The empress was so dumbfounded that she couldn’t say anything for a moment. As someone who knew Yo Yohwa was a woman, she was on the verge of laughing bitterly at her daughter making such an enormous lie without even blinking.

Then, seeing her daughter still clutching her belly, the empress’s anger rose and she lashed out.

“You’ve truly gone mad! There are lies you can tell with tact, and lies you absolutely must not tell! How dare you tell such a lie in front of your mother?!”

The 9th princess shouted back, even more angered by her mother’s words.

“Why do you think it’s a lie? What do you know, Mother?”

The empress was so furious that she couldn’t even bear to look at her daughter’s face.

“Where on earth did you inherit that stubbornness from? All your sisters are outstanding and intelligent, why are you alone stupid and stubborn! Please, try to be even a fraction of your sisters!”

The 9th princess bit her lip and glared at the empress before abruptly turning and running out.

“That, that child!”

The empress trembled her lips before sitting down and holding her head.

Go Sanggung, seeing the 9th princess leave, brought some ash-gray tea good for calming the mind and handed it over.

“Please drink this and calm down, Your Majesty.”

The empress took the teacup but couldn’t easily subdue her agitation and breathed heavily for a while. After a long time, the empress closed her eyes tightly and said.

“The princess lied that she was with child. She should at least tell a believable lie.”

“My. She must be very fond of Official Yo.”

“Sigh. I don’t know who the princess takes after. No one in my family has such a temperament.”

“Official Yo truly has a saintly demeanor. Even those who aren’t like that easily get excited over their first love.”

“She was easily excited even before falling in first love.”

Go Sanggung tried to speak kindly to comfort her, but in fact, she also knew that the 9th princess’s temperament had always been that way, so she couldn’t argue further and just smiled awkwardly.

Then, seeing that the empress’s head seemed to hurt a lot as she put down the teacup without drinking, Go Sanggung spoke kindly again.

“Don’t worry. Although the 9th princess is a bit hasty in temperament, isn’t she still intelligent? Your Majesty is her birth mother, so she says this and that in front of you. She won’t say such things outside.”

At Go Sanggung’s comfort, the empress barely managed to nod.

It was about three days after the marriage talks had begun.

Once formal marriage talks begin, the entire capital of Hwa-eum will surely be abuzz. But since things haven’t officially progressed yet, only a few related people were talking about this.

But since I didn’t know when official marriage talks would begin, I was nervous every morning when I woke up.

Still, I had to continue my work as a foreign instructor, so I dressed well as usual and entered the palace.

But it was when I had almost arrived near Wolmugung. A familiar eunuch standing by the road approached and spoke to me.

“Official Yo, how are you?”

“Yes.”

As I awkwardly returned the greeting, I saw it was Song Taegam, a close eunuch of the emperor.

“Eunuch Song.”

I smiled awkwardly while belatedly acknowledging him. This person had come to our house a few days ago with a shocking marriage proposal.

But why is he suddenly talking to me? Is this the emperor’s intention to officially proceed with the marriage talks now?

My tongue felt itchy from nervousness. My heart was pounding. Still, trying to appear calm, I asked Eunuch Song.

“What brings you here, Eunuch? Are you perhaps going to Wolmugung?”

To my question, Eunuch Song smiled subtly and replied.

“No. I was waiting here to see Official Yo.”

Is he really going to talk about the marriage? But why directly to me? Why not talk to my parents?

As I stared at Eunuch Song in bewilderment, he gestured towards the main road and suggested.

“His Majesty has summoned Official Yo. Let’s go this way.”

Classes are about to start soon and the 13th prince will be waiting for me, but that doesn’t matter in front of the emperor. I had no choice but to follow Eunuch Song.

The place Eunuch Song guided me to was, of course, Taejikjeon, the emperor’s personal study and office in the side palace.

Standing in front of the huge palace building, my heart pounded even more fiercely. No, surely it’s not a one-on-one audience with His Majesty?

Although I had taken office, I was not yet of high rank to have such private audiences with the emperor.

I had only seen him a few times from afar or in group audiences. The closest I’d seen him was at the hunting competition, but to suddenly be summoned to Taejikjeon.

“Your Majesty. Official Yo has arrived.”

Meanwhile, Eunuch Song unhesitatingly announced inside the door, and soon a small voice was heard.

“Let him enter.”

Eunuch Song smiled and spoke, and now there was no choice.

I nodded and went inside.

After passing through several doors, the figure of the emperor sitting in front of a desk too large for one person to use alone was revealed.

The emperor, whose face showed where the 13th prince’s handsome features came from, was looking down with a dignified attitude.

“I greet Your Majesty.”

Recalling the brief training I received before becoming a foreign instructor, I paid my respects at an appropriate distance.

Then, just as I was slowly about to rise, I felt something flying towards me quickly.

Startled, I reflexively caught it and looked down to see it was a paperweight.

Not a stone… paperweight. Not a metal paperweight either. Fortunately, it was a somewhat soft paperweight. But why did he throw this?

I stared blankly at the paperweight and then turned to look at the emperor again. The emperor was shaking his chin with an exasperated expression.

Only then did I realize. He threw it at me!

As soon as I realized this, I hurriedly bowed my head and apologized.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. It’s my first time receiving a paperweight with my head, so I made a mistake.”

To be precise, I never imagined the emperor would suddenly throw a paperweight. Do other ministers all work with their heads hit by paperweights?

