Chapter 9: You Have No Choice

The Crown Prince tilted his head and covered Eun-gyo’s lips with his own.

A hot tongue pushed in and stirred inside his mouth.

Eun-gyo’s mind couldn’t keep up with the situation—his eyes wide, he remained frozen.

It wasn’t a short kiss.

Moreover, it was rough and violent.

Coming to his senses too late, he pushed the Crown Prince’s shoulders away hard with both arms.

The Crown Prince, forced back, fixed his gaze on Eun-gyo’s face.

Why on earth…?

From yesterday, everything had been incomprehensible, but this kiss was even more so.

He could rationalize the s*x as a matter of pride.

He had brought him thinking he was a woman, only to find out he was a man—so he must have taken him as punishment for deceiving the Crown Prince and the imperial court.

But a kiss was different from s*x.

It couldn’t have the meaning of punishment.

He couldn’t even guess why he would go so far as to kiss him.

“Are you jealous, perhaps?”

Come to think of it, both last night and now, whenever King Seongrim’s name came up, he seemed to react particularly sensitively.

Well, last night he’d already decided to take him before that.

Anyway.

“Do you not get along with King Seongrim?”

Considering the Crown Prince’s eccentric personality he’d experienced over the past day, he could understand why no one would want to be close to him.

Still, King Seongrim seemed like someone who would be kind to everyone.

Well, in this world, there were always people who were incompatible regardless of how good or bad one’s personality was.

“Are you saying I’d quarrel with him over you because I don’t get along with him?”

The Crown Prince let out a hollow laugh, as if it were nonsense.

“Don’t delude yourself.

I simply have no intention of sharing what has already touched my hands with anyone.”

At his words that treated people like objects, Eun-gyo turned his head away and pouted.

If this weren’t Sinhye Kingdom, he would have stormed out of this place twelve times over.

He truly disliked this attitude of caring only about himself and placing everyone else beneath him.

But what could he do?

This was Sinhye Kingdom, and the arrogant man before him was the Crown Prince of Sinhye Kingdom, for whom that arrogance was only natural.

Don’t lose your temper, Ha Eun-gyo.

Even ten lives wouldn’t be enough if you act on your temper.

After steadying himself, he smiled prettily at the Crown Prince.

“As the Crown Prince’s woman, what should I do?”

Cross-dressing and all—first, let’s survive.

And if possible, win the Crown Prince’s favor too.

That way, he’d have at least a little more freedom to move around.

There was no need to deliberately incur the Crown Prince’s wrath.

Come to think of it, wasn’t this a stroke of luck?

The second highest person in the imperial court, right after the Emperor, was offering to be his backing.

Whether he was truly backing him or just amusing himself before killing him because it was too boring to do it right away—that was a bit ambiguous, but anyway.

“How brazen.”

Finding Eun-gyo’s reaction unexpected, the Crown Prince narrowed his eyes.

You told me to live as a woman?

You said you’d let me live—so what’s the problem now?

Suppressing the urge to argue, he smiled even more sweetly, his eyes curving.

This was nothing if he just thought of it as acting.

They say you can’t spit on a smiling face.

The Crown Prince looked exasperated but didn’t add any more words.

“I will not give you separate quarters.

You will stay here until I permit otherwise.”

In dramas and such, even the concubines were given their own residences—how stingy.

The palace was huge, with plenty of empty rooms.

Ah, was it because he wasn’t the Emperor’s concubine?

His inner thoughts must have shown on his face because the Crown Prince added.

“That would be better if you don’t want to be discovered as a man.

As I said before, the moment you’re found out as a man, you will be beheaded on the spot.”

“Isn’t that the same here?”

“Court Lady Han, enter.”

At the Crown Prince’s command, the door opened immediately and the middle-aged woman he’d seen yesterday entered.

Only then did Eun-gyo realize he was still naked and hurriedly pulled the blanket over himself.

“There’s no need to cover up.”

Had this Crown Prince gone mad?

He told him not to be discovered as a man, and now he said not to cover up?

Or was he just itching to kill him right away?

Unable to curse, he shot the Crown Prince a look full of discontent.

Meeting Eun-gyo’s eyes, the Crown Prince curled the corner of his mouth.

“Court Lady Han, inspect that child’s body.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Court Lady Han bowed and approached Eun-gyo.

Argh, why was he doing this?

Eun-gyo stared wide-eyed at the Crown Prince, but he looked relaxed.

If anything, he seemed to be enjoying the situation.

Reaching the bedside, Court Lady Han tried to pull the blanket away.

Eun-gyo couldn’t help but scream and retreat to the farthest corner of the bed.

Court Lady Han frowned in displeasure.

No matter how motherly she seemed, he was still a man and didn’t want to show his naked body to a woman—Eun-gyo desperately clung to the blanket and resisted.

“It’s fine, show her.

Only the upper body.”

The Crown Prince commanded.

Biting his lip, Eun-gyo thought ‘screw it’ and lowered the blanket to his waist.

Since he said it was fine, the Crown Prince would take responsibility.

