Vaid6

"We can’t go back now, can we?" the Prince asked, his voice barely a whisper.

Dan-Bi stared at him, feeling the magnetic pull between them, the unspeakable truth that had been buried deep inside both of them for so long. The unspoken bond.

He didn’t reply immediately. There was nothing to say. He just stepped closer, and in that moment, all the walls they had built came crashing down.

Without thinking, the Prince reached out, his hand brushing against Dan-Bi’s. It was subtle—an accidental touch—but it was enough to spark something neither could ignore.

Dan-Bi’s breath caught, and for a brief moment, he wanted to pull away, to push the Prince out of his life before it went any further. But he couldn't.

Instead, he leaned in, his lips brushing against the Prince’s in a kiss that was soft at first. But then, the kiss deepened, and everything that had been left unsaid, everything that had been buried under the surface for so long, came to life in that one moment.

It wasn’t just a kiss; it was a declaration. Of something neither of them had been ready to admit, but something they both knew was inevitable.

UNHIDDEN BLOSSOM

Dan-Bi had grown up in hiding, trained to move unseen, to blend in, to avoid attracting dangerous attention.

And yet, here she was—squarely in the Crown Prince's sights.

As long as he never suspected the truth.

The sons of ministers and generals had no patience for commoners, much less an unknown scholar who refused to bow to their pride.

Dan-Bi had thought they would be the greatest obstacle.

Every debate, every test, every challenge—he sought her out, watching, waiting, pushing her to slip.

One afternoon, the scholars gathered in the courtyard for a strategy examination.

Two groups. A hypothetical war. One side defended a fortress, the other sought to conquer it.

Dan-Bi was chosen to lead the defense.

The prince, of course, led the attack.

Dan-Bi studied the board, placing wooden tokens to represent soldiers.

She predicted his moves, countered them before he made them, forced his forces into a bottleneck.

"You read my tactics well," he admitted. "But tell me, scholar—" His voice turned deceptively light. "What would you do if your own soldiers betrayed you?"

Before she could react, one of her "allies" switched sides, handing over valuable resources.

A murmur rippled through the crowd.

"Then I would change my tactics," she said calmly, adjusting the formation.

He flicked one of the wooden tokens.

"If a leader falls," she said, placing a new piece, "then another rises."

A silent exchange passed between them.

She schooled her face into indifference and met his gaze. "Everyone has secrets, Your Highness."

That night, Dan-Bi stared at the ceiling of her chamber, heart pounding.

The game was no longer about strategy.

Chapter Six: The Hunter and the Prey