The garden outside the eastern wing bloomed with early summer roses, but Seo Yul didn't see them. He sat behind a latticed screen, eyes fixed on the courtyard just beyond. The breeze stirred the edge of his robe as he clutched the book on his lap unread for hours.
From his spot in the shadows, he could see them.
King Hwan Seong stood beneath the pagoda roof, his arms folded, a calm expression on his face. Before him, Lady Baek So-Hwa knelt elegantly, pouring tea into two delicate cups. The sunlight filtered through the plum blossoms, catching in her dark hair as she looked up and smiled.
The King didn't return the smile. But he accepted the cup.
So-Hwa spoke softly. Her laughter danced in the air like the rustling of silk. Hwan Seong didn't speak much, but he listened really listened. He nodded when she asked a question. He offered a word when she hesitated.
To someone watching closely, it would seem he was being… gentle.
Kind.
Kind, Seo Yul thought bitterly, his nails digging into the edge of his sleeve.
That rare gentleness the softness that never showed on the battlefield or in the throne room was something Seo Yul thought he had seen only once. That night.
That storm.
That fever.
That voice calling his name in the rain.
He had woken in arms that were warm and strong. And for a moment, he had believed someone cared.
But now… the King sat there calmly. Conversing. Not looking this way. Not remembering.
And So-Hwa her presence was flawless. She knew how to bow, how to smile, how to make her voice linger like perfume. She belonged here.
Seo Yul didn't.
Later that day, The palace was hushed under a blanket of soft clouds. Morning light filtered through the corridors, casting gentle shadows against the carved wooden doors. It was a calm day at least on the surface.
In the Eastern Wing, Seo Yul moved slower than usual. He had barely spoken for days. The lingering cold and fever had passed, but something darker stayed inside him. Something lonelier.
He noticed the change.
King Hwan Seong no longer visited.
Ever since Lady Baek So-Hwa had arrived, the king was busy. Always surrounded. Always followed. Seo Yul didn't hold it against him he couldn't. But that ache in his chest had returned. The same emptiness he'd felt as a child when his mother died. When his father never looked at him again.
Now… the only person who had ever shown him kindness seemed to forget him too.
And it was unbearable.
That morning, Seo Yul wandered into the private bathing hall attached to his wing. The attendants had already prepared warm water for him, filling the small chamber with steam and soft floral scent.
He asked them all to leave.
They hesitated, but obeyed.
He sat at the edge of the bathing pool, letting the silence sink in. His reflection shimmered in the water. Pale face. Hollow eyes.
And then, something on the bench caught his attention.
A silver hairpin, left behind by one of the maids. Sharp at the tip. Small.
He stared at it. His hand trembled as he picked it up.
It was a foolish thought. A cruel thought. But he had it anyway.
If I get hurt again… will he come back? Will he hold me again?
Tears welled in his eyes.
And then… he did it.
A quick motion. Across his inner arm.
It wasn't deep. But it was enough. The red came fast, blooming like spilled ink on his robe.
Seo Yul slid down against the wall, his body growing cold, his vision dimming. He didn't cry. He didn't even whimper.
He just… waited.
Elsewhere in the palace, the morning remained quiet.
Until a maid entered the bath to collect a towel and screamed.
Within minutes, the entire Eastern Wing was in chaos. Guards rushed in. Servants shouted for physicians. Seo Yul was found slumped on the cold floor, a robe draped around his soaked form, blood trickling faintly from his wrist.
He hadn't passed out completely.
His lips were pale. His breathing shallow. But he was alive.
Lady Yun hee arrived breathless, dropping to her knees. "What happened?! How... How did this happen?!" she cried, gripping his shoulders as the physician checked his pulse.
"He needs warm bedding and herbs for shock," the old man said firmly. "And someone must stay by him. He should not be left alone again."
That evening…
News spread quickly, as all things did in the palace.
Hwan Jae heard first. He had been in the southern training yard when a guard whispered it to him. He dropped his sword and ran.
But someone else heard it too.
The King.
He was in the garden with Queen Mother and Lady So-Hwa, listening quietly as So-Hwa spoke about music and embroidery. He hadn't been smiling. He never did. But he was being polite.
Until a guard rushed toward him, pale-faced.
He whispered urgently in his ear. "It's Prince Seo Yul… he was found injured in the bath chamber."
The king froze.
"What?" he breathed.
"An accident, they think. The physician says he's stable, but weak. No one knows how it happened."
For the briefest moment, Hwan Seong forgot who he was supposed to be.
He stood abruptly. His wine cup tipped, spilling onto his sleeve. He didn't care.
"I must go," he said flatly, ignoring So-Hwa's questioning eyes and the Queen Mother's startled voice.