The next day....
Yihwa was a disaster.
In etiquette lessons, he spilled tea across the pristine white tablecloth. During dance instruction, he tripped over his own feet—twice. Music became a noise pollution of wrong notes as his fingers stumbled across the keys. The entire day passed in a haze of distraction.
The cause? Three simple words that had shattered his understanding of the world: "I like men."
How can a man like another man? Yihwa wondered, walking straight into a marble pillar. Is such a thing even possible?
"Your Highness, you've been distracted all day," a concerned maid approached. "May I have the honor of hearing what troubles you?"
Yihwa stared at her blankly. Should I ask her? But how could she possibly know? She's a woman.
Before he could respond, a piercing scream echoed from the servants' quarters.
"Kyaaaaa!"
"The audacity to scream in the princess's presence!" The maid beside Yihwa bristled. "Your Highness, I'll ensure they're properly punished—"
"No." Yihwa's voice was firm. "We need to check first. What if there are intruders?"
"Your Highness, if that's the case, please allow us lowly servants to handle it. There's no need for you to visit the humble servants' wing."
Something in the maid's tone made Yihwa's eyes narrow. "Why? You're all my responsibility. I will take a look."
He brushed past the protesting maid and found a cluster of servants surrounding one girl who clutched a book to her chest like a shield.
"What's happening here?"
The maids fell silent, dropping into deep bows. The girl with the book attempted to hide it behind her back.
"Why are you hiding that? What's in the book?"
Nervous sweat beaded on every face. No one spoke.
"If you won't hand it over, I'll consider this as treason."
The maid dropped to her knees, forehead touching the floor. "Your Highness, this is merely a common novel that we lowly servants read for entertainment. Please don't abandon us!"
The others echoed her plea, but Yihwa remained unmoved.
"If it's just a novel, then there's no reason to hide it. Give it to me."
After whispered consultation, one maid tremblingly placed the book in Yihwa's outstretched hands.
"'The Dragon and His Prince'?" Yihwa read the title aloud, then blinked in confusion. "HIS prince? What kind of grammatical error could be in the title..." He sighed, shaking her head. "The quality of this literature is clearly questionable."
He moved to return the book, and every maid released a held breath—until one unfortunate soul spoke without thinking.
"But there's no mistake, though."
The others quickly covered her mouth, forcing nervous smiles. "She's confused, Your Highness! There's definitely an error on the cover. Please forgive her!"
Yihwa took a deep breath. "Obviously. It should be 'Her' or 'Princess.' You should read from the imperial library instead of wasting time on such low-quality literature. I'll arrange library passes for all of you."
She turned to leave, but the same loose-tongued maid struck again.
"Why should it be 'her' when they're both men?"
Every other servant slapped their foreheads in despair.
Yihwa froze. "What?"
Sweat began pouring down faces as he snatched the book back, opening to the first page. Within moments, his face went white as parchment.
"Preposterous!"
The book hit the floor as Yihwa fled, leaving a wake of panicked servants behind.
....
Bam was searching for Yihwa for their daily healing session when he crashed into him at full speed. His cheeks were flushed crimson, tears threatening to spill from his wide eyes.
"Your Highness?" Bam steadied him automatically. "What's wrong?"
He glared at him with an expression caught between mortification and accusation. "You! This is all because of you!"
Before Bam could respond, Yihwa was gone, the sound of his chamber doors slamming echoing through the corridor.
Bam stood alone in the hallway, utterly bewildered. "Me?" He tilted his head, scratching his hair. "What did I do?"
That night, sleep eluded Princess Yihwa entirely.
....
Under cover of darkness, Mia materialized from the shadows to give her report.
"The distribution proceeds smoothly, my lord. Several nobles have already become... interested customers."
"Excellent." Bam nodded, then his expression grew thoughtful. "Mia, I need you to investigate something else."
"Of course, my lord."
"Look into the previous empress's faction—find out if any nobles from that time are still alive. Someone might reveal useful information after exposure to our compound. Gather everything you can about the current princess."
Mia's scarred face showed confusion. "I'll do as you command, but may I ask why?"
Bam considered his words carefully. "The princess... appears to be a man."
Shock flickered across Mia's features.
"If we dig deeper and uncover the truth behind this deception," Bam continued, "I suspect we won't need to wait long for our revenge."
Determination blazed in Mia's eyes as she bowed. "Understood, my lord."
....
The next morning brought an unusual development. As the maids cleaned Yihwa's chambers, he discreetly whispered to the loose-tongued servant from the previous day.
"That book..." Yihwa whispered, his cheeks already turning pink. "Where did you get it?"
The maid's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Should I bring it for you, Your Highness?"
"Can you?" The response came so quickly that both were momentarily stunned.
The maid chuckled. "Leave it to me."
During that day's healing session, Bam noticed Yihwa's unusual stiffness—as if anticipating something. What has him so agitated?
When the same maid appeared again, moving with obvious stealth, Yihwa startled visibly.
"You... you may go now," he stuttered, practically shoving Bam toward the door.
Suspicious but compliant, Bam left, noting how quickly the maid followed. What are they plotting? I thought the prince might be having a secret affair, but the woman left immediately...
Curiosity overtook caution. He circled back to peer through the window.
Inside, Yihwa sat hunched over a book, practically burying his face in the pages as if terrified someone might glimpse his expression.
Bam almost laughed but caught himself, backing away from the window. Must be some forbidden literature. He's a young man, after all.
What Bam couldn't know was that his desperate confession from the night before had awakened an entirely new curiosity within Yihwa—one that would complicate his carefully laid plans in ways he never could have imagined.
To be continued...