Chapter Text
The moon had reached its peak, and the water clock’s bells chimed deep into the royal palace. The grounds were large, but the ominous sounds of the time-keeping device managed to resonate even deep into the emperor’s quarters. Most of the servants were already asleep, much less the pampered nobles who had long retired to bed. The palace grounds were far too dark, only lit by fire torches that were mounted on the wall a couple of metres apart. Guards stood stoic in the night, wrapped in their thick uniforms to shield them from the cold. It was mid-winter, and the trees had long striped themselves of their leaves.
With each breath Han Yoojin took, condensed air puffed out. The black-haired palace worker donned a teal green robe with a large black belt framing his thin hips– the clothes looked far too big on him, but from his attire, one could tell he was a court eunuch serving a lesser noble in the palace. His hwa shoes (traditional boots) made quiet pitter-patters as he traversed through the palace grounds, a clear destination in mind. The guards raised no suspicion towards the court servant scurrying around in the middle of the night, only to assume some cruel noble had ordered him to run an errand on such a cold night.
Han Yoojin cursed under his breath as he slipped past the concubines’ garden and out of a small back gate. It wasn’t as if he wanted to do this. No one in their right mind would sneak out in the middle of the night when the warmth of the sun has long gone. The temperature could freeze him to death– but what can he do? He hasn’t taken a shower since a week ago! Why doesn’t he take a shower in the palace, you may ask? Han Yoojin groaned, thinking back to the time he had taken over the position of Eunuch Jung.
Their parents had left Han Yoojin and his younger brother, Yoohyun when he was a mere teen. At the age of 15, he was old enough to start working. However, he had come from a peasant family. No one wanted to hire the scrawny-looking boy that had not even a single crumb of bread on him. Peasants heading to the capital only had one ending–becoming beggars. However, Yoojin was determined to find a job to feed his child brother and the gods showed mercy when he received a helping hand from a tea shop owner. He gave Yoojin a job as a waiter. Even though the pay was measly and they still had to live on the streets, Yoojin could afford new clothes and food for the plump face little child that followed him. His optimistic and bright personality soon caught the eyes of many customers and the teashop owner made him a manager. With enough wage, he managed to get a small hut outside of the capital after some bargaining.
The jump from a tea shop manager to a eunuch in the royal palace was rather big. Thinking back, Yoojin couldn’t even believe what had happened in the short span of one month. He had just turned 18, and his brother, 13. He was still far too young to work, but even if there were kind-hearted employers that hired Yoohyun, he was quickly fired due to his stubborn personality. Hence, the finances were running low– especially with a growing teen in the house. Hearing his predicaments from another regular customer, an old retired officer from the palace offered Han Yoojin a job as a eunuch. He was to replace his friend that had passed a month ago.
It wasn’t as if Yoojin had wanted the job– but he had no choice. Looking at the holes in the soles of Yoohyun’s hye shoes, his heart ached for the teen. That night, he wrote a letter to the black-haired boy sleeping on the futon notifying his departure for the royal palace. He knew if he were to tell the young boy of his intentions to become a servant of the royal palace, the boy would not let him go. With his stubborn personality, he might even hold his hyung captive.
When he’d arrived at the palace, the welcome was less than paltry. Not a single soul oriented him through the gigantic place. Hailing from a poor hamlet in the boonies, he had not seen a single ceramic tiled roof till he travelled to the capital. Looking at the magnificent gold that painted the palace hallways, he was bewildered. The managing officer took him to an outhouse, stating he had to go through the process of castration and change into his uniform before reporting to his direct superior in the visitors’ courtyard. The thought of ‘castration’ as he had heard from the gossiping villagers, brought phantom pain to his balls. Right, he did not think of the ‘occupational hazards’ accompanying this job position.
Nonetheless, he wobbled his way over to the outhouse– the managing officer sparing him a single look of disdain before leaving. The outhouse was clean. The courtyard was well taken care of. He still remembered the white flowers that bloomed on the doorsteps and a black kitty that hissed at him before he took a step on those heated wooden floors. The room inside... was surprisingly empty. There was a single futon in the room with an array of tools on a pearl tray. Nervous sweat beaded on his forehead as he took a seat on the futon.
Yet, as he waited and waited– the bell struck twice… the person in charge never came. He stepped out of the outhouse, the sun already setting. He went back in to grab the unfamiliar green robes and put them on. It looked worn out, clearly a second-hand. Running towards the visitors’ courtyard the managing officer had pointed out earlier, he reached to find his superior there, with a few other eunuchs. He panted, face white from the lack of food in his system.
