Chapter 1: You Will Attend to Me

The music’s tempo quickened.

Eun-gyo felt his turn approaching.

Since the sword dance costume was unfamiliar, he hitched up the skirt of his waistband one more time, worried he might trip over it while walking.

It was women’s clothing, but that was fine.

Fortunately, he had cross-dressed several times before, so he was confident he could pull it off without being caught.

‘It would be best not to open my mouth if possible.

Your way of speaking is different and might stand out.

However, no one will suspect your outward appearance, so do not worry.

Even to my eyes, you look like nothing more than a beautiful woman now.’

He recalled the words of King Seongrim and took a deep breath.

The sword at his waist felt particularly heavy.

That was only natural.

Every sword he had handled up until now had been a model, its weight incomparably lighter.

But this one was real.

He almost let out a small sigh.

Why make someone dance a dance and give them a real sword?

But there was nothing he could do about it.

Model swords probably didn’t even exist in this world.

Although a mask covered half his face, the thin cloth was transparent enough to reveal his facial contours.

King Seongrim had said he was prettier than a woman, but considering his temperament, that was probably just a comforting compliment.

Would it really be okay?

He felt a moment of unease, but then shook his head.

It would be fine.

He just had to dance and withdraw.

The tension wasn’t because of the cross-dressing, but because of the venue.

“His Highness the Crown Prince and Her Highness the Crown Princess are entering.”

At someone’s announcement, all the ministers rose from their seats.

The Crown Prince and Crown Princess, having held their wedding ceremony all morning, entered the banquet hall.

The attendants who followed them stepped aside halfway, and only the two of them walked up to the main seats at the head of the hall.

After bowing to the Emperor and Empress, they climbed the steps and took their seats beside the Emperor.

“Look at the Crown Princess’s face.

She’s gone completely pale.”

A minister seated near Eun-gyo whispered to his neighbor, clicking his tongue.

“Of course.

This is already the third Crown Princess investiture, isn’t it?

The previous Crown Princesses didn’t even last two years before they took their own lives.

No wonder she’s terrified.”

The sound of the music grew a little louder, so the rest of the conversation was hard to hear.

The third Crown Princess.

Without meaning to, his gaze drifted towards the Crown Prince, who had entered and sat down earlier.

Many ministers were seated between them, so even if he stared openly, no one would likely notice, but just in case, he only rolled his eyes to sneak a peek.

The Crown Prince wore a splendid ceremonial crown and a black dragon robe embroidered with gold.

The crown obscured his face, but the very atmosphere around him felt different.

In fact, the Crown Prince’s presence seemed even more formidable than the Emperor’s beside him.

The ministers seemed to hold their breath even more after his appearance.

Those chattering near Eun-gyo were seated at the very far end, farthest from the main seats, suggesting they were low-ranking officials.

They must have thought their voices would be drowned out by the music, so they were acting carelessly.

Still, it would be wise to watch their mouths.

What if someone overhears?

There could be someone like him eavesdropping.

Well, not that it mattered, since even if he did hear them, there wasn’t anything he could do about it anyway.

Boom, boom, boom, boom.

The drumbeat changed.

Following suit, those waiting in front of Eun-gyo moved in formation into the banquet hall.

They were dancers.

Whenever they moved, their long skirts fluttered in the wind.

According to the rehearsal, that dance would last about a quarter of an hour.

That was the time remaining until his turn.

Now that the moment was actually upon him, he was less nervous than when he was just waiting.

‘You’re just born for the stage.

You just haven’t gotten the right role yet, so you haven’t been able to shine.’

He thought of the encouragement he had heard once and let out a short snort of laughter.

Whether he was born for the stage or not, entering the palace, this was the most mentally calm state he’d been in so far.

If he just thought of the banquet hall as a stage, it was nothing special.

While watching the dancers, his eyes landed on the Crown Princess beyond them.

The Crown Princess he had imagined was a noble, elegant woman of high self-esteem, someone born with the natural dignity to become Empress one day.

That was what he’d expected.

But the woman sitting in the Crown Princess’s seat now was as pale as the ministers had whispered.

Her expression looked less like she had just held a wedding and more like she was being dragged to the afterlife.

‘The Crown Princesses couldn’t even last two years before they took their own lives…’

He mulled over the ministers’ gossip.

Suicide for a Crown Princess…

He didn’t know much about this world, but within the imperial court, she would definitely rank within the top three among women.

Suicide was certainly not a common occurrence.

His gaze inadvertently drifted back to the Crown Prince.

What must it feel like to lose a spouse to suicide twice and welcome a new one again?

If it were him, he probably wouldn’t have been able to take another after the first Crown Princess died.

How mentally strong did you have to be to immediately keep taking new princesses?

Well, he was just a commoner, so there was no way he could understand His Highness the Crown Prince’s thoughts anyway.

While lost in these useless thoughts, he flinched.

As if sensing that he was being watched, the Crown Prince turned his head and looked in Eun-gyo’s direction.

Afraid their eyes might meet, he quickly ducked his head.

What a scare.

His heart pounded even though he’d done nothing wrong.

He absolutely must not stand out.

His job was to perform the sword dance perfectly and win the Emperor’s favor.

