The Concubine Does Not Love the Emperor - Chapter 17

Margaret glanced back. She no longer felt the presence of the persistent pursuer who had been following her. Who could it be? It wasn’t Ray. Ever since her breakup with Ray, she had felt a similar presence tracking her. Perhaps some sort of male guardian, she thought. He might be younger and of higher status than she had initially assumed. If an unknown woman was lurking around, they might follow her to confirm her identity.

“I’ve done background checks on others too.”

Suppressing her disappointment, she cautiously returned to the secret passage. Wasting time eluding her pursuer had made her anxious. She decided to refrain from using the secret passage for a while. Her premonition wasn’t good. Ever since she heard the ominous bell toll at the temple, she felt that something was going awry.

The Prime Minister’s death, the unidentified man, the kiss, and the cannon schematics – no matter what turmoil was unfolding in the empire, it had nothing to do with Margaret. There might be occasional distractions, but she had never once forgotten her ultimate goal.

Margaret concealed herself and casually entered the inner court. The harem’s worship sessions were longer than those outside because they invited specialized priestesses to recite scriptures. These priestesses were paid by the hour, so worship never ended on time.

Margaret hid behind a tree and gazed up at her room. The window was open. In just a few minutes, she could climb the wall and reach her room safely. As she prepared to sprint with her heart pounding and her hands sweaty, the bell tolled.

Dong!

The bell marking the end of the worship service rang out. Margaret hesitated. Once the bell stopped, the harem residents would tidy up and soon pour out of the temple. There was no time to waste. Margaret contemplated the risk of getting caught climbing the wall versus encountering the head eunuch on her way back to the room. She was weighing her options when the bell abruptly ceased.

Margaret started running. If she got caught climbing the wall, there would be no room for excuses. She raced up the stairs, taking two steps at a time, and then sprinted through the long corridor. If luck was on her side, she might reach her room without running into anyone. Just as she turned a corner, someone suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Margaret managed to stop just in time, narrowly avoiding a collision.

“Huram-nim?”

It was Ina. As a low-ranking palace servant of slave origin, she was carrying various offerings along with several other Kadima women. It seemed like she had just finished worship, as she held scriptures and meditation cushions in her hands.

“I heard you weren’t attending the worship service due to your health.”

Ina’s voice trailed off as she scrutinized Margaret. She gave her a suspicious glance and then her gaze stopped at Margaret’s finger. More precisely, it was the gold ring on her ring finger. She noticed the craftsmanship engraved on the ring, which appeared to be a name.

“That’s a beautiful ring,” Ina remarked.

Margaret sensed an odd tension in Ina’s tone.

“And you’ve even dyed your hair for some reason.”

Palace servants rarely meddled in the affairs of the harem to this extent. Margaret didn’t let herself get flustered and lightly rebuked Ina. She knew that showing weakness would only give her detractors more ammunition.

“You’re being quite nosy.”

“I was just curious because it’s not your usual appearance. My curiosity got the better of me, I suppose.”

“Excessive curiosity can be harmful.”

Suddenly, the murmurs and gossip of the harem women behind Ina began to be audible. After a brief moment of thought, Ina grabbed Margaret’s hand and pulled her aside.

“Curious kittens often meet an early end, you know. I’m well aware of that. It’s a story even found in the scriptures. Come this way.”

Ina handed over the scriptures she had been carrying to Margaret.

“Let’s worship together.”

And they walked side by side. Margaret, who couldn’t gauge Ina’s true intentions, cast a fleeting glance at her. Ina, who had spent a long time in the harem, had a petite and attractive appearance compared to Margaret. Even as a low-ranking palace servant, if she caught the Emperor’s eye, she could receive better treatment than the Kadima women. However, unless the Emperor visited the harem, she was destined to grow old as a low-ranking palace servant. Margaret couldn’t understand why she was helping her.

On their way back, they encountered a few eunuchs, but paid them no attention. Thanks to Ina’s guidance, Margaret returned to her room without any significant issues. Bahari, which had been anxiously awaiting Margaret’s return while sneakily peeking out the window, was startled when the door suddenly opened without a knock.

“Huram-nim, how did you…?”

Realizing her mistake in an instant, Margaret covered Bahari’s mouth with her hand. She pretended as though she hadn’t seen anything, while Ina, with a composed expression, began to explain.

“The long worship hours seemed to have exhausted you, so I brought you here.”

