SNF | Chapter 6.2

The footsteps that had followed stopped at the window where Yeon-oh stood. Unlike Yeon-oh, who stood neatly by the window, the Crown Prince sat on the windowsill. It was a posture unbecoming of a Crown Prince, and Yeon-oh frowned but did nothing more.

“Did you want to see the face of the one you deceived?”

“……”

“Are you planning to avoid answering again, as you always have?”

The Crown Prince crossed his arms and tilted his head at the barrage of questions. His hair flowed down with his movement.

“If you plan to avoid answering, I’ll call someone. It would be quite amusing if rumors spread that the Crown Prince sneaked in.”

“Young master. If you come on so strong, it makes me look like a scoundrel trying to assault a noble lady.”

“I’m not a noble lady, but I can’t say Your Highness isn’t a scoundrel.”

“Your tongue is sharp. You didn’t show any expression in the palace. No, I heard you sharply retorted to Jaeseong. They said your tongue was quite fierce, and it seems they were right.”

Despite speaking more rudely than usual to provoke him, the Crown Prince merely laughed it off. Yeon-oh didn’t join in the laughter and simply stared at the Crown Prince. In response, the Crown Prince erased his smile and answered.

“It was all just a coincidence. I couldn’t reveal I was the Crown Prince because I missed the timing, nothing more.”

“Am I supposed to believe that explanation without any doubt?”

“And if you don’t?”

The Crown Prince leaned forward from his perch, moving closer to Yeon-oh. They were so close that he could feel his breath, close enough to touch with the slightest movement. Yeon-oh blinked a couple of times without showing any agitation.

“Even if you don’t believe it, there’s no clear answer. Wouldn’t it be better for your peace of mind to just believe it?”

After confirming that Yeon-oh remained unshaken, the Crown Prince smiled and moved away as much as he had approached.

“As an apology for deceiving the noble young master, I’ll answer whatever you want to know. Feel free to ask.”

“Can you promise to answer truthfully?”

“Well, unfortunately, I can’t guarantee that.”

The Crown Prince, who laughed mischievously, sat back on the windowsill and waited for Yeon-oh to speak. Yeon-oh slowly organized his thoughts. As neither spoke, silence floated between them.

Looking into the Crown Prince’s jet-black eyes, the unrefined thoughts began to take shape, revealing the truth hidden beneath the anger of being deceived and humiliated.

“…Your Highness.”

After a long silence, Yeon-oh finally spoke.

“Though we didn’t meet many times, it seems I liked you more than I thought.”

The Crown Prince raised his eyebrows, seemingly surprised that Yeon-oh opened with a confession rather than a question.

“Otherwise, I wouldn’t be dwelling on the fact that I was deceived for so long.”

Having confessed the truth that had been lurking in his heart, Yeon-oh felt lighter. He looked steadily into the Crown Prince’s eyes.

Eyes that showed no emotion towards him. Yes, he liked those eyes. Eyes that held no longing or affection, they unraveled the constant frustration in Yeon-oh’s heart.

That’s why, despite his high guard, Yeon-oh had no hesitation in meeting someone who seemed to hide things about himself, and even after declaring unilaterally that he would cut ties, he kept looking at the withered camellia. And that’s why he felt so humiliated by the Crown Prince’s deception.

“I asked you to ask what you’re curious about, but you’re revealing your inner thoughts?”

“I have no questions for Your Highness.”

“Why not?”

The Crown Prince asked, genuinely curious.

“I first met Your Highness at the Spring Festival banquet. What questions could I have?”

“Ah, …so you’re saying you’ll forget all the meetings before the Spring Festival?”

“Your Highness should forget too. No, there’s no need for you to forget. It was a meeting with a young master who called himself Yeshin, not Your Highness.”

Having concluded his words, Yeon-oh turned his body towards the lacquered screen. The Crown Prince watched Yeon-oh’s actions quietly, as if to see how far he would go. Ignoring the Crown Prince’s gaze, Yeon-oh reached for the withered camellia on the desk. Once he let go of this, the connection would be completely severed.

“It wasn’t mine to begin with, so I’ll return it to you.”

Though he held the withered camellia in front of the Crown Prince, he made no move to take it. The Crown Prince, who alternated his gaze between Yeon-oh and the camellia with an indifferent expression, chuckled softly.

“The young master is more interesting than I thought.”

The Crown Prince slowly reached out and took the camellia. The touch of his fingers was cold.

“I imagined you’d be unable to bear the humiliation and get angry.”

“……”

“But you’re so calm. My expectations were completely off.”

After fully handing over the camellia to the Crown Prince, Yeon-oh lowered his hand. The lightness of his hand felt strangely empty, and Yeon-oh repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fist.

“Alright. You can think of me as someone you’re meeting for the first time. I’ll allow it.”

The Crown Prince examined the camellia as if it were fascinating.

“You still had this.”

“…It wasn’t valuable enough to bother throwing away.”

“Such sharp words. I took it without thinking, but I should return it.”

“There’s no need…”

“I meant it when I said I’d guarantee your peace, so keep it. Who knows? If I ever have to punish you, I might remember this and consider our past connection. I said you could forget, but I never said I would.”