“Ah, Eunuch Han. It’s ill-advised to run after such a serious medical procedure,” his superior, a rotund and cheerful man hurried over. “Aigoo, look at how white your face is.” He patted the young boy’s back. Yoojin heaved a sigh of relief, glad that his ‘secret’ was well hidden and that his superior wasn’t a demanding one.
“Here are your fellow colleagues that will be working with you in the visitors’ quarters. They’ll be showing you around tomorrow. Take it easy for a week. Aigoo…” He sighed looking at how young Yoojin was.
And that’s how he ended up in this predicament. His undergarments were wrapped tighter than the ribbon in his hair. Doing his business in the toilet was slightly trickier, and the shared bathhouse the servants use was a no-no zone for Han Yoojin.
It was until he discovered the small natural hot spring behind the concubines’ palace.
Yoojin sighed as he removed his garments. He folded the green outer robe nicely and set it aside on the edge of the small water body. The multiple layers of his undergarments were shrugged off carelessly in a pile beside it. His thin body shivered under the cold weather, the silver moon casting a pearlescent sheen on his pale skin.
The water was perfect. The heat caused the condensed fog to cover the hot spring in a mysterious cover. A moan escaped his lips as he dipped his entire body in, only leaving his eyes peering out. He burst out of the water the next second, finding a small joy in soaking in the water. Splashing the water about, he giggled quietly in the quiet night. Only the sounds of winter crickets and the moving water could be heard.
He found a shallow part of the hot spring, where the ground rose. He sat down to close his eyes. His work had been fulfilling the past two months. The pay was ample enough to send back to Yoohyun and buy himself a treat with the leftover. His colleagues would always tease him as smitten by his brother– figuring in this day and age, boys usually tend to start going independent. Yoojin couldn’t help but worry for his younger brother. He was turning 14 in a few months, still far too young to be at home alone. However, with the money he’d sent over, it could pay the taxes and buy Yoohyun some new clothes (or so he hoped the boy would actually go out and get some new garments).
Yoojin’s thoughts were cut short when he felt something touch his hip. His eyes shot open as he stood up from the water, splashing a huge spray of water around him. Turning around, he saw a man, naked as he was. A short yelp of surprise threw both of them for surprise. The man was beautiful under the silver moonlight. His high-bridged nose cast dancing shadows across his face as the light reflects the crystal water below them. His deep-set eyes were a beautiful shade of gold– unlike the gold painted on the palace walls, his burnt brighter than the sun, like valued jewels. Yoojin froze, wondering if a fairy had decided to chance upon him taking a bath. The man’s lips were a dark shade of pink as it slowly pulled into a confident smirk.
“My, I didn’t expect such a beauty in my secret bath today.” The man had long blonde hair that reached his buttocks, though the locks were already half-soaked through from Yoojin’s splash. He raised a hand, pulling Yoojin back down to sit between his legs. Yoojin yelped, a hand landing on a muscled thigh to stable himself.
“Sir, may I ask–
“No, you may not, beauty. Let me dine on you first before we go into questioning,” A calloused hand cupped the back of his head and long fingers threaded through his black locks. An unexpected whimper escaped from the back of Yoojin’s throat as the man behind him tugged softly, exposing his vulnerable pale neck into the air. “You must be new, I haven’t seen you around. The other concubines have been pissing me off lately. I’m in need of a good fuck.” The blonde man whispered into Yoojin’s ears, warm breath grazing the tip of his cartilage. Despite being in a hot spring, a shiver shot down Yoojin’s spine. The man must be of high bearing in the palace– perhaps a royal guard? A court official? Yoojin did hear that the concubines were getting restless these days. Assassination plots and whatnot… But those were none of Yoojin’s business.
“Sir… I just joined 2 months ago, I don’t think… Ah!” He gasped as he felt a hand wrap around his cock. His face bloomed a ruddy red from the sudden touch on his privates. He’d never let anyone touch his cock before– especially with his new occupation, he was on the verge of being fired! However, the man behind him seemed like someone of importance. The fear of being thrown out on the streets ate him up. If he were to get fired from the palace, no one would want to hire him or his brother ever again. He’d be known as the ‘palace reject’.
