Why do I hear my disciple’s voice in a gambling house? At this time, my disciple should still be pretending to be the docile and timid 13th prince.

I feel a cold sweat running down my spine. But I’m certain that what I heard was my disciple’s voice.

Unable to turn my head, I stood still for a few breaths. As the footsteps gradually approached, the owner of the voice finally came up to me.

“To think I’d see my master in a place like this.”

As expected. Looking down at me from a much higher eye level was the clear face of my disciple.

When a sigh reflexively escaped me, the smiling lips that approached twisted slightly upwards.

“Should I say I’m glad to see you?”

My disciple, who had come close, asked as if seeking advice instead of greeting.

I swallowed dryly, looked up at my disciple, and finally managed to open my mouth.

“Your-”

I was about to ask, ‘Your Highness, what brings you here?’

However, the question was not completed and slipped back down my throat. It was because my disciple had pressed a folded fan against my mouth.

Are you crazy? As I instinctively closed my mouth and blinked, he asked in a gentle voice.

“What good would it do for others to know that the disciple met the master in a gambling house? Isn’t that right, master?”

It seems he doesn’t want me to carelessly reveal his identity. Come to think of it, the 13th prince is outside the palace, even inside a gambling house. And there’s only one guard around.

I suppose this means he didn’t come publicly.

I nodded to indicate I would keep quiet, and only then did my disciple withdraw the fan and cast his gaze around. I also looked around in turn.

‘Where did Sun An go? When is he coming back?’

Sun An is still nowhere to be seen. The good thing is, while people were glancing at me when I was standing alone, they lost interest once my disciple came to stand beside me.

I stopped looking around and turned back to my disciple.

‘Damn it. Heart, stop pounding so hard. Even if we met unexpectedly, you’re being too noisy on your own.’

Why did my disciple come here? I don’t know. Did my disciple frequent gambling houses in his past life? I don’t know.

But after coming up to me like he knew me, now that I’ve quieted down, he’s busy looking around, ignoring me.

Meeting me must have been purely coincidental. Perhaps he has someone else to meet? But did he come here on purpose because I suddenly appeared?

After some consideration, I decided to ask my disciple. But as I was about to call out to him, I felt at a loss. Damn. What should I call him?

Normally, I would call him ‘Your Highness’. But my disciple just said not to call him that. Calling him ’13th Prince’ would be even worse than ‘Your Highness’.

But calling him ‘young master’ doesn’t fit either, as my own attire also gives off the air of a wealthy young master.

Then, brother? Are you crazy? The 13th prince would want to kill me. So then…

“Um… disciple.”

After much deliberation, I cautiously used this form of address. My disciple, who had been looking around until now, immediately turned to me and raised one eyebrow.

“Disciple?”

He repeated what I had just said. Is this form of address no good either?

“Should I call you something else?”

Scared, I quickly backtracked and asked. But I couldn’t think of any other way to address him.

As I stammered, my disciple narrowed his eyes and looked at me as if testing me. My heart shrank under that piercing gaze.

After a few breaths, just as it was becoming difficult to breathe. My disciple nodded.

“Call me that.”

Being so tense, I immediately bowed.

“Thank you.”

After saying it, I realized it wasn’t something for me to be thankful for. Damn. I’m the one considering his circumstances by not calling him ‘Your Highness’. Why am I the one expressing gratitude? I don’t know.

Ah, no. Let’s not think too deeply. The more I think about matters related to this disciple, the more upset I get.

Hiding the anger that was welling up, I carefully asked my disciple who was looking around again.

“Disciple. Um… why did you come here?”

My disciple asked back without even looking at me.

“And why did you come here, master?”

“I asked first… but I don’t mind answering first. My friend likes to gamble, so I came to find him. I’m deeply loyal to my friends. What about you?”

I thought my disciple would answer ‘I came to gamble’. Even if it wasn’t sincere.

However, instead of answering, my disciple chuckled audibly, then looked me up and down and asked back.

“Loyalty?”

It sounded like a question, but the tone was mocking. I’m not sure what part of what I just said warranted mockery, but it was clearly that kind of tone. I flinched and looked at my disciple before answering.

“Yes. Loyalty.”

Then, pretending not to notice my disciple’s mockery, I asked again.

“Why did you come here, disciple?”

“I also came to find someone.”

“Someone?”

Surely it’s not Sun An? Was there some connection between my disciple and Sun An in the past?

I’m not sure about when I’m not around. But as far as I know, there wasn’t any particular friendship between my disciple and Sun An.

“You seem to be thinking hard, master.”

Was it obvious that I was trying to recall his past life connections in my head? Suddenly my disciple whispered from above me. I startled and looked up to see him looking down at me with an amused expression.

But just because he’s smiling doesn’t mean I should really trust that smile. Even in his past life, he always treated me well, but in the end he gave me poisoned wine.

“Thinking hard…?”

“Well. Perhaps you were thinking of ways to scold your disciple who frequents gambling houses?”

“Haha. How could I…”

“Or perhaps you’re in a bad mood because you came to have fun, but ended up seeing an unpleasant face?”

