🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter: 20
It was frustrating and uncomfortable.
I’d lived a life where I had wanted for nothing. I only had to enjoy what I wanted without obligation. If there was something I desired, I could have it. Because of that, I’d never really had a reason to lie.
The lie I’d told the most in my life was, “I’m not hurting.”
‘Still, I can’t just blurt out that I’m the Princess of Heavenly Fate like I did with Seoldeunghwa.’
He wasn’t even a member of the Snow Tribe, so there was no way he’d believe me. And it would only increase the risk of my running away being exposed.
No matter how mature the Crown Prince was, he was only eleven years old. I had no idea how much he would understand, or how he would react.
‘…No, it’s impossible right now. I’ll tell him later. At least after he’s a little older.’
Now I finally understood why adults always dodged difficult conversations by saying, “I’ll tell you when you’re older.”
‘I hated adults who said that… and now I’m doing exactly the same thing. Maybe this is what becoming an adult really means.’
Sighing inwardly, I opened my mouth.
“Your Highness, you know my mother is from the Snow Tribe, don’t you?”
“Yes. I heard after our marriage was arranged.”
“Because she’s from the Snow Tribe, Mother knows many things that ordinary people don’t.”
I hardly ever lied, but once I started, the words came surprisingly easily.
Come to think of it, I’d been lying quite well ever since becoming Ruhwa. Maybe I actually had a hidden talent for deception.
“I met Mother at the Royal Guest Hall earlier. When I told her about the darkness surrounding Your Highness, she explained what it really is.”
The Crown Prince’s eyes widened.
Yes. If nothing else, this was something he absolutely deserved to know.
Even if revealing this counted as exposing a heavenly secret and added a little karma to my account.
I couldn’t pretend not to know when it concerned the most important issue in his life.
I was a great god. I could shoulder that much.
“My Lady… what did you just say?”
“I found out what Your Highness’s darkness is.”
After taking a short breath, I continued.
“Your Highness… you’re an Eodukseoni.”
“…An Eodukseoni? What is that? Can it be cured?”
“It’s not an illness. An Eodukseoni is…”
Looking at the desperate boy before me, I slowly explained everything I knew about the Eodukseoni.
As my explanation continued, the color steadily drained from his face.
“…That’s everything I know.”
When I finished, the boy stared at me with a face as white as paper.
“So… you’re saying I’m the first human who has ever been possessed by an Eodukseoni?”
“No. You weren’t possessed—you became one. An Eodukseoni is created when the darkness that falls from the night sky merges with a living being. Before the merger, it isn’t anything at all.”
The Crown Prince stared blankly at his own hands.
“So… I’m no longer human. I’ve become an Eodukseoni… Then that day…”
His face twisted.
‘Black Pillar… He must be remembering the day he became an Eodukseoni.’
Before I knew it, the sun had begun to set.
The crimson glow filtering through the window stained the boy’s cheeks.
As red as though they had been splattered with blood.
‘It must be a horrifying memory.’
The day everyone around him died.
The day people lost their minds.
The day even his parents collapsed because of him.
That had happened two years ago, when the Crown Prince had been only as old as Ruhwa was now.
As I watched him with sympathy, darkness rippled beneath him.
Like ink spreading across paper, it expanded in an instant, swallowing the sunset until everything became pitch black.
‘Oh no…’
His emotions were already unstable.
Now that night was falling as well, the darkness seemed to be going out of control.
From within the blackness came the Crown Prince’s desperate voice.
“My Lady… then… do you know why people become Eodukseoni?”
“That… I don’t.”
I’d heard there wasn’t any special reason.
It was simply because they happened to be standing in the wrong place when the darkness fell from the night sky.
In other words…
They were just unbelievably unlucky.
But there was no way I could say something so cruel to a child asking with such desperate hope.
Besides, I didn’t know for certain either.
“Then… is there a way to turn back? To become normal again? Do you know of one?”
“…I’ve heard there has never been such a case.”
“…Ah…”
The darkness deepened along with his despair.
I couldn’t even see my own body anymore.
The anxiety and fear born from the darkness slowly crept up my spine.
It felt even stronger than before.
The Crown Prince must have been terrified.
‘Of course he is. To him, becoming an Eodukseoni is like my illness was to me.’
I knew what it felt like to glimpse hope…
Only to have it disappear.
I knew the helpless terror that such despair brought.
‘It must feel endless… unimaginably frightening.’
No one could escape that kind of fear alone.
I had Mom and Dad.
Ansi.
And so many others who had always held on to me.
‘But that little kid has no one.’
Then, even if only in name…
His wife should be the one to hold on to him.
‘It’s not even difficult for me.’
I stood up within the darkness and took a step toward him.
The shadows filling the room immediately surged toward me, trying to swallow me whole.
‘Shoo. Get lost.’
Do you have any idea who I am?
I revealed just a hint of the dignity befitting the Princess of Heavenly Fate, and the darkness clinging to me scattered away.
‘I think he was around here.’
My searching fingertips brushed against the soft, downy cheek of a child.
Found you.
“Your Highness.”
“…!”
Only then did the Crown Prince seem to realize that his darkness had spread.
He hurriedly shoved my hand away and stumbled backward.
His panicked voice came from somewhere beyond the darkness.
“Damn it! My Lady, are you alright?”
I blinked.
Wait.
He knew how to swear?
