Empress Handbook

Chapter Twenty-Three | Hidden Serpents

The second movement of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata flows through the speakers.

Yeoreum pushes her hand across the rose-scented bubbles that have already foamed up the edges of the bathtub. She frowns as the bubbles slip through her fingers.

"Your Majesty," Nara says. She places a cup of honey tea next to Yeoreum. "Is everything good?"

Yeoreum can sense hesitance in Nara's voice, but she doesn't want to hurry her. After all, just as much as Nara dreads saying the words, Yeoreum dreads having to hear them.

After a long, reluctant moment that drags the piano tune to the startling third movement, Nara raises her gaze with a kind of determination that warns Yeoreum she won't like what she is going to hear.

"The team I sent out reported that the luminol reacted positively to eight of the ten storerooms."

Yeoreum nods with the blanket of bubbles concealing her tightening fists. She forces herself to breathe, but her throat closes with trepidation.

"Okay, I understand," Yeoreum says. "Thank you, Nara."

Nara frowns. "Your Majesty, are you all right?"

"Yes, I am fine."

"I understand how shocking it must be," Nara says gently. "Please feel free to talk to me if you do not feel comfortable talking to Mr Min about it."

Yeoreum bitterly tugs her lips. "Well, it's hard. I raised Gyowool because our mother was too busy divorcing our father, and our father didn't care about us, so I can't help but think that I somehow contributed to who he is today."

"That is not true, Your Majesty," Nara utters, "From what I know, you are a kind-hearted person, and it is hard to imagine that you would contribute anything negative to anyone."

Yeoreum clasps her hands. "Thank you for saying this, Nara," she says.

A series of knocks rises from the other side of the bathroom door. Yeoreum can tell it's Taehyung just from the restrained sound.

"Yeoreum, may I come in?"

Yeoreum gestures for Nara to turn off the music and takes a breath. She isn't going to let anything, including Gyowool's bloodlust, obstruct her plan.

"Come in."

Taehyung strides into the room with a smile on his lips. The tenseness in his shoulders loosens as Yeoreum's features enter his gaze.

"I thought you weren't going to wait for me."

"I am taking a bath," Yeoreum says. She rolls her eyes. "Does that mean everyone in the world who's taking a bath right now is waiting for you?"

Taehyung laughs and sits on the platform next to the bathtub. A groan leaves him as he stretches his legs.

"It absolutely does," Taehyung says.

Taehyung eyes Nara, and Nara quickly exits the room.

Yeoreum isn't frustrated by the lack of Nara's presence at all. Slowly, she has learned to embrace her time alone with Taehyung.

"How was the meeting with the foreign minister?" Yeoreum says. "Anything exciting?"

"Nope. It was unbelievably boring," Taehyung says as he loosens his tie. "Apparently, there is tension between the Japanese government and us because an unknown group of people in Japan is trying to start a boycott against Korean brands."

"All of a sudden? That is so suspicious."

"Yes. To counter this problem, The Japanese Emperor and Empress will visit us to promote peace between the two countries next week."