I Became My Ex-Boyfriend’s Concubine - Chapter 49

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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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Episode 49

Unqingak.
A pavilion suffused with the clear, luminous blue of sky itself.
Eaves that swept gracefully toward the clouds, and pillars adorned with intricate turquoise and green decorative painting at every interval.
It dwarfed the shabby, cramped Small Palace where she had stayed before—there was no comparison.
“Miss, the pavilion is so beautiful!”
Somi’s eyes widened perfectly round as she turned to take in the surroundings.
A graceful weeping willow swayed in the wind at the center of the courtyard, and beyond it, a small pond glimmered like a jewel.
“It’s really true that His Majesty bestowed this place on you, isn’t it?”
“It is.”
Danbi smiled and stepped onto the stone staircase. She pushed open the heavy door and stepped inside, where a pleasant, subtle scent of aged wood tickled her nostrils.
The interior was far more spacious than it appeared from outside.
Lazy afternoon sunlight poured through the latticed paper doors, and along one side of the room, fine new bedding and furnishings were arranged with meticulous care.
“Miss, look at this!”
Somi flung open the inner door wide.
Through the window, the orderly Rear Garden spread before them at a glance—rows of plum trees and beneath them a modest wooden platform.
“This would be perfect for tea, don’t you think, Miss?”
“You know how to prepare it?”
“Psh, I can learn!”
Somi grinned and swept through the room.
She opened the half-door, stood before the dresser to admire her own reflection, and then, plucking a flower from somewhere, tucked it behind her ear and began to hum softly.
Danbi watched her in a daze, then leaned her body against the window frame. The plum trees in the Rear Garden swayed gently in the breeze.
“You know, it seems His Majesty has changed quite a lot.”
“Changed how?”
At Danbi’s question, Somi spun around suddenly. She reached up and carefully removed the flower from behind her own ear, then tucked it behind Danbi’s.
“Now it’s clear that His Majesty is very fond of you.”
“What? That’s absurd!”
Danbi jumped back and waved her hand dismissively. But Somi nodded with an expression of absolute certainty.
“Otherwise, how could he have given you an entire pavilion like this?”
“Well, it’s probably just because a place befitting my rank happens to be available nowhere else.”
She made excuses and turned her head away, but Somi’s eyes could not be deceived. Somi suddenly narrowed her eyes and asked.
“Wait—Miss, is that why you asked me that question last time?”
……
Danbi cleared her throat awkwardly and slipped her gaze away. But Somi, possessed of uncanny perception, could hardly have missed that moment of hesitation.
“Good heavens. Don’t tell me it’s actually true……”
Somi covered her mouth with both hands in shock.
“Did you really ask His Majesty to grant you the rank of Noble Consort just to gain access to this pavilion?”
“Shh! Keep your voice down! What if someone hears?”
Danbi hurriedly clapped a hand over Somi’s mouth and glanced around. Fortunately, the court ladies who had followed them seemed still to be lingering in the courtyard.
In fact, Somi had hit upon the truth.
She had demanded the rank of Noble Consort from Hyeon solely to set foot in this Unqingak.
It was shortly after their return from the Hunting Grounds.
Danbi had grabbed hold of Somi, who had rushed back safely and burst into tears of relief, and asked urgently.

“Unqingak? Is there any way to have our residence moved there?”
“……Yes? I’m afraid that won’t be possible, Miss.”
“Why not?”
“Because His Majesty holds that place in particular esteem.”

Only then did Danbi recall the whispered voices of jealous concubines from the previous playthrough, murmuring before her.

“I hear she’s to move her residence to Unqingak soon. They say it’s a place His Majesty treasures so dearly……”

Yes. In the previous playthrough, Unqingak had been a special space.
At that time, she had been on the verge of moving her residence there, and the fact that Hyeon held that place in such high regard had spread throughout the palace.
But regardless of the reason, Danbi had to enter that place at all costs.
It was because of the System Window message that had appeared before her eyes immediately after Hyeon had sustained a mortal wound trying to save her at the Hunting Grounds.

