“The 13th Prince and Lady Yo are certainly a match made in heaven.”

A match made in heaven, but told not to marry. That doesn’t make sense, does it?

“However, there are too many grudges and ties entangled between the two of you. For you to safely marry and become a happily wedded couple, you must perform the forty-nine day memorial service.”

What forty-nine day memorial service? Everyone was puzzled by the strange words, but only the 13th Prince’s expression became subtle.

“What do you mean by that?”

When the Emperor asked bluntly, as if he had a headache, the fortune teller hurriedly bowed his head and said.

“I apologize, Your Majesty. The fortune is too complex for me to interpret further. However, it is clearly written as such.”

“You say we need to perform a forty-nine day memorial service. Does that mean someone has to die for this match to be made?”

“That’s not what I−”

The Empress burst out.

“How dare you utter such ominous words!”

The Empress has every right to be angry.

If they marry me to the 13th Prince, they can lower our reputation among the ministers and throw us off the imperial throne, but if the marriage talk falls through, it’s all for nothing. She’s acting like this in case the Emperor changes his mind.

Thanks to that, only the fortune teller became pitiful. The fortune teller, who had only spoken what he saw, looked at the Empress and Emperor with a frozen expression and said desperately.

“There, there are some peculiarities, but the Prince and Lady Yo are indeed a match made in heaven. They are destined to meet even if it takes ten thousand kalpas.”

It sounds like they’re meant to kill each other even after ten thousand kalpas. I glanced at my disciple. He seemed the most composed among everyone here.

Come to think of it, when was it… I think my disciple once said he knew my fortune. Is that why?

When the fortune teller saw that the Emperor’s expression still hadn’t softened, he quickly added.

“In fact, while we say it’s a very good match, there’s no such thing as a perfect match from beginning to end, Your Majesty. There are matches with more advantages and matches with more disadvantages. But we only choose to tell the good parts. I was too loose-tongued this time because I was before Your Majesty and Her Majesty the Empress.”

[This is the timeline separator]

Thanks to the fortune teller’s earnest talking for about half an hour, the ceremony of exchanging fortunes ended safely.

But the Emperor, seeming to have some lingering doubts, concluded this meeting with an ambiguous stance.

“While it’s said to be a good match, there are also concerning aspects that make it difficult to proceed unconditionally. Even if we were to formally engage now, with all the weddings pushed back due to the 3rd Prince’s affair, it would take several years for the turn to come to the thirteenth. Since Yo Yohwa and the 13th Prince are teacher and student, by staying close, they should be able to tell if it’s a good match or a bad one. Let’s observe for a few more years before deciding whether to formally engage or not.”

This was good news for me. I can continue to stay here without becoming the Emperor’s confidant, and I can also buy time to impress the 13th Prince.

It shouldn’t be bad for the 13th Prince either. Before the regression, he didn’t marry even until he became Emperor. He cares about revenge and the throne, not marriage.

But for our parents and the Empress, it’s not entirely good news.

The Empress needs to marry the 13th Prince to me to make him a target for the ministers’ criticism, but that opportunity has been pushed back by several years, so she won’t like it.

As for our parents, they’ll have to wait for several years without being able to arrange other engagements, not knowing whether we’ll marry or not, so they won’t be pleased.

But the Emperor had already made up his mind firmly after the fortune teller’s remarks. In this situation, no one could refuse, not even the Empress.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

In the end, everyone unanimously agreed, and the Emperor nodded and then suggested to me.

“Since you’ve come all this way, Lady Yo, the Igguksa, why don’t you have some tea with me before you go.”

“?”

Why did it… end up with the Emperor and me having tea?

[This is the timeline separator]

I’m not sure why the Emperor and I have to have tea, but since the Emperor asked me to come, I followed, and sure enough, Song Taegam brought the tea.

What is this? Is he trying to console me for not being able to get engaged? That doesn’t seem likely. Isn’t this the same Emperor who tried to match Lin Hwa with the 13th Prince even when I begged that I loved the 13th Prince?

It’s quite unsettling, but since I can’t refuse tea offered by the Emperor, I was blowing on it politely and drinking when the Emperor opened his mouth.

“You were right.”

“Pardon?”

“About that woodpecker.”

Ah. The scroll sent from Unyeol!

The Emperor put down his teacup on the table with a loud thud and muttered in a voice harsher than usual.

“Woodpecker? It wasn’t even funny. Thanks to Gyeokilsa, I must have become a real laughingstock.”

“Your Majesty, why do you say that?”

I asked, pretending not to know the situation, and the Emperor gripped his teacup even harder. I hope he doesn’t throw it like an inkstone.

“The Taewol foreign affairs official who’s here saw the scroll and told me its meaning. The Igguksa was right. It was a map with the contents erased and the shape altered.”

I quickly put on a sympathetic expression and said.

“Anyway, only a few people know about this, so it’s just a momentary misunderstanding, isn’t it, Your Majesty? Please don’t be too angry.”

Of course, I wasn’t being sincere. I know from the information before the regression that the Emperor had already written about that woodpecker story in a letter sent to Unyeol.

As expected. The Emperor looked even more angry at my words and silently drank his tea repeatedly. It seems he doesn’t want to admit that he’s already told the woodpecker story here and there.

I also quietly drank my tea so as not to unnecessarily provoke the Emperor. How long had we been like that? Feeling a strangely persistent gaze, I looked up to see the Emperor staring intently at my face.

