“Master and disciple?!”

Fortunately, the startled expression that almost popped out was buried under Sun An’s shout.

I managed to control my expression and looked at Sun An.

Sun An was looking back and forth between the Yu family head and the 13th Prince with wide eyes. He seemed to have now guessed the identity of the “noble one” from the Yu family head’s words “master and disciple”. After all, the 13th Prince was the only person I had taken as a disciple.

Sun An asked outright in an urgent voice:

“Grandfather. Do you mean that the young master you called the noble one is the 13th Prince?”

“That’s right.”

This time, the Yu family head answered honestly and instructed Sun An:

“Pay your respects to His Highness the 13th Prince.”

Sun An was a bit surprised, but quickly composed himself and greeted formally.

“I pay my respects to the 13th Prince.”

However, even as I watched the situation unfold, my mind was only focused on my disciple.

To think that the protagonist of that “long-term noble one” anecdote Sun An had told me before my regression was the 13th Prince. I should have realized it when I heard that “noble one” talk.

Since the Yu family head calls quite a few people “noble ones”, I couldn’t immediately figure it out just from hearing that.

Moreover, I thought the Yu family head introduced the 13th Prince as a noble one not because he truly considered him one, but just to put on airs in front of Sun An.

But lamenting over various things internally was now useless.

The event had already unfolded. I explained the chess game in his style, showing off in front of my disciple.

Knowing that my intellect is not as outstanding as his, my disciple would find this situation suspicious.

I feel like my liver is shriveling up from fear.

“Since you solved this old man’s troublesome matter, I must repay you. Young master, I will give you the hideout you wanted.”

If the Yu family head hadn’t said this, I might have really collapsed from mental exhaustion.

As I was sinking into endless self-loathing, I looked at the Yu family head with joy.

“Really?”

The Yu family head nodded as if it was only natural and patted Sun An’s shoulder.

You’re giving the hideout to me, so why are you patting your grandson’s shoulder? It’s making me uneasy.

“But I’ll only give you one. Otherwise, it would be a loss for this old man.”

How calculating. I suppose that’s how he built up a family.

Still, isn’t getting even one better than nothing?

Actually, I had intended to get ten, but that was just in case. If even one hideout was a place where the 13th Prince wouldn’t find me, that would be enough.

I thanked him with a happy face.

“Thank you, sir.”

The Yu family head nodded with a pleased expression.

“If you need more, feel free to come again. If you help this old man again, I’ll give you one each time.”

Yes. But let’s be modest once.

“But then you would be at a loss, sir.”

The Yu family head chuckled and shook his head.

“If it’s about building connections with good talent, that much is fine.”

You’re really magnanimous. You seemed quite stingy until I moved those chess pieces.

I suppressed my inner thoughts and nodded along, pretending to be gentle.

But just when things seemed to be going well.

“Yu family head. Shouldn’t you tell me the location of that hideout too?”

The 13th Prince, who had been watching all along, suddenly uttered these thunderbolt-like words. I froze mid-smile and looked at my disciple. What did he say?

The Yu family head also asked the 13th Prince with a surprised face.

“Does Your Highness need a hideout too?”

“No. But isn’t that young master my teacher? Of course a disciple should know the location of their teacher’s hideout.”

My disciple spoke to the Yu family head and then slowly turned his head towards me, smiling as if without a hint of self-interest.

“Isn’t that right, teacher?”

There’s no way he has no self-interest.

I looked towards the Yu family head, hoping he would refuse, but I knew even before he answered that this was a vain hope.

How could the Yu family head not tell when a prince asks to know the location?

As expected, the Yu family head answered without showing any sign of refusal.

“That’s right. Master and disciple are always on the same side. It would be much more useful if both teacher and student know the same hideout.”

Why are you deciding the usefulness of my hideout, old man?

My insides were boiling. But as if agreeing, I forced a smile, raising the corners of my mouth.

But inwardly, I was cursing. After all this mental anguish to finally get a hideout. And it turns to shit as soon as I receive it.

I needed a hideout to avoid the 13th Prince, but now that the 13th Prince knows the location, I had received a hideout that was utterly useless.

‘How frustrating.’

But an even bigger problem than the frustration was that my disciple might become suspicious of me because of today’s events.

‘If I try to get a hideout through the Yu family head, it’ll all go straight to the 13th Prince’s ears.’

It would be awkward to ask the Yu family head to “keep it a secret from the 13th Prince” while getting a hideout.

I’ll have to find another way to get a hideout.

* * *

The next day.

As I was dressing up to go to the prince’s lesson, my hands just wouldn’t move quickly. This is all a side effect of yesterday’s events.

“Unni! I heard you were with Young Master Sun An all day yesterday again!”

Meanwhile, Lin Hwa was making such a noisy fuss.

But knowing there would be no end to it if I responded to each of her complaints, I ignored Lin Hwa’s shouting and just changed my clothes.

Perhaps because I didn’t want to hear her angry voice. Thankfully, my hands moved faster after Lin Hwa shouted. She’s helpful in this way.

Ah. I don’t want to enter the palace. Ah. I don’t want to see my disciple.

But the appointed time was approaching and I had finished changing. I let out deep sighs and left the house.

Then I entered the palace and went to Wolmugung where my disciple was staying, but of course, my disciple wasn’t in his room and was even standing in the garden.

He’s watering the weeds. He often did that in the past, but I really don’t understand what he’s doing.

Maybe because I was staring at that sight too openly with a dejected look. Or maybe my disciple had already cultivated his body within days of my regression.

“Teacher?”

