“I told you, didn’t I? I think it was love at first sight.”

And without hesitation, Jihyuk lied exactly as Yeocheong wanted him to. His words stung and brought Yeocheong back to reality.

“If you find it hard to believe, it’s my lack of effort. I will try harder. Please, just give me the chance to try.”

If he had known nothing, he would have been happy at least for this moment. Yeocheong thought as he nodded.

***

Rumours began to spread throughout the palace that Jihyuk held his new wife in high esteem. With Jihyuk visiting Yeocheong every day, palace attendants and even visiting officials tried to curry favour with the new Crown Princess, eager to align themselves with the growing power of the palace.

But the person most affected, Yeocheong, didn’t welcome the attention and flattery. He’d never been particularly ambitious, and he knew that any power he had now was not of his own making.

“Your Highness, are you really all right?”

“What could be wrong?”

“Still… don’t you think it’s a shame?”

Not wanting to create unnecessary obligations, Yeocheong had returned most of the gifts he had received. Seon and Sowol, however, couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.

“The people who sent these gifts would prefer that you use them well instead of returning them, Your Highness…”

“You seem to have found something you like.”

Yeocheong smiled slightly as he noticed Seon’s pout. Seon, seemingly ready for this, began to speak eagerly.

“There are so many items that would look perfect on you, Your Highness. Look at this colour – it is definitely from the western continent, which is in fashion right now. I think it would suit you beautifully, don’t you?”

“And what about this red jade? It would look amazing with Your Highness’s pale skin, wouldn’t it?”

“And this one…”

As Seon continued to show each gift and explain why it shouldn’t be returned, he paused briefly to catch his breath. Sowol, who was watching quietly, didn’t show it directly, but her expression suggested that she regretted the decision as well.

A thought crossed Yeocheong’s mind as he watched the scene. Looking at the pile of items in front of him, he spoke up.

“If it bothers you so much, just pick out a few things that you really don’t want to send back.”

“What if there are too many things I want to keep?”

Seon and Sowol’s eyes brightened immediately. They eagerly started sorting through the pile again, examining each item carefully.

‘If I’m right…’

Yeocheong pretended not to notice and returned to the book he had been reading.

After a short while, the two presented some carefully selected items. Yeocheong nodded without looking at them and Seon mumbled to himself, regretting that he hadn’t chosen more, before rearranging the pile.

“It seems everyone wants to impress the Crown Princess.”

Seon said, his eyes sparkling. Having worked in the quarters of the 5th Empress and the 7th Prince since entering the palace, Seon was used to palace life.

Palace servants usually felt a strong sense of loyalty to their assigned masters. As they often bragged to each other about the gifts their masters received as status symbols, Seon must have felt a little inferior.

“Such valuable items are rarely seen even in the Imperial Palace, but now that it’s known how much His Royal Highness cherishes the Crown Princess, everyone is eager to offer their gifts.”

She was right. It had been ten days since the Crown Prince, who had taken over the royal duties as well as those of the Crown Princess in place of his ailing father, had taken the time to visit Yeocheong, even if only for a brief moment.

Jihyuk would stay for a short time, sometimes just an hour or so, but other times he would spend a whole morning talking to Yeocheong. Most of their conversations were trivial, but the content wasn’t important.

What really mattered was that the Crown Prince, who adored his Crown Princess, visited Yeocheong every day.

Jihyuk was the only Prince of Yeon. He had five younger siblings – three of whom were women, one an Omega and the other tragically killed in an accident.

As the sole heir to the throne, and with the king bedridden for a long time, Jihyuk was already effectively ruling Yeon, even though he had not yet formally ascended to the throne.

It was only natural that his only wife, the Crown Princess, should receive such unprecedented attention. It was expected that everyone around her would want to win her favour as well.

Furthermore, although Jihyuk did not currently have any concubines, it was likely that concubines would be brought to the palace once he ascended the throne. In order for a concubine to enter the palace, the approval of the Crown Princess was required.

