The Concubine Does Not Love the Emperor - Chapter 19

“Hmm, I heard the Emperor is handsome, but it seems the rumors were exaggerated.”

“Nah, Bahari, from what I’ve heard, he’s outrageously good-looking! He’s even more handsome than the rumors suggest.”

The Rem sisters compared the Emperor’s appearance they had heard about from Margaret to the rumors they knew. None of the stories matched. In the end, it seemed that all the plausible rumors circulating in the harem were false.

“Okay, here we are. Focus.”

When Margaret clapped her hands, the Rem sisters simultaneously turned their attention to one place. Before them was a large red door adorned with numerous locks. The mouths of the Rem sisters hung open in surprise.

“This door is the secret passage.”

With a disbelieving expression, Gulle reached out to touch the locks on the door.

“Hmm, Gulle, are you sure you haven’t misunderstood the meaning of a secret passage? It’s right here in plain sight.”

Margaret chuckled lightly. She couldn’t believe it herself. Instead of replying, she pushed the door open herself.

After a few back-and-forths, they developed a technique, and the door opened relatively easily compared to their first attempt. As the massive door silently moved, the Rem sisters’ eyes widened as if they were about to pop out.

“Don’t just stand there and gawk. Come on in. I’ll put it back in place, so give it a try. You’ll figure out the technique when you push it yourself.”

With confidence, Gulle rolled up her sleeves and stepped forward. Though Margaret was taller, Gulle assumed that her larger frame would make it easier to push.

However, to their dismay, the door didn’t budge. Watching them, Bahari rushed forward, and the two of them struggled to push the door. It moved ever so slightly but refused to budge any further. The door was too heavy for the two women to push.

In the end, Gulle, who had been wrestling with the door, sat down on the floor in frustration.

“Gulle, I think we might get caught doing this.”

Bahari also sat down next to her, looking distressed.

“I already have five arrows in my back. No, my head’s probably rolling on the ground somewhere. I can’t even close my eyes as I roll around.”

Margaret burst into laughter at their dramatic complaints.

“It’s okay because it moved a bit, right? And I’ve heard that in dire situations, people can summon extraordinary strength, so you’ll be fine.”

Gulle looked at Margaret skeptically.

“Really?”

“Sure.”

With Margaret’s confident response, the Rem sisters exchanged glances and reluctantly accepted it. Both had heard similar advice from their mother.

“But just in case.”

Margaret reached out to the seated sisters and helped them to their feet in one go, displaying her incredible strength. The sisters were once again astonished by her immense power.

“Starting today, you two should do some push-ups or something.”

“I don’t want to!”

Rarely, the two of them simultaneously voiced the same refusal. Margaret laughed again at their disgusted expressions.

“Haven’t you forgotten what the Crown Prince said? No matter what happens, you have to survive. Think of your parents at the mansion, if nothing else.”

Survival meant something else entirely to her. She closed her eyes tightly and briefly reminisced about the past before adding earnestly,

“But just in case things go awry and I get caught or end up in prison. At that time, you can escape through this door. If you follow this path, you’ll reach a square. If you cross that square and enter an alley, you’ll find a complex market, almost like a maze.”

Margaret recalled the market street she had fled through with Ley, a place that became more complicated the further you ventured inside.

“If you hide yourselves reasonably well there, no one will be able to find you. When things settle down, find a way back to the mansion using a messenger. In the harem, it’s not uncommon for concubines to disappear. Even if you disappear, no one will pay you any mind.”

Suddenly, the atmosphere grew heavy, and the Rem sisters couldn’t bring themselves to respond.

“Can you ride a horse?”

“Yes.”

“You have to survive. If you stay alive, we can meet again.”

No one responded to her final words. This was something she was telling herself. Margaret gave a bitter smile, and as she looked at the contemplative sisters, Gulled deliberately spoke in a cheerful tone.

“Whatever it is, I trust you, Gulle! Ah, by the way, it’s really hot. Shall we head back?”

Bahari also smiled brightly, understanding Gulle’s intention to change the subject.

“Tell the kitchen to bring us some ice treats,” Margaret said, realizing that she had become too serious and offering a kind smile. She didn’t want to burden the cheerful and pleasant sisters with unnecessary worries.

Erasing any traces, they strolled through the gardens. The sun was scorching, but the shade of the trees was refreshingly cool. Among the concubines wandering about, there were even those who wore long dresses despite it being summer.

Seeing Margaret’s puzzled expression, Bahari explained, “Some people feel the chill from the north winds. August in Boroman is a strange month where both heat and cold coexist. Winter is similar too. Some people don’t feel particularly cold due to the winds blowing in from the desert. What about Berthe?”

Berthe…”

Margaret thought of her homeland, with its long springs and autumns, cool summers, and winters freezing enough to make cheeks turn red.

