CHAPTER 46
Muwon hesitated, a rare uncertainty flashing across his face. After a long pause, he took a breath, gathering his thoughts.
He looked straight at Yuhyun and said carefully,
"Then... Yuhyun, I'll say it with you here. But I ask that you don't get angry."
He smiled a little awkwardly, almost sheepishly.
"I'd like your approval for what I'm about to say."
Both Sihyun and Yuhyun stared at him, blinking in confusion.
Yuhyun furrowed his brows, shifting uncomfortably.
"Your Highness… you don't need permission to speak,"
he said awkwardly.
"You're the prince."
Muwon smiled lightly but it didn't reach his eyes. His gaze shifted to Sihyun—steady and vulnerable.
And then he said it.
"I'm in love with your brother."
His voice was soft, almost trembling.
He lowered his gaze for a second before meeting Yuhyun's stunned eyes again.
"You have every right to speak against it, if you want."
Silence crashed over the room.
Sihyun and Yuhyun both sat frozen, staring at Muwon, too stunned to react immediately.
Even Sihyun, who was usually so quick to retort, opened his mouth but no words came out.
The prince's confession hung thickly in the air between them.
Yuhyun lowered his gaze, clearly flustered, his voice barely above a whisper.
"I… I don't think I have the right to say anything."
He looked up between them.
"It's Sihyun you're in love with… so he should be the one to speak, not me."
Silence.
Sihyun kept his eyes averted, lips pressed into a thin line. He said nothing. Not a word.
Muwon took a step closer, voice calm but resolute.
"Then let me say it properly, to you, Sihyun."
He moved closer still, eyes fixed on him.
"I—"
"No,"
Sihyun blurted out suddenly, sharply. His head snapped toward Muwon, his eyes stormy.
Muwon froze but didn't back away.
"I'm still going to say it,"
he said gently.
"You need to hear it."
Sihyun stood, yanking the blanket off his lap, his chain clinking softly.
"No, you don't get to say it."
His voice trembled, but it wasn't fear—it was anger and something else beneath it.
"What do you expect from me? Huh? That if you're in love with me, then I should like you back? That I should just do whatever you say because of that?"
Muwon didn't respond at first, only stared at him—his gaze soft, unwavering.
Sihyun's chest rose and fell with heavy breaths, his fists clenched at his sides, the chain rattling again.
Yuhyun stepped forward, glancing nervously between them.
"Sihyun… just hear him out first. Please."
The air between Sihyun and Muwon grew thick, their gazes locked—fire meeting calm water, tension pulsing like a second heartbeat.
Sihyun hesitated, glaring at Muwon through misty eyes.
Then, in a low, bitter voice, he said,
"Fine. If you really love me... then take the chain off."
Yuhyun's eyes widened instantly.
"Sihyun... don't do this,"
he pleaded, stepping closer to Sihyun, sensing the dangerous weight behind those words.
But Sihyun didn't look at him—his gaze stayed locked on Muwon, daring him.
Muwon, however, didn't even flinch. He understood immediately—Sihyun was testing him.
And if that was what Sihyun wanted... then he would prove it.
Without hesitation, Muwon knelt by Sihyun's ankle and unlatched the sorcerer's chain, the soft clink of metal echoing in the heavy silence.
Both Sihyun and Yuhyun watched in tense silence as the chain dropped to the floor.
Standing up, Muwon looked at Sihyun, his voice quiet but steady.
"I'm not asking you to love me back."
"I just want a chance to prove it... to show you that you're worth loving. Let me love you, Sihyun."
Something inside Sihyun snapped.
Without thinking, without mercy, he pushed Muwon away with a violent burst of magic.
The prince staggered backward, crashing into the nearby table.
"Your Highness!"
Yuhyun gasped, immediately rushing to Muwon's side, helping him up, his face clouded with panic and anger.
He turned to Sihyun, hurt flashing in his eyes.
"Sihyun, stop this! He's not your enemy!"
Sihyun's chest heaved with rage and confusion, his eyes wild.
"Get out,"
Sihyun hissed, voice shaking.
Muwon stood slowly, wincing from the impact but refusing to show weakness.
He and Yuhyun exchanged a look, then back at Sihyun.
They hesitated.
"I said GET OUT!"
Sihyun roared, magic crackling faintly in the air.
Muwon glanced at him one last time, his expression unreadable.
"Think about it,"
he said softly as he and Yuhyun turned to leave.
But Sihyun wasn't finished.
"I don't need to think about it!"
he screamed after them.
"My answer will still be NO!"
Neither Muwon nor Yuhyun replied. They closed the door behind them, the soft click of it sounding final.
As soon as they were gone, Sihyun let out a choked sob and grabbed the food tray, throwing it across the room with a loud crash.
He collapsed onto the bed, crying into his arms, his anguished screams muffled but still painfully audible from the hallway.
Muwon and Yuhyun stood there, frozen, hearing every bit of Sihyun's heartbreak from outside the door.
Outside the chamber, Muwon and Yuhyun stood quietly, the faint sound of Sihyun's anguished cries leaking through the heavy door.
Yuhyun glanced down at the ground, his fists clenching and unclenching, unsure of what to say. Muwon leaned his back against the wall, tilting his head up toward the ceiling with a heavy sigh.
Breaking the silence, Muwon asked in a low, pained voice,
"Was it wrong of me... to tell him how I feel?"
Yuhyun hesitated. He looked up at the prince, searching his face for any hint of the usual composed expression Muwon always wore — but this time, there was none. Only regret. Only sadness.
After a long moment, Yuhyun replied softly,
"I don't think it was wrong... but maybe..."
he swallowed,
"maybe it was too soon for him."
He glanced nervously at the chamber door.
"Sihyun... he's been fighting for so long. Against everyone. Even himself."
Muwon's gaze remained distant, his jaw tightening slightly.