49 Times Left, Master! (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 10
My disciple’s voice was no different from pouring cold water over my head. My back instinctively hunched.
I forced myself to hide that expression and turned around—there stood my disciple, gripping the reins of a horse. The horse whose reins he held was the very one I had ridden.
My heart sank, yet I pretended ignorance and greeted my disciple.
“You caught my horse for me, Your Highness? Thank you.”
My disciple made no reply and instead turned his gaze toward the Ninth Hwang Nyeo.
“Why are you with my master, elder sister?”
Oh dear. Good heavens. This is bad. Suspicion was already clear on my disciple’s face.
In my previous life, I should have been trailing after the Third Hwang Ja, yet here I am with the Ninth Hwang Nyeo—he’s bound to find it strange.
“My master saved me.”
Unaware of my circumstances, the Ninth Hwang Nyeo spoke frankly without concealment.
She looked at me with eyes full of trust and even went so far as to praise me:
“I’d already heard of Yo I Guk Sa’s talent and scholarly knowledge. But today, I see Yo I Guk Sa’s horsemanship rivals even that of the top martial graduates.” (Yo I Guk Sa: tutor to imperial grandchildren)
Oh no, Your Highness Ninth Hwang Nyeo, please take a look at my disciple’s expression! He’s staring at me as if he’s caught me red-handed…
“I see. So my master’s horsemanship is as exceptional as your scholarly prowess. I had no idea, elder sister.”
Would handing in my resignation right now increase my chances of survival? It feels like it might.
But the Hwang Hu herself appointed me as the Thirteenth Hwang Ja’s tutor—can I really resign already?
Probably not. If I did, the Hwang Hu would surely take her anger out on our Yo clan.
Damn it. What should I do?
[This is the timeline separator]“I never expected my master to be with you, elder sister.”
After the tournament had nearly ended, while I watched the laborers clean up and tried to calm my own racing heart, a pointed remark reached me from behind.
I stiffly forced my uncooperative head to turn—and sure enough, my disciple was slowly approaching me.
“It was just a chance encounter.”
At the sight of him, my barely suppressed heart leapt out again and began racing wildly through my body.
To hide my trembling hands, I quietly slipped them behind my back.
But my disciple, sharp-eyed as ever, noticed immediately. He reached out and pulled my hand toward himself.
Seeing my hands shake uncontrollably, his eyebrows shot up.
“Why are you trembling so?”
Because I’m scared of you.
“I—I was just gripping the reins too tightly.”
I quickly made up an excuse. I thought he might not believe me, but fortunately, he seemed convinced.
Not only that—he clicked his tongue and began gently massaging my hand himself.
I was so shocked I nearly fainted, but my disciple continued acting as if nothing were unusual.
In fact, he was rather good at it. His large, warm hands kneaded mine so thoroughly that I almost blurted out, “Ah, that feels so good.”
Of course, I didn’t actually say it aloud.
Dazed, I stared at our intertwined hands.
After a few breaths, my disciple glanced down at my hand and casually asked,
“I assumed my master would be with my third elder brother.”
“Huh? No, I was just wandering alone, Your Highness.”
“…”
“Why would you think that…?”
“Because Master always follows my third elder brother.”
“But I don’t.”
“It’s true.”
My disciple released my hand with an indifferent tone.
I quickly pulled my hand back—surely it was still trembling.
But to my surprise, once I retrieved it, my hand had truly stopped shaking.
What? So it really was from gripping the reins too tightly?
[This is the timeline separator]“Sister, did you go horseback riding with Seon An again today? Were you two clinging together at the hunt again?!”
“The hunt today was for imperial family and close relatives—I was invited as a tutor, so Seon An wasn’t there, little sister.”
“Liar!”
“He hasn’t passed the civil service exam yet, so he wasn’t even invited to such an event.”
The moment I got home, my damn little sister came running and dragged me from a world of dread back into reality.
