I never thought I would walk into the emperor's private palace and feel safe.
But that night, after the Ghost Blade almost killed me, that was exactly how it felt.
The guards outside the doors bowed so low their foreheads touched the ground. They didn't dare look at me. I was still wearing Taehyun's huge black robe over my torn white nightdress, feet bare, hair messy, neck covered in purple bruises. I must have looked half-dead. Maybe that was why no one stopped us.
Taehyun carried me through hallway after hallway. Everything was dark wood and gold. Dragon carvings curled on every pillar. Red lanterns hung from the ceiling, throwing soft light on the floor. The air smelled strong... sandalwood, ink, and something cold that was only him.
We passed two more sets of doors before he finally stopped. The bedroom was bigger than my whole old apartment back in Seoul. Black silk curtains, black sheets, a bed so huge four people could sleep without touching. A low table with scrolls and a sword rack on the wall. Everything screamed power.
He set me down on the edge of the bed like I was made of glass.
"Don't move," he said, voice low.
He disappeared through a side door and came back with a small jade jar and a wet cloth. The jar had green ointment inside that smelled like mint and herbs. He knelt in front of me... the emperor on his knees... and started cleaning the blood from my lip first.
I just watched him. His hair was messy from running to my palace. His robe was open a little at the neck, and I could see his collarbones. He looked... human. Not the cold scary emperor from the novel.
"This will cool the bruises," he said.
His fingers were careful when he put the ointment on my neck. Every touch was soft, but I still shivered. Not because it hurt. Because it felt too good.
"Why are you doing this?" I asked quietly.
He didn't look up. "Someone put their hands on you. That is not allowed."
I laughed a little. It hurt my throat. "I confessed to treason tonight, remember? Most kings would have let the assassin finish the job."
His eyes flicked up. Gray with that purple ring. Storm eyes.
"You stood at my right hand," he said. "The whole court saw. That means you are under my protection now. Anyone who touches you answers to me."
My heart did something funny.
He finished with my neck and moved to a cut on my arm I didn't even know I had. The whole time he was gentle. When he was done, he didn't stand up right away. He stayed kneeling, holding the cloth.
"Does it still hurt?" he asked.
"Only when I breathe," I joked.
His face went dark. He looked like he wanted to kill someone all over again.
"I will find who ordered it," he said. "I promise."
I believed him.
He stood up finally. "You sleep here tonight. The bed is big enough."
I looked at the giant bed and then at him. "Where will you sleep?"
He pointed to a long wooden couch on the other side of the room. It had one thin cushion.
"That looks terrible," I said.
He gave a tiny smile. The first real smile I had ever seen on his face. It changed everything. Made him look younger. Handsomer. Dangerous in a different way.
"I have slept on frozen ground with only my cloak," he said. "A couch is luxury."
He started walking away to get bedding. I grabbed his sleeve without thinking.
"Taehyun... wait."
He stopped. Looked down at my hand, then at me.
"Thank you," I said. My voice came out small. "For coming when I needed you."
For a second he didn't move. Then he leaned down fast and pressed his lips to my forehead. Just once. Warm and quick.
"Sleep, Seo-Hwa," he whispered. "No one will hurt you here."
He left me alone in the huge bed. I crawled under the black silk blanket. It smelled like him. I pulled it up to my chin and stared at the ceiling. Dragons stared back from the wood carvings.
I should have been scared. I should have been planning my next ten moves.
Instead I fell asleep smiling like an idiot.
Morning came with sunlight through red curtains.
I woke up to the sound of quiet voices. Servants were setting breakfast on the low table... porridge, honey cakes, grilled fish, fresh fruit, at least twelve dishes. They bowed so low when they saw me awake.
One older woman smiled kindly. "His Majesty said to bring everything Lady Seo-Hwa likes."
My face got hot. How did he even know what I liked?
There was a note on the table in strong handwriting:
Eat all of it.
Training yard at noon.
We will talk then.
—T
I ate everything. I was starving after the fight.
After breakfast, servants brought new clothes. Not white this time. Dark blue hanbok with silver flowers. Simple but beautiful. They did my hair in a low bun with a jade pin. When I looked in the mirror, I almost looked... normal. Not like the evil villainess anymore.
At noon, two guards walked me to the training yard. Everyone stared and whispered behind fans.
"That's her... the one who spent the night in His Majesty's bedchamber..."
"She's still alive?"
"Look at her neck... someone really tried to kill her."
I kept my head high and ignored them.
The training yard was full of shirtless soldiers practicing sword forms. The sun was hot. Sweat made everything shine.
In the middle stood Taehyun.
No robe today. Just black pants and boots. His chest and arms were covered in old scars. He was fighting three soldiers at once with a wooden sword, moving so fast I could barely follow. Every strike perfect. Every block smooth.
When he saw me, he stopped instantly. The three soldiers dropped to their knees, breathing hard.
He walked over, sweat running down his chest. He picked up a waterskin and drank, then handed it to me.
"You came," he said.
"You ordered me to," I answered.
He smiled again. Bigger this time. "Good girl."
My stomach flipped.
He wiped his face with a cloth one of the soldiers gave him. "Tell me everything about last night. Don't leave out any detail."
So I told him again. The red cord with tiny gold dragons. The voice in my ear. The way the assassin moved like smoke. The red eyes that didn't look human.
Taehyun listened without blinking. When I finished, his face was calm... too calm. The kind of calm before a storm.
"That cord..." he said slowly. "Only three exist in the entire palace. One hangs in my private study. One belongs to the Empress Dowager. One is carried by the Ghost Blade himself."
My stomach dropped to my feet.
"You think the Empress Dowager ordered it?"
"Or someone stole her cord to make us think that," he said. "Either way, someone very powerful wants you gone."
He stepped closer until we were almost touching. "From today, you do not walk alone. Ever. Two of my personal guards will follow you everywhere."
I lifted my chin. "I can protect myself."
He touched one of the bruises on my neck gently. "I know you can. But I don't want to test it again."
His fingers stayed there. Warm. My heart was beating too fast.
That afternoon he gave me new rooms... right next to his palace. A small hidden door connected them that only he and I knew about. He said it was for safety.
I knew it was more.
Every night after that, he came to see me.
Sometimes we talked on the balcony under the moon. Sometimes we played baduk until I fell asleep on the board. Once he brought sweet rice cakes and fed me one with his fingers just to watch me blush.
Every time he left, he kissed my forehead.
I was falling. Hard.
And I had no idea how to stop.