The Crown Prince was stunned by his wife’s request.

He could tell that she simply uttered that out because she was nervous. Her hands that were resting on her lap were already balled into fists from nervousness.

Taeyeon’s breath hitched when the Crown Prince slowly reached out his hands to hold the sides of her head. She gulped, thinking if he was really going to go for it or let her go.

She squeezed her eyes shut in hope that it would end quickly, but she only felt a soft and tender pressure pressed gently against her forehead, leaving a lingering warmth. The unexpected touch sent a shiver down her spine, a gesture of comfort and affection that defied conventional norms.

Taeyeon opened her eyes, bravely meeting his eyes.

There was a connection there, and it felt intimate.

“Don’t think too much about what everyone told you. We can take it slow, and do whatever you are comfortable with.”

She silently nodded at him, grateful that he won’t be forcing her to do it, because she was truly not ready for that.

“It is late, let’s just go to sleep,” he said, starting to move his table.

“Sleep here?” she asked.

“Of course. It would be weird if you suddenly leave at night,” he replied as he started to pull out the bed and hand her a pillow. “We can just sleep side by side.”

“Alright.”

The Crown Prince fell asleep pretty quickly after the lights went out. The Crown Princess however, couldn’t fall asleep at all because of what he did earlier. 

She slowly reached out to touch the spot he just kissed on her forehead. As a smile slowly formed at the corner of her lips, a realization began to blossom within her.

It was as if a veil had been lifted, revealing emotions she had kept hidden, even from herself. Every interaction, every stolen glance, suddenly carried an extra weight, a significance she could no longer ignore.

Her heart fluttered as she replayed their shared moments in her mind. The way his words made her feel, the feeling he gives her so that she won’t feel alone, the warmth of his touch – all of it took on a deeper meaning, igniting a fire within her soul.

Yet, in the midst of this realization, a fear coursed through her veins. The vulnerability that accompanies such emotions left her trembling.

What if her feelings were unrequited?

What if she laid her heart bare, only to be met with indifference or rejection?

In the quiet solitude of her thoughts, she acknowledged the truth. She had already fallen for him.

She wonders if he would feel the same way.

***

“Your Majesty, we have captured a group of revolters in front of the palace. What should we do with them?”

“Crown Prince,” His Majesty The King gestured to his heir to reply to the government official, looking forward to how the Crown Prince will deal with this.

Byun Baekhyun nodded at his father and glanced swiftly at their subjects before saying, “Before that, I would like to hear what the Tax Minister Kim Minjun has to say about what we should do about these people. They were, after all, revolting against the newly implemented law about increased taxes.”

Kim Minjun nodded and stepped forward from where he was standing. “I propose that we publicly behead  them, so that everyone else who wants to follow them will not dare to think about revolting against the palace again.”

Baekhyun simply smiled before saying, “By publicly beheading them, not only does it instill fear, I am sure that when there’s another chance to revolt, they will still do it because the problem is still unsolved.”

Kim Minjun simply flashed a smile and asked, “What do you propose we do? Your Royal Highness.”

“With increased taxes, the people should be getting something in return that will be beneficial for them, shouldn’t they?” asked the Crown Prince. “Imagine if we reduced  your salary, but you still have to do the same amount of work with greater results. Everything is a give and take situation, and it applies to our people as well.”

“Good point,” His Majesty cut in to agree with his son. “But what else can we do? If we reduced the taxes, the people would think that revolting against the palace works. So next time if they don’t agree with something, they will revolt again.”

“We can provide Free healthcare to those who can’t afford it. That way, they are paying more taxes to get Free healthcare funded by the government. The people won’t see it as an unfair situation, because the taxes they end up giving is to help others that are sick as well.”

“Free healthcare? What if they abuse the system? By reselling the medicine they received from the government to people that need it?” asked Kim Minjun.

“Well, we can make it so that only the poor will be eligible to gain free healthcare. The nobles would not be able to claim it. We can build a system which can filter out the nobles, and the infirmaries can be stationed at poorer areas.”

“I like this idea. Good job Crown Prince. We will proceed with the Crown Prince’s idea then,” said the King.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“How did you come up with this?”

“Actually, the Crown Princess was the one who gave me this idea yesterday.”

“The Crown Princess?” The King was surprised to hear that a woman gave a great suggestion to the court. His Majesty smiled before saying, “There has been talks going around the town spreading about what happened in the village yesterday morning.”

“What have the people been saying?” asked the Crown Prince, it was his first time hearing about it.

“Only positive things. About how smart and kind our Crown Princess is. The Royal family has gained some public approval ever since the Royal outing yesterday.”

The Crown Prince looked down and tried to suppress the smile that was forming at the corner of his lips.

