Your Highness

HUNDRED AND TWENTYSEVEN

When Han returned to his chamber only Hayoon was present. A moment ago a servant came and informed him that the empress was seeking his audience and that it somehow appeared to be urgent.

"Your highness," Hayoon greeted him. In the presence of the other servants formality was needed even if it was just an act. When they were only two, Hayoon rarely referred him with his title. For some reason, Han didn't like it when Hayoon addressed him by his title.

"You may leave us," Han waved his hand and sent the servants out.

"Wait-" Hayoon halted the servants in closing the door. She ordered the maids to come with a towel. Han's hair wasn't dried properly, judging from the way he had it tied up in a loose bun. Han usually didn't tie his hair, but used to let it fall. It seemed like he was in a rush to come here.

The maids brought the towel and immediately left as the prince had instructed. Hayoon took the towel, she removed the silver hairpin that was holding the side of his hair in a tight bun, and softly rubbed the towel against Han's silk-like hair. Han's upper body was quite longer than Hayoon's so she had to stand up in order to dry it properly.

"Is something wrong?" Hayoon asked while doing her work.

"What?" Han replied, surprising he sounded somewhat annoyed.

"You've been looking quite uncomfortable since you returned."

"I'm not."

"Judging from the wet strands of hair, it looks like the servants wasn't given enough time dry it."

This time Han didn't answer.

"Indeed, it is only natural that you would be angry after rushing back to find your guest gone,"

Hayoon switched her position and went to his right to dry the other part.

Hayoon stopped and looker down as Han suddenly grabbed her wrist.

"Hm?"

He took the towel from Hayoon's hand and pulled her to sit on the bed next to him. His expression remained the same, tensed and a stern.

"How could you meet the empress alone?"

"What's with the serious face," Hayoon awkwardly smiled, trying to lift the mood but it didn't work.

"I wasn't alone," she added.

Han knew Hayoon was referring to the shadow guards and it was to no doubt that she wasn't pleased with the fact that she had to have them around from the way she spoke. But Han could careless at this moment. How could she meet the empress? And on top of that when he had asked her so many times to not do it.

"Don't meet the empress without me," Han said every word clear and slow.

The anger inside him awakened. The moment he followed the empress to the forest in the morning and caught her red handed in attempt to hurt Hayoon.

The empress said it herself. That she wanted to hurt the person Han was trying so desperately to protect. If Han hadn't show up, who knows what she could do.

Hayoon probably knew that the empress wasn't fond of her, but she didn't know that the empress attempted to kill her this morning, since Han didn't tell her. And he had no plans to do it.

"Don't meet the empress without me, even if you have the shadow guards,"

They were leaving the palace tomorrow anyway, there was hardly a chance for Hayoon to meet the empress privately again. Besides, if Han was so against the idea, then there was no point in doing it, but Hayoon couldn't help but ask.