The forest did not relax when the royal guards arrived.
Steel gleamed between the trees, disciplined and precise, banners absent but loyalty unmistakable. Horses stamped softly against the earth. Armor whispered as men shifted their weight, eyes scanning, not just the woods, but the people standing within it.
The rebels did not retreat.
They stood their ground, hands near weapons, bodies loose with the ease of those who had survived without walls. No insults were thrown. No blades raised.
Just awareness.
Poong Yeon stared fiercely, his presence instantly recognized on both sides. His gaze moved calmly from rebel to guard, as though measuring the balance of something fragile.
Bella felt it, the tension stretching thin as silk thread.
Ji-ho stepped forward.
The forest stilled.
"As Crown Prince," he said evenly, "I thank you all for escorting me this far."
No command. No arrogance.
Respect.
He turned slightly and gestured to the rebel leader. "A word."
They moved aside, just far enough that voices dropped into privacy, just close enough that the act itself was seen.
Ji-ho did not waste time.
"When I return to the palace," he said, low and firm, "I will need eyes beyond the palace walls."
The rebel leader's expression sharpened, not surprise, but recognition.
"The Prime Minister's reach is long," Ji-ho continued. "And the kingdom is larger than the court pretends. I need to know what stirs among the people. Who disappears. Who profits. Who lies."
"You want allies," the man said slowly.
"I want truth," Ji-ho corrected. "And preparation for what's to come."
A breath passed between them.
The rebel leader nodded once. "It would be wonderful," he said, voice steady, "if what is to come finally cames to an end."
Ji-ho met his eyes. "If you need anything: supplies, information, write to me. I will send one of my trusted men to your side."
A pause.
Then, quieter: "This will not end quickly, would it?"
"No," the rebel leader agreed. "But it will be worth it."
They clasped forearms briefly—no bows, no ceremony.
When Ji-ho turned back, they Royal guards clothed him in his Royal attire. He was now dressed as fitting to royalty.
The horses carried them out of the forest and onto the open road.
Ji-ho rode tall, posture settling instinctively into something older, heavier. Bella rode beside him, cloak drawn, eyes forward.
Poong Yeon followed close, watchful as ever.
The palace gates rose in the distance, stone and authority, unchanged and merciless.
Trumpets sounded.
Clear. Piercing.
"Announce!" came the command.
The gates began to open.
"By decree of His Majesty," a voice rang out across the courtyard, "the Crown Prince has returned!"
Time seemed to slow.
Ji-ho rode through first.
Sunlight caught the edge of his armor. Dust lifted beneath the hooves. Murmurs rippled outward like water disturbed by a single stone.
But those who smiled like serpents lingered in the crowd.
The King stepped forward, disbelief breaking into joy.
The Queen Dowager's hand trembled before steadying.
The Prime Minister's smile froze, just for a breath too long.
The Queen's expression hardened, eyes dark with something close to fury.
Attendants dropped to their knees. Courtiers bowed. Guards struck spears against stone in salute.
The Royal attendance announced his presence again as Ji-ho dismounted.
He walked straight to his father.
The King pulled him into an embrace without hesitation, hands gripping his son as though afraid he might vanish again.
"Thanks be to the heavens," the King said hoarsely. "You have returned to us."
Ji-ho had never seen his father this happy to welcome him. Almost like he was ready to burst into tears.
The King pulled back just enough to study his son's face, hands still firm on his shoulders.
"You look well," he said, voice thick with relief. "Stronger than I feared."
His gaze shifted past Ji-ho sharp and immediate.
"He should be examined at once. Where are the royal physicians? Send them forth, now."
Attendants moved in a flurry.
Before anyone could speak further, the Queen Dowager stepped forward, her voice gentle but unmistakably commanding.
"Enough," she said. "The boy has only just returned. Let him rest before you surround him with concern of the palace."
Ji-ho bowed deeply to the Queen Dowager, who cupped his face with trembling hands.
"My dear child," she whispered. "You survived."
Her eyes softened as they fell on Ji-ho.
"You are home," she added. "That is what matters first."
For a moment, Ji-ho simply looked at her.
Then, without ceremony, he crossed the space between them and drew her into his arms.
The court stilled.
The Queen Dowager gasped softly, then held him just as tightly, one hand pressing against his back as if to reassure herself he was real.
"I am here," Ji-ho murmured. "I came back to you."
Her eyes glistened as she pulled away, cupping his face with trembling fingers.
