I gaped at the sudden appearance of the 13th Prince. Just as I was about to ask him a question, my disciple beat me to it.

“Are you playing ghosts?”

What? Is that all you can say after seeing this fine fabric?

“No.”

After answering bluntly out of bewilderment, I realized I was still in an awkward pose with both hands raised.

It seems my disciple asked that question because of my posture, not the fabric. Still, it’s annoying.

No, more importantly…

“Your Highness, why are you here?”

Isn’t this the real issue? As I stared in disbelief, my disciple closed the door and answered while entering.

“They told me to wait here when I said I came to see my teacher. I didn’t reveal that I’m a prince.”

What kind of foolish person! But right now, our household was busy with people coming and going to prepare for Lin Hwa’s entry into the palace.

Moreover, the reason this room was piled with silk like a mountain was that earlier, a silk merchant had waited for mother here and ended up completing the transaction in this very room.

With so many guests coming and going, there could have been some miscommunication among the workers.

Even so, it was embarrassing to be caught in this state by the 13th Prince. As I was quietly breathing to calm myself, my disciple approached and said,

“It must be uncomfortable. Let me remove the needles for you.”

“No, it’s fine.”

I quickly moved back. I had a feeling he might “accidentally” prick me two or three times while removing the needles.

But upon hearing my refusal, my disciple’s expression immediately fell, then he raised the corners of his mouth and asked,

“Is it unlucky if I touch your new clothes?”

This guy twists words too much when he listens. That habit needs to be corrected. And how can he look so fierce even while smiling? I couldn’t help but curse inwardly.

“Of course not.”

But even knowing I’d be drawn in by my disciple, I couldn’t agree here. Jokes should only be made with people who can take them.

Hearing my answer, my disciple nodded and said,

“Then it shouldn’t matter if I remove the needles for you.”

“What if you accidentally prick me…”

“I won’t.”

I don’t find that very reassuring. While I was grumbling inwardly, my disciple swiftly pulled out a needle and placed it on the table.

As I nervously watched those long, beautiful hands, my disciple easily removed a second needle and asked,

“Do you also baste clothes for your younger sister?”

“This is my clothes.”

“Your clothes? Didn’t you say you were busy preparing for your sister’s entry into the palace?”

“Ah, mother said she’d make me an outfit as well while at it.”

My disciple raised one eyebrow and began examining the shape and length of the basted clothes.

“She says it’s for me to wear when I marry Your Highness.”

That gaze immediately froze at my casually added explanation. I just love seeing him react with such disgust.

I struggled to keep a smug smile from appearing as I carefully managed my expression.

After a few breaths, my disciple unexpectedly said,

“I can do all this for you later, so there’s no need to have it made in advance.”

“But our family is richer than Your Highness.”

“…”

Seeing my disciple stiffen, I felt so warm inside!

Finding it difficult to hold back a smile, I awkwardly moved my needle-pricked arms to hide my smile behind the fabric.

Then, looking at my disciple, I saw him smiling with an incredulous expression.

“I see. You must be very pleased. Well, since you say it’s clothes to wear when you come to me, I’ll look forward to it.”

Soon, he removed the needle from my sleeve, as well as those stuck in my armpit and waist area. As he said, I wasn’t pricked by any needles.

Freedom! I inwardly cheered for the freedom I found in just a moment.

But unable to show it outwardly, I pretended to be aloof and was about to sit in the chair when I stood back up seeing my disciple still standing.

Then, feeling awkward, I pretended to examine the fabric when the 13th Prince asked first.

“You seem to like new clothes.”

“Of course. Is there anyone who doesn’t like new clothes?”

“I see. I didn’t know that.”

Well, we never had occasion to talk about clothes privately before my regression, right?

My disciple asked again.

“Then are you good at sewing too?”

“I’d say I’m about the same level as Your Highness.”

That means I’m not good. But hearing my answer, my disciple smiled ambiguously and teased,

“Then you must be quite skilled.”

I’m not sure if he’s saying that because he’s actually good at sewing, or if he’s just guessing that I’m not good at it, but his eyes were curved.

Seeing that, I felt… something. What is it? Did something good happen today?

This disciple of mine isn’t the type to come find me and treat me nicely before leaving.

Today, he didn’t prick me while removing the needles, he’s speaking relatively kindly, and his eyes are like that. He seems a bit excited.

I stared at him, puzzled, but my disciple didn’t bring up his own story first.

As we stood there, it suddenly occurred to me.

“Right. Why did you come? You said you came to see me?”

My disciple pulled out a chair and said,

“Please sit.”

“Pardon?”

I asked why he came, so why is he pulling out a chair? As I stared blankly in confusion, my disciple patted the seat of the chair.

Though puzzled, I sat down, and my disciple bent one knee and placed my leg on his bent knee.

“Ah!”

I screamed in shock at that alarming action, and my disciple looked at me as if I were crazy.

What is this person doing?

“Why are you taking someone else’s leg?!”

When I asked in bewilderment, my disciple answered expressionlessly,

“You sprained your leg when I last saw you. Since you never treat your injuries properly, I came to check.”

“What?”

“Let me see it.”

