Chapter 1

“A letter from Noble Lady Dami has arrived, your Highness” Captain Zhang’s voice made Han raise his eyes from the document he had been reading, intrigued by the puzzled tone in his Imperial Guard’s voice.

“Thank you, Captain Zhang. I would ask my secretary to prepare a copy then”

That was the usual procedure. All the correspondence for and from Consort Dowager Jiyong was copied, delivering the original to the intended recipients and keeping the copies in the archives for control. One can never we too precautious dealing with that snake.

“The letter is not for Consort Jiyong, your Highness. Is for Emperor Xiumin”

That made Han frown confused. After the first polite epistolary introductions to deal with the protocol of having her brother living at the Palace, neither Noble Lady Dami nor they kept in touch in a more casual manner. They didn’t have any other thing that associated them besides their mutual connection with Kwon Jiyong.  

“I see. Thank you, Captain Zhang. I would make sure to inform you about the content of this letter as soon as I can”

“Thank you, your Highness” Nodded the Imperial Guard, leaving the office immediately to attend his regular duties. There was nothing more to do than wait.

The Imperial Consort Luhan rolled the letter in his hands thoughtfully, frowning his lips with distaste. He didn’t have any evidence to sustain his hunch, but he had a bad feeling about this.

The content of the letter was polite, sincere, and unusual but not unfeasible. Noble Lady Dami was asking for the Emperor’s permission to send a birthday present for his brother. In other circumstances the request would be unnecessary, except for the nature of the intended gift: She wanted to send Kwon Jiyong silkworms. 

Silk production was the Kwon State’s main source of wealth. The know-how of how to grow the silkworms and produce silk was a well-kept secret. No one had been able to extract an ounce of information about the process or even get one of their well-protected silkworms. The State kin was extremely conscious of the importance of protecting their livelihood.  

Noble Lady Dami wanted to send some silkworms, a suitable array of especial plants to feed them, and some tools to take care of them and process the silk. She confided Minseok that Jiyong and her used to do indulge in sericulture when they were younger, but her younger brother put aside their pastime when he moved out of the State to get married. Becoming a widower, a parent, and the regent of a Kingdom had left him very little free time. She was expecting that his well-earned retirement would give him the chance to regain some of his old interests, after being a de facto king for more than 20 years. She didn’t vocalise her opinion about Jiyong needing to do something productive with his time, but it was clearly implied.

Also, it was clearly implied Noble Lady Dami’s trust in the Emperor’s discretion to protect her State’s wellbeing. In exchange, she invited any member of the Imperial family to check the charge’s content, keep tabs on any part of the process, or simply ask questions about it. She acknowledged the Imperial household’s right to know what was happening under their roof if they were going to allow this, and the generosity and trustworthiness of the Emperor for giving her brother a place to live a quiet life after her nephew’s ascension to the Valley Kingdom’s throne. She ended the letter assuring that a negative would not be taken in a wrong way by any means, with the Emperor already doing so much for her dear and sweet little brother.

“What do you think about this?” Asked Luhan, after Minseok finished reading the letter.

“I don’t see how or why we should deny Lady Dami’s request. I certainly don’t want to give him anything that could be interpreted as a reward, but we should be careful maintaining appearances. Maybe to give that man something to do other than free time to plot the demise of everyone around him would be a good idea.” Sighted Minseok, his frown betraying the nonchalantly on his voice and words.

“Do you think he still has any reason to do that?” Questioned the Vast lands’  giver, looking at his spouse with pursed lips and worried doe-eyes.

“I would never stake any of my family members’ life on him not doing it for reasons that only he seems to foresee” Shrugged his shoulders the Emperor, taking a piece of paper and ink to start a letter “But this doesn’t look like anything he can use against anyone. On the contrary, us dishonestly using this secret would be the ruin of his Noble House Name, his beloved sister family’s future, and would terribly weaken their home State. And I will not turn down any opportunity to add another chain around that Dragon’s neck to keep him pliant and quiet” 

“Who would have thought that love would be the most effective way to chain a bloodthirsty Dragon?” Observed Luhan amused, leaving his spouse’s office to inform the news to Captain Zhang and alert the rest of the family about the arrival of their unusual new invertebrate guests. 

The small convoy with the presents for the Dragon of the Valley was received by Captains Zhang Yixing, Kim Jongdae, Do Kyungsoo, and Prince Jongin. As soon as the young Noble Consort had heard about the issue, he had volunteered to be the representative of the East Empire Household.

