The next morning, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess were summoned by the King and Queen consort to their chambers.

“It’s all going to be alright,” the Crown Prince reassured his wife, reaching for her hand to give her hand a quick squeeze before letting it go. They both stood side by side, waiting for His Majesty to grant them his permission to let them enter.

“I know. Just can’t help feeling nervous about the sudden meeting with His Majesty,” Taeyeon replied, flashing him a quick smile.

She stared ahead, she felt Baekhyun’s hesitation when he grabbed her hand barely a second before letting it go. It felt like he was hesitating to hold her hand, in front of people. It is comforting to have him by her side as they went to meet the King and Queen Consort, but it still felt like there’s something missing between them, and she doesn’t know what it is.

She had observed the King and Queen Consort before, and from the way they interacted with each other, she could tell that it was a loveless marriage between them.

But Baekhyun and her are different. He had told her that he has feelings for her, and she has feelings for him. Now that their enemy has been arrested, why is he still trying to hide his affection for her?

It only made her feel more insecure about her relationship with the Crown Prince.

The doors opened for them and the Royal couple strode through them.

“Your Majesty,” the Crown Prince and Crown Princess greeted His Majesty The King before taking their seats in the middle of the room.

“Crown Prince, how could you do that to your brother? In front of everyone? Humiliating the Royal family,” the Queen Consort accused, without bothering to hold back her tone.

“Silence!” the King said, shooting his wife a look. “What happened to Jung was something he brought onto himself. He only has himself to blame.”

“Your Majesty, you knew about it, didn’t you? That’s why you helped to cover up Beom’s death,” said the Crown Prince, staring at his father. “You forbid me from investigating, because you knew that Jung was behind it.”

The King looked away from his son and looked elsewhere. “I have already lost a son. I didn’t want to lose another.”

“Well, you just lost the trust of another,” Baekhyun said, causing his father to look back at him. Taeyeon could see that when Baekhyun said that, a subtle but unmistakable hint of hurt crossed the King’s eyes.

It tugged at her heartstrings to see how in order to protect his other son, it created a rift between him and Baekhyun.

“What Prince Jung did was cruel. I demand the death penalty for him. He shouldn’t be exempted from the punishment he deserves just because he is your bastard son.”

The Queen Consort slammed the table with her hand in anger, and leaned forward, getting up from her seat, she pointed an accusatory finger at the Crown Princess. “Then the Crown Princess’ whole family should be executed, together with her traitorous brother.”

Taeyeon was slightly frightened by the sudden outburst of the Queen, she had never seen her that furious before. She sneaked a glance at Baekhyun, who didn’t flinch at all from the Queen’s temper.

“The Crown Princess has repaid her debt, by helping me to bring her brother to justice. Without her findings about the cause of death of her father, we wouldn’t have solid proof to arrest Tax Minister Kim.”

“Alright,” the King said quietly. “We will forgive Tax Minister Kim’s family who had nothing to do with his crimes. They were also victims who lost a father and a husband.”

“Your Majesty!” the Queen Consort pleaded. “This is unfair –”

“Then would you want the same to be done to you? Your son was the one who orchestrated the assassination of the late Crown Prince, would you like to be punished together?”

“Your Majesty, he is of Royal blood, you cannot execute him like a common criminal!”

The King looked at his son, the Crown Prince, thinking carefully about what he was about to say next. The Crown Prince had demanded the death penalty for Prince Jung, but no matter how severe the crime committed by Prince Jung was, he is still his son.

“We will let the prosecution decide.”

Baekhyun knew that his father wouldn’t grant the death penalty that easily. At least Prince Jung has finally been detained and wouldn’t be a trouble anymore.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” the Crown Prince bowed down in respect. “I would also like to dismiss Tae Ah-Ra as my concubine.”

“What? She just became your concubine last week. And you requested it,” said the King, furrowing his brows in confusion at his son’s decision.

