"Do you ever just sleep?"

"...Or stop staring at me like I'm the weirdest thing you've ever seen?"

I muttered, staring down at Areum—the small creature in question, who was currently flailing her limbs like a tiny warrior in her crib. I leaned my forearm against the window frame, right across from her crib, half tempted to pretend she wasn't there. But that shriek of joy she just let out? Yeah, hard to ignore.

Her so-called new foster mother—Kim Yesol, who, by the way, is mentally a child herself—had dumped this tiny menace in my care for the night. Why? Because apparently, she had "important case study" in the royal library. Something she refused to involve me in.

And here I was—the man feared by the whole country, the terror of court—now downgraded to a... what? Royal babysitter?

Wow. Just wow.

I sighed deeply.

Why am I doing this?
What exactly is making me do this?

I should be hauling that reckless girl into bed and sleep in her arms until the sun rises. Instead, I'm pacing my chambers at midnight trying to keep her baby sidekick from launching herself over the crib rails.

With Yesol around, Areum slept like a rock. But with me? She was a full-blown chaos sprite. Not only was she refusing to sleep, but she kept giggling like I was the evening's entertainment.

Every move I made earned a squeal, like I was some sort of royal court jester. I couldn't even move somewhere out of a certain distance in the bedroom without thinking she wouldn't fall off the crib just to reach me.

I pinched the bridge of my nose.

She really played me, didn't she?

Yesol, that stubborn woman. She knew I wouldn't be able to ignore this kid if she left her here. She knew I wouldn't even be able to get out of this room leaving this kid all by herself. She knew. And she used it.

I let out a small growl and stalked to the crib. Areum beamed up at me like I hung the stars.

"You're not any different from her" I muttered, scooping her up with practiced ease. "Both, always making things difficult for me."

The moment I lifted her, she squealed with delight, her tiny fingers immediately latching onto my face like I was made of rice cake. Mochi dough. Whatever.

She smacked my jaw with wet kisses, her nails digging into my cheeks as if claiming her territory. My royal dignity was reduced to this—chewed on and drooled over by a baby.

I shifted her carefully in my arms, exhaling through my nose. "You're supposed to fear me, brat"

She giggled harder, face buried in my neck and her tiny toes practically digging holes in my ribs by how hard she wiggled.

I scoffed, helpless. "...Unbelievable."

And yet, there it was again—that warm, foreign tug at my chest. Something I couldn't name.

Same doe eyes—big, brown, and brimming with quiet wonder. The same soft, silken hair that gleamed under the mellow light. The same cream-white skin I once traced with my fingers, long before the world turned cruel.

I observed her as I stroked her existence onto the blank canvas, my hands moving on instinct. Her image bled out of memory and form into with every sweep of my brush.

It was foolish—to believe someone long buried could return to this wretched world.

And yet, ever since the first time I heard Areum giggle—so innocent, so hauntingly familiar—it was as if something deep inside me split open. I could hear the past echoing in her laughter. It dragged me back to a time I'd sworn never to revisit.

I should've hated this child.

I was meant to hate her—because of how she entered my life, because of who she was rumored to be. But I couldn't. Not when she looked at me like that... like I was a star glimmering alone in a pitch-black sky. I knew she wasn't mine—not by blood. But blood didn't matter when her gaze made me feel wanted again.

So I treated her like she was mine, because to me, it never mattered who her biological father was, or whatever filthy purpose her mother was going to use her for.

To me, Areum was just a child—one who seemed to love me from the day she opened her eyes and I knew I'd never fail her.

Lifting my head from the canvas, I looked at her again.

She was sitting quietly on the plush velvet chair, a stuffed bunny clutched in her tiny hands. She wasn't even playing with it. She was just... watching me. Observing with an odd sense of calm in her smile. Her eyes didn't wander. They stayed on me—as though I was the only thing in the world she recognized.

I scoffed under my breath.

Did I look funny to her?

Shaking my head, I dipped the brush into color once more and returned to painting. I wanted to get the exact shade of warmth and innocence she carried. There was something special about her, there was, because I didn't just paint anyone.

In the forbidden folds of this palace, art was my biggest secret—a secret I only shared with my muse. And this kid just gave me another reason to do something I once treasured.

And in between every stroke of color, the thought of Yesol crept in. I wondered if she believed the rumors—if she thought Areum was truly my child. She had every reason to. Everyone in the palace whispered the same filth. But despite the weight of gossip, she loved Areum anyway.

