I couldn’t do anything, wondering if my disciple was joking now.

The 6th Prince also seemed curious, forgetting to be angry and looking at me and the 13th Prince.

Sun An’s eyes were round with an expression of “Maybe? Maybe? Maybe?”, perhaps because he had heard about marriage talks between me and the Prince.

I hesitated, then closed my eyes tightly and placed my hand on the 13th Prince’s hand.

Though I felt like dying of shame, even this sight might help the 9th Princess give up if she saw it.

But my disciple, who had extended his hand to me, flinched when I took it. Could it be he just held it out? Did he not think I would take it?

Confused that he was more surprised when I took the hand he offered, I looked up at him.

However, the 13th Prince had already regained his composure in that brief moment. He even walked leisurely back to our original seats as if he had never been surprised.

Though he let go of my hand as soon as we were at a distance from the 2nd Prince’s group.

“No matter how close we are, teacher is on my side now. You shouldn’t go play over there.”

Thanks to the 13th Prince saying this, what I did to Sun An became just a joke between friends, and the 6th Prince missed the chance to protest.

The 6th Prince clicked his tongue belatedly, but knowing Sun An and I were close friends, he seemed to find it awkward to argue now and just turned away.

I felt the 3rd Prince’s gaze, but deliberately didn’t look in that direction.

Though I no longer had any intention of being with the 3rd Prince, I didn’t want to confirm with my own eyes him looking at me with disappointed eyes.

“This foreign instructor is more… petty than I thought.”

While Yo Yohwa was feeling down after completing her vile role, despite the sudden appearance of the 3rd Prince.

The 9th Princess, hidden as Yo Yohwa had wished, watched their archery while clicking her tongue and said to her close court lady Hwa Lin:

“Very petty. That noble young master over there shoots well, and seeing he might lose, he goes and pushes him away.”

“The foreign instructor seems to have quite a competitive spirit.”

“Even if competitive, one should compete fairly.”

As the 9th Princess emerged from the bushes, Hwa Lin quickly brushed off the leaves stuck to the Princess’s clothes.

“Did you finish watching?”

“The skill gap is too big. The thirteenth is a bit good, but not exceptionally so. The second elder brother and this foreign instructor are too bad. On the other hand, that noble young master is truly excellent.”

The 9th Princess recalled the man who shot arrows like an elegant deer, wearing a fluttering white outer robe and long decorative strings in his hair, and felt intrigued.

“Did they say that man was the foreign instructor’s friend?”

The 9th Princess remembered what she had heard from the Emperor before coming here.

-The princes have grown up now. They seem to be getting along well as brothers, playing archery games together. Even the heir of the Sun family, a friend of Yo Yohwa and the foreign instructor, has joined them. Young people really get along well with each other.

Though it was a deliberately dropped hint from the Emperor who had received a subtle message through Yo Yohwa, the 9th Princess didn’t think the Emperor would have given an imperial order to Yo Yohwa to prevent her marriage talks.

“The heir of the Sun family.”

The 9th Princess murmured and smiled contentedly.

“I should find out who he is.”

“Pardon? Why?”

“This foreign instructor is more petty than I thought. Father and Mother are already trying to dissuade me from marrying the foreign instructor. How can I marry someone so petty, going against their opposition? If the lie about pregnancy gets out, it would damage my reputation too.”

After returning home from the archery game where we were overwhelmingly defeated by the 2nd Prince’s side.

Recalling the 13th Prince who looked at me and the 3rd Prince like stones to be kicked away, my heart felt very stuffy.

The 13th Prince seemed to think we lost the bet because of me and the 3rd Prince. Even though he didn’t show his skills either.

Moreover, the 13th Prince didn’t even want to hide his displeasure at losing the bet, so when the 6th Prince said “Let’s all gather for a meal”, he curtly left saying he was busy.

Who would believe the 13th Prince, the most leisurely among the princes, was busy?

I know he’s busy every day aiming for the throne, but the other princes thought the 13th Prince left in a huff.

Then when the 3rd Prince went in saying “I’m out of breath from shooting arrows for so long”, the number suddenly dropped to four.

In the end, we had a meal and drank tea with just the four of us until evening before returning home, but…

After coming home, that cold expression of the 13th Prince bothered me again.

Because of that, I lay on the bed constantly thinking about it and ended up falling asleep just like that.

I slept straight through until dawn, so of course my plan to go to Lin Hwa went awry.

‘I can’t go see Lin Hwa at this hour.’

In the end, after checking the time, I just lay back down and fell asleep.

In the morning, I woke up late and hurriedly prepared to enter the palace, so again I couldn’t go see Lin Hwa.

But as not all news is bad, on my way to Wolmugung, I was called by the Emperor and heard good news.

“You did well, Foreign Instructor Yo. The 9th Princess told me yesterday that the pregnancy story was a lie, and that she had been immature.”

The 9th Princess lost interest after seeing my pathetic appearance! Thank goodness. Really, thank goodness.

I bowed deeply in relief.

