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A faint sense of unease lingered in my heart as I stepped outside.
The moment I opened the door, Hong Yeonhwa's voice drifted down the corridor. The fine hairs along my ear stood on end, and a chill crept down the back of my neck.
"You're working hard so early in the morning."
"My Lady."
I bowed politely.
"So, you had business in His Highness's room this early?"
Her gaze was calm, but there was no warmth in it.
"As Your Ladyship knows, His Highness is always the first to wake in the palace. It is my duty to air out his room while he goes outside for his morning training... I believe I was simply mistaken for a moment."
"I see."
The corners of her lips stiffened almost imperceptibly. A faint shadow of displeasure settled across her face.
"Come to my room around seven this evening. I need to choose what I'll wear to the Moon Shadow Banquet."
"Yes, My Lady."
"Good. Seven o'clock. This time, don't make another mistake."
"Yes."
Outside the window, the evening sunlight was beginning to fade.
Perhaps because of the party that would soon begin, Hong Yeonhwa was choosing her clothes with far greater care than usual.
She held one dress after another in front of the mirror. If it didn't satisfy her, she immediately replaced it with another. She spent a long time comparing gloves, jewelry, and every small detail.
My role beside her was simple.
I accepted the dresses, jewelry, and shoes she selected and organized them neatly.
The dresses were hung carefully so they wouldn't wrinkle.
The jewelry was sorted by type and placed into separate cases.
The shoes were arranged neatly where they wouldn't gather dust.
That was all.
"How about this one?"
Hong Yeonhwa held up a pale lavender dress.
I studied it briefly before lowering my head.
"I think it would suit you beautifully, My Lady."
"Hmm... really?"
She seemed to consider it for a moment before placing it over my arm.
Without another word, I carefully hung the dress on the rolling rack.
The fifth one.
Already, five dresses she had chosen were hanging there.
For several days now, the atmosphere throughout the palace had felt strangely excited.
It wasn't an official event.
Yet everyone knew about it.
A secret gathering where guests wore masks and concealed their identities.
Within the palace, it was known as the Moon Shadow Banquet.
A night where people gathered beneath the moonlight, hiding their identities like shadows.
Members of the royal family.
Nobles.
And only a handful of specially invited guests.
Officially, the event didn't exist.
Which only made it more famous.
Who danced with whom.
Who wore which mask.
What secrets were exchanged.
Every gathering gave birth to countless rumors.
Hong Yeonhwa had been eagerly awaiting the Moon Shadow Banquet.
Or perhaps...
She wasn't waiting for the banquet itself.
Perhaps she was waiting for someone who would be there.
"Oh, right!"
She suddenly looked toward me.
"I'm taking you with me tomorrow."
"If you require it, I'll accompany you."
She let out a quiet laugh.
"Good. Though I think we should change those clothes first."
She circled her index finger toward my outfit.
"And your shoes too. You'll be staying beside me. It would be rather embarrassing if you followed me around dressed like you're working."
"..."
Hong Yeonhwa searched through the dressing room before handing me a dress.
The dress she offered was extravagantly beautiful.
Its silk shimmered softly whenever the deep pomegranate and crimson fabric caught the light.
The waist was tightly fitted.
The skirt spread so wide it brushed the floor.
Hundreds of tiny beads and jeweled embroideries glittered with every movement.
It looked as though it had been made solely to attract every eye in the ballroom.
"My Lady... thank you, but I'm only a palace servant. I can't wear something like this."
"For that evening, you won't be attending as a servant. You'll be there as my guest. I'll take responsibility, so stop worrying and simply do as I say."
"Yes."
"Then hurry and try it on."
Almost pushed into it, I changed clothes.
"Ah..."
It was almost too beautiful.
When I looked into the full-length mirror, it felt as though I were looking at someone else.
The finest clothes I had ever owned were the coat and dress that the Tall Gentleman had once sent me.
Meanwhile, Hong Yeonhwa owned so many gowns like this that they practically overflowed onto the floor.
The value of just one jewel she wore could probably allow my mother and me to live comfortably for years.
The thought made me bite my lip.
Just as I took a step—
Hong Yeonhwa spoke.
"Now your country look is finally hidden."
Her words were so casual that I doubted she even realized how rude they were.
Perhaps someone who had lived her entire life speaking without restraint would never notice.
"Do you happen to like ribbons?"
"What...?"
Taking my silence as agreement, she placed a pair of deep red shoes into my hands.
The crimson stilettos looked expensive at a glance.
Their heels were far higher than anything I had ever worn.
A satin ribbon decorated the back of each heel.
They were beautiful.
And yet they also felt like a declaration that every eye in the room should be drawn toward me.
"They're far too extravagant for someone like me."
"So you do know they're beyond your station."
I turned toward her in surprise.
"…Pardon?"
Hong Yeonhwa blinked innocently before smiling.
"Hmm?"
She looked completely natural.
I stared at her for a moment.
I was certain I had heard it.
Her voice had been quiet—
but as clear as though she had whispered directly into my ear.
"So you do know they're beyond your station."
And yet...
Her expression was so natural that I began wondering if I had imagined it.
My thoughts tangled together.
In the end, I quietly shook my head.
