The morning sun shone through the wooden windows of the Eastern Wing, spreading a soft golden light across the room.
Seo Yul sat beside the window with a book resting in his lap. He had been staring at the same page for nearly half an hour.
He had read the first sentence several times, yet he couldn't remember a single word.
His thoughts kept returning to the same person.
The king.
More precisely, the night the king had stayed beside him.
Seo Yul lowered his eyes to the book.
Why did he stay?
He had asked the king that question already, and he had received an answer. The king had stayed because he was cold and shaking. There was no reason to think any further about it.
And yet, Seo Yul couldn't stop thinking about the way the king had held him.
It was strange.
For so long, he had been frightened whenever Hwan Seong came near him. Even now, the sight of the king could make his heart race with fear. He still remembered the cold expression on his face, the sharpness of his voice, and the terrible feeling of being trapped whenever he stood before him.
But that night had been different.
The king hadn't shouted at him. He hadn't ordered him to get up or demanded an explanation.
He had simply stayed.
Seo Yul closed the book and looked up. Hwan Jae stood in the doorway, looking at him with an amused expression.
"When did you come in?"
"Just now." Hwan Jae walked into the room. "Though I must say, you looked so serious that I was beginning to wonder whether you were reading a very important royal document."
Seo Yul glanced at the book in his lap.
"It's just a book."
"Then why do you look as though it has offended you?"
"It hasn't."
"Are you sure? You were staring at that page as if you wanted to burn it."
Seo Yul gave him a small, unwilling smile.
Hwan Jae noticed it immediately.
"There you are."
Seo Yul's smile faded into confusion. "What?"
"Nothing." Hwan Jae pulled a chair closer and sat down. "You've been spending too much time inside. Come outside with me."
"Where?"
"The gardens."
Seo Yul looked towards the window. "Why?"
"Because the weather is pleasant, the gardens are beautiful, and I refuse to watch you grow roots in that chair."
"I don't grow roots."
"You might. Shall I ask the servants to check?"
Seo Yul let out a quiet laugh.
Hwan Jae grinned.
"Come on. You can bring your book if you wish. I promise not to make you read it."
Seo Yul hesitated.
He still wasn't used to leaving the Eastern Wing without a reason. In the beginning, he had barely dared to walk beyond his own room. Even now, there were days when the palace corridors seemed too long and the people passing through them made him uncomfortable.
But Hwan Jae had never made him feel that way.
With him, Seo Yul didn't have to measure every word before speaking.
"All right," he finally said.
Hwan Jae rose at once.
"Wonderful. I was prepared to drag you out by your sleeves."
"You wouldn't dare."
"Wouldn't I?"
Seo Yul stood, shaking his head.
For once, the morning felt a little less heavy.
The palace gardens were quieter than Seo Yul remembered.
A narrow stone path wound between flowering trees, leading towards a small pond where several fish moved beneath the clear water. Beyond it stood a pavilion with curved wooden roofs and open sides.
Seo Yul walked slowly, taking in his surroundings.
He had seen parts of the gardens from his window, but he had never come this far.
"Do you come here often?" he asked.
"When I want to escape."
Seo Yul turned to him. "Escape from what?"
"My tutors, mostly. Sometimes my brother."
"Your brother?"
Hwan Jae gave him a solemn nod.
"His Majesty was a very frightening child."
Seo Yul stared at him.
Then he laughed.
Hwan Jae looked pleased with himself.
"You don't believe me?"
"I'm trying to imagine His Majesty being a child who needed to be watched by his tutors."
"He was worse than you can imagine. He once spent an entire afternoon correcting my sword stance because I held the practice sword incorrectly."
"Perhaps you were holding it incorrectly."
Hwan Jae stopped walking.
Seo Yul stopped too.
They looked at each other.
"You're supposed to be on my side," Hwan Jae said.
Seo Yul tried to hide his smile. "I never said I was."
For a moment, Hwan Jae simply stared at him.
Then he burst out laughing.
Seo Yul looked away, embarrassed by how pleased he felt at making someone laugh.
They continued towards the pavilion.
Hwan Jae told him stories about his childhood, about the servants who used to hide sweets for him and the tutors he had driven to the edge of their patience. Some stories were probably exaggerated, but Seo Yul didn't mind.
He found himself asking questions.
Sometimes, he even teased Hwan Jae when the prince made himself sound more impressive than he probably had been.
It felt unfamiliar.
Not unpleasant. Just unfamiliar.
For the first time since arriving in Goryeon, Seo Yul was beginning to understand what it felt like to spend time with someone without constantly waiting for the moment things would go wrong.
When they reached the pond, Hwan Jae leaned against the wooden railing.
"This is my favourite place in the palace."
Seo Yul stood beside him. "Why?"
"Because no one comes here to ask me about royal duties."
"Perhaps they know you would run away."
Hwan Jae turned towards him.
Seo Yul pressed his lips together, but it was too late. The smile had already escaped.
"You're becoming quite bold," Hwan Jae said.
Seo Yul immediately looked down.
The change was small, but Hwan Jae noticed it. The easy expression disappeared from Seo Yul's face, replaced by the familiar caution he sometimes wore whenever he thought he had said too much.
Hwan Jae's own expression softened.
"Yul."
Seo Yul looked up.
"You don't have to be afraid of saying something foolish around me."
"I wasn't afraid."
"Then I suppose I imagined you looking as though you had committed a crime."
Seo Yul lowered his eyes again.
Hwan Jae didn't press him.
Instead, he reached towards a nearby tree and plucked a small fallen leaf from the railing.
"Do you know what I used to do when I was unhappy?"
Seo Yul shook his head.
"I would come here and sit for hours. Sometimes I would skip my lessons. Sometimes I would throw stones into the pond and pretend I was accomplishing something important."
"That sounds rather childish."
"It was childish."
Seo Yul looked at him with mild surprise.
Hwan Jae shrugged. "I was a child."
A quiet moment passed between them.
Then Hwan Jae continued.
"I don't know what your life was like before you came here. And you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. But I know you spend too much time alone with your thoughts."
Seo Yul's fingers tightened around the edge of his sleeve.
"I am accustomed to being alone."
"I know."
Hwan Jae's answer was gentle.
"But being accustomed to something doesn't mean you have to keep doing it."
Seo Yul said nothing.
He looked towards the pond, watching the sunlight move across the water.
He wanted to believe Hwan Jae.
That was the frightening part.
It was easier to expect nothing from people. When he expected nothing, he couldn't be disappointed when they turned away from him.
But Hwan Jae kept offering him small kindnesses without asking for anything in return.
And Seo Yul didn't know what to do with them.
Hwan Jae straightened.
"Listen. Whenever you feel trapped in this palace, come find me. You don't have to sit alone with your thoughts."
Seo Yul slowly turned towards him.
"Even if you're busy?"
"Especially if I'm busy. It will give me an excellent excuse to avoid my duties."
A faint smile appeared on Seo Yul's face.
Hwan Jae smiled back.
"And if I truly cannot come, I'll tell you. I won't simply disappear."
Something in Seo Yul's expression changed.
It was almost too small to notice.
But Hwan Jae saw the way his shoulders relaxed, as though those simple words had eased a worry he had never spoken aloud.
"Thank you," Seo Yul said quietly.
Hwan Jae waved away the gratitude.
"Now, enough of this serious conversation. If we remain here much longer, I might start sounding wise."
"You already sound foolish."
Hwan Jae gasped.
Seo Yul laughed again.
And this time, he didn't immediately try to hide it.