Lust for the King’s Wife

Chapter 5: Hidden Time (1)

“What’s up, Jorfe? Still not asleep? Did your back start aching after lying on a proper bed for once?”

“We have a visitor.”

“A visitor? At this hour? Who?”

“The queen.”

“…What?”

“The queen came looking for Alf.”

“Heh, that woman’s something else. After all that happened, she’s the one to make the first move, huh?”

“That’s probably why she came. She wants to settle it properly. Or maybe, like me, she just wants to know what Alf is thinking.”

“Either way, it sounds fun. Not that I think anything major will happen, though.”

“Must be nice being as carefree as you, Seha. I’m just worried Alf might slip up.”

“Slip up?”

“You know what I mean.”

“Alf? Slip up? Come on. That guy’s so uptight, he’d report himself to the guards if he accidentally spit on the street. You think he’s got the guts to make a move on the queen? That idiot would probably die of shock if she so much as touched his hand.”

“So you trust Alf, huh, Seha?”

“It’s not trust. I’m just saying he’s too much of a naive fool to do something like that. You know it too, Jorfe.”

“You’re right. Alf is as upright as they come. I’ve never met anyone with a heart as transparent as his. It’s like he was born to be a hero.”

“Exactly. He’s a simple, straightforward idiot. No way he’d do something stupid like that.”

“…People said the exact same thing about the last hero, right before he staged a coup and stole the throne.”

“And that’s exactly why I can’t predict what Alf might do if he, for the first time in his life, chooses to break the rules.”

The autumn chill seeped through the window, forming frost on the glass like delicate flowers of ice.

It’s already that cold, huh?

Rubbing my arms to shake off the cold, I was surprised to feel a sheen of sweat on my skin. In weather like this, it felt unnatural to be so warm. But I didn’t have to question it long. I knew the reason.

The maid escorting me must have noticed too. Her voice was gentle, but her eyes were sharp.

“Are you feeling unwell, sir?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Then I will continue leading the way.”

She’s a rare type, this one.

Her composure was impeccable, her words clear and unwavering. They must have selected her carefully. Just that alone told me how much effort Mirian had put into preparing for this meeting.

Wherever this path led, it was unlikely to end with the king or the princess waiting at the other end.

No, it would be just the two of us. A private meeting in the dead of night.

I could feel the sweat gathering on my palms. My heart pounded harder the closer we got.

By the time we reached our destination, beads of sweat had formed on my forehead. The maid came to a stop and turned to me.

“This is it. She’s waiting for you inside.”

“Then I’ll just take a moment to straighten my clothes. The walk here left me a bit—”

“No need. It’s best you head in right away. Her Majesty dislikes waiting.”

Ordinarily, before an audience with the king or queen, a guest’s appearance would be properly arranged. But the maid hurried me along, subtly pressing me to enter.

Perhaps it was a sign that this meeting wouldn’t be a formal audience.

“Then I’ll open the door now.”

“…Ah.”

I was still lost in thought when the maid pushed the door open. I barely managed to adjust my collar before I raised my head.

The chill hit me instantly.

An icy wind poured through the open doorway, far colder than what an autumn night should feel like. Even the maid, who had opened the door, shuddered slightly from the cold.

And there, in the center of it all — she stood.

“…”

“…”

Her arms stretched wide, leaning on the open window. Her hair, white as frost, swayed gently in the cold night breeze, illuminated by the pale glow of the moon.

My eyes were drawn to her, as if bewitched. My gaze trailed from her flowing hair to her bare neck.

That skin.

White as fresh snow, smooth and flawless. Not a single blemish marred it, unlike my hands, which were rough and scarred.

I stared without thinking, and before I knew it, time had slipped past me unnoticed.

A clock ticked in my mind, like the chime of an old bell, jolting me back to reality. I barely managed to collect myself just as she slowly turned toward me.

Her face, paler than the moonlight, held a beauty so sharp it seemed unnatural. She looked like a sculpture more than a human being. Her beauty was too precise, too perfect.

She hadn’t changed. Not at all.

She looked just as she had on the day I first fell in love with her, three years ago.

Even her cold, cutting voice was just as I remembered it.

“You’re not kneeling.”

“…”

“Why is that?”

It wasn’t the kind of greeting one might expect from a reunion. Her voice was sharper than the cold wind. But I didn’t let it shake me. Instead of kneeling, I straightened my back and met her gaze.

“My faith belongs to the merciful Aeldir, and my master is the bow and arrow.”

“Everyone who sets foot in this castle is both my vassal and my subject.”

“I entered this castle as a guest of the king. And this kingdom does not require its guests to kneel.”

“The sage taught you too well, it seems.”

Her words were laced with sarcasm, but her lips didn’t so much as twitch.

She didn’t dwell on it, though. Her sharp gaze fixed on mine as she got to the point.

“My daughter told me something interesting.”

“What did she say?”

“She said you wanted to apologize to me.”

“That’s correct.”

“I didn’t think there was a need for an official apology, so I called you here instead.”

“I believed it was only right to offer a formal apology, Your Majesty.”

“Formally, it was the elf’s joke, wasn’t it? At this point, clinging to laws and principles is pointless.”

Her voice remained cold, sharper than ice.

Her next words were even colder.

“Then kneel.”

“…”

“If you truly want to apologize.”

The door behind me clicked shut.

It was a gesture meant to preserve my dignity. If I was going to bow my head, at least no one else would see it.

But I didn’t kneel.

Instead, I took a single step toward her, closed my eyes, and gave a shallow bow of my head.

“I acted rashly and caused you offense. I sincerely apologize. It may be nothing more than words, but I ask you to forgive me with your boundless grace.”

