I Became My Ex-Boyfriend’s Concubine - Chapter 70

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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 70

The morning of the Gi-u-je ceremony, early dawn.
The air inside Un-cheong-gak had settled cold and still.
“Here?”
Dan-bi looked up at Hyeon with bewildered eyes.
Rather than answer, Hyeon gestured with his chin toward the attendant standing beside him, who held out a bundle of cloth.
“Would I have come all this way for no reason?”
Spread neatly across the attendant’s hands lay a white ceremonial robe for the Gi-u-je.
Dan-bi caught a glimpse of it and cried out inwardly.
‘No, seriously, why would you change clothes here?’
Today was the day the Gi-u-je ceremony would take place, and it was starting early in the morning.
Dan-bi had been hurrying with her own preparations when Hyeon suddenly barged into Un-cheong-gak, not yet finished with everything she needed to do.
Before she could even ask why, he had matter-of-factly announced that he would change into his ceremonial clothes right here.
“Now, the rest of you—out.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
At a gesture from Hyeon, the attendants and court ladies all bowed at once and withdrew.
As the door closed, Hyeon turned to face Dan-bi.
His gaze bore down on her with brazen expectation—get him dressed, now.
Dan-bi swallowed a sigh inwardly and had no choice but to approach him.
The first thing her hands touched was the ornate sash at his waist—the Jade Belt.
Dan-bi reached around his back and carefully undid the clasp. As the heavy Jade Belt came loose, the crimson Gonryongpo draped limply open.
Next she took hold of the cord fasteners down the center of his chest. The silk ties that had been bound tight began to slip smoothly through her fingertips.
The moment a layered white under-robe appeared in the gap of his parted collar, Dan-bi lifted her head without thinking and her eyes met Hyeon’s directly.
A small clearing of the throat.
She quickly bowed her head.
As she fought to suppress the heat rising mysteriously within her, a low voice descended from above.
“Has the work of the Sang-ui-won been finished well?”
At the sudden question, Dan-bi’s shoulders flinched slightly, and she gave a small nod.
“Yes, so far.”
“…So far?”
Dan-bi folded back the collar of the Gonryongpo that had been draped across Hyeon’s broad shoulders and met his gaze directly.
“The Gi-u-je ceremony hasn’t even begun yet. I can’t relax until the work is truly complete.”
At her words, Hyeon looked down at her without responding. Dan-bi hastily shifted her eyes away and drew out his sleeves one by one.
The crimson fabric slid helplessly down his arm and piled onto hers.
Dan-bi swept the layered Gonryongpo to the side and stepped before him again.
With his outer robe now fully removed, only a thin silk under-garment hung precariously across his bare upper body.
Dan-bi swallowed dryly and reached out with care.
As she undid the knots one by one across his firm chest, her slender fingertips brushed—then withdrew from—the warmth of his skin with each touch.
At last the final knot came undone, and Hyeon’s broad shoulders and muscular chest lay entirely exposed.
Embarrassed, Dan-bi found herself stealing a glance at his expression—only to have their eyes meet again.
His face was unmoved; he simply looked down at her, his entire body surrendered completely to the guidance of her hands.
The instant Dan-bi’s gaze flickered away, a dry voice fell from above her head.
“You’ve grown quite practiced.”
“A certain person has had me do this every morning for some time now. By now I could do it with my eyes closed.”
“Your boldness has grown along with your skill.”
“That, too, seems to be something I’m gradually picking up from someone.”
At her pointed remark, Hyeon let out a short, exasperated laugh.
Nevertheless, Dan-bi paid no mind and picked up the under-robe that lay on the table.
She slowly drew the white cloth over his shoulders, then carefully aligned the pristine lapels.
Though the silk felt cool against his bare skin, Hyeon remained perfectly still.
Watching his rigid composure, Dan-bi suddenly opened her mouth.
“My original profession was a designer.”
“A… designer?”
“Yes. A designer. In other words, someone who makes clothes.”
“From the Another World, you mean?”
As Dan-bi nodded, his brow furrowed slightly.
Still unable to fully believe her claim of coming from the Another World, his skepticism was plainly written across his face.
Dan-bi let it pass with a mental ‘of course,’ then drew on an overrobe that fell past her waist.
Her hands moved with practiced efficiency, cinching the ties around his waist and fastening them snug.
