No one spoke, and although I wished fervently for it to continue, I didn't like these silent moments, and I always felt responsible for breaking them. I started talking about tea and biscuits, the color of the room, and all the things in front of me, and he responded with superficial replies or nodded his head. I grew tired of these conversations, and finally, he understood... He justified his presence by saying, "I'm sorry for coming at this late hour. I left my mother's palace. I think I lost my way." I smiled inwardly, knowing that his mother's palace was very far away and that he had never lost his way. But I felt that I understood the reason for his presence.

"This happens often, as the palace is frighteningly big. You can always come whenever you want." His justification brought me a lot of comfort, and I felt a sense of closeness... It seemed that both of us were living in the same situation, and I wasn't alone, like a wounded bird hiding under fallen leaves. I was sure that the Crown Prince's mother would not miss an opportunity to humiliate him, and Achil would not miss an opportunity to exploit this situation to undermine his mother... So I was afraid of being the awaited exception, finding himself free to sleep with me without fear of threatening his brother. But now he seemed like a young man who just wanted to have tea.

Silence visited us again, but it didn't last long. As Achil spoke in a very low voice, as if he didn't want to continue the conversation, "What are you reading?" He wanted to start a conversation with shyness, which made him appear endearing. "Oh, that? Yes, it's a novel," I said eagerly, grasping at the lifeline of this deafening silence. "It's a novel about a girl who takes the goats out to graze with her little brother, but as soon as she turns around, she loses all the goats. She told her brother to stay there and went in search of the goats, but she lost her brother too. The girl searched for her brother, but she couldn't find him anywhere. She returned home with the goats and found that time had taken her father away, and her little brother seemed older than her. The girl couldn't believe what had happened, so she entered the house in silence amidst her brother's tears. In front of the mirror, she looked at the old woman with gray hair filling her head. She looked back at the goats and found a young boy following her, talking to her brother, 'That old witch took our goats!' while her brother apologized to him."

Stolen story; please report.

I stopped talking and looked at Achil, who seemed to be waiting for the end of "this ending." He drank his tea, then whispered quietly and shyly, "It's a boring story." I laughed and said, "Indeed, it's comforting that you didn't like it! I thought this was the taste of the people of Hayan because it's the only story I found." Then I continued nostalgically, "Carmine people love stories very much. This is a good one, but I love exciting and entertaining stories. Usually, we gather together on cold nights around the fire and tell funny and scary stories. And sometimes, women gather alone and tell enjoyable stories. Carmine people enjoy love and happiness."

Achil seemed curious about this life more than the lost girl. He spoke audibly for the first time: "It sounds like an enjoyable life, but I don't think the people of Hayan love stories, neither good ones nor entertaining ones. People here only think about positions and wars. Women look for stronger men, and men look for more women." Then he added sarcastically, "Although I don't know if that applies to the whole people of Hayan, the palace is definitely a harsh place."

While he was talking, he looked like a swan, beautifully angelic. He truly seemed like a young man in his twenties, with smooth skin and symmetrical features—like the gentle breeze in a blooming spring.

Hours passed, and dawn began to knock on the doors while sleep whispered to both of them. Yuan couldn't bear it, so she took her bed and lightly tapped the white bed beneath her. "The servants will come soon." He understood and approached to her, lying down close to each other shyly. The shyness didn't last long; sleep stole them before they could think.