Moon's Whisper, Heart's Echo

38. The Calling

"You dared to harm someone under my protection." The crown princess stated.

She moved past Lady Park, her sleeve brushing against the wooden doorframe as she entered the room. 

light illuminated the figure of Lee, his bruised face shadowed by the harsh lines of room.

His scholar's robes, once a symbol of dignity, now hung loose and wrinkled, a mirror of his defeated posture.

The Crown Princess crouched before him, her expensive silks pooling on the rough floor. Her fingertips caught his chin, forcing his head up with deceptive gentleness.

"All that running," she mused, studying his face. "All that scheming. And here you are, caught like a rat in the rain."

Lee's split lip trembled. "Your Highness, I—"

Her fingers tightened. "You dared to harm my Nandi."

"I was only following orders, I—"

"Orders." The word sliced through the air as she clicked her tongue, the sound as precise and merciless as an executioner's blade. "Like a good servant. Yet servants who bite their masters often find themselves put down."

A violent tremor wracked Lee's frame, as if winter itself had settled in his bones. "Please..."

"Please?" She released his chin with careful deliberation, producing a silk handkerchief to cleanse her fingers with delicate, methodical strokes.

The gesture itself was a condemnation.

Lee collapsed forward, pressing his forehead to the floor with such force it must have bruised. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Sorry." The Crown Princess's laugh crystallized in the air like frost, beautiful and lethal. She regarded his prostrate form with the practiced patience of a predator, each breath between them drawn out like a blade from its sheath. "Your sorrow means nothing. Your usefulness, however..." Her gaze slid to Lady Park. "You've convinced him to be useful?"

Lee's shoulders convulsed with each ragged breath, his forehead still pressed to the ground as if trying to sink through it.

"Please..."

"Begging doesn't suit you, Scholar." Rising like smoke, she brushed at her skirts where his touch had lingered, as if removing a persistent stain. "Though I suppose neither does betrayal."

"He's provided names. Dates. Proof of Lady Yi's involvement." Lady Park's words hung in the air between duty and mercy.

"Good." The Crown Princess scoffed. "Be grateful Lady Park spoke for you, Scholar Lee. Your life now depends on how thoroughly you help us destroy the ones who truly deserve punishment."

She paused in the doorway, light transmuting her silhouette into something both celestial and terrible. "Oh, and Scholar Lee? Remember – I may wear silk, but I know the value of everything." Her smile held all the warmth of midwinter. "Including revenge."

Lee pressed his head against the floor. "I wanted to confess." His voice came out rough. "I sent Nandi to Lady Yi. The letter... it was me." Blood from his split lip spotted the wood beneath him.

The Crown Princess stayed silent, watching him. Even the guards seemed to hold their breath.

"I couldn't..." Lee's shoulders shook. "I couldn't watch anymore."

The quiet stretched until it hurt. Then the Crown Princess spoke, her voice carrying that particular softness that meant danger.

"Leave us."