It was like the habitual chore he did, he went straight to meet the Queen Dowager and the Queen Consort in the morning. Following by the men and women from his chamber, he took a slow pace today to the morning’s greeting. Under the bright morning sun, he enjoyed every step he took. 

 

At the same time, he stopped promptly at the front gate of another prince. It was the little prince from another concubine of the King. And there, the little prince looked so nervous, he paced back and forth. Jeonghan smiled to himself. 

 

“Sanha?” He called him warmly. 

 

The little prince halted, turned around to see who had called him. A beam appeared innocently on a face of the little boy. 

 

“Hyung!” He ran. Jeonghan bent down, to match their height. The prince instantly threw himself into Jeonghan’s hug. 

 

“Hyung,” he whimpered. 

 

Jeonghan merely hummed, “why to wake so early?” 

 

“It is my first day of learning,” the prince replied so cheerily. 

 

Jeonghan glanced at the old man who played a role of Sanha’s men. “He will attend a school?” 

 

“No, Your Highness, it’s a private teaching. The King has announced about the Royal will never get interact with low-rank…” 

 

“But they have to grow and know how people outside,” he retaliated. 

 

Sanha tugged Jeonghan’s robe slightly, to beckon the Crown Prince paying attention to him. “Yes, dear?” 

 

“Will brother hate me?” 

 

Jeonghan frowned. “For what? I can not hate you, why would I hate you?”

 

Sanha pulled a face as if he was sullen over the news that his brother, the Crown Prince - the favorite one would hate him for a particular reason. “But mom says so.”

 

Jeonghan chuckled. He knew that time would come, or accurately he knew people behind the palace would send hatred each other, and he was not interested in doing it. 

 

“I won’t, I won’t be able to hate my brother,” he assured, putting back an innocent smile to the younger’s face. “But one thing I will dislike.” 

 

Sanha looked at him, with the concerned look through eyes, “what’s that?” 

 

“If you don’t study diligently, I won’t play with you anymore.” 

 

He nodded firmly. “I will, Your Highness. I will obey your words.” 

 

“Your Highness, the teacher has come,” a woman from Sanha’s chamber immediately announced. Jeonghan stood up and saw a familiar man before his eyes. He was stunned. 

 

The same person who attended the same class with him back then. He had grown up to Bachelor Hong. 

 

The bachelor bowed down, showed him a respect. 

 

“Good morning, Your Highness.” 

 

-

 

“You have never been so late like this, Your Highness,” the Queen Dowager scolded him right away, as he entered. Jeonghan bowed down again. 

 

“I apologize for my bad attitude, Your Majesty, I have stopped by Prince Sanha this morning. I guess taking a time with my little brother would steal me from this regular meeting.” He glanced at the Queen Consort who sitting right beside the Queen Dowager. He hated this moment the most. 

 

Actually, it was better to stay and company Sanha while he had his lesson with someone he knew than staying with Queens. Because he knew where the talk would them to. 

 

“A daughter of the Governor Han will meet you tomorrow, perhaps she can be a good example for the mother of this country.” 

 

there, there, one of a typical case that a royal dowager would talk to him

 

Jeonghan smiled, forcibly. “I think, we have to give a time where the sun has no moon to rule the universe, Your Majesty.” Here, Jeonghan stated back his initiative to not marry anyone, even more, impregnated a girl to give a birth as a successor of the throne. He could not do that, especially he had no interest towards them. 

 

“However, you have reached the ideal age for married, Your Highness,” the Queen Consort interposed. 

 

“I have no plan to marry either, Your Majesty. Please be considerate about my decision.” He bowed, then raising from the spot where he sat down before. Afterward, he left with no words. 

 

-

 

Jeonghan found himself blankly staring at the field. He did not pull the bow, even got an arrow in his hand. He halted for a couple of moment in the middle of his practice, many times. Something really bothered his mind these days. 

 

“Everyone leaves me and the Crown Prince alone,” a familiar voice startled him. He turned around and realized that the King had arrived without him knowing. He bowed down, ignoring the gait of men and women hasten to leave the area in instant. 

 

“Do you have something in mind, my son?” The King looked concerned at him, seating on the chair that supposed to be for the Prince. 

 

“Nothing,” he lied. “Nothing, father.” 

 

The King raised a single brow. “So why you look so pensive..for several days, as if something inconvenienced you, mind to tell me what it is?” 

 

“It’s really nothing, perhaps I’m just too tired,” he refuted, just like the usual. He could not let it easy to spill up his mind. He knew the worse when he put a trust on someone. It was not like — he was insecure to share his burden, despite he could not tell it because his hunch told so. It was frustrating for him, but he couldn't help. Better to keep it by himself than sharing it to another person, even it was his own father, the King. 

 

The King nodded. “Okay, I will pass it. So, you’ve been visiting Prince Sanha every single day, you’re quite possessive about the brother of yours, Jeonghan.” 

 

“I have to look over the teaching, if he is taught well or not, father, it’s not like I’m insecure about what’ve been taught to him, if someday he’ll be a better candidate to the throne, I won’t worry it either. Just, I’m worried if he will grow up like the er of a power.” 

 

He explained it as if he wanted to inform his father that he would not be same like what other wanted and thought. Even for his father, he would be different from him, he would be like his mother who stayed humble as though she was not like another concubine even until the death had stolen her from him. 

 

The King itself smiled, like he was relieved to think much about his successor. “Then good, I’m glad to hear it. So, you’ll insist on being unmarried one?” 

 

Jeonghan pulled a face, “please don't make me be mad over the same topic,” he whined. The King nodded. 

