CHAPTER 156: UNEXPECTED APPEARANCE

His fingers brushed once more against the fabric of his sleeve, a small movement to ground himself. He weighed the choices in silence. He could confront her directly, demand an explanation.

Yet what would that achieve, except to place himself openly at odds with the most powerful woman in the kingdom? He could push against the guards, test their resolve, but he already knew how that would end.

In the end, there was no dramatic struggle, no clash of wills. There was only resignation, quiet but heavy.

He took a final step back, his eyes sweeping the doorway, the guards, the hidden power lingering just out of reach. He would not enter, not today.

He turned, his steps steady as he walked away, though the weight of failure pressed against him.

It was not a defeat in spectacle, but it clung to him nonetheless, carried in silence back through the halls until he reached the quiet of his chamber.

He sat for a long while there, letting the stillness settle over him. The room was modest compared to the palace’s grandeur, yet in its silence, his mind ran circles around itself.

The shrine remained untouched. The queen’s motives remained shrouded. He leaned back against the chair, closing his eyes briefly, telling himself there would be time. Tomorrow, perhaps. Another day. He would wait, prepare, and watch.

Hours passed. The sun rose high, and the palace hummed with the life of afternoon. Yet Jae remained in his room, the world moving around him while his thoughts turned over and over, polished smooth like stones in a river. He found no answers, only more questions, but even questions had their value.

Then came the knock.

He looked up, pulled from his thoughts. A pause, then the door eased open, and Yuna stepped inside.

Jae blinked, taken off guard. He had not expected her, not here, not now. Her presence seemed to shift the air of the room immediately.

She carried herself with the same calm dignity as always, but there was something softer in her expression, something more direct.

"I wanted to see you," she said simply, her voice quiet but certain. She closed the door behind her, and Jae noticed the way she slid the lock into place. The sound was small, yet it echoed in his chest with startling clarity.

He studied her carefully, the strangeness of the moment pressing in on him. Few could move so freely in the palace. Fewer still could enter his chambers without suspicion or question.

Yet she had walked here with ease, and the lock clicked without hesitation. That privilege belonged only to her.

For the first time since morning, Jae felt a flicker of unease, not from the shrine, not from the queen’s orders, but from this sudden intimacy.

Yuna crossed the space between them and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. Her embrace was warm, firm yet gentle, and for a moment Jae stiffened in surprise. The closeness was startling, her scent faint and clean, her presence undeniable.

His first thought was not comfort but consequence. If someone saw them like this, if someone merely heard, what would it mean for him?

Trouble, scandal, punishment, perhaps. His mind conjured the weight of disapproving stares, whispers spreading like wildfire. He imagined himself standing before authority, questioned, accused, judged.

But for her? Nothing. She was untouchable. Her station made her immune, her actions unquestionable. The same act that might condemn him would never so much as graze her.

The tension tightened in his chest.

As if sensing it, Yuna leaned closer, her voice a soft murmur against him. "You cannot be in trouble, trust me."

Something in her tone, in her certainty, unraveled the tightness in his chest. Slowly, cautiously, he allowed his body to relax into her embrace.

The unease did not vanish, but it dulled, muted by the quiet comfort she offered. His arms rose, not tightly, but enough to return her closeness.

xxx

Yuna’s arms encircled Jae’s waist, her body pressed flush against his as a tingling sensation coursed through her body. It started at the tips of her fingers, a subtle flutter that grew stronger with each passing moment

It was as if she were being consumed by his presence, his very being suffusing her with a warmth that seemed to radiate from within.

His heart thudded against her cheek, its steady beat a welcome anchor as she embraced him, her body responding to his presence in ways that left her breathless

Yuna lifted her head, her gaze meeting Jae’s with a soft, almost shy smile. The sight of him, rugged and handsome, was enough to make her heart skip a beat, her breath catching in her throat at the intensity of his gaze.

His eyes were deep pools of mystery, their depths revealing nothing, yet promising everything as he stared back at her, his lips curling into a half-smile that sent a shiver of anticipation through her body.

Jae was about to ask her why she was smiling so hard but question died on his lips as he caught the mischievous glint in Yuna’s eyes.

"Since we’re alone and this big bed is just begging to be used," she purred, her words sultry as she reached up to brush a stray lock of hair from his face, "why don’t we make the most of it?"

Jae shook his head, his smile turning playful as he spoke. "It’s not exactly a mansion-sized bed, is it?" He quipped, his hands resting comfortably on Yuna’s waist.

Yuna laughed, the sound of it like music to his ears. "But it’s more space than we had before." She countered, her fingers tracing lazy patterns on his skin.

Jae’s stomach twisted with anxiety, the implications of their intimate moment weighing heavily on his mind.

He glanced around the room, his gaze falling on the ornate door that seemed to mock him with its opulence, a reminder that they were no longer hidden away in the dim dorm room at school.

Here, in the palace, any number of guards or servants could easily catch them, the consequences of their discovery dire.