The favor of the 6th Prince did not stop at words.

On the first day, he just said thank you and left, but the next day, he sent a eunuch to Wolmugung with a real invitation.

“Greetings to Lord Yo. The 6th Prince says to meet at Seonghwangung at the beginning of the hour of yu in nine days.”

“Oh, how could this……”

As I received the invitation with a flustered expression, the eunuch informed me as if boasting of a very good thing.

“The 2nd Prince will also be coming, Lord Yo. The two princes have taken a very good view of you due to the hunting competition. Congratulations.”

I know the eunuch is not at fault, but I can’t manage my expression well as I’m angry at him smiling while delivering unpleasant news.

“Thank you.”

As I forced a smile and greeted him, the eunuch bowed and disappeared with quick steps.

This thin paper feels like a thousand pounds. I sighed and put the invitation in my breast pocket.

‘Seeing how things that didn’t happen in the past are occurring favorably for me, my disciple will surely find it suspicious.’

Although I received favor from two princes, I only felt stifled inside. Because I ultimately know who the final victor is.

“You must be pleased to have gained the trust of my two elder brothers.”

Startled by the voice that suddenly popped up from behind, I turned around. My disciple had appeared without a sound and was smiling while leaning against the doorframe.

I bowed slightly and straightened up, then tried to change the subject in as nonchalant a tone as possible.

“Please come in quickly. The class time is almost up.”

“I came out because the class time was almost up but you hadn’t arrived.”

“It was my mistake. I apologize.”

“What can we do? You can’t refuse when my elder brother sends a eunuch with an invitation.”

My disciple spoke as if understanding everything, but I still couldn’t relax and hurriedly entered the study to sit at my desk.

As I was finding and opening the book we had studied until yesterday, my disciple, unlike me, leisurely walked to his seat and asked.

“Do you have time tomorrow night?”

I was so surprised while turning the pages that I almost tore the book apart.

As I stared with wide eyes, my disciple smiled warmly and said.

“This disciple hasn’t even had a proper meal with his teacher yet. I want to treat you before my elder brothers do. Aren’t you my teacher?”

Could it mean he wants to kill me in advance in case I might ally with the 2nd or 6th Prince?

Unable to answer immediately to the proposal that could only be interpreted that way, I hesitated before finally smiling and declining.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I have a prior engagement.”

“Then we can meet tonight. We can’t delay for long as flowers wither easily.”

“Flowers?”

“Winter chrysanthemums have bloomed in the rear garden. Let’s drink while flower viewing.”

Before my regression, my disciple never invited me separately to treat me before revealing his ambitions.

After revealing his ambitions, he often called me to discuss various things secretly. But when we met like that, it was mostly with others, and even when it was just the two of us, it wasn’t in an atmosphere that could be called an invitation or treat.

But now he suddenly wants to do flower viewing at night. Cold sweat runs down my spine.

Is he just going to kill me without doubting whether I’ve regressed or not? Because that’s the safest and simplest way?

No matter how much I thought about it, my disciple’s intentions didn’t seem good.

Anyway…… if my disciple comes at me like this, I have no choice but to struggle as best as I can.

“May I bring a friend, Your Highness?”

“I don’t want to invite others when a teacher and student are flower viewing.”

Why are you like this? We’re strangers too.

My expression must have faltered for a moment, as my disciple raised the corners of his mouth and asked in a teasing tone.

“Do you dislike flower viewing with me?”

Of course I do.

“I have a prior engagement.”

“You said you had a prior engagement tomorrow night too. Do you have one tonight as well? It seems you make appointments every night?”

I want to say yes even if it’s a lie to cancel the appointment. But if I do, my disciple might ask to meet during the day.

Feeling that I have to meet him once anyway, I finally answered after racking my brains as much as possible.

“I do have a prior engagement, but I can’t refuse again when Your Highness has already yielded once. I’ll ask for understanding from the person I had the appointment with, saying I have to see Your Highness.”

By letting him know that I’ll tell others I’m meeting with my disciple, he won’t try to kill me easily at night……?

If my disciple intends to follow the same path as in his previous life, this much should prevent him from killing me tomorrow night. He still has almost no power at this point.

My disciple answered lightly with a smile as if it didn’t matter.

“Do as you wish.”

[This is the timeline separator]

“Lin Hwa. Please do me a favor, sister.”

As soon as I got home, I looked for my younger sister Lin Hwa first.

Lin Hwa was displaying the strange skill of embroidering while swinging, but as soon as I appeared, she threw away the embroidery she had been working on diligently and stood up.

“What favor! Get lost!”

Our parents say Lin Hwa is a miracle sent from heaven. In my opinion, she seems more like a wild colt kicked out of heaven. Why does she get irritated just by me talking to her?

“I’m going into the palace tonight. The 13th Prince called for me.”

“Are you bragging?!”

“If I don’t come back the next day, please tell this to Sun An.”

As soon as Sun An is mentioned, peace immediately comes to Lin Hwa’s face.

That’s the reason I told Lin Hwa this story even though we don’t get along.

If I asked our parents for this favor, they would be surprised and overreact. Is your relationship with the 13th Prince bad, did something happen in the palace, why are you making such a request, and so on.

But not Lin Hwa. Lin Hwa doesn’t worry about me as much as our parents, so she won’t pry.

And yet she’s always on the lookout for a chance to meet Sun An, so if I don’t come home, she’ll set out at dawn to see him.

It’s not great that I have to rely on Lin Hwa’s help, but all things considered, she was the most suitable for this kind of request.

