“Can’t it be me?”

Sang Jin firmly grasped Yeoul’s hand.

Yeoul flinched.

She couldn’t understand why Sang Jin was saying such a thing.

“…I don’t know what you mean.”

Sang Jin had always been kind and close to Yeoul, but today the atmosphere was different.

Yeoul felt uncomfortable with Sang Jin holding her hand.

Wanting to escape the situation, she tried to pull her hand out of his grasp.

The more she tried, the more tightly Sang Jin gripped her hand.

Sensing he wasn’t going to let go easily, Yeoul gave up with a sigh.

She straightened her back, just as Tae had taught her.

Then in a clear voice, she said what she needed to say.

“As I mentioned, I intend to marry Crown Prince Ga of Gangseong.”

“Yeoul…!”

“Those feelings will not change, so I’d prefer if you didn’t speak of this again.”

Sang Jin’s eyes grew hazy. At the same time, his grip on Yeoul’s hand loosened.

Taking advantage of that moment, Yeoul pulled her hand free.

She bowed to Sang Jin and hurried back to the main quarters as if fleeing.

Her heart raced anxiously.

There was a strange emotion in Sang Jin’s eyes.

‘Why is he looking at me like that…?’

It was a gaze that seemed too clinging to call earnest. An unfamiliar expression.

‘Could it be…’

As an unsettling thought flashed through her mind, Yeoul shook her head to dispel it.

‘No, it can’t be.’

Though not related by blood, she and Sang Jin had been like siblings since childhood.

Yeoul had never thought of him as anything other than an elder brother.

She assumed it was the same for Sang Jin.

He had always doted on her, so she figured he was just overreacting.

Entering the detached quarters, Yeoul encountered Tae leaning crookedly against a pillar.

With a disinterested expression, Tae stood there exuding his usual arrogant air, one leg crossed over the other.

“What did your kind elder brother have to say?”

“Nothing much… It was no big deal.”

Yeoul gave a vague answer to Tae’s sarcastic question.

She didn’t want to bring up Sang Jin while feeling this unsettled.

There was no need to poke at a sore spot with Tae, who already disliked Sang Jin.

“Did he tell you not to marry?”

“…Someone close leaving to marry must make him feel uneasy.”

Yeoul didn’t outright deny it.

She tried to understand Sang Jin’s perspective.

“He cared for me a great deal, so the marriage news must have been a big shock to him.”

“What a touching sibling bond that brings tears to the eyes.”

Yeoul decided not to react to Tae’s sarcasm.

“What did you want to tell me?”

Tae pushed off the pillar.

“I found out who it was.”

“!”

Yeoul’s body stiffened.

The person who had driven her life to rock bottom.

Thinking of hearing that person’s identity made her heart race unsteadily.

“The one who spread rumors about you.”

The sound of Tae’s footsteps crossing the yard brushed Yeoul’s ears.

Like a predator moving in for the hunt.

Tae approached Yeoul with slow, heavy steps.

“And the one who will cause you trouble again.”

After a brief silence,

Tae jerked his head towards the room.

“Shall we go inside? There may be listening ears out here.”

Yeoul nodded and followed Tae into the room.

After closing the door, she took a deep breath and asked Tae,

“Who is it? The person who spread rumors about me.”

“Your elder brother, Han Sang Jin.”

Yeoul’s pupils trembled.

At the same time, her voice also quivered slightly.

“…T-that can’t be.”

Yeoul had considered the possibility of the culprit being someone within the household, like Han.

Or perhaps they had a servant do it from the outside.

But to hear that Sang Jin was the one who spread the rumors… She had never entertained such a thought.

The Sang Jin she knew was not that kind of person.

“Elder brother is such a kind man… Why would he do such a thing?”

“Whether you believe it or not is your choice. But recently, didn’t Elder Han have some gold bars stolen?”

Yeoul recalled the recent incident with Han.

Not long ago, Han had interrogated Yeoul, claiming some gold bars had gone missing.

“How did you know that? Father never even told you…”

“I recently had your elder brother followed and discovered he handed some of the gold bars he stole from Elder Han to the leader of the Sadupa gang.”

“Who are the Sadupa?”

“The most notorious gang of thugs in the capital. They’ll do anything for money – fraud, theft, even murder.”

“Why would elder brother deal with such people…?”

“Han Sang Jin put in a request for them to kill me and kidnap you.”

Yeoul felt like she had been hit on the head repeatedly.

She couldn’t believe the kind Sang Jin she knew would do the things Tae was saying.

It was as if Tae was talking about a completely different person.

“Are you alright?”

“Ah…”

The dazed Yeoul finally came to her senses.

Questions about Sang Jin swirled endlessly.

“Why would elder brother make such a request?”

“It seems your elder brother thinks of you as a woman.”

The uneasiness and unsettling feelings Yeoul had been suppressing started to creep up from deep within.

“Have you never sensed anything like that?”

Recently, Sang Jin had definitely been acting strange.