I must have misunderstood.
Just as I tried to dismiss it—
Hong Yeonhwa lightly rested her hand on my shoulder.
"Hold still."
She gently turned me toward the full-length mirror.
My own reflection stood before me.
The face was familiar.
Yet somehow completely unfamiliar.
Instead of my usual maid's uniform, I wore a beautifully tailored gown.
The fitted waist.
The soft fabric flowing over my shoulders.
Awkwardly, I folded my hands together.
Watching me through the mirror, Hong Yeonhwa smiled with satisfaction.
"Don't worry."
She spoke while looking at my reflection.
"The banquet is a masked one."
"No one will know who you are."
"...I had no idea."
Hong Yeonhwa lightly patted my shoulder.
"These kinds of secret gatherings happen more often here than you'd expect."
Her words sounded casual, yet there was something strangely meaningful hidden beneath them.
The royal family.
The nobility.
Their world.
It was still a world completely unfamiliar to me.
Seeing the expression on my face, Hong Yeonhwa smiled.
"There's no need to be so nervous."
She met my eyes through the reflection in the mirror.
"I'm sure you'll enjoy it too."
I couldn't answer.
The woman reflected in the mirror still felt like a stranger, and although Hong Yeonhwa's words sounded comforting, they also filled me with an uneasy feeling.
As though something was about to begin.
The banquet hall lay beneath dim lighting that gently washed over the room.
Everyone hid behind elaborate masks, laughter echoing while long shadows stretched across the floor.
A night where no one could know another's identity.
I couldn't understand why she had insisted on bringing me.
The moment we entered, she disappeared before I even had the chance to stop her.
Left alone, I quietly walked down the corridor, avoiding everyone's attention.
One of the doors ahead stood slightly open.
Several men were talking inside.
At first, I intended to walk past.
Then I heard a familiar name.
"Her Majesty was surprisingly straightforward this time."
My steps came to an abrupt halt.
Without realizing it, my breathing grew shallow.
"It seems she's perfectly satisfied with the Hong family."
The sound of wine glasses clinking drifted out.
"Wasn't this the plan from the very beginning?"
Someone laughed.
"Ever since Lady Hong Yeonhwa entered the palace."
My heart sank.
I quietly moved closer to the doorway.
"Even if His Highness dislikes it, there's nothing he can do."
"Exactly. The Hong family is too valuable to lose."
"In the end, everything will happen exactly as Her Majesty intends."
Silence settled briefly.
Then another voice spoke.
"Isn't the real problem that maid?"
My breath caught.
A man chuckled quietly.
"She's survived much longer than anyone expected."
My fingers slowly clenched.
"The Crown Prince's taste is certainly unexpected."
"I doubt it's affection."
"Probably just curiosity."
Another voice answered firmly.
"The fact that Her Majesty personally stepped in means it's far more serious than that."
A chill ran down my spine.
"I heard Her Majesty disliked her from the very beginning. After all, she was the girl His Highness personally wrote a recommendation for."
His Highness...
Recommended me?
For a moment, my mind went completely blank.
"Why?"
"I have no idea. Either way, that troublesome maid has somehow managed to capture even the Crown Prince."
The men burst into laughter.
"She must be quite talented."
"I wouldn't mind finding out for myself exactly how talented she is."
Their laughter was light.
Yet somehow...
It sounded unbelievably cruel.
I couldn't move.
"I heard she's serving as Lady Hong Yeonhwa's personal maid now."
The name Hong Yeonhwa echoed especially clearly.
"So Her Majesty deliberately placed the two of them side by side for comparison."
"Honestly, what more could anyone want than Lady Hong Yeonhwa?"
"She comes from an excellent family."
"She's cultured."
"She has public support."
"And most importantly, the Hong family stands behind her. Once the marriage happens, the Crown Prince won't have anything to worry about for the next twenty years."
"But do you think someone as stubborn as him will simply accept it?"
"He won't have a choice."
"His feelings won't matter."
The room fell silent.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean exactly that."
"Even if the Crown Prince refuses... he'll still have to marry her."
Slowly, I closed my eyes.
Those words settled heavily inside my chest.
"The Kingdom doesn't run on the royal family alone."
"Without the Hong family, there is no royal family."
"And without the royal family, there is no Hong family either."
One of the men let out a quiet laugh.
"In the end, they were always meant to be bound together."
"As though it had all been decided from the beginning."
I quietly stepped away from the corridor.
Then, suddenly, I understood.
Why Gowon never pushed Hong Yeonhwa away.
Why he never said anything.
Little by little...
I finally understood.
It wasn't simply a matter of feelings.
Crown Prince Gowon was no longer just a man.
He was the future of the Kingdom itself.
Lost in thought, I wandered aimlessly.
Then—
Thud.
Before I even had time to turn around...
A black mask entered my field of vision.
Beneath the soft lights, only a sharp jawline and the faint curve of a smile were visible beyond the mask covering half his face.
He stood beside me as naturally as though he had always been there.
Without speaking a single word...
His presence alone overwhelmed the space.
The moment I tried to look away—
The eyes beneath the mask slowly curved toward me.
It felt...
Strangely familiar.
But before I could remember who it was—
He had already taken another step closer.