“Be at ease, I’ll make this painless.” The blonde man stroked his manhood. Such lewdness was the first time for Yoojin. Indeed, he had heard of ‘masturbation’ amongst the heretics of the capital, and he thought of it as eccentric, however, he never knew it could feel this good. The fact haunted him– was he a weirdo? Soft moans filled the quiet night, pleasing the blonde man. It sounded like music to his ears.
The previously limp cock was coaxed into hardness in those calloused hands. Each rough tug gave Yoojin a jolt of pleasure that shot painfully through his spine to his chest. He brought his hands up to rub the peaks on his torso to ease the throbbing. “You’re a lewd one. Where have you received training from?” The man’s voice was husky with lust as he spoke down Yoojin’s throat. His teeth grazed the fragile skin, causing the younger male to shiver in anticipation. He then took the other of the black-haired male’s nipples between his fingers, playing with it.
“I-I… I don’t know… I just came into the palace and received training from my superior.” Yoojin was in tears.
“Superior…? Since when... Never mind, that’s the least of our concerns right now.” The blonde man placed a kiss on Yoojin’s neck before biting down. A shriek escaped from the latter, and his grip on the man’s thigh tightened. The water sloshed around their actions as if letting the entire world know something was going on underwater.
The older male’s fingers trailed down, cupping Yoojin’s taunt balls in his palm. A sense of dread shot through the latter. Would the man execute him for having been not castrated? From the callous on the man’s hands, Yoojin could clearly tell he was someone that wielded a sword, which meant he wasn’t a scholar, nor an official from the palace. Perhaps, a guard, or military general– seeing how the man carries himself, he wasn’t from a low disposition.
“You’re so pent up,” The man chuckled darkly, teasingly tugging lightly on one of his balls, earning a shocked gasp. “I’ll open you up well.” The fingers travelled down past his perineum down to the tightness of his asshole. He had parted his legs wantonly like a prostitute in a brothel for some unknown man (and the fact made him more concupiscent).
A finger dipped in the tight ring of his hole, causing the man under the blonde to squirm in discomfort. His toes curled in unease as he moved his hand further up to hook himself on the blonde’s neck. Soft pants escaped his dewy lips as he felt the finger enter him.
“You’re so tight. I’ll be taking your virginity tonight.” The man exhaled his hot breath in the crook of Yoojin’s ears. His mouth must have felt empty, as he let go of Yoojin’s abused nipple, to guide the younger male’s reddened face to meet his. Their gaze locked on each other for mere seconds. The golden orbs looked inviting, like an incubus luring him deeper into lust. Yoojin’s brown eyes– close to black seem to lack in lustre compared to his. However, the blonde man seemed not to care for the colour of his eyes as he claimed those rose-petal lips in his. A guttural moan tore through the blonde man’s chest as he chomped down on the younger male’s lips, forcing his tongue through the latter’s defences.
The kiss, or perhaps the minerals in the hot spring seemed to ease Yoojin’s muscles as he melted against the man’s touch. His ass became more inviting, accepting another finger from the man. Soft mewls echoed into the forest, singing along with the loud crickets. Yoojin could feel the man’s hard cock pressing against his back. Those strong hips were grinding up against him, causing water to splash onto their joined faces.
“I’m putting it in.” The man broke their kiss apart, his hands moving to surround the younger male’s hips. He was much thinner than the muscular male. Both his hands could almost meet around Yoojin’s hips. “You’re too thin, I’m scared I’d break you.” He teased, an impudent smile tugging at his lips, exposing his sharp canines.
“Wait, Sir! Y-You’re going to… commit sodomy?” Yoojin blanched. A hard object was prodding at his puckering hole, yet to enter.
“This is the palace grounds. The emperor engages in sodomization, who dares to make it illegal?” The man raised an inquisitive brow, his smile brash. He seemed like he wasn’t afraid of the emperor at all (from Yoojin’s point of view).
“I’m afraid to get kicked out of the palace.”
“Then why gift yourself to me?” The blonde man gave Yoojin a quick peck on the cheek before angling himself under Yoojin’s twitching hole. It was already puffy and seeking more attention. The man, without mercy nor consideration, plunged his cock deep into Yoojin. A silent scream erupted from Yoojin’s lips as he felt the searing pain from his rim. However, despite the pain, the thick heat inside of him felt… good.
“Oh god, if I get fired, I will find you and expect you to take responsibility, Sir.” He gasped, short breaths breaking his sentence. Forget civilities– he was committing a state crime!
“Fired? Why should my concubine get fired, hm?” The man grunted into Yoojin’s neck, his hips bucking and thrusting up to get in deeper.
