When there was talk of marriage between Lin Hwa and the disciple. The disciple told me with his own mouth when I begged him not to marry Lin Hwa.

That he had no interest in Lin Hwa. And now the disciple was showing that what he said was true.

Lin Hwa gave such a long greeting, but he answered with just ‘Yes’ and immediately asked me a question. Isn’t that blatantly ignoring her for anyone to see?

“I…”

As I mumbled my answer, my gaze automatically turned toward Lin Hwa. Lin Hwa, a bundle of pride, wouldn’t be used to being treated like a stone by the royal family…

As expected. Lin Hwa’s ears were red. It was clear she thought she was being ignored because the 13th Prince responded casually to her greeting.

The atmosphere became strange in an instant. My parents also noticed this atmosphere and rolled their eyes here and there.

On the other hand, the disciple’s eyes showed he didn’t care at all.

Feeling this wouldn’t do, I spoke brightly as if nothing had happened.

“I didn’t know Your Highness was here. Now that Your Highness has come, I should be with Your Highness.”

The disciple nodded as if it was natural and turned to walk away. I quickly followed the disciple after gesturing to my father and mother to look after Lin Hwa.

Then, when I glanced back, Lin Hwa was hanging her head low, and my father and mother were flustering and trying hard to comfort her.

That sight kept bothering me, so I kept glancing back, when the disciple who had been walking ahead suddenly turned back and said to me right in front.

“If you want to be with your family, do so. You don’t have to be by my side if you don’t want to.”

I was about to ask ‘Should I?’, but seeing the disciple’s expression, I quickly shook my head and denied it.

“I should be by Your Highness’s side. Your Highness and I are a pair after all.”

“…”

I said we were a pair because I couldn’t express ‘we might get engaged’ in front of people. Is the expression strange? The disciple raises one eyebrow crookedly.

What’s with that. I don’t want to be a pair with you either, Your Highness. Why are you so openly showing your dislike?

But thinking it wasn’t an incorrect expression, the disciple didn’t correct it and turned around saying,

“Then follow me without getting distracted.”

“I’m worried about my younger sister.”

“You’re not even on good terms anyway.”

“I’m worried because we’re not on good terms. If she takes her anger out on me when I go home, I’m the only one who loses.”

“Do you even listen to your sister’s complaints?”

I don’t know what kind of personality the disciple thinks I have in his head. Why is he surprised here?

“Master endures even when slapped or hit with an inkstone. It seems your sister doesn’t take after Master.”

It’s a boast, you royals. It’s a boast.

“But why did Your Highness come here?”

“Am I not allowed to come?”

“That’s not it, but… Your Highness has never attended this before…”

As I was speaking, I suddenly wondered if I should say this, so I trailed off for a moment. It was to distinguish between information from before the regression and current information.

I spoke based on information from before the regression, but… come to think of it, fortunately, it’s the same as the information after this regression.

Even before I took office, I came here with my father and mother on Dongcho-il.

But there was no need to say the rest. Before I could finish speaking, the disciple just left without listening further.

‘Jerk.’

“Jerk. Yo Yohwa is really a jerk.”

At Lin Hwa’s muttered words, the head of the Yo family frowned and lightly scolded.

“What kind of language is that towards your elder brother?”

“But father, you saw it too.”

“Lin Hwa.”

The head of the Yo family called Lin Hwa’s name once in warning.

But Lin Hwa’s pride, which had been hurt after being ignored by the 13th Prince when she had greeted him warmly earlier, had not yet recovered.

Whatever her father said, all that remained was the image of her elder sister clinging ostentatiously to the 13th Prince who had ignored her.

“Father. Mother. You saw it, didn’t you? The 13th Prince insulted me. If it were ‘normal’ elder brothers, they would have said something to the 13th Prince. But elder brother Yo Hwa not only didn’t stand up for me, but he even seemed pleased as he went off clinging to His Highness.”

“Lin Hwa.”

This time, her mother stepped in, glaring and gripping her hand sharply.

But Lin Hwa only lowered her voice, not stopping her complaints.

“If elder brother was a ‘normal’ elder brother, he wouldn’t have done that. No, even ‘normal’ siblings wouldn’t do that. They all get along so well. But look at elder brother. He’s neither here nor there. He acts all high and mighty as an elder brother usually, but as soon as a man issue comes up, he treats me like some obstacle. Is this how ‘normal’ elder brothers act?”

Lin Hwa’s voice was actually very small, barely audible to Saheum and the head of the Yo family.

Moreover, she was trying to speak without using the term ‘elder sister’, but like a thief feeling guilty, Saheum and the head of the Yo family kept nervously glancing around.

Unable to bear it any longer, Saheum covered his daughter’s mouth and scolded her.

“Your elder brother even gets hit with inkstones by the royals. He can’t even make a peep when his own forehead is cracked, how could he say anything there?”

Lin Hwa shook off her mother’s hand and gritted her teeth.

“A young master should be able to protect his family members. Even if he can’t protect his own forehead, he should protect his family. If he can’t do that, he shouldn’t be the young master.”

“Are you taking out your anger on your elder brother because the 13th Prince ignored you and left?”

When the head of the Yo family coldly rebuked her, Lin Hwa turned around and ran off.

“This child!”

Saheum was startled and chased after her.

The head of the Yo family also tried to run after his wife and daughter, but was blocked by other family members passing by and couldn’t chase right away.

Later, when he tried to chase again, at the sound of “The Empress is arriving!”, the head of the Yo family had no choice but to stop and bow his head.

