I was completely relieved by Sun An’s positive response.

I had been struggling with what to do after losing the list to the 13th Prince. He started to look like a loyal friend shining with integrity, not a slippery one.

Fearing Sun An might change his mind, I showered him with the best words I could.

“I’ll find a way to create a chance for you to accidentally meet the 9th Princess. I’ll act like a fool then, so you just need to behave well in contrast.”

“Will it be easy to create such an opportunity?”

“We have to try.”

Should I ask the Emperor for help? He probably won’t help though. Anyway, I need to rack my brains and figure out a method.

But suddenly, Sun An’s expression became subtle as he drank his tea.

“What’s wrong?”

I asked, suddenly afraid he might change his mind. Don’t do that, my friend.

Sun An hesitated, holding his teacup awkwardly with both hands without fully setting it down, then asked.

“You said before. That your sister has feelings for me.”

Ah. When I almost aroused suspicion by telling Sun An what I heard before regression. I escaped using that excuse. Didn’t he say then that he wasn’t suited for Lin Hwa?

He seemed completely unconcerned then. Was he unexpectedly thinking about it?

I got scared for the second time. Oh no. What should I do if Sun An has feelings for Lin Hwa?

I asked Sun An about the 9th Princess because I knew Lin Hwa and Sun An wouldn’t end up together. Because I knew Lin Hwa would marry another man and live well.

But if it turns out like this… Even if I know Sun An and Lin Hwa won’t end up together, shouldn’t I stop this if they both like each other?

“Are you interested in Lin Hwa too, by any chance?”

Probing gently, fortunately Sun An immediately waved his hand.

“Of course not. Lady Lin Hwa is a good person. But I don’t want to be with a friend’s sister.”

“Why?”

Given the situation where elders decide marriages, unless it was strictly based on family interests, daughters were likely to end up with their male siblings’ or cousins’ friends, or those friends’ brothers.

This was because they could actually see and hear what kind of person they were, rather than just hearing about their character through matchmaking.

The same was true for sons, who were likely to end up with their female siblings’ friends or sisters.

Unless there was an exceptionally good match, most young men and women of the same age were connected in this way.

So Sun An’s words weren’t something commonly said.

However, when our eyes met, Sun An frowned as if it was obvious and said.

“It would be great if I married your sister and lived peacefully without fighting with you or her. But if I fell out with one side, wouldn’t I fall out with the other too? Even fights that could be resolved might become deeper emotional wounds. Then I would become distant from both my wife and my friend.”

I looked at Sun An with emotion.

“So— you don’t want to grow distant from me?”

At those words, Sun An scrunched up his face and pounded the table as if protesting.

“You’re twisting my words!”

I burst out laughing at that, and Sun An laughed along, creating a great atmosphere.

That’s when we heard something heavy fall to the floor outside the door with a thud.

“What’s going on?”

I shouted in surprise, since this wasn’t a conversation for others to hear, but there was no answer.

Sun An abruptly stood up and walked straight to the door, roughly sliding it open.

Unexpectedly, when the door opened, we saw Lin Hwa standing there awkwardly holding the bracelet she had stolen from me before with both hands.

I don’t remember exactly when she stole it after my regression, but I do remember why Lin Hwa stole that bracelet. It was because that bracelet really suited me well.

And even after we became close, Lin Hwa didn’t return that bracelet to me. She even took it with her when she got married. But why is she holding it now?

“Lin Hwa. Why are you here?
Why are you holding that bracelet?”

Lin Hwa didn’t answer my questions. She just tightly gripped the bracelet and stared at me with cold eyes.

The moment I saw that look. I realized Lin Hwa had eavesdropped on my conversation with Sun An.

‘How much did you overhear?’

It was awkward, but I couldn’t ask if she had eavesdropped in front of Sun An, so while I hesitated for a moment. Lin Hwa strode in, slammed the bracelet down on my desk with a loud bang, and said.

“I came to return the bracelet I borrowed.”

Since when did stealing become borrowing.

As I couldn’t respond honestly to protect Lin Hwa’s face in front of Sun An, unexpectedly Lin Hwa, who usually acted like a shy lady in front of Sun An, spoke coldly today.

“I’ve returned it, so I’ll be going now.”

With that, Lin Hwa turned sharply towards Sun An, gave a quick, slight bow.

Sun An also bowed politely, but Lin Hwa almost ignored him and left. She must have heard something indeed.

After Lin Hwa had gone, Sun An waited for a while, then opened the outer door and went outside to scold his servant in an angry voice.

“Didn’t I tell you to guard the door because I was having an important conversation! Why did you let someone else come in here!”

From where I was, the servant wasn’t visible, but an urgent voice was heard next.

“I have committed a sin worthy of death, young master! A strange maid was lurking around, so I was watching her, and in the meantime, this house’s young lady went in.”

Sun An’s angry voice immediately followed.

“You call that an excuse? Are you saying Lady Lin Hwa deliberately tried to sneak into our room!”

Sun An probably didn’t say that because he didn’t believe his servant’s words.

Sun An was just pretending to be angry like that to save Lin Hwa’s face, because according to the servant’s words, it would mean Lin Hwa didn’t ‘accidentally’ come to my room where there was a guest, but came intentionally.