“C-Concubine?!”
“Shush, my love,” The blonde man– no, the emperor raised both of them up to a stand, exposing their joined bodies. “No, wait!” Yoojin gasped as hands found their way to the ones holding his hips. Without warning, a moan rippled through him as the thick cock in him brushed up against his prostate.
“You’re enjoying this, dear.” Their pants intermingled with the sound of their skin meeting each other from each thrust. Tears dripped from Yoojin’s eyes, trickling down his face, and blending in with the water from his interrupted bath. The blonde emperor noticed his tears and brought his lips to them. “Don’t cry. They’re too precious to be wasted.”
“Y-your Highness, nngh– I-I… I feel like I’m going to urinate!” Yoojin reached down to squeeze his cock, making sure not to dirty the emperor’s private bathing spot. If he, even so, spits in the water… he didn’t want to imagine where his head would end up after separating from his body.
The blonde chuckled darkly before saying, “Let it out, it’s not urine.” He released a hand from Yoojin’s hips to push the latter’s hand on his cock away. Taking hold of it, he gave it a few hard strokes, urging out his seed.
The virgin 18-year-old gave in under the emperor’s hands. A jittery spark tingled the base of his spine as his toes curled into the soft ground underwater. Gibberish slipped from Yoojin’s lips as he tightened against the emperor’s cock in him. White ribbons of come erupted from his sensitive pink head, sputtering into the hot water.
“Hold on,” The blonde male grunted as he quickened his thrusts. The slaps of their skins sounded obnoxious in the dead of night. They sounded more obscene than the stray cats in their mating season. Yoojin’s skin around his ass cheeks hurt from the rough thrusts, but he was too blissed out to even register the emperor’s words, much less take in the pain.
Not long after, the emperor came. His hot seed burned as he pumped it deep inside Yoojin. Perhaps due to his possessive nature, he was still thrusting in, trying to get as much of it deep inside each and every of Yoojin’s crevices to mark him as his.
“I’ll grant you silk and jewellery when we get back, notify Eunuch Jin of how much you’d like.” The emperor pulled out, his cock still half-hard but softening from release. The body under him crumbled, but before the thinner male could fall head-in into the water, Sung Hyunjae fished him up.
“Your Highness, your reward is not necessary.” Yoojin gave an awkward laugh, eyeing his green robe from the corner of his eyes. He should have buried that green robe under his innerwear… Or the very least, stop the emperor from turning around.
“How can I give you nothing? We haven’t had an official ceremony, but we are still husband and wife.”
“Well, as you’ve said, we haven’t officially wed– giving the humble me such gifts would not only increase the distress within the concubine palace… and I… I would feel like a cheap brothel prostitute.” Yoojin put on his best act. His gaze avoided the golden orbs as he raised a hand to wipe away an imaginary tear. If his eyes ever landed on those golden pupils of his, he felt like he’d spill the truth.
“Well said, a man of smarts and beauty I see. I need my astrologer to pick a date for our wedding then. Tell me, what is your name?”
Han Yoojin saw his life flash before his eyes. He could fool the emperor as being one of the nameless concubines abandoned in the big royal grounds, but he could not come up with a fake name– The emperor wasn’t that foolish to not know the names of the concubines, sent by the multiple scheming nobles, in his palace.
“Darling?” Hyunjae probed, his eyebrows raised in suspicion.
“Y-Your Highness, l-let it be a mystery. After all, this is your secret meeting spot. Let us meet again the next full moon and I’ll let you know of my name then.” Not like he’d ever step near this place after leaving with his head intact.
“Who are you, exactly?” The emperor’s voice dropped to a biting cold tone. Yoojin’s head snapped up to meet the blindingly handsome face. His eyes were lidded, staring down at the shorter male with scepticism. The earlier grin from his lips faded back into a tight line. Yoojin cursed inwardly, his excuses were far too much! He should have just refused the emperor’s touch instead of committing sodomy with the man! Rather he be let go from the palace than die from lese majeste. Oh, Yoohyun… Yoojin sobbed internally, wondering how his brother would fare after his head got hung at the palace gates to be shown as an example of a lying eunuch.
Yoojin shook the thoughts out of his head. Stepping back, he bowed down to prostrate himself– before he was held back by Hyunjae.
