Chapter Nineteen: A Question He Should Not Ask
The wind howled outside the palace walls, rattling the wooden doors of the quiet scholar's quarters.
Dan-Bi sat at her desk, eyes scanning the open scroll before her, but the words blurred together.
She could still hear the prince's voice.
"Scholar Han is under my favor."
The words had spread like wildfire.
Whispers followed her wherever she went now—some wary, some envious, others… dangerous.
Dan-Bi exhaled slowly.
The prince was making things worse.
She had spent her whole life hiding. Surviving.
She did not need—
A sharp knock.
Her stomach twisted.
It was late. No one should be here.
Another knock, more insistent this time.
Dan-Bi's pulse quickened.
"Enter."
The door slid open—
And her breath caught.
---
The Crown Prince stood in the doorway.
Still dressed in his formal robes, his expression unreadable, but his eyes—
His eyes were sharp.
Unyielding.
Dan-Bi rose swiftly, bowing. "Your Highness."
Silence.
Then—
The door shut behind him.
A single step forward.
Dan-Bi forced herself to meet his gaze.
Something burned there—something she did not understand.
Something he did not seem to understand, either.
---
"You were attacked."
The words were quiet.
But they carried weight.
Dan-Bi kept her expression neutral. "Your Highness must be mistaken. I merely—"
The prince's jaw tightened.
"Do not lie to me."
Dan-Bi's fingers curled into her sleeves.
He was angry.
She could see it in the way his hands had clenched at his sides, the way his voice was too controlled.
But why?
Why did he care?
She forced a small smile. "It was nothing."
The prince took another step closer.
Dan-Bi did not move.
"You were found unconscious," he said, voice dangerously calm. "That is not nothing."
Her chest tightened.
This was dangerous.
Very, very dangerous.
Dan-Bi bowed slightly. "I assure you, Your Highness, I am fine. There is no need for concern."
A muscle in his jaw twitched.
For a long moment, he said nothing.
Then—
His voice dropped.
"Who did this?"
Dan-Bi inhaled sharply.
There it was.
Not just anger.
Not just frustration.
But something deeper.
Something dangerous.
Something close to—
Protectiveness.
She swallowed. "Your Highness—"
"Tell me, Han." His voice was lower now, almost a growl. "Who harmed you?"
Dan-Bi's heart pounded.
He meant it.
If she gave him a name, he would act.
Without hesitation.
Without thinking.
And she could not—
Would not—
Allow that.
Dan-Bi forced a soft chuckle. "Your Highness thinks too highly of me. Do you believe I am so important that I would be worth attacking?"
His eyes darkened.
"You are not unimportant."
Dan-Bi's breath hitched.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The air between them was thin. Stretched too tight.
Then—
The prince exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair.
Frustration.
That was what this was.
Not just at her.
But at himself.
Like he hated that he was this bothered.
Like he hated that he had come here at all.
Dan-Bi saw it—saw the exact moment he realized this was too much.
That this—
This feeling—
Was dangerous.
He took a slow step back.
Dan-Bi lowered her gaze.
"This scholar thanks Your Highness for his concern," she murmured. "But truly… there is nothing to be concerned about."
Silence.
A long pause.
Then—
A quiet, frustrated sigh.
The prince turned.
Opened the door.
Paused.
Without looking back, he spoke—
A voice softer than before.
"Be careful, Han."
Then—
He was gone.
And Dan-Bi was left standing in the quiet room, staring at the closed door.
Heart still pounding.