Secret Nights In The Inner Palace (Taekook)
CHAPTER。{⁰¹}
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OF COURSE WITH TAEKOOK VERSION~
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Ka Country-Taehyung's home country
Yoh Country-The largest and most powerful country in the midlands
Kim Taehyung (In Disguise)
Kim Taehyung-The imperial prince of Ka country
Jeon Jungkook (Emperor)
Jeon Jungkook-Emperor of Yoh country
Ryuna (Tae's Mother)
Kim Ryuna-Taehyung's mother
Kim Mahyun (Tae's Aunt)
Kim Mahyun-Taehyung's aunt
Kim Taeryun (Tae's Elder Sister)
Kim Taeryun-Taehyung's elder sister
Shonen (Tae's Maid)
Shonen-Taehyung's maid
Baigyoku (Tae's Maid)
Baigyuku-Taehyung's maid
Kim Namjoon (Priest)
Kim Namjoon-priest of the moon palace
Min Yoongi (General)
Min Yoongi-Genaral of Jungkook
Jung Hoseok
Jung Hoseok-A soldier captured by Jungkook
Jimin
Jimin-Jungkook's attendant
Passing through the secret passageway, the first imperial prince of Ka country Kim Taehyung finally got outside and gulped as he looked towards the forest and the towering Imperial Castle in the distance.
The two handmaids that had accompanied him also exclaimed, voices full of sorrow.
Due to the enemy army's attack, the castle walls had crumbled and the Western Tower Gates were wrapped in flames. White smoke lingered in the clear spring air, making the sorrow all the more painful.
Kim Taehyung (In Disguise)
......Mother…..
Taehyung wondered about the condition of his mother and aunt who were still in the Royal Palace. Even though he was far away from the action, the sound of cannons and catapults being fired into the castle walls was carried by the wind and quite easy to hear.
The Ka country was located in the northwest of the midlands. It was very fertile, its main attraction the abundance of mountains and rivers. The castle walls and moats that repeatedly surrounded The Imperial Palace were solid structures, but faced with a large army with state-of-the-art weapons, an assault was only a matter of time.
The country he was born and raised in was about to be pulverized and overthrown. Underneath the gauze covering his face, Taehyung bit his lips. The lips that were already tinged red as blood only reddened even further.
When he escaped the Royal Palace, according to his mother's will, he had put on make-up and changed into his sister's clothes.
Ryuna (Tae's Mother)
No matter what happens, you have to survive
This was the final thing his mother had ordered him to do from her sickbed, mustering the last fragments of her strength. She'd said,
Ryuna (Tae's Mother)
Live, Ka country and I pass down the household to you
Just about a week ago there had been an envoy from the super power of the midlands, The Yoh country, recommending them to capitulate.
Half a month before that, Yoh country had attacked and overthrown a neighbouring country. It was said that the royal family had committed suicide and the remaining family members had been taken as captives and marched off to the royal capital of Yoh.
The messenger had come just as they had received news that the Yoh army that had destroyed the neighbouring country had begun to advance towards Ka and they were in the process of preparing to guard against Yoh army.
It was either capitulation or death.
That was the cruel choice Yoh had thrust upon them.
Among the countries of the midlands, Ka was special in that the throne was passed through the female line. For generations, Empresses had governed the country and retained its independence. Sometimes it was through skilful diplomacy, sometimes through military power.
The soldiers of Ka country were known for their dauntless courage, until now they had defeated every invading country. It was said that around 20 years ago during the reign of the previous empress, they had already repelled the Yoh forces that had been standing at their border. It was something his aunt Kim Mahyun had repeated boastfully.
The present Empress Taehyung's mother Kim Ryuna also did not wish to surrender to Yoh country. Even if they surrendered all that was awaiting them was humiliation equal to death.
Last year the southern countries had become Yoh's targets. Most were attacked and overthrown, with the remaining ones becoming vassal states. Even in the case of capitulation, the King became a captive and the Royal family were escorted to the capital as hostages. It was said that a certain country's King that had defied the Yoh Emperor, had been marched off to the capital and his head decapitated in a spectacle.
He'd heard that years ago the previous emperor of Yoh had died, and from within the family quarrels that followed, the third prince had risen and been enthroned. Even empires can be ruined by internal discord, so it seemed it had been necessary for the new Emperor to devote himself to reorganizing the domestic affairs of the country for a short while. That had been last year, but now he'd started embarking on foreign campaigns.
The current emperor was the type to sometimes personally depart for the frontier, he seemed uniquely talented. He didn't know whether it was due to his skill at positioning his soldiers or his skill at tactics, at present the emperor had greedily expanded his territory without a single defeat.
