"I was thinking…"
I didn't ask her to do any of this. It was kind of her, but… isn't hitting someone supposed to mean the opposite of caring?
Either way, I should avoid trouble with her family for now.
He frowned at her and sat up, trying to gain a bit of sympathy.
But she threw the pillow at him and walked to the chair beside the bed.
She crossed her legs, watching him press the pillow to his chest with a barely-hidden annoyance.
"Did that bother you?"
She smirked, making his irritation spike—
yet he breathed slowly and stayed silent.
But the way his fingers tightened around the pillow said everything.
"My lady… may I know what I did to anger you?"
His tone was serious as he started to stand.
But she snapped:
"Who toldك to stand? Sit. Exactly as you were."
He sat cross-legged again, enduring her sudden childishness.
"No. Sit exactly like before."
"That position hurts my legs," he muttered.
"I don't care. You should feel what I felt! I sat like that for three whole hours practicing how to take punishment for you."
Her loyalty—despite meeting him today—was something he'd have to keep in mind.
But he never asked her to be kind to him…
or to think about him.
I solve my problems alone,
he thought, staring at the arrogance in her eyes.
He adjusted himself as she demanded—almost bowing.
Tsk… unbelievable, he thought.
He glared, but instead of looking angry, he somehow looked… cute.
"I promised that knight I wouldn't hurt you," she said, exhaling tiredly and pressing her fingers to her forehead.
"You may stand now."
"Finally. You came back to your senses," he said, standing and sitting on the edge of the bed.
He looked at her calmly.
"I understand that you're worried about me, and I appreciate it.
But… may I ask why? You don't even know me."
She smiled softly.
"And why did you defend me, even knowing the consequences?"
He fell silent.
Why did he defend her?
He had changed this world's path with his own hands.
He couldn't bear to watch injustice again—not after everything he lived before entering this book.
Not again.
"Answer me," she urged, eyebrows raised, smiling lightly.
"I couldn't watch you be wronged," he said at last.
"Not when I was right there… and knew you weren't the one at fault."
She stood and headed to the door.
"Rafaël taught you well," she laughed softly.
It was obvious.
She left satisfied—knowing he was okay, and knowing she had gotten enough reactions out of him to calm her own worries.
He changes things…
Being around him gives me new feelings, new moments.
He's… something different.
She smiled faintly as she walked.
—
When she met Seongjin, carrying a tray of food, she instantly knew who it was for.
"Oh, my lady—did you finish speaking with him?"
She nodded, unable to hide her smile.
"Good night… Jin," she chirped, shortening his name after one day of knowing him.
"Tsk… a social butterfly," he muttered jokingly as she walked off.
He climbed the stairs carefully.
"Okay, now I understand why servants always complain.
Walking with a tray is torture."
He almost tripped, catching the tray at the last second.
Eventually, he reached his room.
He found Jin-ho lying on his stomach, face buried in the pillow.
"You lazy thing. Rora made lunch for you."
Jin-ho sat up slowly, eyeing the plate suspiciously.
"You're still alive… how did she cook it? She must hate me."
"It was made with love," Seongjin teased.
Jin-ho snorted.
"You're learning sarcasm. Impressive."
Seongjin peeled an orange and asked:
"So… what did Mariana want?"
"You love shortening names behind their backs," Jin-ho muttered.
"Answer?"
"Relax. She thought they were actually going to kick me out."
"What kind of spell did you cast on everyone?" Seongjin asked.
Jin-ho shrugged.
"Probably the same one I cast on you."
And Seongjin couldn't deny it—
There was something about him.
A presence that made people naturally drawn to him.
> It was undeniable—
there was a calm aura around him, one that eased everyone's heart, despite the sharpness of his features.
He chose silence, simply watching him eat without another word.
After a while, Jin-ho rose from the other's bed, carrying the tray in his hands, and smiled softly.
"I'll go down now. Thank you… for what you did today."
Seong-jin didn't see that smile as a simple one—
it looked like a farewell.
His lips curved faintly as he watched him leave.
He won't disappear again.
No need to make a big deal out of it… He'll return to the servants' quarters.
He lay back on his bed,
and a memory crept quietly into his mind—
like an old film, playing in flashes before his eyes, from a place he couldn't name.
…
"Jin-ho, didn't Aurora tell you not to ride the horse? You'll get hurt."
The small boy stood near the horses, in a wide open field meant for noble children to play.
"It'll be quick, before she comes back,"
he said, trying to lift himself onto the saddle.
"I don't feel good about this. I'll call an adult."
Seong-jin hurried off, and just as he did, Raphael entered the field, puzzled by his sudden rush.
"Hey, Jin-ho!"
The young prince greeted him cheerfully, and the boy smiled back.
"Your Highness, look! I did it—I can ride him!"
Raphael chuckled.
"You look like a tiny bug on its back. Get down, come ride with me instead."
Jin-ho frowned stubbornly.
"No. If I want to be a knight like Jin, I have to do it myself."
Aurora rushed in, panic all over her face.
"Get off, you idiot!"
"Let him try," Raphael said lightly. "We're here."
Aurora scoffed.
"Says the one who fell off yesterday."
"Shhh!"
He put his finger to his lips, eyes closed, as if asking her to cover for him.
She rolled her eyes, a curved smile tugging at her lips.
They both kept cheering Jin-ho on, laughter mixing with the soft wind—
until Seong-jin returned, a guard following behind.
Then suddenly—
the horse reared up.
It bolted, Jin-ho's small frame jerking wildly with every stride.
No matter how tightly he gripped the reins, he began to slip.
Chaos filled the air—Aurora's scream, Raphael's orders, the guard's attempt to calm the horse—
but nothing worked.
The horse stood on its hind legs.
And Jin-ho fell.
Aurora ran to him, trembling so hard her knees nearly gave out.
Everyone gathered around.
"Are you alright?"
He looked up at his sister, tears welling, then spilling silently.
The pain was unbearable for an eight-year-old boy.
He cried quietly, unlike the sharp ache burning through his back and arms.
His sister lifted him carefully; he buried his face against her neck, unwilling to let anyone see him cry.
"With me—quickly, to the royal physician," Raphael said in alarm.
She didn't argue. The palace was closest.
Seong-jin dropped to his knees, mind spinning.
How could I leave him alone?
He should have waited. He should have made sure.
That failure—his own carelessness—
became the reason he would later cling so tightly to rules and order.
That day ended with Jin-ho's wrist broken,
and the doctor ordering him to rest at home for two months.
It hurt Seong-jin more than anything else.
Raphael and Aurora were scolded too, for letting him play on a horse too tall for him.
It was one of Seong-jin's worst memories with Jin-ho.
Jin-ho never hated horses after that…
but he gave up the dream of becoming a knight beside him.
We were supposed to be knights together—
not master and fallen noble.
At least… he didn't die.
And for that, I'm grateful.
He sank into sleep.
———
Meanwhile, Jin-ho reached the servants' wing
and saw Rora just about to enter her room.
"Sorry for making you work alone."
She looked at him, incredulous, then mimicked his tone teasingly.
He had missed her ridiculousness.
She shrugged, pretending not to care.
"Just go in. I didn't do much anyway. We'll be busy enough tomorrow."
She shut the door in his face.
He smiled sideways and went into his own room.
———
Morning came—
the sun shy behind soft clouds,
a vast forest stretching before them.
Everyone stood gathered, waiting for the hunt to begin.