“I used her as part of my plan. I never wanted to bring in a concubine. I will personally apologize to her.”

The King sighed before saying, “Alright. Keep things quiet and settle it quietly.”

***

“Hyun,” Taeyeon whispered to him once they left the King’s chambers. “Let’s go to the library, I have to tell you something.”

Baekhyun looked around them before nodding at her.

They walked side by side together in public for the first time since the day of the lantern festival. Servants stopped to bow down to them, but not before staring at the Royal couple for longer than a second. Everyone was curious about the relationship between the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess.

Because just a week ago, they totally ignored each other and the Crown Prince had brought in a concubine. But now they are walking side by side after the culprits behind the late Crown Prince’s death have been caught.

Taeyeon sneaked a glance at the Crown Prince, his expression still looked completely guarded, completely voided from any emotions.

Once they were behind closed doors, Taeyeon noticed the way Baekhyun finally relaxed, as he let out a sigh of relief. She didn’t have the time to react when he suddenly cupped his hand behind her head and pulled her into a warm hug. She felt her whole body warm up instantly when she felt his chin pressing down against her shoulder, so she reacted to the intimate gesture by wrapping her arms around his waist.

“Why?”

“What?”

“Why do you try to conceal your emotions when we left the King’s chambers earlier?”

She was met with silence until he finally pulled away from the hug to look at her. His arms stayed around her shoulder, leaving a small space between them.

“I don’t want anyone to know that I felt relieved that my brother has finally been arrested for his crimes. If my expression stayed neutral, nobody would know what I am thinking.”

“But the culprits behind the crime have already been arrested, you don’t have to act anymore.”

“Taeyeon-a, being the Crown Prince of Joseon, I have a lot of enemies. Prince Jung and your brother were just unlucky to be caught, without them, my life will still be in constant danger.”

She pursed her lips and asked, “Then are we going to hide forever?”

Baekhyun stared down at her, knowing what she meant. Are they really going to act cold towards each other in public? As if this was a loveless and diplomatic marriage?

“I’m sorry that I can’t give you what you want,” he finally said.

Taeyeon quickly tightened her arms around his waist and leaned her head against the nook of his neck. “Don’t apologize, it can’t be helped. I understand completely. But aren’t you tired of hiding?”

He chuckled and said, “To be honest, I am. It just never ends.”

Taeyeon sighed, feeling bad for him. Constantly putting on a facade and masking his true emotions for a long time can’t be healthy, for him mentally.

She felt his long slender fingers caressing her hair as she nestled into him. Breathing in his scent, she felt comforted that at least she isn’t alone in this huge palace. She hopes that he also finds the same comfort in her.

“I realized that I never got your verbal consent to… kiss you. I apologize.”

Taeyeon was stunned by the sudden apology for a moment, before bursting into fits of laughter. She found it hilarious that he suddenly kept his expression serious to tell her that.

“I am being serious. Stop laughing.”

“You don’t need my consent. We are married,” she giggled, looking up at him.

“Then, does that mean I can do this?”

He pecked her lips quickly, a mischievous smile on his face when he pulled back.

Taeyeon blushed, feeling shy from the sudden affection displayed by her very private spouse.

If she could see this side of him when they are in private, maybe hiding their affection for each other in public isn’t such a bad thing.

“You can do more than that,” she replied, tiptoeing slightly to capture his lips with hers. She felt him smiling into the kiss as he kissed her back.

It was different from their first kiss. Their first kiss was sweet and almost innocent. This time, it was slow and passionate, as if they had all the time in the world, now that they are in their secret hideaway.

He backed her into the table, without breaking their kiss. Then he gently hoisted her up onto the table, hands coming up to capture her jaw and deepening the kiss.

She clung to him and he pulled her closer. She then ran her fingers along his neck and down over his shoulders. She could feel her heart pounding inside her chest as she felt his teeth against her lips and tongue.

Taeyeon had never imagined that she would do something so scandalous with the Crown Prince, she clearly underestimated him as a lover.

