skulleater

A young king wages war for justice and brings home the son of his enemy.

King Hwan Seong is known across the land as a righteous ruler who is unwavering, and merciful. When he destroys the neighboring kingdom of Baekseong to stop its cruelty, he spares no one… except for a single boy.

Seo Yul, the last surviving prince, is brought into the palace under royal protection. But the court whispers. Why would a king spare the son of a tyrant?

Silence becomes their language. Suspicion grows into obsession.
And beneath layers of war, grief, and pride… something forbidden begins to bloom.

Two souls. One throne. A love that could destroy or redeem them both.

BENEATH ROYAL SILENCE

The room was dimly lit with a single lantern, its glow flickering gently against the silk walls of the eastern wing. Outside, the storm had softened to a quiet drizzle, and the wind sighed lowly through the halls.

Inside, Seo Yul lay motionless, his face pale and flushed with fever. His body trembled slightly under the covers, sweat beading along his temple. The physician had left hours ago, after mixing herbs and giving instructions to the maids.

He sat quietly by the bedside, still dressed in his travel-worn robes, long dried but clinging slightly with the lingering dampness of earlier rain. His dark eyes never drifted from the boy's face.

He watched each uneven breath. Every twitch of his brow.

Yeonhee had offered to stay, but the king had dismissed them all with a single look. Now, the room was silent just him and Seo Yul, and the night breathing around them.

Sometime after midnight, Seo Yul stirred.

A soft sound left his throat. He turned his head slightly on the pillow, brows furrowing as if in pain. His fingers clutched at the blanket, twisting weakly.

Seo Yul's breathing quickened, his chest rising and falling in short, shallow bursts. His face contorted in distress, and a whimper escaped his lips.

The king reached out instinctively, brushing damp strands away from the boy's forehead. His fingers were gentle, careful. He didn't speak. Didn't try to wake him.

But Seo Yul's dream only grew darker.

"No...please...don't..." he gasped.

The king stood, about to call for water or a cloth to cool him again, when suddenly, Seo Yul's hand shot out and caught his.

He gripped it tight, eyes still closed, as if clinging to something in the dark.

Seo Yul's hand was small, trembling, and burning with fever. He didn't let go.

"…don't leave…" the boy whispered.

Hwan Seong sat back down slowly, his eyes widening just slightly.

Seo Yul shifted under the covers, then with great effort, his heavy eyelids blinked open. The room was blurry. His fever made everything spin. And in that haze, he saw a figure beside him but couldn't make out who.

"…stay…" he murmured weakly. "Just… stay…"

Seo Yul, barely awake, reached for the side of the bed. "Please," he mumbled, voice barely audible. "Just sleep here. I… I'm scared…"

He didn't realize it was the king sitting beside him. He was too feverish to notice the weight of that presence.

He moved quietly, lifting the blanket and sliding in beside him without a word. The mattress dipped slightly under his weight. He kept a respectful distance, lying on his back, gaze fixed on the ceiling.

Beside him, Seo Yul sighed in relief.

He curled slightly toward the warmth, his hand still holding the king's sleeve loosely. Like a child who'd been alone too long.

The storm outside faded into a whisper.

And in the silence of the eastern wing, King Hwan Seong once cold, once distant lay beside the boy he'd once taken as a prisoner.

Don't leave me