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The reception room was bathed in soft, subdued lighting.
I stood near the door like a folding screen. Visible, yet as though I didn't exist.
Just as I was about to escort the Crown Prince back, Her Majesty the Queen stopped me and ordered me to remain here.
At first, I assumed she might need someone to run small errands. But she already had an attendant by her side. That only made my presence here feel even more peculiar.
For a fleeting moment, the thought crossed my mind that perhaps she intended for me to witness this scene.
But only for a moment.
I raised my head slightly and looked into the room.
My eyes naturally drifted toward her.
She was elegantly dressed. The pale fabric of her gown shimmered softly under the light, and she sat with perfect posture, not a single movement out of place.
Hong Yeonhwa, the young lady of the prestigious Hong family.
She was someone often discussed among the maids. There were even rumors that she would one day marry Crown Prince Gowon.
That beautiful young lady sat facing Crown Prince Gowon. Beside him sat Her Majesty the Queen with impeccable poise.
Seated next to Lady Hong was her father, speaking in a low, steady voice.
The conversation with Her Majesty flowed naturally, punctuated by occasional laughter.
Gowon, seated among them, did not wear the cold, rigid expression he usually carried. The corners of his lips were raised ever so slightly. Even his eyes seemed softer.
It felt strange.
Lady Hong said something, and he answered with a short laugh.
For some reason, that scene felt unfamiliar.
I was watching him.
The same eyes that had been looking down at me only moments before.
"I dislike the scent of Go Chaeha lingering on you."
His words echoed in my ears.
Then my gaze returned to Hong Yeonhwa.
She was smiling at him like a flower in full bloom.
The image suited them far too well.
The air inside that room looked warm.
Yet for some reason, where I stood felt like a different temperature altogether.
I lowered my eyes briefly.
Because I felt that I shouldn't keep watching.
"Pour the tea."
At Her Majesty's call, I quickly raised my head.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Keeping my head bowed, I lifted the teapot and carefully tilted it.
Tea flowed in a thin stream.
A soft sound echoed.
Pour.
Then Her Majesty spoke.
"What do you think about staying by Lady Yeonhwa's side for the next few days?"
My hand stopped.
Only for a moment.
The tea rippled slightly inside the cup before I straightened the pot again.
"...Pardon?"
The sound escaped my lips before I could stop it.
"Lady Yeonhwa will be staying in the palace for several days. The palace will feel unfamiliar to her. I would like you to remain at her side until she becomes accustomed to it."
It wasn't a request I could refuse.
"...I will obey."
The answer left my mouth, but it didn't feel like my own.
My mind went blank for a moment.
Was this the reason Her Majesty had kept me here?
I set down the teapot.
My hands trembled ever so slightly.
At that moment, I felt someone's gaze.
I looked up.
Gowon was looking at me.
I couldn't read his expression.
He wasn't smiling.
Nor was he completely expressionless.
It was as though something inside him had paused.
As though he was thinking about something, while simultaneously preventing that thought from ever reaching the surface.
Then he looked away again.
As though nothing had happened.
I folded my hands once more and quietly stepped back.
Before long, their conversation came to an end.
As everyone dispersed, I followed behind Lady Yeonhwa.
Then one of Her Majesty's attendants stopped me.
"Her Majesty has something she wishes to discuss. Remain in the reception room for a moment."
Once everyone had left, the reception room remained softly lit, yet somehow the atmosphere felt entirely different from before.
Her Majesty calmly sat back down on the sofa.
I remained standing where I was, stiff as a statue.
"Don't be nervous. Sit."
She instructed an attendant to prepare tea for me.
Steam rose from the cup as warm tea was poured.
I accepted it with both hands but couldn't bring myself to drink.
"I have heard that you have managed Crown Prince Gowon's difficult temperament rather well. That is why I entrusted this task to you."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"As you have already been told, Lady Yeonhwa will remain in the palace for some time while participating in a cultural project sponsored by the royal family. My attendant will explain the details of the schedule to you separately."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Her eyes paused on my face.
