6 ⚜️🌺 Royal Trap
The night was long and dreary, yet the moon's warm gloss fell over the palace roof. Seon-in hurried to the North Gate. She wore a cape and looked at the open gate, hiding behind a tree.
"Now… I just need to return this and leave a note," she whispered. She took a step forward—
Seonu stepped out of the gate casually, believing that no one saw him. She paused, covering her mouth as she hid. A palace maid followed him to the gate. He smirked.
"Are you feeding her this every day?" he asked.
"Yes… she believes that these are fertility tonics," the palace maid replied.
Seon-in choked on her words, swallowing her fear. Wait… fertility tonic? Are they talking about the Queen?
Seonu chuckled as he nodded.
"Good. Make sure she continues to take it."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Seonu walked away, returning to his residence. The palace maid headed back to her station, resting before tomorrow.
Seon-in took a deep breath, her heart hammering. Once all of the footsteps faded, she panted behind the tree, closing her eyes. What did I just overhear? Should I report this, but…? What evidence do I have against a royal?
Seon-in slowly steadied her breathing, gulping. She shook her head.
"No… if I even report it or anything, His Highness will find out that it's me, and my family can get hurt… I must protect them at all costs without crossing paths," she said to herself firmly. She fisted her hand and nodded. "Let's return this book and pretend that I never came to the palace."
She turned her head to look around, then she entered the gate, heading to the Forbidden Library. It's so quiet today… almost like I'm being welcomed.
She entered the library and looked around hesitantly.
"I'll miss you… books," she frowned as she placed the Doctrine of the Mean back into the shelf. She walked over to the desk and grabbed a piece of paper. She began writing her note.
Just when she thought she was alone, a shadow in a red robe slipped into the room—Baek. He paced toward her without a sound.
When she finished her note, she exhaled and nodded firmly.
"No more sneaking in…" she promised to herself.
The scent of scrolls and ink filled the air as she stared at the candle. When she turned—
"Then what punishment should I give you for sneaking in?" Baek asked.
Seon-in screamed, quickly covering her mouth. Her eyes widened, and her heart pounded. She stared at the king's robes from head to toe, then gasped and immediately pressed her forehead to the ground.
"Your Majesty—!"
Baek smiled as he leaned closer to her head.
"Raise your head…" he ordered.
Seon-in shut her eyes tightly and frowned. Oh, Heaven. What will come to me? Father, I've made a mistake. A grave mistake! She raised her head to face him. Please don't kill me, Your Majesty.
"Your Majesty, I know I shouldn't have entered the library," she pleaded for mercy. "But… I promise that I won't do it anymore!"
Baek chuckled lightly, startling her. So she knows what she did wrong, but did it anyway.
However, she gazed at his eyes, his white eyes. Her fear slowly turned into a kind of mesmerized—not fear or pity. He really does have white eyes as everyone said, and it's… beautiful!
He furrowed his brows as he noticed her facial reaction. His facial expression turned dark.
"Do you pity my eyesight? Why are you silent?" he asked.
Seon-in jolted. She swallowed her guilt and shook her head, realizing that she had stared for too long.
"No! My apologies! I just thought… that your eyes were beautiful…" she answered.
An answer he had never expected from anyone stirred his heart. He widened his eyes, pretending not to see, but couldn't. She… just said my eyes are beautiful? I thought her eyes were much more beautiful than anyone else's. He blushed and faced away.
"I… I see. You can get up," he stuttered.
Seon-in averted her eyes.
"Really? You… you'll forgive me—"
"I never said I wouldn't punish you."
She tightened her lips and lowered her head. No! Please let me be free!
"Please forgive me, Your Majesty! I… I'm only trying to help my family—"
"And what does your family have to do with you sneaking in?" Baek pried.
"My… my younger brother wants to have the knowledge and take the palace exam!" she yelled, revealing.
Baek paused, staring at the back of her head. The silence stretched. It'll be good if your brother or your father comes into court… it'll benefit me… and you. He froze, swallowing his shame. Why am I considering a future with her when I barely know her?
"I…" he sighed heavily and walked to his seat. Seon-in panted. "For your punishment, I've decided…"
"Yes, Your Majesty…" she whimpered a little.
"You'll be my script reader from now on. Starting tomorrow!" he ordered.
She opened her eyes in shock. She stood and turned her head around.
"Your what?!" she asked. Then she remembered that she was speaking to the king. Her hand slammed her lips instantly. "I mean… thank you for your immeasurable kindness, Your Majesty…"
Baek smirked slyly, raising his hand on the table and leaning his head on his hand.
Although his face was captivating, Seon-in's heart thudded. My eyes! His Majesty has such a beautiful face! When my father finds out, he's going to have a heart attack!
"Good… now, should you report to your family…"
"Wait—! Your Majesty, my father is returning home. If I share this news with him, he will have a heart attack!" Seon-in stated.
Baek furrowed his brows and pondered. He will. I heard that the late Minister Park's son refused to return because he was afraid the court would hurt the family.
"How about this? Let me issue a royal verdict. This way, your father will know and be at ease."
She looked away, and her chest tightened. That's even worse! He would rather commit suicide than let me enter the palace.
"Your Majesty… please—!"
"Then how about you come here every night… until your father says yes."
"But… it's—"
"Are you acting like this is the first time you snuck into my library?"
Seon-in held her breath as she locked eyes with him. Did he know that I've been sneaking in?! Just as she was about to respond—
GROWL.
Her eyes widened with embarrassment. Baek froze and blinked in confusion.
"Was that… your stomach—?"
"My apologies!" she blurted. That's so embarrassing. Why does my stomach always growl when I'm nervous?! Just kill me already! She cried internally.
Baek smiled, holding his laugh as he faced away. She has a cute side. I'm going to tease her about this from now on. He patted the table.
"Come… sit," he commanded.
"But… Your Majesty?"
"I won't punish you… come," he said softly.
Seon-in was exasperated as she stared at the chair. She took a deep breath and walked to the chair. He opened the gap for her to sit. As soon as she sat, he pushed the chair in and walked to the door. Hye-shik stood by the entrance to keep watch, but suddenly turned his head.
"Bring some midnight snacks," Baek ordered.
Hye-shik looked surprised as he peeked inside. Seon-in covered her face, flushing. He nodded as he left for the kitchen. Once he returned and stayed by the door, Baek grabbed the snacks and placed them on the table for her.
"Huh? Your Majesty, I—!"
"Eat… it'll be rude of me to let you go home hungry."
Seon-in stared at the food while flushing. Her gaze moved to Baek's face, locking eyes with him. Although she shuddered in fear of punishment, her body remained still.
"Can I… go home after I eat?" she dared to ask.
He flinched, a question he least expected. He chuckled.
"Should I allow the thief to leave after catching the thief?"
"I returned it, so I'm not a thief!" she argued. She gasped and covered her mouth. I just argued with the King. "My apologies, I didn't mean to raise my voice, Your Majesty—"
Baek burst into laughter. She paused and watched him. His laughter was beautiful, captivating her so she couldn't look away. He noticed her silence, staring at him. He grinned and leaned forward, grabbing her chin.
"Maybe I should just keep you inside the palace… and send your father a letter," he chimed.
While the silence lingered, she leaned her head back, holding her breath as her cheeks reddened. Father, I messed up this time. I should have listened to you and never associated myself with the palace!