It’s incredibly irritating, but what can I do? I can’t just throw her out.
I’ll just consider my sister a complete package—both helpful and troublesome.
“Sister, Seon An—”
Too tired to answer, I locked the door the moment I entered my room, sat at my desk, and took out my writing tools.
This isn’t the time to argue with my sister. I need to figure out how to secure my own safety.
Let’s see… First, the Ninth Hwang Nyeo.
In my past life, we were distant. But after today’s incident, she seems to have developed a favorable impression of me.
The way she looked at me—those eyes were unmistakably the kind one gets when struck by love at first sight.
‘Is this alright?’
Even while playing the part of a flirt, I’ve always tried to avoid entanglements with families too powerful to handle.
After all, if a noble young lady from a prestigious house proposes a marriage alliance, it’s hard to refuse without offending them.
Besides, I probably can’t marry someone from a similar noble family anyway—I’m disguised as a man…
My parents are searching for a gentle, delicate-featured, flower-like young man to dress as a woman and marry me.
I can’t even imagine how hard they’re working to find such a suitable “flower gentleman” our clan can persuade.
Given this situation, the Ninth Hwang Nyeo taking a liking to me is absolutely not a good thing.
Not only is it impossible to pursue, but rejecting her would be burdensome too… Ah! No, wait.
‘I don’t need to worry about this side.’
Come to think of it—the Hwang Hu already knows I’m a woman, doesn’t she?
When I was born, the physician said my mother couldn’t bear any more children. Because of that, my father went to the Emperor and Hwang Hu and asked to raise me as a boy.
‘Though Lin Hwa was unexpectedly born later.’
Anyway, since the Hwang Hu knows I’m a woman, she’ll block any marriage request the Ninth Hwang Nyeo might make.
Alright. It’s a bit stressful, but this side should be fine.
‘Then the real problem must be my disciple.’
With his sharp mind, he’s surely suspicious that something’s off.
In my previous life, I followed the Third Hwang Ja—but now I’ve saved the Ninth Hwang Nyeo. Back then, my horsemanship was mediocre—but now I’ve even earned praise from the Ninth Hwang Nyeo…
“Damn it.”
If only the Ninth Hwang Nyeo had been angry with me—then my disciple wouldn’t suspect anything. But because things went too smoothly, he’s probably even more suspicious now.
If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve just followed the Third Hwang Ja like I did in my past life.
‘…But this time, I don’t want to go near the Third Hwang Ja.’
I sat there blankly for about the time it takes one incense stick to burn. As I took out a shortened incense stick and reached for a new one to plant in the sand, I suddenly remembered an event that happened around this time.
Right—the Sixth Hwang Ja! In my past life, when he was angry with the Thirteenth Hwang Ja, he took it out on me.
He found fault with me and slapped me across the face thirty times. My disciple surely knows about that incident too.
What if I don’t avoid that incident this time?
If I let the Sixth Hwang Ja slap me thirty times and collapse just like before, would my disciple drop his suspicions?
Fine. Just thinking about getting slapped thirty times again makes me dizzy, but it’s still better than being poisoned because of my disciple’s suspicions.
I’ll offer my cheek to the Sixth Hwang Ja!
[This is the timeline separator]Two days later. Having steeled myself to receive the Sixth Hwang Ja’s slaps, I entered Wolmugung.
I remembered it hurting unbearably when struck, and my face swelling so badly afterward that I looked dreadful for days—but it’s fine. There were no lasting effects, right?
Better to roll through a dung field than lose this life. If getting slapped thirty times clears my disciple’s doubts, I’ll take it.
‘Now that I think of it, that incident also influenced my decision to distance myself from the Thirteenth Hwang Ja in my past life. It was the Sixth Hwang Ja who hit me, but he did it because he hated the Thirteenth Hwang Ja.’
I recall excitedly complaining to Seon An that if I stayed near the Thirteenth Hwang Ja, I’d be buried alive with him.
