I thought my disciple would say something to me. But after an uncomfortable silence, he turned around wordlessly and walked to Wolmugung first.

“Your Highness? What’s wrong?”

I asked while following alongside him, but my disciple just kept walking at a fast pace.

Even after entering the room, he silently opened a book. As if he were actually being a diligent disciple.

I watched him carefully from across the table, then carefully removed the ornament from my hair and placed it in the corner of the desk.

“I’ll do page 110…”

To test my disciple, I deliberately called out a part we had studied before.

My disciple flipped the pages back without reacting.

‘This is too much!’

I had my pride too. To maintain my dignity, I should ignore him back when my disciple ignores me and just proceed with the lesson.

“Your Highness.”

But I valued my life more than my pride. I quietly got up from my seat and went to the opposite side of my disciple’s desk.

Then, just as he had teased me before, I leaned on his desk with my hands and bent forward slightly.

“What are you doing?”

When our eyes met, my disciple could no longer ignore me and asked.

“Go back.”

“But Your Highness keeps ignoring me.”

My disciple’s voice was cold, but I persisted and held my ground.

“Is it because of the hair ornament?”

“!”

“Look, I’ve already taken it off. I took it off and threw it in the corner over there.”

I pointed to my desk with my finger.

My disciple remained expressionless, but his eyes moved quickly.

I looked at my disciple with the expression I had used when asking the 9th Princess for forgiveness for roughly saving her before.

The 9th Princess fell for this expression of mine in one go. Since my disciple shares half his blood with the 9th Princess, he might fall for this expression too.

“…”

Hmm. He’s not falling for it. Judging by that incredulous smirk, I must look utterly ridiculous.

I dejectedly returned to my seat. My life will keep getting shorter bit by bit if I keep trying to please that disciple brat.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Teacher.”

After finishing the lesson, I was carefully organizing my books, debating whether to put the hair ornament back on or just carry it.

My disciple called me and took something out of his drawer as he approached. He attached it to my hair.

“What, what is this?”

When I raised my hand, I felt a cold metal material and something round like beads.

As I couldn’t see it properly and kept fumbling in confusion, my disciple went into the inner side room and brought out a mirror about the size of his head.

Reflected in the mirror was a hair ornament with rice grain-sized pearls hanging in clusters.

The ridiculous part was that there was something like a seagull bird between those rice grains, and my hair was caught in the bird’s toes.

What’s with this outrageous taste.

“How is it?”

“Are the pearls the seagull’s food and my hair its nest?”

The mirror my disciple was holding shook.

I looked up in surprise to see my disciple looking down at me with his jaw clenched tight.

When our eyes met, my disciple put away the mirror and corrected me.

“It’s a crane. And the pearls are foam.”

I want to ask how on earth… but let’s go with that.

“Ah. I see.”

As I nodded, pretending to understand, my disciple glanced at the magnolia hair ornament placed at the edge of the desk and said.

“Don’t wear things like that. It doesn’t suit you.”

“It’s not that it doesn’t suit me.”

“Teacher.”

“Of course. I’m more of a bird than a flower.”

How can pleasing a grown disciple be this difficult? As I smiled forcefully while speaking, my disciple nodded and said.

“This hair ornament suits you well.”

“Um… but if His Majesty tells me to wear that hair ornament again…”

“Tell him your disciple stepped on it and smashed it.”

“What if His Majesty throws an inkstone at me again?”

My disciple shrugged his shoulders and said as he went back to his seat.

“This disciple will remain celibate for life, longing for his teacher.”

“!”

This bad guy!

[This is the timeline separator]

It was on my way home, feeling drained after hearing my disciple’s untrustworthy statement.

I had come about halfway down the narrow path connecting Wolmugung’s main gate to the main road when I saw Lin Hwa standing there with only Wolmi, a court lady from her household.

“Lin Hwa?”

Why is she there? Puzzled, I approached her anyway.

“Were you on your way to Wolmugung?”

Lin Hwa replied sulkily.

“No. Why would I go there? People would look at me strangely.”

Right. There are no concubines or princesses residing in Wolmugung.

“I was waiting to meet you.”

“Me?”

At Lin Hwa’s gesture, Wolmi held out the box she was carrying to me.

“What’s this?”

I received it and opened the lid to find a clear green jade ring inside.

“It’s pretty. But why?”

“The Empress said to give it to you.”

The Empress?

“Why would the Empress?”

We’re not on those terms, are we? As soon as the Empress’s name came up, I immediately became suspicious.

The Empress had attached me to the 13th Prince, who had no backing, not to ignore him but to keep him in check, and even went as far as to arrange a marriage proposal, which was an enormous undertaking.

Not only that. When things didn’t go her way, she immediately spread rumors that I was a woman.

Before my regression, the Empress was a great strategist who had made her daughter almost as powerful as the Emperor in this country where only princes could ascend to the throne.

Suspicious… very suspicious.

“I don’t know.”

Lin Hwa shrugged and showed me her palm.

“She gave one to me too. She said it would be a bit awkward to give it to you directly, so she asked me to pass it on.”

Lin Hwa had a similar jade ring on her finger. As she withdrew her hand, her eyes suddenly narrowed.

I wanted to say, ‘Isn’t this a gift from Sun An and the 9th Princess because they’re on good terms?’, but her expression showed she didn’t want to bring up that topic. Even if they’re on bad terms, sisters are still sisters, and her true feelings are clearly visible.

