Morning came quietly.
Not all at once.
The sunlight slipped carefully through the broken spaces in the old manor walls, soft golden beams stretching across the floor like hesitant fingers. Dust drifted lazily through the air, glowing beneath the warmth of dawn.
Bella stirred faintly beneath the heavy robe wrapped around her body.
For a moment, she did not fully wake.
She only shifted slightly against the warmth surrounding her, her mind still floating somewhere between sleep and memory.
Then she felt it.
A hand.
Slow.
Careful.
Gentle fingertips brushing lightly against her shoulder.
Bella's breathing softened instinctively.
Ji-ho.
His robe had been pulled securely around both of them sometime during the night, shielding them from the cold stone air of the manor. Beneath it, their bodies remained tangled together skin against skin, warmth still lingering between them like the night had never truly ended.
Ji-ho had not slept much.
Not because he regretted anything.
Quite the opposite.
He simply could not stop looking at her.
Bella rested quietly against his chest now, one arm tucked loosely between them while strands of dark hair spilled across his shoulder and the fabric beneath her.
Ji-ho's gaze moved over her face slowly.
Almost reverently.
Like he was still trying to understand how she existed.
His fingertips brushed gently along her arm first.
Then higher.
Tracing the curve of her shoulder with unbearable care.
Bella shifted slightly in her sleep at the touch, and Ji-ho immediately stilled, worried he had disturbed her.
But when she settled again, he relaxed quietly.
His hand moved upward once more.
To her collarbone.
Her throat.
Then finally her face.
He touched her like someone afraid roughness might shatter her.
His thumb brushed softly against her cheek first, lingering there for a moment longer than necessary before tracing beneath her eye carefully, admiring every feature in silence.
The faint curve of her nose.
The warmth in her skin.
The softness beneath his fingertips.
Ji-ho swallowed quietly.
His gaze lowered slowly toward her lips.
And stopped there.
Something vulnerable crossed his expression then.
Something almost helpless.
Because after last night, he knew exactly how they felt against his and how they tasted.
Warm.
Sweet.
Breathless.
Perfect.
His thumb brushed gently against her lower lip.
Bella stirred again.
This time her lashes fluttered faintly beneath the morning light.
Ji-ho froze instantly.
For a second, Bella only blinked slowly, still caught in the haze of sleep as sunlight spilled softly across her face. The world around her remained blurred and warm.
Then gradually, she became aware of him.
The warmth beneath her cheek.
The arm around her waist.
The hand still resting carefully against her face.
Her eyes lifted slightly.
And found Ji-ho already looking at her.
Wide awake.
Watching her quietly like he had been for a very long time.
The realization sent sudden heat rushing into Bella's face.
Ji-ho looked away almost immediately.
As if he had been caught doing something unbearably embarrassing.
"…Good morning," he murmured softly.
Bella blinked once more before answering, her voice still rough with sleep.
"Morning."
Silence followed instantly after that.
Not uncomfortable. Just shy. Tender.
Bella suddenly became very aware of everything at once.
The robe barely covering them.
The warmth of his bare skin against hers.
His heartbeat beneath her cheek.
Not the heavy kind anymore.
Now it was fragile.
Awake.
Ji-ho blinked once, as if remembering where he was. His arm, which had been around Bella's waist, shifted slightly before hesitating, like his body didn't quite want to let go yet, even if his mind had already caught up.
Bella noticed the hesitation.
And immediately became aware of her own breathing.
Too close.
Too warm.
Too exposed.
She moved first.
Carefully.
Slowly sitting up, she instinctively pulled the robe toward herself, only to realize Ji-ho was doing the exact same thing at the same time.
He had already turned slightly away.
One hand gripping the fabric he had gathered around himself, pulling it up with quiet urgency, as if only now remembering he had to be decent.
Bella looked away immediately, suddenly very interested in anything except him.
The air between them changed instantly.
Not cold.
Just… aware.
Ji-ho cleared his throat softly, still not facing her fully, his movements stiff as he tried to settle the robe properly around his shoulders and waist. Every small adjustment felt deliberate, like he was rebuilding dignity piece by piece.
Bella reached for her own clothes on the floor, fingers moving a little too quickly as she gathered them against her chest.
Neither of them spoke.
Not because there was nothing to say.
Because neither of them could decide what was safe to say.
Behind her, Ji-ho shifted again, this time more controlled, making sure everything was properly covered before finally sitting upright.
Still not looking at her.
Still very aware that she was there.
Ji-ho coughed softly into his hand, eyes fixed firmly on a point somewhere beyond her shoulder, or perhaps beyond the entire room itself.
"I will… turn away," he said quietly.
Bella paused.
Then nodded once, still not looking at him.
"Good idea," she muttered.
He turned.
Immediately.
A fraction too fast.
Bella almost smiled at that, but stopped herself before it could fully form.
Behind her, Ji-ho remained facing away.
