Thunder rolled low in the sky as the royal horses approached the palace gates. The rain had not stopped since nightfall. It poured heavily now, drenching the stone pathways and soaking the guards standing post.
King Hwan Seong stepped down from his black horse, his boots splashing into the rain-slick marble.
He paused.
Lightning flashed overhead and that's when he saw it.
A figure slumped at the bottom of the wide palace staircase.
Small. Still. Soaked completely through.
Lying motionless in the open storm.
For a second, he simply stared as if unsure if what he saw was real.
Then, the king ran.
His footsteps echoed sharply as he crossed the courtyard, rain pounding down around him.
He dropped to his knees beside the figure, reaching out with urgency his hand brushing against cold, trembling skin.
His heart dropped.
"Seo Yul…"
The boy wasn't kneeling anymore. He had fallen onto his side, barely conscious his lips pale, his face flushed with fever and cold. Soaked hair clung to his cheeks, and his body felt limp, like it had no strength left at all.
Without hesitation, King Hwan scooped him into his arms.
He held him tight against his chest, trying to shield him from the rain with his own body.
"Physician! Now!" he shouted over his shoulder. "Bring blankets! Hot water! Hurry!"
The guards scrambled.
But the king wasn't waiting.
He stood, lifting Seo Yul effortlessly into his arms, and turned toward the palace not toward his chambers or the royal court, but toward Seo Yul's wing.
"Open the doors!" he barked as he approached. "Make the bed ready bring fire into the room!"
He walked fast, water dripping from his soaked hair and clothes, not caring about his own state.
His focus was only on the quiet boy in his arms, whose eyes fluttered weakly, unable to speak.
When they entered the quiet hallway of Seo Yul's quarters, the king knelt beside the bed and carefully laid him down. He stood beside him, brushing wet strands of hair away from his forehead.
Seo Yul's breathing was shallow.
The king reached for his hand cold like stone.
"You're burning with fever… and freezing at the same time," he muttered under his breath. His voice was low, shaken. "What did they do to you…"
He stared at Seo Yul's face for a long moment the boy who was once his enemy's son… who now looked so fragile and undeserving of this pain.
A flicker of something stirred in the king's eyes not just anger, but something deeper.
Regret. Guilt. And a need to protect.