Each time her fingertips brushed lightly against his chest, she swallowed dryly without meaning to.
Then he spoke again.
“Are you referring to something like official Sang-ui-won robes?”
“Well, something like that, yes?”
Surprised to see him agreeing so readily, Dan-bi nodded without hesitation. But his eyes narrowed in doubt, his brow furrowing.
“You’re the one saying this?”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“Never mind. Let’s leave it at that.”
His tone, as if extending some kindness, made Dan-bi grip the tie more tightly than necessary. She felt his sharp gaze boring down from above, but she turned away as if she hadn’t noticed. Without pause, she picked up the pristine white garment lying on the table and asked.
“What brings you all the way here, then?”
“What do you mean, what brings me here?”
His expression darkened at once.
“You speak as though I’ve come somewhere I shouldn’t be.”
“You could have dressed in the Chim-jeon. It’s just that you’ve come all this way in the dead of night—I was merely curious.”
“It seems you’ve forgotten already.”
In that instant, his hand shot up and seized her chin, lifting it roughly.
Their eyes locked by force.
His gaze was sharp and cutting.
“You swore to guard me. Yet the moment I loosened my grip, you forgot your duty entirely.”
His fingers tightened around her chin.
Dan-bi met his stare unflinching, then twisted her head free from his grasp.
Without a flicker of concern, she draped the garment she held over his broad shoulders.
“I remember perfectly well. There’s no need to remind me.”
‘As if I’d be frightened by such a thing. Ridiculous.’
Dan-bi rose onto her toes, mentally scoffing.
She aligned the fabric with his wide shoulders, and as she carefully smoothed out the sleeves, the golden dragon embroidery set into the back gradually came into view.
Dan-bi gazed quietly at the radiant pattern.
She, too, had been waiting for this day from the beginning.
Though she had even found a way to bring rain thanks to her own efforts, his lingering doubt still stung—she was quietly fuming over it when he spoke.
“There is a tree standing before the Gate.”
A tree?
At his sudden words, Dan-bi recalled the lone withered tree planted before the Gate.
“Ah, the one that’s lost all its leaves?”
“…Yes.”
He closed his eyes slowly, as though revisiting a memory.
“I planted it with my mother nearly twenty years ago now.”
“You planted it yourself, Your Highness?”
This was news to her.
So Un-cheong-gak—the pavilion he treasured so dearly—held memories of his mother within it.
Now she understood why he had sought out this place so early in the morning.
He opened his eyes again and continued.
“It was once a tree with abundant foliage.”
Dan-bi found herself nodding.
When she had first set foot in Un-cheong-gak, the tree had been verdant.
But as the drought deepened, it had weakened in recent days, shedding leaves one by one.
The palace grounds were fortunate by comparison. Beyond the walls, the world had been drained of all vitality by the drought, until there was scarcely a living color to be seen.
“Soon that tree will return. Once the Gi-u-je ends.”
There was a resolute glint in his eyes as he gazed into emptiness.
It was no mere chance that had drawn him here before the Gi-u-je—it was something far more desperate.
“Just a moment, Your Highness.”
Dan-bi extended her arms as if to embrace his waist, and tied the Great Belt around him.
Over the white silk, the vivid crimson sash revealed its majesty.
Finally, she arranged the Dragon Insignia at the center of his chest and straightened the collar of the ceremonial robe, until the blazing white and golden light filled the hall.
Dan-bi gazed quietly at his solemn bearing, then spoke slowly.
“The rain will come. I’m certain of it.”
His gaze turned slowly back to Dan-bi, and lingered. She did not look away, meeting his eyes steadily.

“This time, I promise you.”
Hyun studied Dan-bi intently for a long moment, then let out a low chuckle.
“Yes. It must be so.”
He stepped closer and tilted his head near hers. His breath against her ear felt cool.
“Don’t forget. I’ve spared your life on the condition that you bring me rain.”
‘As if I would.’
Even at his threat, Dan-bi felt a wry smile twist inside her.
Nothing would happen until the Gi-u-je ceremony began. She and Park Dae-young had already aligned their stories, hadn’t they?
At least, that’s what Dan-bi believed.
But that careless assumption was proven spectacularly wrong.

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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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