“Huk.”

Court Lady Han gasped, her mouth falling open.

It must have been shocking that the one who had spent the night with the Crown Prince was a man.

“Your Highness!”

She turned to the Crown Prince but couldn’t continue.

The Crown Prince still didn’t even raise an eyebrow.

“From today, you will look after that child.

As you can see, he is a man, but make sure no one knows he is a man.

Neither the servants here nor anyone else must know.

If anyone finds out, you may cut out their tongue before the rumor spreads.”

Ugh.

At those chilling words, Eun-gyo covered his mouth with his hand.

Court Lady Han, however, simply bowed her head in understanding.

Her reaction frightened him even more.

If he slipped up and someone found out, he might have to witness an innocent person’s tongue being cut out right before his eyes.

The Crown Prince dismissed Court Lady Han.

He must have called her in just to say that.

“The mere presence of Court Lady Han is reason enough for you to be here.”

When he’d asked why he had to stay here, the Crown Prince showed him Court Lady Han as his answer.

He wanted to ask if that was the case, couldn’t he just be given separate quarters with a court lady or someone assigned there—but he held back.

Everyone in the Crown Prince’s residence was under his control.

It meant that if by any chance his being a man was discovered, it could be dealt with immediately and quietly on the spot.

But if he was given separate quarters, that wouldn’t be possible.

With just a little thought, he understood why the Crown Prince insisted he stay here.

“If I stay here, others won’t accept it.”

Especially the Crown Princess.

A newly wed bride would hardly welcome her husband keeping another woman in his bedchamber.

In truth, what happened with the Crown Prince last night was practically a terrible wrong against her, and he didn’t feel good about it.

His personal rule of never sleeping with a married man, no matter what, had crumbled so easily.

Even if last night wasn’t about pleasure but a desperate choice for survival, the guilt remained.

“Even if they don’t accept it, no one dares question me.”

The Crown Prince answered confidently.

At times like this, he was reminded once again that this was a different world.

A world where having a mistress or lover while keeping a lawful wife was perfectly acceptable.

It seemed he was the only one feeling guilty.

“What excuse will you make to the Crown Princess…?”

At the mention of the Crown Princess, the Crown Prince made another peculiar expression.

He seemed unable to understand Eun-gyo’s concern for her.

Yeah, what was he expecting from you anyway.

He took a deep breath and turned his head away.

A sigh escaped him at the thought of how he’d ended up in a position no different from a concubine.

“I will say nothing.

Are you worried the Crown Princess will be wary of you?

But that is your role.”

At the word ‘role,’ Eun-gyo frowned.

“I have no need for a Crown Princess.

Nor do I need an heir.

But the ministers cannot tolerate an empty seat.

So this works well for both sides.

The Crown Princess exists, but the one I take will be you.”

He was starting to genuinely wonder what went on in the Crown Prince’s head.

So, in short, he was saying that since the ministers were noisy, he’d keep the Crown Princess as a figurehead and use him as an excuse not to touch her.

If that was the case, he should have just refused to hold the wedding and fought the ministers instead.

Could it be that the previous Crown Princesses who supposedly committed suicide were similarly neglected?

He’d thought it when the Crown Prince chose him right after the wedding, but this bastard really was trash.

Why bring someone else’s precious daughter and leave her alone?

Was this how the imperial court always operated?

King Seongrim was also unmarried, so there didn’t seem to be a law requiring early marriage…

“The more I look at you, the more peculiar you are.”

Who was calling whom peculiar?

He was the one who was dying of confusion over the Crown Prince.

“You seem obedient, but it’s all written on your face.”

The Crown Prince grabbed Eun-gyo’s face and lifted it.

“Even if you don’t like it, you have no choice.”

Had his displeasure really been that obvious?

Feeling a bit sheepish, he cleared his throat and lowered his gaze.

“Your Highness.”

A voice announced from outside.

“King Seongrim requests an audience with Your Highness.”

“Tell him to wait.”

After answering, the Crown Prince looked at Eun-gyo.

What?

What now?

As they stared at each other, blinking, his gaze dropped to the floor.

On the floor lay the disheveled sword dance costume and undergarments from last night.

He was being told to get dressed.

But hadn’t the Crown Prince slashed his undergarments with his sword?

He had no choice but to quickly pull on the sword dance costume over his original underwear.

Wondering whether he should wear the mask that covered his face as well, he held it in his hand, hesitating, when the Crown Prince said, “Wear it.”

Ah, yes.

If he said wear it, he’d wear it.

Though the thin cloth was transparent enough to see through, so it hardly made a difference.

After hooking the mask over both ears to cover his face, the Crown Prince ordered King Seongrim to be admitted.

The doors opened to both sides, and King Seongrim entered.

Seeing Eun-gyo, King Seongrim smiled faintly.

Ah, that was truly comforting.

Eun-gyo’s eyes sparkled with delight.

Beneath the thin mask, the corners of his mouth also curved up gently.

He didn’t notice the Crown Prince’s cold gaze fixed on him.

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