Carrying the Child of the Man Who Killed Me

Chapter 20

“I told you, didn’t I? I think it was love at first sight.”

And without hesitation, Jihyuk lied exactly as Yeocheong wanted. His words stung sharply, pulling Yeocheong back to reality.

“If you find it hard to believe, then it’s my lack of effort. I will try harder. Please, just give me the opportunity to try.”

If he had known nothing, at least he would have been happy for this moment. Yeocheong thought to himself as he nodded.

***

Rumors began to spread throughout the palace that Jihyuk greatly treasured his new wife. As Jihyuk visited Seonguk every day, palace attendants and even visiting officials tried to win favor with the new Crown Princess, eager to align themselves with the palace’s rising power.

However, the person most affected, Yeocheong, didn’t welcome the attention and flattery at all. He had never been particularly ambitious for power, and he knew that any power he held now didn’t come from his own abilities.

“Your Highness, are you really all right?”

“What could possibly be wrong?”

“Still… don’t you think it’s a shame?”

Not wanting to create unnecessary obligations, Yeocheong had been returning most of the gifts he received. Yeon and Sowol, however, couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed.

“The people who sent these gifts would prefer that you use them well rather than return them, Your Highness…”

“It seems you’ve found something you like.”

Yeocheong smiled slightly as he noticed Yeon pouting. Yeon, seemingly ready for this, eagerly began speaking.

“There are so many items that would look perfect on you, Your Highness. Look at this color—it’s definitely from the Western continent, which is in fashion right now. I think it would suit you wonderfully, don’t you think?”

“And what about this red jade? It would look amazing with Your Highness’s fair skin, wouldn’t it?”

“And this one…”

As Yeon continued showing each gift and explaining why it shouldn’t be returned, he paused briefly to catch his breath. Sowol, watching quietly, didn’t show it outright but wore an expression that suggested he, too, regretted the decision.

A thought crossed Yeocheong’s mind as he watched the scene unfold. Looking at the pile of items before him, he spoke up.

“If it bothers you so much, just pick a few things you really don’t want to send back.”

“What if there are too many things I want to keep?”

Both Yeon and Sowol’s eyes brightened immediately. They eagerly began sorting through the pile again, carefully inspecting each item.

‘If I’m right…’

Yeocheong pretended not to notice and returned to the book he had been reading.

After a short while, the two of them presented a few items they had carefully selected. Yeocheong nodded without looking at them, and Yeon muttered under his breath, regretting that he hadn’t chosen more, before reorganizing the pile.

“It seems everyone is eager to impress the Crown Princess.”

Yeon said, his eyes sparkling. Having worked in the 5th Empress’s and 7th Prince’s quarters since entering the palace, Yeon was accustomed to palace life.

Palace attendants usually felt a strong sense of loyalty to their assigned masters. Given that they often boasted to each other about the gifts their masters received as a status symbol, Yeon must have felt a bit inferior.

“Such valuable items are rarely seen even in the Imperial Palace, but now that it’s become known how much His Royal Highness cherishes the Crown Princess, everyone is eager to offer their gifts.”

She was right. It had already been ten days since the Crown Prince, who had been managing both royal duties and Crown Prince responsibilities in place of his ailing father, began making time to visit Seonguk, even if only for a brief moment.

Jihyuk would stay for a short while, sometimes just for an hour or so, but at other times, he would spend an entire morning there, talking with Yeocheong. While most of their conversations were trivial, the content wasn’t the important part.

What truly mattered was that the Crown Prince, who deeply adored his Crown Princess, visited Seonguk every single day without fail.

Jihyuk was the only prince in Seonguk. He had five younger siblings—three of whom were women, one an omega, and the other had tragically passed away in an accident.

As the sole heir to the throne, and with the king being bedridden for a long time, Jihyuk had, in effect, already been ruling Seonguk, even though he had not yet formally ascended to the throne.

For his only wife, the Crown Princess, to receive such unprecedented attention was only natural. It was expected that everyone around her would want to win her favor as well.

Moreover, although Jihyuk currently had no concubines, once he ascended to the throne, concubines would likely be brought into the palace. In order for a concubine to enter, the approval of the Crown Princess was required.

