Chapter 3
“Got you, you little thief!”
The woman’s voice rang loudly through the once-quiet tavern. She burst through the door without hesitation and strode straight toward Yul.
Startled, Yul stumbled backward, gritting his teeth. Even if you’re caught by a tiger, you live as long as you keep your wits about you. He desperately tried to steady himself. He was afraid—terrified—but no matter what, he was still the ruler of a nation.
However—
“Lee Hwiul!”
The moment he saw her, now right in front of him and shouting his name, his thoughts froze once more.
“You know me, don’t you?”
“I-I-I don’t… know you…”
Ah—her eyes looked as though sparks were flying from them.
“…sir.”
Without realizing it, he slipped into formal speech, an old habit resurfacing.
“I thought as much.”
She let out a scoff.
“That’s ridiculous. If you’re going to lie, at least make it convincing. Anyway…”
Her gaze shifted to his face. Ten years had clearly been a long time—for him, at least. Not for her.
“You’ve changed a lot in that time.”
The boy had become a man. He had grown tall, and the soft down that once covered his clear skin was gone. Even his eyes, which used to brim easily with tears, had sharpened considerably.
“Did you really think I wouldn’t recognize you?”
Their gazes met. Yul’s eyes wavered, lost and uneasy.
The woman’s eyes, fixed on him, trembled as well—holding a faint mixture of excitement and anticipation.
“About what happened back then… I sincerely apologize.”
Yul finally spoke, his voice earnest.
After all, he had committed a wrongdoing. It was far better to admit his fault and apologize than to provoke her anger into something dreadful. Moreover, no one could possibly stand against this woman’s power.
“More importantly, what did you do with my thing that you stole?”
She pressed him impatiently.
“My peach. What did you do with it?”
“I gave it to my fa—”
Yul flinched mid-sentence.
He couldn’t let her find out he was the King of Joseon!
“I-I gave it to my father, who was ill. But…”
“Then what about the seed?”
She cut him off sharply.
“The seed… I planted it in the backyard…”
“Really? That’s perfect!”
The threatening aura she had been exuding softened instantly. Her face brightened.
“Let’s go. To your house.”
“…Pardon?”
Yul asked, flustered. Naturally so—his “house” was the royal palace, Gyeongbokgung, and the “backyard” where he planted the peach seed was none other than its rear garden.
“N-no, that won’t be possible.”
“What do you mean? Hand over my peach. I need it right now.”
“I’ll bring it to you. Please wait here.”
“You expect me to trust you?”
She shot back coldly.
“You think I’ll fall for that again? What happened the last time I trusted you ten years ago?”
Unable to refute her, Yul closed his mouth, his expression troubled. But while he fretted over being exposed or harmed, the woman had only one concern.
She had no interest in some insignificant thief to begin with. All she wanted was to retrieve her peach.
“What are you doing? Let’s go.”
“But there are circumstances—”
“Circumstances? Listen, human. You seem to have forgotten—you’re a seed thief, I need that peach immediately, and I could crush you into dust right now.”
Her eyes gleamed ominously.
“So lead the way. Don’t make this harder than it needs to be. Once I get my peach back, I’ll leave on my own—even if you beg me to stay.”
At that moment, someone appeared—someone Yul had briefly forgotten due to her sudden entrance.
“Your Majesty, I apologize for the delay. It would be best if you return to the palace at once.”
Of all times, Munchang had failed to notice the woman hidden behind Yul—and his voice, unfortunately, carried all too clearly.
“Your Majesty?”
A sharp glint flashed in her eyes.
“Did he just call you Your Majesty?”
Come to think of it, hadn’t he just mentioned something about his royal father earlier?
And now that she thought back—ten years ago, he had also rambled on about the palace and his father…
“…Ha. You were the King?”
She muttered, half to herself.
Yul lowered his head. This was bad. No—thinking he could deceive her in the first place had been foolish. There was no way she wouldn’t figure it out.
“Your Majesty, I will explain as we go, but the wall notices—”
Only then did Munchang notice the woman behind Yul and stop mid-sentence.
“And who might this lady be?”
“I am…”
The woman turned her gaze toward Munchang.
A lithe yet solid build. The disciplined aura of someone who had trained rigorously, avoiding indulgence. A trace of killing intent. Steady eyes—and… an empty head.
An escort warrior.
She glanced sideways at Yul, irritation rising the more she thought about it.