“The seasons are relatively distinct there. We’re located up north, so even in the height of summer, it’s not that hot. But in winter, the wind is biting, and snow piles up like peach blossoms.”

Margaret spoke slowly, as she dug into her memories.

“Snow?!”

Bahari’s eyes widened in surprise.

“No way – it actually snows in Berthe.”

That must be up in Kardima.

At first, Margaret was skeptical of her ears. The sharpness of the words directed at her amidst the Rem sisters’ lively conversation struck her ears like a blade.

“It’s an unusual hair color, isn’t it? Neither silver nor white.”

“Take a look at that face. They sure live up to their exotic appearance.”

She quickly turned her head, but her gaze didn’t meet anyone’s. The concubines, in groups of two or three, were either strolling quietly or enjoying cool drinks in the shade.

“Why are you like that, Huram?”

Gulle asked, examining Margaret’s stiff expression.

“Because I just heard something strange.”

“Something strange?”

The Rem sisters widened their eyes and quickly scanned their surroundings.

“Even if His Majesty doesn’t search for a harem, how can someone be so shameless?”

This time, Margaret’s voice was more direct and filled with conviction. The Rem sisters stopped abruptly and looked around fiercely.

“Who could they be meeting? They even lie shamelessly.”

“I saw Gulle in the bathhouse last time. Their whole body was covered in scars. It definitely wasn’t the body of a noblewoman.”

“Oh my, does that mean they’re from a slave background? Sneaking into Kadiramaro while shamelessly concealing their origins.”

“Sometimes, you have to be shameless to meet men in the harem without knowing how dangerous it can be.”

Although no one was looking at Margaret, she felt the gazes from all around.

“What on earth are you talking about? You’re a man?”

“Huram is from the Devran lineage, and we can vouch for it. They’ve been serving the family for generations. Calling them a slave is absurd!”

As Gulle bravely retorted in a loud voice, Bahari joined in to explain. Gulle, in particular, tried to intimidate the concubines by glaring at them, but it was in vain. Nobody paid any attention.

Giggles and laughter erupted among the concubines.

“They have no shame.”

“Perhaps it’s because they come from servants; they resemble their masters. They lack culture even to the tiniest degree.”

Margaret intervened to stop the Rem sisters from explaining further. Her uneasy premonition had been confirmed through this method.

For several days, the Rem sisters searched for the source of the rumors, but they had no leads. Instead, the more they tried to clarify the rumors, the more they swelled as if they were true. In the end, everyone in the harem knew about the rumor that Margaret was meeting an outsider.

That man had been described as both a Turkish man who carried firewood and a guardian of the gate. Alongside the provocative rumors, absurd stories had spread like wildfire.

“It’s all just stories. Some of the other concubines have even asked me openly if there’s any truth to them.”

“Somebody might be intentionally spreading them.”

Margaret absentmindedly placed an ice treat in her mouth, nibbling on it slowly. It was a snack, peach juice drizzled over a round, frozen piece of ice. In the hot weather these days, the kitchen often serves ice treats as snacks. Consciously acknowledging the overheated atmosphere, Margaret casually spoke.

“It’s my fault. There must have been someone who saw me that day.”

“But it could have been an old lady talking nonsense!”

Gulle, who had a low opinion of Ina, asserted herself in a loud voice.

“When we ask why these rumors started, they all say Huram was wandering around, but there’s no one who claims to have actually seen it. Someone heard it from someone else, and when you go to that person, they heard it from someone else. It’s like chasing a tail with no body!”

Gulle banged her chest in frustration.

One man among countless women

Most of the women in the harem were virgins until their deaths. Occasionally, the Emperor might choose a concubine or take a noble family’s daughter as a wife if he desired, but this was a rare occurrence.

If it were ever revealed that a woman was not a virgin, her fate would not be a simple death sentence. Typically, it involved a gruesome punishment, such as being thrown at a beast like a crocodile or a lion or being fed to them.

It was only natural for Gulle to be worried as she beat her chest. Bahari, who was cautiously questioning Margaret while eating an ice cream treat, asked,

“May I ask what’s on your mind? You seem quite unconcerned about the rumors, considering how widespread they are.”

“I’ve heard people gossiping loudly in the public bathhouse. People here are bored. Since the Emperor isn’t looking for anything, there are no incidents. So, the new Kadima, are just playing pranks with food or spreading unnecessary rumors.”

“Yeah, that’s possible. In that case, you should at least have the power to influence my position, right?”

As if she had realized something, Gulle clapped her hands together.

“You’re waiting, Gulle. If it’s just a passing rumor for fun, it’ll die down soon. If someone has malicious intent, they’ll show their next move.”

“You’re right.”

As Margaret had predicted, when the rumors peaked, the eunuch in charge of the harem, Hathsan, who was black, came to see them.