Chapter 39.1

Chapter 39.1

“Because of me?”

Ara asked back, her eyes wide with surprise.

“Yes. That’s why there was such a commotion…”

“Baekmok.”

A low voice drifted in from across the room, over the desks that separated them. Though it was merely the sound of her name being called, it carried an unmistakable weight of reproach.

“I can hear everything.”

Baekmok, who had glanced over her shoulder at Seok-kyung’s comment, suddenly furrowed her brows deeply.

“You didn’t realize?”

How would I know if no one tells me?

Ara swallowed those words and instead pressed her lips together tightly, blinking in silence. Her uneasy gaze flitted between Baekmok, sitting opposite her, and Seok-kyung, seated farther away.

“You might as well ruin a perfectly cooked meal…”

Baekmok let out a heavy sigh and rose from her seat. Extending a hand toward Ara, she motioned decisively.

Ara stared at her, puzzled, before realizing what the gesture meant and standing up abruptly. After a brief hesitation, she placed her hand in Baekmok’s outstretched one. Baekmok flashed a wry smile, gently pulling Ara forward as they approached Seok-kyung.

“Your Highness, would it be all right if I took Ara to the dining hall? Breakfast service is about to begin.”

Though phrased as a request, Baekmok’s tone suggested she wasn’t particularly seeking permission.

“Surely you wouldn’t want to be labeled a discourteous tyrant who fails to extend even basic hospitality to a guest?”

With a quiet sigh, Seok-kyung lowered the memorial he had been reading, his gaze briefly flicking over them.

“Of course, a guest should be offered breakfast. But couldn’t any other goblin handle such a task?”

“They certainly could. But wouldn’t it be possible that Ara specifically wishes for me to guide her around the palace?”

Baekmok shrugged it off like it was nothing and tilted her head toward Ara.

“What do you think, Ara?”

It was one of those questions where the answer was already obvious.

Ara glanced between Baekmok and Seok-kyung, her mind racing. After a short pause, she made her choice.

“Hmm… sure. I’d like to have breakfast with Baekmok. She’s super nice, and I bet she’d make a great guide around the palace.”

“You didn’t realize?”

After hearing a comment like that, how could she not want to know what happened next?

Ara decided to roll with Baekmok’s little game and flashed a cheeky grin.

Seok-kyung, as expected, clicked his tongue in annoyance. His fingers brushed his temple like he was trying to massage away the irritation.

“Don’t go spreading nonsense.”

“Of course not. Only the truth, I swear.” Baekmok said it with a sly smile, emphasizing truth in a way that made it sound anything but.

“Shall we?”

Ara followed Baekmok as she casually led the way to the exit.

“But what about Seok-kyung? Isn’t he eating?”

She stopped after only a few steps, throwing a look over her shoulder.

“I’m good. Got stuff to do.”

“Still… you should eat something. It’s not healthy to work on an empty stomach.”

“I told you, goblins don’t need to eat and sleep like humans. It’s not that big a deal.”

“Well, maybe not, but…”

Why did she feel like a mother duckling constantly looking over her shoulder at a wayward chick?

Ara hesitated, caught up in an odd sense of guilt. Sure, if she stayed with Seok-kyung, she’d never get Baekmok to spill whatever juicy details were left, but ditching him in his mountain of work felt… off.

Seok-kyung noticed her hesitation and leaned back in his chair, smirking in that way he always did when he thought he had her figured out.

“What’s wrong? Worried about me so much you can’t walk away?”

Seok-kyung’s dark eyes gleamed with mischief, now fully alight with amusement.

“Me? Worried about you, Kim Seok-kyung?”

“Yeah. You, Na Ara. About me.”

Ara knew exactly what he was doing. This was payback—a calculated jab because she’d dared to ask if she’d worried about him.

“Oh, come on. Why would I? You’re not some helpless kid, and it’s not like skipping one meal is going to kill you.”

Even as her brain screamed at her to stop, her mouth kept moving.

“It’s just… my grandma always used to say, you know? People—well, okay, you’re not people exactly—but still, if you skip meals and throw yourself into work, you’ll end up sick.”

Seok-kyung didn’t argue.

He just held her gaze, his lazy smirk practically daring her to keep talking.

“…if that’s what you want,” she grumbled at last, her face twisting into a pout.

Pfft.

A soft laugh slipped out from behind her, and Ara whipped around to find Baekmok hastily rearranging her expression into something neutral. The faint quiver at the corner of her tightly pressed lips gave her away, though, before her practiced businesslike smile could fully take over.

“Stop overthinking and just go,” Seok-kyung said, mercifully deciding not to push her any further.

“For the record, Baekmok’s right. The palace chef is almost as skilled as you are, Na Ara.”

And with that, he picked up the document he’d momentarily set aside, his body language closing the door on any further conversation.

“Fine, I’m going.”

Ara narrowed her eyes at him. The infamous Kim Seok-kyung, giving up the chance to tease her more? Just like that?

She gave him a quick nod, though her mind was racing.

Almost as skilled as me? Wait… was that a compliment?