Once Upon A Time in Joseon

10. Torn Allegiances

The Powers of the Crown Prince does not include to interject the King, the powers of the Crown Prince does not include going against the court. All he could do was give his advice, but what advice can the Crown Prince share to convince the court to let the evil girl live? Was there anything he could do? Will he only make the situation worse?

Nobody knew but me

Time would slip away from the Crown Prince, and when he felt he had savored enough moments, he would return to the palace, activating the time stopper once again. It was as if he had never left—his position unchanged, his duties awaiting him just like how he left them, at least that's what he thought. This secret rendezvous became a frequent escape for him, an addiction that pulled him deeper into his feelings for her. Whenever something reminded him of her—a flower in the palace garden, a melody in the air—he would stop time once more, driven to be near her.

How did he think it would all go unnoticed? How did he think the world would not recognize the prince failing them? He should have known better. For a person who is playing with time for 10 years he was careless and stupid. And he was not the one who was being punished for it all.

As the days turned into weeks, the Crown Prince's heart wrestled with conflicting emotions. He was enthralled by her beauty yet burdened by the reality of their worlds apart. Each time he gazed at her, he felt a sense of desperation growing within him, knowing that the longer he indulged in this fantasy, the more perilous it became.

But time had always been his refuge. A world where everything else stood still, where he could visit her as he pleased, observe her delicate beauty, and imagine a life far removed from his royal obligations. But now, for the first time, he stood in a room filled with people who were very much alive, and she—she was moving.

She was moving. Crying. Begging. Pleading. For no crimes for hers. For the crimes he committed. Someone who could not feel what the crown prince was feeling would think that he was escaping punishment. But oh the pain he felt. Only if it could be compared to any cuts or punches the world could puncture into his body.

The Crown Prince's heart raced as he saw her for the first time in motion, no longer a statue frozen in time. She knelt before the King, trembling, tears slipping down her cheeks. His breath caught in his throat. This was not the serene, peaceful girl he had come to admire in secret. This was someone vulnerable, terrified, and completely at the mercy of a world he could no longer control.

Everything felt wrong.

He watched her sobs shake her body, and for the first time, he wished more than anything that time would stop again. He wished he could halt it all, could freeze her in that moment of stillness where nothing could touch her—where the world, the accusations, the cruelty of his father's court, could not hurt her.

His father's voice boomed through the room. "Execute her."

The words shattered his composure.

The Crown Prince's world narrowed, his breath coming in sharp, ragged bursts. He felt a crushing weight descend upon him, a panic swelling from the pit of his stomach, spreading through his chest, squeezing his throat shut. He had always been obedient, always followed his father's commands, but now the words, the authority, the finality of execute her echoed in his mind like a death knell.

It was the first time he met the girl but imagining that the scenarios would be this drastic and tragic was too much for him.

His eyes darted to his father, then to the courtiers, to the guards—all standing tall, all looking to him as their future king, worried about him. He saw his father's cold certainty, the unwavering loyalty of those around him. But amidst it all, his mind fixated on her—her. She wasn't just another girl. She wasn't just another subject. She was more than he had ever allowed himself to admit.