However, even while bowing in greeting, the head of the Yo family’s ears and mind were directed towards where his wife and daughter had run off to.

The head of the Yo family tried to reassure himself that it would be alright, recalling how he had come here with his wife every year.

But Saheum had lost sight of Lin Hwa for a similar reason to the head of the Yo family and was bowing with his waist bent.

He knew that when the Emperor and Empress appeared, everyone had to stop what they were doing and pay their respects.

However, Lin Hwa, who didn’t know about this yet, bent her body forward and slipped out of the crowded hall when she heard the Empress had appeared and people started bowing.

Afterwards, Lin Hwa followed a path with as few people as possible and crouched down among the bushes, sniffling.

‘How embarrassing.’

Born as the legitimate daughter of the Yo family and the ‘only’ precious daughter of the head of the Yo family, Lin Hwa had never been insulted by anyone before.

Even peers from noble families would yield one step to Lin Hwa.

It’s not that she didn’t have friends she didn’t get along with, but even they couldn’t openly disrespect Lin Hwa to her face, though they might gossip behind her back.

But the 13th Prince just said ‘Yes’ and immediately spoke to Yo Hwa after Lin Hwa had praised his appearance with all kinds of compliments, surprised by it. He had ignored Lin Hwa.

And that sister pretending to be an elder brother just smiled and happily followed the 13th Prince.

Lin Hwa gritted her teeth.

‘She fervently tried to prevent me from marrying the 13th Prince. There was a reason. Because the 13th Prince is handsome, she tried to prevent me from marrying that prince. Yo Yohwa wants to block all the good things that happen to me.’

Lin Hwa’s tears fell drop by drop. The more she thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed.

She still loved Sun An, that was true. But Sun An was engaged to the 9th Princess, and there was no room for her to interfere. So she had to try to turn her heart elsewhere somehow.

She would inevitably have to marry another man, and if she had to marry someone she didn’t want, shouldn’t he at least be as beautiful as the 13th Prince?

With a face like that, she might eventually be able to give up her feelings for Sun An and grow attached to him.

‘Elder sister is always like that. She takes all the good things for herself. The position of young master, the family fortune, the status. And yet she tries not to give up even what she should give up. How can she try to claim a handsome man for herself while living disguised as a man?’

“Who’s crying here?”

Lin Hwa was startled by a voice not far away and raised her head.

A handsome man with a splendid and noble impression, wearing expensive-looking clothes, was standing not far away looking at her. He had a face that looked about ten years older than her, was tall, and had cold eyes.

A eunuch was standing behind the man.

Lin Hwa, who had been flustered at encountering a strange man in a secluded place, froze when she realized that this handsome man’s face was quite similar to the 13th Prince she had seen earlier. Overall, the man seemed to be an elder brother of the 13th Prince.

“Are you one of the princes…?”

She asked just in case, and the approaching man burst out laughing.

Isn’t he coming too close? Lin Hwa looked around in confusion, but she didn’t know if it was okay to run away with a prince behind her. Anyway, since the other person came with a eunuch, it seemed like it would be alright…

Meanwhile. The man came closer and looked down at Lin Hwa.

Lin Hwa hesitantly stood up, as the other person seemed to definitely be of royal blood.

‘Even if he’s not a prince, he must be related to the royal family by blood. The 13th Prince doesn’t have any relatives on his mother’s side at all.’

After finishing her thoughts, Lin Hwa quickly wiped the tears on her face and politely clasped her hands together.

Earlier, she had been enchanted by the 13th Prince’s face, and then because of her shame, she hadn’t properly shown courtesy to the royal family.

But being separated from her family and alone, she suddenly felt scared and thought she should behave properly.

Moreover, she didn’t want to appear undignified in front of this beautiful and unfamiliar man. She had to act like a proper lady of the Yo family.

The man, without revealing his identity, stared at Lin Hwa for a while, then a streak of smile appeared on his cold face as he said.

“You must be Yo Yohwa’s younger sister.”

“You know my elder brother?”

“How could I not.”

The man came even closer, stared down at Lin Hwa’s face, and muttered in a strange tone.

“You resemble Yo Yohwa. Not as much as I thought, though.”

“You’ve thought about me?”

Lin Hwa asked in confusion, finding something strange in what the other person had said.

It was then. Another eunuch approached from behind and said to the man.

“Your Majesty. The Empress is looking for Your Majesty. We must go now.”

“!”

Lin Hwa froze quickly at the sound of ‘Your Majesty’. The Emperor?

He only looked about ten years older? Isn’t the Emperor in his mid-40s or early to mid-40s?

Lin Hwa hurriedly knelt down.

“Y-Your Majesty. This girl is entering the palace for the first time and failed to recognize Your Majesty. Please forgive me.”

“Rise.”

Lin Hwa stood up and tried to secretly look at the Emperor closely, but the Emperor had turned around and was returning to the banquet hall with the eunuch who had come to fetch him.

Lin Hwa stared blankly at his retreating figure, and when the Emperor’s figure disappeared, she quickly walked towards the banquet hall herself.

‘Are all the people in the royal family handsome?’

Lin Hwa tried to go to where her family had been earlier, squeezing through the people. Once she came to her senses, she realized she shouldn’t be out here alone like this.

Then Lin Hwa spotted her elder sister and the 13th Prince standing relatively comfortably under a large tree. After gauging the distance between her parents and her elder sister, Lin Hwa reluctantly approached them.