Chapter 39
A black shadow moved through the half-open bathroom door.
Haon stepped back, but immediately ran into the bed. She slumped down, her legs giving out beneath her.
“The culprit is here, right now?!”
Her mind went blank. She had no idea what action to take, no idea how to respond.
Her body felt paralyzed, and the only thing she could do with her trembling hands was clutch the edge of the blanket.
“What kind of insane coincidence is this!”
She had only wanted to find a clue about the culprit. She hadn’t wanted to face them directly.
“If only Prince Si were here…”
She could have handled it somehow. No, probably Prince Si would have taken care of everything himself!
Why had she come alone to the First Palace on her own? She had even seen the traces left by the culprit.
No matter how much she scolded herself, it was already too late.
Fortunately, the shadow in the bathroom didn’t seem to have noticed Haon yet. It still lingered, moving around inside.
“Should I attack first?”
Did she even know who the culprit was? Could she even handle them?
“If I run away like this…”
She might survive.
The problem was that her fear had left her unable to move.
Haon was just barely extending her legs when light footsteps approached, and the bathroom door flung open.
“Get lost!”
Haon threw whatever she could grab. A cushion decorating the lower end of the bed flew toward the bathroom door.
It didn’t hit anything and landed inside the bathroom.
“W-what?!”
A youthful voice shouted sharply.
Haon’s eyes widened.
“Uh… Prince Q?”
The person who had come out of the bathroom was none other than Prince Q. Of course, since she had thrown the cushion assuming an adult’s height, it flew over the young Prince Q’s head.
Startled by the cushion flying overhead, Prince Q glared at Haon with sharp eyes.
“You… wait, who are you?”
Prince Q recognized Haon and pointed at her with a finger.
“You’re the maid who plays ‘Sam-Sam’!”
“…I’m Haon. Please call me Haon.”
Haon straightened her expression and stated her name.
“But… why are you here, Your Highness?”
As she asked defensively, the worst thought came to Haon’s mind. She stammered in shock.
“Could it be… did you come because of Prince V…?”
Prince Q’s face turned bright red.
“N-no, it’s not that I wanted to see my brother! I… I just! I was passing by and got a little tired, so I just stopped to rest for a moment!”
“Ah, you missed Prince V, then.”
Haon lightly dismissed Prince Q’s unconvincing excuse.
After all, Prince V was indeed Prince Q’s real older brother, not just by father but also by mother. All other princes had different mothers.
“There’s no way this little prince is the culprit.”
She felt embarrassed for even briefly suspecting Prince Q. Besides, he was Prince V’s younger brother.
Haon also felt quite guilty toward Prince Q.
She recalled the countless footsteps heading toward Prince V’s bedroom and felt a pang in her chest.
“You must have missed Prince V a lot. That’s why you visited here often, right?”
“I-I… th-that’s not it!”
Prince Q’s denial was clumsy. His trembling voice and flushed face betrayed his true feelings.
“It’s okay. That can happen. And you’re not the only one who misses Prince V.”
Haon wanted to comfort Prince Q. He reminded her of Prince Si.
Suddenly, she felt a pang of envy toward Prince V. Even after leaving this world, there were still people who missed him and thought of him.
“I wonder if anyone would miss me?”
Korea came to mind. How many people in Korea would miss Haon if she disappeared?
“Did you… also come here because you missed your brother?”
Prince Q’s usually sharp voice softened.
“Well… I…”
Haon found it difficult to answer. It was not appropriate to reveal the truth to the young Prince Q. It was a secret between her and Prince Si.
“Not so much because I missed him… but because there was something I needed to figure out…”
She tried to evade the question, but a negative thought crossed her mind.
“Prince Q, did you happen to go to the study as well?”
Could it be that the one who took the pocket watch from the study wasn’t the culprit, but Prince Q?
Prince Q’s face darkened at Haon’s question. He pressed his lips tightly together, clenching his molars inside.
“I can’t go there.”
His voice seemed to sink into an abyss.
