The late afternoon light poured through the palace's carved windows, painting the marble floors in gold and shadow.
King Hwan Seong sat in the eastern council chamber, eyes on the scroll before him, though he hadn't read a word in the last hour. The air had shifted subtly but unmistakably since morning.
The Queen's attendants had visited.
And now, as General Gwan stood beside him, reading softly through reports, the door creaked open and the Queen Dowager stepped inside.
"Leave us," she said to the guards.
General Gwan bowed once and quietly exited.
The king remained seated, his face a picture of stoicism.
"Must we do this again?" he said without looking up.
The queen approached slowly, her robes rustling like silk in wind. "It's not again, Seong. It's overdue."
"I am not marrying," he said plainly.
"That is not your choice to make alone."
His jaw tightened.
The Queen took a deep breath, her voice softer now. "You are a king. The bloodline must continue. And your people your ministers are talking. They wonder why you haven't even looked at a bride in years. Why you've allowed a former enemy prince to live in the east wing and why you spend nights"
"Enough."
The word cut like a blade.
The queen did not flinch.
"Marriage is a distraction," Hwan Seong said at last. "Right now, my focus must remain on stabilizing the provinces. On rebuilding what was destroyed. On keeping peace."
She stepped forward, hands clasped in front of her. "And when will that peace be enough? You are not a monk, Seong. Nor are you alone in this world. You will not rule forever."
Silence fell between them, tense and unbending.
"I have already invited Lady Baek so-hwa of the Baek clan to the palace. She arrived this morning. She will stay here for a week."
He finally looked up.
The fury in his eyes was quiet but real.
"Why?"
"To help you see sense. She is graceful, educated, and young. From a family that has remained loyal to our throne through two wars. She knows court life, knows how to behave. And she's unlike certain others belongs."
His expression did not change, but the room grew colder.
"And what will she do here for a week?" he asked. "Hover around me? Smile in silence while waiting to be chosen?"
"She will be wherever you are," the Queen said calmly. "She will accompany you in the garden, sit beside you during meals, attend council if you allow it. Perhaps then… you will remember what's appropriate for a king."
There was a moment's pause before he spoke again.
"I don't need someone at my side to appear appropriate."
"But you already have someone," she said bitterly. "And he is the reason I'm doing this."
They locked eyes.
Neither said it, but both knew, Seo Yul was the name heavy between them.
Without another word, the queen turned and left the room.
And for the first time in a long while, King Hwan Seong felt something stir beneath his carefully built walls
Not rage.
Not duty.
But a bitter, possessive ache he didn't yet understand.