Perfectly still.
Except for the faint tension in his shoulders.
Bella hesitated.
Then, without turning fully, said:
"You can look now."
A pause.
Ji-ho didn't respond immediately.
When he did, his voice was quieter than before.
"…Are you certain?"
That question alone made something in Bella's chest tighten slightly.
"Yes," she said softly. "I'm decent."
Another pause.
Then slowly and carefully Ji-ho turned back.
Not fully at first.
Just enough to confirm.
Their eyes met for a split second.
Fragments of the night flashed violently through both of them at once.
How gentle Ji-ho began to kiss every part of Bella's body she had pointed to. How sweet her nipples were the moment he tasted them and how he caressed them until Bella moaned into his ears.
Desire had taken a hold on them now.
She grabbed his face and kissed him before whispering to him, "Stick out you tongue."
He obeyed her.
She laid down, wrapped her legs over his waist, drawing him closer to her.
"You want to learn how to please me rightly?" She asked him in the heat of it all.
He nodded instantly, hungry for more.
She saw the hunger in his eyes and how eager he awaited het next instruction.
She unwrapped her legs from his waist and brought it around is neck, which brought him face-to-face with her lotus flowers.
"Eat it like you would a Yakgwa."
He paused for a minute, confused on what she meant.
Bella so his confused gaze and directed on what she meant.
He was bad at it at first but with more directions from Bella he got the hang of it.
Bella couldn't stop moaning and he enjoyed that he was the reason for her pleasure.
Bella was now on the verge on climax when she pulled him away from her and told him to insert himself in her opening.
She told him to thrust back and forth in a circular motion slow and pick up the pace gradually.
He did as she instructed him. Moving and sinking in the rhythm of pleasure.
She taught him everything that night about how to please a woman, even the things he never read about in the books.
The way her hands tangled in his hair during the heat of the moment I woke something primal in him and how his voice broke out softly against her throat.
The way the moonlight shined on her bare skin. The way her body moved with every thrust. The way her curls bounce on her skin and the way she moaned his name was something he'd never forget.
Breathless laughter between kisses.
The way he looked at her that night, and even now, felt like devotion itself.
Heat rushed across Bella's entire face instantly.
Ji-ho looked equally destroyed by the memories.
He cleared his throat once.
Then immediately failed to recover from the awkwardness afterward which made him unable to look at Bella.
Bella let out the smallest embarrassed laugh beneath her breath.
Ji-ho's ears turned visibly red.
Which only made her laugh harder.
Bella's laughter faded slowly, not because it wasn't real anymore, but because the silence that followed it began to feel heavier than the sound itself.
Ji-ho still wasn't looking at her.
Not properly.
His ears were still faintly red, his expression caught somewhere between composure and something far more unguarded. He cleared his throat once, like that alone could reset the entire atmosphere.
It didn't.
Bella shifted slightly, suddenly aware again of everything, the robe, the closeness, the warmth that still lingered like a memory that hadn't decided to leave yet.
Outside the broken manor walls, morning had fully arrived now.
The light was brighter.
Less forgiving.
Ji-ho finally exhaled, steadying himself as he adjusted the outer layers of his robe around them more properly. The movement was careful, almost habitual, like he was trying to rebuild the version of himself that belonged to the world outside this place.
"…We should go," he said quietly.
Bella looked at him.
Not surprised.
Just… aware.
A small pause hung between them before she nodded.
"Yeah," she said softly. "We should, but we must close eyes on our surroundings. They might still be out there."
Ji-ho nodded in agreement.
But neither of them moved immediately.
It was as if something unspoken was still sitting between them, refusing to dissolve fully into daylight.
Ji-ho's gaze flickered briefly to her face, then away again. Bella noticed the restraint in it now, the way he was trying not to look at her too long, as if looking would turn something fragile into something undeniable again.
Bella pushed herself up slowly, gathering what remained of her composure.
The robe shifted around her shoulders as she stood, and Ji-ho turned slightly, not away from her, but just enough to give her space without breaking proximity entirely.
A quiet kind of care.
The kind that didn't need to be spoken.
When she was ready, Ji-ho stepped first toward the doorway.
Bella followed.
Outside, the air was colder than the manor had felt.
The world beyond the ruins looked too normal for what had just happened inside them. Birds moved between distant branches. Wind brushed through grass like nothing had changed overnight.
But nothing between them felt unchanged.
They walked in silence at first.
Not uncomfortable.
Just… careful.
Ji-ho kept a steady pace beside her, occasionally adjusting his stride so their pacing matched, even without looking at her directly. Bella noticed that more than anything.
A habit of protection.
Or something deeper than habit.
The forest path stretched ahead of them, damp with morning mist.
Then, a sound emerged from the trees.
Footsteps.
Measured. Familiar.
Bella stopped first.
Ji-ho noticed the shift in her immediately, the way her posture subtly changed, the way the softness from earlier tightened into something more controlled.