“I see. Thank you.”

Anyway, since I couldn’t refuse the Empress’s gift, I closed the lid of the box. Gifts in both hands now.

“Well then, I’ll be going now. Any messages for your parents?”

“No. But what’s that in your hand?”

But as I was saying goodbye, Lin Hwa held me back and asked.

“Is it a flower?”

Lin Hwa took the magnolia ornament the Emperor had given me from my hand.

“Ah.”

I deliberately evaded.

Lin Hwa’s emotions are explosive, but only towards me.

Even I felt a bit uneasy about the Emperor giving me that ornament, but if Lin Hwa found out, she might cause an even bigger scene with her excessive imagination.

But why is Lin Hwa’s expression hardening like that when I didn’t say much? It’s unsettling. I should avoid this.

“Hey, I really need to go now. I have an appointment with Sun, Sun Ji.”

I made up a random name and snatched the ornament back from Lin Hwa’s hand.

However, Lin Hwa quickly pulled her hand away and looked at the magnolia ornament more closely before asking.

“Isn’t this from His Majesty?”

It is, but how does she know that? This doesn’t seem right. A warning bell rang in my head.

The uneasiness I had felt since the Empress sent me the jade ring was now signaling me to flee immediately.

“It seems like it?”

But before I could take half a step back, Lin Hwa’s expression had already turned ominous as she looked up.

For a moment, our eyes met in mid-air. Lin Hwa’s complexion suddenly turned as white as if all the blood had drained from it, I couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

Afraid she might make some terrible misunderstanding, I pulled Lin Hwa’s ear close and whispered.

“You know I had marriage talks with the 13th Prince. That’s why he gave it to me. Like a gift for a potential daughter-in-law.”

It was a plausible excuse.

But Lin Hwa pushed me away. Then she started glaring at me fiercely, her eyes blazing.

It was a gaze full of hostility, so chilling that I wondered what kind of terrifying misunderstanding she had made.

“Young Lady?”

Even Wolmi called out to Lin Hwa in surprise.

“Lin Hwa? You’re not thinking something strange, are you? Don’t make any baseless misunderstandings. Think about how you came to know about this hair ornament, and why you happened to come on an errand to me when I had this.”

Feeling that she wouldn’t listen to most explanations, I even brought up the uncertain story about the Empress.

In fact, I found it hard to understand why Lin Hwa was reacting so excessively.

She does tend to become a bit intense when it comes to me, but this time the change in her complexion was too severe.

“I know.”

Lin Hwa answered relatively calmly, contrary to her expression.

“But what good does that do?”

Wolmi looked back and forth between me and Lin Hwa.

“Young Lady?”

I pulled Lin Hwa a little away from Wolmi and quietly protested in her ear.

“Don’t let your imagination run wild. It’s just a gift from His Majesty.”

“You’re explaining so much because you have something to feel guilty about, right?”

“I’m saying this because your expression is extremely serious. Besides, the Empress has previously exposed our secret too.”

“Our secret? You mean your secret.”

Lin Hwa pushed me away and approached Wolmi, instructing her.

“Let’s go, Wolmi.”

As Lin Hwa walked ahead, Wolmi anxiously looked back and forth between me and Lin Hwa.

Wolmi gave me a small bow and quickly followed her mistress.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Young Lady, Young Lady! Are you alright?”

Wolmi kept looking back as she followed Lin Hwa.

Lin Hwa walked without saying a word down the narrow path and entered Daehwawon.

After walking to a place where no one was around, Lin Hwa found a bush that was sunken inside and not noticeable, crawled in, and hugged her knees.

The tears she had been holding back immediately flowed out.

“Young Lady…?”

Wolmi fidgeted in front of Lin Hwa with a scared face.

Lin Hwa wiped her eyes with her sleeve and said.

“He told me not to wear it.”

“Pardon?”

“The magnolia ornament. He said it doesn’t suit me and not to wear it. His Majesty did.”

Lin Hwa recalled the day she first met the Emperor. He said she resembled Yo Yohwa while looking at her face. Adding, ‘Not as much as I thought, though’.

So Lin Hwa mistakenly thought the Emperor was curious about her.

“His Majesty liked Yo Yohwa.”

“What?!”

Wolmi jumped up.

“But our Young Master is a man!”

“That’s why he called for me. To replace Yo Yohwa.”

Lin Hwa bit her lip.

“Yo Yohwa ruined my life.”

Wolmi looked around nervously. Such words could cause big trouble if spoken outside.

“Let’s go back quickly, Young Lady.”

Wolmi grabbed Lin Hwa’s arm and pulled her up.

“Quickly. If others see the Young Lady crying here, they’ll look down on you.”

Lin Hwa took out a handkerchief, wiped her tears, and asked.

“Where does the 9th Princess stay?”

“Pardon?”

[This is the timeline separator]

“Lady Yo?”

When we visited Hwajungjeon, the 9th Princess came running out with a bright smile despite the sudden visit.

“We met yesterday and we’re meeting again today?”

Lin Hwa handed over a box she had brought from her residence and smiled.

“I’ve packed some tea leaves made by our family. His Majesty tasted them before and liked them, so I wanted to give some to you too, Princess.”

The 9th Princess linked arms with Lin Hwa and led her to the guest room, smiling brightly.

“Then let’s have it brewed and drink together. Did you come just to give this?”

“Yes. And there’s something I want to tell you.”