No matter how much he cherished Yeoul as an elder brother, his recent behavior bordered on obsession.

Today, Sang Jin had even said something suggestive.

It’s not that the possibility hadn’t crossed her mind, but Yeoul had deliberately turned a blind eye to her instincts.

“Since he sees you as a woman, he can’t stand the thought of you marrying another man. That’s why he’s trying every method to break off the marriage.”

The pieces fell into place – everything Yeoul had been through and Sang Jin’s attitude.

Stunned, Yeoul swayed on her feet.

As she lost her balance, Tae supported her in his arms.

“Haa…”

Yeoul let out a shaky breath.

Her mind went blank.

He spread false rumors for his own selfish desires?

And if that wasn’t enough, he tried to have someone killed and kidnapped?

She couldn’t believe what Tae was saying. The Sang Jin she knew could never do that.

“Are you alright?”

Instead of answering, Yeoul wrapped her arms around Tae’s waist.

It was an unconscious action, close to a survival instinct.

Her stomach churned and her head throbbed.

If she didn’t lean on him like this, Yeoul felt her body might crumble.

As Yeoul buried her face against Tae’s chest and clung to him, Tae looked down at her.

‘I didn’t expect this.’

Honestly, he was a little surprised.

First, because the way she clung to him was brazen, unlike her usual self.

Second, because the small frame nestled in his arms felt so tiny and fragile.

Third…

Yeoul’s shoulders were trembling slightly.

Even her breathing had grown irregular, her chest rising and falling rapidly against him.

She seemed like a rain-soaked bird, as if she might shatter at any moment.

Tae placed his palm on Yeoul’s back.

Then he gently and slowly stroked down her back.

“Breathe slowly.”

Yeoul’s trembling ceased, but her breathing was still uneven.

“Follow along. Inhale slowly through your nose.”

Tae demonstrated by breathing in deeply, and Yeoul inhaled along with him.

“Exhale through your mouth.”

Tae exhaled through his mouth again.

As Tae’s chest rose and fell, Yeoul also slowly breathed out.

“Good. Try repeating it.”

After Tae demonstrated a few times, Yeoul was able to follow well.

Yeoul’s irregular breathing gradually stabilized.

“Are you feeling a bit calmer now?”

Instead of answering, Yeoul nodded.

The throbbing in her head and the dizziness in her stomach seemed to have subsided.

Above all, Tae’s scent of peonies and his warm body temperature felt comforting, inexplicably putting Yeoul at ease.

But the problem was right now.

As her heart calmed, Yeoul’s reason also began to return.

Her gaze slowly lowered to Tae’s waist.

Yeoul had her arms wrapped around Tae’s waist.

‘What am I doing…?’

Startled, Yeoul pulled back from Tae’s embrace.

How long had she been like this?

Even if it was unconscious, to hug Tae herself…

Yeoul barely suppressed the heat threatening to rise to her face.

“Thank you… for lending me your embrace.”

“You can stay in my arms longer if you want.”

Was it her imagination, or did Tae’s eyes look regretful?

“This is enough…”

Now wasn’t the time to be worrying about such things.

Feeling inexplicably flustered under Tae’s gaze, the embarrassed Yeoul lowered her head.

“Please… continue what you were saying.”

Tae looked at his own hand for a moment.

The soft sensation of Yeoul’s shoulders seemed to linger on his palm.

So he clenched and unclenched his fist before speaking.

“I got testimony from the lowborn who spread the rumors and the Sadupa thug that Han Sang Jin was behind it. I’ve also secured physical evidence, so I plan to inform Elder Han soon.”

Yeoul quietly listened to Tae’s words.

“Don’t worry about the false charges. The Sadupa are skilled at street survival, so they can easily turn around rumors about you floating around. Of course, the lowborn will have to pay for his crimes, but we can take our time with that.”

“…I really can’t believe it. I don’t want to believe it.”

“Are you saying you can’t trust my words?”

“It’s not that, but…”

Yeoul paused briefly before continuing.

“I want to confirm it with my own eyes. Why elder brother had to do such a thing. I want to see his face, ask him directly, and hear the reason from him.”

In Yeoul’s life, Sang Jin had been her closest and dearest person.

The shock of his betrayal was immense, but she couldn’t just sit and listen like this.

Regardless of the truth, Yeoul felt she had to take action herself this time.

“I don’t really recommend directly facing something so unpleasant.”

Tae shrugged.

“But how do you plan to ask him? Unless you beat it out of him, I doubt he’ll confess directly.”

“…Were you planning to beat up elder brother?”

“If necessary. I can always yank him off of you.”

“…”

The rumors of Tae being a ruffian were not unfounded.

Though Yeoul still couldn’t believe Sang Jin had done it, she didn’t want to resolve things through violence.

However, as Tae said, if she asked Sang Jin directly, there was a chance he might lie and make excuses.

What should she do to uncover the precise truth?

After pondering deeply, Yeoul raised her head.

“I have a request.”