Empress Handbook

Chapter Seven | Wolf and Sheep

"3...2...1..." Nara says. She anxiously folds her lips. "Start."

Yeoreum lifts her chin and looks at the camera lenses.

"Good evening, People of the Empire of Korea. I am aware that these gloves have triggered a great deal of discussion, so I would like to make some clarifications. First, I would like to thank all of you for bestowing me with this amount of attention. I am anxious as I step into this formidable position and your intricate inspection assists me in recognising what I can do better."

A small, polite smile is clutched at the corners of Yeoreum's lips, her hair is neatly pulled back into a ponytail, and her face is studded with solemnity and resolution. She is in a team with Taehyung, Yeoreum reminds herself. She can't let him down.

"I do not find these gloves to be immodest. Like any other gloves, these gloves do what they were designed to do—prevent germs from spreading during handshakes. The rule of having them elbow-length is a dated rule established in the early 1940s to hide as much of a woman's skin as possible," Yeoreum says. "I believe this tradition is unfit for our current society where men and women should be seen as equals."

Yeoreum eases into a moment of silence to accentuate the sternness in her voice before she widens her smile.

"As the Empress of the Empire of Korea, I try to be a friend to all women. I do not believe that elbow-length gloves showcase more modesty than wrist-length ones, and thus, I acted upon that opinion. I am deeply apologetic if I offended you. Nevertheless, I hope that independence will soon become an acceptable trait appropriate for all modern women to possess. Thank you for watching, and I will continue to try and become an Empress the nation would be proud of."

———

Song Yeoreum is right! That rule is so dumb. Why would anyone wear elbow-length gloves? She's not washing any dishes.

Finally, we have a member of the Imperial Family who supports gender equality! The Imperial Family is supposed to promote our traditional culture, not to promote moronic misogynistic rules that aren't even a part of our culture.

Taehyung inspects the comment section of Yeoreum's live stream with a smile hanging on his lips. He curls his fingers around his glass of scotch and chugs down the dry, bitter alcohol.

"Song Yeoreum's live stream is a great success. It has attracted attention from all over the world. Her name flew to the top of the trending topics of domestic search engines seconds after she ended the live stream, and similar effects rippled to international social media sites within half an hour. The media is now naming this live stream a historical moment in protest for gender equality." A subdued fleck of darkness flits across Soojung's lowered gaze. "But Empress Dowager is not very happy with the situation."

Taehyung shrugs. "Summer is coming, and the witch is going to get burnt. Of course, the witch won't be happy about that."

Soojung draws herself next to Taehyung and deftly presses her body against his. This time, he does not push her away. Sometimes, we have to use people as weapons, and it is best not to have legitimate connections with those weapons because there is always a chance that we may have to throw them away. Yes, Yeoreum is interesting, but she's just a weapon.

"But, though the heat can scorch a witch, it takes another witch to defeat a witch, Your Majesty." Soojung nestles her head against the crook of Taehyung's neck. The faint aroma of cigars reaches her nostrils, and her eyebrows tighten with concern. "You seem to have smoked a lot lately, Your Majesty. I am deeply concerned about your health."

"Noona." Taehyung clenches her wrist. "Will you like to conduct a health check on me?"

Soojung chuckles and draws her lips next to his. "Gladly."