Usually, this approval was just a formality, but if the king favored the queen, the situation could change. This had been the case with the current king and queen, where the king’s relationship with the queen had played a role in the palace’s dynamics.

‘The king had refused to allow any omega concubines until he had two alpha sons, and only then did he accept a few distant relatives as concubines of lower rank.’

Therefore, while not everyone who sent gifts could be sure of their success, some likely hoped to gain favor with Yeocheong in anticipation of the future.

“However, there’s no need for these people to think our Crown Princess will remember them just because they sent gifts. What’s the point of that?”

“What Yeon says is true. I doubt the people sending these gifts believe they can win our Crown Princess’s favor with such small gestures. They probably sent them hoping to have their names remembered.”

“Although their intentions are obvious, doesn’t it still feel good, Your Highness?”

Yeon couldn’t hide his disappointment, his face showing regret, despite having returned the gifts.

“Now that you’re receiving all these gifts, you’ll have to get used to it, Your Highness.”

“There’s no need for such things. I won’t be taking them with me when I leave this world. What use do I have for all this excess?”

“Why say that? You still have many years ahead of you. You’ll have a beautiful baby and get to watch that child grow up, won’t you?”

In the end, once the favor fades, these items would just be passed on to someone else. It wasn’t that Yeocheong minded the gifts, but he didn’t want to make it easy for others to benefit from them.

Most of the gifts were jewelry and fabrics. With no one to impress, he saw little point in wearing them just for show.

“His Royal Highness will be visiting today, and you should show him what you’ve received.”

“Do you really think these things are worth showing off to him?”

“Of course, His Royal Highness will love you no matter what, but wouldn’t he be even happier if you showed him something new?”

Yeon glanced at the items he had arranged to be returned and spoke. He probably thought he was offering a valid reason not to return them, but it ended up having the opposite effect.

“If you leave them in sight, you’ll only end up wanting them. It’s better to return them now, before any unnecessary gossip starts.”

“Oh, Your Highness.”

“Crown Princess, His Royal Highness has arrived.”

As Yeon started to complain again, the announcement of Jihyuk’s arrival was heard from outside. Yeocheong seized the opportunity and spoke.

“The room is too messy to meet His Royal Highness here. I’ll meet him in another room, so use this time to finish tidying up these things.”

With that, Yeocheong stood and left the room. But his brief relief was short-lived.

Jihyuk was keeping his promise. He had said he would make Yeocheong more accustomed to physical contact, and each day he was slowly increasing their interactions.

It started on the first day with a simple touch—his hand lightly brushing against Yeocheong’s. The roughness of his calloused hand didn’t feel uncomfortable, likely because Jihyuk was being so careful with his actions.

The next day, Jihyuk’s hand moved a little higher. It lightly brushed against the jutting bone of his slender wrist, then traveled up to the soft skin beneath his elbow. The sensation was so ticklish that Yeocheong had to fight the urge to pull his arm away, feeling both embarrassed and uncomfortable.

With each passing day, the contact gradually increased, and by yesterday, it had once again returned to the same embrace as before.

‘The warmth of a person’s body could be the most effective way to ease anxiety.’

Jihyuk’s words were partly true, but also a little off. The warmth of a person’s body didn’t just ease anxiety.

At first, just facing him would make Yeocheong flinch, but now he had grown more accustomed to the physical contact.

Though he told himself it was necessary, the situation still made him feel uneasy. It wasn’t that he disliked the contact with Jihyuk, but there was something else.

“Your Highness, good afternoon.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Whenever his skin touched Jihyuk’s and he felt the warmth, memories of happier times began to resurface.

As Yeocheong became more accustomed to the touch of his hand and the feeling of his heart pressed against his own, he couldn’t help but wonder what else he might eventually get used to.

Every time he faced Jihyuk, the feeling of disgust grew stronger, and with it came the painful reminder of a foolish, blissful time he could never go back to. Yeocheong despised those memories.

Just thinking about them made him uncomfortable, but what made it even worse was that those memories were tied to the only truly happy period of his life. It left him feeling utterly pathetic.