At age 20, the Yoh Emperor had subdued the surrounding countries, and made Yoh the single most powerful country in the midlands. Vexingly, the power difference between Yoh and Ka was clear. On the occasion of becoming Yoh's targets, small countries like Ka, no matter what road they followed, the result would be the same.
Likely, when the messenger from Yoh had come, mother had also clearly made a resolution. Ka could no longer continue to exist the same way it had been up to now. Because she was on the sickbed and there was no Royal Princess to take the throne.
......
Guard: Princess Taeryun, please hurry up
Prompted by the soldiers that had guided him through the secret passageway, Taehyung began to move weighted down by a heavy heart.
The two handmaids that had helped him dress, Shohen and Baigyoku knew the truth, but the five guards implicitly believed that Taehyung was the Royal Princess. It was because the guard's loyalty was something that by all rights belonged to his late older sister.
The underground passageway from the Royal Palace led to an old small shrine located outside the castle. The surrounding land, had once been a prosperous town governed by the Ka country, but now there was nobody living here, and the forest had halfway assimilated everything. The small temple devoted to the G.o.d of Fertility was also decayed, but for emergency's sake, the existent tunnel had been kept clear and ready.
Guided by soldiers, they hurried along a road only passed by animals. All kinds of sprawling trees blocked the sunlight, so even though it was noon, the forest was gloomy and dim. After they came out of the forest they could only proceed north, planning to seek shelter with the tribe that lived at the base of the mountains at the border.
Author
Don't be impatient~
Author
Read it with leisure~
CHAPTER。｛⁰²｝
Becoming unable to bear looking back, they could do nothing but press on forwards. Being the only one to escape from the Royal Palace made his heart ache.
He wondered why things turned out this way. If his older sister who was the Imperial Heir had lived, he thought things would have turned out different. At least, his mother would probably not have retired.
Last autumn, his older sister Taeryun had suddenly fallen ill and died, but it was not made public.
Taeryun as the Imperial Heir was respected and adored by the general populace. With a quick and lively mind, and sometimes spirited speech and conduct she easily wielded her surroundings. Despite that, no matter how meagre the concern was, the people like maids and stable boys serving near her idolized her.
Taeryun was also the mediator between Taehyung and their mother. When it came to Taehyung, he revered Ryuna more like an empress than a mother, but if influenced by his sister, they could have a conversation that was to some extent similar to an interaction between a child and a parent.
As for mother, it was also clear that Taeryun had become a reliable advisor. As soon as one saw it, it became clear that his mother had extraordinary expectations from his older sister.
If Taeryun was to be the next empress, from then on Ka would be peaceful - as far as mother and the courtiers were concerned his sister was their ray of hope.
However Taeryun had unexpectedly taken ill, and died too quickly. And she had been only 17.
His stout-hearted and bold mother couldn't endure the pain of losing her beloved daughter, and gradually started retiring. Along with this came the current invasion from Yoh country.
If he could have stood in place of his sister, he would have wanted to. If it was he who had died instead of his sister, it would have been better. Since Taeryun's death, he couldn't separate himself from the feelings of guilt, repeatedly asking himself why the useless he was still alive while his sister was dead.
It was probably since the day of his sister's death that the decline of Ka country had begun.
Or else, it was because a person like him was born that the national fortunes had come to an end.
The Kim ancestors who had made Hana prosperous, had from a long time ago worshiped the Moon G.o.d, and as such they traditionally dedicated the firstborn prince to serve as 'The Moonq¹ Emperor'. The Moon Emperor represented the Moon G.o.d's divine spirit as a shrine priest (the original is 神子 or shrine maiden~).
Properly speaking, Taehyung too would have had to enter the Moon Palace and become the Moon Emperor next year when he turned 18. The plan had been for him to spend a year visiting the Moon Palace in order to study manners and history, but due to Taeryun's death changes had been inevitable.
If the death of Crown Princess had become public, unrest would have risen among the general populace. Even if Ryuna succeeded after his mother, his aunt had no daughters. Among the Empress's cousins families there had been a daughter, but she had died at a very young age.
Without a suitable candidate to become the next empress among the Royal Family and with the Empress's unsatisfactory state of health, it was impossible to officially announce Taeryun's death. So, for the present, Taehyung served as his sister's substitute.
In the past few years, Taehyung had become about a fist taller than his sister, but in Ka there were generally a lot of tall and slim people. But more importantly Taehyung, at 17 years of age, had a slender delicate physique, so he passed off as a girl well enough.
