**Side Chapter: “A Day Without Seonsaengnim”**

*Set in the past life, when Prince Jiwon was still a young, mischievous heir.*

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The morning sun slipped lazily through the silk curtains of the East Wing, brushing gold over Prince Jiwon's tangled sheets and tousled hair. He groaned, buried himself for another moment in his blankets, and then kicked them off like he did every morning—dramatically and with maximum chaos.

Another servant ducked just in time to avoid a flying pillow.

After a quick breakfast of rice, pickled plum, and three stolen honeycakes (he always bribed the kitchen boy for extras), Jiwon trotted off to the royal library like it was part of his routine.

Which it was.

But not for the books.

No, Prince Jiwon’s favorite hobby wasn’t reading ancient scrolls or practicing court etiquette—it was **disturbing the peace of one very serious, cold-faced scholar** who tried far too hard to pretend he wasn’t fond of the young prince.

Seungho Seonsaengnim.

The man with the sharp eyes, sharper tongue, and the patience of a saint—barely. Jiwon lived to watch him *snap*. Just a little. Just enough to wrinkle his perfect brows or mutter something under his breath before returning to his scrolls.

But when Jiwon slid open the library doors that morning, all puffed with pride and ready to sprawl across Seungho’s neat desk like an absolute menace—

He stopped short.

The seat was empty.

No neat stack of books. No ink brush gliding across parchment. No sigh of exasperation as Jiwon announced his “arrival” with something noisy, like knocking over a vase or toppling a scroll tower.

“…Huh?”

Jiwon blinked. Stepped inside. Looked around like Seungho might be hiding behind the bookshelf.

Nothing.

This was **not** part of the routine.

In a mild panic—and very much dramatic—Jiwon made a beeline back to the main palace, storming into his father's court chamber without knocking. The guards flinched. The king did not.

“Father!” Jiwon huffed, robes flaring behind him. “Where is my Seonsaengnim?!”

The king paused in the middle of sipping tea and looked at his son over the rim of his cup.

“…He’s not yours,” the king said calmly. “And I sent him on a diplomatic errand yesterday. He’ll return in a day or two.”

“A **what**?” Jiwon cried. “And you didn’t told *me*?”

“You didn’t ask,” the King said, barely hiding a chuckle behind his beard.

Jiwon pouted all the way back to his chamber. “*I’m the crown prince,*” he muttered under his breath. “He totally should’ve told me.”

The rest of the day was an **agonizing stretch of boredom**.

He tried reading a scroll. Fell asleep.

He tried sword training. Gave up halfway.

He even tried tutoring with another scholar—lasted exactly twelve minutes before declaring him *“not the same flavor of disappointment as Seungho-hyung.”*

Eventually, he ended up sprawled beneath the willow tree near the lotus pond, staring at the clouds, chewing on a rice cracker he'd stolen from the kitchen again.

“Bet he’s enjoying not being distracted by me,” he muttered to himself. “Probably reading scrolls in peace. Probably smiling. Hah. No way. That man doesn’t even know how to smile.”

Still, as the wind blew softly and rustled the pages of the half-read book beside him (something Seungho had once scolded him for never finishing), Jiwon let out a long, quiet sigh.

By midafternoon, Jiwon lay sprawled across a bench in the library, staring up at the painted ceiling, chin in hand.

He glanced toward the empty scholar’s seat again.

And sighed. Loudly.

“Tch… who’s going to nag me about posture now?” he mumbled.

He stood, wandered over to Seungho’s desk, and sat in his chair—legs swinging immaturely under the table.

He grabbed a scroll. Frowned. Put it down.

Then he leaned forward, resting his chin on his folded arms, gazing at the spot Seungho usually stood when lecturing.

“…It’s boring without you, Seonsaengnim,” he muttered.

But when he finally sat up, eyes falling on the half-finished scroll of notes Seungho had left him the day before—the one about diplomatic history he hadn’t bothered to read—he found a small side note scribbled in the corner.

Do not skip your readings. I will test you when I return.

—Ryu Seungho 

Jiwon stared at it.

And despite himself, smiled.

“…Tch. I bet He would be missing me.”