Not satisfied with what happened ten years ago, he’s still lying—even now, hiding that he’s the King?
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth—and a lie for a lie.
“Let me see how you like it.”
“I am…”
She lowered her gaze modestly as she faced Munchang.
“His Majesty’s fiancée.”
“F-fiancée?!”
As Yul tried to cry out in shock, she sharply kicked his ankle.
She glared at him and whispered so only he could hear:
“Do you want to be recorded in history as a king who died young?”
Yul lowered his head again. She was more than capable of killing him.
In fact, she wasn’t even human to begin with.
“F-fiancée…? What do you mean…?”
Even Munchang stammered in confusion. After all, the Queen of Joseon already existed.
Like most royals, Yul had married at a young age. The idea that he had a fiancée made no sense.
“It’s already been ten years since our fates first intertwined with His Majesty’s. It was truly a tender time. Just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes. In any case, if one has pledged love, isn’t it only proper for a gentleman to take responsibility?”
“Ah…”
Munchang nodded unconsciously. Ten years ago—she must be referring to that incident. When Crown Prince Yul had disappeared for over a month, throwing the entire palace into chaos.
Thinking back, that was also when his relationship with the Queen began to deteriorate irreparably. It all seemed to fit together perfectly.
“But everything is fine now. I’ve reunited with His Majesty, and he has promised to take me into the palace. Today, no less!”
Ignoring how Yul’s face was turning ashen, she continued with a bright smile.
“I’m very curious about what the palace is like. More than anything, I want to see the rear garden. I heard there’s a peach tree His Majesty planted there while thinking of me…”
Though she was speaking carelessly out of spite, what truly mattered to her was the peach.
She had no expectations whatsoever of a human like Yul. Once she reached the palace, she intended to head straight for the garden, retrieve the peach, and leave immediately.
“Your Majesty…”
As her story ended and a brief silence followed, Yul and Munchang exchanged glances.
Yul’s eyes were desperate.
Munchang…
The shadow-like guard who had stayed by his side for years. The only loyal subject who could understand him at a glance. If anyone could sense that this woman was no ordinary person, it would be Munchang.
Perhaps he might even come up with a way out of this situation.
Please… help me.
“Seeing Your Majesty look at me with such desperation, I hardly know what to do.”
Munchang’s voice trembled slightly.
“Now I understand why you always looked pained whenever I asked about ten years ago. To think you avoided peaches because they reminded you of your beloved… I had no idea Your Majesty harbored such deep love…”
…What?
Yul’s expression went blank.
“Do not worry, Your Majesty! I will go at once and prepare for the lady’s entry into the palace!”
“…”
That wasn’t what he meant. Not that kind of desperation.
He was doomed.
“Munchang—”
Just as Yul tried to speak, the woman clung tightly to his side.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
If he said the wrong thing here, not only would he die, but Munchang would too—and perhaps even the entire kingdom of Joseon.
“…The palace entry… quietly.”
“Yes! Understood. I will make discreet preparations for her entry.”
Leaving behind the miserable King of Joseon and the strange woman, Munchang departed the tavern, deeply moved.
“Fiancée? I’m already married.”
“Good for you. So, are you giving me a wedding gift?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what do you mean?”
Yul cautiously watched her expression.
“You don’t actually intend to pretend to be my fiancée… do you?”
She glanced at him. She had thought he’d changed a lot over ten years—but looking again, he was the same.
The way his eyes drooped pitifully when faced with trouble. The way he muttered in complaint. Even the faint tear mole beneath his eye.
“Once I get my peach back, I’ll leave immediately. I have no interest in anything else.”
Especially not in someone like you.
Her voice was cold.
A slow silence fell between them. Yul carefully studied her.
She was completely different from a human. Not a single thing about her had changed in ten years—her ebony hair, her slightly upturned brows that always looked angry, her flickering, flame-like eyes, and her vividly red lips.
“Yul.”
Suddenly, she called his name.
“Yes?”
Startled, he lowered his gaze, as though bewitched by her face. In that instant, her hand rose and gently cupped his cheek.
“…!”
He flinched involuntarily. Just like ten years ago, her delicate touch left a burning trace on his skin before withdrawing.
“You’ve grown… a lot.”
Her low voice carried with it a familiar scent—the fragrance of peaches he had long forgotten.
In that suffocatingly sweet scent, memories from ten years ago began to bloom.
The summer when he had been Crown Prince Lee Hwiul.
Those seven days he had spent with her.