The moment her gaze turned colder, I was reminded of the sight of her standing beside Reporter Kim.
It felt as though they knew a truth that I alone did not.
I could sense that my existence made them uneasy.
Her face remained perfectly composed, yet deep within her eyes there lingered a distance she could not entirely conceal.
"Until the project concludes, there will be many occasions where Lady Yeonhwa and the Crown Prince share the same schedule. Keep that in mind and conduct yourself accordingly."
Her voice was gentle.
But her eyes were not smiling.
The project she spoke of.
Officially, it was a cultural exchange initiative.
In reality, it felt like an examination.
A test of Hong Yeonhwa as a future candidate to stand beside Crown Prince Gowon.
The room prepared near the detached palace where Go Chaeha and Gowon resided was where Lady Hong Yeonhwa would be staying temporarily.
It was designed in such a way that they would naturally run into one another while coming and going.
Hong Yeonhwa wandered around the room for a while, looking everything over, before eventually gathering her skirt neatly and sitting down on the sofa.
"You're that girl from before, aren't you?"
She seemed to remember me from the day she had lost her earring.
"Yes. At that time…"
"I know. It wasn't you."
Tilting her head slightly, she continued speaking in a calm voice without the slightest flaw in her posture.
Her tone was gentle, but there was an effortless elegance woven into every word.
"His Highness told me. He apologized, saying that jealousy and envy among palace servants often turn things that never happened into convincing rumors."
I found it surprising.
Someone who normally paid no attention to others had gone out of his way to clear up a misunderstanding.
For a brief moment, my heart wavered.
But the instant our eyes met, I regained my composure.
"I apologize for causing Your Ladyship concern because of such a pointless matter."
"It's alright. You were caught up in it too. It must have been exhausting."
There was no rush in her demeanor.
She carried the sort of ease that naturally put the listener at ease.
"Doesn't your leg hurt? You can sit comfortably when you're with me."
"I'm fine."
"If you answer like that, it makes me uncomfortable. Go on."
Unable to refuse her request, I carefully lowered myself onto the sofa.
"What's your name?"
"Seonmi."
"Just Seonmi?"
No one had ever shown this much interest in my name before.
I didn't want to explain that I had abandoned my father's surname and legally changed my name because I no longer wanted anything to do with him, so I simply nodded.
"So your name is Seonmi."
She nodded as though a mystery had been solved.
Hong Yeonhwa was like a rose raised with endless love.
She possessed small thorns that subtly established boundaries, yet her kindness and consideration shone as beautifully as her appearance.
Beautiful enough to make me strangely jealous.
"Today, you're scheduled to go riding with His Highness the Crown Prince."
"Seonmi, you'll be coming along too, won't you?"
"If it would make you uncomfortable, I could remain behind…"
"No. I was asking because I want you there. I feel more comfortable when you're with me."
She smiled softly and met my eyes directly.
"I will remain by your side for as long as you stay in the palace, My Lady."
Apparently pleased with my answer, she smiled once more.
Unlike the palace, which remained warm throughout all four seasons, the air outside carried the faint chill of early autumn.
The sky was high.
A dry breeze brushed through the grass.
Though traces of sunset had not yet appeared, the sunlight had already lost the heat of summer and become gentle.
I stood behind a low fence beside the stables.
Beyond it, two riders moved side by side.
Crown Prince Gowon.
And Lady Hong Yeonhwa.
The rhythmic sound of hooves echoed steadily.
The sound of earth being cut beneath them spread softly while the wind drifted over it.
Both of them rode with natural ease, as though they had spent years in the saddle.
Every now and then, Lady Hong would say something to him.
I couldn't hear the words, but I could see him tilt his head slightly to listen before offering a brief reply.
Then, for just a moment—
the corner of his lips lifted.
I couldn't look away.
The face I had seen in his office.
The eyes that had looked down at me.