The Crown Prince, who forcibly placed the camellia back in Yeon-oh’s hand, straightened up as if he were about to leave at any moment. The gaze that had been roughly level with his while he was perched was now higher again.

“…I won’t see you off.”

“You’re telling me to leave quietly, just as I came. Yes, that was my plan.”

Yeon-oh turned his head towards the window. He had no intention of watching him leave. Tap, tap. The quiet footsteps stopped and then approached again.

“Most of it was a lie, but there was some truth.”

“……”

“Yeshin. That name is truly all I have.”

The words, whispered as if directly into his ear, scattered quietly in the air. Yeon-oh turned his gaze from the window to the direction the Crown Prince had gone. The place where the Crown Prince had been was long empty, without even the sound of a door opening or closing. It felt like a dream, but the withered, faded camellia in his hand pulled him back to reality.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

Plum blossoms bloomed on the dry branches, heralding the arrival of spring. Although winter hadn’t fully passed, and snow still lay on the buds, it had its own charm. Everyone enjoyed the sight of the plum blossoms amidst the snow.

On the day the plum blossoms first bloomed, the special exam was held. After the grand coming-of-age ceremony held by his family following the Spring Festival, Yeon-oh secluded himself in his study, focusing on preparing for the exam. His body, worn out from being buried in books day and night, was rejuvenated with a tonic prepared by Jo Myeonghwan.

After taking the special exam for two hours, Yeon-oh pushed thoughts of his answers out of his mind. There was no turning back, and he had written as he intended, so he had no regrets.

As he stretched his stiff body after leaving the Taehwajeon, Yeon-oh looked around. Various lanterns hung on the walls. Come to think of it, the Lantern Festival was four days away. Around the Lantern Festival, colorful lanterns were lit, and it was also called the Festival of Lanterns.

Yeon-oh walked slowly, taking in the sight of lanterns made of yellow, red, blue, and white paper. The carriage he had arrived in was waiting outside the Golden Palace, so he planned to take his time walking there. There was no rush.

In that case, should he visit the prince? Yeon-oh stopped in his tracks, contemplating. He still hadn’t formed an attachment to the prince, but he needed to. To do that, he needed to meet him several times and get used to him. Besides, he had promised the prince during the Spring Festival banquet that he would visit the palace soon.

After making up his mind, Yeon-oh called a court lady walking nearby and sent her to deliver a message to the carriage he had arrived in. Without sending a message in advance, those waiting would surely worry. After sending the court lady on an errand, Yeon-oh called a nearby eunuch to guide him to the prince’s palace.

At first, the eunuch, unsure of who Yeon-oh was, hesitated, but upon seeing the ivory badge Yeon-oh showed, he bowed his head. Yeon-oh put the badge back and followed the eunuch. The lanterns became more splendid as they approached the inner court.

Yeon-oh, who had been walking while scanning with his eyes, stopped. Not sensing any presence behind him, the eunuch also stopped and turned his gaze to Yeon-oh.

“…Princess?”

Yeon-oh spotted the princess standing not far away. His face showed surprise as he looked at the child. The princess was crying.

“Uncle?”

The princess, having noticed Yeon-oh, called out to him with a voice full of tears. Her eyes were red from crying under the stone wall.

“Why is the princess like this?”

Yeon-oh asked the wet nurse court lady, who was stamping her feet, but she only looked at the princess. Yeon-oh sighed. Even though the plum blossoms had bloomed, it was still winter. The tears on her cheeks wouldn’t fare well in the winter wind. Yeon-oh placed his cold hand on her frozen cheek and bent one knee to meet the princess’s gaze.

“If you stay like this, you’ll catch a cold.”

“…Uncle.”

The princess’s sobs gradually subsided.

“Why are you here?”

“I was on my way to see His Highness the Prince after taking the special exam.”

“Ah…”

The princess’s face darkened at once. Yeon-oh understood the cause of her tears from her reaction.

“You’re going to see your brother.”

The visibly gloomy princess lowered her gaze to the ground.

“Then go quickly.”

She even reached out her small hand to push Yeon-oh away. It was a clear rejection.

“Did you have a fight with His Highness the Prince?”

Yeon-oh gently held the hand pushing him away and spoke in a calm voice. The princess lifted her head. Her eyes held a faint resentment. Or rather, it was closer to sorrow than resentment.

“It’s not like that.”

“…….”

“It’s not like that. I said it’s not.”

Tears welled up again. Worried that her cheeks might get damaged, Yeon-oh quickly wiped her tears. The princess bit her lip and then hugged Yeon-oh’s neck.

“I hate him.”

Yeon-oh didn’t know the full story, but he could roughly understand. For the gentle and considerate princess to show such emotions, it was clear enough. Suppressing a sigh, Yeon-oh just patted the princess’s small back without asking further.

“Shall I stay with you today, Your Highness?”

The sobbing stopped. The princess, still holding onto his neck, looked up at Yeon-oh. Is it true? The small voice that came out from her mumbling lips was answered with a nod from Yeon-oh.