Chapter 03
Soa was dreaming.
On a night bathed in bright moonlight, just like that day, Soa followed a white butterfly.
After chasing it for a long while, she arrived at a cliff.
At the edge of the cliff stood a man.
It was strange.
She couldn’t see his face, yet he looked sorrowful.
The moment she stepped forward to grab him, as if he were about to jump, a name slipped past her lips.
The man seemed to turn toward her—
Then leapt off the cliff.
Was he smiling?
Wrapped in the white moonlight, his body shattered as it fell, and dozens of butterflies multiplied, filling the air in his place.
Her empty hands clenched at the night sky as if trying to grasp something, then fell downward.
.
.
.
Soa woke up after two full days had passed.
Still half-asleep, she slowly blinked her hazy eyes and stared at the ceiling. Then she raised her hand and wiped away tears running down the corners of her eyes.
Tears?
As she tried to recall the now-fading dream, the door opened.
“Is Giri still boiling the herbal medicine all day…?”
“Herbal medicine? Who’s sick?”
“Ah! Miss!”
Jeongi, her eyes slightly swollen as if she had just woken up, jumped in surprise when she saw So, looking at her.
She quickly grabbed Soa’s hands and examined her anxiously from every angle.
“Are you really all right? You wouldn’t wake up for so long; I was so worried.”
“Me? Now that you mention it…”
“You injured your ankle, and you were sleeping while leaning against a huge rock. Do you know how shocked we were?”
“A rock?”
“Yes. And you were breathing so peacefully, like someone who had just fallen asleep.”
“……”
A sharp pain shot through her ankle.
Looking down at the clean white cloth wrapped around it, Soa slowly tried to recall what had happened before she lost consciousness.
Just like any other day, she had watched over Yeonwoo’s night, then left to return home.
She walked along the night road.
The moon was bright. A sudden, chilling wind blew. She was chased by something unknown.
And then she met that man.
“When we meet again…”
“Yes?”
“When we meet again… What did he say after that?”
She was certain the man had said something before she fell asleep, but she couldn’t remember it at all.
What had that unfamiliar voice sounded like?
Everything felt so mysterious, so dreamlike, that Soa began to doubt whether what she experienced had even been real.
Seeing her dazed expression, Jeongi shook her head, clearly still worried.
“This won’t do. We should call a physician.”
“No, I’m fine. Where’s Father?”
“He went to the palace… He should be back soon. It’s already become gossip that Giri carried you home after you collapsed.”
“Surely the Crown Prince doesn’t know?”
“…That’s why the Grand Councillor sent some very precious medicinal herbs along with Father. Giri is boiling them right now. Miss, what on earth happened? You even lost one of your shoes.”
“My shoe?”
“Yes. And you were holding this in your hand.”
Jeongi lifted a flower bud she had placed by Soa’s pillow, thinking it might be a gift from Yeonwoo or something important.
When Soa carefully took it and looked at it, her confusion deepened.
I was holding such a tightly closed flower bud?
Because it had not yet bloomed, the red bud made it even harder to guess what kind of flower it was.
I don’t remember picking this up.
After studying it for a long time in her small white palm, Soa was called by Chancellor Yun.
She lifted her head and placed the flower bud near the sunlit window.
She intended to dry it and keep it.
****
“Soa.”
“Yes, Father.”
“I know you and the Crown Prince have grown up as close companions since childhood. But you must be careful with your conduct. You are of age now.”
“……”
Soa stared quietly at the teacup placed in front of her.
She didn’t need to ask what her father had thought, guessing how she might have been injured or what it meant that Yeonwoo had sent medicinal herbs separately.
To Chancellor Yun, Soa was special.
Born the eldest daughter, with one younger brother, she became almost his only child when Chancellor Yun could not refuse the king’s request and sent his son to Hongguk as a hostage disguised as an adviser.
Because of that, the king’s return from his campaign was meaningful to both father and daughter.
The northern border the king had subdued bordered Hongguk.
They might hear news of her younger brother, Sogang.
“When your mother married me, she was exactly your age.”