***

“Wow, there are so many good quality herbs here. Do you guys usually go and collect these yourself?” Taeyeon asked the head of the Royal infirmary.

“No, Your Highness. We have a supplier in the village,” replied the Head Physician. “Is Your Highness not feeling well?”

“No. Just paying the Royal infirmary a visit to see what it looks like. I used to work at my uncle’s infirmary, he used to be a Royal Physician here.”

“Royal Physician Kim Jang-Geum? He did mention before that he has a niece that is really interested in becoming a herbalist.”

“Yes!” Taeyeon exclaimed, excited to hear that the uncle she looks up to actually mentioned her during work. “I practiced medicine at his infirmary outside the palace, before becoming the Crown Princess.”

“Wow, Your Highness is indeed very intelligent and gifted, just like the rumors.”

“Rumors?”

“Your Highness’ good deed during yesterday’s outing has been talked about among the villagers who witnessed it, and it even reached those of us who stayed in the palace. They said that you were very smart as people talked about your background.”

Taeyeon smiled, feeling shy about the compliment.

After leaving the infirmary, she decided that she wanted to go to the library to read some books before going back to her chambers to eat dinner.

On her way to the library, she finally met face to face with Prince Jung, the Prince she almost married.

“Your Excellency,” she greeted Prince Jung politely when she noticed the Prince stopping beside her when they were about to walk past each other.

“We finally met.”

Taeyeon looked up at him, wondering what he wanted to say. She thought she could leave after a simple greeting.

“I find it amusing how shallow ladies like you chase for a bigger prize when they have the chance. From Princess to Crown Princess, when your brother told me how wild and untamed you are, I didn’t think that you were ambitious as well.”

His words were insulting to her ears. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, the way he said it, it sounded like she had a choice in choosing her husband when she didn’t have a choice to begin with.

“I think you have misunderstood. I never had a choice in this. It was all because of fate.”

“Don’t act coy with me. I could have given you more power and riches, allow you to pursue whatever medicine dream I heard your brother say. It’s a shame you won’t have that privilege anymore.”

That statement about her dream struck a chord with her as she raised an eyebrow, and leaned forward with a hint of mischief before saying, “It sounds like someone can’t get over the fact that they lost to their brother, once again. Let me ask you this, why settle for a Prince when I can marry a Crown Prince? Any sane lady would choose the Crown Prince.”

The smirk on Prince Jung’s face started to fade as it turned into the beginning of rage.

“What did you just say?”

Taeyeon knew that she had stepped on something she shouldn’t have. She has heard how serious the Crown Prince and Prince Jung’s rivalry is. She quickly looked around and saw the archery field not far from there.

“Excuse me,” she muttered before quickly walking away and towards the field. When there is danger, at least she knows who to run to. “Your Royal Highness!”

The Crown Prince looked away from his target as he slowly put down his weapon. Soo, who was standing by his side, also turned to look at the Crown Princess.

“Fancy seeing you here, Hyun,” she said with a bright smile on her face when she got closer. “Are you practicing right now? I have always wanted to try archery.”

A small smile formed at the corner of his lips when he heard her call his name. “Yes. You want to try?”

“Can I?”

Baekhyun just nodded and passed her his bow and arrow. Then he gestured for Soo to pass him his. “The first step is to find your stance. Plant your feet firmly, shoulder-width apart, and align yourself with the target.”

Taeyeon mirrored his posture, her body instinctively adapting to match his position. She wanted to use him to get away from Prince Jung at first, but now she finds herself eagerly following his instructions.

“Now, hold the bow with a relaxed grip,” he continued, stepping closer to her. “Let your fingers find their place, but remember not to grip too tightly. Allow it to rest naturally in your hand.”

She nodded and adjusted her grip, feeling the weight of the bow in her palm.

“Next, focus on your breathing,” he advised. “Take a deep breath in, and as you exhale, let go of any tension in your body. Find your calm center.”

She inhaled deeply, chest rising and falling in sync with her newfound sense of tranquility. She released the tension in her muscles, allowing her body to settle into a state of readiness.

“Now, draw the arrow back, using your back muscles rather than relying solely on arm strength,” he instructed. “Feel the connection between your body and the bow.”

She was so focused on the lesson that she didn’t realize that Baekhyun had already passed the bow back to Soo and was now standing closely beside her.

“Finally,” his voice was gentle yet firm, “align your sight with the target. Focus your gaze, visualize your aim, and let go.”
Taeyeon’s eyes fixed on the target in the distance. With a surge of determination, she released the bowstring, watching as the arrow soared through the air.

Her arrow landed near the target with a satisfying thud. A smile of accomplishment spread across her face, and she turned to Baekhyun, her admiration mingled with gratitude.