When she was gasping for breath, he pulled his mouth away and start kissing down . She fluttered her eyes close once again, focusing on the sensation of his breath that whispered across her skin.

Though they were both inexperienced, their chemistry just clicked with each other, letting their hunger for each other take its course.

As they broke the kiss, their foreheads pressed together as they panted.

He stood close, their faces just inches apart as he met her gaze.

“Was that… a response to my confession last time?” she asked, staring intently at him.

“You have my heart, always,” he replied as he brushed another kiss on her forehead.

***

While the trial is on-going, the Crown Prince decided to pay his brother a visit in prison. When Prince Jung saw him, he immediately tried to attack him through the gaps of his cage. Clawing at him through the gaps with his hands that the Crown Prince had to take a few steps back to avoid him.

“You did this to me! I will make you pay!”

“Don’t blame me for your greed. I have always known that you are ambitious, and if you had used it for good, maybe the consequences would have been different.”

“Being the bastard son doesn’t give me much choice,” he seethed, glaring up at the Crown Prince. “I was your shadow, never acknowledged as the third prince. Father always casts me aside. Think about that.”

The Crown Prince let out an audible sigh and said, “Do you think I don’t understand how it feels? I am the spare, I have no one by my side after my mother passed. Father had always casted me aside too because our brother was the Crown Prince. But I would never kill my brother for power, you went down that path on your own.”

“Liar! You and Beom were always close before his death. And I was treated like I was invisible!”

“Don’t blame us. Your mother simply didn’t want us to mix. But do know this, I have never hated you.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“We were never close, but I never went out of my way to hurt you or sabotage you. Although I despised your mother, I never hated you,” Baekhyun started. “I tried my best to tolerate you, but Beom genuinely liked you. He told me once, that although we despised your mother, you shouldn’t be punished because of who your mother is. He thought that it was unfair to exclude you. Because at the end of the day, we all share the same father.”

When Baekhyun said that, he saw his brother’s eyes flickered, and he saw the surprise in them.

“He said that you were just misunderstood, and that you will slowly come around and join us. He convinced me to give you the benefit of the doubt. But the moment you murdered Beom, you became my enemy. I promised myself to never forgive you for that, and made it my goal to make sure that you pay for your crimes.”

The Crown Prince heaved another sigh when Prince Jung didn’t say anything else.

“You dug your own grave. Now lie in it,” he said as he spun around to leave.

Although he was the one who put his brother in prison, and he badly wanted to see him punished for his crimes, it tore at something in him.

Because of how much trust his brother had in Jung.

His heart aches for his late brother.

***

The Crown Prince’s personal library became their meeting place; they would pass letters to each other through Eunuch Nam. Through their exchange of letters, they would schedule time with each other to read together in the library.

But most of the time at the library isn't completely dedicated to reading.

They would meet up. Often.

Sometimes, they would go on for days without getting to see each other because of Baekhyun’s duties as the Crown Prince. This caused their cravings for each other to grow stronger when they were finally alone in the library.

Taeyeon would barely step through the door before Baekhyun snatched her up by the waist and backed her against the wall to kiss her. Her fingers would catch his robes. Then her eyes would flutter close and she’d kissed him back.

He would cradle her face in his hands, planting soft kisses down her neck and whispering sweet nothings into her ear.

She would wrap her arms tightly around him, breathing him in and savoring his presence. Trying to make up for all the lost time they didn’t get to see each other.

His touch would always be gentle, handling her as if she was made of glass. And she would simply melt under his touch, feeling every inch of her body burn when his hands roamed around her clothed body.

Other times, they would meet up in the library to just spend time with each other. Reading in silence and exchanging stories about the books they just read. Sharing childhood stories or bringing up an embarrassing memory they both shared. Taking advantage of the protective barrier of the library that offers them privacy from outsiders. Kissing him.

After months into their marriage, it felt like they had finally entered their honeymoon phase. 

