Chapter Twenty: A Question He Cannot Answer
The Crown Prince sat rigidly in his chambers, the candlelight flickering against the silk drapes.
His tea had long gone cold.
Yet he had not moved.
Not for hours.
Because his mind—his traitorous, restless mind—refused to be silent.
"Be careful, Han."
The words had left his lips before he could stop them.
As if he meant them.
As if he—
The prince scowled, gripping his teacup tightly.
This was ridiculous.
He was acting ridiculous.
Scholar Han was…
A scholar.
Nothing more.
A promising mind, perhaps, but no different from the rest.
So why—
Why did it bother him?
The bruises. The way Han had dismissed the attack as if it were nothing. The way his lips had curled into a faint, unreadable smile even as his eyes—
His eyes.
Dark. Reserved.
Hiding something.
Something he did not understand.
Something he should not care to understand.
The prince exhaled sharply, setting his teacup down with more force than necessary.
Enough.
This was nonsense.
He would not think of him.
Not now.
Not again.
And certainly not—
"Your Highness," a voice interrupted.
The prince's fingers twitched.
His most trusted eunuch, Jang, stood at the doorway, bowing deeply.
"The ministers have requested your presence at court."
The prince straightened, adjusting his robes.
Politics.
Schemes.
Matters of importance.
Yes.
That was what he needed.
A distraction.
Something to remind him of his duty—his place—his purpose.
Not a foolish scholar with too-honest eyes.
Never that.
---
Yet—
By midday, the prince found himself standing at the outer courtyards of the scholars' quarters.
Unmoving.
Staring at the wooden doors ahead.
He had no reason to be here.
None at all.
And yet—
His feet had carried him here before he could stop them.
Before he could think.
A slow breath.
He turned away.
This was absurd.
He would not—
The doors slid open.
And there—
Bathed in the soft glow of afternoon light—
Stood Scholar Han.
Their gazes met.
A single moment.
A single breath.
The prince felt his pulse quicken.
Dan-Bi tilted his head slightly.
"Your Highness?"
A pause.
Then—
The prince turned sharply on his heel, striding away without a word.
As if he had never been there at all.
---
By evening, he was furious.
At Dan-Bi.
At himself.
At the entire situation.
Because no matter how hard he tried—
No matter how much he willed himself to forget—
Scholar Han remained.
A presence in his mind.
A question he could not answer.
A thought he could not ignore.
And that—
That was more dangerous than anything.