I-jun's POV
I was wondering—when I neared the chamber, no one was there. Even my eunuchs and court ladies were nowhere to be found.
"Where are they?" I asked.
"Do you want me to look for them, Your Majesty?" the court lady who was with me asked.
I nodded. "Tell them I'm here already."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
After she left, I was about to open the door to enter, but I stopped when I heard some sounds inside.
Is it the culprit again?
I peeked through the door and saw someone pacing back and forth.
I opened the door completely when I saw who was inside.
"Min Yun?" I asked.
Min Yun didn't say a word. He just walked over to me and hugged me tightly.
"You made me worry," he said as he wrapped his arms around my head. Yeah, I know—he's tall and I'm short.
I tried to pull back to look at his face, but he refused.
"Let's stay like this for a while," he said.
I just let him hold me however he wanted. It was my fault again—I made him worry.
We stayed like that for what felt like five minutes.
He finally pulled back, and I saw the worry etched all over his face.
"Where have you been?" he asked in a hoarse voice.
"I'm sorry," I said, bowing my head.
I was surprised when he gently lifted my chin to make me look at him.
"You made my heart burst with worry. Where have you been?"
"I went to the market and bought something," I lied. I had no intention of telling Min Yun I had gone to see his master.
"Please don't do that again. You even lied to your eunuchs and court ladies." His worried expression hadn't faded.
I nodded and apologized again.
"I didn't mean to worry you this much. I'm sorry."
Our conversation was cut off by the sound of hurried footsteps outside.
"Your Majesty!" the eunuchs and court ladies exclaimed.
I saw how worried they were, and guilt washed over me. I bit my lower lip.
"I'm sorry," I said as I walked toward them. They were still bowing their heads.
"Your Majesty, I—" the court lady I asked to find everyone returned, her sentence trailing off when she saw the others already inside.
The eunuchs and court ladies stared at her, obviously confused.
"It's not her fault. I dragged her somewhere. Please don't scold her," I said.
"Your Majesty, what if His Highness finds out about what you did?" another eunuch asked.
"Let's keep it a secret," I replied.
"He won't know. I'll take responsibility," Min Yun said.
"Thank you, Captain," the eunuch responded.
"Why are there so many people here?"
All of us gasped when we heard the King's voice. He looked confused as he surveyed the scene before him.
"Is something going on here?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Ah... nothing, Your Highness. I was telling them I was hungry. Yeah," I said with a fake laugh.
He looked at me intently, trying to decide if I was lying. I bit my lower lip again, praying he wouldn't ask more questions.
"Okay. I'm hungry too. I came here because I wanted to eat with you. Oh, Min Yun, good thing you're here too."
His expression suddenly lit up.
"Maybe we should drink again?" the King asked, making my eyes widen.
"No," I said firmly.
They both looked at me, surprised. I put my hands on my waist like a mother scolding children.
"You were both wasted last night. I don't want that to happen again."
"We won't get wasted," the King chuckled.
"I said no."
"We promise we won't drink too much, right, Min Yun?"
I glanced at Min Yun, silently pleading with him to refuse. But he ignored my look.
"Okay," Min Yun answered.
I frowned.
We sat on the floor, and the court ladies began preparing our dinner.
"It looks like a feast," the King said, even though I had previously asked the chefs not to prepare too much food so we could save more for others.
They began eating, lost in conversation about their lives, just like last night.
"You're not eating?" the King asked when he noticed I hadn't moved.
"I'm not hungry," I replied honestly. I wasn't.
Min Yun glanced at me. "You barely ate during lunch," he said, his voice serious.
"My Queen, are you not feeling well?" the King asked.
"No... I... Okay, I give up. I'm eating now," I said as I picked up my chopsticks and started eating rice.
I chewed slowly, maybe for about a minute. I wasn't hungry. I was too stressed to even swallow properly.
"Eat a lot. I told you, you're getting skinnier," Min Yun said as he placed some meat in my bowl, just like he did last night.
I silently smiled at his simple gesture. Just like Min Yun, the king also placed a piece of meat into my bowl.
"I don't want your cousin blaming me for not taking care of you, Your Majesty," the king said with a smile.
I looked at the two men sitting in front of me. How could these two like me? My beauty was simple—I was just an ordinary woman who loved to read books. So why me?
I suddenly remembered Kim Shin A. She was far more beautiful than I was—sophisticated and modest. I, on the other hand, was more of an explorer, always wandering, always in danger.
"Do we have something on our faces?" the king asked, glancing at Min Yun to check if he had dirt on him too.
I laughed and shrugged. "You know I can take care of myself," I said before eating the meat they offered.
Now my heart was confused. I didn't know which of them I truly liked. The only thing I knew was that they both held a special place in my heart.
After eating, they began to drink—but unlike last night, they sipped slowly.
"I don't want to trouble you to make soup for a hangover again, Your Majesty," the king said, then downed his drink.
I shook my head and sipped from my teacup. I told myself I wouldn't drink again, not after being completely wasted last time. I couldn't let that happen again.
I glanced at Min Yun, who was silently drinking. He was unusually quiet, just listening as the king talked nonstop.
Eventually, they finished their drinks and stood up.
"We won't bother you anymore," the king said. "You can sleep now, my queen."
Min Yun stood as well, still without a word.
"Can you both walk?" I asked.
"I have my servants," the king replied.
I nodded, then turned to Min Yun, who stared at me with a blank expression. What was wrong? Was he still upset that I had lied to him earlier?
"I'll go," the king announced.
Min Yun and I bowed our heads as the king left the chamber.
I looked at Min Yun, who hadn't moved.
"Do you want me to escort you?" I asked.
He shrugged. Then, to my surprise, he pulled me into a hug.
"I missed hugging you," he whispered.
I stood there, speechless, unsure of how to respond.
He held me tightly, just like he had earlier.
King's POV
While walking back to my chamber, I suddenly stopped.
"Your Highness, is something wrong?" the eunuch asked.
"I forgot to tell something to my queen. Let's go back," I said.
The eunuch nodded, and we made our way back to the queen's chamber. As we reached the door, I noticed two shadows moving inside.
I slowly opened the door, careful not to make a sound.
When it creaked open, I saw Min Yun and I-Jun embracing each other.
A sharp pain struck my chest. I didn't know why. I shook my head, trying to erase the thoughts forming in my mind. Min Yun and I-Jun were close—I knew that. Even though I hadn't met I-Jun when we were children, I was aware of how much Min Yun treasured her.
Quietly, I closed the door.
The eunuch looked at me. "Didn't you say you had something to tell Her Majesty, Your Highness?"
I shook my head. "She's asleep now. I don't want to disturb her. Come on, let's go back to my chamber."