Chapter 3
Soa was dreaming.
Just like that night, the moon shone brightly.
Soa walked forward, chasing a white butterfly.
She followed it for a long time and reached a cliff.
A man was standing at the edge.
It was strange.
She could not see his face, yet he looked sad.
As she hurried toward him to stop him, a name slipped from her lips.
The man turned to look at her—
and then jumped off the cliff.
Was he smiling?
In the white moonlight, his body shattered as it fell.
Dozens of butterflies burst out, replacing him, and flew into the sky.
Her empty hands reached for the night air,
then fell downward.
.
.
.
Soa woke up two full days later.
Still half-asleep, she slowly blinked and stared at the ceiling.
She raised a hand and wiped away tears running from the corner of her eye.
Tears?
As she tried to recall the fading dream, the door opened.
“That boy has been boiling medicine all day long…”
“Medicine? Who’s sick?”
“Oh! You scared me, miss!”
Jeongi jumped in surprise when she saw Soa awake, her eyes still puffy from sleep.
She rushed over, grabbed Soa’s hands, and examined her closely.
“You’re really okay, right? You wouldn’t wake up for so long—I was so worried.”
“Me? Now that you mention it…”
“You hurt your ankle and were asleep leaning against a huge rock. I was shocked.”
“A rock?”
“Yes. And you were breathing softly, like you had just fallen asleep.”
“……”
A sharp pain shot through her ankle.
Looking down at the clean white cloth wrapped around it, Soa slowly tried to remember what happened before she fell asleep.
That night, just like any other, she had stayed by Yeonwoo’s side and then left to go home.
She walked through the dark road.
The moon was bright.
A cold wind blew.
She was chased by something unknown—
and then she met that man.
“If we meet again…”
“Yes?”
“If we meet again… what came after that?”
She was sure he had said something before she lost consciousness.
But she could not remember it at all.
What did his voice sound like?
Everything felt too mysterious, too much like a dream.
Soa began to wonder if it had even been real.
Seeing her dazed expression, Jeongi shook her head worriedly.
“This won’t do. We should call a doctor.”
“No, I’m fine. Where’s Father?”
“He went to the palace… he should be back soon. Everyone’s talking about how Giri carried you home.”
“Does the Crown Prince know?”
“……That’s why the Prime Minister sent rare medicine to your father. Giri is boiling it now. Miss, what happened to you? You even lost a shoe.”
“My shoe?”
“Yes. And you were holding this in your hand.”
Jeongi picked up a flower bud she had placed beside Soa’s pillow, thinking it might be something important.
Soa carefully took it and looked at it.
I was holding this?
The red flower bud was tightly closed, making it hard to tell what kind of flower it was.
I don’t remember picking this up.
She studied it for a long time in her small white palm.
Then Prime Minister Yun called for her.
Soa placed the bud near the sunny window.
She planned to dry it and keep it.
“Do you know,” Prime Minister Yun said,
“that when your mother married me, she was exactly your age?”
“Yes, Father.”
“You and the Crown Prince have been close since childhood. I know that. But you must be careful now. You are grown.”
“……”
Soa stared quietly at the teacup in front of her.
She did not need to ask what her father was thinking—about her injury, or about the medicine Yeonwoo had sent.
To Prime Minister Yun, Soa was special.
She was his eldest child.
Though she had a younger brother, he had been sent away as a political hostage, disguised as an advisor, because Prime Minister Yun could not refuse the king.
So for both of them, the king’s return from war was important.
The northern border the king had fought over touched Honguk.
There was a chance they might hear news of her brother.
“When your mother was alive,” her father said,
“she was gentle and delicate. I promised to protect her forever. But promises cannot always be kept.”
He paused.
“When she was dying, she asked me to protect you. Soa, you look just like her. That’s why I worry even more.”
“I’m sorry, Father.”
Soa’s mother, like Soa, could see spirits.
Though born into a noble family, she had been ignored because of that ability.
Yet she captured Prime Minister Yun’s heart at once.
People claimed he married her for her family’s wealth, but that was not true.
It was true that her background helped his rise.
But he truly loved her.
When she became pregnant with Soa, he felt as if he owned the world.
“I know how fine a man the Crown Prince is,” her father continued.
“But I fear you may get hurt if you give your heart too easily.”
“I understand, Father. I’ll be careful.”
Soa bowed her head.
After watching her quietly for a while, Prime Minister Yun looked away.
Soon after, the king returned safely.
The city buzzed with stories of his victory in the north.
People believed that monsters, demons, and evil beasts would no longer threaten them.
They believed Yeon Kingdom would remain strong.
But that peace was protected by many unseen sacrifices.
The Crown Prince Yeonwoo also carried that burden.
“Did you stay up all night again?”
“No, Mother. Please don’t worry.”
“You reviewed all the petitions before the king returned?”
“Yes. I sorted them so His Majesty could review them more easily.”
Yeonwoo rubbed his tired eyes.
The queen frowned slightly, then relaxed.
“His Majesty will be pleased.”
“I only did my duty.”
“And you did not neglect your martial training?”
“Of course not.”
Only then did the queen smile.
She turned to Lady Ma, who had been waiting quietly.
“Dress the Crown Prince in the yellow robe. Color his lips with flower petals so he doesn’t look tired.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Everything must be perfect.”
“…Yes, Mother.”
Yeonwoo changed clothes and placed the petals on his lips as instructed.
As color returned to his face, attendants escorted him to the king.
“Your Majesty, the Crown Prince requests an audience.”
“Let him enter.”
The king’s voice was low and calm.
Yeonwoo took a quiet breath.
His mother’s words echoed in his mind.
He bowed deeply.
“Father, congratulations on your victory. I hope you returned safely.”
The king gestured for him to rise.
“I heard much happened while I was away. You guarded the palace well.”
“I only fulfilled my duty.”
“I hear you even settled disputes among officials. And you remain humble.”
“……”
The king poured tea into Yeonwoo’s cup.
As the steam rose, Yeonwoo stared into it, seeing his reflection tremble.
The king often said ruling required strength and authority, not attention to small things.
So this praise was not entirely praise.
“You sorted the petitions?”
“Yes. Recently, there have been reports of beast attacks at night.”
“Where?”
“Mostly small mountain villages. The people cannot write, so they asked nearby offices to submit petitions for them.”
“Then wild animals?”
“According to the reports, they grow stronger on moonlit nights—”
The king’s gaze sharpened.
Yeonwoo stopped, then continued carefully.
If the damage grew worse, royal authority could be shaken.
“Yeonwoo. How old are you now?”
“Nineteen.”
“I was away so long I failed to see how much you’ve grown. You must resent me.”
“Never. I know it was to protect the kingdom.”
“That is why I will give you a gift.”
“…A gift?”
“Take a bride.”
“You are the only Crown Prince of Yeon Kingdom.”
