What Makes a Man Break?

Yeonho shoved her away with sudden force, staggering a step back as though he’d been burned. “Your Highness!” he barked, a hint of tremble in his voice despite his effort to steady it. His heart thundered. He’d thought her misunderstood—impulsive, perhaps, but noble in intent. He hadn’t expected this.

Was it the wine that emboldened her… was she always this… reckless?

Vaani wiped her lips with the back of her hand, her smirk unshaken. “You refuse to be loyal to me,” she said coldly, “even though you’ve been assigned to serve me. All because of your so-called allegiance to someone who clearly wants to see me hurt?”

“I only serve the crown,” Yeonho snapped, fists tightening at his sides. He kept his gaze rooted to the ground, resisting the urge to look at her—at the flush in her cheeks, the glint in her eyes. “And you’re mistaken–”

“Mistaken indeed!” Vaani said, cutting him short. “ I did mistake you for a man of character,” she sneered. “Turns out, you’re no better than the others. A g