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Join the ServerFor some reason, there was a commotion outside.
Hearing people’s voices, Eun-gyo moved closer to the door and listened.
“Your Highness, you must not do this.”
“What do you mean I must not!
Am I forbidden from coming here?”
“No, but His Highness the Crown Prince is not currently present.
If you could return when His Highness is here…”
“How insolent!
How dare you give me orders!”
Startled by the sharp female voice, Eun-gyo stepped back.
Seeing Court Lady Han flustered, he knew someone of considerable rank had come.
But should I be here?
Should I hide?
He paced the room aimlessly, then let out a wry laugh.
He hadn’t snuck in here—he was practically confined here half by force.
Why should he hide?
If the visitor was allowed in, they’d be allowed; if not, they’d be sent away.
Ultimately, the decision rested with the Crown Prince, and when he was away on state affairs like now, things usually followed Court Lady Han’s judgment.
“I said I’ve come—open the door!”
The woman commanded in a resolute voice.
Whoever she was, she clearly wasn’t going to back down easily.
Feeling it was better to prepare properly, Eun-gyo quickly checked his appearance.
He was already wearing women’s clothes as usual, but just in case, he smoothed his hair with his fingers and tied it back with a ribbon.
Sure enough, the door opened with the announcement, “Her Highness the Crown Princess has arrived.”
The Crown Princess.
Wasn’t this exactly the situation where the mistress meets the lawful wife?
He was appalled by his own thought.
But what could he do?
To everyone else, he was clearly the Crown Prince’s concubine.
A concubine whose presence had caused the lawful wife to be slighted from their very first night.
Tsk.
Clicking his tongue bitterly, he bowed toward the Crown Princess as she entered.
“I greet Her Highness the Crown Princess.”
Keeping his head bowed, he could only see the tips of her shoes and the hem of her skirt.
“Raise your head.”
Lately, the Crown Prince didn’t need to tell him to look—he did so easily.
Having been confined to one room, avoiding someone’s gaze was nearly impossible.
But the command from the Crown Princess to raise his head wasn’t so easy to follow.
Not because he was afraid of her.
No matter how well he was cross-dressed, since he never left the Crown Prince’s residence, he barely wore any makeup.
At such close range, wouldn’t he be discovered?
That worry took precedence.
“Did I not tell you to raise your head!”
The Crown Princess’s voice was sharp.
Clearly, something was deeply displeasing her.
Reluctantly, he raised his head and looked at her.
Their eyes met—she was glaring at him as if she’d devour him.
Unable to smile, yet unable to frown, he met her gaze with the most expressionless face he could manage.
“What is your name?”
“Ha Eun-gyo.”
“I heard King Seongrim is your guardian?”
When had that story progressed?
He’d never heard of a guardian before, but since he was indeed the only one he could rely on, he didn’t deny it.
“Are you acting so arrogantly because you rely on King Seongrim’s power?”
Startled by her interrogation, he just blinked.
What had he done to be called arrogant?
It was infuriating enough being trapped here.
He understood she was displeased with him because of the Crown Prince, but he couldn’t agree with the accusation of arrogance.
“Do you know how many times I’ve summoned you?”
“Ah…”
A short groan escaped.
Honestly, he didn’t know.
Even if such messages had come, Court Lady Han would have cut them off and sent them back, so they never would have reached his ears.
Did the Crown Prince know?
No, if he did, he would have told him to go pay his respects to the Crown Princess.
“Your Highness the Crown Princess, Lady Eun-gyo was completely unaware.”
“Are you saying you dared refuse my commands on your own, then?”
The spotlight turned to Court Lady Han, who had tried to defend Eun-gyo.
“How could that be?
His Highness the Crown Prince commanded that Lady Eun-gyo not be taken outside the Crown Prince’s residence—I was merely following that order.”
Court Lady Han answered calmly.
If the Crown Prince said no, what could the Crown Princess do?
“There are rules in the inner court!
How can His Highness the Crown Prince interfere in the matters of the inner court!”
The Crown Princess wasn’t backing down either.
It wasn’t just about rules—it seemed her resentment had been building over the Crown Prince never once visiting her.
Meanwhile, Eun-gyo was so worn out from attending the Crown Prince nearly every night that even if he were allowed to roam, he wouldn’t have the energy.
“That person does not belong to the inner court, so there should be no reason for the Crown Princess to make such a fuss, should there?”
At the voice from behind, everyone flinched.
“I greet His Highness the Crown Prince.”
The Crown Princess bowed first in greeting.
“I heard you had gone to attend state affairs…”
“Are you saying you charged in because you thought I wouldn’t be here?”
The Crown Prince caught her words.
“That’s not what I meant…”
The Crown Princess shook her head as if wronged, but the Crown Prince already seemed convinced, a sneer playing at the corner of his mouth.
The Crown Princess bit her lip hard, then released it.
Gathering herself, she spoke again.
“Why do you prevent me from summoning this woman?”
At her challenge, the Crown Prince let out a scoff.
“I’ll ask you instead.
Why do you keep trying to summon her?”
“Isn’t that obvious?
I am the Crown Princess.
I am His Highness’s consort, and I have the responsibility to discipline any woman who serves His Highness, to ensure no trouble arises.”
“Discipline…”
The Crown Prince let out a hollow laugh.
At his laugh, the Crown Princess flinched.
Though she wasn’t even looking directly at his face, she seemed to have noticed that his eyes weren’t smiling at all.
