The 13th Prince must have misunderstood something. It must have been a completely ridiculous misunderstanding. Why is my chastity being discussed here!

Could he think that the ‘list of handsome men’ Sun An gave me is a list of men I’m interested in?

Flustered, I quickly waved my hands.

“No. It’s not like that.”

“You said it was a letter. So it’s not a letter either.”

“That… it’s not something to be shown to others…”

It’s definitely not something to be shown to others. It’s just a list made while looking for someone to change the 9th Princess’s heart.

Normally, neither Sun An nor I would create such an absurd list for fun. But the 13th Prince’s eyes were already filled with misunderstanding. The look he gave me was full of contempt.

“How can you be so frivolous, so frivolous, so frivolous.”

“No. Really.”

“If they’re just a bit handsome, do you not care if it’s a woman or a man, teacher? Your heart is so broad.”

The 13th Prince’s sarcastic words made me feel so wronged. XX, if it was really a list I made for myself, I wouldn’t feel this wronged. This is a list for my survival…

“It’s really a misunderstanding, Your Highness.”

“Teacher.”

“Your Highness.”

“Teacher. My teacher.”

The disciple mumbled in a low voice as he came in front of me and lifted my chin to make me look at him.

When I tried to lower my eyes, the 13th Prince shook my chin lightly as if not allowing it.

Forced to raise my eyes to look at him, I could see the 13th Prince’s contemptuous expression all too clearly.

That gaze, looking as if ‘I’m annoyed, should I just kill you now?’, made me even more terrified.

I could only look at him, unable to do this or that. I wanted to say no repeatedly, but the 13th Prince’s face showed he didn’t even want to hear my voice now.

How long were we like that?

“Teacher.”

The 13th Prince said in a gentle voice something difficult to understand.

“49 left.”

“What?”

“I mean, this disciple is exercising a lot of patience right now.”

What does that have to do with 49…?

The disciple smiled coldly and let go of my chin, speaking as if to soothe me.

“Quietly. Chastely. You must behave heavily. So that this disciple doesn’t get hurt. Do you understand?”

“Your Highness, I-”

“I wonder if teacher truly loved the third elder brother.”

“!”

So this bastard knows that I loved the 3rd Prince! Before he just called him ‘a man’, but now he’s openly saying it’s the 3rd Prince.

Could he possibly know that I’m a woman too? …No. That can’t be. His attitude towards me hasn’t changed from before the regression to now.

As he mentioned the 3rd Prince’s name, my insides boiled. Although I had barely given up on him, the 3rd Prince was the one I had loved most purely and sincerely before my regression.

Even though we never ended up together, I was so angry that my disciple was mocking my feelings.

What angered me more was that I couldn’t protest here. What could I say? That I truly love the 3rd Prince, or that I loved him?

“The third elder brother is also handsome and pure. Your taste is truly excellent, teacher.”

But at the disciple’s continued sarcasm, I finally couldn’t hold back and retorted sarcastically as well.

“Of course. That’s why you ended up marrying him as his disciple.”

But as soon as I saw the disciple’s expression, I quickly prostrated myself and wailed.

“Please kill me!”

I stayed like that for a while, but there was no sound from above.

I held out as long as I could, and when I started feeling dizzy, I slightly raised my head to look.

The disciple was looking down at me with an expression of disbelief. Then, as our eyes met, he clenched his jaw and lifted me up, speaking in a strained voice.

“Anyone watching would think this disciple was threatening the teacher.”

“I apologize.”

“Don’t apologize. Just don’t do things you need to apologize for.”

“…”

“Repeat after me. Chaste.”

“Chaste.”

“Chaste.”

“Chaste.”

“Chaste.”

“Chaste.”

I don’t know what this is all about. But after I said ‘chaste’ three times, the disciple finally nodded and gestured for me to go.

Am I really allowed to go? Then what about the list?

“The list-”

Before I could finish speaking, the disciple tore up my list.

I stared blankly at the sight, then barely managed to bow and staggered out of Wolmugung.

Suddenly, I wondered if I had poisoned the 13th Prince in my previous life because he was an X bastard.

Or else, why would I have any reason to poison the 13th Prince?

Without the list, I naturally couldn’t go meet the young masters from good families with outstanding looks that Sun An had told me about.

I remembered some names, but I had lost the will to go meet them.

Since he had seen the list, the 13th Prince would probably be watching me now anyway. If I went to meet someone from the list in this situation, the 13th Prince might truly get angry and try to kill me before even taking the throne.

‘I can only hope Sun An will grant my request.’

Fortunately, there were no classes for two days, so I holed up in my room, just hoping that Sun An would grant my request.

And finally, on the third day.

While eating breakfast and pondering how I should face the 13th Prince when I enter the palace, it happened.

“Young master. Sun An has arrived.”

A servant came in and announced that Sun An had come. He had finally come to give an answer.

“Tell him to come in, and bring tea and snacks.”

“Yes.”

After the servant left, a moment later. Sun An’s footsteps could be heard from beyond the door.

I tried to keep my expression relaxed so as not to burden Sun An, but it seems it wasn’t very effective. As soon as he saw me, Sun An said with a very burdened expression.

“It’s burdensome when you look at me like that.”

“I was trying not to burden you.”

