"My Lord, we've arrived."
Ethan got out of the carriage and let out a tired sigh.
Between the snow, he could see the green bamboo trees. A cold breeze blew. The shaking bamboo trees sounded just like a child's laughter.
"My Lord."
A middle-aged man walked up as soon as he saw Ethan. The wrinkles on his face betrayed his age, but his movements and the gleam in his eyes were full of youthful energy.
"Have you returned?"
"Mm."
"Elly is waiting for you inside. She kept grumbling that the person who's supposed to be here isn't here and nearly drove me insane all day."
Thanks to the cheeky John, a smile formed on Ethan's face for the first time in a while.
John and Elly were husband and wife, and they were the ones who had helped Ethan when he was left all alone. While their status were mere servants in name, they were the only people in the world who were like parents to Ethan.
When Ethan entered inside, John followed behind.
"Young Master!"
As soon as Ethan entered, a woman who seemed to be the same age as John approached him with a bright smile on her face.
Elly had raised him like her own son when Consort Min had let go of all her responsibilities as his mother.
"I was a few days late."
"I was worried something might have happened to you, Young Master. Why didn't you give us notice?"
Ethan took off his cloak, and Elly took it. The quiet residence was now full of clamor as their master had returned from war.
As he began to walk to his bedchamber, he stopped when he recalled something. He turned around, but the words 'wife' and 'wedding' were lodged in his throat.
Although he knew that it wouldn't be easy to go against an Imperial decree, he didn't plan on getting married anytime soon.
"Elly."
"Yes, My Lord?"
"Start organizing the things in the residence."
"What?"
If he could have his way, he wanted to burn everything to ashes, but if things went south, it would look like he was rejecting the Imperial decree. The bamboo grove was no place for a woman he'd call wife to reside.
He planned on preventing the marriage no matter what, but before that, he wanted to clean out every trace of Consort Min from the residence.
"My Lord, that is…"
"Take care of it."
Over ten years had passed since Consort Min had left, but traces of her were everywhere. He hated the sight of them and didn't want to see them, but now it was time to get rid of it all.
As if telling Elly that this was not open for discussion, Ethan entered his bedchamber.
* * *
The court ladies flinched as they heard the shattering of a vase. However, when they heard another vase shatter, they looked at each other with tearful eyes.
Even when a young concubine had temporarily received the emperor's favor and was acting impudent towards her, Consort Min never betrayed her dismay. When the emperor's favor had returned to her, the concubine's life was taken away as repayment. Even when she was affronted with such an insult, Consort Min had never shown anger like this.
"Is the Consort still at it?"
"Your Excellency."
When the court ladies saw the man with a noble presence, they bowed. As they lowered their heads, another bowl crashed, and the shattering sound rang in the air. They could hear the voice of Court Lady Yeo as she tried to soothe the Consort's anger, but then they heard something else shatter.
"It seems that the Consort is very angry."
"Court Lady Yeo is trying to console her, but…"
"Let them know I'm here."
Hesitating despite the duke's order, the court lady pressed her eyes shut. After the announcement that His Excellency had arrived, the door opened, and Court Lady Yeo stepped out and bowed. As he was about to enter the room, the duke saw the mess of a room, and the corner of his lips went up.
"Even if your servants' lips are heavy, things like rumors move very fast. Isn't that so, Consort?"
Consort Min's anger did not subside despite the duke's words. Her clenched fists trembled as she glared into the distance. This was a woman who didn't even raise a brow at anything, so to see her like this was almost unbelievable. Was it because even an abandoned son was still her son?
However, the duke shook his head at his own thoughts. To Consort Min, the most important person was not the emperor nor her son. It was herself.
"What are you doing? What if the Consort steps on a shard? Go and clean the room."
At the duke's command, the court ladies entered the room and began to diligently clean up the mess. As the room was being tidied, the Consort and the duke remained silent.
Once the room was clean and refreshments were brought in, the duke sent out all the servants from the room.
"It looks like His Majesty the Crown Prince's royal marriage will take place very soon. Now that His Majesty has made his move, it won't be long before a daughter from a ducal family will become the Crown Princess."
"Wasn't this a marriage that was purposefully postponed? The daughter of a ducal family is satisfactory for the Crown Prince."
The Consort's voice was sharp due to the residual anger. Instead of replying, the duke remained silent. A few moments later, after taking a few deep breaths, Consort Min took a sip of her tea.
"His Majesty told me it wouldn't work this time. I had one wish, so I asked Your Excellency for help, but it seems that His Majesty refuses to understand my heart."
"..."