NJBN 01

Chapter 01

When night comes, spirits become restless.

Like all dark things, they hide during the day, when warm sunlight fills the world.
But when night falls and shadows cover everything, they slowly crawl out.

“The moon is especially bright tonight.”

It was a full moon.

So another two weeks have already passed.

After hearing Soa whisper, Yeonwoo picked up a rice cake and gently put it into her mouth.
Soa complained that eating sweets so late made her feel heavy, but she still chewed and swallowed it carefully.

“Is there any news from His Majesty?”
“He has just crossed the border between Hongguk and Yeonguk. It won’t take more than seven days to reach the capital.”
“That’s a relief. He finished another subjugation safely. His Majesty is amazing. How does he bravely defeat those cruel beasts called Hyeong?”
“I heard he showed great talent in swordsmanship from a young age.”
“Really?”

Sitting close together on the wooden floor under blooming flowers, chatting softly, they looked like newlyweds.
Yeonwoo poured more hot tea into a half-empty cup and glanced at Soa’s cup.

She drinks bitter tea easily now.

When she was young, she couldn’t drink anything but mild tea.
She had grown up.

Come to think of it, they were already nineteen.

When they first met, she was only four years old.
They had spent fifteen years together.

The thought moved Yeonwoo deeply.

Soa, unaware of his feelings, finished her tea in one gulp.

“The Crown Prince is completely different. He learned swordsmanship slowly, didn’t he? He was better with a bow. And because he loved books so much, it took him a long time to build strength to draw the bowstring.”
“Aren’t you remembering me too much from the past? I can now hit far targets. That’s unfair.”

Soa smiled brightly. She had been teasing him from the start.

Seeing how calmly he accepted her jokes, the rumors were true.
Among all the Crown Princes of Yeonguk, Yeonwoo was known as the most gentle and warm-hearted.

“It’s no fun if you don’t get angry.”
“How could I get angry at someone who visits me every night?”
“Do the spirits still bother you? I told them firmly to stay quiet.”

Soa stood up and looked around carefully.

The lantern light and the bright moon made the quiet scene beautiful.
Only the sound of bamboo leaves brushing in the wind could be heard.

At night, Yeonwoo’s residence became even more silent.

After checking around, Yeonwoo spoke.

“Soa, you can speak freely. No one is here. I sent everyone away.”
“You said that last time too, and we got caught. You know how scary Lady Hwang is.”
“I’m serious. This time I warned her strictly.”
“Why would you do that? What if you get a fever again like last time—”
“Shh. I’m fine. Really.”

Yeonwoo looked into her eyes gently, calming her.

Soa’s clear eyes trembled.

She had something to say, but barely held it back.

From childhood, spirits of the dead clung to Yeonwoo more than others.
Soa was the one who once found him being strangled by a long-haired ghost.

“Get away from His Highness right now!”

She had shouted and rushed at the ghost without fear.

Yeonwoo, who had suffered nosebleeds after not sleeping for three days, finally slept peacefully that night.

Because of that, the secret had been kept until now.

If people found out that the future king was hated by spirits, it would cause serious trouble.

“Your Highness, look at that child over there. Doesn’t he seem especially focused on this place?”

Ah…

Soa sighed late.

The boy she saw—one eye sunken, legs marked by animal bites—was clearly invisible to Yeonwoo.

Very few people could see spirits.

“There’s a child?”
“Yes. He keeps staring. It feels like he might cause trouble…”
“He doesn’t seem bad. You told me before—not all spirits are evil.”
“That’s true, but still. You’re too gentle. That’s why spirits keep bothering you.”
“That’s why you stay by my side. Because spirits trouble me, you sit here with me and drink tea.”
“Huh?”

Soa’s eyes widened at his unexpected words.

Yeonwoo turned his head, ears turning red, as if embarrassed.

The air suddenly grew warm.

They were no longer children.

The young boy who once held her hand to sleep was gone.
Now there stood a man with broad shoulders and a strong body.

With calm amber eyes, a straight nose, soft-colored lips, and tall enough to see over walls—
it was obvious what kind of feelings he held for the girl who was his only salvation.

“What are you saying? It sounds like I only come because of spirits.”
“You’re not climbing over the wall anymore, right?”
“Huh?”
“You said it last time. That you found another way.”
“Ah… of course. I’m not doing anything dangerous. Don’t worry.”
“When His Majesty returns, I will ask him to name you Crown Princess.”

There was strength in Yeonwoo’s voice.

Crown Princess.

Hearing the word made Soa lower her head.

They spoke casually when alone, but words like this made her unsure how to react.

Looking at the round back of her head, like a ripe apple, Yeonwoo slowly reached out his hand.

He wanted to touch her.
To treasure her.
To cherish her.

Holding back those feelings was getting harder.

She wasn’t Crown Princess yet.

Everyone believed she would be—but still.

“So this hardship will end soon, Soa.”
“I never thought of it as hardship. Walking in the cold night air is nice. When flowers bloom, we can see them together. I like the night.”

It was a lie.

Soa actually liked the day.

Warm sunlight and lively energy suited her perfectly.

Yeonwoo knew that too.

“…If that’s how you feel, then I’m glad.”

They both closed their eyes.

Once she became Crown Princess, they could be together day and night.

They only needed to wait a little longer.

Just a little.

A bell rang in the distance.

The guards would soon begin their patrol.

“You should sleep now. Lie down. I’ll talk to that child and then leave.”
“I’ll tell Lady Hwang. With a full moon, I worry something bad might appear.”
“Bad things? No way. His Majesty drove them far north. There’s no way they’d appear in the palace.”
“Still, just in case.”
“If people hear there’s a woman coming here at night before I’m named Crown Princess, we’ll both be in trouble. You know that.”

Soa smiled as if it was nothing and waved at Yeonwoo, who watched her reluctantly.

She turned and left without hesitation.

If she stayed longer, she might run into Lady Hwang.

“Hey.”
“…”
“You’ve been staring for a while. You want this, don’t you?”

She hadn’t forgotten to bring two rice cakes.

She had already noticed that the spirit child hiding behind the tree wanted them.

“I’ll give you these. Just make sure no one comes near tonight. Don’t bother His Highness.”

The spirit nodded quietly.

After meeting its eyes, Soa handed over the rice cakes and walked away.

Behind Yeonwoo’s residence was a small garden.
Beyond the wall was a forest path.

There, under the biggest and oldest nutmeg tree, Jeongi and Gilli—who always helped Soa—were waiting.

“The wind feels cold tonight.”

Soa, walking with her skirt pulled over her head to hide herself, suddenly stopped.

She felt someone watching her from behind.

Had she been discovered?

As if on cue, a strong wind blew, making her skirt flutter.

A cold feeling ran down her spine.

A spirit?

A sharp, unfamiliar smell came with the wind.

It was different from the fishy smell spirits usually had.

“…!”

Her instincts screamed at her to run.

She rushed toward the wall and pressed herself against it.

She had lied to Yeonwoo.

She had been climbing the wall every night.

Because she did it so often, she knew exactly where to step.

As soon as she placed her foot on the first stone—

Something grabbed her ankle tightly and pulled.

She barely held back a scream and tried to step higher.

Then something wet and bumpy, like scales, crawled up her leg.

Goosebumps spread over her body.

It felt like an animal’s tongue wrapping around her, pulling her down.

‘I want to scream for help, but no sound comes out.’

Her body shook in fear.

She desperately looked around.

At that moment, the moon came out fully from behind the clouds.

And Soa saw it.

Sharp black eyes shining in the darkness.

Someone was watching her from afar.