incense without waking the guest, and then leave.’

Dan Yuha asked with a puzzled look. Although his experience as an aromancer was limited, he knew how things proceeded when attending a Divine One visiting the sacred city, as he had often helped his father with his work when he was alive.

‘That may be so for others, but not for that person. As I just said, His Majesty the Imperial Prince sleeps very lightly. No matter how careful you are, he will wake the very moment you enter the bedchamber.’

Chief Eunuch Baek spoke in a tone of certainty as if there were absolutely no exceptions. Then, he added, telling him not to misunderstand.

‘Of course, it is not that I disregard you, Aromancer. It is simply that for the past twenty years, myself and many others have all attempted it, but all have failed… Furthermore, His Majesty greatly dislikes others entering his space without permission. That is why, even if it means disturbing his sleep, we proceed in this manner.’

‘I see… Thank you for letting me know. I almost made a grave mistake.’

‘Not at all. And so, I would like the time for changing the incense to be as late as possible. If he wakes in the middle of the night, the quality of his sleep inevitably deteriorates.’

‘Mm, even if I pack the incense burner full of sleep incense, it must certainly be replaced with a new one around the Hour of the Tiger (3-5 AM). I also need to check if it’s effective for His Majesty… Depending on his condition at that time, I may need to switch to an incense made with different ingredients or adjust the concentration.’

‘If it’s the Hour of the Tiger close to the Hour of the Rabbit (5-7 AM), that should be fine. We usually change it around that time. That way, if he manages to fall asleep, he gets at least three sichen of rest…’

‘I will do so.’

As he replayed the conversation with Chief Eunuch Baek in his head, another yawn escaped Dan Yuha’s lips. He usually started his day early, but today his head felt foggy, perhaps because he had woken up even earlier than usual. On top of that, he had failed to sleep well, having repeatedly woken up and fallen back asleep due to excessive tension.

Pull yourself together.

Having arrived before the bedchamber door before he knew it, Dan Yuha took a deep breath in and out, as if trying to dispel the remaining drowsiness. Then he made a final check of his attire and the items he had brought. He paused when he saw that the hand holding the box of solid incense was almost hidden by his sleeve.

“…”

His soft pink eyes, staring at the clothes far too large for his body, sank darkly. The attire Dan Yuha was currently wearing was what he had received from Senior Court Lady Kim.

‘How odd, the clothes were tailored based on the information sent by the Honghwa Tribe…’

Yesterday afternoon, Senior Court Lady Kim had shown a troubled reaction upon seeing Dan Yuha after he changed into the clothes she had provided and come out. This was understandable, as Ha Seokmun and Jeong Ryeon’s garments fit perfectly, while Dan Yuha’s alone was shabby, like a child wearing an adult’s clothes. What’s more, both sets of the clothes he had been given were like that.

According to her explanation, right after the three had been assigned to attend Shin Ryuwon, the Third Imperial Prince’s side seemed to have requested basic physical information such as height and weight. She had tailored the clothes based on what she’d been told.

Ha Seokmun and Jeong Ryeon also answered that the chieftain’s steward had asked them about this and that. But to Dan Yuha, this was the first he’d heard of it. Ever since the day Hong Haehwa had told him to attend the Third Imperial Prince, no one from that side had come to find him, nor had he been summoned separately.

However, he could roughly guess the situation. The chieftain, the steward, or someone else had undoubtedly given him strange clothes on purpose to make a fool of him.

‘It seems there must have been some sort of error…’

Dan Yuha had managed his expression with effort as he spoke. Regardless of his anger at the childish prank, he couldn’t reveal the tribe’s internal shame to an outsider.