Kim Seon-a buried her face in his chest, her shoulders still trembling.
Gu Moran looked down at her and gently pressed his hand on the back of her head.
Her hair brushed against his chin, carrying a cool, medicinal scent.
A night breeze blew past the tent, causing the tent flap to sway and then fall back down, causing the candlelight to flicker.
Gu Moran released his grip and took half a step back.
Kim Seon-a looked up, her eyes still red, tears clinging to her eyelashes but not falling.
She opened her mouth as if to say something, but her throat was constricted, and she couldn't utter a single word.
Gu Moran out, his thumb brushing against the corner of her eye, his fingertip wiping away the tear.
Kim Seon-a Sun-ah froze.
She managed a soft, tearful moan, trying to dodge, but her feet felt like they were nailed to the ground.
Gu Moran's fingers slid down her cheek, landing on her chin, and lifted it slightly.
Kim Seon-a was forced to look up at him.
The candlelight flickered in his eyes, and she saw her own reflection in his pupils.
She bit her lower lip, her fingers gripping his shirt, pulling the fabric into a crease.
Gu Moran lowered his eyes and stared at her reddened lips.
His Adam's apple bobbed.
He lowered his head and kissed her.
It had a somewhat forceful tone.
Kim Seon-a's eyes widened.
She grabbed his shoulders with her fingers, trying to push him away, but all her strength seemed to have been drained, and she could only clutch his clothes tightly.
Her fingernails dug into his shoulder blade through the fabric.
Gu Moran his arm around her waist and pulled her into his embrace.
Kim Seon-a's body went limp, and she pressed herself against his chest.
His legs couldn't support his weight, and his knees buckled.
She loosened her grip on his shoulder and then tightened it again, her mind blank.
The sound of footsteps of night patrol soldiers could be heard outside the tent.
The soles of the boots thudded against the blue brick floor.
Kim Seon-a was so startled that she tried to struggle.
Gu Moran pressed down on the back of her head to stop her from moving, and with his other hand pulled down the curtain to block the candlelight.
The footsteps paused outside the tent for a moment, then continued forward.
They went further and further away.
Only the heavy breathing of the two men remained inside the tent.
Kim Seon-a's face was burning hot, and sweat slid down her collarbone.
She turned her face away, not daring to look at him.
Gu Moran released her.
Kim Seon-a staggered back half a step, her lower back hitting the edge of the low table.
The teacup on the table wobbled and almost fell over.
She kept her head down, not daring to look at him, her hands gripping the edge of the table tightly behind her back.
His knuckles cracked from clenching his fists.
Gu Moran walked over and stood in front of her.
He reached out to fasten her belt.
Kim Seon-a suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with panic.
His lips were pressed together until they turned white. "This... this is against the rules..."
Gu Moran's hands didn't stop.
He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Rules are rules, but people are flexible."
He paused for a moment, then said, "Besides, what rules are there between us?"
Kim Seon-a bit her lower lip.
My mind is a complete mess.
In the end, all I could do was close my eyes.
They tacitly approved of his actions.
His outer robe slipped off his shoulder and fell to the ground.
Her fingers gripped the edge of the table tighter and tighter.
Gu Moran picked her up by the waist and turned to walk towards the inner tent.
Kim Seon-a opened her eyes in surprise, her fingers gripping his shirt, her fingertips digging into the fabric seams.
She was placed on the couch.
The ground beneath me was soft and slightly cool.
Gu Moran leaned down and pressed down on him.
Kim Seon-a looked up at him, unable to utter a sound.
She tried to speak, her lips moved a few times, but in the end she could only bite her lower lip.
In the outlying camp, fifty paces away from the tent.
Gu Moli was sitting on the couch, flipping through the account books.
Qingwu, who had just recovered, knelt on the ground to report.
"Your Highness, after everyone left, Kim Seon-a and the Prince were indeed in the same tent."
Qingwu lowered her voice. "They haven't come out yet, and the candles inside the tent are still lit."
Gu Moli's pen stopped in mid-air.
A drop of ink fell onto the ledger, spreading out in a small patch.
She stared at the black puddle of water, her face darkening.
Put down your pen.
Gu Moli gripped the ledger tighter and tighter, her nails digging creases into the edges of the paper.
The image of Gu Moran and Kim Seon-a holding hands kept flashing through her mind.
It felt like her chest was stuffed with cotton, making it hard for her to breathe.
She bit her lip hard.
He slammed the ledger onto the table.
The ledger slammed onto the table with a dull thud.
She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.
I paced back and forth in the room three times.
Finally, he stopped at the table, staring blankly at the candlelight.
Fifteen minutes later.
Qingwu entered the tent again, knelt on the ground, and reported in a low voice.
"Your Highness, there was indeed an overstepping of the boundary inside the tent."
She paused, then said, "I heard it clearly."
Gu Moli suddenly stood up.
He rested his hands on the edge of the table, his fingertips digging into the wood grain.
She gritted her teeth and asked, "Are you sure?"
Qingwu nodded. "Absolutely true. It spread intermittently for almost half an hour before it finally stopped."
Gu Moli closed her eyes.
I took several deep breaths to suppress the anger in my heart.
She opened her eyes and stared at Qingwu: "Don't make a sound. Just pretend you don't know anything."
Qingwu withdrew immediately.
Gu Moli stood alone inside the tent.
He stared at the flickering flame on the candle, a cold smile curling at the corner of his lips.
He muttered to himself, "Then don't blame me for being impolite."
She turned and walked to the makeup box.
Staring at his own face in the bronze mirror, he held an eyebrow pencil between his fingers.
The pen tip hovered above the brow bone, but never fell.
On the beam of the main tent.
Zhen Meili was lying on the crossbeam, measuring the thickness of the wood with a soft ruler.
He muttered to himself, "This beam isn't strong enough; it needs to be replaced with a double-layered one..."
She was halfway through taking the measurements when she caught a glimpse of the flickering candlelight inside the tent.
I glanced down out of curiosity.
He froze on the spot.
Inside the tent, Gu Moran was embracing Kim Seon-a.
The two were disheveled, with Kim Seon-a's outer robe draped loosely over the edge of the low couch.
Her hair was disheveled, and her face was buried in Gu Moran's chest.
Zhen Meili gasped.
The measuring tape slipped from my hand and almost fell.
She hurriedly grabbed the beam, pressed herself against the wood, and dared not move.
He cursed under his breath.
What... what's going on here?
The prince and the Goryeo princess...
She swallowed.
My mind is a complete mess.
I want to leave, but if I move now, I'll definitely be discovered.
If I don't leave, what if we get caught...?
She lay on the beam, her fingers gripping the wood tightly.
My fingernails dug into the cracks in the wood, making my fingertips ache.
A rustling sound came from below.
She held her breath, her eyes fixed on the wood grain on the beam.
Zhen Meili's face flushed instantly.
She buried her face in her arms, wishing she could disappear into a crack in the ground.
I wish I hadn't climbed up here.
Now we're stuck, unable to go down or leave.
We can only grit our teeth and bear it.
She closed her eyes and silently recited a mantra to distract herself.
A beam is made from three inches of nails...
I read it twice, but I still couldn't help glancing down at it.
Gu Moran raised his hand to brush aside Kim Seon-a's disheveled hair.
The movements were very gentle.
Kim Seon-a gripped his wrist, her fingertips trembling.
Zhen Meili quickly looked away.
I cursed myself a hundred times in my heart.
I will never climb the roof beams at night again.
She's a dog if she climbs up again.