“……I’m sorry. I’m feeling very unwell right now. I didn’t mean to say such things.”

It’s true. Since I’ve been dressed as a man since birth, I don’t feel uncomfortable with it, or want to stop dressing as a man, or resent my parents for it.

“Alright.”

However, my mother didn’t seem to believe my words. I sighed and spoke again slowly, hoping my sincerity would come across.

“It’s true. I don’t resent you, Mother. It’s just that you and Father made me dress as a man, but then you expect me to follow the normal relationship between a woman and a man. That’s what made me a bit angry.”

“Mmm. I see. I see.”

Mother replied again, but still didn’t seem to believe me. She hesitated with that expression, then forced a smile and said:

“Since you’re not feeling well, rest. Did His Majesty call for a doctor?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I’ll have some porridge sent in.”

“Thank you.”

“Alright.”

Mother quickly went outside. The sound of the door closing brought silence to the room at last.

But the quiet air now was even more desolate and uncomfortable than that room in Wolmugung.

[This is the timeline separator]

The biggest downside to fighting with your parents is that even if you win, you feel guilty.

“……I can’t rest.”

After eating the porridge Mother sent. I tried to force myself to lie down on the bed and sleep, but remembering how Mother had looked at me, I couldn’t close my eyes at all.

Well, even if that wasn’t the case, I’d been sleeping at Wolmugung all this time, so it was hard to fall asleep again.

In the end, after enduring for about half an hour, I got up from the bed, changed my clothes and went outside.

‘I should resolve the matter with Sun An.’

Maybe it was the effect of lying down for half an hour even though I couldn’t sleep, or thanks to the porridge Mother sent, but I felt better able to walk than when I first arrived home.

I went straight to the Sun family’s house.

“You’re here again.”

But this time too, as soon as I arrived at the warehouse where Sun An was confined, I was caught by Sun An’s cousin Sun Hyun. Again.

“You’ve come to see Sun An again.”

Seeing how he arrived so promptly and timely, I became suspicious of this bastard’s movements. Had he perhaps ordered his servants to notify him if I came to his house?

But since I couldn’t say such things in enemy territory, I responded with an appropriate smile.

“Yes. My friend is in danger, so I must save him.”

Sun Hyun didn’t seem to like my expression. He sneered “Danger?” then snickered and spoke in a tone as if dealing with a pathetic person.

“I clearly showed you the baby’s face a few days ago. Sun An is taking responsibility for what he did. But you say danger. You’re making it sound as if An is being falsely accused.”

“That’s right. What you say is correct, Young Master Sun. But one shouldn’t take responsibility for something they didn’t do.”

At my words, Sun Hyun tilted his head threateningly, then smiled lightly and issued an order of expulsion.

“I spoke nicely because I considered you Sun An’s friend, but this won’t do. Stop meddling in other people’s family affairs and leave, Young Master Yo.”

If I was going to leave obediently after hearing that, I wouldn’t have come here in the first place.

“I apologize if it seems I’m interfering in family matters, Young Master.”

I refused Sun Hyun’s order of expulsion while smiling as gently as I could.

“But this is An’s home too. Please allow me to speak with An.”

When I didn’t follow his order, Sun Hyun’s expression instantly turned cold.

“Staying in someone else’s home without permission is a crime, Young Master.”

As Sun Hyun took this approach, the two burly servants guarding the warehouse began to menacingly lurk around me. They looked ready to lift me up and throw me out the door at Sun Hyun’s command. It was truly threatening.

Still, when I didn’t leave and stood my ground, Sun Hyun issued a final warning.

“It was this foreigner who provoked us first. The Yo family should not make an issue of it even if we throw this foreigner out.”

Perhaps he heard that. Sun An’s voice called out from the small barred window at the top of the warehouse.

“I’m fine, so just go!”

Pleased by that sound, Sun Hyun pointed to the exit and smiled at me.

“You heard him, didn’t you? Even Sun An says not to interfere in family matters. Please leave now.”

Instead of leaving, I took out a token from my sleeve and firmly pressed it into Sun Hyun’s hand.

“Ha. A bribe?”

Sun Hyun muttered in an exasperated tone, as if he thought I was trying to give him money, and looked down at his hand. Soon his face turned deathly pale.

