The corridors swallowed the Crown Prince and The Queen Dowager whole, their footsteps fading into the hush of ancestral portraits and ancient incense. I stood at my post, stiff as carved stone, pretending the sudden emptiness in my chest wasn't real.
But it was.
God, it was.
The Queen Dowager & The Crown Prince
The Queen Dowager didn't speak until she reached the courtyard pond, the quiet one, the one with lotus blooms that never opened unless touched by sunlight.
She stopped.
And I did too.
"Grandson," she said softly, "look at me."
I did, reluctantly.
She tilted her head. "Your eyes are swollen. Who broke you?"
I inhaled sharply. "No one. I'm fine, grandmother."
"Don't lie," she said. "You look like a boy pretending not to drown."
My throat tightened. "Maybe am not pretending well enough for you to have notice."
"Hmm?" Her gaze flicked toward the direction of the hall , and then toward me, as casually as a blade sliding into its sheath.
My breath hitched.
A question hovered between us, unspoken but not unnoticed.
Then she sighed, old and tired in a way only someone who has seen love destroy empires could be.
"Ji-ho… you carry your heart like it's a curse."
She stepped closer, lowered her voice. "Tell me truthfully. Do you love someone you shouldn't have?"
My silence was an answer.
A painful one.
The Queen Dowager closed her eyes briefly, as if mourning the truth. "Ah. I thought so."
My voice cracked. "…Grandmother."
"Hush, child." She placed a hand over mine, warm despite the cold morning. "I'm not here to judge you. But the kingdom is. The court is. The throne is. Love is the one luxury a Crown Prince rarely survives."
He swallowed hard.
She squeezed his hand.
"I was once like you. Following my heart as far as as could lead me, but it doesn't last when you have royal duties to uphold. I never loved your grandfather. At first. My heart had belonged to someone else, but when the crown duty came, I accepted it. Truthfully I wouldn't wish the same for you. I would wish that you followed heart, but the Crown must have what the crown wants" she told him as she pats my head gently.
"But listen well." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "A crown without love is a crown that strangles its wearer."
His eyes widened.
"Do not lose yourself," she said. "Not for duty. Not for your father. Not for me. And certainly not for the Crown."
Then she walked on, leaving him standing by the lotus pond, breath trembling, heart in pieces.
The King Summons Ha-neul(Ha-neul)
I didn't expect the royal guard to step into the training yard.
"Bodyguard Ha-neul," he said. "His Majesty requests your presence. Immediately."
The way he said requests made my spine go cold.
I followed him through quiet corridors until we entered the King's private audience chamber, a place with no witnesses, no warmth, and no escape.
The King didn't look at me at first.
He stood facing the window, hands clasped behind his back.
"You've been… distant," he said.
"Your Majesty," I bowed. "My conduct remains-"
"Spare me your pleasantries. I know you've been stored in our tongue. I've seen to read that you learned the language as it should be learned. and I know that you might not be perfect in it, But you should Be able to grabs what I'm about to say. " he cut sharply. "You are a soldier, not a politician. And yet somehow, you have become… relevant in both matters."
My stomach twisted.
He turned then, eyes sharp as drawn steel.
"Do not misunderstand your place."
I bowed deeper.
"You are his bodyguard, not his equal. Not his friend. And certainly not…"
His voice cooled further.
"…whatever he is foolish enough to feel."
My blood froze.
He knew.
Oh god, he knew.
"You will step back," he said. "You will remember the line you cannot cross. And you will ensure my son marries one of the noble daughters who will arrive tomorrow."
He walked past me, each step deliberate.
"Do not make me remove you from his side to ensure it. You are a foreigner and you shouldn't get yourself involved with the rulings of my kingdom. Know your place"
My heart slammed against my ribs.
I bowed so deeply my forehead almost hit the floor.
"…Yes, Your Majesty."
"Good."
He waved a hand.
"Dismissed."
I walked out with steady steps.
I did not break.
I did not breathe.
Not until the door closed behind me.
The Prince Finds Me
I didn't make it far.
"Ha-neul."
His voice.
Soft.
Frayed.
Like silk tearing.
I froze. Then turned.
The Crown Prince stood in the corridor, breath uneven, eyes reddened from whatever the Queen Dowager had said, and from what I had become.
"Did my father summon you?" he asked quietly.
"I cannot say," I replied formally.
He swallowed. "You're doing it again."
"Doing what, Your Highness?"
"Talking to me like you don't know my name."
I bowed. "I am your guard. It is appropriate as your Highness."
"No," he whispered. "It's killing me."
His pain cracked through me like lightning.
"I don't know what I did," he said, stepping closer. "Tell me. Please. I'll fix it. Whatever it is-"
I took a step back the moment he threw closure.
"Nothing happened," I forced out. "And nothing will."
His breath hitched as if I'd stabbed him.
"Ha-neul… do you feel nothing?"
And I…
I almost broke.
Almost told him everything.
Almost let myself fall into his warmth and say the truth:
I feel too much.
Too much for someone I can never have.
Too much for someone the world demands I give up.
As duty wrapped its hands around my throat, choking me to my last breath.
So I whispered:
"…Feeling something changes nothing, your Highness."
He closed his eyes.
"Feelings is all it is". I told him.
And that hurt more than any sword wound I'd ever dig into his chest.
The Arrival
By sunset, the palace gates thundered open.
Carriages rolled in, jeweled, heavy, loud with power.
Nobles in embroidered silks flooded the courtyard, each pretending not to judge the others too openly.
But they were all looking for the same thing:
The future Crown Princess.
At the end of the procession came a carriage of deep obsidian wood, trimmed in gold and marked with the chrysanthemum crest of the Left State Counselor.
The door opened.
And out stepped a girl who did not walk — she glided.
Lady Han Yura.
Tall.
Poised.
Beautiful in a way that was almost strategic.
Eyes sharp with ambition.
Smile sweet as poison.
Her father, Left State Counselor Han Jisung, bowed to the King and Queen with immaculate precision.
"Your Majesties. My daughter, Yura, is honored to present herself for consideration."
Yura lowered her head…
but her gaze flicked upward,
straight at the Crown Prince.
Then at me.
A slow, knowing smile curved her lips.
Dangerous.
Calculated.
Interested.
I felt the shift instantly, politics mixing with poison, jealousy, desire, and hunting instincts.
The King's lips curled faintly, satisfied.
The Queen Dowager's eyes narrowed, displeased.
The Crown Prince stiffened, gaze flicking unconsciously toward me.
And Lady Han Yura?
She stepped forward gracefully, bowed to him, and said:
"It is an honor to serve the future King, Your Highness."
Her voice dripped honey.
Her eyes dripped ambition.
And something deep in my chest twisted.
Because for the first time…
I realized I wasn't just fighting my heart.
I was fighting an entire kingdom.