I went in quietly, but my disciple immediately noticed my presence and looked in my direction.

My heart reacts first when our eyes meet. Still, I forced a smile pretending not to know, and my disciple reached out his hand towards me.

Is he telling me to come? I don’t want to, I don’t want to. While grumbling inwardly, I reluctantly approached, and my disciple naturally pressed down my collar to check the wound, then frowned and asked.

“The ointment?”

“I applied it.”

“There’s no trace at all.”

“I applied it last night.”

“I told you to apply it frequently, didn’t I, teacher?”

“That’s—”

“Do you dislike even touching your body with the ointment I gave you?”

I apologized in a shrinking voice, covering my neck.

“I’m sorry.”

I do dislike him, but I didn’t not apply the ointment because he gave it. I just didn’t have the mental capacity to pay attention to anything else because I was weakened by yesterday’s hideout issue.

But my disciple was already watering the weeds again, as if uninterested.

Is the interrogation over? Can I feel relieved? About the hideout issue…

“Why are you looking for a hideout? Do you have something to run away from?”

It’s not over. No, the interrogation seems to be just beginning.

When he asked the question I had worried about all night, I felt like my insides had been emptied out.

I smiled, trying to hide my troubled feelings. I had prepared several answers, but none of them seemed appropriate.

“Ten households—”

“I know it’s a lie.”

“!”

“A teacher without loyalty or fidelity couldn’t possibly love ten people.”

What are you saying? Isn’t it because one has no loyalty or fidelity that they can love ten people? If I had loyalty, I would have loved only one person…

“Thirteenth. Let’s talk for a bit.”

Thanks to an unfamiliar voice from behind, I was able to escape the awkward situation.

As I was struggling to find words to answer about the hideout, I quickly turned around, seizing the opportunity.

Unexpectedly, it was the 7th Prince who appeared. Perhaps his voice sounded unfamiliar because he was one of those my disciple killed relatively quickly before my regression.

But why did the 7th Prince come here?

The 13th Prince, before revealing his true colors, was ignored by his siblings and didn’t interact with anyone, right?

Especially the 7th Prince, who had a high-ranking maternal family and mother, considered the 13th Prince as dirt under his toenails and never visited this place.

Though puzzled, I quickly greeted him formally.

“I pay my respects to His Highness the 7th Prince.”

“So you’re Master Yo.”

The 7th Prince nodded slightly in my direction and looked back at the 13th Prince.

I also observed the 13th Prince’s reaction. Does the 13th Prince know why the 7th Prince came here? He should remember more about past events than me since he’s regressed several times.

But there was no change in his expression, making it difficult to grasp his thoughts.

“What brings you here, brother?”

At least his voice is calm.

“There’s a hunting competition coming up soon.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I’d like to ride ‘Haeseong’ then.”

“No.”

“No? …It’s just borrowing for one day.”

“No. Haeseong is my only horse.”

“I’ll lend you my horse in return. A very good one. How about that?”

“No.”

Only after hearing the horse’s name ‘Haeseong’ and their argument did I remember that the 7th Prince had visited the 13th Prince like this before my regression too.

‘So it’s that incident.’

Haeseong was the 13th Prince’s only white horse, and he took such good care of it that it was a beautiful steed with glossy fur.

The 7th Prince, who loved horses, was very fond of that horse and often pestered the 13th Prince to give him Haeseong as a birthday gift.

Then, as the hunting competition approached, he changed his strategy and asked to borrow Haeseong. That’s what’s happening now.

But there was no way the 13th Prince would give his cherished horse to the 7th Prince whom he disliked. As a result, the two started arguing, and eventually, the sparks flew to me.

“This is too much. You won’t even let your brother ride the horse once. Master Yo, what do you think?”

Just like now.

“Master Yo is the younger brother’s teacher. He might listen if Master Yo says it, so please try to persuade him on my behalf.”

I don’t know how flustered I was at that time. It was an awkward situation for me no matter whose side I took.

But before my regression, I eventually sided with the 7th Prince.

It wasn’t because I hated the 13th Prince or followed the 7th Prince. It was because the 13th Prince was too powerless to oppose the influential 7th Prince over a single horse.

I thought that a prince with such a bleak future as the 13th Prince shouldn’t be hated by the 7th Prince, who might ascend to the throne someday.

To conclude, even with my persuasion, the 13th Prince did not lend Haeseong.

Angered by this, the 7th Prince left with threats, but it was the 7th Prince who ended up falling off his horse and breaking his leg after the hunting competition.

Thanks to that, the 7th Prince forgot about Haeseong while treating his leg, and I was relieved that things turned out well.

But thinking about it now, I wonder if the 7th Prince’s injury was really an accidental incident.

Even as I organized these thoughts, the 7th Prince urged me just like in the past.

“Master Yo. Why aren’t you saying anything?”

I glanced at my disciple. My disciple was standing calmly. Perhaps because he knew whose side I would take, or because he had no expectations of me at all, he didn’t even look in my direction and was just staring at the wall behind the 7th Prince’s shoulder.

But this time, the side I should take is… my disciple’s.

“I apologize, Your Highness the 7th Prince. The 13th Prince only has Haeseong as his horse, so if he lends Haeseong, he won’t have a horse to ride. Even though you say you’ll lend another horse, that won’t work either. The 13th Prince is not as skilled in horseback riding as Your Highness, so he can’t ride an unfamiliar horse.”

My disciple’s brow immediately furrowed. From his expression, I could sense the doubt asking, ‘Why are you acting like this? You didn’t act this way in your past life, did you?’