A Cold Response
Dan-Bi did not flinch.
Seong-Jin's question hung in the air.
"Tell me… if I had died instead, would it have mattered to you?"
Dan-Bi's pulse pounded, but his face remained unreadable.
And then—
"Why should it?"
The words came out colder than intended.
Seong-Jin's breath hitched.
A flash of something—hurt? disbelief?—crossed his face before he quickly masked it.
Dan-Bi turned away.
"This is pointless, Your Highness. Do not concern yourself with me."
He walked past him.
But before he could fully escape—
Seong-Jin's hand shot out and grabbed his wrist.
Dan-Bi froze.
Seong-Jin's grip wasn't forceful, but it held something far more dangerous—
Desperation.
"You say that…" Seong-Jin's voice was low, almost a whisper.
"But then why do you keep running?"
Dan-Bi yanked free.
He didn't look back.
If he did—
He might see something in Seong-Jin's eyes that he wasn't ready to face.
---
A Slip of the Tongue
Dan-Bi couldn't afford to dwell on it.
That night, he met with his informant—an old scholar loyal to his mother.
"The Queen is starting to make moves," the scholar whispered. "She has started questioning your presence in court."
Dan-Bi exhaled. "Then we must move first."
The scholar nodded. "What will you do?"
Dan-Bi thought for a moment.
"The palace records—"
A sharp voice cut in.
"You're planning something again, aren't you?"
Dan-Bi's blood ran cold.
Seong-Jin.
Dan-Bi turned—too sharply.
And Seong-Jin caught it.
"Why do you always look guilty when I appear?" the prince murmured.
Dan-Bi steadied himself. "Should I be flattered that His Highness spends so much time following me?"
Seong-Jin smirked—but his eyes did not match.
"You're avoiding the question."
Dan-Bi forced a shrug. "And you are assuming too much."
But Seong-Jin stepped closer, too close.
"…Are you hiding something from me, Dan-Bi?"
Dan-Bi scoffed. "Not everything is about you, Your Highness."
Seong-Jin studied him.
And then—
"Your mother must have raised you well."
Dan-Bi's breath hitched.
A mistake.
A slip.
Seong-Jin's eyes sharpened.
"…Your mother?"
Dan-Bi went still.
He had always spoken carefully—his mother was supposed to be dead.
Seong-Jin took another step forward.
"Interesting," he murmured. "You speak as if she's still alive."
Dan-Bi clenched his jaw.
"Slip of the tongue," he said coolly. "Nothing more."
Seong-Jin wasn't convinced.
---
A Prince Who Won't Back Down
For the next few days, Seong-Jin's behavior changed.
He watched Dan-Bi more closely.
Not just as a rival.
Not just as a friend.
Something deeper.
Something Dan-Bi couldn't allow.
But the prince did not back down.
"You're always scheming, Dan-Bi."
"You don't know anything about me."
"That's what I intend to fix."
Dan-Bi knew this was dangerous.
He had pushed Seong-Jin away—yet the prince was only drawn in further.
This had to stop.
Before it was too late.
---
The Queen's Suspicion
But fate did not wait.
That same night, deep within the palace—
The Queen sat alone in her chamber.
Her hand rested over a single parchment.
A document she had retrieved from the palace records.
A birth record.
Or rather—
A missing one.
Her fingers curled around it.
"…Interesting."
A slow smile crept onto her lips.
It was time to set a trap.