“I simply… can’t…”
Prince Q bowed his head low. His thin shoulders shook.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness.”
Haon realized her mistake.
Prince Q was just a child who missed his older brother.
The study, where that “event” had occurred—the place of his brother’s final moments—was a daunting and frightening space for the young prince.
All he could manage was to roam Prince V’s bedroom, tracing his brother’s traces.
“Your Highness.”
Haon approached Prince Q.
Though he had a cute, spoiled side and could also be fierce toward maids, he was ultimately a child. He just missed his elder brother.
Haon cautiously wrapped her arms around Prince Q’s shoulders.
“It’s okay, Your Highness. Missing someone isn’t something to be ashamed of. Being able to miss someone shows that your heart is warm.”
Haon comforted Prince Q.
“I….”
Tears crept into Prince Q’s voice. As he bowed further, his forehead touched Haon’s shoulder.
Just as Haon tried to console him—
“I was just passing by!”
Prince Q shouted and ducked to the side, slipping past Haon’s side.
He ran out of the bedroom, the sound of his footsteps fading.
Haon stood up, looking toward the direction Prince Q had run, her expression sad.
“He’s still so young; it must be even harder for him.”
The grief of losing family was something even Haon could barely fathom. All she could do was guess.
“Did he come here alone whenever he missed his deceased brother?”
Thinking this way, Prince V’s bedroom looked different.
Through the wide-open window, she could glimpse Prince Q’s feelings.
“What’s this?”
A pile of flowers was on the dresser by the window. Haon approached it.
The dresser was covered with piles of flowers, some freshly picked, some slightly wilted, and many completely dried.
“Every time he came, he must have brought a new flower for his brother.”
A soft smile spread across her face.
“What a cute little prince.”
Haon looked at Prince Q’s flower offerings and turned, walking around the bedroom. She imagined him spending time alone here, and her heart ached.
“Prince V, what exactly happened to you?”
Haon asked the owner of the palace, to whom she could not receive an answer.
The First Palace, which had seemed so cold and dreary, now felt a bit warmer.
When she returned to the secondary palace, Trillinia had already left. Haon entered Princess Pireone’s room, glancing at Anten.
Princess Pireone was brushing her hair after her shower.
“Where have you been?”
It was a natural question for a maid who had been away. There was no reproach in her tone, but Haon hesitated to answer.
“I just went for a walk.”
“You weren’t in the secondary palace, I see.”
Haon was grateful for the princess’s concern but also troubled.
‘Anyway, Princess Pireone wouldn’t be involved in Prince V’s incident. Maybe I don’t need to hide that I went to the First Palace.’
Princess Pireone had arrived in Heosen this spring. She could not possibly be involved in last winter’s Prince V incident.
“I went to the First Palace.”
“The First Palace?”
The princess paused her brushing.
“The First Palace… you mean the palace of the late Prince V?”
“You know Prince V?”
Haon was surprised. She hadn’t expected Princess Pireone to know him.
“Of course.”
“But Prince V…”
Haon stopped herself. It was a secret even within the Heosen royal family. She had to be careful how to phrase it.
“When I was still in Chekoran, I heard the sad news about the Heosen royal family. That incident even delayed my schedule to depart for Heosen.”
“I see… I didn’t expect you to know about it, Princess.”
“I had to know.”
Princess Pireone resumed brushing her hair, moving slowly and meaninglessly, repeating the same motion gently.
“But why did you go to the First Palace?”
“I was curious about who Prince V was. Prince Si told me a little about him.”
“I see.”
The princess’s smile reflected in the mirror seemed somewhat bitter. Haon wasn’t imagining it.
“He was very kind.”
“You knew who Prince V was?”
“I met him a few times.”
Haon was surprised. She stepped closer to Princess Pireone.
“You met Prince V while in Chekoran? How?”
“I….”
Princess Pireone set down the brush on the dressing table and looked at Haon.
“I was originally arranged to be in a political marriage with Prince V.”
