I Became My Ex-Boyfriend’s Concubine - Chapter 3

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 3

“What are you talking about? A concubine?”
“You knew all along. Why are you acting surprised?”
“I really didn’t know. I’m already promised to someone else….”
Right, this is a Game. Does that even matter?
As I hesitated, So pushed Dan Bi unceremoniously into the palanquin.
“Wait, hold on! Even if it’s a Game, this is too much. You have to give me time to prepare myself!”

Inside the palanquin, Dan Bi crossed her arms and thought carefully.
Let me get this straight. I’m in a Game, and I’m on my way to marry the King here?
She touched her chin, lost in thought. Refusing meant failing the Quest, but accepting meant….
Dan Bi suddenly looked down at her left hand. The Wedding Ring on her fourth finger was nowhere to be seen.
“Right, it’s just a Game anyway.”

“I guess that settles what we owe each other today?”

“…You’re a terrible person.”

***

Stepping out of the palanquin, I found myself face to face with a sight I’d never seen before. Palace attendants in traditional dress lined up in two rows on either side, bowing in unison.
“We greet the lady who bears the rank of Sukwon of the Fourth Rank.”
Dozens of voices overlapped in a single echo. A woman in blue robes stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
“This humble servant, acting upon the King’s command, has been assigned to serve the Sukwon. I am So Sang-gung.”
Dan Bi looked her up and down. She seemed to be the highest-ranking person here.
“I shall serve you with utmost devotion.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Dan Bi followed her lead and gave a quick nod. The attendants lining the path exchanged puzzled glances with one another.
What? Isn’t this right?
“My lady, you must grow accustomed to having people beneath you. Do not bow so readily.”
“Ah, I understand.”
As I corrected myself, she smiled faintly.
“Then, let me show you to the So-gung.”
Dan Bi followed So Sang-gung as she led the way. With each step, the rustle of silk brushed against my ears.
Thump, thump.
My heart quickened with anticipation. The RPG Game world I’d only ever seen through a monitor suddenly felt like reality.
Before long, So Sang-gung stopped before a small gate. Two attendants following behind opened it carefully, as if by arrangement.
Dan Bi stepped slowly inside.
“Could this possibly be…?”
An exclamation escaped my lips.
Red tile roof and white walls blended beautifully into an intimate, charming palace.
Wind chimes hung from the eaves sang out in clear, crystalline tones, and colorful flowers surrounding the grounds painted the space in vibrant hues.
“This is the residence where you shall dwell, my lady.”
So Sang-gung and the attendants bowed as one.
Dan Bi gazed around in wonder.
By a small pond, a large apple tree caught my eye. I walked over at once, plucked an apple, and took a bite.
“Mm, delicious! It tastes even better than the real thing?”
So Sang-gung bowed even more deeply.
“Everything here belongs to you now, my lady. Please do as you wish.”
At that moment, a blue window appeared in the air.

「You have completed the Sub Quest.
An Item has been provided as a reward.
Check your inventory.」

“…An Item?”
If memory served, the last Sub Quest was definitely “Entering the Palace.” And just moments ago, I had followed So Sang-gung’s guidance into the So-gung for the first time.
The reward was granted the moment she cleared the Quest according to the Game’s instructions.
But the problem was, it hadn’t given her any detailed information about what the Item actually was.
Eventually, after summoning even the palace attendants and spending two hours overturning every box in the compound, Dan Bi finally discovered a suspicious container tucked away in a corner.
“Found it!”
“Where? What is it, my lady?”
So Sang-gung hurried over to where Dan Bi had gestured, and there sat a box with a white base and delicate blue patterns etched across its surface.
Dan Bi reached toward it slowly, her face bright with anticipation. Then a circular blue light burst forth around the box.

「Item Discovered」

Text appeared before her eyes. At the same moment, with a metallic click, the box opened.
Inside lay something covered in a profusion of floral designs.
“What is this?”
Dan Bi grasped the elongated object in her hand and pulled gently on both sides. The sheath opened to reveal a small Short Dagger.
“Don’t tell me this is the reward Item?”
“Wow, it’s beautiful! Was this what you were looking for—a Short Dagger?”
“What good is beauty? It’s useless to me.”
Dan Bi sheathed the blade and tossed it onto the floor.
“So Sang-gung, isn’t that going too far?”
“Pardon? What have I done—”
“Whether it’s a Game or reality, money has always been supreme! So what am I supposed to do with something like this as an Item? This isn’t some hunter story—where am I even supposed to use it?”
As Dan Bi bickered with So Sang-gung, Yun Nae-gwan approached.
“My lady, you must prepare yourself now.”
“Prepare? For what?”
“His Majesty awaits your presence.”
At those words, a blue window materialized in the air.