“Still refusing to kneel, I see. Why is that?”

“If my crime does not require me to atone with my life, then I will not kneel. This is not just my stubbornness as a man. It is also the will of His Majesty, the king.”

Her eyes narrowed for a moment. It was brief, but I saw it.

A crack had formed in the icy fortress of her expression.

It was subtle, but it was there.

That one small crack was enough to shake me to my core.

Even if you show emotion sometimes, huh?

The crack disappeared quickly, but once it’s made, it can’t be undone.

“For someone here to apologize, you’re surprisingly arrogant. I wonder how the princess would feel if she saw you like this.”

“This has nothing to do with the princess.”

“Oh? You seem sure of that. Do you know how much she’s talked about you to us?”

“I do. She probably talked about me until her tongue went dry.”

“So, I suppose you also know just how much that girl loves you, don’t you?”

Her words pierced me.

I’d felt the weight of the princess’ sincerity far too many times over the years.

And, of course, the witch didn’t miss the chance to exploit that vulnerable crack in my heart.

“She mentioned something interesting earlier.”

Her voice was cool, deliberate.

“She said she wants to avoid any disgraceful incidents before her marriage to you. The girl has already painted an entire future for the two of you together.”

“That’s not my future. I never gave her such a promise.”

“Your will doesn’t matter. It’s already been decided.”

Her voice was as sharp as a blade of ice.

“In less than half a year, you’ll marry the princess and become one of the strongest candidates for succession to the throne.”

“Not even the princess has the right to impose that on me. I won’t accept it.”

“Is that so? Is it a crime to express love?”

She tilted her head, her silver hair cascading down like moonlit silk.

She threw my own words back at me with the precision of an arrow. Her violet eyes gleamed with a knowing glow as she watched me.

“Of course, love can be a crime.”

Her voice dropped, carrying an eerie chill.

“If you fall for someone you’re not supposed to love, it’s not the law that punishes you — it’s society’s customs. That’s not the same as a princess’s one-sided infatuation for someone who will never love her back.”

“I see.”

“Once you enter the king’s grasp, you can’t even take a single chick from his coop without permission.”

Her words carried a finality that echoed off the stone walls.

“The king might be lenient at times, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know when to be strict.”

“I’m aware of that.”

“And yet you continue to behave this way. What are you plotting, I wonder? Planning to assassinate His Majesty, perhaps?”

The words were spoken lightly, almost playfully.

But such words shouldn’t be spoken inside the royal palace. They were words that could have heads rolling by dawn.

Yet she was the witch. And this room was a secret chamber for clandestine conversations. Here, words like that could float through the air like mere whispers of the wind.

Even so, I kept my lips sealed.

Her violet eyes lingered on me for a moment before she turned her gaze toward the window.

“I have nothing more to say to you.”

Her back was to me now, framed by the open window.

The moonlight touched her figure, casting her in an otherworldly glow. She looked less like a person and more like a statue carved from ice.

“If you have nothing else to say, then this conversation is over.”

Her voice was cold, detached.

“And please, do me a favor — don’t tell the princess about tonight.”

There was no emotion in her words, only indifference. Her tone was as cold as the wind that blew through the open window. She had already discarded me, like an afterthought.

“You may leave now.”

She dismissed me like a master dismissing a servant.

I glanced at her, my heart heavy with a mix of bitterness and resignation.

Even in our reunion, she still acted selfishly.

The woman who stole my heart without even realizing it was as reckless now as she was back then.

“Leave when you’re done,” huh?

A wry smile curled on my lips.

But I didn’t leave.

Instead, I took a step forward. Then another.

The room grew smaller as I drew closer to her.

“When six months passed after the princess was kidnapped by the dragon, the king grew desperate.”

I spoke clearly, my voice steady but firm.

“Back then, he made a declaration. He said that whoever returned the princess would be granted anything they wished for in return.”

“You’re still here?”

Her voice had a tinge of annoyance now.

“The king doesn’t make empty promises. If he says something, he sees it through. That declaration still stands. Even though it’s an oath that’s difficult to fulfill, it remains unbroken.”

“You…”

“And after the princess returned, the king reaffirmed that promise in front of the nobility and all the people gathered to celebrate her return.”

I took another step forward.

This time, she turned her head back toward me.

Her sharp gaze met mine, but I didn’t falter.

“If I had asked for something impossible, that would have been a foolish and reckless demand. But I didn’t.”

I took another step forward.

We were now close enough that I could hear her breath, see the way her shoulders gently rose and fell.

“I made a request. A request that was clear, achievable, and well within the king’s power to grant.”

Her eyes widened, just slightly.

Her lips parted as if to say something.

“Alf.”

Her voice carried a warning this time.

“Do you know what I asked for, Mirian?”

I was so close now that only a single handspan separated us.

The distance between us had vanished.

I could feel her scent — a soft, delicate fragrance that seeped into my senses like a poison.

Her warmth was within reach, and every instinct in my body was telling me to stop, to turn back.

But I didn’t.

I raised my hand and gently lifted her chin with my fingertips.

Her skin was as cold as porcelain.

Her eyes, which had been so still until now, flickered with something.

Fear?

No, it was something far more dangerous.

“I’m done waiting, Mirian.”

“Wait—”

Her words were cut off.

Her violet eyes, usually so calm and calculating, trembled for the first time.

Her breath, usually as steady as still water, grew uneven.

I leaned in, my eyes locked on hers.

Her eyes were no longer calm, no longer cold.

There was something in them now.

Something alive.

“If I can, I’ll take you tonight.”