LMGML

Chapter 1

The boat departed from the ferry point, riding the wind out into the open sea. Only after they had reached deep water did Ga-heun let out a sigh of relief.

‘I finally escaped.’

She thought she would feel lighthearted.

“…….”

But it was strange. Even though she had escaped the place that was suffocating her, she wasn’t happy at all. Even with the sea she had longed for right before her eyes, she couldn’t smile.

Splash.

A wave rolled in and struck the boat, causing it to lurch violently. Ga-heun gazed at the endless expanse of the ocean. The sunlight breaking over the calm surface was dazzling. Seeing the scenery she had only read about in books made her think of one person.

“Your Highness, they say the sea is as blue as the sky, is it not?”

One day, while she was secretly harboring the desire to leave the palace, Ga-heun had asked Hwi.

“Which do you think is bluer? The sky or the sea?”
“How can virtue be cultivated when you harbor such vain thoughts and give them voice?”
“I truly wish to see the sea at least once. If I ever do, shall I tell you as well?”
“Tell me what? Which is bluer, the sky or the sea?”

As always, Hwi had let out a hollow laugh with a fierce glint in his eyes. Now that she was seeing it for herself, Ga-heun realized how foolish her words had been. The sea, embracing its azure light, and the cloudless blue sky were beyond comparison. They were the same yet different, a different yet identical hue.

Lost in her daze, she failed to notice the high-speed vessel approaching rapidly.

Thump.

At the loud noise, she turned her head. A thick rope fell onto the deck. It was a rope thrown from a ship that had pulled alongside. When she raised her head and shifted her gaze, a man with a chilling look in his eyes stood on that ship. He was wearing a swordsman’s uniform that obscured his status.

Ga-heun’s heart dropped. The man, dressed in combat robes with his hair half-tied and half-loose like a warrior, commanded everyone’s attention. However, his large, deep eyes were so fierce that no one dared to look him straight in the face.

Ga-heun knew exactly who that handsome man was. And she knew exactly who he had come to find.

“Search every inch of this boat.”

Ga-heun quickly lowered her head and hid among the crowd. The warriors in combat robes searched the vessel for her. Perhaps because they didn’t expect her to be in rags, they only inspected the women dressed in fine silks.

Hwi brushed past her. Ga-heun trembled, unable to even breathe.

“She does not seem to be on this ship.”

“Return to the vessel.”

Ordering the return, Hwi turned around and passed by Ga-heun once more. In the fleeting moment she felt relief at not being caught—

Grip.

A firm hand roughly snatched Ga-heun’s wrist. She was so shocked she could only gape silently.

“I did not know you enjoyed cross-dressing.”

The muscles in Hwi’s jaw twitched as he withheld further words.

“Yo-Your…”

“Shut that mouth!”

She bit her lip, suppressing the words that might have revealed Hwi’s identity to others. Gripping her wrist, Hwi dragged Ga-heun away. As they crossed over to his ship, the warriors followed quickly. The two vessels drifted apart.

“Your Highness.”

The hand clutching her wrist didn’t loosen until they were on his ship. If anything, he tightened his grip, pulling her closer.

“Please let go of my wrist.”

“Where were you planning to flee this time? Up to the heavens, or beneath the waves?”

Hwi sneered, his lips twisting. Ga-heun only wanted him to let go because her wrist hurt, but Hwi gripped even harder.

“You wouldn’t have done something this reckless unless you were prepared to die.”

“……”

“What on earth is the reason for this madness?”

It was the first time since their wedding ceremony that he had used informal, lowly speech toward her. It meant he was that furious, but Ga-heun still couldn’t believe he had come to find her. If the woman he hated so much had disappeared, shouldn’t he be happy?

“Why… why did Your Highness come?”

“It is only natural as the husband of the Crown Princess. You are the one who must remain by my side.”

“Then depose me. I am asking you to strip me of my title.”

“I cannot allow you to take such an easy path.”

Hwi poured out cruel words.