He looked so proper that I’d never expected it.
The surprise escaped my mouth before I could stop it.
“So you can swear?”
“Is that really what’s important right now?!”
The Crown Prince shouted.
Then I heard rustling.
He was probably trying to leave the room.
I quickly reached out.
“Your Highness, wait—ah!”
In my haste, I stepped on the hem of my skirt.
As I pitched forward, something caught me.
“…Ha…”
The Crown Prince had somehow reached me and caught me in his arms.
Even while trying to leave, he’d still been watching out for me.
His reflexes were incredible.
Was that because he was an Eodukseoni?
“Please be careful.”
“Ah… thank you.”
As soon as I regained my balance, he let out a quiet sigh and steadied me.
Then he immediately tried to move away again.
I quickly grabbed him.
“Your Highness, don’t go. I’m perfectly fine.”
“The darkness is growing stronger. At times like this… I have to be alone.”
“No. Especially at times like this, you shouldn’t be alone.”
I hated being alone when I was sick.
When you were by yourself, your thoughts only spiraled deeper and deeper, making your fears even worse.
That was why, although I always felt guilty for troubling her, I had also been grateful that Mom stayed by my bedside no matter how busy she was.
Just like my mother, I’d always had someone who spoke to me before I could drown in dark thoughts.
So I had to stay beside him now.
“The more you’re alone, the scarier it becomes. So let’s stay together.”
Grunting with effort, I tugged on the Crown Prince’s arm.
Our size difference was so great that it looked as though I was hugging his arm rather than pulling it.
He remained standing without saying anything.
I grabbed both sleeves of his robe and shook them.
“We promised we’d practice together, didn’t we?”
I could feel his gaze.
The darkness covering my vision suddenly rippled.
“…Why are you trying so hard to help me?”
“Then why were you trying to help me escape?”
“That was…”
He trailed off.
I smiled.
“I think it’s probably for the same reason.”
You pitied the little girl who’d become your bride only to die because of it.
You wanted to save her somehow.
My reason wasn’t much different.
“And besides, I’m the Crown Princess now. If Your Highness prospers, then I’ll live well too.”
“Do you understand what it means to live as my Crown Princess?”
“I do. That’s why I’m doing this.”
Still pulling on him, I sat down.
The boy resisted for a while, but eventually gave up and allowed himself to be pulled down beside me.
Even through the darkness, I could tell.
“Your Highness… I made a promise to His Majesty.”
“…What? To Father? What promise?”
The Crown Prince asked in shock.
Not knowing exactly where his face was in the darkness, I answered while looking into the blackness.
“I promised I’d wake Her Majesty the Queen.”
“…!”
“I think it’ll be possible with the Snow Tribe’s abilities. Mother and I are going to heal Her Majesty together.”
“…You… can wake Mother?”
Every word trembled.
Looking into the pitch-black darkness, I nodded.
“Yes. We’ll wake her. We can do it.”
“…”
“Then many things will change, won’t they? His Majesty will probably reward me greatly.”
“…”
“If I earn his favor, Your Highness’s position will improve too. Husband and wife share the same fate, after all.”
“…”
“So Your Highness has to do your part as well. Practice diligently and learn to control your darkness. Just like you succeeded on our first night.”
“…”
“Even if you can’t become human again, once you can control your power, everything will be alright. You’ll even be able to live like ordinary people.”
“…”
“No… it’ll actually be even better! Being able to control darkness like this is a far greater power than most supernatural beings possess.”
“…”
“Your Highness?”
He remained silent.
The darkness was so thick that I couldn’t tell what expression he wore, or even whether he was listening.
Growing impatient, I slid my hand from his arm in search of his hand.
‘He’s wearing gloves.’
Through the fabric, I couldn’t tell how he was doing.
Those gloves had only been forced onto him because he’d been deceived by the court attendants.
It was time to take them off.
Wearing gloves wouldn’t help him learn to control his darkness anyway.
‘Besides, they look uncomfortable.’
I caught hold of the glove’s seam with my fingertips and pulled.
“…!”
As soon as his bare skin was exposed, his hand jerked violently.
He tried to pull away.
I quickly clasped it with both of mine.
He was eleven years old—still just a child.
But this body of mine was even younger and smaller, so there was quite a difference in the size of our hands.
It was almost too much to hold with one hand.
Then again, the Crown Prince seemed rather tall for his age.
Holding his trembling hand, which shook as though he were terrified, I said,
“Your Highness, the darkness spread even while you were wearing the gloves. They’re not helping, so there’s no need to force yourself to wear them.”
“B-but if our bare skin touches, it’ll be dangerous…”
“You already know I’m fine.”
“…M-men and women over the age of seven should not sit together. Men and women shouldn’t casually hold hands like this…”
“Doesn’t that rule have an exception for married couples?”
“…”
After I countered him again and again, the Crown Prince finally fell silent and gave up trying to pull his hand away.
“From now on, let’s practice holding hands during the daytime while suppressing the darkness. It should be easier to control during the day than at night.”
“…”
“Once you can control it during the day, we’ll bring more people back into the Eastern Palace. The garden is a mess, and the palace buildings are in terrible condition. How can anyone live here like this?”
“…”
“Your Highness.”
Still holding his bare hand in both of mine, gently fidgeting with it, I called to him again.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince… you’re listening, aren’t you?”
