A Shield Against Unwanted Eyes

What was that noise?

A succession of loud booms echoed across the lake, sounding as if something massive had plunged into the water. As I blinked through the sudden spray of droplets pattering against the roof of our vessel, a rush of footsteps crowded around us from the rear.

“Protect His Highness!”

“Form a perimeter!”

Protect?

…Wait, what?

The sudden commotion snapped me out of my daze. I pushed Prince Eighteenth away with a bit more force, then pushed myself up into a sitting position to scan our surroundings.

What on earth was happening? The guards had already converged around us, drawing their swords in unison. As the sharp, metallic ring of unsheathed steel made me flinch, Prince Eighteenth turned to reassure me.

“You have nothing to fear. Every single one of these men is skilled enough for me to entrust with my life.”

That was a relief to hear, but the tension in the air showed no signs of dissipating. When I felt Prince Eighteenth wrap an arm around my shoulder, I simply let him.

And why wouldn’t I? This was the first time I had ever encountered a crisis like this since being possessor-ing into this novel.

In fact, it was the first time I had ever experienced something like this in my entire life.

Unable to hide my shock, I held my breath to stay as quiet as possible. Just then, the head guard standing at the bow raised his voice.

“Advance any further, and you will be deemed hostile!”

“Are you alright?”

The voice answering the guard belonged to none other than Yeon Ji-oh.

It appeared his boat was drawing close to ours, prompting the royal guards to take a defensive stance.

Perhaps out of sheer exasperation, the moment I heard Yeon Ji-oh’s voice, my fear instantly vanished. I directed my gaze toward the bow where the shouting originated, but the wall of guards standing shoulder-to-shoulder blocked my view entirely.

“This is your final warning. If you approach any closer, we will not hesitate to strike!”

“We are merely seeking refuge from that sudden blast! Look over there!”

“Refuge or not, you are permitted no further proximity to this vessel!”

Despite the guard’s bloodthirsty warning, Yeon Ji-oh refused to back down even an inch—he really was something else.

Clicking my tongue softly, I began to ponder whether they truly were seeking refuge or if this was just another ploy by Yeon Ji-oh to get close. My thoughts were interrupted when Prince Eighteenth tightened his grip on my shoulder.

“Stand down. They claim to be seeking refuge, so as long as they maintain a proper distance, there is no issue.”

“But Your Highness, My Lord!”

The guard who had been shouting at Yeon Ji-oh immediately turned around at Prince Eighteenth’s command.

Since the nature of the explosion remained unclear, I completely agreed with the guard’s caution; Prince Eighteenth’s decision felt incredibly careless. However, he was the highest-ranking individual here.

“We have seen that person’s face before. If they intended to harm us, they would have made their move back then.”

“…But still.”

“I said it is fine.”

“I obey your command.”

Faced with Prince Eighteenth’s unyielding aura, the guard hesitated for a brief moment before finally sheathing his sword. At that signal, the rest of the guards followed suit and cleared the deck.

With the wall of men moving away, my blocked vision finally opened up.

“……”

Because the reaction of Prince Eighteenth’s personal guard had been so severe, I had briefly wondered if Yeon Ji-oh was pulling some sort of stunt.

But looking at them now, it didn’t seem like a trick. Every single person aboard Namgung Hwi and Yeon Ji-oh’s boat was completely drenched, looking exactly like drowned rats.

…And that included Namgung Hwi.

Yeon Ji-oh, soaking wet from head to toe, glared in our direction. Meeting his gaze, I quickly shifted my eyes toward Namgung Hwi, who was boring into me with an intensity so fierce it practically stung.

“Target locked.”

I couldn’t understand why he had been staring at me so intently lately.

No, the look he was giving me right now held a much more volatile cocktail of emotions than before.

I watched Namgung Hwi, who looked as if he was on the absolute verge of an emotional outburst.

Suddenly, my view was cut off by a sweep of white fabric.