"Foolish child," she whispered, smiling through tears. "Do not ever make us wait for you like that again."
The King had already begun to step back when he noticed it.
The hesitation.
The slight favoring of one leg as Ji-ho shifted his weight.
His expression changed at once.
"You're limping," the King said.
The courtyard fell quiet.
Ji-ho stilled, as though realizing too late that his body had betrayed him. "It is nothing, Father," he replied. "Just a strain from the road."
The King did not smile.
"Royal physicians!" he commanded."Where are the royal physicians? Step forward at once."
Attendants stirred, alarm flickering across their faces as they finally saw it, the faint stain, the way Ji-ho favored one side, the tightness beneath his composed posture.
"I'm fine, truly." Ji-ho said quickly. " I can walk."
The King's expression hardened, not with anger, but with something far more dangerous.
"You are the Crown Prince," he said. "There is no such thing as nothing."
"I'm fine," Ji-ho said at once, stepping back. "Truly. It is nothing. I can walk."
Physicians hurried forward, heads bowed, hands already preparing to examine him.
Before they could reach him, the Queen Dowager raised her hand.
"That is enough," she said calmly.
The physicians froze mid-step.
"Have you not eyes?" she continued, stepping forward. "The boy has crossed forests, hunger, and fear to stand before you. Must you descend upon him like crows the moment he returns?"
Then the King nodded, once, firm, decisive.
"Yes," he said. "Yes. You are right mother."
He stepped forward, placing a steadying hand on his son's shoulder.
"He needs rest. He needs food." The King lifted his voice. "Prepare a royal feast—one befitting the return of the Crown Prince."
A ripple of movement followed at once.
Attendants bowed deeply and hurried away. Orders were carried outward like wind through the courtyard.
Ji-ho exhaled, tension finally easing from his shoulders.
Cheers followed. Some genuine. Some forced.
As the attendants hurried away to prepare the feast, the Queen Dowager's gaze shifted. It settled on Bella, the one who had safeguarded the Crown Prince.
For a moment, she simply looked at her, measuring, weighing, remembering everything she had heard.
Then she walked toward her.
The court parted instinctively.
The Queen Dowager reached out and took Bella's hands in both of hers, her grip warm and sincere.
"Thank you," she said. "For keeping the Crown Prince safe."
Bella stiffened slightly, then bowed deeply. "It was my duty, Your Majesty."
The queen Dowager was pleased to hear how fluently bold and remarkable Bella spoke.
"I have heard the tales," the Queen Dowager continued gently. "Of the forest. Of danger. Of how you stood before him when others could not."
Her eyes softened. "You protected him."
The King stepped forward, his voice firm with conviction. "You saved him—countless times. That much is clear."
He studied Bella for a long moment, then said, "You are to be rewarded. Ask of me anything you wish, and it shall be granted."
A hush fell.
Bella lowered her gaze. "It was only my royal duty to protect the Crown Prince and see to his safe return to the palace," she said calmly. "I need no reward."
The King blinked, then smiled.
"You are righteous," he said. "And truly someone worthy of a great title."
He gestured toward the palace. "Join us for the royal feast."
Bella shook her head at once. "No, Your Majesty. Please… celebrate with your son. You have been apart for far too long."
The King laughed softly, something rare and genuine. "As you wish."
He turned to the attendants. "Prepare a feast and send it to her quarters. Fine garments. And a bath drawn at once."
Bella bowed deeply.
Across the courtyard, the Crown Prince met her eyes.
He smiled.
Not the smile of a prince, but of a young man relieved beyond words.
The Queen Dowager noticed.
Her gaze moved between them, lingering just a moment longer than necessary.
Something had changed between them.
High above, behind painted screens, resentment took root.
News spread faster than footsteps.
A maid ran breathless into a private residence.
"The Crown Prince has returned!"
The Left State Councilor's daughter froze mid-motion, heart pounding.
"The selection," the maid continued. "It will resume."
Across the palace, whispers bloomed like wildfire.
In the Queen's chamber, doors slammed shut with a sharp echo.
The Queen paced, her skirts swishing against the floor, her hands clenching at her sides.
"How is this possible?" she hissed. "He should have died in that forest. Every precaution… every plot… all for nothing."
The Prime Minister lifted his teacup slowly, as if time itself could bend to his patience. "Perhaps," he said calmly, voice smooth as silk, "the heavens enjoy irony."
She stopped mid-step, eyes narrowing. "Are they against us?"
