Chapter Text
Wan sat at the edge of their wide bed, scrolling through the last few charity documents from the Foundation he had established after abolishing the monarchy. The papers barely held his attention.
Across the room, Hui ju sat reviewing new product lines for Castle Beauty. Her hair was still damp from the shower, and her silk robe had slipped off one shoulder, revealing smooth skin where his gaze lingered without shame. Three years of marriage, and he remained utterly smitten. He could spend entire evenings simply watching her, whether she was venting about work frustrations or quietly enjoying dinner prepared by their small household staff. She was his favorite distraction. His favorite everything.
That afternoon, Choi Hyun had dropped by as he often did now, simply as a friend. He brought takeout from their favorite spot and lingered over coffee. His comments about their childless marriage had been blunt and obtrusive as usual, laced with that familiar mix of concern and teasing that skirted too close to questioning Wan's virility. Court Lady Choi had been no better. She had arrived earlier in the week with the new smart mattress as a gift and fussed over its features with pointed remarks about building a proper family foundation.
Wan tried not to dwell on their meddling. He and Hui ju had chosen this life together. They had no children by choice, and they were happy exactly as they were, enjoying each other's company without the old weight of royal expectations.
Yet Wan had always been an overachiever at heart. Once the idea took root, it refused to leave. Everyone around them seemed to be expanding their families, and lately he could not stop imagining it: a baby that carried pieces of them both. Hui ju’s smile, his eyes. The thought made his chest ache with quiet yearning. Most of all, he wanted to see her glowing with that new chapter if she ever wished for it. Still, he would never force the subject. Their bond came first. Always.
He eased into the topic gently throughout the evening. While their staff cleared the dinner table, he mentioned casually how one of their former palace employees had brought an infant to a recent foundation event. “The little one watched you so intently. You have a natural calm with them.” Hui ju had raised an eyebrow but smiled, letting the comment pass.
Later, as they settled into the mattress that adjusted smoothly beneath them with a quiet hum, Wan traced lazy patterns along her arm. “Court Lady Choi chose well with this. It feels different. More supportive somehow.”
Hui ju turned toward him, her eyes curious in the low light. “You have been in an odd mood since this afternoon. What is on your mind, Wan?”
He pulled her closer until their bodies aligned under the soft sheets. His hand settled at the curve of her waist. “Nothing urgent. I have simply been thinking about us. About how good these three years have felt. Watching you lead Castle Beauty again. Coming home to you every night. Stealing moments like this even when I should be focused on paperwork.” He kissed her slowly, savoring the way she melted against him. “I love what we have. Just the two of us. I could spend every free hour like this, making love to my brilliant wife, and never grow tired of it.”
She laughed softly against his lips. “Flatterer.”
Wan smiled but continued, his voice dropping lower. “I want to be honest with you, jagi.”
Hui ju looked up at him with hazy, unfocused eyes, still reeling from the kiss. The seriousness in his tone made her focus sharpen as she searched his face.
He brushed a strand of damp hair from her cheek, his thumb lingering on her skin. “Lately I catch myself wondering what it might be like if we chose more. A child. Our child. I know it is not something we planned, and I am not asking for any decision tonight. If you never want that, I will be perfectly content gazing at you for the rest of our lives… but the thought of you carrying our baby, of building something new together after everything we survived, it stays with me.”
Hui ju’s fingers traced the line of his jaw, her touch warm and thoughtful. “You have really been carrying this around all day.”
“Longer than that,” he admitted with a small smile. “I catch myself watching you and wondering what our child might inherit from you. Your strength. Your sharp mind. That beautiful way you light up when something matters to you.” He leaned down, kissing the corner of her mouth, then her neck. “But only if it adds to your happiness. Not at the cost of it. You come first. Always.”
Hui ju pulled him down into a deeper kiss, her legs shifting to wrap around him. “It is not something I have ruled out,” she whispered, her breath warm against his ear. “Hearing you say it like this makes it feel possible. Less frightening.”
Wan kissed her deeper, letting desire build between them. Their bodies moved with practiced intimacy, familiar heat now threaded with quiet new hopes. Hands explored skin they knew by heart yet still craved endlessly. When they finally settled, tangled and sated, Wan held her against his chest, pressing soft kisses to her hair.
“No decisions tonight,” he murmured. “Just know I am here. Ready when you are. Or content forever if it stays just us.”
Hui ju nestled closer, her voice sleepy and warm. “I love you, Wan.”
He pressed a tender kiss to her temple, whispering “I love you” in return, and watched her long lashes flutter as she drifted into sleep.
They lay like that, limbs intertwined in the gifted smart bed, hearts open and steady in the life they had chosen together.