Anyway, feeling like I was really screwed, I stayed hunched over like that when I heard the emperor let out a laugh.

Soon the emperor instructed in a deflated voice.

“Enough. Raise your head.”

He tells me to raise my head, but he’s not going to throw an inkstone this time, is he?

I raised my head while trembling. Looking up, fortunately, the emperor wasn’t in a posture to throw anything else.

The relief was short-lived. Soon I became curious why he suddenly summoned me and threw a paperweight.

He decided to marry me to the 13th prince, but now that he’s actually trying to do it, does he find it a shame?

Anyway, once we two get married, people will gossip from all directions, won’t they?

“Foreign Instructor Yo. The 9th princess came to me with an incredible story. She said she was with your child. Foreign Instructor. Do you have any idea about this?”

However, the emperor’s words were even more august and frightening than the thundering “I told you to teach my son, not seduce him!”

I gaped at the emperor blankly before hurriedly pressing my head to the floor and cried out.

“Your Majesty. That is utterly, completely, absolutely impossible. This subject has no seed!”

As soon as the words ended, the emperor coughed again.

But I was too scared to raise my head, and after a while, the emperor instructed in a more deflated voice than before.

“Raise your head. Even with your talents, I know you don’t have that kind of ability.”

Relieved at those words, I raised my head to see the emperor now resting his head on his arm with his eyes half-closed.

Having no idea what this was all about, I waited quietly, and after a long while, the emperor sighed and said.

“I know you don’t have such ability. But the princess insists she is with child. It seems she heard somewhere about the marriage talks between you and the 13th prince and is doing this.”

You know that well, so why did you throw a paperweight at me…?

“It would be better if she just got angry at me and the empress and ended it there. But the princess left saying she would tell everyone about this if we don’t marry her to you.”

The 9th princess was crazy before the regression and after the regression.

I stared blankly at the emperor. I now understood what happened. But I still didn’t understand what the emperor was trying to say.

Is he telling me to appease the 9th princess?

For now, I kept my mouth shut and quietly waited for the emperor to give instructions.

After another long while, the emperor finally closed his eyes, pressed his eyelids, and said.

“The 9th princess wouldn’t do this without reason. You must have done something to captivate her. Right?”

No.

“I have no idea what it could be, Your Majesty.”

“Still, something must have happened for that child to cause such a fuss.”

“…”

“Foreign Instructor Yo.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Resolve this matter unconditionally. If you cannot resolve this, I will have to reveal that you are a woman disguised as a man to protect the 9th princess’s honor.”

Why is the blame falling on me?!

“Then, since the Yo family has no direct heir, a distant relative will have to be brought in to establish an heir. I’m sorry for you and your parents, but I must protect my daughter’s reputation as a father before being a monarch. Do you understand?”

How could I understand! I’m just dumbfounded. You’re using my male disguise quite conveniently.

You tell me to marry the unwanted 13th prince because I can’t properly marry in male disguise. Now you’re threatening me to protect the 9th princess’s reputation?

How am I supposed to do what even you as her parents can’t do? It’s also difficult for me to talk to the 9th princess separately and make her change her mind.

There was so much I wanted to pour out inside, but that was it. What could I possibly say here?

“I understand.”

I could only meekly answer.

How on earth am I supposed to change the 9th princess’s feelings towards me?

The 9th princess has only properly seen me twice, so she clearly didn’t fall for my personality.

She must have fallen for me because I saved her, and the face she saw then was very handsome.

Then, if another man with similar conditions appears, it might be possible to change the 9th princess’s heart.

A real man as handsome as me who gives a good impression to the 9th princess but can actually marry.

But there’s a point to be careful about when using such a method. If I attach just any man, the emperor or empress might try to kill me.

Then I need to find a suitable son-in-law candidate that the emperor would approve of, show him to the 9th princess, and have the 9th princess like him for me to be safe.

Ah… this is difficult. Where can I find a face as handsome as mine? I’m stuck from the start.

But it was when I was walking deeply lost in thought.

“Master.”

A heavy voice was heard right in front of me, and when I looked up, my disciple was standing right in front of me.

“Your Highness.”

Surprised by this, I called out to him and looked around to find we were already on the narrow path leading to Wolmugung.

So… the 13th prince was standing on that path and almost bumped into me.

No, surely not. Were you waiting for me here?

“I’m sorry. I was thinking about something and didn’t recognize Your Highness.”

I quickly apologized to the 13th prince.

However, the 13th prince had a smile on his lips but no laughter in his eyes. He looked a bit angry.

Seeing that, I remembered that class time had long passed, so I apologized again.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. On my way to Wolmugung, I was briefly summoned by His Majesty. I ended up being late for class.”

I quickly apologized and observed the 13th prince’s expression. But now the 13th prince was looking down at me with a very strange expression.

That unidentifiable expression made me feel afraid.

‘What now. What’s your problem this time.’

But lacking the energy to ask outright, I just stared blankly when the 13th prince extended his hand towards Wolmugung, suggesting we walk together, and opened his mouth.

“My ninth elder sister came and said. That there’s my nephew in her belly. She said you were the father.”

At those incredible words, the strength left my legs and I stumbled.

But fortunately, I didn’t fall as the 13th prince immediately grabbed and pulled me.

However, I ended up too close to him.

As our eyes met, the 13th prince’s eyes curved slightly in a smile before he said in a mocking tone.

“You’ve been busy here and there. While exchanging marriage talks with this disciple, did you also accomplish the deed with my elder sister?”

“!”