“I am humbled, Your Majesty.”

Moreover, my plan worked perfectly. The Emperor gestured for me to rise and asked about Sun An as well.

“The 9th Princess showed interest in the heir of the Sun family who came with you. Who exactly is he?”

“He is Sun An of the Sun family on this side. He is the nephew of the current head of the Sun family. He is the same age as me, has passed the chunggwa exam, and is preparing for the daegwa exam.”

“Sun An. The Sun family. Not bad.”

Watching the Emperor mutter Sun An’s name, it seems the 9th Princess didn’t just say the pregnancy was a lie.

She must have begged to marry Sun An, just as she had begged to marry me before.

‘Should I be relieved?’

However, while I felt relieved that things worked out well, I also felt a bit conflicted thinking of Lin Hwa who was angry.

Damn. How should I comfort that filly?

It’s difficult to tell you that I know the future, and in that future you marry another man with a good relationship, and that man wasn’t Sun An.

On the way to Wolmugung after finishing the private audience with the Emperor.

I walked constantly looking around, wondering if the 13th Prince would be waiting for me at a corner this time too, but the 13th Prince was nowhere to be seen.

The relief was short-lived. Walking alone, I recall him taking my hand during the archery game. I found myself staring at the hand he had held for no reason.

‘Why did he do that that day?’

The strangest thing was how he startled when I placed my hand on his, even though he had reached out his hand first.

I really don’t know what that disciple… that bastard is thinking.

Lost in thought, I arrived in front of Wolmugung before I knew it.

Wolmugung is still desolate, front and back. I don’t see the eunuch who was hit by the 7th Prince, nor the court lady Gi Yang.

I passed through the front yard where the grass had grown up to my calves and went to the room where we have lessons.

The lazy eunuch of Wolmugung had left his post empty today, so I had to call out directly into the room while standing in front.

“Your Highness. It’s Yo Yohwa. Are you inside? May I come in?”

“Come in.”

Fortunately, I heard an answer from inside right away, so I entered the room without having to wait at the door.

My disciple was sitting at his desk reading a book. When I came in, he lowered the book and glanced at me.

Having found peace of mind and body over a day, his expression was calm.

“I pay my respects to Your Highness the 13th Prince.”

Whether I should call it fortunate, or if he was just managing his expression, I couldn’t tell, but I also bowed calmly and walked to my seat.

As I was sitting down, the 13th Prince brought up an unexpected topic.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Pardon? About the archery game?”

“I mean your close friend.”

“What? Did you want to be introduced?”

Sun An? Why? He didn’t say anything like that before when he saw him.

I don’t understand what the 13th Prince is trying to say. As I looked at the 13th Prince with a dubious expression, he was also staring at me.

It seemed like a reproachful gaze, but also a curious one?

Anyway, it was an ambiguous gaze, so as we just stared at each other blankly, the 13th Prince continued speaking slowly.

“My ninth elder sister came by and said the pregnancy story was a lie. I didn’t believe it in the first place though.”

You didn’t believe it but still said those cold words to me?

“And my sister kept asking who the friend was that you brought to the archery game. I said I didn’t know him well, so she asked me several times to ask you who he was.”

“Ah. I see.”

“It would have been good if you had told me in advance that you brought a friend to turn my ninth elder sister’s heart.”

Is he… reproaching me?

“This disciple is very timid. I was worried that after you kept meeting second elder brother and sixth elder brother, now you were trying to form a faction by bringing a friend from a noble family.”

“Why would I need to cause Your Highness unnecessary concern?”

“I was more concerned because you didn’t tell me.”

“I was mistaken in my thinking.”

“Yes.”

I’d like to hit that mouth once. The 13th Prince answered haughtily to what I said just out of courtesy, then took out a book for the lesson from the drawer.

Secretly glancing at that sight, I also took out my book.

But before starting the lesson, the 13th Prince spoke again.

“It would be better to be careful with your expression when you’re with third elder brother.”

“Pardon?”

As I looked up while opening my book, the 13th Prince continued speaking while pouring water into the inkstone without even looking at me.

“Yesterday, your expression crumbled as soon as you saw third elder brother. Whether you had feelings for him before or not, you are soon to marry me. If you don’t want others to talk about a love triangle between three men, please put more effort into managing your expression from now on.”

“!”

As my mouth fell open reflexively at those words, the 13th Prince said with a faint, barely visible smile:

“You shouldn’t do that.”

When I hurriedly raised my chin and covered my mouth with the book, the 13th Prince shook his head slightly and started grinding the ink himself.

Where are the 13th Prince’s court lady and eunuch! Why is the boy grinding ink himself?

“Now that the issue with elder sister is resolved, our marriage talks will resume soon.”

The boy is just grinding ink in his seat, making me think strange thoughts!

“When we get married, you’ll be staying here with this disciple for a few years. Please look around and see if there are any rooms you like. This disciple has no mother or maternal family, so there’s no one to prepare the wedding chamber. If you give me notice in advance, I’ll start preparing little by little from now.”

“!”