“I did it!”

He smiled warmly, his eyes filled with pride. “You have a natural talent.”

Taeyeon glanced up at him, surprise flickering in her eyes when a hint of a smile would grace his lips when he talked about other things she could improve when shooting an arrow. His guarded expression has softened, allowing genuine mirth to shine through.

She recognized the beauty and rarity of those genuine smiles, like rays of sunlight breaking through a stormy sky.

Not far from them, Prince Jung stared at them, deep in thought. His face lit up when he thought of a plan.

That night, the Crown Princess received a note sent to her anonymously. She was about to sleep when Hui passed her the letter, saying that it was passed to her by an unknown guard in the palace.

Taeyeon didn’t want to read it, but read it anyway as curiosity got the best of her.

Inside the letter, it simply wrote,

“Your Highness, there’s another place behind the garden you haven’t explored yet.Why not explore it tonight?”

“Hui, do you know about the place behind the garden?” she asked without looking up from the letter, confused by what it meant and what the purpose of the letter was.

“I heard there’s a beautiful waterfall. It is especially a great sight at night,” replied Hui.

“Oh wow, I have never heard of a waterfall in the palace. But it is sort of suspicious that someone took the time to write this letter to let me know.”

“Maybe we can go and check it out. Court Lady Jo isn’t around today.”

Taeyeon hummed and walked out of the room to look outside. The night is quite peaceful, maybe it is a great time to check out the waterfall behind the garden.

***

“Last time I came to the garden, I was hiding with someone in that small hut,” said Taeyeon as Hui and her walked through the garden. Taeyeon was reminded of the time Baekhyun pulled her hand and they ran into the small hut so that he could help her to run away from here.

“Scandalous,” Hui teased. “With who? Your Highness.”

“Just someone. Where is that waterfall though?”

“Not sure Your Highness, it is only a rumor because servants like us aren’t allowed here.”

A peculiar noise came from a room behind the garden. Taeyeon furrowed her eyebrows in confusion at the noise that echoed from there and followed it. The door was ajar, so she bravely stepped into the room, wondering what place this is.

“Your Highness,” Hui pulled the Crown Princess back as she shook her head, asking her to not go.

“You stay here,” she mouthed the words to her and went in herself.

The walls looked like they haven’t been cleaned for decades, but the floor had so many footprints and even fresh drag marks. She could hear chains inside the room as if someone was trying to get out of their restraints.

What is this place? Is it a prison?

As she rounded a corner, the sight that greeted her tore through her fragile perception of the world.

Her eyes widened in shock as she came upon a gruesome scene, the air heavy with a scent of violence and despair. Before her stood a familiar figure, with his back facing her, his actions reflecting a dark and twisted nature. The prisoner, bloodied and broken, lay at the mercy of their tormentor.

Taeyeon gasped, instinctively covering with her hand to stifle the horrified cry that threatened to escape. Her heart raced, and a wave of dizziness washed over her.

The tormentor heard her gasp and turned to look back at her. When their eyes met, fear and confusion mingled within her, paralyzing her momentarily.

She struggled to comprehend why Baekhyun would commit such heinous acts. The sight before her shattered her perception of him.

“Taeyeon, what are you doing here?” he asked her, surprised to see her.

Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision, as she stared at the sharp weapon in his bloodied hand. He was covered in blood, and they were clearly the prisoner’s blood and not his.

Despite her fear, she bravely asked, “What are you doing?”.

Her voice faltered as her trembling hands clutched her chest.

“Leave here at once. I am interrogating someone right now.”

His tone was cold and distant, completely different from earlier when he taught her how to shoot an arrow.

The room fell silent, except for the sound of her stifled sobs. The weight of his words hung heavily in the air, and he felt the piercing sting of regret seep into his heart. As he watched her, tears streaming down her face, his remorse consumed him. He saw the hurt he had inflicted, like a storm unleashed upon the person he cherished most.

He approached her tentatively, his footsteps weighted with regret. “This isn’t a place you should be in. It is the interrogation room.”

“Then why are you torturing him?”

“It is the only way to get what I want. Why are you surprised? You know about what I do, I don’t understand why you are acting like you didn’t know.”

“I know you kill people,” her voice had a mix of pain and vulnerability, “But I didn’t know that you have no remorse at all when you do it. You are sadistic.”

With that, she turned away before he could say anything and ran out of the place.

“Your Highness!” Hui called out as she ran after the Crown Princess.

No wonder he was nicknamed as the “Prince of Darkness”, he was cruel and sadistic, I almost didn’t recognize him!

Her legs felt weak from running and she suddenly kneeled down onto the ground.

Sadistic jerk. He didn’t even bother to chase after me to explain.