“…… Are you saying that the person who framed me is someone from our family?”

Yeoul felt dizzy.

As the strength left her legs, Yeoul’s body swayed.

Tae supported Yeoul, who was about to collapse, in his arms.

“They may have stolen it from outside, but there’s also a possibility it’s someone from inside the family. Do you have anyone in mind?”

“No. Why on earth…… who…….”

Yeoul had never imagined that the person who framed her would be someone related to the family.

She had been living quietly in this house all this time.

Who, and for what purpose, had framed her?

As she was barely holding on to her confused mind,

A faint scent of peony emanating from Tae wafted to her nose.

Yeoul belatedly realized that she was embraced in Tae’s arms.

Feeling his firm physique and warmth through his clothes, Yeoul felt strange.

Embarrassed, Yeoul squirmed, trying to escape from Tae’s embrace.

“…… I’m alright now.”

“It doesn’t look like you’re alright.”

Tae looked down at Yeoul wriggling carefully in his arms.

Suddenly, he became curious about what kind of expression she would make if he made things more difficult for her here.

Tae pulled Yeoul into his arms.

As their bodies pressed closer together than before, Yeoul’s face flushed red with consternation.

“Pe, people will see……”

“Is it okay if they don’t see?”

“What?”

Doubting her ears, wondering what she had just heard,

Yeoul looked up at Tae.

Then she met the black eyes emanating a sinister energy.

Tae lowered his upper body and whispered softly in Yeoul’s ear.

“I can’t guarantee what I’ll do in places where people can’t see.”

In an instant, Yeoul’s face heated up.

Tae’s joke didn’t sound like a simple joke.

She just had an instinctive feeling that it would be dangerous if she didn’t escape from Tae’s arms.

Yeoul pushed against Tae’s chest.

“It’s not okay!”

Tae stepped back obediently and said in a disappointed tone,

“You’re just using my body again.”

“When did I ever do that?”

“You were just stuck to my body until a moment ago. Like a cicada on an old tree.”

For someone who seemed disappointed, he had a refreshed face.

Yeoul felt wronged.

“Just now……”

Yeoul, who was about to make an excuse, paused for a moment.

When Sang Jin tried to forcibly drag Yeoul away. For the first time, Yeoul was scared of Sang Jin.

So Yeoul hid behind Tae’s back to avoid Sang Jin.

Subconsciously, Tae felt to Yeoul like a solid fortress that would protect her.

Tae asked Yeoul, who was quietly staring at him.

“What about just now?”

Prince Tae was a dangerous man.

But since Tae appeared, Yeoul was no longer afraid of Sang Jin.

Yeoul couldn’t deny that she was relying on Tae.

So she decided to honestly admit it. That Prince Tae was an indispensable existence.

“…… I was grateful just now.”

Of course, she wasn’t admitting everything.

“But it was you who told me to use you. I only acted according to your will.”

It was Tae who said he would be of use, so use him.

So Yeoul implicitly expressed that he had no right to be disappointed.

“Interesting.”

Interest flickered in Tae’s eyes.

It was fun to see Yeoul’s innocent face flushing bright red at his mischievous teasing.

But he never thought he’d see Yeoul’s reaction jabbing back at him like this again.

Judging from the decisiveness Yeoul showed to Sang Jin earlier, she didn’t seem to have a completely naive personality.

Even so, she was probably just a decisive sparrow at best.

Tae said with a snicker,

“Keep doing that from now on.”

When Yeoul shook off Sang Jin’s hand and clung to Tae, Tae even felt a strange sense of pleasure.

He couldn’t tell if it was simply because he disliked Sang Jin, or because of possessiveness.

What was clear was that Yeoul was a woman who piqued Tae’s interest.

If he was going to use her anyway, it was better to choose the interesting one.

“But don’t coddle any other man in front of me.”

“Other man?”

Yeoul blinked her clear eyes.

Thinking hard about why another man was being mentioned here, the only man Tae could be referring to was Sang Jin.

“Are you concerned about elder brother?”

At Yeoul’s puzzled question, Tae was at a loss for words.

Why? Why did Han Sang Jin bother him?

Because he matched the testimony of the maid? Or was he just annoying?

Whenever he saw Sang Jin, he felt sick to his stomach, but he couldn’t figure out why.

When Tae showed no reaction, Yeoul took Tae’s silence as affirmation.

“Elder brother cares for me a lot, that’s why. Even though we’re not related by blood, elder brother is family.”

“Who said what?”

Yeoul tilted her head.

Tae seemed to mind Sang Jin, but she couldn’t understand why.

If Tae was conscious of Sang Jin, there was only one thing she could infer.

It was an incomprehensible reason, but no matter how much she thought about it, there was no other reason.

“Are you jealous of elder brother?”

“Ha, me?”

Tae let out a dumbfounded laugh.

“You need to have feelings to be jealous.”

Tae’s lips curled up cynically.

There was even a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

“You’re greatly mistaken. It hasn’t been long since you and I met. How could affection sprout up in that time?”

“…… Or maybe not.”

Yeoul’s face turned as red as a ripe persimmon from embarrassment.

There was no reason for Tae to like her.

Yeoul wanted to hide somewhere, finding it ridiculous that she had made a mistake.

