“We can just meet separately and have tea.”
“Tea and meals are different?”
“Well, it’s uncomfortable. It’s better to have meals with people you’re comfortable with.”
Then Rosetta’s brow furrowed. Rosetta erased his playful smile from moments ago and asked.
“Is Angel uncomfortable?”
“More than me, aren’t you uncomfortable, Rosetta? Not just Angel, but Yun too.”
When the pause grew longer than expected, Seoho called him again.
“Rosetta?”
Rosetta blinked and answered.
“It’s not exactly comfortable, but it’s still bearable for now.”
Looking at his lips pressed firmly in a straight line, he certainly didn’t look comfortable. After thinking for a moment, Seoho asked.
“…If you don’t think you’ll be able to eat properly, should we come back and eat something just the two of us?”
Rather than forcing himself to eat there, it seemed better to come back and at least have a simple meal.
“We’ll have a late-night snack.”
It also seemed nice to drink alcohol together, which he hadn’t properly tried yet. Seoho continued talking, counting on his fingers.
“Late-night snacks aren’t healthy, but one day should be fine. I want to try drinking alcohol too, I haven’t tried it yet. How about it?”
As he spoke, his anticipation grew more and more. Seoho smiled brightly and looked up at Rosetta. Then the corners of Rosetta’s mouth softened gently.
“Alright. Let’s do that.”
Seoho’s mood improved at the more relaxed smile than before. He was about to continue talking about what would be good for a late-night snack when Puti’s voice came from outside the door.
“Your Majesty, Seoho-nim. Everything is ready.”
Seoho closed his mouth regretfully. Rosetta gazed intently at Seoho’s lips and asked.
“Shall we go?”
“Yes.”
When Seoho picked up an envelope he had prepared beforehand before leaving the room, Rosetta, who had been following Puti, asked.
“Seoho, is that a letter?”
The reply seemed a bit quick, but there was no need to delay giving a letter that was already written.
“Ah, yes. I was going to hand it over after the meal.”
“Did you make another appointment this time?”
“No.”
“We said we’d go outside the palace after the meeting ended last time. Shall I make time for it this time?”
Come to think of it, he had said something like that. After that, things kept coming up one after another and it eventually fizzled out.
But now, with Angel and Yun in the palace, it didn’t seem like a particularly good time.
“No. There are a lot of things to worry about, still. Let’s go out after this matter is all over.”
“Aren’t you frustrated staying only in the palace?”
“Not really. The palace is spacious and everyone I’ve befriended is in the palace.”
It wasn’t just something he was saying—it was really true. He hadn’t felt frustrated or bored at all yet.
“I’ll tell you if I get frustrated. I’m fine so far. Even if we go out now, I don’t think I’ll be able to enjoy myself freely.”
“Alright, you must tell me…”
At Rosetta’s cut-off voice, Seoho looked up at Rosetta, then followed his gaze to look ahead.
“Seoho-ya. We meet again?”
It was Yun, who looked like he had just arrived. Seoho gave an awkward smile.
“I know. I didn’t know there was a dinner appointment.”
Yun, who had greeted Seoho, turned to Rosetta.
“I greet Your Majesty.”
Rosetta ignored his greeting and turned to Seoho.
“Seoho-ya?”
Seoho, who had blinked several times, realized what Rosetta was asking and answered.
“Ah. ‘-ya’ is just something like a word you attach when calling a name.”
When Rosetta looked back at Yun, Yun bowed his head and answered.
“Yes. That’s correct.”
“Ha.”
A sound filled with absurdity or disbelief echoed. But before Seoho could say anything about it, Rosetta turned to Seoho and instructed.
“Since Angel is here too and it’s a public setting, it would be better to speak politely inside.”
Indeed, it wouldn’t be good if the atmosphere became too casual. Honestly, no matter how much they had agreed to drop the formal speech, Seoho had also been surprised when he called him so casually as soon as they met.
“I will.”
When Rosetta heard Seoho’s answer and looked at Puti, he hurriedly stepped forward and opened the door to the dining room.
Angel, who had been waiting for them inside, rose from her seat.
“Your Majesty.”
Rosetta accepted Angel’s greeting and headed to his seat.
When Seoho exchanged eye greetings with Angel and sat in the seat next to Rosetta, Yun took the seat next to Angel and across from Seoho.
Rosetta’s gaze followed Yun’s movements. When Puti, who had been reading the room, signaled to the servants, they immediately brought out the food.
But even after the food was set, a strangely gloomy silence lingered in the dining room. When Seoho looked at Rosetta, who neither started eating nor brought up any conversation, only then did Rosetta open his mouth.
