Crafting The Lust

✨24✨

The morning sun reflected off the still surface of the palace pond, casting shimmering patterns on the stone tiles where Felix sat, knees drawn to his chest. His fingers idly traced the cracks in the stone, but his mind was far from the serene setting.

Last night played in an endless loop in his head—Hyunjin's touch, his lips, the way their bodies moved together like they had been made for that moment. Yet, no matter how many times he tried to untangle his emotions, the knots only tightened.

Had he wanted it? Felix's fingers paused, gripping the edge of the stone tightly. A storm raged inside him, waves of guilt crashing against something he didn't dare name.

He shook his head, staring down at his reflection in the water. His face looked pale, his golden hair unkempt, and his eyes rimmed with the weight of sleeplessness. A painter. That's all he was. A mere artisan brought to the palace for a single task—to immortalize the queen's image on canvas. And yet…

"Why?" Felix whispered to himself, his voice trembling. "Why would a king lower himself for someone like me?"

The words felt foreign even as they left his lips. He dug his nails into his palms, the sting grounding him as shame crept into his chest. Hyunjin wasn't just a king. He was a husband. A ruler with responsibilities, with a queen.

And Felix—he had allowed himself to forget that, even if just for a fleeting moment.

His stomach twisted as he remembered the intensity in Hyunjin's gaze, the way his lips had claimed his like it was a promise. Felix had felt wanted, desired in a way he never had before. But now, in the quiet light of day, that feeling was overshadowed by regret.

He should have stopped it. He should have remembered his place.

The thought made his cheeks burn with shame. How was he ever supposed to face the king again?

"Stupid," he muttered under his breath, shaking his head. "How could I have been so stupid?"

But then another thought slithered in, one he had been trying to ignore since he fled Hyunjin's chambers. Why? Why had the king done it? What did Hyunjin see in him—a mere painter—when he had a queen by his side and a kingdom at his feet?

Felix stared at his reflection again, but the man looking back at him offered no answers.

A soft breeze rustled the leaves overhead, sending ripples across the pond's surface. The distorted reflection felt like a cruel metaphor for his state of mind—blurred, uncertain, and fragile.

He closed his eyes, exhaling shakily. No matter how much he tried to justify it, he couldn't escape the truth. Last night was a mistake. One he would carry with him, one that would shadow his every interaction with the king.

But as much as he wanted to stay hidden here by the pond, he knew the palace would not allow him to avoid Hyunjin forever. The question wasn't if he would face the king again—it was when.

And Felix wasn't sure his heart could survive the confrontation.

But he was certain, he wasn't prepared to face the king nor the queen at this moment, all it would bring shame and regret in him. He took a deep sigh, trying to ease his thoughts that got disrupted by footsteps coming closer to him.

His gaze followed the footsteps, where a servant had come to him. The servant bowed to the painter, Felix with a hesitant smile and greeted him back.

"There is a visitor for you, Master yongbok." The servant announced with a smooth tone with respect. But Felix frowned, confusion coursing in him.

"A visitor?" Felix muttered under his breath in disbelief of this unexpected news. Who could possibly want to see him here in the palace, especially after everything that had transpired?

"Who is it?" Felix finally asked, his voice cautious. He couldn't imagine anyone from his humble life seeking him out in a place like this.

The servant straightened, a subtle hesitation flickering in his expression before he replied, "The gentleman didn't provide his name, but he insisted that it is a matter of utmost urgency. He is waiting in the east pavilion."

Felix's confusion deepened. Urgency? Who could possibly need him so desperately now? His thoughts raced, torn between the storm in his chest and this sudden mystery.

"Very well," Felix said, rising to his feet. The servant bowed again and led him toward the pavilion, the air around them quiet save for the soft rustling of leaves. Felix's mind wandered, attempting to unravel this new enigma, though a part of him couldn't help but feel this might somehow be connected to the king.

As they neared the east pavilion, Felix caught sight of a figure standing by one of the intricately carved stone columns. The man's back was turned, but there was something vaguely familiar about him. His dark cloak billowed slightly in the breeze, the silhouette radiating both elegance and tension.

As soon as they approached the man, the servent bowed at them and left, giving them privacy. The silence convuleted the atmosphere as Felix hesitated. He peeked a little attempting to talk something before the man turned towards him.

The painter froze, eyes widened in amusement as his lips parted but no words came out. Nor the man said anything for the moment, who seemed too grateful to see yongbok again. He smiled at the painter, tilting his head as if telling him silently that it wasn't a dream.

Felix couldn't held the unshed tears that dominanted his eyes, stepped to the man and hugged with fondness. Buring his face on the man chest as if he got some heat from the other.

"Chan hyung."

But there was someone from the afar witnessing it by scrutiny. "Who's he?"