That alone... made me wonder...why?

"Queen Eun Ae is entering the chamber"

A sudden voice cut through the stillness, the maid announced, and my fingers paused mid-stroke. I didn't lift my head, but I knew she already stepped in. I knew by the way the room tensed and the air shifted.

"Having some quality time with your daughter?" she mused, her voice lilting with mock sweetness, laced in poison.

I kept my eyes on the canvas. "Repetition of lies doesn't turn them into truth."

Her laugh grated at my ears—too loud, too amused. I heard her steps move toward Areum, and then she knelt down, blocking my view.

The mood in the room curdled.

"But those lies don't seem to bother you" she said silkily. "You named her. You cradle her. You care for her like your own"

Her manicured hand reached out, brushing against Areum's cheek with deliberate slowness. The child flinched. Her lips turned downward in discomfort. A quiet whine escaped her.

"How evil must a mother be," I said quietly, setting the brush down with a soft click, "for her own child to recoil from her touch?"

Eun Ae turned her head, the corners of her mouth curling upward into a blood-red smirk. She didn't stop. She kept touching her. Provoking me. Her fingers traced the child's soft skin like she was testing my patience. Areum whined louder, shifting away in her seat.

And that was enough.

"Get off her" I said, my voice calm-but eerily still.

The kind of calm that came before a storm. The kind that meant danger was very, very near.

Eun Ae tilted her head slowly, like a predator entertained by the defiance of its prey—though this time, her prey had grown fangs of its own.

"So much ache for a child which, you say, is not even yours" she said, rising to her full height with a deliberate calm. "Stop pretending that you're not her real father."

My jaw tensed, lips curling in a bitter smirk. "And believe your absurd little story?" I muttered. "Believe that a man like me—who's stayed conscious through the strongest opium—got drunk on mere alcohol and let you use me?" I scoffed, shaking my head at the memory she clung to like gospel. "Don't make me laugh, Eun Ae."

Her arms folded over her chest as she leaned back, unaffected. "You don't believe me," she said, "but you still take her in. You name her. You keep her. So what's stopping you from accepting it all completely?" Her finger tapped against her chest, lips curling.

I looked at her then—dead in the eye.

"You're right, I don't give a shit about right or wrong, truth or lies. The issue is bending to your will. Entertaining your filthy tricks. You spin webs like a spider, Eun Ae, and expect me to dance inside them. But they're beneath my concern. You are beneath my concern."

The smile faltered. It was subtle-but there. The crack in her mask.

She scoffed, breath shaky as she took a step forward. "Do you question her the same way?" Her voice had dropped now, venom lacing every syllable. "No. I don't think so."

Her jealousy bled into the air like rot.

"Because right now I see the cruel prince playing babysitter," she spat, head tilting, a twisted grin curling at the corners of her mouth. "And all because she asked him to. Can't you see it? Or do you enjoy being manipulated by her?"

My hand twitched.

Eyes shut, jaw clenched—I tried to ground myself. Yesol—manipulating me? That was the line she thought would break me?

I stood up from the edge of the bed, brushing my fingers clean with the edge of a towel. My voice came low, cool, final.

"Maybe I really do enjoy being manipulated by her" I said, refusing to look at her, letting the weight of that truth hang in the air.

The silence cracked like lightning.

And then-
She shoved me back.

My back hit the mattress and before I could even breathe, she climbed over me like a shadow. Her silk nightgown slipped off one shoulder, baring her collarbone. I turned my face away, disgust twisting my gut.

Her fingers traced the edge of my jaw before she gripped it, forcing my gaze to hers. Her touch felt like acid.

"Go ahead," she whispered, her lips too close, eyes dark. "Enjoy her. Let her fill your lungs with life. Pretend you can have the world without me. But it won't last." Her gaze dropped to my lips, then back up again. "Because in the end..."

Her voice dipped, final, cold.

"You'll come running to me."

Her nails dug into my chin.

"I am your end, Jungkook. And I'd like to keep it that way."

The doors slammed open with a violent thud, echoing like a gunshot across the chamber.

Court Lady Choi burst in, breathless, eyes wide with horror, and collapsed onto her knees as if the floor had been ripped from beneath her.

Her face was pale, drenched in tears and sweat. "Y-Your Highness... my deepest apologies," she choked out, not daring to raise her head. Her voice cracked with desperation. "But—Princess—Princess!"

