The rumors spread like wildfire.
By dawn, the entire court was buzzing.
"The Crown Prince… with a man?"
"Scholar Dan-Bi…? Impossible!"
"He spent the night in his quarters. It can only mean one thing!"
The whispers grew louder, weaving their way through the palace halls, the markets, even the lowest taverns.
The Queen's face was unreadable when she first heard the rumors.
But those closest to her saw the way her fingers tightened around her teacup.
Her son—her carefully sculpted, perfect heir—was being accused of shameful indulgences.
And worse?
With Dan-Bi.
The very scholar who stood in her way.
She set her teacup down, voice calm but sharp.
"Summon Scholar Dan-Bi to court. Immediately."
Dan-Bi stood before the Queen's court, his heart steady but his mind calculating.
The Queen sat on her high throne, looking down at him with thinly veiled disdain.
She did not speak immediately.
Instead, she let the weight of the silence settle over the hall, forcing everyone's attention onto him.
Dan-Bi knew this game well.
It was a test.
She wanted him to crack first.
He refused.
Finally, she leaned forward.
"Scholar Dan-Bi," she said, voice smooth. "You've been quite the topic of discussion lately."
Dan-Bi bowed slightly, careful to keep his tone respectful but firm.
"That is unfortunate, Your Majesty."
She hummed, studying him.
"Tell me, Scholar," she continued. "What exactly was the nature of your… private meeting with my son?"
Dan-Bi did not flinch.
"It was not a private meeting, Your Majesty," he said smoothly. "His Highness was concerned for my safety after the attack on my quarters. He was simply acting as a noble and honorable ruler would."
The Queen's expression did not change.
"And yet, the court speaks otherwise."
Dan-Bi's lips curved into a polite, practiced smile.
"I cannot control the mouths of idle courtiers, Your Majesty. Only my own actions."
A bold answer.
A dangerous one.
The Queen's eyes narrowed.
"You are quite confident for someone in your position."
Dan-Bi did not respond.
Confidence was not arrogance. It was control.
And he had spent his whole life mastering it.
The Queen tapped her fingers against the armrest.
"Then tell me," she pressed, "if the rumors are false, why did my son remain in your quarters all night?"
The room stilled.
The court was listening.
Waiting.
Dan-Bi exhaled softly.
A wrong answer could ruin everything.
But a right one?
It could turn the game in his favor.
He lifted his gaze and spoke