Normally, this approval was a formality, but if the king favoured the queen, the situation could change. This had been the case with the current king and queen, where the king’s relationship with the queen had played a role in the dynamics of the palace.

‘The king had refused to accept any Omega concubines until he had two Alpha sons, and only then did he accept a few distant relatives as concubines of lower rank.’

Therefore, while not everyone who sent gifts could be sure of success, some may have hoped to curry favour with Yeocheong in anticipation of the future.

“However, there’s no need for these people to think that our Crown Princess will remember them just because they sent gifts. What’s the point?”

“What Seon says is true. I doubt that the people who sent these gifts believe that they can win the favour of our Crown Princess with such small gestures. They probably sent them in the hope that their names will be remembered.”

“Even if their intentions are obvious, doesn’t it still feel good, Your Highness?”

Seon couldn’t hide his disappointment, his face showing regret even though he had returned the gifts.

“Now that you’re receiving all these gifts, you’ll have to get used to it, Your Highness.”

“There is no need for such things. I won’t be taking them with me when I leave this world. What use do I have for all this excess?”

“Why do you say that? You have many years ahead of you. You’re going to have a beautiful baby and you’re going to see that child grow up, aren’t you?”

In the end, when the favour faded, these things would just be passed on to someone else. It wasn’t that Yeocheong minded the gifts, but he didn’t want to make it easy for others to benefit from them.

Most of the gifts were jewellery and cloth. With no one to impress, he saw little point in wearing them just for show.

“His Royal Highness will be visiting today, and you should show him what you’ve been given.”

“Do you really think these things are worth showing him?”

“Of course, His Royal Highness will love you no matter what, but wouldn’t he be even happier if you showed him something new?”

Seon looked at the items he had arranged to be returned and spoke. He probably thought he was offering a good reason not to return them, but in the end it had the opposite effect.

“If you keep them in sight, you’ll end up wanting them. It’s better to return them now, before any unnecessary gossip starts.”

“Oh, Your Highness.”

“Crown Princess, His Royal Highness has arrived.”

As Seon began to complain again, the announcement of Jihyuk’s arrival was heard from outside. Yeocheong took the opportunity to speak.

“The room is too messy to meet His Royal Highness here. I’ll meet him in another room, so use this time to tidy up.”

With that, Yeocheong got up and left the room. But his relief was short lived.

Jihyuk kept his promise. He had said that he would get Yeocheong used to physical contact, and every day he slowly increased their interactions.

It started on the first day with a simple touch – his hand lightly brushed against Yeocheong’s. The roughness of his calloused hand didn’t feel uncomfortable, probably because Jihyuk was so careful with his actions.

The next day, Jihyuk’s hand moved a little higher. It lightly brushed the protruding bone of his slender wrist, then moved up to the soft skin under his elbow. The sensation was so ticklish that Yeocheong had to fight the urge to pull his arm away, feeling both embarrassed and uncomfortable.

With each passing day, the contact grew stronger, and by yesterday, it had returned to the same embrace as before.

‘The warmth of a person’s body could be the most effective way to relieve anxiety.’

Jihyuk’s words were partly true, but also a little off. The warmth of a person’s body didn’t just relieve fear.

In the beginning, Yeocheong had flinched at the mere sight of him, but now he had gotten used to the physical contact.

Even though he told himself it was necessary, the situation still made him feel uncomfortable. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the contact with Jihyuk, but there was something else.

“Your Highness, good afternoon.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Whenever his skin touched Jihyuk’s and he felt the warmth, memories of happier times came back.

As Yeocheong got more and more used to the touch of his hand and the feeling of his heart pressed against his own, he couldn’t help but wonder what else he would get used to.

Every time he saw Jihyuk, the feeling of disgust grew stronger, and with it came the painful memory of a foolish, blissful time he could never return to. Yeocheong despised these memories.

Just thinking about them made him uncomfortable, but what made it worse was that those memories were tied to the only truly happy period of his life. It made him feel completely pathetic.