Seo Yul's Thoughts
He sat in silence long after the king left.
The blanket felt too warm now. His fingers kept trembling, brushing against the spot where the king had held him. That arm, waist. That warmth.
What did I say?
What did I do?
Did I cry in my sleep? Did I call out for someone?
The images in his mind were broken. A memory of pain. The sound of his own sobs. The feeling of a large, calloused hand holding his. A voice… low and quiet, telling him he would be alright.
Was that real?
Or just the dream of a boy too scared to be alone?
His chest tightened. He had grown used to the coldness of the palace. The silence of his room. The distance between him and everyone else. It was safer that way to be unseen, untouched.
But now… that wall had cracked.
And of all people, it was him.
The king.
The man who took everything from him.
The man who now… held him like he was something fragile.
Seo Yul pulled the blanket up to his chin, his thoughts spinning fast, emotions pulling in too many directions at once.
He didn't know if he should be afraid, or something else entirely.
King Hwan Seong's pov :
He walked swiftly through the quiet corridors of the palace, robes still damp from kneeling beside Seo Yul's bed all night.
He hadn't planned to stay.
He never did.
He had only wanted to check on the boy. To ensure he hadn't died from the fever, or the rain, or that cruel punishment…
But when he saw him there shaking, whispering in sleep, holding onto his wrist with such quiet desperation something inside him had shattered. Quietly. Suddenly.
So he stayed.
And when the boy trembled in his sleep again, he pulled him close.
Why did I do that?
He pressed his fingers against his temple, angry at himself.
That wasn't how a king should act. He didn't comfort enemies. He didn't lie in bed with them.
He exhaled sharply.
But he couldn't erase the image of Seo Yul's pale face, soft in sleep. The way he clung to his arm. The soft, broken voice whispering, "Don't leave me…"
And now… now the boy had woken up and looked at him like he was something to fear again.
Of course he did.
You are the reason he fears everything.
Hwan Seong's jaw clenched. The guilt didn't make sense. He had every reason to bring Seo Yul here. Every reason to keep him under watch. To remind him that survival was mercy.
And yet…
Last night, nothing had felt like power. Nothing had felt like punishment.
It had felt… human.
Dangerously human.