Chapter 10: Chapter 10: Whispers Behind Silk
The estate buzzed with whispers.
Servants exchanged glances. Noble guests lingered in hallways with fans half-raised to their lips, their words sharp and sugar-coated.
"She's bewitched him, I tell you."
"A foreign girl, alone in the Duke's wing?"
"Lady Hwa-Ryeong must be livid."
Yuna stepped out of her room and straight into the tension. Eyes followed her like shadows. Conversations halted when she passed. She kept her chin high—but her heart thudded with unease.
The kiss had changed everything.
Worse, Ji-Hwan hadn't spoken to her since. He'd walked away yesterday, and today… silence.
She turned a corner and froze.
There he was.
Leaning against a stone pillar, dressed in black, speaking to none other than Lady Hwa-Ryeong. She was laughing—delicate, practiced—and reaching to fix the collar of his shirt.
Yuna's chest tightened.
She turned on her heel, storming away before she could be seen. Her footsteps echoed louder than she wanted. Her thoughts louder still.
Of course. That's his world. I don't belong in it.
————
In the Duke's study, Ji-Hwan wasn't listening to a word Hwa-Ryeong was saying.
"…and I do think I'd be a better hostess for the next Ball," she went on, voice silky.
He didn't respond.
He was thinking about Yuna. Her hesitation. The way she stepped back yesterday when he offered her more. Was she afraid? Or… was her heart somewhere else?
With him?
The thought made him clench his jaw.
"Are you even listening?" Hwa-Ryeong snapped, breaking character for the first time.
"No," Ji-Hwan said bluntly. "And I suggest you stop trying to provoke her."
Hwa-Ryeong's smile vanished.
"So it's true then. You've fallen for her. A girl who doesn't even know which fork to use."
Ji-Hwan's eyes turned to ice. "Be very careful what you say next."
————-
Yuna sat in the garden, fingers tangled in her lap, when someone approached.
Not Ji-Hwan.
Not Hwa-Ryeong.
The Crown Prince.
"I heard you've been hiding," he said gently.
"I wasn't aware I was required to entertain royalty every morning," she replied dryly.
He smiled. "You intrigue me more than any royal debutante ever has. And believe me, I've met them all."
Yuna turned to him. "Why?"
"Because you look like you don't want to be saved—but you still hope someone will try."
Her lips parted. The words hit too close.
Then he said, "Come with me. Just for a walk. No eyes. No rules."
Meanwhile, Ji-Hwan stood at his window, watching them disappear through the far gate.
A walk?
His hand curled into a fist.
————
The forest path was quiet, scattered with soft petals and filtered sunlight. The Crown Prince didn't press her with questions. He simply walked beside her like they'd done this a thousand times.
Yuna sighed. "Why are you being so kind to me?"
"Because I like seeing him unsettled."
She blinked. "Ji-Hwan?"
"He's never looked at anyone like he looks at you. And that makes me wonder—what makes you so different?"
"I'm just… me."
"Exactly," he said.
They stopped at a clearing. A moment hung in the air—gentle, quiet.
And then—
"Yuna!"
Ji-Hwan's voice broke the silence like thunder.
She turned, startled.
He strode toward them, his expression a storm barely held together.
"Your Highness," he said coldly, "I believe your schedule must be quite full."
The Crown Prince smirked. "I always make time for interesting company."
Ji-Hwan didn't respond. His gaze went straight to Yuna. "Come with me."
She hesitated.
"She's not property," the Prince said, tone tightening.
Ji-Hwan ignored him and walked past—stopping only when he stood in front of her.
His voice dropped.
"I'm tired of watching you slip away from me."
She didn't move.
So he did it again—the classic, devastating move.
He grabbed her wrist.
Pulled her in.
"Let me be the one," he whispered, "that makes your heart race."
Her lips parted.
But before she could answer—he was already gone, dragging her gently but firmly back toward the estate, leaving the Crown Prince behind in silence.
End of Chapter 10
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