 

“I want you to accompany to Sanha, perhaps you need a time with his teacher, I will play some time with Sanha,” the father offered. Out of nowhere, Jeonghan shocked at the fact that his father offering a thing that he hid these days. He never told anyone that he was close to someone. Or perhaps it was only a thing that his father assigned him to take care of Sanha’s lecture. 

 

He nodded right away, retreated to change his outfit before back on accompanying his father. 

 

-

 

Jeonghan once in a while stole a glance of the King and the Prince. He smiled. 

 

“I will leave, for now, Your Highness.” The bachelor who stood behind him now bowed down, gripped back his book under his arm. 

 

“No, I will walk you out from this place,” he turned around to the bachelor, then took the first move initially. The teacher followed behind. 

 

As they walked out, no one was dared to talk, even for the Crown Prince himself. The followers behind Jeonghan were clearly thinking that their master would brag the lesson, but no, Jeonghan remained in silent. The teacher neither did talk and stayed at the same state inherently. 

 

At the front gate, the bachelor bowed down with courtesy. When he was about to leave and turn back, Jeonghan initiative made a move. 

 

“You still play gayageum, master Hong?” 

 

He tugged the corner of his lips upward earnestly. The bachelor bobbed his head hesitantly.   

 

“I guess yes, Your Highness.” 

 

“Then come to my chamber tomorrow’s evening, I will provide the gayageum, play it for me and we’ll hear some opinions from you.” 

 

The bachelor blinked. Not used to hear that he had to play the instrument before him as a request. However, he simply agreed with him by a nod. He left the palace afterward. 

 

Jeonghan glanced at the eunuch of his. “Prepare the things for tomorrow, I will go back to the King. It’s only for the Royal without the ladies, I wish. No invitation for the ladies.” 

 

“Yes, Your Highness,” they said in unison. 

 

“Also, bring some ladies who can play gayageum to the place. I wish to spend time with the family.” 

 

“Yes, Your Highness.” 

 

A foreign feeling flashed through his heart as he recalled that he had just summoned the bachelor to play for him. He smiled secretly as he went back to the King for asking his consent. 

 

---

 

Under the dim light, he brought the bachelor to his chamber. They had left the hall earlier than anyone’s anticipation. He excessively made the bachelor into an important guest of his own. Leaving the hall, entering the chamber of Crown Prince, the bachelor seemed to have no idea why the latter did so. Particularly when the bunch of his men and women left them alone. 

 

“Play it,” he ordered. 

 

The bachelor instantly moved to behind that instrument, grabbed him as he wanted to please the Crown Prince. 

 

“Keep at your ease, I've not yet been a king to your life,” Jeonghan assuaged him, taking a cup of tea which he sipped next. He shut his eyes closed once the latter entertained his skill on playing an instrument. It was a perfect evening he dreamed of, listening to a melody that probably relieved him from his own stress inside his chamber, especially when the full moon appeared perfectly on that night. 

 

He beamed. 

 

“It’s been a long time when I heard you playing it, Jisoo.” 

 

The bachelor stopped his play, staring at the Crown Prince in shock. 

 

“Still beautiful,” he added, “like you.” At the end of his praise, he lowered his voice, like he whispered out his own thinking. 

 

“Keep going.” 

 

Jisoo continued on his performance in silence. By a chance, he felt this performance would be a constant thing he gave to the heir of the throne. Yet he did not complain it either. He simply surprised after all. 

 

He was astonished, just because he knew Jeonghan missing him, might be missing his play or it was really him whom he missed. 

 

He did not want to wonder alone, besides he did not want to get his expectation high of his forbidden feeling. A forbidden feeling where they had been once close and it led them to another level of closeness, more than a friend, more than a school mate. Likely a feeling that brainwashed them both, to lead them to not want a marriage with a noble woman in the future. 

 

Basically not because they prevented to put themselves into a devil’s circle of authority, not because they had lived amongst the er of power and authority also did not want to live like them, not because of a cliche reason which probably hypocritical for other’s people. All the reason above were the mains for them both. Living with no interest, just because they shared a mutual value, gradually they shared a mutual feeling without each other knowing, which led them the most to dodge the marriage thingy. 

 

“I will be the King who marry no one in the future, Jisoo,” he blurted out of sudden, made the latter to stop playing and put the gayageum aside. 

 

“Why?” 

 

“Because I can’t,” he replied. He turned his glass upside down, after that he walked to the edge of his terrace, looked up to the sky as he mesmerized the beauty of the full moon. 

 

“I totally can not do that, I’m not able to do,” he chanted. 

 

Jisoo sighed. 

 

“I have put my eyes on someone,” in some way this statement overwhelmed Jisoo’s heart with bitterness, something that pushed him into his thought that a royal like Jeonghan would only assume him not least than an acquaintance or friend. 

 

“But that person is not meant to be mine,” Jeonghan finished his words. Glimpsing at the bachelor, he raised up from his seat. 

 

“You can go, probably you feel tired,” he said as he dismissed him from his sight. The bachelor in a blink of eye retreated from his sight, leaving the Crown Prince deep in his pondering behind. As he hastened to depart from the palace, Jeonghan ogled him from above, with the help of lights from stars and the moon he could see him. 

 

“Because I can not marry anyone…because I put my eyes on someone else that could be hurt if I insisted on marrying that person…simply I don’t want to hurt a good person like you by people who running around me,” he muttered alone. He clenched his hand, interdigitated his fingers and bit his lips hard. 

 

“And it is you.”