Senior Court Lady Yi stood a couple of feet away, shooting daggers with her maniac eyes. A chill ran down Eun-bi's spine and she could only muster a sheepish smile.

"Senior Court Lady Yi, please. Don't be too angry or else you'll grow more wrinkles..."

"Whose fault do you think that is?!"

When the older woman lurched forward, Eun-bi sprang off once again, almost flying down the flight of stone stairs until she rammed into a tall figure. Strong arms caught her shoulders, holding her steady on her feet. The familiar curves of his muscles had Eun-bi sinking in relief and she wrapped her arms around him tightly. Seeking for security.

"Save me, Yul! I'm being chased!"

The only person whom Senior Court Lady Yi would never go against was finally here. Yul glanced down at Eun-bi, then at the angry, dishevelled court lady.

His eyes wandered to the spot where Eun-bi had hidden with Accountant Cha earlier, but the man had already vanished from sight.

Yul's arm tightened around her. "What did you do this time?" he asked, wiping the sweat off her forehead with his sleeve.

"Well, I..." Eun-bi felt slightly embarrassed. "I played cards with my court ladies. It wasn't gambling, I swear!"

"That's all?" When she nodded nervously, he asked Senior Court Lady Yi. "What is the punishment?"

"A thousand lines from a text on page twenty-four of A Princess's Etiquette, Your Highness. I shall have her properly educated—"

"It is fine." Yul waved her away. "You're all dismissed."

She grew flabbergasted. "Y-Your Highness?"

"I do not repeat my order twice," he said in an icy tone. "I believe it will not be a problem if I punish and educate her myself." When nobody dared to raise objections, he turned around and led Eun-bi away, leaving all at a loss for words.

It wasn't until they arrived at his office did she finally gather the courage to speak up.

"Yul? Senior Court Lady Yi never told us how long I can take to write my lines. Does this mean I can stay in your quarters for a few days?"

The edge of his lips twitched, but it wasn't quite close to a smile yet. "A week."

She grinned up at him, but her smile faded when she realised he didn't reciprocate. The remote expression on his face told her that a storm was brewing in his head.

Oh no.

She stifled a groan. She had definitely made him angry this time, but why? On most days, when she caused a ruckus in the palace, he wouldn't even care or blink his eyes.

What caused the difference this time?

While her own thoughts distracted her, he grabbed a hold of her waist and lifted her onto his office table. Startled, she yelped and held onto his shoulders. "W-what?"

He placed his hands on the table beside her knees. "Are you aware of your mistake?"

The sudden lack of warmth in his tone took aback her. He had never treated her like this after they courted each other. "I—well... I'm sorry that I played cards and was a bad influence on my court ladies?"

"It's not that," he answered, which only seemed to cause her more confusion. "I do not think you did anything wrong about that."

"You mean to say I've made other mistakes?"

"Yes."

"I—" She thought hard. "Is it because... I ran around away from my servants and guards? Or because I kept climbing onto walls and rooftops? Or because I kept asking for midnight snacks in secret?"

Yul stared at her in silence. The intensity of his gaze suggested he was not on playful terms with her today.

"Senior Court Lady Yi is right," he said. "You need to be punished."

Eun-bi inhaled sharply and her heart sank. "You're going to punish me?"

Silence lapsed between them. He shifted closer to her and tipped her chin upward with his hand. The genuine remorse on her face softened the hardness in his eyes.

"You got close and spoke to a man earlier, didn't you?"

The sadness that she was experiencing earlier dissipated. So that was what perturbed Yul and made him upset with her.

"That's not how it looked! I can explain to you! It's because he appeared out of nowhere. I was just—"

Her words cut off when Yul shifted closer, forcing himself between her legs and slipping an arm around her waist to bring her closer to him. He tilted his head and, with a hand cradling the back of her head, sealed her lips with a fierce kiss.

Even though he startled her, she soon sank into him immediately and the rest of the world was forgotten. Her heart pounded harder, and a fire set her veins ablaze. Her hands knotted into his clothes, his hair and his back... Everywhere she could place her hands on.

She clung onto him desperately, because if she didn't, she feared he might go away.

The kiss felt different this time, hotter and more fervent than ever before. He let out a groan against her mouth and drew back for air for just half a second, before he returned and captured her lips again.

She shivered.

Pushing her back gently, he laid her on his table as her legs wrapped around his waist tightly. He coaxed her lips apart, which she obeyed helplessly, and he began exploring every corner of her. Tasting her.

And yet, it wasn't enough. Their hunger for each other was insatiable.

While her mind spun in euphoria, he slowly pulled back, breathless with flushed cheeks. "Do you know your mistake now?"

Her cheeks were on fire. She nodded her head numbly, still in a daze. "Yes—I mean no. I mean, I'm uncertain if I've learned my mistake after only just that. I need to affirm again."

"Speak coherently, Princess." He pinched her cheek lightly. "Tell me what you want."

She gnawed at her bottom lip, embarrassed. "Bully," she muttered. She knew he was enjoying himself by torturing her. "You're a big, big bully. You're lucky I love you."

With that, she fisted his clothes and pulled him back down to her. She pressed another kiss to his soft lips, until Eunuch Nam's voice rang out crisp and clear from the outside, startling them both and forcing them apart.

"Your Highnesses, the King has invited the both of you for lunch at his pavilion. He wishes to apologise to the Crown Prince and be forgiven."

"Forgiven?" Eun-bi repeated with curiosity. Her head whipped towards him. "What for? You're mad at him too?"

When Yul remained silent, she teased him further. "Why are you even angry with him in the first place? Tell me! This is the perfect opportunity for me to hurl my shoes at him. I'll take out all the pairs of shoes that I own–"

No matter how much she pestered him, that stubborn man firmly kept his lips sealed for the rest of the way to the King's pavilion.

What a shame.

***

The following day, Eun-bi was serving her punishment and writing her thirty-fifth line in the Crown Prince's bedchamber. Yul had already left in the morning for a court meeting, but he did promise to be back in a few hours to spend some time with her.

While he was away, Officer Hyong returned to the palace with a report.

"Crown Princess," he greeted, but his tone was grave. "It's regarding the maid that you released this morning–she's dead. It is my fault."

Hearing this, Eun-bi gasped out loud and the calligraphy brush in her hand snapped in two. It felt like a bucket of cold water poured over her head. "Dead? Why? What happened?"

"We tailed her after she left the palace, but an assassin intercepted her way, killed her and ran off. We lost him. He's fast and incredibly skilled at covering his tracks."

As Eun-bi had lived a sheltered life since she was born, handling death was something she couldn't and never would get used to. The deaths during Selection caused much distress to her and now, this.

Sure, she had scared the girl, but she never meant for her to be led to her own death.

Her hands trembled, and she hid them in her long sleeves on her lap. "The letter... What about the letter I gave her?"

If Officer Hyong noticed her anxiety, he didn't speak a word about it. "It's gone. The assassin took it. I apologise, Your Highness. I will continue to investigate and catch this man."

A heavy weight sank upon her shoulders, leaving her expression grim and worried. "I understand, Officer Hyong. Thank you for your hard work. Please send the girl's body back to her family."

Once her guard left, she began to recollect and arrange her thoughts. Since her letter was taken, this would mean it was delivered to the person who sent her those threat letters. She could only imagine how angry they must be from the lack of mannerism in her letter. But seeing how they had desperately removed any traces that might lead to their hideout, it appeared they didn't wish to have their identity revealed yet.

Whoever they were, Eun-bi was determined to hunt them down.