After giving a rough explanation to the 6th Prince, I went straight home to find my parents. My father wasn’t home yet, having not returned from the palace, but my mother approached me urgently as soon as she saw me and asked.

“How was it? How is Lin Hwa? Did you find out?”

Seeing her face full of worry, I found it hard to open my mouth, as if sticky honey had been spread on it. At least honey would be sweet.

“Yo Yohwa?”

As I hesitated, my mother’s expression darkened.

“She’s not doing well, is she?”

Yes. That’s correct.

“It’s only been a day, what could there be to say about doing well or not?”

“Then why aren’t you saying anything?”

You’re sharp.

I was faced with two paths. One was to tell my mother truthfully that the 13th Prince had humiliated Lin Hwa.

The other was to truthfully tell my mother that I had forgotten to ask the 13th Prince about Lin Hwa. Both were true. Damn. What should I do?

“Well. Actually, mother.”

“What is it? Just tell me quickly. Okay?”

In the end, after deliberation, I decided to tell the truth. Perhaps that incident had already reached my father’s ears, and Lin Hwa might complain to my mother later.

If it’s something she’ll find out anyway, it’s better to just say it now.

“Mother. Do you remember when the 13th Prince came here on the day we were calculating fabric?”

My mother replied with a puzzled face.

“I remember. Why? His Highness was looking at your feet…”

“He did look at my feet, but he looked at the fabric more closely. And I boasted to His Highness that I would wear clothes made from that fabric in front of him when I got married. But yesterday, His Highness saw it. Lin Hwa wearing that fabric.”

My mother’s complexion changed rapidly. But she couldn’t let go of her last thread of hope and asked again.

“But surely… He wouldn’t have said something just because of that, would he?”

“He did say something.”

“And Lin Hwa?”

“I don’t know how Lin Hwa is now. But that’s what happened.”

As soon as she heard my words, my mother couldn’t close her mouth. Soon, she pressed her forehead, closed her eyes tightly, and started to groan.

“Our Lin Hwa, with that temper, her insides must be… must be…”

“So you’re aware that Lin Hwa has a foul temper too.”

“Oh, what sin did I commit in my past life to have these two as a pair…”

After a while, my mother lowered her hand abruptly and sobbed.

“You too! If you made such a promise with His Highness, you should have said something beforehand!”

“How was I supposed to know Lin Hwa would take the clothes? You didn’t hide them either because you didn’t know, right?”

And I didn’t think my disciple would remember such a casually made promise so seriously.

My mother, realizing my words were right, seemed to get even angrier and started groaning again.

“Well. That’s what happened.”

After saying that much, I quickly got up and went outside before my mother could make any unreasonable demands.

After returning to my room, I spread out the fabric my disciple had given me on the table. It looked similar, but seemed even more expensive than the fabric Lin Hwa had taken.

When I touched it lightly, the fabric was so soft that I couldn’t help but feel honored.

Oh my, how could he think to give something like this.

I folded the fabric respectfully, wrapped it again in yellow silk, and put it in my treasure box. It’s the disciple I dislike, not the silk, so I should keep it well.

‘But it is strange. Losing his temper with Lin Hwa, I can understand that’s because of his pride… but why give me a gift? I need to stay on my disciple’s good side to survive, but he doesn’t need to be on my good side.’

At that time. Woon Gwi, who was the close eunuch of the 6th Prince but had become the 13th Prince’s man, was spreading thin wooden boards on the 13th Prince’s desk and cutting dried tea leaves on top with a small, long knife.

Hwa Ryeo usually sat in Yo Yohwa’s chair, reading a book while smelling the soft grass scent wafting from a place usually full of ink and paper smells.

“You seem to trust this foreign teacher very much, Your Highness?”

At Woon Gwi’s sudden remark, Hwa Ryeo raised his gaze. Woon Gwi was looking at him playfully while keeping his hands busy.

“No.”

Hwa Ryeo firmly denied it and left one page of the book. Woon Gwi grinned and said.

“Well. For someone who doesn’t, you were quite angry that day.”

The day Woon Gwi was referring to was the day the new concubines entered the palace. As Woon Gwi was the close eunuch of the 6th Prince, he was present at the scene that day.

“That’s not possible.”

Hwa Ryeo denied it again, but Woon Gwi smiled with a face that didn’t believe him at all. Seeing that cunning smile, Hwa Ryeo narrowed his eyes and raised the corners of his mouth.

“You don’t believe me, I see.”

“No. You openly stood up for Master Yo in front of His Majesty and the Royal Consorts. I was so surprised. The 6th Prince was quite pleased though.”

Hwa Ryeo still insisted firmly.

“I don’t trust my teacher.”

Despite Hwa Ryeo denying it three times in a row, Woon Gwi’s face showed he didn’t believe it at all. But instead of probing further, he quietly focused on his work.

As the sound of the small knife cutting dried herbs on the wooden cutting board was heard, Hwa Ryeo lowered his gaze back to the book.

But amidst those rustling sounds, he recalled his teacher from the day they first met, far back in his memory.

It was here then too. At that time, he thought his teacher was a man. Because of that, Hwa Ryeo was so surprised to see the beautiful and gentle young man who appeared with a lynx-like expression.

