Chapter 21: As I Expected, I Regret It

How many times had he repeated the sword dance?

Before he knew it, the sun had begun to set.

Out of breath, Eun-gyo paused to catch his breath.

Turning his head, he saw Court Lady Han standing at the entrance some distance away.

The guards were waiting outside the entrance, citing that they couldn’t casually watch the Crown Prince’s woman.

As he walked to drink the water Court Lady Han had brought earlier, he noticed a shadow moving at the edge of the banquet hall.

There shouldn’t have been anyone else who had entered.

It was strange.

Had someone come while he was absorbed in practice?

Tilting his head, he approached the direction where he’d sensed movement.

Just as he rounded a pillar larger than a person, someone grabbed his arm and yanked him aside.

Ah!

He reflexively tried to scream, but a large hand clamped over his mouth.

Ah, damn it!

The Crown Prince had told him not to trust anyone—he’d been right.

Danger lurked everywhere outside the Crown Prince’s residence.

He belatedly regretted not taking his advice to heart.

“Eun-gyo.

Calm down.”

At the calm voice seeping into his ear, his struggling to push the other away came to an abrupt halt.

Raising his eyes, he saw King Seongrim’s face.

Half of it was covered by a mask, but when their eyes met, the faint smile was unmistakably King Seongrim’s.

“If you make a loud noise, we might be discovered.

Can you stay quiet?”

At King Seongrim’s question, Eun-gyo nodded.

Only then did King Seongrim remove the hand covering his mouth.

“How did you…?

Didn’t you say you were returning?”

He asked in a low voice, in case anyone might overhear.

“I did return.

I simply came back.”

His tone was as casual as if it were nothing important.

“This is not an official entry into the palace.”

Ah, so that explained the outfit.

He was dressed like the imperial guards, but with a mask covering his face.

Unlike himself, King Seongrim’s face was well-known within the palace, so he would have needed to conceal it.

“Has anything happened in the meantime?”

At the kind voice inquiring about his well-being, emotions surged up inside him.

Nothing happened, he wanted to say.

The Crown Prince killed a man right in front of me.

And that same night, he held me with those hands.

No matter how gay I am, no matter how I tried to think positively because I might never get another chance with someone so good-looking—that night, my body was so tense it nearly killed me.

There was so much he wanted to say, but the words wouldn’t come out.

Above all, he didn’t want to tell King Seongrim with his own mouth that he was sharing the Crown Prince’s bed every night.

He must have already guessed, but still—he hated it.

Grabbing the hem of his sleeve, Eun-gyo bowed his head deeply.

Just having him come back like this was a comfort.

Knowing that he had even one ally in this palace made him feel like he could endure a while longer.

“It seems you’ve been through a lot.”

King Seongrim raised his hand and patted Eun-gyo’s head.

The warmth of that touch made his eyes sting for no reason.

“I’m fine.

It’s more bearable than I expected.”

He looked up, met his eyes, and smiled as if nothing was wrong.

It was fine.

Compared to King Seongrim, who was suffering because of him, he had come here of his own volition for his own purposes.

King Seongrim had said from the beginning: it wouldn’t be easy, so think carefully before entering the palace.

And yet, it was Eun-gyo himself who had chosen this path.

“Does His Highness the Crown Prince treat you harshly?”

“Well…”

He couldn’t bring himself to say no, so he just laughed awkwardly.

Every night he was driven to the point where his legs gave out—now he was even afraid of sunset.

And that lubricant in the black dragon-shaped bottle—he still didn’t know exactly what it was, but whenever it touched him inside, his body would desperately crave the Crown Prince.

At this point, he suspected it might contain a mild aphrodisiac.

“As I expected, I regret it.”

King Seongrim smiled faintly.

The hand that had been patting Eun-gyo’s head slid down, brushing his cheek.

“If I had known I would lose you so meaninglessly to the Crown Prince…”

His unfinished sentence seemed to draw his face closer.

Eun-gyo instinctively stepped back.

Then, suddenly, meeting King Seongrim’s eyes became awkward.

As his gaze wandered, unsure where to settle, King Seongrim lightly patted his shoulder and stepped back.

He was relieved at the distance—yet at the same time, he felt a pang of disappointment.

“I heard you’ve been paying respects to the Crown Princess.

Is that going well?”

King Seongrim also seemed concerned about Eun-gyo meeting the Crown Princess.

“It’s fine.

It’s not exactly a comfortable relationship, but she’s more innocent and kind than I expected.”

“That’s a relief.

Women’s jealousy can be quite fierce—I was worried she might try to harm you.”

In every word, Eun-gyo could feel genuine concern directed at him.

“The Crown Prince is one thing, but you should also be careful not to cross the Crown Princess or the Empress.

Having been branded as the Crown Prince’s woman, their watchfulness over you will be considerable.”

At King Seongrim’s words, Eun-gyo thought of the court ladies’ power struggles he’d seen in historical dramas and let out a pained groan.

To think he, not even a woman, would be dragged into that world.

