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He didn't know what the word "thug" meant, but it was clear that it wasn't a compliment.
"Miss Song, what do you mean by 'common thug'? This prince only wished to speak with you in private," Crown Prince Chul Kwan said, his voice steady but tinged with curiosity.
Song Jae immediately realized her mistake. Calling a royal a "thug" was a grave error. She had hoped he wouldn't understand the term. If he did, the consequences could be dire.
She often forgot just how dangerous the crown prince was. He never showed her his infamous side, and she had grown accustomed to his gentler demeanor. But the truth was, he was no different from the terrifying rumor of him everyone spoke of. Gathering herself, Song Jae met his gaze.
"What does Your Highness wish to speak with me about?" she asked, her voice steady.
The crown prince blinked, momentarily thrown off. In truth, he didn't really know. He simply felt an urge—to see her, to talk to her, to be near her. It was unlike anything he'd felt before. Since meeting Song Jae, he had been acting on instinct, driven by a strange impulse he couldn't explain.
At first, it was just curiosity. She was the first girl who didn't trigger the mysterious illness he'd suffered from since he was thirteen. A secret he had kept from his mother, the queen, and his grandmother, the queen mother. He feared someone might use it to control him. And even without the illness, he had always avoided closeness with women. But Song Jae… she was different. There was something about her—a pull he couldn't resist.
As he pondered this, his hand lingered on her waist. Song Jae fought the urge to slap him away. Is the plot changing? she wondered. The crown prince isn't supposed to notice me. I'm just the Cannon founder, why he is the second male lead. He's supposed to fall for the heroine.
She recalled a part of the story from before the female lead appeared. Back then, the crown prince had relentlessly suppressed the third prince. Without the heroine's intervention, the third prince would never have had a chance at the throne.
The third prince was ambitious and deceptive, always hiding behind a mask of kindness while manipulating those around him. The crown prince, while cold, was the better candidate for the throne.
As for the second prince… she couldn't remember what happened to him. The original author barely mentioned him.
Is he ever going to take his hand off my waist? Song Jae thought, growing increasingly irritated. Is the crown prince some kind of lecher? Or a pervert?
Chul Kwan, confused by the unfamiliar terms, frowned. "What is a 'lecher'? And a 'pervert'? Why don't I understand any of the words you're saying?"
Song Jae silently cursed herself. Why do I keep slipping into modern slang? I'm not in Seoul anymore!
"I… I don't know what those words mean," she muttered.
"It seems Miss Song isn't being entirely truthful. And you're a terrible liar, by the way," Chul Kwan said, a mischievous smirk playing at his lips.
"What do you mean by that? I'm telling the truth!" she retorted.
"Then why can't you meet my eyes?" he shot back smoothly.
Damn it, Song Jae cursed internally. I was a terrible liar in my past life, and it seems nothing has changed since I transmigrated.
"I… I don't know what Your Highness means," she stammered, cursing Chul Kwan over a hundred times in her head.
"If Miss Song won't speak the truth," Crown Prince Chul Kwan said with a glint in his eye, "then I suppose I'll have to be a real lecher now."
His hand came to rest gently on her head, and before she could react, he leaned in—his face drawing closer to hers.
Song Jae panicked.
She hadn't forgotten the first time they met… when the crown prince had kissed her without warning. The memory still made her heart pound—not out of excitement, but fear. That kiss had haunted her, a reminder that Chul Kwan was far more dangerous than he appeared.
It means His Highness is… a lustful person.
Still, she didn't dare tell him what a "pervert" actually meant.
"It seems Miss Song has misunderstood me," Chul Kwan murmured. "Should I show you what it really feels like when I'm being lustful?"
Before she could react, his face closed in, and she instinctively turned her head away. His lips brushed her neck instead.
They both froze.
Song Jae's breath hitched. Chul Kwan stared at her, equally stunned.
He hadn't actually intended to kiss her—just scare her. Tease her. But now, his body had gone rigid. A soft floral scent rose from her skin—lotus, delicate and cool. Another note came from her scent sachet: a hint of orchid. Faint, but intoxicating.
His hand moved lower, brushing the curve of her waist.
Song Jae stiffened. Her lashes trembled.
What is His Highness doing?
Chul Kwan felt something stir inside him. A wild urge—he wanted to bring her to his chambers, to make her cry out with red-rimmed eyes from his touch. The thought struck him hard.
Abruptly, he pulled his hand back and straightened.
"I'll be waiting for you to find me," he said quietly.
Then, removing a jade pendant from his waist , he placed it gently in her hand.
"This way… we are now one."
And with that, he turned and walked away—leaving Song Jae completely stunned.
What does he mean, find him? she thought, staring at the pendant. He's delusional!
She raised her arm, ready to toss it away, but the smooth jade surface was warm to the touch, almost… soothing. She couldn't bring herself to get rid of it.
Before she could gather her thoughts, she heard footsteps behind her.
Song Sook and Song Min had arrived.
"Mistress!" Song Sook called out. "Did the crown prince do anything to you?" Her tone was fierce, eyes blazing with protectiveness. If she found out the crown prince had crossed the line, she'd fight him herself.
"No… I'm fine," Song Jae muttered, quickly hiding the pendant up her sleeve like a thief.
Later, when she returned to her snow courtyard, she bathed and lay down, trying to shake off the strange feeling clinging to her.
Just then, Song Sena entered, her face laced with concern.
"What's wrong, Sena? Why that worried look?" Song Jae asked.
"Young Miss," Sena said, "your perfume sachet and a jade hairpin seem to be missing."
Song Jae shrugged. "Then just replace them. There's no need to worry over such things."
"But Young Miss," Sena said seriously, "your name was carved into both items. If someone with ill intentions finds them… it could cause problems."
Song Jae sat bolt upright in bed. "What did you say?"
"Mistress, please think. When was the last time you felt your sachet at your waist? I'm sure the jade hairpin might still be nearby too," Song Sook added.
And in that moment, Song Jae remembered exactly who took them.