From between the trees, a figure emerged.
Poong Yeon.
And the royal guards behind him.
The moment his eyes landed on Ji-ho, relief crashed visibly across his face so hard it almost looked painful.
"Your Highness—"
He stopped abruptly the closer he came.
Because now he could properly see them.
The Crown Prince standing beside Bella.
The wrinkled clothes.
The exhaustion.
The strange quietness between them.
And behind them, the abandoned manor.
Poong Yeon's expression changed instantly.
Relief.
Confusion.
Then absolute horror.
"You…" he breathed slowly, staring at the manor behind them before looking back at Ji-ho. "You spent the night here?"
Ji-ho looked entirely too calm for someone who had caused nationwide panic.
"I was not in the palace," he replied dryly.
Poong Yeon stared at him in disbelief.
"That is the issue!"
The guards behind him immediately lowered their heads, pretending very hard not to hear the irritation in his voice.
Ji-ho looked mildly thoughtful for half a second.
"Yes," he admitted calmly. "I suppose that would concern people."
Poong Yeon nearly choked.
"Concern people?" he repeated, visibly horrified. "Your Highness, the palace is in chaos!"
Ji-ho blinked once.
Bella immediately sensed where this conversation was heading and subtly tried signaling Poong Yeon with her eyes to calm down before he accidentally insulted the future king.
Unfortunately, Poong Yeon was far beyond calming down now.
"We searched the forest the entire night," he continued, voice lowering in frustration. "We thought the assassins had taken you. The King summoned the entire royal army to go find you and not to return without you or they would all be stripped of their titles."
Ji-ho looked genuinely surprised by that.
"That feels excessive."
Poong Yeon looked seconds away from collapsing onto the ground.
"Excessive?" he echoed weakly. "Your Highness, this is the third time you have disappeared under my watch."
Ji-ho tilted his head slightly.
"Fourth. Counting that one time when we were younger, I chased after a hummingbird."
"That does not help your case sir!"
Bella pressed her lips together very tightly to stop herself from laughing.
Poong Yeon noticed immediately.
"You too?" he asked her in betrayal.
Bella lifted both hands slightly in surrender.
"In my defense," she said carefully, "nobody tried dying this time."
"That is somehow worse!"
Ji-ho let out the faintest breath that almost resembled amusement.
Poong Yeon looked at him with deep spiritual exhaustion.
"If this happens one more time," he muttered darkly, "Your Highness may as well carry my ashes to my mother's village personally."
Ji-ho considered this seriously for a moment.
"That sounds inconvenient."
Poong Yeon stared at him silently.
Then slowly looked toward the heavens as though questioning every life decision that had led him here.
"The King is going to execute me," he whispered.
Bella stepped closer slightly, lowering her voice.
"He's not going to execute you."
Poong Yeon looked at her with the expression of a man who had already accepted death.
"You did not see his face last night."
Ji-ho finally sighed softly, some of the teasing leaving his expression as he stepped forward.
"I will handle my father," he said.
Poong Yeon immediately answered:
"That statement has never once brought me peace."
Even some of the guards failed to hide their reactions to that one.
"We need to return now," Poong Yeon says at last. "The palace is already unsettled."
Ji-ho nodded once.
No hesitation.
"Lead the way."
The journey back began with Poong Yeon slightly ahead of them.
But even with him there, the silence between Ji-ho and Bella did not disappear.
It simply changed shape.
Now it was quieter.
More controlled.
Ji-ho walked beside her again, but closer than before Poong Yeon arrived, close enough that their sleeves brushed occasionally when the path narrowed.
Each accidental touch lingered longer than it should have.
Neither of them acknowledged it.
But neither moved away.
Bella glanced at him once with a smile.
Ji-ho was already looking forward, expression composed, prince restored in posture and presence.
But his hand, just for a moment, shifted slightly closer to hers before stopping again, as if he had caught himself mid-instinct.
Bella looked away quickly.
Not because she didn't notice.
Because she did.
By the time the palace walls came into view, the air had changed again.
Heavier.
Structured.
Guards stood at attention the moment Poong Yeon approached, their expressions sharpening when they saw Ji-ho walking in from outside the main route.
Whispers moved quickly through the gate.
Too quickly.
"The Crown Prince…"
"He wasn't in the palace?"
"Where has he been?"
Ji-ho didn't react to them.
Not outwardly.
But Bella could feel the shift in him again, the final tightening of everything personal being folded away.
The prince was back.
Fully.
Poong Yeon stepped ahead to announce them, voice controlled, efficient.
And as they passed through the gates, Bella suddenly became aware of something else entirely.
This was no longer the quiet of a ruined manor.
This was a place where everything would be questioned.
Everything would be watched.
And somewhere behind her, Ji-ho's presence still lingered close enough that, for a brief moment, it almost felt like he hadn't left her side at all.