Chapter 14

Surprised at the sound of his stepping back, Kyosul quickly turned around. Her eyes met his as he smiled at her gently.

“You have made fun of me!”

Her eyes were wet with tears. She was as much prone to tears as laughter. Whenever he looked at her big eyes, he felt heartbroken. Recalling his first encounter with her as she had been crying in the small sedan chair, he was suddenly choked up. Leaning against the tree,with her hands folded behind her back, she shouted at him.

“You’re so mean! As you call me Your Highness, Crown Princess or Crown Princess, I was worried and nervous that you were trying to draw a line. But you are just nice and talking to me mischievously with a smile all the time. How do you …”

How do you feel about me?

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That’s what she wanted to ask, but she couldn’t. How could she reveal her feelings about him like this? She was not supposed to do so. She was the Crown Princess, and she couldn’t figure out how she really felt about him. Their meetings up to now could be called the exchanges between friends, but if she asked that question, she might not be able to see him again.

But Kyosul was not the type of woman who held back what was on her lips.

“I wish Uljin Yu were the Crown Prince.”

In the end, she told him what happened on the wedding night. Tears trickled from her eyes again. There was no longer a smile on his face. Teetering toward her, he went down on one knee before her.

The nanny was waiting for Kyosul in front of a tall gate at the entrance of the outer palace. Sometimes, she stuck out her head and looked inside the gate to check out whether she was coming back. Waiting for her every day was part of the nanny’s hobby now.

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Although the sun rising high in the sky looked small, it was shining everywhere in the world. Looking up at the sun, the nanny looked down when she heard someone approaching. She couldn’t see clearly who he was, because she couldn’t see his face.

Embarrassed, she bowed to him.

I just don’t know how to greet him formally as I don’t know who he is. What should I do?

When she deeply bowed to him, he stopped walking and said, “Who are you?”

“Oh, I’m Lady Yuon serving Her Highness,Crown Princess Kyosul, and I’m her nanny. I have been waiting for her as she is spending time in the back garden of the outer palace.”

“Really?”

As if he wasn’t interested, the man entered the tall gate of the outer palace and disappeared. With a sigh, she raised her head. She seemed to have heard his cold voice, but she easily forgot him as she felt there were no high-ranking people in the imperial palace that she might recognize.

The back garden of the outer palace was built for foreign envoys and court ladies. As time went by, it became the favorite place of royal family members when they wanted to take a walk. As the palace was built with foreign envoys in mind, it was built magnificently to show the dignity of the Mok Kingdom, so they were satisfied with its quality. The most popular place was the tree, standing tall in the center of the long and upper hill. The tall tree rising high above many colorful flowers and trees was plain compared with other trees but had an aura of dignity.

Under that tree stood a woman and a man. They were none other than Kyosul and Ruhae. He was bowing to her, going down with one knee. It looked as if he was showing court courtesy to her politely. At the same time, he was showing his affection for her delicately.

“I’m sorry. I think I have offended you as I behaved too mischievously.”

Embarrassed by his sudden act, Kyosul blinked her eyes without knowing what to do, and then cautiously put down her hand. She put her small hand on his head. His hair was as soft as his smile. After she stroked his hair for a moment, she opened her mouth.

“Uljin Yu.”

“Hey, have you already become close enough to call him like that?”

Suddenly, someone called her from behind.

Startled at his voice, Kyosul and Ruhae turned their heads toward where his voice was heard. Bipaan stood there before them on the hill. With a gloomy look, Ruhae raised himself and bowed to him slightly.

“Long live the Crown Prince, I’m honored to see you.”

Other palace people would have kneeled and bowed to him like Ruhae did, but like Bipaan, he was one of those who were in line to succeed the throne. So, he showed courtesy by simply bending his waist forward. As Ruhae didn’t reveal to Kyosul that he was the prince, he only went down on one knee to show courtesy playfully.

Without paying attention to Ruhae, Bipaan walked to Kyosul with big strides.

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“Aren’t you showing manners to me?” asked Bipaan.

“Oops, Long live the Crown Prince…”

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Putting her right hand on her heart, she was about to kneel and bow when he stopped her by raising his hand.

“Why did you call him like that? Do you know what it means that you’re not calling someone’s last name in the Mok Kingdom?”

His was the coldest and most terrifying voice that she had heard up to then. She felt she was shivering at his voice. As early as in the morning she was heartbroken because she couldn’t see his face. But she couldn’t make eye contact with him as he was so scary.

Why am I so afraid of him?

She opened her trembling lips, “I don’t know.”

Suddenly, Bipaan made a sarcastic smile. Though she replied to his question, she couldn’t figure out the point of his question.

Didn’t I call his last name? She thought she had never called his given name only. She always called him ‘Uljin Yu.’

Her curiosity was solved when Bipaan said, “Then, why didn’t you add the last name Danmok when you called him?”

“What?”

She raised her head, surprised at that. Her round eyes met his cold eyes. She felt as if she came to her senses all of a sudden at his icy look.

Come to think of it, Uljin Yu told her he was a member of the royal family, so his last name was not Yu, but Danmok.

When his eyes met hers, Bipaan turned his head away. Avoiding her eyes, he then approached Ruhae and sharply slapped him in the face with the back of his hand.

Though Ruhae drooped his head down at that moment, he didn’t raise it. Bipaan was hurling sharp abuses on Ruhae who lowered his head down.

He rebuked Ruhae in a low and dignified voice.

“How dare you can entice the Crown Princess when you’re a prince? Did you feel a great pleasure when she, who doesn’t know the customs in this country, called you by your given name alone? I guess you were indulged in a sense of superiority as if you were her paramour or you were the Crown Prince, and didn’t go to the trouble of correcting her, right?”

Bipaan’s voice turned into a sharp dagger that stabbed Ruhae mercilessly. In fact, he was venting his furious anger over Kyosul to Ruhae.

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How could the Crown Princess call another guy so kindly in my presence?

Bipaan could not forgive her under any circumstances. He tried not to see her. If he turned his eyes on her, he would certainly use pretty bad language to accuse her.

That little girl…

Bipaan knew she was hurt and shed tears when he said something bluntly. He heard from the eunuch that she went back, full of agony, when he refused to see her every morning. Despite that, she had the nerve to keep coming stupidly every morning. He could size up her temperament in that process.

Obviously, she didn’t call him like that on purpose. Given her embarrassment when he pointed it out, Bipaan was sure she was sincere. But he couldn’t give her a pass without rebuking. At the same time, he didn’t want to blame her directly, which would make her burst into tears.

How come she is so stupid enough to make me bother again?

He clenched his jaw. His lower jaw bulged. The vein in his temple was clearly visible now. He couldn’t figure out why he was concerned about her in spite of himself.

There was a breathless and cold silence between them. Sandwiched between Bipaan and Ruhae, who were pitted against each other in a tense war of nerves, Kyosul was at a loss what to do, with her face white, stricken with fear.

Prince? Did he really call Uljin Yu Prince?

If that was true, Ruhae was the third in line to succeed the throne. Kyosul thought he was one of the royal family members, but it was now revealed that he was the Prince. Besides, she was really embarrassed to realize that she knew him by the wrong name.