"Suppose a lady purchases a basket of fruits from a stall in the market. One-fifth of them are apples, one-fourth are pears and the remaining are thirty-three tangerines. How many fruits are there in the basket?"

Eun-bi read the question thrice, all emotions dissipating. "This is impossible," she complained while jabbing a finger onto the parchment. "How could you possibly place that many fruits in a basket? Who could eat all thirty-three tangerines and fit them all into a person's stomach? If there's a secret technique for this, please, I would like to learn it as well."

Accountant Cha's mouth twitched as he tried not to laugh. "Focus, Princess. You're deviating from the question."

"I don't know! Forty-five?" She began guessing numbers as if she was at a gambling den. "A hundred and three?"

"No, it's sixty. You weren't listening to me earlier when I taught you, were you?"

Eun-bi gave an innocent look, which made him shake his head. When he taught her the trick to solving the question again, she chewed on the tip of her writing brush, quietly plotting her escape.

It was unfair she was the only one who had to remain in the hall to practise while everyone else had left to have their dinner. She was the Crown Princess but now, he treated her like a terrible student.

He was secretly enjoying embarrassing her, wasn't he?

A wearisome sigh left her lips. She, too, was famished, and that low rumble in her stomach was distracting her from solving the question. Well, it wasn't like she knew how to either.

She massaged her aching cheeks with the pads of her fingers as Accountant Cha continued to watch her. "What's wrong, Your Highness? Do your teeth hurt from all the sweets you ate?"

"No. It's hurting because I had to smile in front of people I don't know that well," she answered truthfully. "Now that you've mentioned it, I haven't had my snacks for today." As soon as she fired off that excuse, she rose to her feet excitedly, attempting to flee. "Maybe I should get Byeol to bring me some–"

"Why are you forcing yourself to smile in front of others when you obviously hate it?"

The solemn tone in his voice reeled her back, and she slowly dropped back into her seat. "I'm doing this not just for my sake. It's for the greater good in the future."

"Your future? Or...theirs?"

The underlying sarcasm in his words didn't go undetected, which sent her immediately glaring at him. "It's for everyone, including the future generations." She crossed her arms and studied his expression, noting the way his demeanour morphed from relaxed to cautious. "And I can say the same about you. Why are you forcing yourself to smile at me and constantly be on my good side?"

He blinked in genuine surprise. "What makes you think that way?"

Eun-bi drew herself to her full height, startling him when she stared deep into his enigmatic eyes. "You smile at me often, but they never reach your eyes. Not even once," she pointed out. "Do you have a grudge against me? Whatever troubles you're thinking of putting me in, please stop. It won't work."

A light smile danced on his lips. Now he appeared even more amused, and yet his eyes remained shadowed. "Enlighten me, Princess. What was I intending to do to you?"

Eun-bi snorted at his pretentious ignorance. "Flirting with a married woman in public is not very chivalrous of you," she chided. "What a terrible preference you have."

That infuriating smile of his widened into the kind that made him look as if he was right and she was wrong for being irrational. "I admire you very much, Your Highness, but you're mistaken. I wasn't trying to charm you, and I didn't mean to cause you unnecessary worry. For that, I apologise."

"However," he carried on with a teasing tone, "if the Princess is lonely and wishes for me to give her my attention, I'm willing to do that."

Eun-bi shot him a death glare. He was making her doubt herself and wondering if she was at fault here.

She shook those uncertainties away and trusted her instincts. "I'm lonely? Who says I am?"

"There are rumours in the palace that the Crown Prince hasn't been spending time with you lately."

He wasn't completely wrong. A few days ago, when Eun-bi was halfway through her punishment to write a thousand lines, Yul had left the palace with his trusted aides on a secret investigation. They had found a lead on the case of stolen armoury and he was hunting down the rats.

As a result, she ended up not spending much time with him, which promptly set off rumours of their falling relationship. Many believed that he was held up and working in his office for days because he was avoiding her, but only Eun-bi knew the truth.