It was fortunate for him that the Emperor particularly enjoyed sword dances.

Moreover, he was the only one who could perform a sword dance that didn’t exist in this world.

Gaining the Emperor’s favor using that point was his primary goal.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t seen King Seongrim anywhere.

Was he watching from somewhere?

In this place, he was the only person Eun-gyo could trust.

Before he knew it, his turn had come.

The clamorous drumming stopped, and the plaintive sound of a wind instrument, whether a daegeum or sogeum, resonated softly.

Following that, all the dancers who had been performing their dazzling routine filed out, and Eun-gyo walked to the center of the banquet hall.

Shh-reek.

As he drew the sword from its scabbard, the sound of metal rang out.

He took a deep breath, traced a circle in the air with the sword, and then sat down on the floor.

To the rhythm of the music, he slowly stood, aiming the tip of the sword at the empty air, and began to move.

The surroundings fell silent.

The ministers who had been laughing, chatting, and enjoying their wine and meat started to focus on Eun-gyo’s sword dance, one by one.

As the sound of the wind instrument grew faster, the blade sliced through the air rapidly.

Whenever the sword, which spun freely in his fingers, let out a sharp swish cutting through the wind, the ministers nearby flinched and stiffened.

When he performed a somersault without touching his hands to the ground and traced a large circle with the sword, gasps of admiration erupted from all around.

The drumbeat joined the wind instrument.

As the music boomed magnificently, he drew the scabbard as well and flourished both the sword and scabbard spectacularly with both hands.

He could feel everyone’s gazes, especially the Crown Prince’s sharp one, fixed on him.

If he turned his head that way, he felt certain he would lock eyes with him.

So he deliberately kept his gaze away from where the Crown Prince was seated and moved.

Du-dung.

With a great beat of the drum, all the instruments stopped.

At the same time, Eun-gyo struck the floor with his sword and scabbard, breathing raggedly.

Thank goodness.

That was all he could think about as the sword dance ended safely.

Who knew the sword dance he’d learned for a performance back then would come in use like this today.

Truly, life was unpredictable.

Clap, clap, clap.

The sound of slow but loud applause rang out.

Turning towards the sound, he saw the Crown Prince standing up from his seat and clapping.

Soon, the other ministers joined in, clapping heartily as if echoing the Crown Prince’s reaction.

Catching his breath, Eun-gyo lowered his gaze, straightened his back, bowed at a ninety-degree angle, and then started to withdraw backward.

No, he tried to withdraw.

“What is your name?”

The Crown Prince asked, causing Eun-gyo to flinch and stop in his tracks.

Was he talking to him?

Since he’d danced alone, it couldn’t be anyone else.

Why was the Crown Prince taking an interest in him instead of the Emperor?

Was this even allowed?

“I asked you for your name.”

Seeming displeased by his lack of immediate response, the Crown Prince’s voice seemed to sink lower than before.

Eun-gyo bit the inside of his lip hard.

Refusing to answer wouldn’t solve the problem.

Whether it was the Emperor or the Crown Prince, gaining favor with whoever it was wouldn’t hurt.

“Eun… gyo…

I am called Eun-gyo.”

Did he answer correctly?

Was his tone strange?

Even though it was just giving his name, his heart pounded with anxiety.

“Eun-gyo.”

The Crown Prince repeated his name.

He had his head bowed deeply, so he couldn’t tell what kind of expression he was making.

He was worrying about what to do in this unexpected situation when suddenly the surroundings became restless.

Hearing the ministers whisper, he was dying of curiosity about what was going on.

He wanted to lift his head and see the situation, but he forced himself to endure, remembering King Seongrim’s warning.

‘Never meet the Crown Prince’s eyes.

If you get entangled with His Highness, even I won’t be able to help you.’

Damn it.

This anxiety is driving me crazy.

Why did it have to be the Crown Prince?

If not the Emperor, there was the Empress, the Crown Princess, and other imperial nobles!

If he hadn’t been wearing a mask, his true feelings would have been written all over his face.

Rustle.

The sound of footsteps on sand came from right in front of him.

At the edge of his downcast gaze, he saw the toes of black shoes. Gulp.

Before he could swallow his dry saliva, a hand reached out and grabbed his chin, lifting it up.

The Crown Prince’s face appeared in Eun-gyo’s wide eyes.

A chillingly sharp gaze was fixed on him.

He had dark eyebrows, a straight nose, thin pressed lips, and a defined jawline—back in his own world, it was rare to see someone this handsome.

With his other hand, the Crown Prince swept away the mask covering Eun-gyo’s face.

Had he been caught not being a woman?

His heart felt like it was being squeezed, but fortunately, he managed to hide his agitation by lowering his gaze.

“I’ve decided.”

With those brief words, the Crown Prince released Eun-gyo’s chin.

Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, his wrist was grabbed this time.

“Tonight, you will attend to me.”

Huh?

What did he just say?

You just held your wedding ceremony!

He almost spat those words out loud.

He barely swallowed them, but he was so shocked that he inadvertently raised his head.

His eyes met the Crown Prince’s directly.

When their eyes met, the Crown Prince curled the corner of his lips into a smirk, yet his jet-black, glossy eyes held absolutely no trace of amusement—not even a speck.

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