「You have completed a Sub Quest.
You have successfully lured the King and dealt a fatal blow.
You will receive an item as a reward.
Location: Unqingak」

The reward item’s location pointed unmistakably to Unqingak. To claim it, she would have to cross that threshold no matter what.
At first, she’d considered sneaking inside, but soon realized it was impossible.
Hyeon’s attachment to the place was no idle rumor—Unqingak had remained firmly sealed for ages.
A forbidden space no one could enter without his permission.
The servants who occasionally came to clean were the only exception; even the key, they said, remained in Hyeon’s hands alone.
In the end, Danbi could think of only one solution.

“What if my rank were raised?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“If I received the rank of Noble Consort… would that still not work?”

Danbi suddenly recalled the moment she’d logged out in the previous playthrough.
She was certain that her character back then had likewise demanded the rank of Noble Consort from Hyeon.
‘That’s right—I need to trace back from there.’
If that character were an entity moving according to set logic within this RPG game, she would surely have acted that way to complete a specific quest.
Moreover, if the quest in the previous playthrough had unfolded in precisely the same manner as now, then the reason for demanding the Noble Consort’s rank ultimately led to a single conclusion.
The reward item.
Now she understood why she’d suddenly attempted to bargain with Hyeon using rank as a pretext.
But there was one thing that bothered her.
‘Wait. Something doesn’t add up.’
The point at which her logged-out character had attempted to bargain with Hyeon was before they’d even gone hunting.
That was long before the message about the reward item in Unqingak would have appeared.
‘Are quests generated differently depending on circumstances?’
Come to think of it, Hyeon had behaved differently this playthrough, and the quest progression noticeably slowed.
After all, this was an RPG game.
If the scenario branched according to player freedom like other games, then quests wouldn’t follow only the standard path either.
But one thing was certain.
Her character in the previous playthrough must have wanted Unqingak for much the same purpose—to obtain the item.

“If you reached the rank of Noble Consort, there would probably be nowhere left except Unqingak.”

That remark from Som had been decisive.
Danbi resolved without hesitation to demand the Noble Consort’s rank from Hyeon.
And when Hyeon, who had gone to the Great Hall, summoned Danbi, the timing was absolutely perfect.

“Please grant this concubine the rank of Noble Consort.”

She could not have been more anxious in that moment.
Hyeon hesitated briefly, then smiled faintly and accepted. Thanks to that, she could now enter Unqingak without delay.
“In any case, you’re something else. I doubt anyone else would raise their rank just to move to a different residence.”
“What does it matter? I got what I wanted, didn’t I?”
Now that she’d entered Unqingak, there was only one thing left to do.
Danbi immediately rolled up her sleeves and placed her hand solemnly on her waist. Startled by her sudden intensity, Som widened her eyes and asked.
“You’re not planning to clean, are you?”
“No. I need to find something first.”
Danbi recalled the box she’d discovered in the Small Palace before.
An elegant box with a blue pattern embossed on white.
Both the short sword and antidote that were rewards had come from inside that box. If a reward was given this time, it would surely be in something similar.
Danbi immediately described the box’s appearance to Som and the palace attendants, ordering them to find it.
Though they seemed puzzled at first, they hurried about searching through every corner of the hall once pressed.
About an hour must have passed.
“My lady! We found it!”
At the cry from somewhere within, Danbi moved quickly. The sound came from deep within the hall, from a remote attic.
‘Just as I thought… it was here all along.’
Danbi reached toward the box with trembling hands.
In that instant, a luminous blue light burst forth around the box, tracing a perfect circle.

Item Found

The moment a clear System Window materialized before her eyes, the box that had been locked tight snapped open with a click.
Danbi swallowed hard and peered inside.
Since the item had been distributed with a change of location, it was certainly meant to be far more remarkable than her previous rewards.
“…What is this?”
But contrary to her expectations, the box contained neither gems nor legendary blades.
There was only a large stone, sitting alone and unadorned.

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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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