The man who carefully measured every cold word.
This expression was entirely different.
Lighter.
More natural.
A breeze swept through the field.
The grass swayed.
The horse's mane moved with it.
The hem of Hong Yeonhwa's dress fluttered gently.
The scene was beautiful.
And they suited it.
The two riders drew slightly closer.
At that moment, Gowon's gaze briefly shifted in my direction.
Just a passing glance.
Only for an instant.
I didn't move.
I didn't look away.
Then he withdrew his gaze and returned his attention to Hong Yeonhwa as though nothing had happened.
Why?
My chest tightened quietly.
I felt as though I knew the answer, yet I didn't want to give it a name.
I lowered my head slightly.
And when I looked up again, the two of them had already ridden far into the distance.
"There are horses that belong to the wind."
A low voice came from beside me.
I turned.
An older man who appeared to be one of the stable masters stood there.
"That horse."
He pointed toward the meadow with his chin.
"The one His Highness is riding."
I silently followed the direction of his gesture.
"It chooses people."
His voice remained calm.
"It's not frightened. It's not particularly aggressive. But if it doesn't like someone, it will never follow them."
"Then... what about His Highness?"
The question slipped out before I realized it.
"His Highness is different."
The stable master chuckled softly before continuing.
"He doesn't try to force a horse into submission. The horse recognizes it first. It understands that he isn't someone who drags it forward. He's someone who walks beside it."
I lowered my eyes as I listened.
Then the stable master spoke again.
"You know, His Highness rarely changes horses once he's given one his trust."
I looked back up.
He still wasn't looking at me.
His eyes remained fixed on the horses.
"If he chooses one at the beginning, he'll ride that horse until the end. Even if another horse is faster. Even if another horse is better."
The stable master continued almost as if speaking to himself.
"He may look cold, but he's actually a warm-hearted person. When he was young, he cried very easily."
A slow smile crossed his face.
"Of course, now he's become someone who firmly protects the position of Crown Prince and elevates the prestige of the nation."
For some reason, his words felt distant.
So distant that I briefly wondered whether the Gowon he was describing was the same Gowon I knew.
The stable master glanced in my direction before continuing.
"His future is incredibly bright."
His voice remained calm.
"I only hope he continues to stand strong and becomes one of the pillars of this nation."
With that, he walked away to return to his duties.
I remained where I was.
He wasn't wrong.
Crown Prince Gowon was someone destined to keep moving forward.
And perhaps that was why someone like me irritated him.
Only now did I begin to understand.
A quiet heaviness settled inside my chest.
I looked back toward the meadow.
The place where he had been riding moments ago.
The image of him standing beside Hong Yeonhwa returned to my mind.
They suited one another.
And more than that—
it felt natural.
She was a woman perfectly capable of walking beside him.
I pressed my lips together slightly.
The stable master's words resurfaced in my mind.
"He may look cold, but he's actually a warm-hearted person. When he was young, he cried very easily."
I turned those words over and over.
I had never seen that side of him.
The Gowon I knew was someone who always drew lines.
Always kept his distance.
Always revealed nothing.
I blinked slowly.
Only then did I realize something.
Perhaps his warmth wasn't something everyone was allowed to see.
Perhaps it was reserved only for certain people.
And I—
wasn't one of them.
For some reason, that realization left a faint bitterness behind.
I could see Hong Yeonhwa approaching from afar on horseback.
She waved at me.
Her lips moved as though she were saying something, but I couldn't hear her.
I opened the gate and walked toward her.
"Couldn't hear me? It's nothing important. His Highness just gave me this horse as a gift."
So he was capable of giving gifts.
Perhaps she had seen the warmth the stable master spoke of.
The joy shining in Hong Yeonhwa's eyes glowed softly.
"So I wanted to make a nameplate badge and attach it here…"
And then it happened.
She shifted her body and lightly nudged the horse's side.
In an instant, the horse reared violently onto its hind legs, lifting both front hooves high into the air.