Chapter Nine: The Knife’s Edge
Dan-Bi had spent years mastering control.
Her emotions.
Her expressions.
Her very existence.
It was the only way to survive.
But the Crown Prince was testing the limits of that control.
And worse—he didn't even know it.
---
It started with small things.
The way his gaze lingered too long.
The way he sought her out in debates, not to humiliate, but to hear her thoughts.
The way he noticed things about her that no one else did.
"You don't like sweets," he remarked one afternoon, watching as she pushed aside a plate of sugared persimmons.
Dan-Bi barely glanced up. "I prefer simpler foods."
"Hm." He leaned against the table. "You also favor your left hand when you fight, but your right when you write."
Dan-Bi's fingers tensed around her chopsticks.
That was not something most people noticed.
She swallowed the unease and forced a smirk. "Are you always this observant, Your Highness?"
The prince chuckled. "Only with things that interest me."
Dan-Bi looked away.
She did not like the weight of his attention.
Not because it was dangerous.
But because, deep down—
Some part of her did not hate it.
And that was far more dangerous than anything else.
---
The tension only worsened when the Crown Prince announced a military exercise.
A mock battle.
Scholars versus the royal guards.
A test of strategy and skill.
Dan-Bi was placed on the scholars' side, naturally.
The prince, however, chose to stand among the guards.
The moment she saw him dressed in full combat attire, hair tied back, a wooden training sword resting against his shoulder, Dan-Bi felt a warning flare in her chest.
This was not just a game.
Not for him.
Not for her.
---
The battle began.
The scholars were overpowered in strength, but they had numbers.
Dan-Bi used that to her advantage, directing her team to outmaneuver rather than overpower.
The guards fell, one by one.
And then—
It was just her and him.
The prince grinned. "You are clever, Scholar Han."
Dan-Bi exhaled. "And you are persistent, Your Highness."
He lunged.
Dan-Bi barely dodged, twisting to deflect his strike.
He was stronger.
She was faster.
They clashed, wood against wood, movements precise and controlled—
Until, suddenly—
He knocked the sword from her hands.
A heartbeat later, she was pinned.
His arm braced against her shoulder.
His breath warm against her skin.
Dan-Bi froze.
The world around them faded.
The prince's eyes flickered.
For a single, terrifying moment, something uncertain crossed his face.
Then, just as quickly, it was gone.
He stepped back, offering a hand.
Dan-Bi hesitated—then took it.
His grip was firm. Steady.
As if it had never trembled at all.
---
That night, Dan-Bi could not erase the look in his eyes.
Confused. Intrigued.
Unsettled.
She had spent her life hiding.
But for the first time—
She wondered if someone was beginning to see her anyway.
And if she would be able to stop it before it was too late.