Yeocheong was startled and looked up at the person who had lifted him. Although the surroundings were dark, it was no problem to make out the face. The owner of the familiar voice was none other than Seok Jeong Han.

Realizing that Yeocheong’s clothes were soaked through, Seok Jeong Han quickly removed his outer garment and draped it over Yeocheong while supporting him with one arm.

“There is a pavilion nearby where we can shelter from the rain. Let’s head there for now.”

With that, Seok Jeong Han, without hesitation, began walking while holding Yeocheong. Yeocheong, almost instinctively, grasped onto Seok Jeong Han’s clothes and looked around once more.

‘This garden… it feels strangely familiar. Was it Jangnakwon?’

As he walked without paying attention to his surroundings, Yeocheong finally realized where he was.

It was the garden Seok Jeong Han often visited, the same one where Yeocheong had occasionally wandered under the guise of an accidental meeting, though, except for the first day, he had never actually encountered Seok Jeong Han there.

“Please wait for a moment. I’ll start a fire to warm you up and then return with a raincoat and umbrella.”

“When did you start watching?”

Yeocheong asked in a slightly hoarse voice. There was no way it was a coincidence that the rain started just as he entered Jangnakwon. When had Seok Jeong Han been there? At Yeocheong’s question, Jeong Han looked troubled. As expected, it seemed he had been watching for quite some time.

“I apologize. I came out because I sensed movement. I’ll pretend I didn’t see anything…”

“From your perspective, it must have seemed pitiful.”

Yeocheong said with a small laugh. Jangnakwon was Jeong Han’s favorite place in the palace. He had heard that, as children, the late king’s grandchildren used to play there.

Perhaps because of the fond memories he had, Jeong Han seemed noticeably at ease in Jangnakwon. Yeocheong had tried to visit this place several times, wanting to make it a sort of insurance, but never encountered him. Yet, after walking aimlessly to an empty spot, he found himself there meeting Jeong Han.

“I don’t do anything properly, and all I can do is cry. I feel pathetic enough as it is, but I wonder how foolish I must look to others.”

It was almost laughable. It seemed that no matter what he did, he couldn’t change the way things were.

“How could I ever think of the Crown Princess in such a way? I merely assumed you wanted some time alone and had come out without any attendants.”

Jeong Han, flustered, lowered his head as he spoke. Yeocheong noticed the water droplets falling from Jeong Han’s damp hair, soaked through from holding him in the rain.

“I’ll believe that for today. But there must have been other times, right?”

“…!”

“Heh. I was just throwing it out there… but it seems I was right.”

As far as Yeocheong knew, Jeong Han visited Jangnakwon quite often. However, since their first meeting, Yeocheong had never once encountered him there.

It could have been a coincidence, but it made more sense to think that, just like earlier when he had been hiding, Jeong Han had been avoiding him all along.

“There are many in the palace who enjoy spreading unnecessary rumors, so I thought it would be better if I took more precautions. I apologize if I made you uncomfortable.”

“No, you’re right. It’s true I haven’t even been married for a month, so I should have been more careful with my actions. It was my mistake.”

Yeocheong couldn’t help but tear himself down again.

‘Song Yeocheong, you really can’t do anything right.’

Even the relationship he had viewed as a kind of insurance hadn’t progressed; it had only slipped further away. In the end, he realized that he had accomplished nothing in the palace.

“…”

Thinking like that, the sadness returned again. Tears welled up in Yeocheong’s eyes once more. He knew it made him look pitiful, but it only made him feel worse, thinking about it. He tried to swallow the tears, but it was impossible.

He lowered his head to hide it, but whether Jeong Han saw the falling tears as his or as rain, he couldn’t say.

‘I’ve already shown the ugly side of myself, so it doesn’t matter how he sees it… does it?’

“I seem to keep causing trouble for you, Seok Jeong Han. Please don’t worry about it. I think I’ve become a bit on edge.”

“Crown Princess.”

“I know you haven’t done anything wrong. It’s just… my own fault, so please don’t concern yourself. If you bring the umbrella, I’ll head back immediately.”

