Those Conquered By Love

Chapter 1.

Jin Ye.

「Ain’t never seen a name this purty in all my born days.」

Jin Ye...

「True as the sun, Mama...」

Mugeon stared at the name on his thigh, his heart racing.

He was thrilled that the name of his destined Soulmate, who he might spend his entire life with, was so beautiful.

He vowed to treat her well, always provide for her, and love her for the rest of her life.

Though he hadn’t even seen her face, the elegance of her name alone made him confident that he could live his entire life with only her in mind.

But...

「The person you will serve from now on is the most noble and precious person you could ever imagine.」

He never imagined that the name would belong to the Emperor of the Hwan Empire, even in his wildest dreams.

This was not a woman who would ever worry about going hungry—no, she was the most exalted woman in the entire Empire, unmatched in both status and power.

Mugeon entered the emperor’s bedchamber, a palace without a ridge.

The lattice doors were unscathed, and the ceiling was so high that even if he stood on his toes, he couldn’t dare to reach it.

The interior was so vast that he had no idea how many steps it would take to reach the other end.

The small flickering lights, which brightened and dimmed repeatedly, made his heart uneasy, and the red-draped bed unsettled him even more.

The woman before him slowly undressed, revealing her shoulder.

Mugeon’s eyes were fixed on that spot, particularly on the name etched into her right shoulder.

It was his name.

The unmistakable Soulmark that declared their connection.

“Yeon Mu... geon.”

Though he came from a family of illiterate commoners, he could still read the names of his parents, his soulmate, and himself.

Mugeon traced the characters engraved on Jin Ye’s pale shoulder as if they were a marvel, carefully reading them aloud once more.

“Yeon Mugeon.”

As he slowly but clearly spoke out the words, an unfamiliar emotion stirred within him.

No matter how many times he looked, it was unmistakably his name.

Jin Ye’s laughter echoed in the room.

“That must be your name, right?”

“Yeah... Oh no, yes, it is, Your Majesty.”

‘DO NOT meet with Her Majesty’s eyes.’

‘Behave with RESPECT.’

‘DO NOT touch the royal body.’

Before entering the bedchamber, Seoyeop had given three strict admonitions, but Mugeon had already broken all of them.

Realizing this belatedly, Mugeon flinched in fear and glanced toward the door.

Outside, a shadow as dark as the Grim Reaper’s loomed heavily.

It was Seoyeop, and he was undoubtedly eavesdropping on the situation inside.

Feeling a subtle fear, Mugeon watched as Jin Ye reached out to touch his face.

Her flawless, crimson eyes met his gaze.

“There is no need to mind him.”

The soft voice emerging from her lips made Mugeon blush.

“A-Are you sure... really, is that alright?”

He responded without thinking, only to shrink back in embarrassment.

Having never been taught proper etiquette, Mugeon found the tone of his own speech quite odd and unnatural.

If only he had attended a village school at least; maybe then he wouldn’t feel this regret.

The thought of his lack of education gnawed at him.

But Jin Ye responded nonchalantly.

“Of course. Are you not the Soulmate chosen for me by the Heavens?”

‘How can her voice be so beautiful? And her eyes, so captivating...’

Mugeon couldn’t understand how her long lashes could be so delicately beautiful, like a butterfly’s wings.

Every flutter of those lashes sent a tickle through his heart, and he felt as if a tiny butterfly had settled inside his chest.

As a result, even breathing felt like an act requiring caution.

Jin Ye, Emperor of the Hwan Empire.

To him, she had always been a distant, almost unreachable figure.

He never cared what she looked like, nor did he bother to learn her name.

What difference does an emperor make in his life, anyway?

As long as there’s no war, that’s all that matters.

But when he realized that this distant figure was not only his soulmate but also the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, he froze and began to stutter.

“But... How could s-someone as l-lowly as me... S-Share the same bed w-with someone such r-royal lik-...”

Before he could finish his sentence, Jin Ye interrupted him.

“Did I ever say you were allowed to share my bed?”

“...Oh.”

Mugeon’s eyes widened as he looked at Jin Ye.

Her laughter echoed again throughout the vast room, and she began to adjust her clothes.

Swish, swish...

The rustling of her robes filled the quiet room as she rose.

Without saying a word to the motionless Mugeon sitting alone in the center of the room, Jin Ye began to glide softly across the expansive chamber.

From beneath her skirt, a pair of small black shoes peeked out.

Mugeon found himself entranced by those tiny feet, so small they could fit in one hand.

‘Why does my heart race at her every move? Why is my face burning like this?’

His palms grew sweaty, and though he desperately wanted to scratch the itch spreading across his skin, he couldn’t move freely and had to endure it.

The restraint was excruciatingly agonizing.

Just then, Jin Ye’s voice rang out again, as if to bring him back to his senses.

“I am still deliberating on how to handle someone as unrefined as yourself, who has yet to learn even the most basic palace etiquette.”

The candles placed around the room flickered as their flames wavered in the faint breeze, causing Jin Ye’s shadow to waver as well.

Mugeon swallowed nervously, sensing the gravity of the situation.

“We are a match ordained by the Heavens.”

Jin Ye laughed, her tone filled with derision.

“But is such a thing truly of any significance?”

“....”

“Is it not so?”

Mugeon remained kneeling, looking up at Jin Ye.

His once innocent eyes now clouded with confusion.

Jin Ye’s gaze, however, was cold as she looked down at him.

“You hold no value to me, do you?”

Even someone as uneducated as Mugeon could grasp the meaning behind her words.

After all, he is capable of ‘thinking,’ even though he is a commoner.

In an instant, his heart grew cold as he spoke in a trembling voice.

“Then why...?”

“Are you questioning me ‘why’ I have brought you here?”

She had struck at the heart of his confusion.

Jin Ye’s smile widened as she returned to his side.

Leaning in, she whispered in his ear, her voice soft and intimate.

“To decide whether to take your head if I found you unsatisfactory. What use is a Soulmate if they’re dead?”