“Let’s talk while we eat.”
When Rosetta picked up his utensils, the others followed and began eating. The atmosphere was heavy.
‘He really is uncomfortable…’
Seoho glanced at Rosetta, whose expression had disappeared rapidly from the moment he faced Yun and Angel, when he put down his utensils.
“The reason I arranged this gathering today is because I have something to confirm with both of you.”
Seoho was looking at the plate in front of Rosetta that was almost untouched when Rosetta called Yun.
“First, Prince?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“It seems you’ll continue exchanging letters with Seoho from now on, so can you obtain more information about the Mirror?”
Seoho turned his eyes from the plate and focused on the conversation. After looking troubled for a moment, Yun met eyes with Seoho, then raised the corners of his mouth and answered.
“Even if the original is difficult, I’ll try asking them to make a copy at least.”
“I hope there will be good results.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Despite Rosetta’s stiff tone, Yun maintained a bright atmosphere. Seoho, who gave a small eye greeting to Yun who kept making eye contact with him, looked at Angel, who was now having a conversation with Rosetta.
“…Someone came from the temple.”
“Yes.”
“The reason?”
Angel looked at Yun and answered.
“They noticed that the Prince was in the imperial palace with me.”
“Who?”
After hesitating for a moment, Angel slowly opened her mouth.
“…Priestess Fray.”
“Who’s that…, Duke Sabrina’s daughter, is it.”
It seemed Rosetta also knew who Angel had mentioned. He became a bit curious about who she was, but now didn’t seem like the appropriate timing to ask.
‘I’ll ask later.’
Rosetta asked Angel.
“Does it seem like something I need to pay attention to?”
Angel looked at Yun once more.
“The Prince didn’t want to talk to the temple side about the Mirror.”
“Then let’s say I invited the Prince.”
Having concluded the conversation that way, Rosetta gestured for the next dish to be brought out without even looking at the plate he still hadn’t touched at all.
But the plate that came out afterward was also hardly emptied. It was definitely food that Rosetta usually ate well. No matter how much they said they’d have a late-night snack, he was still worried about whether it was okay to not eat like that. Just as the servants left the dining room, Angel spoke to Seoho.
“Seoho-nim.”
Seoho, who hadn’t expected Angel to speak to him, showed a slightly surprised reaction and answered.
“Ah, yes.”
Angel wore a kind smile at the corners of her mouth and said.
“It seems you’ve become closer to His Majesty.”
“Pardon?”
Become closer? What did she mean by that? As he was wondering, Angel lowered her gaze as if looking at their ankles hidden under the table and answered.
“The red thread is woven more firmly. It’s been really long since I’ve seen it connected this firmly.”
“Ah.”
At those words, he felt somehow embarrassed. Seoho hesitated with a small smile when Angel asked with a worried face.
“You haven’t had any more dreams since that day, have you?”
“No. There haven’t been any since that day.”
“If you have another dream, please show me your ankle. I need to check if the thread is affected like last time.”
Since it was hard to believe she was readily showing him kindness, he looked at Rosetta, who blinked as if to say it was okay.
Fortunately, his expression also seemed more relaxed than before. Relieved, Seoho answered Angel.
“I will.”
Then Yun, who had been listening to the conversation, expressed his puzzlement.
“Red thread?”
At Yun’s face full of questions as if hearing it for the first time, Seoho was actually more surprised.
“You don’t know?”
“No, what is this red thread?”
Since the kingdom also had a Mirror and Grace had also come to this world through the Mirror, he had naturally thought that he too would know about the existence of the red thread.
The first thing Seoho had heard about was the story about the red thread, after all.
But Yun really seemed to have never heard about the red thread at all.
“I heard from Angel-nim that the reason I was able to come here through the Mirror was because Rosetta and I are bound by a red thread.”
Yun, who only blinked after hearing Seoho’s explanation as if finding it hard to understand what he was saying, turned to Angel.
“…Is that true?”
“You didn’t know? It’s so obvious that I didn’t bother bringing it up…”
Before Seoho turned to look at Yun, he was looking at the silvery eyes that held a strange color when he asked Angel.
“It’s the first time I’m hearing this—could I hear more details?”
Angel slowly nodded.
“It refers to the thread of fate that has bound each other since birth. Of course, the thread can become thinner over time or become tougher. There are also cases where the thread breaks.”
“From what I heard earlier, it seems you can see the thread.”
Angel looked down at the table as if examining Seoho and Angel’s ankles across the table once more, then answered.
“Yes. After making the divine oath, I became able to see and touch things that others cannot see.”