I hugged my leg to hide it and refused in panic.

“It’s fine now.”

However, when I refused, my disciple’s eyes immediately darkened as he asked,

“Was it a fake illness? I personally carried you down the mountain path thinking you were very ill.”

He’s always so extreme! And why is it a mountain path? It was just a hill slope!

“That’s not it! I’m just embarrassed to show you my foot!”

When I hastily explained, my disciple looked at me dryly as if wondering what there was to be embarrassed about.

Feeling it would be stranger if I kept refusing to give him my leg, I reluctantly extended the injured leg little by little.

My disciple placed my leg on his knee, then slightly extended the ankle, shin bone, and the area below the heel to examine the surroundings.

Oh my, I’m stepping on the future emperor! Oh my, the future emperor is looking at the sole of my foot up close!

I don’t even know how to react. I can’t tell if this is scary or burdensome. I’m just frozen in a state of ‘I am temporarily dead’.

How long had we been like that? Just as the 13th Prince finally took his eyes off my ankle and was about to say something to me.

“Yo Yohwa, did you wait long?”

Mother, who hadn’t come despite how long I waited, suddenly opened the door and came in, only to scream and run out upon seeing the 13th Prince clinging to my foot.

I hurriedly removed my foot from the prince’s knee and turned around.

By then, mother seemed to have regained her senses and opened the door to come back in.

I turned my head slightly to look at mother. She was standing there trembling, with anger rising to the top of her head.

Then, as the 13th Prince slowly straightened his knee and stood up, she forced a smile and said, unable to express her anger,

“Your Highness. I know there has been some talk of marriage between you and our Yo Yohwa, but it’s not officially proceeding yet. So for Yo Yohwa’s sake, please observe proper etiquette. As for Yo Yohwa’s feet… please look at them after you’re married.”

I’m too scared to check the 13th Prince’s expression right now. Isn’t mother speaking as if the 13th Prince was fascinated by my feet and looking at them?

I stared straight ahead, then took out a handkerchief and half-covered my face for no reason. As I was avoiding the situation, I heard the 13th Prince’s calm voice.

“If the marriage talks won’t proceed, there should be no further issue whether I look at my teacher’s feet or ankles.”

Mother couldn’t answer right away. Since I’m officially male, it seemed she had no words to refute.

In the end, mother remained silent without saying anything more.

My disciple looked at mother once, then stood up and said to me.

“Then, teacher. I shall take my leave now.”

“Yes. Yes.”

“Please continue to treat your foot well. There were no signs of treatment at all.”

Wait, does he know medicine too? How did he know that? Can he see that?

As I stared in confusion, the 13th Prince just said “I’m leaving” to mother and left.

I hesitated, then lightly patted mother’s arm before following to see my disciple off. I was suspicious he might take a side path, but my disciple really did leave that way.

As I watched my disciple’s retreating figure, I’m still perplexed. Did he really come all this way just to look at my foot?

A few days later. About three days before Lin Hwa’s entry into the palace. The clothes were finally completed.

That means the outfit made for me as a side project was also finished, so I went to the main hall where mother was staying, partly to pay my respects.

‘Mother must have set aside my clothes in advance.’

Just then, I could hear Lin Hwa’s laughter coming from in front of the main hall. It seems Lin Hwa is looking at the clothes too.

I thought about coming back later, but figuring I’d have fewer chances to see her face after she enters the palace and we wouldn’t even have occasions to fight, I just went inside.

“Mother. I’m here.”

As expected. Lin Hwa was trying on her newly made clothes.

“Look at this, Yo Yohwa. How is it?”

Moreover, she seemed to like the clothes, as her face was even brighter than usual.

“Wow. Clothes make the man.”

“Hey Yo Yohwa. Can’t you give a proper compliment?”

“Wow, pearls before swine.”

“Yo Yohwa!”

I shut my mouth after getting a slap on the back from mother. Lin Hwa glared at me, then said as she went into the side room,

“I’ll try on something else and come out!”

While Lin Hwa went to change clothes. I asked mother,

“What about my clothes?”

“Not yet.”

“They’re not finished?”

“I couldn’t take them out. They’re at the very bottom, so I’ll take them out later when I say I’m moving things to the women’s quarters.”

Mother whispered in a low voice.

As I nodded to that, I suddenly remembered what my disciple said when he saw me draped in the fabric. That he would wait for me to come to him wearing that outfit.

“…”

Well. It must have been empty words. He wouldn’t mean for me to wear it as a shroud, right?

Wait. Come to think of it, that’s strange. Did he really mean for me to wear it as a shroud? …Should I not have made it white?

Just as I was feeling uneasy, the side room door finally opened and Lin Hwa jumped out like a rabbit, shouting,

“Ta-da! How’s this?”

But Lin Hwa was wearing the outfit made from the fabric mother was supposed to make for me.

I looked at mother, wondering what was going on. Mother also had a surprised expression.

“Lin Hwa, that—”

But before mother could speak, Lin Hwa examined the clothes this way and that while grumbling,

“I think this outfit suits me best in terms of color and style. I should wear it on the day I enter the palace. But the length is a bit long. I wonder if it can be shortened in two days?”