It was all the Crown Prince’s fault.

His eyes must have been crossed.

There were plenty of beautiful dancers around—why did he have to pick him and make everything so complicated?

“I’ve marked the places where I suspect the item you’re looking for might be.

When you can leave the Crown Prince’s residence, look around.”

King Seongrim handed him a neatly folded note.

Eun-gyo tucked it inside his belt where it wouldn’t be seen.

“Lady Eun-gyo?”

Hearing Court Lady Han approaching, apparently not seeing him at the entrance, Eun-gyo looked up at King Seongrim in panic.

“Whenever you come outside the Crown Prince’s residence, we’ll be able to meet like this often.

So don’t worry too much.

I will always be near you.”

“Lady Eun-gyo!

Where are you?”

Court Lady Han’s voice grew closer.

“I’m here!”

He answered quickly, raising his voice.

“I’ll see you again.”

King Seongrim pulled Eun-gyo close and lightly pressed his lips to his forehead.

Before Eun-gyo could even look up in surprise, he had hidden himself behind a pillar.

Moments later, Court Lady Han appeared.

“What are you doing here?”

At her words, which seemed to chide him for being out of sight, he was about to stammer an answer—when he realized a water bottle was already in his hand.

King Seongrim had pressed it into his palm just before disappearing, right after kissing his forehead.

“I was drinking water.

I was thirsty.”

He shook the bottle and brought it to his lips.

Court Lady Han tilted her head in confusion.

The spot where she had originally placed the water wasn’t here—she murmured to herself, wondering how he had gotten it there.

As he looked toward where King Seongrim had hidden, Court Lady Han moved to check, asking what was there.

But behind the pillar, there was nothing.

Just the quiet wind, as there had been from the start.

Only Eun-gyo’s heart remained, pounding loudly.

***

The Empress summoned the Crown Princess.

No matter how much she considered the Empress an ally, a summons from an elder was never comfortable.

The Empress clicked her tongue at the Crown Princess, who sat before her with her head bowed.

“I told you to establish order, and instead you’re being toyed with by that wench?”

The Empress had just been questioning the Crown Princess about the Crown Prince’s dancer.

The Crown Princess had honestly reported that she had begun paying respects, and that she was a foreigner from another land.

As she was brightly chattering about Eun-gyo, who came from a place so different from Sinhye Kingdom, the Empress slammed her hand on the table and scolded her.

“First the Crown Prince, and now even the Crown Princess is being fooled—what will become of us!

Crown Princess, how can you be so naive!

You don’t actually believe all those stories, do you?

Where in the world could there possibly be a country without an Emperor!”

The Crown Princess couldn’t refute the Empress’s words, only biting her lip.

She wanted to say that at first she had thought the same, but Eun-gyo’s stories were so detailed that she couldn’t help but believe them—yet she held back.

“What does that dancer intend to do, having charmed the Crown Princess like this?”

“I-I’m not sure…”

At the uncertain, shrinking voice, the Empress slapped the table again.

“What if she puts the Crown Princess at ease and then bears the Crown Prince’s heir first!”

At the mention of an heir, the Crown Princess flinched.

She was already being called the slighted Crown Princess—if a dancer bore a child before her, her position would truly become a basket left out in the rain.

But even so, what was she supposed to do?

Staring alone at the Crown Prince, who wouldn’t even give her a piece of his heart, wouldn’t solve anything.

“There are rumors everywhere that the Crown Prince is so absorbed in indulging that dancer every night that he can’t think straight.

The servants say lewd moans can be heard from beyond the walls all night long.

Are you aware of this?”

At the intimate details she could never have imagined, the Crown Princess’s face flushed red.

“This isn’t a time to just blush!

Don’t think it’ll pass.

Before that lowborn creature carries the precious bloodline of the imperial household, something must be done.”

At the Empress’s scolding, tears welled in the Crown Princess’s eyes.

The Crown Prince told her to simply keep her position, while the Empress scolded her for not winning his heart—caught between them, she truly felt like dying.

“Such a foolish woman.”

The Empress clicked her tongue again, then asked if she would do as she was told.

“What should I do?”

Reluctantly agreeing to follow her orders, the Crown Princess watched as the Empress placed a sword on the table.

“What is this?”

“The day after tomorrow, that dancer will perform the sword dance again before His Majesty the Emperor.

This is the sword that will be used.”

“The sword for the sword dance?”

Unable to understand why it was here, the Crown Princess blinked her large eyes.

The Empress narrowed her eyes and looked at the sword on the table.

“I hear the dancer has been practicing the sword dance at the banquet hall every day.

Go to watch her practice.

On the last day of practice, after she finishes, switch this sword with the one she’s been using.”

Switch the swords?

Why?

Still, the Crown Princess couldn’t grasp the Empress’s intent.

“And what will happen then?”

“What will happen?

The dancer will be executed by beheading.

For the crime of attempting to assassinate His Majesty the Emperor.”

As the Empress smiled, one corner of her mouth curled up crookedly.

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