“Where are you going?”
Lost in memories of the past, I must have walked too far without realizing.
Hearing my disciple call out, I snapped back to my senses and turned around.
My disciple was leaning crookedly against the doorframe of his study, staring at me.
I should’ve entered the study, but instead I’d kept walking absentmindedly—so he must have watched and called out.
“I was lost in thought. My apologies, Your Highness.”
I quickly apologized and approached my disciple.
I worried he might ask, “What were you thinking about that made you so absentminded?”—but he said nothing, as if uninterested in me.
We entered the study where lessons were given, and I carefully taught my disciple without revealing the scholarly knowledge I’d had in my previous life.
How much time passed like this?
“Let’s stop here for today.”
Feeling it was time to wrap up, I closed my book first. My disciple didn’t object and closed his as well.
Just then, an urgent voice came from outside.
Even from a distance, it sounded like something about “His Highness the Sixth Hwang Ja.”
‘So the Sixth Hwang Ja has come to slap me.’
I’d already prepared myself mentally, so I felt no fear—in fact, I was almost glad.
But trying not to show it, I slowly tidied up and, as if by accident, glanced toward the door and murmured,
“It’s quite noisy outside.”
My disciple’s gaze felt strange. He probably knows what’s about to happen too.
Maybe he’s watching to see how I’ll react from now on.
Almost the moment I gathered my things and stood up, my disciple’s eunuch entered the room and announced,
“Your Highness, His Highness the Sixth Hwang Ja has arrived.”
The eunuch glanced at me and added,
“He wishes to see Yo Dae In.”
My disciple rose leisurely and asked me,
“Will you meet him, Master?”
His eyes were testing me—trying to determine whether I was an ordinary tutor with no memory of reincarnation.
“Of course I must meet him—His Highness has come all this way.”
I replied calmly and casually, as if completely unaware of what was about to unfold.
Then I stepped outside—and my disciple followed right behind me. It was exactly the same situation as in my past life.
‘But why did the Sixth Hwang Ja slap me again?’
I remember he was angry because of my disciple and seized on some pretext—but what exactly was that pretext?
Well, does it even matter? I’ll just let events carry me along as they come.
Still, now that I’d actually stepped into the garden and faced the Sixth Hwang Ja, I grew curious. When he came looking for me before, he wore a smiling face—but what pretext did he use then?
Wait—smiling face?
‘Did the Sixth Hwang Ja really come smiling?’
I glanced toward the Sixth Hwang Ja—and flinched.
My memory isn’t perfect, but I don’t think he came smiling.
I remember him arriving already furious and openly picking a fight.
That’s why I immediately thought, ‘He’s angry at my disciple and taking it out on me.’
‘Then why is he smiling this time?’
Before I could resolve this doubt, the Sixth Hwang Ja approached me, pulled me into an embrace, and exclaimed,
“Thank you, Yo Dae In!”
Stunned by this unexpected greeting, I froze.
“Huh?”
He didn’t come to slap me? He didn’t come to vent his anger on me? What’s he thanking me for?
While I stood bewildered, the Sixth Hwang Ja released my back and boomed cheerfully,
“If not for Yo Dae In, both my second elder brother and I would’ve been in deep trouble. Thanks to Yo Dae In saving our ninth younger sister, we’ve saved face.”
The moment I heard those words, it felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over my head.
Damn it! Right—the Sixth Hwang Ja slapped me because he was angry at the Thirteenth Hwang Ja, and he was angry at the Thirteenth Hwang Ja because of the Ninth Hwang Nyeo.
But this time, I stepped in and saved the Ninth Hwang Nyeo—so she wasn’t hurt.
Naturally, the Second and Sixth Hwang Jas weren’t scolded by the Emperor.
In other words, the incident where the Sixth Hwang Ja blamed the Thirteenth Hwang Ja and slapped me had completely vanished.