“You don’t have to do this” Had said Prince Sehun, taking his spouse’s hand worriedly. “If you are worried that this is a trick, I will go and make sure everything is alright” 

“I don’t think this is exactly a trick, but I don’t trust in anything related to that man, even when this isn’t coming from him in the first place” Had confessed Jongin, his brown eyes looking at his lover’s dark ones reassuringly “I just need to see”

Sehun nodded gravely, understanding exactly what his jewel needed. That didn’t mean that he wasn’t going to make sure that the young carrier would be backed by the three Imperial and Royal Guards.

The convoy was led by no other than Captain Choi Seunghyun. Jongin knew about the delivery arrangements, but still, the presence of that dark shadow made him shiver. When King Minho knew about his aunt’s intentions, he enthusiastically offered his personal guard to do the delivery, taking the opportunity to add his and his siblings’ presents. He knew the importance of Lady Dami’s charge, so he took into his hands the duty of protecting his aunt’s interests. Predictably, Captain Choi took the lead role as his Royal Guard and the best man in his army.

None of the Kim royals knew how much Jiyong’s children knew about their parent’s new marriage, but they chose not to say anything about it. Another chain to keep Jiyong quiet.

“Captain Choi, I’m Prince Lee Jongin. I’m here in the Emperor’s name to ensure the accomplishment of this delivery”

“Your Highness, me and my men would follow your orders as promised” Replied the tall man while respectfully bowing in front of the Consort, his deep voice chillingly polite and dark.  

“Follow me then to the Consort Dowager’s chambers. Captain Zhang would supervise the lodging of the silkworms, Captain Kim the replanting of the plants and Captain Do the array of the instruments and tools. I will assist you in delivering the presents, Captain Choi”

That was something all the Imperial family agreed on. Never to leave those two alone. Ever.

“Yes, your Highness” If Captain Choi was disappointed about having witnesses during his first encounter with his spouse after their rushed marriage, he didn’t show any of it.

They walked and entered the golden prison without exchanging another word. Captain Choi seemed very aware of his position, dutifully walking behind the Prince and his Guards.

“Consort Dowager, the convoy has arrived” Informed Jongin as soon as he saw the man standing up in the middle of the room, evidently waiting for them.  

The Dragon of the Valley was a magnificent vision. He usually looked impeccable anytime Jongin showed up spontaneously at his chamber, but nothing like this. This was the Dragon showing off his more brilliant scales and the evidence of the tales praising his legendary youthful beauty.

His long hair was stylishly arranged in a complicated braid adorned with golden chains and hairpins. His robes were gold, crimson and black, creating a shocking and sophisticated combination that only him seemed to be able to make look that good. His hands and neck were adorned with more gold and gems, all of him a precious living doll.

Or more accurately, a living statue that didn’t react when his sight landed on his former Royal Guard, paramour and now secret spouse, for whom all that silk, jewels and splendour had been undoubtedly assembled.  

“Thank you for your kindness, your Highness. Please, take a seat while everything is set up”

“Thank you, Consort Kwon. The interruption won’t take long, I assure you” Nonchalantly noted Jongin, observing from the corner of his eye the reaction of the couple. As expected, they didn’t show any noticeable sign of discontent, but he noticed the way Jiyong moved around slowly than usual, his silhouette discretely followed by the broody Royal Guard. “Would you like to open your presents?”

I was an order disguised as a request. The three of them knew that the presents were going to be inspected by the Imperial Household to ensure they were harmless.  

“Of course, your Highness, how gracious of you. Captain Choi, would you mind?” For the first time, the Valley Kingdom’s Consort acknowledged the Royal Guard with a soft but empty smile, more courteous than anything, while gracefully extending his small hand as a request gesture.

The dark and silent Royal Guard complied immediately, never changing his serious expression. During the exchange, the gloomy man didn’t dare to raise his cold eyes, keeping his hard and intense stare low in front of the petite man that was his clandestine spouse.  

Their hands didn’t even touch when the Dragon of the Valley eagerly took the presents, apparently forgetting the presence of Captain Choi immediately. Jongin wasn’t deceived. For how long these two men have hidden their relationship, for them to be so good at pretending there’s nothing there to hide in the first place?