Everything in me snapped to alert at once. My limbs moved before my mind could catch up. I shoved Eun Ae off me without even glancing at her, my body rushing to Lady Choi's side.

"Court Lady Choi!" I dropped to my knees, gripping her trembling shoulders. "What happened to Yesol?! Where is she?!"

My voice was hoarse, wild, trembling with something dangerously close to panic.

Her lips trembled, voice breaking, "She... she-" Her chest heaved as if the words were too heavy to carry.

The world slowed for a heartbeat. I stared at her, breath caught in my throat.

"She wasn't in the library all this time, was she?" I murmured to myself, everything sliding into terrifying clarity.

Lady Choi shook her head frantically, more tears spilling. "She was caught—caught at the Jang estate... in the backyard," she gasped.

Silence.

Then the floor dropped out from under me. My grip slipped from her shoulders, my body frozen in disbelief for a fraction of a second. Then it hit me, sharp and merciless.

Of course.
Of course she'd pull something this reckless. She'd been chasing this worthless case for days, trying to prove herself and now she went there alone.

A guttural sound tore from my throat, a mix of a groan and a curse. Frustration, rage, and fear warred in my chest.

Not one damn day.
Not one single day of peace where I could trust her to be safe on her own. Where I could relax without her throwing herself in the death's path.

She had no hesitation, no care, no concern and no patience. She'd throw herself into a storm without thinking twice because that's who she was. And I hated that, I hated how she doesn't give a fuck.

But I-I should've known better. I was an idiot to believe her, to believe that she would quietly spend her time in the library and not run from under my nose.

Arghh!

I didn't waste another breath. My feet were already moving before my thoughts could catch up. I sprinted out of the chamber like the palace was burning behind me.

Because right now-
She was all that mattered.

I climbed my horse and stormed my way to the Jang estate.

I was an idiot. A really annoying, frustrating idiot. An idiot to think she was doing just fine. An idiot to think I had my eyes on her every damn move. An idiot to let her lock me in a room with Areum. And the biggest idiot of them all—to believe she was just studying in the library.

I knew something was off. That eerie feeling had been gnawing at me since she handed Areum in my arms, and I'd ignored it like a fool.

But damn, I had to give it to her. She was clever—clever enough to plan all this without leaving a single trace. I wasn't even mad at her for outsmarting everyone. I was curious. How the hell did she manage this on her own, without any help. No men, no guards. Just her and her little team of court ladies.

And then—after all those smartass moves—Miss Candle-in-the-Dark sacrificed herself like the noble idiot she is, sending all her ladies back to the palace and staying behind. I bet, she must've been so proud in that moment. Too damn proud.

She never hesitates. She thinks just because I let her do what she wants, she can keep walking on fire barefoot, and I'll just watch.

And she's not even wrong.

Because in the end, I'm the one who ends up with regrets. While she walks away with bruises and pride.

Does she even know what happens when thieves get caught in Hanyang? When the Empress hears of this? This is not your home, Yesol. For fuck's sake.

As soon as I reached the Jang estate, I leapt down from my black horse, barely catching a breath before jumping the back wall. I wouldn't even let myself breathe until I saw her—alive and in one piece.

The yard was clear, bathed in moonlight. I scanned quickly—my eyes falling on a single storage room near the edge of the backyard. A loose lock dangled from its door.

She had to be there.

I made my way over, steps silent, breath tight. Voices carried from the alley across the backyard door, right across from me—probably guards near the bonfire. I exhaled sharply, tugging the lock gently free, and pushed the door open.

Peeking inside—left, then right.

And there she was.

The breath I hadn't even realized I'd been holding left my chest in a rush.

She hadn't noticed me but not even a shred of panic on her face.

She was calmly—calmly—counting sacks on her fingers, as if she were grocery shopping. I swear to the gods, every working vein in my head pulsed in rage. She had no fear at all.

I stalked over silently and wrapped my arms around her waist. She gasped, ready to scream, but I slammed my hand over her mouth. She kicked, flailed, slapped my hand—muffled squeals vibrating against my palm.

"You're lucky, you have a loyal dog" I muttered against her ear.

She stilled at the sound of my voice.

Thank god.

I cursed under my breath, hoisting her up like a sack of flour and carrying her out.

But of course—not even halfway back and she started squirming again, throwing her limbs like a rabid cat. I groaned.

Did she not understand the concept of stealth?!