Not knowing what she meant, the Gulle merely blinked in confusion. Nevertheless, Bahari quickly handed Ina a bag of silver coins without a word.

“Thank you, Ina-nim. We should have waited near the temple, but due to our ignorance, we made a mistake.”

Ina looked briefly surprised when she saw the bag of silver coins in her hand, but soon she smiled kindly and explained the situation.

“Today, the worship service ended a bit earlier than the usual schedule. It’s not your fault. But next time, it’s better to be more cautious.”

“We always learn a lot from you, Ina-nim.”

Bahari politely bowed, even though she was a low-ranking palace servant of slave origin. Regardless of their status, anyone dedicated to the Emperor had to treat him with utmost respect. Gulle also hurriedly bent at the waist, and Ina gestured that everything was fine.

“Very well, Huram-nim, we shall take our leave. You can keep the scriptures. I still have some.”

Ina bid farewell lightly, as if she had been assisting Margaret, who was supposedly unwell.

*****

“Still, he was the Empire’s Treasurer! There are witnesses, and yet they’re closing the case just like that!”

“He was of an age where death wouldn’t be unusual. Rumor has it he had his share of enemies. Could it be the work of someone with a grudge?”

“It’s not just any place; it’s a murder that happened in the temple where His Majesty stayed. We can’t let it go like this.”

“But the culprits aren’t even confirmed, and they say it was a young woman and a man. Maybe it was just a lover’s quarrel.”

“Are those two really the culprits? There are hardly any witnesses, and even their accounts differ. Plus, there’s no solid evidence.”

“That makes sense! The Treasurer may have had a habit of inviting the young woman to his mansion. Investigating the case might only tarnish his reputation further. That’s why the family wants it hushed up.”

The men, wearing high-crowned, triangular-shaped hats, spoke one after another without agreement. They all had long, white beards and appeared to be discussing something quite seriously. These fifteen individuals were the Empire’s Treasurers, some of whom had held their positions since the reign of the previous king, and others appointed directly by Emperor Soleiman. Regardless of their age, the long white beard was a symbol of the Treasurers, so those without beards or with black beards even attached fake ones.

“It’s been over three hours already.”

The Emperor, who had been bored watching their debate from the highest seat, finally yawned and reclined on his elongated chair.

“How long will you keep repeating the same story?”

His voice was low, neither loud nor threatening, but the chamber fell silent in an instant. When his piercing violet eyes scanned the faces of the Treasurers, they all politely lowered their heads. Suleiman lay on one arm of his chair, bored and grumbling.

“Fifteen Treasurers, and you can’t manage to speak one word each.”

Despite the slight disdain in his words, none of the Treasurers took offense. Each of them offered explanations for the matter that had irked the Emperor.

“But, Your Majesty, the former Empire’s Treasurer has passed away. Before we proceed with the funeral, we need to investigate who was responsible.”

“Watch your words carefully. Don’t say it’s someone’s doing. We didn’t claim it was a conspiracy or a grudge. You speak as if someone orchestrated this.”

“What if it was an attempt on Your Majesty’s life by Prince Mustafa?”

At the mention of this, the council chamber went quiet as if someone had poured cold water on it. The words, spoken by an unidentified voice, reverberated throughout the chamber.

“As Your Majesty is aware, since there is no heir, and Prince Mustafa is confined in the mansion-”

“Silence! How can you casually utter such words about someone’s safety?”

“You, Treasurers, should be quiet. It’s not something you should be discussing so recklessly. Listening to this, it’s not entirely unreasonable.”

“What power does a prince, far from the capital, have, and how could he send someone to commit such an act?”

“There may be forces supporting Prince Mustafa that everyone knows about!”

Before the speaker could finish, someone else offered a rebuttal, and another countered that argument. The debate flared up again, even more heated. Sultan Suleiman’s gaze betrayed a hint of discomfort.

The Treasurer was dead. To be precise, he was the ‘former Treasurer.’ He had played a crucial role, serving as the eyes and ears of Sultan Suleiman in understanding the political landscape of the capital. And now, he was dead. All the talk about inviting young women to his mansion or tales of conspiracy were mere disguises. That’s why the case had been resolved as it was. The real reason was to prevent his hidden role from being exposed.

Suleiman slowly rose to his feet.

“That’s enough, enough. If today’s council meeting was going to be like this, I wouldn’t have attended.”

He looked around the chamber with a menacing gaze.