“This is…!”

Sun Hyun immediately recognized the token and looked at me with wide eyes. Meanwhile, his servants wore puzzled expressions.

To Sun Hyun who kept staring at me in disbelief, I smiled like he had earlier and informed him.

“His Majesty personally issued a ‘royal command’ to thoroughly investigate and report on Sun An’s matter. Regrettably, this is no longer a family affair, Young Master.”

“!”

Trying not to be too sarcastic, I took back the precious token from his hand and tucked it into my sleeve.

This was an opportunity and token I obtained after being hit on the forehead by the inkstone the Emperor threw. I took the Emperor’s anger head-on to get this. I absolutely cannot let this go to waste!

“A royal command. It’s a royal command, Young Master.”

When I deliberately whispered it again, Sun Hyun glared at me as if he wanted to kill me, then waved his hand.

At that signal, the servants looked at each other and opened the warehouse door.

“Come out, Sun An!”

When Sun Hyun shouted at it, finally the friend I hadn’t seen in a long time came out staggering, looking like a beggar.

“Yo Yohwa…!”

Avoiding Sun An who ran towards me in excitement upon seeing me, I gave him a look signaling that we should talk alone.

[This is the timeline separator]

“No, how did this happen? A royal command all of a sudden?”

Sun An kept asking anxiously beside me as he led me to his quarters.

“You didn’t impersonate a royal command or anything, did you? Huh? Tell me you didn’t. You didn’t, right?”

“What do you take me for.”

“I’m asking because I know you. His Majesty has no reason to entrust you with an investigation even if he ordered one.”

As soon as we entered his quarters, Sun An kept looking at me even as he took off his thin, smelly outer robe.

I went to the other room, then lowered the long curtain to create a barrier while he changed clothes and explained the situation.

“Of course He entrusted it to me since I worked to bring you and the 9th Princess together. His Majesty was very angry. But He hopes this matter is a misunderstanding. I told His Majesty that you are a very chaste person unlike me, and His Majesty gave you a chance.”

“Yo Yohwa…”

“So tell me honestly. If there’s someone who wants to stop your marriage talks, who do you think it might be?”

“……”

I said this with Sun An’s family in mind, and Sun An probably understood. Perhaps because of this, Sun An couldn’t answer easily.

If he tried to attack his cousin and ended up getting his family punished by the Emperor as a whole, it would affect his parents too, so it must be difficult for him to speak up.

But if the culprit is among Sun Hyun or his relatives, they dislike Sun An enough to risk that collateral damage. Sun An needed to steel himself and protect himself from his enemies.

“Hey An.”

“Yes.”

“I’ve staked my life on this matter.”

“What?!”

Sun An suddenly lifted the curtain and stuck his face in, startling me into slapping his forehead.

“Ow! What are you doing!”

I lowered the curtain again and continued calmly.

“I told His Majesty that if it’s true you have a child, it was my mistake for recommending the wrong person to the Princess. And I said I would take the punishment.”

“Yo Yohwa! Why did you do such a thing!”

“Because I’m certain that child isn’t yours.”

It’s not because of Sun An’s character that I’m certain. It’s because this didn’t happen before I returned to the past.

Some events are flowing differently from what I knew due to my return, but this incident shouldn’t have been affected by my return and there wasn’t time for it to be affected. It must be false.

Sun An was silent. But when I waited patiently, after a while, he came across the room with a very solemn face, having changed his clothes and washed up cleanly.

Unlike before, Sun An stared at me intently with a very serious expression, then sighed and opened his mouth.

“Since you’ve gone this far for me, I can’t hide it either. Actually, my parents and I have a somewhat… ambiguous position in both my father’s family and my mother’s family.”

“An ambiguous position?”

“Remember I told you about my mother’s family when I was drunk before? How much did I tell you?”

“Ah. Um. Well.”

Since this is information I obtained before returning to the past, I’m not sure how much of it I should say I know. Fortunately, when I couldn’t answer right away, Sun An interpreted it favorably and moved on.

“Right. Since I spoke while drunk, I must have rambled. As I said, my mother’s family, the Yu clan, operates in the shadows. But their scale is quite large.”

I know that much.

“But people want to have good things they don’t have. After obtaining money, power, and authority, my mother’s family wanted to gain prestige. But that’s difficult.”