So she turned her head away for no reason.

Tae, who regained his composure at Yeoul’s appearance, grinned slyly.

“Did affection for me sprout up in you?”

“…… Stop it.”

Yeoul’s face was so ripe with embarrassment that it seemed like it would burst at any moment.

But she still didn’t understand Tae.

Why on earth did Tae mind Sang Jin?

Along with the heat rising to her face, her questions only grew.

***

“Damn it!”

Returning home, Sang Jin cursed first.

The sight of Yeoul sticking close to Tae. The mocking laughter Tae sent his way.

The more he recalled, the more his anger exploded.

“How did I raise you!”

After Yeoul came in as an adopted daughter, everyone blamed Yeoul for bringing misfortune, but Sang Jin did not.

Sang Jin cherished and cared for her, giving her the love he should have received and the love Yeoul hadn’t received.

He had raised Yeoul with such care and affection.

It was unthinkable that Yeoul would turn against Sang Jin.

“You can’t do this to me. You can’t do this!”

Sang Jin threw the flowerpot in the room to the floor.

As if that wasn’t enough to quell his anger, he even picked up the gyeongdae next to him and smashed it to pieces.

“Marriage. For whose benefit?!”

He couldn’t send Yeoul, whom he had raised with utmost care, to marry a scoundrel like Tae.

He couldn’t even imagine Yeoul leaving Tae and marrying another man.

After huffing and puffing for a while, Sang Jin, who had calmed down to some extent, exhaled heavily.

“It’s a momentary feeling, Yeoul.”

Yeoul had grown up confined to the inner quarters, not seeing any manly men.

So he thought it was natural for her to be curious when seeing a new man.

“You just don’t know anything yet. All the men in the world are useless.”

Sang Jin stared at the fragments of the gyeongdae scattered on the floor.

Through the broken shards, Sang Jin’s distorted face was visible.

“I’ll stop this marriage somehow……”

If it was difficult once, it was easy the second time.

***

Yeoul’s family home she visited after a long time.

Han smiled brightly and embraced Yeoul.

“It’s been so long, Yeoul!”

“Father……?”

Han had never smiled at Yeoul even once.

But the current Han not only welcomed Yeoul, but even shed a few tears.

Was this really the adoptive father who told her to kill herself rather than become a disgrace to the family?

Yeoul was confused by Han’s behavior that she was seeing for the first time in her life.

Next to him, Nam, Han’s second wife and Yeoul’s second adoptive mother, joined in.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you for the first time, Prince Tae. I am Yeoul’s mother.”

Nam had never called herself Yeoul’s mother with her own mouth.

Amazed by the couple’s act, Han welcomed them with a broad smile.

“I’ve kept the esteemed guest standing for too long. Please come inside, Prince Tae.”

“Then I will take you up on that.”

To also show them around the house, Han took Yeoul and Tae and introduced the family home.

“The house brightens up with you here, Yeoul. You don’t know how lonely it’s been without you.”

Han’s sharp acting brought tears to the eyes.

Bitter liquid rose up in Yeoul’s mouth.

If Han had truly cared for Yeoul, he would have believed in her when she was framed, not kicked her out of the house.

He wouldn’t have turned a blind eye when she was accused of murder.

He must have really coveted ties with the royal family.

Han was someone who would do anything to elevate the family’s status.

At least that much hadn’t changed, Yeoul thought.

By the way, Sang Jin was nowhere to be seen in the residence.

“Father, where is elder brother Sang Jin?”

“That fellow Sang Jin. He was always singing your song. But on the day you come, he’s nowhere to be seen.”

Yeoul had been feeling guilty about treating Sang Jin harshly at the marketplace.

Seeing that Sang Jin didn’t show up here, he must have been hurt.

Yeoul’s heart felt like a heavy stone was weighing on it.

At that moment, Tae looked at Yeoul, who was deflated and drooping.

Tae furrowed his brows subtly and asked Han,

“Where is the room the future couple will be using?”

“Future couple, it’s still an unfamiliar term.”

“As the person who will soon be my father-in-law, you’ll have to get used to it.”

“Hahaha! Father-in-law, how embarrassing.”

The two of them got along needlessly well.

The room Han guided them to was a separate annex.

The room Yeoul used before was too small and old to even show to Tae.

“Yeoul, you can stay here until you get married.”

Tae, who entered the room with Yeoul, requested to Han,

“Could you give us a moment alone?”

“Of course. Take your time and relax. If you need anything, please let me know anytime.”

Han left, closing the door.

In the room where only the two of them remained, a quiet sense of desolation lingered.

Feeling awkward in the atmosphere that had become uncomfortable, Yeoul looked around the room and brought up any topic.

“This is my first time in this room……”

At that moment, Tae stepped right up to Yeoul.

Tae faced Yeoul and tilted his head, looking down at her.

Along with his expressionless face, Tae’s unique aura of intimidation pressed down on Yeoul.

Yeoul swallowed nervously.

“…… Do you have something to say?”

“I don’t like it.”

“What?”

Not understanding what he meant, Yeoul blinked and looked at Tae.

Then Tae said in a displeased tone,

“After today, don’t keep any other bastard in that head of yours.”