“The expression you imagine and the expression on your face must be different. Practice in front of a mirror.”

Just as Sun An sat down, the servant quickly brought in pine needle tea with a forest and grass scent and rice cake, and left.

As soon as the servant left, I asked urgently.

“So, what have you decided?”

“Young lady. Young lady!”

Lin Hwa was sitting leaning on a long chair, reluctantly flipping through an uninteresting book when her close maid, Wol Mi, came in calling her, and she asked grumpily.

“What’s all the fuss so early in the morning?”

Wol Mi exclaimed brightly even at the scolding.

“Young master Sun An has arrived!”

At those words, Lin Hwa’s expression immediately brightened and she closed the book.

“Elder brother Sun An?”

“Yes. I ran here as soon as I saw him crossing the main gate. He’s probably with the young master now.”

“That bad Yo Yohwa!”

At that sound, Lin Hwa stood up grinding her teeth.

“I asked him so many times to call me when elder brother comes! Ignoring me every day!”

“Now that you’re of marriageable age, he’s probably reluctant to have other men around you.”

“And what about him!”

Lin Hwa unconsciously got upset, but when Wol Mi burst out laughing, she closed her mouth.

“What’s there to keep separate when the young master is meeting his friend? You should scold him when he tries to meet your friends.”

“Hmph.”

Knowing that Yo Hwa was her elder sister, not brother, Lin Hwa snorted at those words.

But knowing that if this story leaked out, the whole family would be punished for it, she had no intention of revealing the secret in anger.

“Anyway, that’s good. Since elder brother has come, I should go see him.”

“Won’t the young master dislike it?”

“As if I care if he dislikes it.”

In ordinary families, after passing the age of 15 and going through the coming-of-age ceremonies, people would try to maintain proper distance until marriage to keep up appearances according to the words of family elders and customs.

However, having lived with an elder sister in male disguise, Lin Hwa had a rebellious attitude towards this whole idea of separation.

They were both women, but her elder sister didn’t have to keep distance because she wore men’s clothes, while Lin Hwa had to because she didn’t dress as a man. Where was there such an unfair thing?

But Wol Mi, unaware of these circumstances, was afraid of being scolded if this matter was exposed.

However, although Lin Hwa had risen energetically, she didn’t immediately rush out of the room.

The clever Lin Hwa looked down on the custom of separation, but she knew that if she acted out of line alone, it would hurt her social face and affect herself and her family.

Moreover, Sun An might dislike someone who was unreasonably forceful. He wouldn’t have a cross-dressing younger sibling after all.

So instead of going straight, Lin Hwa rummaged through a drawer and found a jade bracelet.

“I’ll go saying I’m returning a borrowed item. Then I’ll pretend to be surprised when I discover elder brother Sun An.”

It wasn’t borrowed, but taken. Wol Mi thought to herself, but kept quiet.

“Help me dress up a bit. Quickly. But not too obviously.”

“Yes, yes!”

As Wol Mi quickly tidied up Lin Hwa’s clothes, Lin Hwa looked at herself in the mirror, satisfied, and ran out.

But as she left her quarters and started approaching Yo Hwa’s quarters, she deliberately slowed her steps to walk with the grace of a noble lady.

Soon, Yo Hwa’s quarters came into view. There were maids, but unlike Lin Hwa’s quarters, there were more servants.

And around the door, a few unfamiliar servants were chatting and giggling with Yo Hwa’s servants. They were probably servants Sun An had brought.

Lin Hwa suppressed the urge to skip and walked quickly, giving a slight eye signal to Wol Mi.

Receiving the signal, Wol Mi pretended to pass by in a different direction from Lin Hwa, deliberately making loud footsteps.

Taking advantage of this, Lin Hwa quickly entered the quarters and found Yo Hwa’s room.

The door was closed, but the sound of conversation could be heard from inside.

Lin Hwa excitedly walked on tiptoes quickly to the door.

But knowing that if she just barged in, angry Yo Hwa might scold her in front of Sun An and it could turn into a fight, she didn’t open the door immediately. Normally she would fight openly, but she couldn’t in front of Sun An.

Moreover, Lin Hwa wanted to hear Sun An’s voice speaking comfortably as he did with her elder sister, not putting on airs in front of her.

So Lin Hwa decided to stand by the door and wait for an opportunity to enter.

“…did.”

“Indeed. He must have been very surprised. I would be too.”

“But this could be an opportunity too. As you said, we’re not on such formal terms with each other.”

“Thank you.”

“I should be the one thanking you if things work out well. But how are you going to connect me with the 9th Princess? As you know well, I haven’t passed the state examination yet, so I can’t naturally meet the Princess in the palace.”

“Leave that to me. You don’t think I’d ask you to seduce the Princess and then leave you to figure out how on your own, do you?”

But the conversation she heard was quite something.

‘Elder sister… is trying to match elder brother Sun An with the 9th Princess?’

Lin Hwa was stunned at the unexpected conversation, her mouth agape. She almost dropped the bracelet by mistake.

Lin Hwa hurriedly gathered the bracelet and hugged it, taking a moment to catch her breath. But she couldn’t control her expression. Her whole body was trembling with anger and her eyes were burning.

‘How could she. How could she when she knows better than anyone that I like elder brother Sun An!’