“What is the Crown Princess that you would discipline this one?”
“What do you mean by that…”
Ah, watching this, Eun-gyo swallowed a sigh.
The fingers clutching her skirt began to tremble.
To hear such words from the Crown Prince before others must have been humiliating.
Somehow, the Crown Princess seemed even less immune to the Crown Prince’s abrasive personality than he was.
“I am the Crown Princess of this kingdom.”
“Indeed.
The Crown Princess.”
The Crown Prince replied lightly.
“Just the Crown Princess.
So simply keep your position.”
The faint smile on the Crown Prince’s face vanished completely.
With an icy expression, he continued.
“And do not run around causing trouble, manipulated by the Empress.”
At that cold reprimand, the Crown Princess’s face went pale.
“Ho-how did you…”
She started to say more, then seemed to realize her mistake, quickly closing her mouth and bowing her head.
Her delicate brows were deeply furrowed.
Just as the Crown Prince had said, it seemed the Empress had indeed been whispering in her ear.
Eun-gyo looked at the Crown Prince.
He was staring at the Crown Princess with cold eyes, as if unsurprised.
How had he known?
Had he planted spies near the Empress or the Crown Princess?
“Crown Princess.”
The Crown Prince called her in a chilling voice.
“Do not forget that not trying to deceive me is for your own safety.”
Whether it was concern or a threat was unclear.
The Crown Princess seemed to feel the same way—her lips turned pale.
Ah, how pitiful.
She appeared to have just come of age—seemed rather harsh to treat a young girl so cruelly.
Sigh.
What was her crime?
Whether it was himself, who had inadvertently caught the Crown Prince’s eye and ended up trapped in his residence, or her, who had been slighted from the wedding night—they were both equally unfortunate, thanks to this damned Crown Prince.
“Your Highness.”
He couldn’t just stand by and watch any longer.
“I request permission to go and pay my morning respects to Her Highness the Crown Princess every day.”
At Eun-gyo’s sudden request, the Crown Prince frowned.
His expression seemed to say, ‘I’m protecting you from the Crown Princess’s harassment, so what nonsense is this?’
“Even if I’m not a member of the inner court, I serve His Highness, so I think the Crown Princess’s words have merit.”
He didn’t actually want to be disciplined by the Crown Princess, but…
He knew.
It was meddling.
Still, what could he do?
The Crown Princess had been neglected by the Crown Prince because of him, and he felt desperately sorry for her.
Besides, if this permission was granted, he’d be able to leave the Crown Prince’s residence.
There was no harm in getting close to anyone.
Though the chances of the Crown Princess liking him were slim, at least his efforts might improve her mood.
Or perhaps she’d find this even more distasteful.
“Are you serious?”
The Crown Prince asked back, incredulous.
Eun-gyo just nodded vigorously.
He felt Court Lady Han’s glare and realized he might have overstepped, but the Crown Prince didn’t point it out.
The Crown Princess, caught in between, looked bewildered.
Like the Crown Prince, she seemed unable to understand Eun-gyo’s choice, frowning.
Ha!
The Crown Prince let out a breath.
Closing his mouth, he looked back and forth between Eun-gyo and the Crown Princess, then shook his head, saying to do as he pleased.
However, he stipulated that whenever he visited the Crown Princess, he must be accompanied by Court Lady Han, and guards would follow as well.
Having obtained permission, Eun-gyo smiled brightly without thinking, then flinched when he looked at the Crown Princess.
She was staring at him as if he were unbelievable.
He understood how she felt, but still—he maintained a cheerful smile, thinking it was for the best.
Finally, the Crown Princess let out a deep sigh and turned her head away.
***
That night, the Crown Prince did not come to the bedchamber.
It was the first night Eun-gyo spent alone since entering the palace.
He didn’t ask whether he was in the Crown Princess’s quarters or had other business.
Either way, it wasn’t his place to interfere.
If anything, he felt relieved not to be with him even for a day.
Since witnessing the killing, he had acted as if nothing was wrong on the surface, but whenever they were intimate, fear lingered in a corner of his heart, and his body kept tensing up.
He could no longer enjoy s*x with the same light-heartedness as before.
It was the first lonely night he’d felt in a long time.
Having been tormented for days, he thought he’d sleep well at last, but that wasn’t the case.
Lying alone in the Crown Prince’s bed didn’t put his mind at ease.
He recalled his own image from every night—moaning, utterly disheveled on that bed—and felt embarrassed.
Unable to sleep, he opened the window and leaned against it.
A crescent moon hung in the night sky.
Before long, it would be full again.
Since coming to Sinhye Kingdom, two full moons had already passed.
The next one would mean he’d been here for nearly three months.
Apart from the moonlight, only the faint glow of distant blue-green lanterns was visible.
It made everything feel even quieter.
Lost in the darkness where even the sound of wind and dripping water seemed amplified, he suddenly missed the dazzling neon signs of the city center and the music that was always playing somewhere.
He never thought the day would come when he’d miss such things.
How is Senior Ha-yoon doing?
His smiling face came to mind, and he felt inexplicably gloomy.
He shook his head vigorously, and Senior Ha-yoon’s face slowly transformed into that of King Seongrim.
Come to think of it, what had happened to King Seongrim?
He’d had no contact for days, and that was also weighing on his mind.
As his mood grew heavier, he missed him even more.
Someone who took his side, spoke to him kindly, patted his head…
The more he thought, the less he could tell whether he missed Senior Ha-yoon or King Seongrim.
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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