Yes, expecting insurance like this was an unreasonable hope. Yeocheong thought to himself, forcing a bitter smile.

However, contrary to what Yeocheong expected, Jeong Han didn’t leave right away. He stood there, as if frozen in place. After a brief hesitation, he asked Yeocheong.

“…Are you missing your mother?”

“…!”

Had he heard Yeocheong mention her? Yeocheong flinched, startled, his shoulders trembling slightly. It was a relief that he hadn’t let anything else slip from his lips.

“When we leave our hometowns, the one we miss the most is usually our mother, isn’t it? With your mother in Song, it must be hard to meet her again…”

Yeocheong forced a smile, relieved that his excuse wasn’t entirely nonsensical.

“I’ve heard that His Royal Highness treats you with great care, Crown Princess. As for the Crown Prince…”

“He cherishes me beyond measure. It is just my own shortcomings.”

To others, it would seem like the Crown Princess, who was favored by the soon-to-be reigning Crown Prince, was simply acting childish and throwing a tantrum by being out here alone, wallowing in self-pity.

Yeocheong, starting to shiver from the cold, tucked his body under his outer garment as he spoke.

“I feel a bit ashamed to be complaining when I have so much. Please, don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine soon.”

“Your Highness, your troubles aren’t because you’re lacking, nor are they mere complaints.”

The response was unexpected from someone who Yeocheong thought would just ignore him. Assuming it was just a superficial remark, Yeocheong didn’t answer, instead offering a small, quiet laugh.

“If there’s something you wish to talk about, please don’t keep it to yourself.”

Jeong Han’s eyes were different this time. His face, which had been filled with uncertainty earlier, now held a trace of concern.

“…The pond at Jangnakwon is beautifully landscaped. Just watching it for a while should help soothe your mind.”

“…”

“Also, even if the grass and trees could hear a person’s troubles, how could they ever pass those stories on to anyone?”

Jeong Han spoke with a face Yeocheong knew all too well. It was likely sympathy, again. A person crying in the rain while calling for their mother would surely appear pitiful, even to themselves.

“…Is that so? Thank you for telling me.”

But what if it was sympathy? Yeocheong was in a position where he needed to hold onto anyone’s hand, and he wasn’t foolish enough to reject a hand offered in an unexpected moment of opportunity.

“I apologize for showing such a sight. It’s a bit embarrassing to show my ugly side, but… after speaking about it in front of the grass and trees, I do feel a little more at ease.”

Yeocheong said this with a smile. After shedding so many tears and having his emotions pushed to the brink, his tense heart slowly began to calm, and as the tension eased, his body, which had been trembling faintly, started to completely crumble.

“Your Highness, are you alright?”

By now, the rain had grown heavier. Although Yeocheong could escape the rain under the pavilion, the cold air was unavoidable, and his body began to shake like a leaf in the wind.

“I’ll go get an umbrella and a coat right away. Please wait here for a moment.”

Jeong Han quickly buttoned up his outer garment and rushed out to fetch the umbrella. Left alone in the pavilion, Yeocheong let out a sound that could almost be mistaken for a laugh.

“…I wanted to give up. I never imagined I’d find sympathy from the General in a place like this.”

In the moment when he had wanted to give up everything, an unexpected opportunity appeared, and it made Yeocheong refocus. Yes, for now, he was powerless and pathetic, but as long as he was alive, an opportunity would surely come.

‘Surely, there will be days with unexpected rewards, like today. So… I must not let myself grow weak.’

Yeocheong was already in the midst of an irreversible fate, with no path to turn back. Just as he had grown accustomed to holding hands with Jihyuk and meeting his gaze, there would come a time when he would also grow accustomed to this gnawing pain that consumed him.

Whether his small connection with Jeong Han would prove useful at a crucial moment or turn out to be meaningless, he still didn’t know. But just the thought that he had taken even a small step forward made him feel that his gloomy mood had lifted, if only a little.

“Even if it’s something small, any method will do…”

He prayed earnestly, hoping that somehow, some way, his desires would be fulfilled. He closed his eyes, and the short midnight walk came to an end.