The healer's fingers remained motionless against the bracelet.
For a brief moment, the room felt as if it had fallen out of time—not because the attendants had stopped moving, but because the healer had.
His gaze remained fixed on the worn wooden beads circling Navi's wrist. They were ordinary at first glance, yet something about them struck him with such force that the word escaped before he could stop it.
"Impossible."
"My lord?"
An attendant's voice pulled him back.
The healer blinked once, then again. By the time he lifted his head, his expression had already settled into its usual calm composure. Nothing remained visible.
Nothing except that Yi Hyun was already watching him.
"What is it?"
The healer carefully released Navi's wrist and rose to his feet.
"Nothing," he said after a brief pause. "I have seen similar craftsmanship before."
The answer was too smooth.
Too precise.
Yi Hyun's gaze did not leave him. The healer never hesitated. Never searched for words. Yet something in that response felt rehearsed, and a quiet tension settled in Yi Hyun's chest.
The healer straightened his robes.
"Her condition is stabilizing."
One of the attendants visibly relaxed.
"Then she will recover?"
"Eventually."
His eyes drifted briefly toward the bracelet before returning to the group.
"However, moving her now would be dangerous. I recommend she remain here for several days."
Several days.
Silence lingered between them before Yi Hyun finally nodded.
"As you wish."
The healer lowered his head, but relief crossed his face too quickly to conceal.
Yi Hyun noticed.
And said nothing.
⸻
The doors closed behind him.
For a moment, neither Bongu nor Jinhwan spoke.
Then Bongu broke the silence.
"Will she live?"
"Yes."
Relief flickered across his face before hardening into something sharper.
"Good."
A brief pause followed.
"At least someone was concerned, and that seems to be only me."
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Jinhwan closed his eyes.
Bongu realized too late what he had said.
Yi Hyun turned slightly, his expression unreadable.
"Explain."
"My lord…"
Jinhwan looked as though he wanted to intervene, but remained silent.
Bongu swallowed.
"You knew what those berries were."
His voice tightened.
"You watched her eat them."
The accusation hung heavily between them.
Yi Hyun did not react immediately.
Then—
"I did."
Bongu blinked.
That was not the answer he expected.
Yi Hyun's gaze shifted toward the closed doors.
"She chose to leave the palace."
A pause.
"She chose not to eat the food sent to her."
Another.
"And she chose the berries."
That was all.
No defense.
No excuse.
Only fact.
Bongu opened his mouth, then closed it again.
"That doesn't mean—"
"No."
Yi Hyun interrupted him only once.
"It doesn't."
Then he turned and walked away.
The conversation ended as cleanly as it had begun, leaving Bongu with nothing solid enough to argue against.
⸻
The doors had barely shut before Jinhwan rounded on him.
"What is wrong with you?"
Bongu blinked.
"What?"
"What do you mean, what?"
Jinhwan stared at him as if he had lost all sense.
"You questioned the Crown Prince."
"I asked a question."
"You accused him."
"I did not."
"You absolutely did."
Bongu opened his mouth, closed it, then sighed.
"…Fine. Maybe a little."
Jinhwan exhaled sharply.
"You cannot do that."
"Why not?"
"Because he is the Crown Prince."
"And?"
The look Jinhwan gave him bordered on disbelief.
"No, seriously," Bongu said. "And?"
"You are a guard."
"Am I?"
That stopped Jinhwan.
Bongu pointed at himself.
"Because nobody told me that. I was supposed to be an attendant."
A pause.
"An attendant."
Another.
"Someone who carries things."
Another.
"Someone who organizes things."
He gestured dramatically.
"Someone who brings tea when asked."
His voice rose.
"When exactly did I become a guard?"
Jinhwan looked genuinely exhausted.
"I don't even know how to fight properly."
"You know enough."
"No, I don't."
"Yes, you do."
"No, I don't."
"Bongu."
"I'm serious."
He pointed toward the forest.
"Do you know how terrifying it is every time you two drag me into situations like this? You and His Highness walk around like nothing can touch you. I spend the entire time trying to figure out where I would hide if something went wrong."
For the briefest moment, Jinhwan nearly laughed.
Nearly.
"You are impossible."
"I am practical."
Then, more quietly, Bongu added:
"When we return, I'm speaking to my father."
Jinhwan immediately stiffened.
"About what?"
"I'm done."
Bongu pointed toward the direction of the sanctuary kitchens.
"I belong there."
"What?"
"The royal kitchens."
"You cannot be serious."
"I've never been more serious."
Jinhwan stared at him.
Then—
"I should be a chef."
Silence.
"A chef."
"Yes."
"You want to leave the Crown Prince's service."
"Yes."
"To cook."
"Yes."
Jinhwan made a noise somewhere between disbelief and frustration.
"You've lost your mind."
"I've found clarity."
Jinhwan stepped closer.
"That position is an honor most men would die for."
"I don't want it."
"You do not get to decide that lightly."
"I just did."
For the first time, Jinhwan fell silent.
When he spoke again, his voice carried something heavier than anger.
"You are not thinking about your father."
That landed.
Bongu looked away.
Jinhwan continued.
"The only reason I tolerate your behavior is because I respect your father immensely. He is one of the most respected generals in the empire, and it is because of him that you were granted the honor of serving beside the Crown Prince."
Bongu said nothing.
"You question the Crown Prince. You ignore orders. You act as though this position is something you can discard the moment it becomes inconvenient."
The words struck harder than any scolding.
"Your father would be proud of what you could become."
A pause.
"But not of what you are right now."
That ended the argument.
Not with anger.
With disappointment.
And somehow that was worse.
A long silence followed before Jinhwan folded his arms.
"So about what you said earlier."
Bongu looked up cautiously.
"About being afraid because you cannot fight."
A pause.
"Your training starts tomorrow morning."
Bongu froze.
"What?"
"We start tomorrow."
"No. No, I don't want to."
"You do not have a choice."
Bongu stared at him in horror.
"You will."
⸻
Yi Hyun had already disappeared into the sanctuary paths.
Neither Bongu nor Jinhwan noticed when the air shifted once more.
Or when the silence became unnaturally still.
⸻
Night had fallen by the time the healer returned.
Alone.
A single lantern illuminated the room where Navi rested. Her breathing had steadied, and the color had begun to return to her face.
The healer approached her bedside and immediately found himself staring at the bracelet again.
The wooden beads were worn and familiar in a way that should not have been possible.
For a long moment, he only looked.
Then slowly, almost reluctantly, he reached toward them.
The instant he noticed the small marking carved into one of the beads, his breath caught.
Recognition struck him with physical force.
Twenty-five years ago—
He remembered.
A woman who was never supposed to be remembered.
A woman erased from every record.
Someone the world had been meant to forget.
His hand trembled once.
Barely enough to notice.
"How did this reach you?" he whispered.
A weak voice answered from the bed.
"What are you saying?"
The healer froze.
Slowly, he lifted his head.
Navi was awake.