“……”
“She was beautiful and delicate. I promised to protect her for the rest of my life. But no matter how firm a promise, humans cannot always keep it. When your mother died, she asked me to protect you. Soa, you look just like her. Perhaps that is why this inadequate father worries even more.”
“I’m sorry, Father.”
Soa’s mother, like Soa, could see spirits.
Though born into a noble family, she had been treated as if she didn’t exist because of her ability. She had captured Chancellor Yun’s heart at once, and they married.
People gossiped that he approached her for her family’s wealth, but that was not true.
It was true that his household had declined and that meeting her allowed him to rise to the position of chancellor.
But he loved Soa’s mother deeply.
When she became pregnant with Soa, he felt as though he had gained the entire world.
“I know how outstanding the Crown Prince is. But this foolish father fears that if you give your heart too easily, you may be hurt.”
“I understand what you mean. I’ll be even more careful.”
Soa bowed her head.
After watching her for a long moment, Chancellor Yun slowly looked away.
****
Soon after, the king returned safely.
The streets buzzed with talk of his successful subjugation of the northern lands.
With the firm belief that Hyung, monsters, and unclean beasts would no longer harm them, Yeonguk seemed destined to prosper forever.
But that prosperity was precious and sacred, protected by the unseen efforts of countless people.
The same was true for Yeonwoo, who faithfully carried out his duties as Crown Prince.
“Did you stay up all night again?”
“No, Mother. You need not worry.”
“You reviewed all the petitions before His Majesty’s arrival?”
“Yes. I thought it would be easier for him if I sorted them by urgency and by which officials would require further orders.”
Yeonwoo briefly rubbed his tired eyes.
Watching him, the queen furrowed her brow with concern, then relaxed it.
“…His Majesty will be very pleased.”
“I only fulfilled my duty.”
“And you did not neglect your martial training?”
“Of course not.”
Only then did the queen look satisfied.
She then called Court Lady Ma, who had been standing quietly behind them with her head bowed.
“Dress the Crown Prince in the yellow ceremonial robe we prepared. His Majesty is summoning him today. Tint his lips with flower petals so he doesn’t look tired.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Everything must be flawless, Crown Prince.”
“…Yes, Mother.”
Yeonwoo changed his clothes and placed the flower petals on his lips as instructed.
As the red petals colored his lips and restored his complexion, his attendants escorted him safely to the king.
“Your Majesty, the Crown Prince requests an audience.”
“Let him enter.”
A calm, low voice.
Hearing it after so long, Yeonwoo took a small, steadying breath.
His mother’s warning echoed in his mind.
From childhood, she had been strict with him, always reminding him that he must never give the king reason for reproach.
“Father, I congratulate you on your victory. Did you return in good health?”
The king glanced at Yeonwoo as he bowed deeply, then spoke as if granting permission to rise.
“I hear many things happened. You worked hard protecting the palace.”
“I only did my duty. It was thanks to Your Majesty’s careful planning of the campaign.”
“I also heard you tended not only to state affairs but even small disputes among officials. And yet you remain humble.”
“……”
The king poured tea into the cup before Yeonwoo.
As the hot liquid warmed the porcelain, Yeonwoo fell silent, gazing down at the cup.
His reflection wavered on the surface.
The king often said that Yeonwoo concerned himself too much with trivial matters and that ruling required strong authority and power.
So Yeonwoo sensed that this was not pure praise.
“You sorted the petitions.”
“Yes. Recently, there have been continuous petitions reporting attacks by beasts at night.”
“Where, mostly?”
“Small mountain villages. Many cannot write, so they travel to nearby offices to have petitions written for them.”
“Then they are likely wild animals.”
“Based on the descriptions, they seem to grow especially strong under moonlight—”
The king’s gaze sharpened.
Yeonwoo stopped mid-sentence.
He wondered if he had displeased him again, but he had to speak.
If the damage worsened, royal authority itself could be shaken.
“Yeonwoo, how old are you this year?”
“…Nineteen.”
“Even though you have grown so much, I have been away too often to see it. You must resent me.”
“Not at all. I understand it was to protect the nation.”
“That is why I intend to give you a small gift.”
“…A gift?”
“It is time you take a Crown Princess. You are the sole heir of Yeonguk, Yeonwoo.”
