While Yo Hwa was going down the hill, bickering with the 13th Prince.

Cheong Yang, who had passed by them, tilted his head as he recalled the person who was on the 13th Prince’s back earlier.

‘It seemed like they were surprised to see me?’

Cheong Yang, an assassin, was meticulous in appearance but lacked presence, so he didn’t stand out much to people.

Also, he thought this trait was his strength, so he deliberately wore inconspicuous clothes and walked around like a passerby.

‘Why were they surprised to see me?’

But when the flamboyant-looking person was startled upon seeing him and turned their head, he couldn’t help but wonder.

“What are you doing?”

Woon Gwi, who came to pick up Cheong Yang, frowned and asked upon seeing his behavior.

Cheong Yang, who had been looking in the direction the 13th Prince went, finally turned around and approached Woon Gwi, making a sad sound for no reason.

“My lord ignored me and passed by…!”

“Just hurry up and come.”

The place Woon Gwi took Cheong Yang was Hachunjae, an empty palace building no longer in use.

But since Woon Gwi had cleaned the interior for this meeting, not a speck of dust sat on the furniture.

As Cheong Yang entered the building, Cho Gam, who was drinking tea inside, nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Cheong Yang pulled up a chair near Cho Gam and asked.

“Yu Dongbaek is absent again. No, it seems he only shows up when we meet at his family’s gambling house. Is that guy actually doing business with us?”

Cho Gam smiled and shook his head.

Two hours later. When the 13th Prince appeared, Cheong Yang couldn’t contain his curiosity and asked.

“My lord. Who was that person you were carrying earlier?”

The 13th Prince raised his eyebrows at Cheong Yang’s question as soon as he entered the room, skipping greetings.

“The person I was carrying?”

“I mean that beautiful person on Your Highness’s back.”

The 13th Prince frowned and said.

“That’s my teacher. I’m not sure about beautiful though.”

Then the 13th Prince saw Cheong Yang’s eyes change like a squirrel’s with curiosity and asked.

“What’s the matter?”

Cheong Yang hadn’t been very interested in Yo Yohwa before the regression. He had acted together with her a few times when the 13th Prince brought her along as his teacher, but it didn’t turn into curiosity.

But now he was like this without even greeting properly, so it bothered him, overlapping with Yo Yohwa’s reaction earlier.

“Ah. It’s nothing. It’s just that Your Highness doesn’t usually carry anyone, so I was curious.”

Cheong Yang smiled, shook his head, and immediately changed the subject.

The 13th Prince frowned and turned to look at the doorway for no reason.

“Oh no, why are your legs injured again?”

When I returned home in the carriage arranged by the 13th Prince’s eunuch, my mother, who had been anxiously waiting for Lin Hwa to return, ran over with a look of dismay.

“What on earth happened?”

“Ah. I just slipped a little.”

“Where did you slip? Your clothes are covered in dirt!”

I repeatedly told my mother I was fine and went back to my room.

“What about the doctor?”

“The royal physician treated me.”

As soon as I arrived in my bedroom, I sat on the bed and stretched out my injured leg. I could see the carefully wrapped bandage.

It wasn’t Cho Gam’s handiwork. I thought the 13th Prince would call Cho Gam today too, but unexpectedly, he called a different unfamiliar physician.

‘Who was it? Why didn’t he call Cho Gam and called someone else instead?’

I got anxious thinking about it. Did he not call his close aide and just called any physician because he was suspicious of me? Did my surprise at seeing Cheong Yang fuel the 13th Prince’s suspicion?

I don’t know. But it was clear that the more I thought about these things, the worse it was for my mental health.

In the end, I stopped the anxious thoughts and just lay down comfortably on the bed.

“Young master doesn’t seem nervous. I’m shaking like this even though I’m not close to young lady Lin Hwa.”

My maid Wol Seom, not knowing what was in my mind, exclaimed as she brought warm tea.

“What’s there to be nervous about? She’ll pass as long as she doesn’t cause any big trouble.”

“Why do you think so?”

“We have our family name. Plus, Lin Hwa looks elegant if she just keeps her mouth shut.”

Wol Seom handed me the teacup and asked.

“If young lady Lin Hwa becomes a royal concubine, what happens next?”

“What do you mean what happens?”

“I’ve heard that when there’s a royal concubine in the family, you can benefit from it but also suffer along with it.”

Wol Seom had a slightly worried face.

Actually, what Wol Seom said is right. That’s why even if they don’t get along, when a royal concubine comes from the family, they have no choice but to help each other unless they’re mortal enemies.

‘It’s worrying.’

If Lin Hwa becomes a royal concubine, I should tell her that she can fight or get along with others as she likes, but she must never mistreat the 13th Prince.

I tried to wait for Lin Hwa to return with my parents, but after dinner, when I took the medicine given by the physician, I was so drowsy I couldn’t bear it.

“This won’t do. You go in and sleep. They say it will end late at night, don’t they?”

Seeing this, my mother stopped me, so I finally greeted my parents and returned to my room to fall completely asleep.

And the next morning. After washing and dressing properly, I went to the main hall to pay my morning respects.

Wol Gang walked beside me and quietly informed me about last night’s events.