“What are you looking at so closely?”

I looked up to find Prince Eighteenth smiling down at me with an unreadable expression. Observing his somewhat rigid smile, I decided to bring up the incident that had just occurred.

“Judging by how drenched they are, the situation must have been severe. I find it unsettling that we still don’t know the cause.”

“The men waiting at the shore will have already commenced an investigation. And besides…”

Pausing to catch his breath, Prince Eighteenth delivered a welcome piece of news.

“It seems our boating excursion must end here.”

“Yes.”

“Your safety takes precedence above all else, so let us return to the Mangeum Bureau at once.”

The moment Prince Eighteenth finished speaking, I nodded my head in agreement. With that, the awkward stiffness that had settled over his features vanished like melting snow.

“Very well. Let us head back to the bureau and have a meal together.”

“That sounds good.”

I had no objections to that.

When I nodded and looked up at Prince Eighteenth, a flush of crimson crept back onto his face.

“If there is anything specific you wish to eat, name it. I shall have it prepared immediately.”

Food, huh?

My appetite had completely evaporated after the commotion, so nothing came to mind. When I shook my head, Prince Eighteenth seemed to contemplate for a moment before nodding knowingly.

“In that case… ahem, cough! I still have plenty of wine left, so let us drink together.”

The look Prince Eighteenth gave me as he suggested more alcohol was heavily loaded with intent. Watching him, I suddenly recalled just how close he had leaned in before the explosion.

Furthermore, I remembered how he had behaved under the guise of wanting to feed me the wine directly.

…This.

Bastard?

To think he tried to take advantage of someone who was clearly intoxicated to pull a stunt like that.

Staring at him with eyes that had gone utterly cold, I immediately shook my head.

“Please just send the wine to my quarters. I believe I have had too much to drink today, so I intend to distance myself from alcohol for a while.”

“…If that is the case, I shall simply have to visit you frequently to share a cup. …Though I harbor no fondness for that particular annex, I can endure it if it means being with you, Young Master.”

What on earth was he talking about now? Did he have some sort of deep-seated grudge against my guest house?

However, the sheer solemnity on Prince Eighteenth’s face made it difficult for me to call him out on it. As I observed him closely, he turned to issue an order to his guard.

“Turn the boat around.”

“As you command.”

True to form, the guard swiftly relayed Prince Eighteenth’s instructions to the boatman. Listening quietly to the exchange, I spoke up.

“My Lord.”

“Yes?”

“Since the danger appears to have passed, there is no need to shield me so excessively.”

So, could you please move your arm?

At my request, Prince Eighteenth seemed to hesitate, but he quickly let out an awkward chuckle and actually tightened his grip around my shoulder. Needless to say, the hand blocking my view didn’t budge an inch.

“I treasure you far too much to allow others to look upon your face.”

“……”

“Therefore, I wish to keep you hidden like this until we dock.”

I was too dumbfounded to offer a response, but then I noticed Prince Eighteenth’s gaze darting toward the distance before returning to me.

In that split second, I realized exactly why he was spouting this nonsense.

“If it truly causes you discomfort, Young Master, I shall lower my hand immediately. However, I ask that you consider my feelings as well.”

“Please lower it once we are further away from that boat.”

In the midst of Prince Eighteenth’s sudden antics, I had momentarily forgotten who was on the opposite vessel. Perhaps because I remembered Namgung Hwi—who, along with Yeon Ji-oh, was still sending those unbearably heavy stares—this human shield suddenly felt quite welcome.

“Very well. I shall lower my hand once my mind is at ease.”

dishonesty.

“Yes.”

As I nodded, a tender smile graced Prince Eighteenth’s face. Anyone could see he was entirely misinterpreting my compliance, but this was a misunderstanding I could easily correct once we were safely away from the lake.

We remained in that guarded position for a while until Prince Eighteenth glanced over his shoulder and finally lowered the hand blocking my face.

