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 moved through the palace corridors with a calculated pace, his mind sharp despite the slow drag of dawn. The weight of Jin-Seok's suspicion still lingered on his wrist, but he wasn't shaken.

The prince wasn't one to waste time with empty threats. If he had confronted him today, that meant he had already begun piecing things together.

And if Jin-Seok was truly interested in answers—

Then Dan-Bi would give him something to chase.

But first, he needed to ensure that he remained in control of the game.

Jin-Seok sat in the royal pavilion, a steaming cup of tea untouched before him. His thoughts were elsewhere.

Dan-Bi's words from earlier still rang in his mind.

"Be careful what you wish to uncover, Your Highness."

A scholar speaking with such confidence—such ease in the face of danger.

Jin-Seok had met many men who bowed too easily. Dan-Bi was not one of them.

And that alone made him dangerous.

So when the very same scholar entered the pavilion uninvited, Jin-Seok wasn't surprised.

Dan-Bi approached the table without hesitation, bowing just enough to maintain decorum.

"Your Highness," he greeted. "A fine morning for a discussion, wouldn't you agree?"

Jin-Seok smirked, leaning back slightly.

"Are we discussing, or are you here to mislead me further?"

Dan-Bi chuckled, pouring himself tea without waiting for permission.

"Why, Your Highness, must every conversation between us be a battlefield?"

Jin-Seok rested his chin on his hand.

"Because you never give straight answers."

"Perhaps I only answer the right questions."

Jin-Seok exhaled through his nose, amused despite himself.

"Then let me ask a better one." His eyes gleamed with sharp intent. "Who are you really, Dan-Bi?"

Dan-Bi lifted his teacup, pausing just before taking a sip.

A flicker of something passed through his gaze—something unreadable, something just out of reach.

Then, with the grace of a seasoned liar, he smiled.

"Is that not a question you should first ask yourself, Your Highness?"

Chapter Thirty-Two: A Battle of Wits