With that seemingly gentle face, his teacher entered with his lips firmly pressed, as if determined not to be looked down upon by his peer disciples.

Even after repeated regressions, he never regressed to that time, so that appearance was one he had seen only once as well.

Hwa Ryeo recalled his wide-eyed expression upon seeing him, then got up and asked Woon Gwi.

“When did you say your day off was?”

“Two days from now, Your Highness.”

“Then on that day-.”

“Go see Lin Hwa. Okay? Just go and see how she’s doing, even if it’s just to see her face.”

“It’s only been a few days, why go see her already? She must be quite busy now.”

“You know, the first day after leaving home is always the most miserable.”

“Later. After checking the timing.”

Today was a day without lessons, so I had originally planned to just lounge around at home all day.

But as my mother kept coming to my room telling me to go see Lin Hwa, I felt burdened to keep refusing, so I eventually ran away from home.

‘I should go play with Sun An.’

But when I went to find Sun An, what do you know? They said Sun An wasn’t home.

“Oh, don’t even mention it. He’s been going out to learn sculpture these days.”

“Sculpture?”

“Yes. He carves things like cats or dogs every two or three days, planning to take them when he gets married, saying ‘I made these every day thinking of you’ and give them to the 9th Princess.”

Sun An must really like the 9th Princess. Well. Sometimes I’m startled by how proactive he is, but she is quite adorable after all.

“I see.”

In the end, I wandered the streets alone. I’m good at entertaining myself alone anyway, so it wasn’t particularly necessary for Sun An to be beside me. It would be more fun if he were here, but…

Then, while I was idly looking around here and there by myself, I came to a street lined with teahouses.

“Huh?”

Someone approached me from the side and thrust their face close as if trying to confirm my identity. Because of that, I unwillingly came face to face with a stranger, but upon seeing them, it wasn’t a stranger after all.

‘Cheong Yang!’

The one Yu Dong Baek told me was a martial artist and assassin! I’d rather it had been a stranger.

I was so surprised that I stopped walking and stared at Cheong Yang.

In fact, Cheong Yang had approached from the side and naturally moved forward to block my path, so I couldn’t move anyway.

Cheong Yang pretended to be surprised at the chance encounter, despite having deliberately approached.

“Aren’t you the person I saw there before?”

The ‘there’ the 13th Prince was referring to must be the hill next to Hwa Yeon Cheon where the concubine selection took place. Still, I looked at him as if he were crazy, pretending not to know.

“Excuse me? Who are you?”

However, Cheong Yang’s face showed not the slightest concern.

“Why were you surprised to see me before?”

He even went so far as to openly ask about that day. His attitude showed he was certain I recognized him.

Curses flew through my mind.

“Me?”

I try to deny it once, but it’s not much use.

“Yes, you.”

Maybe it’s because I know Cheong Yang is an assassin and his methods are brutal. I feel burdened and scared, making it hard for my mouth to move.

‘Perhaps because he’s an assassin, he pays more attention to every little action of others.’

“When did I do that…?”

I pretended to have trouble remembering, brushing my hair with my hand while quickly looking around, covering my eyes with my sleeve. Tea houses of one and two stories occupied the entire street.

Though quieter than taverns, laughter could be heard from places where several people had gathered. None of them paid any attention to us standing face to face on the street.

‘If I run from here, could I shake off Cheong Yang?’

I glanced at Cheong Yang.

As our eyes met, Cheong Yang smiled the way he did when carrying out the 13th Prince’s orders. He didn’t seem like he would leave unless I made up some excuse.

In the end, I decided to use a weapon I often use, and smiled the way I do when pretending to be a playboy.

“Ah! I remember now.”

At that sudden smile, Cheong Yang flinched, and I spoke in a slightly brighter voice than usual.

“I’m so sorry, young master. Actually, your face is exactly the type I really like.”

“Huh?”

“I thought it’s not easy to find someone so perfectly my type, so that’s why I remember looking at you. My ideal type changed in just a few days, so I didn’t recognize you.”

“!”

“But since we’ve met like this, I should seize the opportunity. By any chance, young master, do you have a sister at home?”

As I asked with a grin, Cheong Yang looked at me as if I were crazy. Still, trusting in the many people around, I stubbornly continued my nonsense.

“No sister? If she looked like you, she’d be my ideal type.”

“What?”

“If you’re not married, an aunt would be fine too.”

As I winked with a grin, Cheong Yang took a couple of steps back. He seemed to think I was a strange person and didn’t want to talk any more.

Thinking things had gone as I wanted, I was feeling relieved when at that moment, Cheong Yang raised his gaze over my shoulder and exclaimed softly, “Huh?” As if recognizing someone standing behind me.

Hearing those words, a chill ran down my spine and I felt goosebumps on the back of my neck. It felt like hail was suddenly falling just around here.

No way. No way? Surely the 13th Prince isn’t standing behind me, causing Cheong Yang to say “Huh?”

Thinking it couldn’t be, yet slowly turning my head. As I turned, I saw someone’s clothes.

Slowly raising my gaze upward, the face of the 13th Prince looking down at me with icy eyes was revealed.

“!”