A Whisper in the Dark

(Taehyung’s POV)

The palace at night is different from the day.

During the day, the halls are filled with whispers, orders, and the constant hum of power—but at night, the walls themselves seem to breathe, heavy with secrets and the weight of lives I’m sworn to protect.

I’ve stood in these halls long enough to know their moods, the subtle shifts of shadow and light, the way danger likes to hide where eyes don’t linger. And yet… tonight, it isn’t the palace that unsettles me.

It’s him.

The prince.

I can still see the curve of his mouth in the moonlight by the lotus pond, the way his eyes caught mine just before he dismissed me. I shouldn’t think about it. I shouldn’t feel the pull, the ache that twists in my chest whenever he looks at me. But I do. And every time I tell myself it’s nothing, the memory of his hand brushing mine—or the warmth of his nearness—says otherwise.Duty is my armor. It always has been. And yet, it feels thinner around him.

I patrol the corridors as silently as ever, but my mind isn’t on the shadows tonight. It’s on the way he lingers in my thoughts, on how he trusts me without speaking it, on how dangerous that trust is—for him, and for me.

A soft noise makes me freeze. A servant? A stray cat? No. The movement is deliberate, quiet, but not practiced. Someone—or something—wants to test the palace walls again.

I move faster, a shadow flowing through the lantern-lit hall. Every step calculated, every breath measured. My hand brushes the hilt of my sword—not yet drawn. The prince is inside his chambers; I will not let him see me before it is safe.

I reach the outer door and pause, listening. My senses sharpen. A faint rustle. Then silence.I exhale slowly, relief mingled with frustration. He’s so close to danger without knowing it. And I… I am here because I chose to be. I am here because he trusts me. And still… I cannot shake the ache that comes from standing so near him, guarding him while keeping my own feelings buried.

When I finally return to his chambers, I find him leaning against the window frame, the moonlight painting his profile in silver. He hasn’t noticed me yet, and for a moment, I simply watch. He’s beautiful, yes, in a way that is royal and untouchable—but more than that, he is alive in a way that demands attention, that makes the heartbeat in my chest quicken.

“Your Highness,” I say softly.

He turns at the sound of my voice. There’s a faint smile, the kind that carries teasing and something unreadable beneath it. “Still awake?”

I nod. “I couldn’t rest. Too much to think about tonight.”He studies me, his eyes lingering longer than politeness allows. “And what, pray tell, occupies the mind of my bodyguard when the world is quiet?”

I take a step closer, careful. Closer to him, but not too close. “You, Your Highness,” I admit, my voice low.

The words hang in the air. I hadn’t meant for them to sound so… vulnerable. My own ears betray me, but I cannot take them back.

He tilts his head slightly, a small smirk playing on his lips. “I see. Dangerous thoughts for a man sworn to my protection.”

I swallow, aware of the faint heat rising in my cheeks. “Dangerous… perhaps. But duty and thought often walk the same path.”

He steps closer, and I feel the air shift. His presence is heavy, magnetic, almost suffocating in its intensity. And yet, I remain still. I cannot betray the line I’ve drawn for myself, even if every fiber of me wants to reach out.“You move with precision and silence,” he says softly, almost to himself. “But there’s something behind your eyes… something you don’t let anyone see.”

I stiffen. How much does he notice? How much does he see without me speaking? “It’s my duty to hide nothing when it matters and everything when it doesn’t,” I say evenly.

He steps closer still, until the distance between us is minimal. “And yet,” he whispers, “I feel it all the same.”

My chest tightens. That single sentence, so simple, carries weight I cannot answer. Because he does feel it—some of it, anyway. And if he can feel it, then I am exposed in ways that should be impossible.

The silence stretches. The moonlight casts our shadows on the floor, one long and thin, the other broader, but inseparably connected. And I think, for the first time in years, about what it might mean to let the walls fall down, even for a moment.A soft knock at the door pulls me back. I straighten, smoothing my expression, regaining the calm exterior that keeps my duty intact. “I should leave you to rest, Your Highness,” I say.

He doesn’t move away. Instead, he meets my gaze with a quiet intensity that makes my breath hitch. “Stay,” he murmurs.

My pulse hammers in my chest. Stay. A single word. Dangerous, magnetic. Commanding. And yet… so very human.

I hesitate, knowing that lingering even a heartbeat longer risks everything. And still… I do not step back.

Tonight, I will stand here, at the edge of propriety and desire. Tonight, I will bear the weight of my own longing in silence. And tonight, I will guard him—not just his life, but the fragile pieces of his heart that he does not show to anyone.Because even if I cannot speak the words, even if I cannot let my feelings surface fully, my oath remains. My loyalty remains. And whatever comes, I will not let him fall—not to the world, and not to the dangers that stir in the dark.

And perhaps, in the quiet of this night, I will learn that protecting him may also mean protecting the part of myself that has begun to hope.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***