I pushed her against the outer wall, boosting her up.

"Quiet" I snapped. I already knew she was about to argue, so I shut her up before she could try.

She climbed over the wall, landing with a small thud on the other side. I followed right after her. I landed on the ground, and the second our eyes met, it was like the world came alive again.

For a moment—I just wanted to pull her into a hug. Ask if she was alright. But knowing her stubborn self, it would've only triggered more problems than we already had.

"Jeon-" she began.

I didn't wait. I tossed her over my shoulder.

She gasped. "Wha—hey!" Her fists started pounding my back. She wriggled like a wild cat. "Let go!" she groaned, kicking and twisting, until she finally slipped from my grip and tumbled to the ground with a loud thud.

I exhaled sharply, rolling my eyes so hard it nearly hurt. My patience was hanging by a thread.

She pushed herself up, yanked off her mask, and shoved me with both hands. I stumbled back a step, eyebrows furrowed in disbelief.

"You piece of-!" she panted, voice shaking, chest heaving.

That's what I get? For risking my neck to save her?

I stepped forward, grabbed her elbow tight, pulling her toward me, our faces inches apart.

"Listen, little Miss," I growled, "you've officially hit your limit of making me go insane. So shut up. Shut the fuck up. No more stunts!"

I tugged her toward the horse, but she yanked her wrist free like I'd burned her.

"No," she snapped. "I won't. I wouldn't. Not without Gee-hee. She's still inside!"

I froze. "Who is Gee-hee now?" My jaw clenched.

"My court maid!" she shouted.

She didn't care. She didn't care that I was shaking from worry. That I'd nearly lost my mind searching for her. That we were lucky enough to come out safe and sound. Hell, she didn't even care that she was out of danger now, and all that mattered was her court maid?

"If you want to go back in one piece, you better stop this now—because I swear, I'll leave you behind."

I reached my hand out.

She slapped it away.

"Fine!" she barked. Arms crossed. Chin lifted. "Go back to the palace! Who even called for you?! I don't need you!"

And just like that, she turned again, trying to climb the wall back into danger. She was too short to reach the top, but that didn't stop her.

I stared at her in disbelief, hands itching to tear my hair out. She was unbelievable. Unbelievable.

She doesn't need me. No. Of course she doesn't. She's too mighty for that.

I'm the idiot here. The one who needs her.

I stormed forward and grabbed her waist again, pulling her down. She grumbled, twisting in my grip, but I didn't let go. I turned her to face me, locking her in place.

She glared up at me—tiny, infuriating, utterly impossible. Her height was no match for her attitude. And God, even now, I couldn't bring myself to yell. I just wanted to kiss her senseless.

"Stay here," I said, voice like steel. "Quiet. Grounded. Dare to move, and I swear-"

My eyes bore into hers, a silent promise hanging in the air.

I looked at her one last time before I turned, jumped the wall again, and vanished into the dark.

I slipped back inside, looking for Gee-hee. The guards were still stationed near the bonfire, none the wiser. Good.

I crept through the shadows, back into the room. There she was—curled up, asleep, as if danger didn't exist.

I crouched beside her and gently tapped her shoulder.
"Gee-hee," I whispered. Nothing. "Gee-hee," I said again, shaking her a little harder.

She stirred, blinking slowly. "Your Highness...?"

"Yes, it's me," I said. "Wake up. We need to get out of here"

I helped her stand up and scanned the yard—still clear. We tiptoed to the wall. I cupped my hands and helped her climb. She scrambled over and jumped down.

But just as I was about to follow-

"Where is princess?" Gee-hee called out from the other side.

I froze.

"What?" I asked, disbelieving.

"She's not here" Gee-hee said, panic rising in her voice.

I hauled myself up the wall, leaned over, and looked down. Yesol was gone.

Gone. Again.

Of course she was. Of course she was fine enough to pull another ridiculous stunt the moment I turned my back. God, Kim Yesol. This woman will be the death of me.

But maybe I deserved this. I left her alone, thinking—hoping—she wouldn't do something reckless. Like that was even possible.

"Gee-hee," I said, jaw clenched. "Take the horse. Ride back to the palace. I'll bring her with me."

I didn't wait for her to respond. I dropped back down into the yard, heart pounding.

She had to still be inside. The horse was untouched, which meant she hadn't left, like she would; without her dearest court maid. She must've climbed back over—right behind me.

But why? What more could she possibly be doing? What more could go wrong tonight?