“Mm. That’s right. Because it takes several generations to become a prestigious family.”

“Exactly. So the Yu family chose the fastest method. They married off their eldest legitimate daughter to the third son of the prestigious Sun family with an enormous dowry. I was born from that marriage.”

I stared blankly at Sun An before asking.

“Then why is your position ambiguous?”

“The Sun family allowed my mother and father’s marriage because of the wealth. The dowry my mother brought was twice the entire family fortune.”

“That much?”

“Yes. But after the marriage, they weren’t satisfied with my mother’s background. It was a bit better when my grandfather was alive. But the atmosphere got much worse after my uncle became the family head.”

“Let’s say that’s how it is with the Sun family. But why is your position ambiguous in your mother’s family?”

“My maternal grandfather cherishes both my mother and me very much. But my mother’s siblings are different. It was fine right after the marriage. But things soured after I was born.”

“Why?”

“We’re all cousins, aren’t we? But they don’t like that only I became the son of a prestigious family, mingling with noble young masters and walking a different path from them.”

“Oh no.”

This family is a mess too. I didn’t hear such detailed family circumstances before I returned to the past. Now that I’ve heard it, it’s truly outrageous.

Sun An sighed.

“Moreover, my mother is my grandfather’s only child by his legal wife. The rest of the siblings are all born of concubines. Because of this, my cousins worry that my grandfather might pass on the position of family head and most of the wealth to my mother and me.”

“Wow. This is…”

Damn complicated. But since it’s my friend’s family matter, I couldn’t use harsh words and just kept sighing.

“The family elders tried to create a grandson with everything, but ended up creating one who doesn’t fit in anywhere.”

Sun An smiled bitterly at my muttered words.

“That’s right.”

I shook my head and crouched down with a headache, cursing.

“Damn it.”

“What’s wrong? Are you sick somewhere?”

“I thought the culprit would be someone from the Sun family. For example, someone like your cousin Sun Hyun. But after hearing what you said, there are too many suspicious people.”

Sun An nodded in acknowledgment.

“That’s right.”

After hearing Sun An’s story, I think Lin Hwa baring her teeth and growling at me every time she sees me is mild in comparison. Not that it suddenly makes Lin Hwa a pretty little sister or anything.

“Then… Well. Honestly, both the Sun family and the Yu family are suspicious, but. For now, I’ll go investigate the Yu family first. Can you investigate the Sun family? If I go, will you be locked in the warehouse again?”

“They won’t lock me up again since you showed them the token from His Majesty. They’ll try to get rid of any evidence first. But I won’t be able to investigate. They’ll prevent me from doing anything, like assigning my cousin’s servant to stay by my side. I’d rather go with you.”

With Sun An? I thought about it for a moment before refusing.

“No, it’s better if you stay here. The Yu family doesn’t know we’re friends except for the family head, right? But if you come with me, they’ll know we’re friends. What if the culprit is there and takes action?”

“Where are you going?”

[This is the timeline separator]

Cheon Geum Su Hwa.

The place I came to investigate is that luxurious gambling house where I met the Yu family head with Sun An before. It’s not a place I want to come to alone, but I had no choice. I couldn’t go to the Yu family’s house either.

‘Who should I ask to meet the Yu family head?’

I fiddled with the token Sun An had given me to use when meeting the Yu family head, tucked inside my sleeve, as I looked around the interior of the gambling house that was still unfamiliar on my second visit.

But perhaps I looked too vulnerable.

“What a cute young master. Did you come alone?”

Out of nowhere, an employee who had been soliciting customers came over, grabbed one of my arms and pulled me towards some game table.

“Come over here and play. It’s the easiest for beginners and the stakes are low. Plus it’s fun.”

“No. I’m fine.”

“You came to play, didn’t you? Don’t lose money betting big on difficult games. Try this first.”

“No. I didn’t come to play-”

But as I was struggling to pull my arm away from the employee and trying to ask about the Yu family head, it happened.

“Master.”

A low voice seemed to come from above my head, then someone grabbed the employee’s shoulder, pushed them away, and freed my arm.

Although I said someone, there was only one person who would call me “Master.”

‘You again!’

“Is it you again, Master?”