“I wasn’t aware it was your birthday” Mentioned Jongin amiably, displaying how unaffected he was to be in the presence of both men. “Congratulations, Consort Jiyong”

“Thank you, your Highness. I usually don’t celebrate it, but it seems that my children are more invested in not letting it go unnoticed this year”

“Absence makes the heart grow fonder; people say”

The fingers of the Dragon the Valley were absently caressing a delicate and expensive hair accessory in the shape of a bouquet of daisy flowers. The unremarkable and unmarked box containing the jewel had been the first present that the former ruler opened.

“Indeed, your Highness” Agreed on the man in red silk while pulling off all the jewels on this hair to place the flower shaped accessory instead, in a place of honour. “But one can also feel the stab of someone’s absence even while been in their presence”

The hair jewel had to be from Captain Choi, who pressed his lips in a thin line but didn’t raise his cold gaze from the table filled with the other gifts.

Jongin’s eyes grew wide, completely taken aback by the Dragon’s confession. His demure expression hasn’t changed, but to the young Noble Consort, it was obvious that the older man was talking about his lover. A lover that was standing right there, so close to him, and yet unable to reach and touch to keep the charade.  

“Let’s see what else I got, shall we?”

In the end, the presents were tasteful but innocuous, as expected.

“Your Highness, everything had been set” Said Captain Do, followed by Captain Zhang and Kim, who nodded in confirmation.

“We just need to open the iron chest with the silkworms, and everything would be ready” Added Captain Zhang, gesturing the back chamber with a tilt of this head.

The reinforced iron box’s key rested on the armoured chest of the Valley’s Royal Guard. A complicated fourth blade key for an even more complex lock to protect the valuable worms. Seunghyun was about to give the key to Jongin when Jiyong’s voice interrupted them.

“Would you mind if I open the chest, your Highness?. To make sure they are alright after such a long travel”

It was a lie, so obviously a lie, that Jiyong didn’t even try to hide it when he turned around to stare at Jongin, waiting for his consent to approach the Royal Guard. It would be so easy for Jongin to say no, to take the key and the opportunity away from Jiyong’s hands, but there was something in the eyes of the Dragon that made him reconsider his first reaction.

The Dragon was pleading, as openly as possible in such public circumstances. For the first time, Jongin saw openness in that glaze that didn’t deviate or recoil. The proud Dragon knew about the slim chances he had to succeed and still took the risk to show his cards. Is this really that worthy to expose this vulnerability?, asked to himself Jongin, full of curiosity to see what was going to happen. The younger nobleman just nodded once after exchanging a peek with his own Guard, who walked along with the Dragon.

“May I, Captain Choi?” Requested the shorter man, extending his pale hand graciously, ready to receive the key.

“At your command, Consort Dowager Kwon”

The intimacy of the moment exchanged between them was so subtle, so light and brief, that only Jongin noticed its intensity. The breath that got caught in the Dragon’s chest when those fingers touched his skin to place the key. The way Captain Choi’s fingertips caressed the soft palm just a little bit longer than necessary, with his dark and terrible eyes relishing in the sight of this short-lived moment greedily.

A moment of closeness that dissolved in the blink of an eye. 

None of those intense feelings remained on them. Captain Choi waited silently and unwearyingly while Jiyong opened the chest under Captains Do’s supervision, to later handed him the key to giving it back to Seunghyun. Jiyong stepped at Jongin’s side, far away from the dark and tall Royal Guard, humbly keeping his clasped hands over his tights as signalling that he had no intention to stretch Jongin’s goodwill in any other way.

The Dragon of the Valley limited to a tad mannerly bow when the severe silhouette of his clandestine lover and spouse exited his chamber, most probably to never see him again.  

“Prince Jongin?” The gentle voice of the Dragon of the Valley stopped Jongin’s departure. “I’m preparing a new Star Map for the forthcoming change of season. It would be ready in a couple of days. I was hoping you would accept to receive a copy of it. You can come to retrieve it personally or send someone else to do it. I was wishing you could enjoy it with Prince Sehun”

The Noble Consort Kim Jongin stared at the Consort Dowager Kwon Jiyong knowingly, perfectly understanding the unspoken message concealed in that spontaneous offering.

“Thank you for letting me have this moment”

“How thoughtful of you, Consort Kwon” Not a yes, but also not a negative. A truce perhaps.

Jiyong bowed courteously, disguising his gleeful smile with civility, and said nothing more.

He didn’t need to. The seed had been already planted.