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Join the Server“I greet His Highness the Crown Prince.”
King Seongrim offered his greeting toward the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince gave him a brief, sweeping glance.
Only then did King Seongrim properly look at Eun-gyo.
“You seem well.”
At King Seongrim’s words, Eun-gyo nodded vigorously.
“Did you cause any trouble for His Highness?”
At the question that carried multiple meanings, Eun-gyo couldn’t answer and only gave an awkward smile.
The mere fact of being a man was trouble enough.
Yet in truth, the one who had nearly died last night was himself, so his feelings were complicated.
If he had to be taken by someone, he would have preferred King Seongrim over the Crown Prince…
At the thought that rose unbidden, he swallowed a bitter laugh.
Even now, this stubborn attachment refused to fade easily.
“I never imagined you would become His Highness the Crown Prince’s person.”
Hearing King Seongrim’s calm yet slightly bitter voice only made his heart more troubled.
“I’m fine.
Please don’t worry too much.”
He put on a brave smile.
He was concerned that if he showed weakness here, the man who had helped him enter the palace would feel guilty.
He was someone who would leave once his purpose was achieved.
No matter what they called him—the Crown Prince’s woman or anything else—it was only temporary.
Even though Eun-gyo smiled, King Seongrim’s expression remained dark, as if still troubled.
“Anyone watching would think the two of you share a special bond.”
The Crown Prince, who had been observing from the side, added a remark.
“He is my benefactor, so he is a special person to me, but that is all.”
Worried that the Crown Prince might cause trouble for King Seongrim through unnecessary misunderstandings, Eun-gyo answered quickly.
But after answering, he wondered why he felt the need to explain himself to this bastard.
Frankly, whoever he had been with and whatever their relationship before entering the palace was none of the Crown Prince’s business.
“Just that?
I’m hurt.”
Startled by King Seongrim’s reply, Eun-gyo turned to look at him.
“I was quite fond of you, you know.”
No, why say something like that now—you’ll be misunderstood.
He knew that King Seongrim had cared for him attentively all this time.
He was truly, truly grateful for it, but in front of the Crown Prince—who had an excessive territorial instinct over ‘his things’—that seemed counterproductive.
Sure enough, the Crown Prince was frowning.
Paying no heed to the Crown Prince’s reaction, King Seongrim met Eun-gyo’s eyes and gave a faint smile.
“Leaving you in this harsh place, my feet simply won’t move.”
Why was this person acting like this today?
He must have noticed the Crown Prince’s displeasure, so why?
“I will come as often as I can.
I am likely the only one you can rely on here—how lonely you would be if left alone.”
Surely King Seongrim said this out of concern for him, and everything he said was true, but sitting here felt like sitting on a cushion of needles.
All because of the Crown Prince, who was watching him and King Seongrim with eyes as sharp as if he wanted to devour them both.
“There is no further need for King Seongrim to concern himself with Eun-gyo.”
“I am responsible for bringing that child into the palace, so how could I do that?
If any trouble arises because of that child, please send word to me at any time.
I will take full responsibility.”
Even against the Crown Prince’s attempt to draw a line, King Seongrim responded in an unflappably gentle tone.
Only Eun-gyo, caught in between, felt like he was dying.
The thought of King Seongrim taking responsibility for him was terrifying.
Even without that, he’d been told he’d be beheaded if anyone found out he was a man—and now the repercussions might reach King Seongrim as well.
His heart was pounding.
The Crown Prince’s icy expression and King Seongrim’s faintly smiling face clashed with taut tension.
“For King Seongrim to go this far is unusual.
However…”
“Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
Just as the Crown Prince was about to say something, a voice called from outside.
“His Majesty the Emperor summons you.”
It was a summons from the one person in the imperial court the Crown Prince could not defy.
The Crown Prince pressed his lips together and stared at King Seongrim.
“Please go.
His Majesty and the Empress have been greatly concerned about last night’s affair.”
King Seongrim nudged the Crown Prince’s back as he seemed unwilling to move.
As if resigned, the Crown Prince rose from his seat.
Before leaving the room, he looked back once more at Eun-gyo and King Seongrim.
“Do not worry.
I will return shortly.
Is it not your people that fill the outside?”
Even if he didn’t trust him, there were Crown Prince’s men scattered everywhere outside—so what was there to worry about?
That was his meaning.
“Surely you don’t think I would flee with this child?”
At King Seongrim’s joking, smiling remark, the Crown Prince frowned, then turned and swept out without a word, his dragon robe fluttering behind him.
“Hooah.”
Only after the Crown Prince left did Eun-gyo let out a long breath.
Seeing this, King Seongrim laughed as if he had expected it.
“You endured well.”
“Don’t even mention it.
Last night was utter chaos—kill or spare, back and forth.”
Even at Eun-gyo’s much more informal tone, King Seongrim only smiled gently.
“I will not ask what happened last night.”
At King Seongrim’s words, Eun-gyo let out a pained groan.
Having been dragged into the Crown Prince’s bedchamber and survived, it was obvious what had happened.
“As long as you are safe, that is enough.”
He was grateful that he didn’t press for details.
This too was King Seongrim’s consideration.
Did people who look alike also have similar personalities?
Different world, different person—yet his face kept overlapping with that of the person he missed.