This was also an order not to tell others about Lin Hwa secretly eavesdropping on our conversation.

“Since you were distracted elsewhere, of course Lady Lin Hwa didn’t know there was a guest! Don’t blame Lady Lin Hwa just because you don’t want to be scolded!”

After finishing his scolding, Sun An came back into the room and asked me worriedly.

“You’re not going to have all your hair pulled out after I leave, are you?”

As Sun An had worried, Lin Hwa swore to herself as she walked to her quarters that she would ‘pull out all of her elder sister’s hair once Sun An left.’

“Young lady. Young lady. Please walk slowly. You’ll fall!”

Wol Mi urgently called out as she chased after Lin Hwa, but the hurt Lin Hwa didn’t slow her steps at all.

Lin Hwa’s eyes were actually filling with tears, so she could barely see in front of her. Wol Mi hurriedly grabbed Lin Hwa just as she was about to bump into a tree.

“Young lady. What’s wrong? Are you alright? Did the young master scold you for coming on purpose?”

“How dare that Yo Hwa scold me?”

“Then why are you crying? Surely Young Master Sun An wouldn’t have scolded you.”

Lin Hwa bit her lip and looked at Wol Mi, then unable to hold back, whispered in her ear.

“That traitor Yo Yo Hwa knows I have feelings for Elder Brother Sun An. Yet she’s trying to match Elder Brother Sun An with the 9th Princess.”

“What?”

Wol Mi jumped in surprise.

“Why? I mean, is that even possible? The young master doesn’t have an official position yet to act as a matchmaker between the Emperor and Empress…”

“Exactly!”

Lin Hwa roughly kicked the ground.

“Even though it won’t be easy to intervene, she’s deliberately doing this! Knowing I’ve liked Elder Brother Sun An for so long!”

“Young lady…”

“Mother also said I could marry Elder Brother Sun An. We’re both unengaged, and the Sun family is a noble family, plus Yo Hwa and Elder Brother Sun An are close friends! Mother also said Elder Brother Sun An has a very good character. She said that although Elder Brother Sun An isn’t making a move now because he’s preparing for the imperial exam, she would send a matchmaker to the Sun family as soon as he passes the exam, even if he barely scrapes by! If only Yo Yo Hwa would speak well of me to the Sun family, there would be no problem with the marriage!”

As she spoke, Lin Hwa became even angrier and gritted her teeth.

Of course, from what she overheard Sun An saying to Yo Hwa, it seemed he didn’t want to be with a friend’s sister.

But marriages were decided by the family elders anyway. Even if he didn’t want it, if the Yo family sent a matchmaker to the Sun family to propose marriage, the Sun family would have no choice but to accept the proposal, if only to save Yo Hwa’s face.

Yet Yo Yo Hwa was ruining things like this!

‘Traitor!’

Lin Hwa gnashed her teeth.

‘Even telling him that I like Elder Brother Sun An!’

Knowing those feelings, yet Sun An wanted to be with the 9th Princess, so Lin Hwa had essentially been rejected.

Feeling humiliated, Lin Hwa’s face flushed with heat and she finally crouched down and cried.

‘Even if she’s a mean elder sister, we’re the only two sisters. I never thought elder sister would do such a vile thing behind my back!’

After Sun An left.

I wanted to go see Lin Hwa, but the time to enter the palace was too close, so I couldn’t.

In the end, unable to do this or that, I just looked at the bracelet Lin Hwa had left behind, then sighed and got up to prepare to enter the palace.

Sun An had kindly offered to help with the matter of the 9th Princess. But with Lin Hwa making a scene like that, I couldn’t even properly feel relieved.

With this state of mind, when I sat across from the 13th Prince at a desk in Wolmugung, I naturally felt even more suffocated than usual.

Moreover, when we last met a few days ago, my disciple had torn up the list I had and went on about how I wasn’t chaste and whatnot.

‘Damn. Is he chaste?’

…He is chaste. Very chaste indeed. Even before my regression, my disciple was unmarried and didn’t spread rumors about other women.

There was almost a marriage proposal with a foreign princess, but that fell through in the end.

Other than that, I’ve never seen my disciple show interest in anyone special.

“Teacher.”

As I was just grumbling to myself and quietly opening a book. The 13th Prince’s voice suddenly descended upon my head.

I was slowly turning the pages one by one when I looked up in surprise.

The 13th Prince was sitting arrogantly at his desk, looking at me.

Then, when our eyes met, unexpectedly he smiled a smile that looked as sweet as honey and as warm as soft silk, and said.

“A few days ago, this disciple was too excited and was rude to you, teacher. Were you very upset about what happened that day?”

My disciple was clearly speaking in a gentle manner, but it made my spine even more chilled that he spoke like that.

Wow. Damn. He’s scary even when speaking nicely. What’s he up to? What scheme is he plotting to suddenly act friendly?

Moreover… He always dressed plainly when living humbly. Why is his attire so bright today? It seems almost inappropriate for the time and place.

It wasn’t that he was dressed extravagantly, but compared to his usual style of wearing almost no decorations, it was clearly an outfit he had put effort into.

Why is he like this? Why is he dressing up more than usual?