「A new Sub Quest has arrived.
─Audience with the King」

***

“It is my honor to meet you for the first time, my lady. I am Yun Nae-gwan.”
Dan Bi’s gaze drifted past the shoulder of the man in emerald robes.
Eaves soared toward the sky, their joints stitched with golden ornaments and intricate polychrome designs.
The Jeongak sprawled before her in a grandeur that made the So-gung seem insignificant by comparison.
As if sensing where her eyes had wandered, Yun Nae-gwan bowed his head deeply.
“His Majesty is still attending to matters of state.”
“Oh, then perhaps I should come back another time—”
Dan Bi’s face brightened, eager to seize her chance to escape, and she smiled widely.
But the moment she turned to leave, Yun Nae-gwan’s voice followed her.
“He has commanded that you wait in the bedchamber until he is ready to receive you.”
As Yun Nae-gwan led the way ahead, Dan Bi turned back with a worried expression toward So Sang-gung.
But the tactless So Sang-gung only clenched both fists and mouthed silently, “You can do this!”
Dan Bi released a heavy sigh and followed Yun Nae-gwan deeper into the palace.

The interior of the palace was far more resplendent than its outer appearance suggested.
Intricate patterns carved into every wall seemed to writhe and come alive in the candlelight, while the air itself was suffused with a thick, subtle fragrance of sandalwood.
‘They really did dump the entire budget into the background graphics, didn’t they?’
After passing through several layers of doors, Yun Nae-gwan finally halted at the end of a corridor.
At that, the attendants guarding either side of the entrance opened the doors in unison without a sound.
Yun Nae-gwan stepped aside with a bow. Dan Bi followed his glance and slowly crossed the threshold.
“Please wait a moment.”
With that, the door closed behind her.
Fortunately, no one was inside. Dan Bi bit her nails and began pacing anxiously around the room.
“How did I even end up here?”
Her eyes fell upon the pristine bed, its surface scattered thickly with red flower petals. Unable to bear the sight of such lavish preparation, she squeezed her eyes shut.
“This is way more serious than I thought! Don’t tell me it’s actually going to—”
Dan Bi ran both hands through her hair in agitation.
Then her right hand touched something soft—the smooth silk of a red ribbon tied through her long hair.
I snapped to attention in an instant.
“Even if this is a Game, this can’t be right.”
Dan Bi bolted toward the door. The moment she reached for the handle, it swung open violently from outside.
“Ow!”
Her body lurched backward with a dull thud, as if she’d collided with solid stone.
Before she could even cradle her throbbing nose, Yun Nae-gwan’s low voice filled the chamber.
“His Majesty the King has arrived.”
Dan Bi lifted her head, still clutching her reddened nose. A familiar face came into view.
Sharp, gleaming eyes beneath thick brows. A straight nose and neat lips below it.
“Ihyeon……?”
The moment she spoke his name as though enchanted, the man’s brow twitched slightly.
“It is you, Ihyeon! Wait—you’re the king?”
Dan Bi burst into laughter, clutching her sides. The ladies-in-waiting and Yun Nae-gwan’s eyes widened in shock.
“I’ve got to say, seeing a pest like you here actually makes me smile.”
She tapped his shoulder lightly, twice.
The crimson dragon robe that kings typically wore in period dramas sat perfectly across his broad shoulders.
“Wow, you wear it well though. All those hours of working out didn’t go to waste, I see?”
She tilted her head emphatically, one hand resting on her hip.
“No, really—that’s all the padding doing the work. The tailoring is incredible.”
Yun Nae-gwan stepped forward as if to speak. The man before him raised a hand to silence him.
“Leave.”
“But Your Majesty—!”
“I said leave.”
The man’s heavy voice cut through the weighty silence. Yun Nae-gwan and the other attendants had no choice but to close the door and withdraw.
Suddenly, only Dan Bi and the man remained in the chamber.
He narrowed his eyes, looking down at her.
“It seems you know me well.”
“I should—I’ve put up with you for eight years.”
“Eight years……?”
When Dan Bi answered so casually, the man’s brow creased.
“I have no memory of you. How do you know me?”
“What? ‘You’?”
Dan Bi clapped her hand over her mouth.
But her laughter escaped through her fingers and spilled across the room.
“……You’re laughing?”
The man bit down on his lower lip. He reached out and seized her arm roughly.
Pulled by his powerful grip, Dan Bi tumbled onto something. When her eyes opened, she was already on the bed.
His familiar face hovered inches from her own.
But something was different. The eyes that usually held only coldness were now burning fiercely.
He pulled one corner of his mouth into a slant.
“So you’re the daughter of that scheming fox. Yet you wear your heart so openly—I wonder how much you intend to reveal to me, having just met.”
Dan Bi lowered her gaze, following his. She saw her disheveled robes gaping at her chest.
“Oh—no, this isn’t—!”
She quickly clutched her collar shut.
Lifting her head, she met a gaze alight with cunning amusement. A chill ran down her spine.
Who is this fox of a man? Is this really Ihyeon?
Gradually, his face drew closer. Dan Bi turned her head in panic, her words faltering.
“Wait—please—!”
He did not stop. As her eyes clenched shut, their lips drew nearer.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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