I started searching, darting between shadows, eyes scanning every corner.

"Kim Yesol," I muttered under my breath. "If you've gotten yourself killed, I swear I'll bring you back just to kill you again."

I slipped deeper into the compound, nearing the bonfire, my eyes scanning every corner for a trace of her. The night was still, too still. Until-

A hand shot out of the shadows.

Before I could react, I was yanked into a dark corner. My back hit the wall, and a warm body pressed up against mine.

"What the-"

Her hand clamped over my mouth.

"Shhh" she hissed.

Yesol.

Of course.

I narrowed my eyes at her, but she didn't even flinch. Just stood there like pinning me to a wall was the most normal thing to do at midnight in a guarded compound.

"You make my blood boil" I muttered once she removed her hand.

"Shut up," she snapped. "I'm here to get my diary. They took it."

I blinked. "Seriously? You already submitted enough evidence to me."

"That was a copy" she whispered harshly.

A beat of silence. I stared at her.

"You gave me a copy?"

She raised an eyebrow like I was the idiot here. "Do you really think I'd hand the original evidence to you?"

I gaped, utterly offended. "You-"

"Now meow."

I... paused. "What?"

She pointed subtly toward the fire, where the guards were still sitting, half-dozing. Just behind them, placed over a smooth stone slab, was a leather-bound book.

Her diary.

"We need to distract them from the bonfire. The diary's right there. So, meow. Loud. Convincing. Go."

"I'm not doing that."

She stomped on my foot, hard.

I choked on a curse.

With my pride bleeding and foot throbbing, I slipped further into the shadows, finding the darkest corner of the alley. I looked over my shoulder once—Yesol was already crouched low, eyes locked on the diary like a hawk on prey.

I closed my eyes and exhaled slowly. Just. For. Her.

"Meow~" I muttered under my breath.

Nothing.

Louder this time. "Meow."

One of the guards twitched. I sighed.

"Meow!" I said again, gritting my teeth, and then let out another one, long and drawn out like a cursed cat in pain.

Two guards stood up. "What the hell, was that a cat?"

I kept going. Meowing louder. More pitiful. More degrading. If any of my soldiers saw this-

They moved toward the alley, curiosity rising.

I could kill them in less than two seconds, clean and silent. Why am I even doing this? Why—

A loud thud echoed from the other side of the yard. The guards spun around immediately.

"What was that?!"

As they rushed away from the fire, I stepped forward to check if she was done or not—but before I could, a hand grabbed mine, pulling me away from the scene with force.

Yesol. Again.

She tugged me with all her might, breathless but grinning like a victorious thief. "Let's go!" she whispered excitedly.

She shoved open the wooden gate, and we ran. She was still holding my hand. I didn't resist. I just ran after her.

The wind rushed past us as our feet hit the cold ground, the firelight shrinking behind. Her fingers wrapped tightly around mine and her face—God, she turned back, eyes wide with excitement, a wild grin spreading across her lips.

And in that moment, the world slowed just enough.

I would've imagined the wildest things in life—conquering kingdoms with her, slaying beasts with her, sitting on the throne with her too—but I could've never imagined this:

Running behind her, hand-in-hand, in the middle of the night, like we were lovers eloping.

Like I was hers.

Her fingers were warm against mine, smaller—yet the grip was stubborn, fierce, like she wasn't dragging me but demanding I follow.

And I did.

Not because I had to, but because something inside me gave up fighting the pull she had on me. Maybe it always had.

We ran through the alleys, the sound of boots hitting the earth, the distant shouts behind us fading into the wind. Leaves scratched past our faces. The cloak swirled around her shoulders, and even in this wild blur of escape, she glanced back to smile.

And that smile-

That stupid, reckless, victorious smile made my chest hurt. Made my pulse slow. Made the world feel a little more worth the mess.

She was out of breath, her hair messy, dress dishelved, holding a diary like it was some royal jewel. And yet—she looked free.

Alive.

Untouchable.

I should've been scolding her. Shouting. Threatening to tie her to a chair for the rest of her life.

But instead I was staring at her like she was the most maddeningly beautiful thing I had ever seen.

And maybe she was.

Maybe that was the problem.

Because I knew, in that fleeting moment between the moonlight and the chaos-

I wasn't just following her to get out.

I was following her because if she let go of my hand, I didn't trust myself not to fall apart.

___________________________

A/n: I updated note.