“We’re in the hot spring. I do not want a dead body that passed from drowning, dirtying my waters.” The blonde man narrowed his eyes at the younger male, scrutinizing the man. A gust of cold wind brushed through them and pushed the dark grey clouds away to reveal the full moon. The light illuminated the skinny male before him. Indeed, if he were to say he was a concubine, Yoojin could easily pass for one due to the beautiful features he bears. However, he was way too skinny to come from a noble family. His ribcage protrudes underneath his pale jade skin, his stomach way too taunt and flat. After further analysing, Hyunjae simply wants to fatten up the man before him. He cannot believe his cock was inside such a feeble body (compared to his thick muscled frame, the younger male was likened to a twig).
“Um, Y-Your Highness, I greatly apologize, please forgive me for my insolence.” Yoojin stepped away from the emperor, heading ashore. He pulled his body out of the water, albeit his legs shaking from their earlier activity, he knelt on the ground, the harsh rocks cutting his skin. The chill in the air made his hands tremble as he placed them on the ground to prostrate himself fully.
Sung Hyunjae turned to meet the meek younger male kneeling before his eyes– right beside those familiar green robes.
After a few silent seconds, the emperor laughed, “I see… A eunuch, that is very fertile indeed.”, his words refer back to Yoojin’s orgasm in the water earlier. Despite the cold, Yoojin felt his face burst aflame. “Get up,” Hyunjae got out of the water, pulling his own inner robe from the other side of the hot spring to put them on. The sheer white garment clung to his wet skin, outlining his well-proportioned muscles.
Yoojin got up, brushing off the scraps of soil and dirt that clung to his bloodied knees. An unhappy pout formed on his lips as he reached down to get his clothing, but before he could do so, he was stopped.
“Halt,” The emperor stepped closer, a small gap (just a foot) separating the both of them. Yoojin felt his insides churn in anxiety. The stark difference between their bodies and the state they were in was demeaning. The rough calloused hands once again got hold of the manhood that hung between his thighs, though now shrunk from the cold. Yoojin bit back a gasp as the emperor gave him a little squeeze.
“You lied to the emperor and even avoided castration despite being employed as a eunuch. For that, you would be flogged to death in front of a crowd and have your tongue cut out of your mouth if you were discovered by a guard.” The emperor peeled back Yoojin’s foreskin, the familiar pink head poking out once again. It was still wet from his orgasm earlier. Yoojin couldn’t help but feel the same twinge in his balls and a jittery feeling in his spine as his cock once again came alive. “Still lewd,” the blonde man noted nonchalantly and ended his short tease by releasing the half-hard cock to fall back against Yoojin’s balls.
The younger male had to choke down a moan before saying, “The humble me ask for your mercy and forgiveness, Your Highness.” He trembled in the wind. He was already losing feeling in his toes and fingers.
“And if I don’t?” A glint of mischievousness sparked deep in those golden orbs.
Han Yoojin didn’t know whether it was the cold, or he had been holding it in for far too long (way longer than the 2 months he had spent here, perhaps it had been stemming since he moved to the capital), he could feel a snap in his head. A vein throbbed at the side of his forehead as he looked the man deadest in the eyes.
“Look here, you were the one who came into the hot spring and started touching me! ME! I did try to reject you, but YOU keep cutting me off! And okay, I did lie and work as a eunuch with my manhood attached, that I admit. You may fire me– but KILL ME?! If the emperor is such a petty man, this nation is doomed. DOOMED!... Oh, shit.” Yoojin panted after finishing his whole rant, only to realise the grave mistake he had just made. His head crumbled into his hands as he groaned. Goodbye Yoohyun ah, Hyung will miss you.
The minutes passed like centuries in total silence. Yoojin peeked out from between his fingers to meet those calculating golden pupils. A smile broke out from the stoic face, and finally, the blonde male was full-on laughing. His laughter bellowed through the surrounding forest, shaking awake the winter rabbits in the area. This lasted a good minute or so.
“Um, Y-Your Highness?”
“When would you like to exchange wines, my dear…?”
“H-Han Yoojin.”
“My lovely Yoojin. We’ve just exchanged saliva, so, is it not the time to exchange wines? Concubine Han?”
“H-Huh? I mean, pardon, Your Highness?” Yoojin cocked a head, wondering if the blonde man in front of him had finally gone mad. Power does indeed corrupt one’s head after all. A black robe fell on top of his shoulders before he could protest, covering his shivering body. It had golden dragons embroidered on the thick fabric– a design only reserved for the emperor and empress. A look of confusion ran through his face as he observed the outerwear.
“Forget those ugly green robes. Soon, you’ll be donned in bright red.”