So the library became a place where they can indulge in their stolen moments of affection.

This time, Taeyeon came early, so she grabbed a book and sat down to read. She had expected Baekhyun to crush his lips on hers the moment she came in, like some of the times before, but she was only met with silence this time.

“Weird, he is never late.”

Taeyeon thought to herself.

Just when she was about to flip to another page, the door opened and she looked up. His eyes flickered for a moment at her and she saw the resignation in his eyes.

“What happened?” she asked, sensing something was wrong.

“Nothing. I just came back from prison. Met with my brother and there was a lot of negative energy in there.”

“Here, read this book,” she said, passing the book to him across the table. “It calms the mind.”

He flashed a tired smile and sat across her, flipping open the book to read it.

They were reading in silence, when she accidentally looked up and their gazes locked with each other. The corner of her lips went up automatically at the sight of him smiling back at her.

“Were you staring?”

“No?”

“Stop it. I want to focus.”

“Why? It is not like you are studying for a test.”

“I would like to focus on reading this book. There have been… too many distractions from a certain someone.”

“I don’t hear you complaining,” he teased.

She laughed and decided to switch the topic. “Throughout your childhood, were Prince Jung and you ever close?”

“You just had to ask,” he chuckled, closing his book and resting his head on his hand. “We were never close. Well, I did try to get close to him when he was a toddler. I am only two years older than him, so I thought I finally had another playmate.”

“As kids, it must be easier and a lot faster to get close.”

“The Queen Consort, Jung’s birth mother, didn't like it when my brother and I played with him. So I distanced myself. I guess she didn’t want us to form any bonds with each other.”

“That’s sad.”

“Yeah, but it is in the past. I think the way he was brought up by his mother, shaped him into the person he is today.”

“What was your mother like?” she asked. Taeyeon is curious about the woman who brought Baekhyun up, knowing that his father was rarely in the picture.

He stiffened and was silent. She realized that she had touched on a sensitive subject and was about to apologize when he spoke.

“She was the mother of the late Crown Prince and mine,” he said at last. “My mother’s attention was mostly on me because she didn’t want me to feel left out when my father had his full attention on my brother. She was casted aside shortly after giving birth to me, because at that time, my father brought in a concubine, Jung’s mother.”

As he spoke, his eyes stared at a distance, reminiscing about his mother. Taeyeon leaned over the table, reaching out to grab his hand and caress his hand with her thumb.

“I used to be a very naughty child, I climbed up that shelf,” he said, pointing at the bookshelf at the back. “Fell down and hit my head. That is why there is a dent on the floor there.”

“I knew that you have a solid head,” she teased lightly.

He chuckled in response and said, “My mother would comfort me then scold me for being naughty. And there was never a moment when I felt lonely in this place. Because she’s always there for me, every single day throughout my childhood.”

He was quiet for a moment.

He started to speak again, his lips twitch as though he was hesitating to say what he was going to say next.

“The night my mother was assassinated. I begged my father to punish the people behind the crime. But he blamed me because she was with me when it happened,” he finally said. “And it is a grudge I hold till this day, because the investigation was sloppy and they immediately arrested and executed a man who was innocent, to take the blame for the crime. It reminded me of the cover up of my late brother’s death.”

“You think that there was someone else behind the late Queen’s assassination?” she asked quietly.

“Yes. It didn’t make sense that someone outside the palace would want to assassinate her. There was no motive.”

He gripped her hand. “I couldn’t do anything about it, I felt helpless and powerless. So I decided to make myself stronger. To excel in both martial arts and my studies, so I can avenge her, and now my brother. I have to keep my expression guarded, put on a facade and make everyone believe that losing my mother had made me cold and heartless, and that… I am incapable of loving anyone. So that no one will ever think of using my weakness against me.”

“I’m so sorry that you had to go through that,” she squeezed his hand. “Hyun, you aren’t alone now, I am here with you.”

“I know. And I am here with you too.”