“Even if being in the palace is a pain that chokes your very breath, endure it. You must never forget that this is the price for what your family has done to this Royal House and the court.”

Ga-heun looked up and glared at him. Hwi did not avoid her gaze either. It was a moment where the two looked as if they might kill one another.

Crash!

A massive wave struck the ship. The moment the boat lurched, their bodies were flung into the air.

“Ah!”

Even while losing his balance, Hwi instinctively pulled Ga-heun into an embrace. Then, they fell into the blue water. Cold water, as deep as its azure hue, enveloped them. Ga-heun floundered in shock. The more she struggled, the tighter Hwi’s arms locked around her.

Her breath began to fail. She felt that if Hwi kept holding her like this, they would both die beneath the waves.

‘No… Not His Highness.’

Ga-heun shook her head violently.

‘Your Highness, please… leave me and go to the surface.’

She looked at him with desperation, but he wouldn’t budge.

‘Be safe… please, Your Highness.’

A final breath escaped Ga-heun’s lips. As the air bubbles rose, Hwi’s face became obscured. Against her will, her eyelids slid shut. At that same moment, she felt a warm sensation on her lips. The gap between her lips, where salt water had been seeping in, opened, and a hot breath rushed in.

Hwi was breathing his remaining air into Ga-heun.

Truly, he was an incomprehensible man. He had taken a woman he did not love as his wife. To make matters worse, that woman was the daughter of Min Chi-young, the Left State Councillor who sought to control the court. Even though he knew letting go was the easiest path, Hwi insisted on remaining a couple in name only. He wouldn’t grant her deposition, and he chased her when she fled. Now, he was giving her his own breath rather than letting her die.

‘Why?’

Why did this man make it so that she couldn’t even hate him until the very end?

‘Please… live, Your Highness.’

As her consciousness faded into comfort, Ga-heun prayed and prayed again.

‘O God, please… save this man whom I love. I beg of you.’

Because she had loved the man who hurt her so much from the very beginning, even in the moment of death, she wished for his safety. With her lips pressed against Hwi’s, Ga-heun lost consciousness.

The sensations in the body became vivid. The touch of the fabric wrapping the body felt unusually fluttering. The chest was bound so tightly with cloth that breathing felt stifled. Hwi took a deep breath and exhaled.

“Are you awake?”

It was a strange yet incredibly familiar voice.

‘Who is that man?’

Hwi furrowed his brows at the voice that sounded exactly like his own. His eyelids felt heavy, but he forced himself to open them.

Blink, blink.

The blurry vision gradually became clear.

‘I didn’t die. I lived.’

Muyoung must have pulled them from the sea in time. But as soon as he felt relief, he worried about Ga-heun. Since he had been holding her tight, Muyoung’s skills should have saved them both.

Thinking of Ga-heun, his cloth-bound chest felt tight. A woman who smiled easily in front of others but froze whenever he appeared—a woman who didn’t hesitate to call him “cruel” or “wicked.” A woman who spoke of being deposed without fear, yet wept for a bird that couldn’t fly.

Hwi was annoyed by Ga-heun, who did nothing but bother him at every turn. Yet, the moment they fell into the sea, he could think of only one thing: I must save Min Ga-heun.

Finally, Hwi snapped his eyes wide open.

“There now, you’re alright.”

As he turned his head, he saw the face of a man holding his hand.

“Crown Princess, do you have any idea how worried I was?”

The court lady crying beside him was the girl who had come with Ga-heun when she entered the palace. But… “Crown Princess”? Who?

“Dan-ah, go and bring the physician.”

“Yes, Crown Prince.”

Hwi’s brow furrowed fiercely. He was the Crown Prince—so who was she calling “Crown Prince”? Hwi’s eyes locked onto the man. Simultaneously, he violently shook off the hand that was holding his.

The face of the man wearing the Crown Prince’s robes was undeniably identical to his own.

“Who…”

Hwi stopped mid-sentence.