“Haa.”

Simply having my vision restored felt like a breath of fresh air. I instinctively let out a sound resembling a sigh of relief, drawing a smile from Prince Eighteenth as he watched me.

“It must have been very suffocating for you.”

“…I cannot deny that.”

Hearing my response, Prince Eighteenth’s expression turned solemn. He fell into deep thought for a brief moment before locking eyes with me once more.

“If you find it disappointing to return straight to the bureau, shall we explore the marketplace for a short while?”

Had he already forgotten the bizarre incident that just occurred? We didn’t even know what had caused the explosion or who the culprit was.

I opened my mouth to tell him that I was fine and that we should just go back, but Prince Eighteenth, having already made up his mind, smiled and nodded vigorously.

“Yes, I had a place I needed to stop by anyway. We shall make a brief stop there before returning.”

“My Lord, however…”

“I shall move tomorrow’s schedule forward, so let us proceed there. We may not know who launched the attack, but it is wiser to move before they can regroup.”

“…As you command.”

Even the guards, whom I expected to vehemently oppose the idea, stepped back without further protest. Left with no choice, I called out to him.

“My Lord.”

“Yes, I am listening.”

“Your words are always wise, but I worry that this is far too dangerous.”

“Are you worrying about me right now?”

“Yes.”

If anything happened to Prince Eighteenth, the political fallout would undoubtedly rain down upon the entire Mangeum Bureau. If there was one thing I could never tolerate, it was my family suffering any harm.

When I gave a prompt nod, a whirlwind of unreadable emotions flashed across Prince Eighteenth’s face before settling. Finally, he spoke.

“…I did not realize you cared for me to this extent.”

An overwhelming wave of joy began to radiate from him. Fearing that leaving him to his own devices would result in him spiraling into some absurd romantic delusion, I quickly brought my hands together in a respectful fist salute.

“If an untoward incident were to befall Your Highness in Hefei, it would bring immense grief not just to me, but to everyone.”

“Yes, I understand your heart completely.”

You clearly don’t understand it at all.

For some reason, his voice sounded significantly lighter than a moment ago. I opened my mouth to correct his assumptions once more—or rather, I tried to.

“Since I cannot ignore your concerns, Young Master, please wait inside the carriage while I quickly tend to this matter. Will you wait for me there for just a short moment?”

“…Are you truly going to stay there for only a brief moment?”

“I promise you.”

Nodding his head, Prince Eighteenth looked at me with eyes that didn’t waver in the slightest.

Recalling the brief strategic exchange between him and his guard earlier, I finally nodded my head.

“If that is your will, My Lord, I shall follow it.”

He seemed entirely set on going, so pushing the matter any further would only waste my breath. The moment I conceded, Prince Eighteenth let out a sigh.

“…My word, we haven’t even gone far, yet we have already reached the shore.”

“Ah.”

It felt like mere moments since my vision had been restored, and yet we were already pulling into the dock.

While it was a bit abrupt, looking at it differently, it was the perfect opportunity to escape this awkward situation.

The boat gradually lost speed before coming to a complete halt at the pier. As I watched the crew secure the vessel, Prince Eighteenth stood up and offered me his hand.

“Take my hand.”

The moment I took his hand and stood up, Prince Eighteenth naturally wrapped an arm around my waist to support me.

“Let us disembark.”

“Yes.”

As we stepped off the boat together, the royal guards moved swiftly, lining both sides of our path to form a secure corridor. I briefly cast my eyes back toward the water, catching sight of the other boat still floating in the distance before finally tearing my gaze away.

“……”

Running into those two every single time I stepped outside was getting truly ridiculous.

It was almost as if the universe was insisting that the twisted strings connecting me to those two men hadn’t been fully severed yet.

Shaken by a sudden, inexplicable chill, I firmly turned my back on the lake, letting Prince Eighteenth escort me away.