“Pardon?”

I looked up at my disciple with a blank expression, not understanding anything. My heart, which I had just managed to calm down, was racing wildly again.

Every word this disciple says is full of sarcasm.

As I deliberately maintained a dazed expression, my disciple muttered coldly.

“Well. What use is there in saying such things to you now, master.”

Then, turning his gaze elsewhere, he said.

“The friend you came to find must be young master An of the Sun family, I suppose. Find him well and go.”

“And you…”

“I’ll go look for my friend.”

Ah. As expected. My disciple also came here to find someone else. As I felt relieved, my disciple made one last sarcastic comment.

“I know your heart is light, but don’t let your pockets become light too.”

‘Don’t let your pockets become light’ seems to mean don’t gamble. But I don’t know what he means by saying my heart is light.

Anyway, it seems he has no intention of tormenting me here today, which is fortunate. Instead of talking back, I simply replied “Yes” and turned my head towards the direction where people were bustling.

Come quickly, Sun An. Your friend is in great trouble.

But my disciple, who had said he would go find his friend, seemed to be leaving well when he suddenly touched my neck.

As soon as his large, hot hand touched the nape of my neck, I hid my neck as much as possible like a turtle and raised my shoulders. Completely shrinking back, I turned around to see my disciple with a hardened expression.

Seeing that expression made my heart sink. Oh no. The ‘me’ of this time period shouldn’t be afraid of my disciple yet! My disciple is also an outwardly disrespected and mistreated prince!

But to show such obvious fear like this. I must be crazy! Cursing inwardly, I hastily made an excuse.

“My neck is a bit sensitive. I’d appreciate if you didn’t touch it.”

After making the excuse, it sounded a bit far-fetched, but I couldn’t think of anything else to say.

Still, since I’m outwardly a man and the 13th prince is also a man, he shouldn’t take my words strangely. I glanced at my disciple’s reaction.

But why? My disciple’s eyes looked terribly fierce. His expression was ice-cold, but his eyes were like those of a tiger encountered in the mountains at midnight.

That attitude sent chills down my spine. Did he take my words strangely? Did he interpret ‘sensitive’ differently?

“That is, I-”

As I was about to add a few more words, my disciple asked in a voice like a cold wind.

“Who did this to your neck?”

“Pardon?”

As soon as I asked back, my disciple grabbed the collar of my clothes and spread it open as if flipping it. I jumped in shock, but my disciple, still gripping my collar, asked again in a subdued voice.

“The hand marks on your neck, master. I asked who did this.”

‘Ah! Sun An earlier!’

Sun An said he had almost been assassinated due to his maternal family affairs. Because of that, when I told him about his maternal family circumstances that he didn’t know, he suspected me and choked me. I choked him back in turn.

Anyway, it seems the hand marks remained from that time.

Realizing this, I hurriedly raised my collar to cover my neck. But my disciple’s hand blocked me.

“Disciple. What are you doing?”

I frowned, pretending to be a strict master, but it was no use. His gaze was fixed on my neck.

“Who did this? I’m asking for the second time, master.”

What was perplexing was that he seemed a bit angry. With his gaze fixed on my neck, I was at a loss for words.

If I weren’t in a position to hide the fact that I had regressed, I would have asked my disciple outright. Why are you angry when you also want to kill me?

When he poisoned me right in front of his face. Why are his eyes so scary just because of some marks left from being choked, not even killed?

Is it because someone else almost killed me when he should be the one to do it? Oh. Now that I say it, is that it?

As soon as I had that thought, an even more frightening feeling came over me and goosebumps rose on the back of my neck. How deep must his grudge be for him to get so angry just because someone almost killed his enemy in his stead?

“You’re not answering.”

As I was covering my neck with my hand, unable to do this or that, my disciple muttered coldly.

“There were some circumstances.”

I smiled awkwardly and made an excuse.

Sun An choking me was an upsetting incident, but it was a matter between Sun An and me. It was because I carelessly told his secret to Sun An, who was sensitive due to being exposed to assassination risks.

This wasn’t something I wanted to talk about to others, so I didn’t want to tell my disciple. It was also completely unrelated to my disciple.

However, my disciple was persistent.

“I’m asking what those circumstances were, master.”

“It’s not something you need to know, disciple.”

“It’s not something I need to know?”

“Yes. It’s a personal matter.”

“…”

Is he… angry? My disciple, who had been talking back to each of my words, suddenly went quiet. I stroked the nape of my neck and carefully raised my gaze to look at my disciple. He was still staring at me like before.

Then, the moment our eyes met. Unexpectedly, he smiled like a fully bloomed cherry blossom and said something I didn’t want to believe.

“I see. If that’s how you feel, I won’t ask anymore. You must have circumstances you don’t want to tell someone like me. But as your disciple, how could I just let it go when I see my master’s neck injured? Let’s go to a room. I’ll treat it for you.”

What?

I stared at my disciple with wide eyes in surprise.

This absolutely could not happen. To treat the neck, I would have to loosen my clothes a bit. And I’m disguised as a man!