Chapter Eighteen: The Blade Behind a Smile

The Hall of Scholars was a battlefield dressed in silk and ink.

Knowledge was their weapon. Words were their arrows.

And Dan-Bi—

Dan-Bi had long since learned how to wield both.

Even so, the air was sharp today.

The whispers had grown louder.

The stares lingered longer.

The scholars had always looked at her with wariness, some with disdain. A newcomer, rising too quickly, a boy with no noble backing.

But today—

Today, there was something new in their eyes.

Suspicion.

"Scholar Han," a voice drawled, loud enough for the entire chamber to hear. "You seem rather pale. Are you certain you are well enough to be here?"

Dan-Bi lifted her gaze.

Scholar Park.

The man was older, his robes pristine, his smile just a little too sharp.

A trap was coming. She could feel it.

"I appreciate your concern, Senior Scholar," Dan-Bi replied smoothly. "But knowledge does not wait for health."

A few murmurs of approval.

But Scholar Park merely chuckled.

"Ah, but one must wonder," he mused, tilting his head. "A scholar who collapses from exhaustion—is that dedication, or is it weakness?"

Silence.

Dan-Bi's fingers curled beneath her sleeve.

This was different.

They had mocked her before, but never like this.

Never with an edge so direct.

They were testing the waters.

Someone had spoken about the attack.

About her injury.

About how the Crown Prince himself had been seen with her.

---

Dan-Bi smiled lightly. "If sleepless nights were a sign of weakness, many of us in this room would not be standing."

A few quiet chuckles.

But Park did not waver.

"In that case, one must wonder—" His smile grew. "—why it was you who collapsed. Perhaps it is not merely exhaustion. Perhaps… there is something else."

Dan-Bi's pulse slowed.

The room was waiting.

Waiting for her reaction.

Waiting for the next move.

She could see it clearly now—this was not about her health.

This was a warning.

A subtle We are watching you.

A quiet You do not belong.

Dan-Bi met Park's gaze head-on, her voice unwavering.

"A scholar should concern himself with knowledge, not rumors."

Park's eyes flickered. "Rumors? Oh, but Scholar Han, rumors only exist when there is something to whisper about."

The tension in the air tightened.

Dan-Bi did not look away.

She had faced worse.

She would survive this, too.

Then—

The doors opened.

And the entire room stiffened.

---

The Crown Prince entered the chamber like a storm held at bay.

His expression was calm. Unreadable.

But Dan-Bi saw it.

The way his gaze swept the room.

The way his eyes landed—immediately, instinctively—on her.

Park, to his credit, did not falter.

Instead, he bowed deeply.

"Your Highness," he greeted, voice smooth. "To what do we owe the honor?"

The prince did not answer right away.

Instead, he stepped further inside.

Closer.

Dan-Bi's breath stilled as he stopped just within reach.

For a single heartbeat, silence reigned.

Then—

The prince's voice was quiet.

Steady.

But it carried through the room like a blade.

"Scholar Han is under my favor."

Gasps. A ripple of movement.

Dan-Bi's stomach turned.

No.

No, no, no—

This was too much.

Too direct.

Too dangerous.

---

Scholar Park recovered quickly, straightening.

"Ah," he murmured, smiling. "Then, of course, we must commend Scholar Han for earning such esteem."

His tone was pleasant.

Too pleasant.

A man who knew he had lost this round—

But would not forget.

---

The prince did not spare him another glance.

Instead, his gaze remained locked on Dan-Bi.

Something unreadable flickered in his expression.

Then, just as quickly, it was gone.

And with a final, quiet, "Continue with your discussions," he turned and left.

Leaving the hall—

Leaving Dan-Bi—

In stunned silence.

---

Later that night, as Dan-Bi sat in her chambers, staring at the flickering candlelight—

A single thought echoed in her mind.

Why?

Why had he done that?

Why had he spoken at all?

Why did he—

Why did he look angrier than her when Park had cornered her?

Her fingers curled slightly against the wooden table.

The Crown Prince had no reason to protect her.

No reason to speak for her.

And yet—

Yet, he had.

Dan-Bi exhaled sharply, closing her eyes.

This—

This was going to be a problem.