She clenched her fists as annoyance surged through her. "Those are completely absurd. If you say those things one more time, I'll jab your eyes blind." She raised and curled two fingers into a menacing crab's pincer. "Like this."

That made him drop his head in an apologetic bow. "I'm sorry, Your Highness. I was just repeating what I've heard."

Unconvinced, she rolled her eyes. "Whatever, and stop admiring me that much. You ought to redirect your attention elsewhere, perhaps to one of those maidens from earlier. They looked infatuated with you already. If you dislike them, you can always search outside of the palace. Find a woman who will love you for who you truly are behind that mask."

The effect of her last sentence seemed to evoke something in him. Just as she brushed past him, he caught her arm and halted her. His grip tightened, causing her to flinch in pain.

She began wrestling out of his hold. "Let go! You're hurting me—"

When she caught sight of his face, his abrupt change in expression surprised her. She took in his narrowed eyes, his jaw set and angry lips. He wasn't looking at her and was simply glaring off into the distance, but it felt like she was watching a storm unravelling in the depths of his eyes, the tumultuous winds ripping the trees from their roots.

For him to be this disconcerted, she must have struck a nerve somewhere.

There was a set of firm boots behind her and Eun-bi noticed her personal bodyguard—Officer Hyong—watching them from the entrance, ready to protect her under the Crown Prince's orders.

She cleared her throat and tapped on Accountant Cha's shoulder once. "Although I'm not carrying any money right now, how about a penny for your thoughts? Because if you don't release me now, I'm not quite certain if you'll live to see the rest of the day..."

Her voice seemed to jolt him back to his senses, and he stared down at his hand gripping her arm. Stunned, he loosened his hold and took a step back immediately while uttering an apology.

He shifted back to the Accountant Cha that she first met, wearing his usual smile. "I'm sorry, Your Highness. I was just thinking that the earlier lessons for the noblewomen might not be enough to convince them to persuade their fathers and have them support the construction of the female academy."

She was right—he was definitely a deranged man. The changes in his mood were unpredictable. "What do you suggest?"

"Have them come back tomorrow and leave the rest to me," he said. "I will convince them to help us."

Whatever that he was planning to do, he sounded strangely full of confidence. However, Eun-bi wasn't trusting him entirely after his strange behaviour today. "Why are you willing to help me?"

"Because Minister Park entrusted me with this role and I can't disappoint him," he admitted. "And I admire your dauntless attitude, Princess, no matter how outrageous your goals sound."

The two exchanged a silent look until Eun-bi nodded and left the hall. Once outside, she found a small group of noblewomen hiding behind pillars, clearly trying to see and eavesdrop on their conversation.

This is not good, she thought.

She frowned and then pointed at the ceiling above them. "Look! Roaches!"

They let out a shrill of screams and hurriedly scattered off. While Eun-bi snickered at their fleeing figures, she wasn't certain if she chased away the gossip that they were exchanging among themselves. Who knew what kind of rumours might spread throughout the palace the next few days?

Letting out a loud sigh, she searched for Court Lady Kim, instructing her to convey her message to the noblewomen and have them return tomorrow as per Accountant Cha's instructions. She didn't trust him and his ever-changing demeanour, but she was determined to find out his hidden motive, if he had any.

That evening, she returned to the quarters, not hers but Yul's. She was disappointed to find that it was empty again, because this meant that tonight, she was going to be missing its owner in her sleep. 

His promise of staying together for a week was a lie.

Resigned, she slumped onto his bed and curled up in his covers, inhaling the lingering scent of him on his pillow. Each time she blinked her lids open, he wasn't there. The space beside her only caused a heavy weight to settle in her heart–her loneliness.

This might be a bit of an exaggeration, but was this how a wife who watched her husband leave for war felt?

She shook her head even harder, dispelling any thoughts of him getting hurt. He promised her he would return soon, so she was holding him to that. If he didn't, she would go to him instead.

Because without him around, the royal palace meant nothing to her.

A/N: I realised I seldom talk about myself, so shall we do a mini author's Q&A here? Hit me with some questions (writing goals, tips, life, etc) and I'll pick a few to answer them in the next few chapters! ✨