The moment this realization struck me, I felt an overwhelmingly intense gaze from behind.
It’s definitely my disciple. He’s staring at me!
Unaware of this, the Sixth Hwang Ja just laughed heartily and patted my shoulder.
“My second elder brother is also very grateful to Yo Dae In. He wanted to come together, but I came alone in case the Thirteenth might feel uncomfortable.”
No, it’s me who feels uncomfortable.
“Come visit Seonghwangung sometime. I’ll treat you very well.”
Good heavens—even the Second Hwang Ja is grateful to me?
I’m going mad. This isn’t what I wanted at all! I was trying to impress my disciple! Why am I suddenly growing closer to other princes and princesses?
‘Now he’ll be even more suspicious!’
Ex-husband Wants Reconciliation
One-line summary: Chasing the wife to the crematorium (making an effort to attract someone who has become indifferent), the female lead doesn’t look back, the second male lead takes the position.
Intro:
To repay the kindness of the older generation, Su Mu crossed into a female-dominated world and became a live-in daughter-in-law of the Yan family, single-handedly saving the Yan family from fire and water.
But her husband, Yan Jiyue, the eldest son of the Yan family, treated her with sarcasm and never showed her a good face.
It wasn’t until after Su Mu’s death that this pampered and arrogant young master shed a few fake tears and pretended to want to die for love.
This life’s kindness was enough. If there was a next life, she would definitely kick Yan Jiyue away.
Who knew that the heavens would be so kind as to allow her to be reborn, returning to the time when she had just married into the Yan family.
Su Mu glanced at the Yan eldest son, who still spoke coldly to her, and threw a divorce letter in front of him.
“Let’s divorce!”
***
Yan Jiyue never imagined that he would be reborn. He happily went to find Su Mu, wanting to make up for the mistakes he had made in his ignorant youth.
Wasn’t the reason the heavens allowed him to be reborn to let him reconcile with Su Mu?
But when he pushed open the door to Su Mu’s room, the person lying on the bed was another man.
Su Mu’s personal attendant, Xie Yi.
Yan Jiyue hated him so much that his teeth itched. In front of Su Mu, Xie Yi was a gentle and considerate whisperer of sweet nothings, but in reality, he was vicious-hearted and deliberately sabotaged their husband and wife relationship.
In the previous life, it was he who secretly hid in Su Mu’s coffin and committed suicide, stealing a step ahead of him to be buried with Su Mu.
Yan Jiyue’s eyes were filled with hatred as he cursed, “What kind of thing are you? Your background is lowly, what right do you have to occupy Su Mu?”
Xie Yi looked at the sleeping Su Mu and no longer pretended to be a whisperer of sweet nothings.
He proudly stuck out his belly, “I have the right because my belly is capable of giving the Wife-master a daughter.”
***
Yan Jiyue was consumed with jealousy. He spread rumors that Xie Yi had once been branded with the mark of a “harlot” on his chest.
But on the night Xie Yi cut off the flesh bearing that mark, Su Mu suddenly realized something was amiss.
“How did you know the exact moment I was poisoned? And why did you show up a month early?”
Xie Yi remained silent, blood from his wound soaking through his robes. His sapphire eyes brimmed with anguish – or was it just a flawless act?
Between a once-arrogant husband now seeking redemption, and a gentle soul willing to die for her – who truly held the darkest secrets? And could it be that Su Mu and Yan Jiyue weren’t the only ones given a second chance at life…?
[Reading Guide]
1. True divorce, chasing the wife to the crematorium, the female lead doesn’t look back, the male lead is Xie Yi.
2. The ex-husband did not cheat, he just realized too late and didn’t realize that he liked the female lead.
_____
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This is truly just very frustrating why is the princess sooo infatuated girl have a back bone don’t ruin yourself for a man
How many chapters are replaced with that one about princess bomoon? Is it 3rd time already? 😭