“Young master, the carriage that young lady Lin Hwa returned in last night had the imperial insignia hanging on it. The madam said it was the insignia usually used by lower-ranked concubines. Seeing that, the master and madam were relieved.”

As expected, she passed. I had a bad feeling when I saw the ground crumbling during the prayer to interfere.

“What about Lin Hwa?”

“She said she was tired and went straight to bed after washing up, so she probably hasn’t talked properly with the madam yet.”

Wol Gang was right. Lin Hwa, whom I met after going to pay respects, was busy boasting to our parents about everything from the start of the concubine selection to just before it ended.

She was so much more excited than usual that she was too busy boasting to even glare at me.

“They served a drink made from mashed strawberries, and it was sweet and really delicious. No matter how good the cooking is outside, it really can’t compare to the food made by the imperial cooks, can it? The other ladies were also amazed at how delicious it was and wanted to drink more. But the most impressive was His Majesty. Father, Mother, how can His Majesty’s face be so outstanding when he’s already the Emperor?”

My parents, who had been very worried until last night, seemed relieved to see Lin Hwa so happy about being selected as a concubine, and listened to all of Lin Hwa’s words with pleased expressions.

When Lin Hwa only talked about the Emperor’s face, my mother wanted to hear more and asked first.

“How many concubines were selected in total?”

“Two including me. But they say when the princess from Taewol arrives, we’ll enter the palace together, so this batch of concubines is three in total.”

My father was also curious and asked.

“Who is the other one?”

“A woman called Dan Jucho. They say she’s from a famous family in the Jiwangseong area, but I don’t know who she is.”

I don’t know who she is either. Well, the Emperor didn’t select concubines before the regression, so I wouldn’t know this even with information from before.

For the next few days, our family was swept up in Lin Hwa’s excitement.

The court lady who came from the imperial palace taught Lin Hwa court etiquette, and Lin Hwa, unexpectedly seeming to have the proper motivation, started studying meticulously.

My parents, thinking it can’t be helped now that she’s become a concubine, became busy having clothes made for Lin Hwa to take with her.

Several silk merchants, craftsmen, seamstresses, and merchants visited every day, and my father and mother’s friends and acquaintances came to congratulate Lin Hwa’s entry into the palace as an excuse to make their faces known.

But one day, as we were noisily preparing for the entry into the palace. When my mother called me, I went to see mountains of silk like clouds and waves piled on the table.

“It’s pretty.”

I was admiring it, lifting it up to examine it when my mother made an unexpected remark.

“You pick one too. I’ll have a set of clothes made for you when we’re making Lin Hwa’s clothes.”

“What? That’s not necessary.”

I put down the fabric without much thought, but my mother added in a low voice.

“I’m thinking of having women’s clothes made for you.”

I almost dropped the silk in surprise.

“What? Why?”

When I asked in bewilderment, my mother stroked the spread-out silk with her palm and said.

“Wear it later when you’re married and with His Highness.”

I shuddered and waved both arms.

“Oh my! No, no.”

My disciple was a person who would get goosebumps all over his body if he saw me dressed like a fairy. Look at how he panicked and threw me off when I spoke a bit softly yesterday.

And you want me to wear such soft and flowy clothes in front of that disciple.

Moreover, I plan to escape at an appropriate opportunity once my disciple doesn’t think badly of me. But such clothes!

“Hurry up and choose. Hurry.”

But my mother seemed determined to make a set of clothes for me too, insisting with a firm face.

In the end, I chose a fabric that was predominantly white with gold thread at the edges.

“Then this one.”

My mother held the fabric up to my chin, then smiled brightly and liked it.

“It suits you well.”

“Really, it’s okay.”

“Lin Hwa is having forty new outfits made. I’ll have them make forty-one by slipping this one in. What’s the difference between forty and forty-one? Don’t feel burdened.”

Since we couldn’t call the chambermaids, seamstresses, or maids, my mother brought the sewing box herself, had me drape the silk, and checked the measurements by sticking needles here and there.

I stood awkwardly with my arms spread, surrounded by silk that felt like egg whites.

How long had it been like that? While my mother was working for a while, there was an urgent voice of Sugil-daek from outside saying, “Madam! Madam!”

“What’s the matter?”

When my mother asked towards the outside, the voice answered loudly.

“You need to come out for a moment! There’s a problem!”

My mother clicked her tongue and said to me.

“With people coming and going frequently, problems keep popping up here and there. Wait here for a moment. I’ll be right back.”

When I nodded, my mother quickly went outside.

I didn’t think much of it at the time. But as I stood there blankly for two hours in this state, my arms and legs started to cramp and I became irritated.

But I couldn’t just plop down on a chair because I was afraid the fabric my mother had marked might tear due to the needles.

At that moment. Finally, there was a sound of movement outside the door, then the sound of the door opening, and I quickly turned around and shouted at my mother.

“Hurry and take out these needles! My arms are dying from numbness.”

But there was no response from my mother.

“Mother?”

Puzzled, I turned my head, and unexpectedly, the person standing at the door was not my mother but my disciple. My disciple whose eyes were wider than usual, seeming as surprised as I was.

No… why are you here?