He set the cup down, thin-lipped. "Heaven favors the patient. And we…" he gestured subtly to himself and the Queen, "…we are not impatient."
From the shadows of the room, the Queen's son, Seo Yuhan stood silently, watching them, absorbing every word.
The Prime Minister's gaze shifted to him. "Come forward," he instructed.
The boy stepped forward, head held high.
"Kneel," the Prime Minister commanded.
Seo Yuhan obeyed, his adolescent frame bowing with precision, but the determination in his eyes did not waver.
The Prime Minister's lips curved into a cold smile. "The reason we have prepared you… Grand Prince Lee Seo Yuhan, is not trivial. Every lesson, every detail of your upbringing, every education and discipline has been planned for the moment our design comes to fruition."
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle.
The Queen's breath caught.
"You will continue his training," the Prime Minister continued, voice sharp as a blade. "Teach him loyalty, cunning, ruthlessness. When the time comes, he will ascend the throne. And all obstacles…" his eyes flicked to the Queen briefly, then back to the boy, "will have been removed."
The Queen's lips pressed into a thin line. "And Ji-ho?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
"He will never escape what is coming," the Prime Minister replied coldly. "No matter how far he runs, no matter what support he gathers, there are ends that cannot be escaped. His fate is woven; ours only requires patience."
Seo Yuhan's head bowed lower, absorbing every word. Somewhere in the shadows of the chamber, a plan was already moving, and the palace itself seemed to hold its breath.
Bella did not see Ji-ho again until nightfall.
She was reunited with the Hyejin, she had once protected—tears, disbelief, laughter tangled together. Later, the girl's mother embraced her when she came to offer her her meal, hands smelling of rice and warmth and survival.
Bella stepped into the room, closing the door behind her.
Hye-jin's eyes widened instantly, disbelief giving way to joy. "Bella! Where have you been? I thought—"
"I'm here," Bella said softly, moving closer. "I'm safe."
Hye-jin practically bounced in place, unable to contain herself. "Tell me everything! What happened outside the palace? Was it true… did you really fight the human-eating tigers in that village?"
Bella let out a small laugh, the memory vivid even now. "Yes. It all happened so suddenly… one moment, the forest was quiet, the next, danger was everywhere. But yes—I faced them."
Hye-jin's mouth fell open. "You… you actually killed them?"
"I did," Bella replied. Her tone was calm, but a spark of excitement shone in her eyes. "It was terrifying… but we survived."
Hye-jin's hands flew to her face. "I can't believe it! All of this… you! I heard so many stories, but I didn't think they could be true!"
Bella laughed softly, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "It was… overwhelming. Every moment felt like the world was testing us."
The girl's mother knocked gently before stepping into the doorway. "Hye-jin, dear… let
Ha-neul rest. She's had a long journey."
Bella nodded, a yawn brushing her lips. "Yes, I need to take a bath and sleep… but I promise I'll tell you everything, all of it when the time comes."
Hye-jin's eyes sparkled. "You promise?"
Bella smiled warmly. "I promise. Everything."
Later, as Bella sat quietly, the girl's mother approached, holding a small tray of food. She embraced Bella, hands warm and smelling faintly of rice and all wonderful dishes, and a look of care. "We are so glad you returned safely," she whispered.
Tears, relief, and laughter tangled together in the small room, filling it with warmth that no palace intrigue could ever touch.
For a while, the palace felt almost kind.
Bella finally settled, letting out a deep sigh. Just as her eyelids began to droop, a soft knock came at the door…
"Bella," a familiar voice called softly, carrying urgency and relief at once.
Her heart leapt. "Coming!" she cried, rushing to the door.
She flung it open to see the Crown Prince standing there, his expression a mixture of concern and something softer, harder to name.
Ji-ho stepped inside quietly.
They talked quietly, about caves and waterfalls, about fear and laughter, about surviving things that should have broken them.
Ji-ho hesitated for just a heartbeat, his gaze flicking to hers, as if measuring whether he could cross an invisible line.
"I wouldn't have gone this far without you," he said softly, voice low. "And I hope… to go further still with you by side."
Bella's chest tightened. She wanted to reach out, but her hands stayed folded in her lap. "Then don't walk alone," she murmured with a smile.
He paused at the doorway, a shadow of a smile tugging at his lips. "Would it be so wrong," he asked quietly, without turning back, "to keep the feelings I have for you?"
Bella's breath caught. She said nothing, but her racing heart answered for her.
The door closed behind him, leaving her alone with the echoes of words she could not yet forget.