As one would expect, his voice was lower than Taeryun's, but if he raised his voice, it did not seem strained. And most of all, their facial features were like two peas in a pot, so if Taehyung wore his long hair up, put on make-up and Taeryun's garments, the state was such that even the handmaids who knew the brother and sister well would mistake one for the other.
As an Imperial Princess of Ka country, Taeryun had to meet with foreign dignitaries and attend court council meetings. Though there were people doubtful at the decrease in the amount of times the princess opened her mouth in comparison to before, nobody had noticed that Taeryun's real identity her younger brother Taehyung. It was also fortunate that until now Taehyung had rarely appeared in front of people.
But still, a substitute was a substitute.
He couldn't succeed his mother and ascend the throne. From the start, Taehyung was the First Imperial prince, but as a matter of fact he wasn't even qualified to become the Moon Emperor.
It couldn't be said that he had the normal body of a man.
Holding a secret that he couldn't divulge to anybody and grieving his future, Taehyung touched the necklace on his chest. The necklace was made from pearls and moonstones that were The Moon G.o.d's symbols, he had received it from the Head Priest of The Moon Palace Kim Namjoon, when he had escaped the Royal Palace.
Kim Namjoon (Priest)
Please be safe. I'll pray for Prince Taehyung's happiness.
A gaze filled with more sentiment than the words Namjoon had spoken at the parting had been fixed on Taehyung. And the warmth from their clasped hands still remained.
CHAPTER。｛⁰³｝
The Ka Empress, ostensibly, did not have a husband. It was to protect against any intervention in the political situation by the husbands family. Namjoon had protected his post as a priest till the end, but Taeryun and Taehyung both had long since perceived him as their father.
Because since Taeryun's death, Mahyun had taken to her bed, aside from the time spent carrying out the duties of a priest, Namjoon had begun to spend every single moment next to the Empress. Right now he and Mahyun are both probably in Ryuna's bedroom. They were planning to accompany the empress till the very last moment.
Although Namjoon had never said anything, he probably knew the secret of Taehyung's body. Sometimes, he had glanced at him like he wanted to say something. Right now, Taehyung regretted that he had not called him father even once.
While wishing to bring back the feelings brought by the memories left at the Royal Palace and feeling conflicted about it, his feet mechanically carried him forwards. The soldiers in front suddenly stopped and quietly gave the party a signal to do the same.
Did something happen? Even if he cleared his ears, the only thing Taehyung could hear was the sound of something like small birds chirping. But the soldiers in the back had pushed their ears to the ground and their faces were clouded.
......
Guard: Seems like there are horse riders coming this way. I dare say more than five people…it's probably a pursuing party.
Tension rose among the group. The enemy's response was faster than they had expected. What the heck, when and where did they go wrong?
The sun was almost at zenith. Even if they surveyed the area, there was just an ever expanding forest and no building or caves to hide themselves in.
Furthermore the pursuing party was going horse-back while they were walking. They were also carrying bags with things from the Royal Palace. No matter how much they hurried, the other party would catch up, it could be plainly seen.
The two handmaids, Shohen and Baigyoku exchanged glances worriedly. The handmaids in the Ka Imperial Court were calm, cool and collected with a refined air as appropriate for their social standing, but right now both of their faces had stiffened. If they were caught by enemy soldiers, it was unknown what sort of treatment they would receive.
Kim Taehyung (In Disguise)
What should I do?
Taehyung thought and bit his lips. If they were caught by the enemy, they would most likely be marched off to Yoh. And if they discovered he is a man…
He could only resign himself to experiencing a shameful death. He would find some way or another to save his two maid servants. But he couldn't come up with a plan to solve the situation.
......
Soldier: We can't go on like this. Hurry up!
Urged on by the escorting soldiers, they could only run. The beatings of his heart pierced his chest, making his heart jump. They endured their tangling feet almost making them collapse and headed for the depths of the forest.
However, before long Taehyung could also hear the rumbling of the ground that sounded exactly like the sound of horse-hooves. The pressure in his back increased. He understood that even without turning back, the pursuers had closed up on them. They had become just like animals that were being hunted down.
......
Soldier: We'll stop here and hold those guys back. Please, run away when you get a chance
Two soldiers were induced to volunteer for the duty. From between the trees the figures of their pursuers carrying Yoh country flags became visible. It was probably somewhere around ten people.
Kim Taehyung (In Disguise)
But…
......
Soldier: Let's run away at once, Princess Taeryun
The two soldiers merely faced the oncoming enemies. Taehyung was hesitating so a soldier grasped his arm, apologizing for his rudeness. He was halfway dragged into the forest while being protected by the three remaining soldiers.
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