"You are not the real Jinho."
"What nonsense are you spouting to this degree? It seems I am not him."
Of course, he wouldn't admit it—she had caught him—but he wondered what had prompted her sudden, unusual question.
Jinho pondered inwardly about her intentions; the question was absurd, yet somehow somewhat true.
"I like your sense of humor. But if I'm not myself, then who would I be?"
He said it without lifting his gaze from her, as if trying to prove his point.
She tilted her head into a crooked smile and crossed her arms.
"But you've never spoken to any of us, never apologized, never even noticed me."
A sarcastic laugh escaped his lips, and he replied with indifference.
"I wanted to change… is that a problem?"
She responded as she rose from the chair.
"No one changes overnight."
He too stood, stepping closer to her, lowering himself to her level, his silent gaze fixed on her.
Yet he could read the tension written in her wide eyes.
She recoiled, her face twisted in disgust.
"Don't come this close again."
He placed his right hand on his waist, raising the other and pointing a finger.
"Hard to believe, isn't it? I don't intend to prove anything to you, but I'd appreciate it if you never bring up this ridiculous topic again."
A sarcastic laugh slipped from her lips as she entered the banquet hall without looking back at Jinho.
He exhaled deeply, the tension and fear filling his chest.
Then he picked up the broom and cleaning supplies and headed to where the dinner was set.
The knights teetered between consciousness and collapse, resembling dangling chains from the ceiling, clashing with each other, producing strange sounds.
They struggled to rise, faces flushed from excessive drinking. Only the knights and the prince remained seated, appearing aimless.
Jinho stepped forward, speaking softly,
"Can you get up, yes… commander?"
The knight commander looked at him, eyes wide like small puppies that could be hurt if touched.
Damn… he's too gentle to be the commander of the imperial knights.
Commander Sungjin, rarely mentioned in the story, had a quiet presence, yet thoughts that silenced questions.
He was the first knight to graduate from the fencing academy at fifteen, after entering at ten—five years of rigorous training.
The thought of him was frightening without seeing his side.
Just… a puppy with sparkling purple eyes.
The prince's maid approached, trying to wake him without touching him.
He told her he was fine and would go up to his room.
Rising, he looked at Jinho with an expression the latter couldn't understand, yet he said,
"Ah, Jinho, take care of your wrist. Have a good night."
He ended his sentence, swaying backward like a nightingale at the end of its song, ascending the stairs, the maid still behind him.
She was either loyal… or foolish.
Touching the royal family could be akin to committing a crime.
Jinho muttered almost audibly.
The other, placing a hand on his cheek, gazed drowsily at him:
"Who threw a knife at yesterday… that's strange."
He lowered his gaze, trying to grasp the weight of his mistake, and said jokingly,
"It was an unexpected moment of agitation… I apologize."
Jinho bowed, apologizing, but Sungjin prevented him.
He nearly toppled off his chair trying to stop him from bowing further.
Jinho placed his hand on the other's shoulder, attempting to steady him.
"Take it easy. You drank too much. Do you need help?"
The other pushed Jinho's hand away, rising lazily.
"No, I'm capable of reaching my room on my own."
Jinho laughed suddenly at the thought of it being a "task."
But Sungjin shot him questioning glances, making him fall silent, and said seriously,
"I'll help you. Where is your room, Commander?"
"It's on the other side of the palace. I suspect you want to help me only to stab me later… but I'll trust you for now."
Jinho gave his crooked smile, hinting he was holding back a laugh, and nodded in agreement.
He took the other's arm, placed it around his neck, wrapped his other arm around his waist, and began walking with him.
In complete silence.
The faint movements of a small cat in the garden could be heard.
The palace garden was unusually beautiful.
Perhaps because he hadn't taken the time to notice it when he first entered with the other servants.
It was vast, filled with carefully trimmed trees kept short, and some orchards with flowers he had never seen, one large white bloom with a fragrant scent that reached his nose.
The scent settled into his chest, making him feel the beauty and delicacy of the place he lived in.
There were water ponds on both the right and left sides,
and the left reflected the crescent moon, centered in the sky.
The air was cold enough to sting his face,
but he liked it.
Sungjin watched him observe the place as if seeing it for the first time, while suppressing his own random thoughts.
They entered the second part of the palace, entirely different in design.
Its walls were covered with paintings of knights and wooden swords,
the walls a velvety red, with some depicting the royal emblem in silver—
similar to the emblem on the Commander's uniform.
He remarked, as if discovering something new, with a mixture of innocence and curiosity Sungjin had never seen in him:
"You're not Jinho, are you?"
He laughed bitterly at himself—how could he be discovered by two people in one night?
They arrived at a large door in front of him; he realized it was the Commander's room and stepped back.
"I think we've reached our destination. Have a good night, and thank you for defending me today."
He bowed, intending to leave without more interaction.
He had tasks to complete—unfinished work would turn into a disaster by morning.
"Take care of yourself," Sungjin said, without looking back, closing the door behind him.
Meanwhile, Jinho's gaze lingered on the palace's details, arousing suspicion.
It was night, yet instead of resting, he resolved to work.
Was this a curse from one of his friends in the real world?
He couldn't deny hating this place,
but he also couldn't deny that he would be happy if he planned to protect himself and lived his life.
If he maintained relationships with the maid and Sungjin, he might avoid his fate.
Then he would work as a servant and rebuild healthy relationships with everyone,
living in a way that would please the prince.
If the prince became heir, he would try to reconcile, restoring Jinho's noble status,
and live comfortably until he could exit this book.
He reached the other side of the palace, still lost in thought.
Not every wind blows from the direction you expect.
But could contemplation and hope solve some of his problems?
He stood before the main entrance, admiring its exterior.
A yellow-and-white palace, flags of the kingdom flying high,
a wide courtyard,
a garden of flowers in perfect color coordination.
All trees equal in height,
their leaves luminous, and the crescent moon like a smile.
Everything exactly as he had imagined.
He grabbed the door handle to enter and found the maid inside, muttering,
and she must have been cursing him.
He didn't understand why she would express such frustration to the head servant.
She threw a cleaning towel at him and said in a low voice, loud enough for him to hear:
"Where were you, damn it, all this time while I was cleaning behind your mess?"