“But why are you suddenly making such a request? Did you fight with His Highness? If it’s dangerous, can’t you not go?”

“Why are you pretending to worry? Just finish embroidering that worm. I’m not sure if you can embroider properly with hooves though.”

“It’s a dragon! Get lost!”

[This is the timeline separator]

I hoped time would pass more slowly, but no such miracle occurred.

The dark clouds that had been creeping in finally covered the entire sky, and the sun was no longer visible.

I wore light and soft green clothes to look as weak and easy as possible. I’m not sure if this will have any effect, but.

“It seems His Highness really likes you.”

As I was preparing to leave my room, my mother spoke happily, but I couldn’t smile along.

“I hope so too, Mother. His Highness should really fall for me.”

I mumbled gloomily as I made final adjustments to my clothes.

But when I looked up, I saw my mother looking at me with a perplexed expression.

‘Oh no. Did she misunderstand?!’

“Yo Yohwa. Do you perhaps have feelings for His Highness……”

“It’s not like that! Absolutely not!”

Mother knows I’m a woman. She can’t not know. So whenever I praise a somewhat handsome man, she makes that kind of expression.

She feels sorry. Because in my position of having to live disguised as a man due to our family circumstances, I can’t marry a man I like normally.

“Yo Yohwa. If by any chance−.”

“Really, it’s not like that.”

The person I like is definitely not the 13th Prince. Rather, I dislike the 13th Prince…… I dislike and fear him.

The person I like is someone else, but I already gave up on that person before my regression for the very reason my mother is concerned about.

I don’t intend to approach that person at all in this life.

Damn. Thinking about it makes me feel dejected. My heart was already heavy at the thought of meeting the 13th Prince.

I quickly put on a smile and said brightly to my mother.

“I’ll be going now.”

[This is the timeline separator]

Wolmugung at night is even more eerie than during the day. Is it because of its master?

As soon as I crossed the threshold and entered, not a single person could be seen passing by.

No matter what, he’s still a prince. It’s too much that there isn’t even a eunuch on standby for protection.

For a very brief moment, a feeling of pity for my disciple tried to rise, but I forcibly pushed that sympathy back down.

‘That pitiful disciple grows up to kill quite a number of his siblings and ascend to the emperor’s throne. He even takes my life on his coronation day. There’s nothing to pity.’

More importantly, where is my disciple? With no one around, it’s hard to find him.

I remember hearing about the rear garden, so I passed by the study I usually enter and walked along the stone path.

It was so quiet that the sound of stepping on stones and dried leaves crumbling could be heard continuously.

‘Even the sounds are lonely.’

How long did I walk like that? Finally, my disciple comes into view.

He was standing alone in front of winter chrysanthemums that were too small for flower viewing.

That appearance was completely different from his appearance on the day of his coronation when he walked on a golden path wearing golden dragon robes.

Come to think of it, he’s something too. I regressed after dying, but my disciple regressed after successfully ascending to the emperor’s throne and achieving his revenge.

That’s also unfortunate…… Huh?

‘That’s right. Come to think of it, my disciple has regressed multiple times, hasn’t he? Why? I regressed because I died, but why did my disciple regress when he was alive? Because I killed him? But in the previous life, I died and he lived, yet he still regressed again? Ah, maybe he died right after I died?’

As I stood there in a daze at that thought, I saw my disciple’s face getting closer.

I quickly came to my senses. This isn’t the time. Let’s focus on reality for now. My disciple, who had noticed my arrival, was already approaching me.

“You’ve come.”

My disciple, who had come right in front of me, murmured while looking me up and down like examining prey.

“I thought you wouldn’t come.”

You told me to come……

“Of course I had to come when Your Highness called.”

“I’m honored that you were thinking that way.”

“Haha.”

Is he being sarcastic? As I stared at him while laughing as if reading a book, my disciple walked somewhere.

Following him, I saw a small pavilion with a drinking table set up where the winter chrysanthemums could be seen at a glance.

I was so distracted by the smaller-than-expected clump of chrysanthemums and my disciple standing too lonely in front of it that I didn’t even notice the drinking table.

But really. Not only are the chrysanthemums shabby, but the drinking table is shabby too. This isn’t even a drinking table for an ordinary prince, let alone a future emperor.

Even the drinking table I use would be more lavish than this.

Although surprised by the more modest setup than I had imagined, I sat down politely across from the prince.

But perhaps because I was wearing such fluttering clothes.

When I knelt down to sit, the hem of my clothes didn’t spread out as well as I thought. To be proper, I should sit with my clothes fully spread out.

As I was slowly spreading the hem of my clothes to the side, my disciple bent his waist slightly and helped spread out my crumpled clothes.

“!”

I stared at him with wide eyes in surprise, but my disciple calmly finished arranging my clothes and straightened up again.

He acted so nonchalantly that I, who was surprised by my disciple’s actions, seemed strange in comparison.

After staring at him stupidly for a while out of bewilderment, I finally managed to raise the corners of my mouth and conveyed my thanks.

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

But the answer that came back was even stranger than his actions.

“Teacher, do you have someone you like?”

I choked while drinking water to hide my embarrassment and coughed.

‘What is he saying?’

As I looked at him while holding my neck, my disciple was still calm even in this situation.

Is it just…… a light topic he brought up? That must be it, right? Come to think of it, I’ve had this kind of conversation with Sun An before.

Right. The topic isn’t surprising. It’s just strange that my disciple and I are having this kind of conversation.

Anyway, as soon as I realized this wasn’t a topic to be so surprised about, I quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe my mouth and smiled.

“Well……”

“How about this disciple?”

“!”