Feeling very uncomfortable under that gaze, I smiled awkwardly, and the Emperor said something even more burdensome.

“The Igguksa is indeed too valuable to waste.”

No, please don’t consider me valuable!

“I’m honored that you think so highly of me, Your Majesty. But it was just luck.”

I quickly showed humility and raised my teacup to cover my face. But even after I lowered the teacup, the Emperor was still looking at me.

Fearing that he might again talk about becoming his confidant or something, I squirmed uncomfortably for a moment. To break the awkward atmosphere, I took another sip of tea.

Then, looking up, the Emperor was still staring at me. Oh my. Why does he keep staring? If he’s going to stare, he should at least say something!

“I want to keep you by my side.”

No, let’s not go with that after all! Just stick with the staring!

“I don’t have the capacity to bear such a heavy responsibility, Your Majesty.”

I hastily rejected the Emperor’s praise. But the Emperor still couldn’t take his eyes off me, then sighed deeply and muttered.

“Yo Yohwa. You are truly a talented person. You may still lack experience and learning, but I already have many ministers with experience and learning by my side. I want to have a new talent like you by my side, someone loyal and with fresh ideas. But a bird is most beautiful when it flies freely in the sky.”

“Haha…”

I’m a bird? Why am I suddenly a bird? Is being next to the 13th Prince the sky? The Emperor’s train of thought seems a bit strange. Or is it just my imagination?

[This is the timeline separator]

After Yo Yohwa left, wondering ‘Why did he suddenly compare me to a bird?’, the teacup that the Emperor had been fiddling with all along broke on the floor next to Gyeokilsa, who was called in afterwards.

“You fool!”

Along with the Emperor’s roar, a loud noise was heard as fragments scattered in all directions. However, Gyeokilsa didn’t even glance that way, but instead asked with his hands folded politely.

“May I inquire about what this is about, Your Majesty?”

“A woodpecker? The picture in the scroll was a woodpecker? Do you know what kind of letter I sent to Unyeol believing that stupid statement? I told that woodpecker story.”

Even after hearing that much, Gyeokilsa realized why the Emperor was angry. It wasn’t a woodpecker!

“The Taewol envoy said so. That picture wasn’t a woodpecker, but a roughly drawn map of our Hwaeum!”

“I deeply apologize, Your Majesty. But how could the Taewol envoy know the inner thoughts of the Unyeol Emperor?”

“The Unyeol Emperor often sends such pictures to Taewol as well!”

“…”

When Gyeokilsa fell silent, the Emperor clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“To be outdone by even a newly appointed Igguksa.”

“!”

[This is the timeline separator]

While I was walking towards the side gate, pondering why the Emperor had compared me to a bird, unexpectedly, I saw my disciple standing in the path.

I don’t know why he’s there, but I was about to pass by with a polite greeting when my disciple, apparently looking for me, stopped me and said.

“Teacher. Let’s have a talk.”

I probably don’t have the right to refuse from the start. Moreover, after telling him several times that I love him, I can’t nod reluctantly. I quickly nodded and responded with a carefully crafted smile.

“Then I’d be happy to.”

“…”

My disciple frowned even though I said I’d be happy to, stared at me for a moment, then abruptly turned and walked forward. I guess he wants me to follow.

The place where my disciple stopped was inside Wolmugung. Why did he bring me all the way here? Today isn’t even a lesson day. Puzzled by this, I looked at him, and my disciple approached right in front of me, lifted my chin, and looking down into my eyes, asked.

“What did you talk about with Father Emperor?”

“Nothing much. But why are you lifting my chin?”

“To look into your eyes, Teacher.”

“Because they’re pretty…?”

“No.”

He says no.

“Teacher, your eyes give you away when you lie. That’s why I’m looking.”

What? Really? I’ve never heard that before. My disciple dropped this heart-racing statement and continued to look into my eyes as he asked.

“So. What was this ‘nothing much’ you talked about with Father Emperor?”

I absolutely cannot answer honestly. Wasn’t it using information from before the regression? But if, as my disciple says, my eyes give me away when I lie, I couldn’t lie either. Though I’m not sure if that lie story is true.

After a brief deliberation, I honestly confessed, leaving out the scroll story.

“His Majesty said he would like me to be his confidant.”

“Why?”

“His Majesty said I’m loyal and have good insight.”

As soon as he heard my answer, my disciple made a face as if he was hearing something for the first time, which made me feel quite bad. What? Which part is so untrustworthy?

“Why? Isn’t that right that I’m loyal and have good insight?”

“I wonder.”

“What, then does Your Highness think I have neither loyalty nor insight?”

“Yes.”

What?

“There’s only one useful thing you have, Teacher.”

“And what might that be?”

“Your eyes.”

“My insight?”

“I mean your eyeballs.”

What is he talking about? As I was looking at him puzzled, my disciple’s eyes narrowed. In that state, he stared intently into my eyes, then released my chin and smiled lightly.

“Your mouth is always full of lies, Teacher. Your heart is a frivolous thing that flutters for anyone. You’re light-hearted, so you’re far from being a loyal subject. The only thing you have that’s honest and pretty is your eyes.”

“But you just said my eyes weren’t pretty either.”

When I asked in surprise, my disciple’s expression distorted. Not understanding why it was distorting, I looked at him, and he shook his head and said as he turned away.