‘Ha Eun-gyo, don’t push yourself alone.
It’s okay to honestly lean on someone and depend on them when things are hard.’
He would stroke his head with those large hands.
He liked it, it was so warm, and he had fallen deeper and deeper for him.
“Do you know what kind of eyes you sometimes look at me with?”
Snapping back to his senses at King Seongrim’s question, Eun-gyo quickly averted his gaze.
“I’m not telling you not to look.
I’m saying you might make me misunderstand.”
When he looked at him with that face so identical to his, with those kind eyes so alike, and spoke like that, Eun-gyo forgot this was Sinhye Kingdom.
He bit his lip hard.
King Seongrim reached out, lightly held his chin, and gently pulled his bitten lip free.
“Don’t do that.
You’ll leave marks on that pretty face.”
When he was this kind to him, it made him think he might be mistaken.
That this person might accept his feelings…
No.
Don’t misunderstand.
This person isn’t Senior Ha-yoon.
And Senior Ha-yoon…
‘I’m sorry.
I appreciate your feelings, but I don’t think I can give you an answer.’
In his memory, Senior Ha-yoon had smiled wryly, looking troubled, and answered that way.
So he shouldn’t keep superimposing him onto King Seongrim.
Even his growing feelings for King Seongrim felt like he was unconsciously trying to replace Senior Ha-yoon, and he felt guilty.
“Your heart seems complicated in many ways.”
He released Eun-gyo’s face and made a troubled expression.
“I brought you to the palace to eventually send you off, but to think I’d be caught by the ankle here…”
“That’s not—!”
He tried to say it wasn’t his fault, but the way he was looking at him made the rest of his words die in his throat.
Why did he have to make such a sad expression?
It only confused people.
“I wanted to tell you that… no, never mind.”
King Seongrim started to say something, then shook his head.
“It’s fine, please say it.”
“No.
It would only confuse you.”
King Seongrim smiled faintly again.
He really was the one who might misunderstand.
Even though he’d noticed the feelings subtly seeping through, Eun-gyo also pretended not to.
Even if his guess was right, he wasn’t from this place.
He had somewhere to return to, and King Seongrim had things he needed to protect here.
A moment of silence passed.
Neither Eun-gyo nor King Seongrim spoke.
Eun-gyo kept his gaze lowered, fiddling with his fingertips resting on his knees.
“That sword…”
“Eun-gyo.”
They both opened their mouths at the same time after a long while.
King Seongrim smiled and told Eun-gyo to speak first.
“Did you find out where that sword you mentioned is?”
King Seongrim’s expression grew serious as he shook his head.
“I looked around various parts of the palace yesterday while the imperial guards’ attention was focused on the banquet hall, but I found no clues.
The sword is said to be an heirloom treasure of the imperial household, passed down through generations.
Likely, only His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince know exactly where it’s kept.”
“Then it’s a good thing I ended up like this with the Crown Prince—I mean, His Highness.
If I play my cards right and curry favor, maybe something will come of it?”
At Eun-gyo’s carefree response, King Seongrim laughed helplessly.
“His Highness the Crown Prince is not that easy of a person.
Last night, was there anything unusual?”
Eun-gyo thought hard, then shook his head.
Aside from having a rather bad personality, there was nothing special.
“Did it seem like His Highness could read your mind…?”
“Huh?
You mean he has that kind of superpower too?
He’s already got a bad personality—if he had that kind of ability, that would be cheating.”
Staring blankly at Eun-gyo, King Seongrim burst into laughter.
Not understanding why he was laughing, Eun-gyo tilted his head, but King Seongrim just waved his hand, saying it was nothing.
“I didn’t notice anything like that.
If he had that kind of ability, there’s no way he wouldn’t have known I was a man and brought me all the way here.”
“…That’s true.”
As if thinking of something else, King Seongrim’s reply came a beat late.
“Perhaps it’s because you’re not from this place.”
Having said something Eun-gyo couldn’t understand again, King Seongrim smiled gently and patted Eun-gyo’s head.
The touch was so similar to the senior in his memory that his heart pounded.
Then, feeling embarrassed for no reason, he subtly pushed King Seongrim’s hand away.
“According to imperial law, members of the imperial bloodline cannot remain here for long, so I’m afraid I must return to my estate today.”
If he left, there truly wouldn’t be a single familiar face left in the palace.
Thinking that made him a little uneasy.
“I’ll come as often as I can.
If you happen to find the sword in the meantime, don’t act rashly—wait.
I’ll soon arrange for someone near you who can send word to me.”
At King Seongrim’s advice, Eun-gyo nodded.
Saying that lingering longer might arouse suspicion, King Seongrim soon left.
Left alone, Eun-gyo paced the room restlessly before opening the round window that faced the garden.
It seemed to be a window opening onto the garden—a completely different view from what he’d seen upon entering yesterday.
The trees outside the window swayed in the wind, the leaves rustling with a swoosh.
The words King Seongrim had said to him two weeks ago lingered in his ears.
The words about how, if there was a treasured sword passed down through the imperial household, it could open a door to another world…
You’ve got to see this next! Escaping the Psycho? You Were Hypnotized Into Her Doting Little Wife will keep you on the edge of your seat. Start reading today!
Read : Escaping the Psycho? You Were Hypnotized Into Her Doting Little Wife
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