Knock, knock, knock.

Yeoul woke up from her sleep at the sound of knocking on the palanquin.

She must have fallen into a deep sleep. Drool had even trickled down the corner of her mouth.

As she hurriedly wiped around her mouth with her sleeve, Je Hun’s voice was heard from beyond the palanquin wall.

“We have arrived. Please come out.”

Getting out of the palanquin, a small tile-roofed official residence came into view.

The official residence, located away from the capital, harmonized with the lush forest to create a scenic view.

Thus, even though it was not large in scale, it exuded a luxurious and elegant atmosphere.

Yeoul followed Je Hun into the official residence.

After passing through a small corridor, a large door appeared.

Yeoul swallowed dry saliva.

Beyond this door would be Prince Gang Sung, Lee Tae.

Once she crossed the threshold, there would be no turning back.

“His Highness is waiting for you.”

The door slowly opened.

From Yeoul’s view, a spectacle of white steam unfolded along with the subtle scent of cypress wood.

The thick steam made it impossible to see even an inch ahead.

As she took one step at a time and entered inside.

A low and overwhelming voice spread like a cave.

“We finally meet properly.”

Yeoul still couldn’t see ahead, so she squinted her eyes.

Then, a blurry human figure appeared.

It seemed like he was sitting.

“It would be better to come in a little more.”

Taking one more step forward, the hazy steam that was like fog dissipated.

The blurry figure took on a human shape, and the shape soon revealed its owner’s appearance.

Tae, enjoying a half-bath in a state of half-nakedness, entered Yeoul’s view.

His topknot was tied up. Wet hair clung to his skin.

His protruding Adam’s apple and broad shoulders flaunted masculinity.

Water droplets formed by the steam slid down Tae’s sharp jawline.

Then, they soon flowed down onto his firm, bare chest, sculpted by martial arts.

Tae’s reddish lips, moist with water, curved up leisurely.

“Let me introduce myself again. I am Prince Gang Sung, Lee Tae, who will become your husband.”

Was it because of the steam filling the bath? Or because of the man’s body she was seeing for the first time?

Yeoul, in a daze, barely came to her senses.

“…I didn’t know you would get me out this quickly.”

“You seem to believe in my abilities now.”

Instead of answering, Yeoul nodded her head.

He had easily resolved the matter that she couldn’t solve.

The difference in power that Tae possessed was felt down to her bones.

If anything, it was fortunate that she hadn’t made Tae her enemy.

“…You said you would catch the person who spread the rumor.”

“That’s right.”

Looking at the dark eyes that gazed at her calmly, Yeoul continued.

“Do you know who the culprit is?”

“It’s not like I’m a fortune teller. How could I know that?”

Yeoul made a dumbfounded expression.

Was Tae’s confident promise to catch and punish the culprit baseless confidence?

As if finding Yeoul’s bewildered appearance amusing, Tae snickered.

“The lowborn who claimed to have had relations with you. Do you remember him?”

Yeoul recalled the face of the man who had asserted to have slept with her.

He was a man with a dirty appearance of a beggar, whom Yeoul had never seen before.

“Yes. I remember.”

“I heard an interesting story. That lowborn. After the day you were falsely accused, he apparently changed his name and laundered his status to a commoner. He even got a house overnight.”

“…!”

“Doesn’t it smell suspicious?”

Yeoul swallowed dry saliva.

Laundering one’s status and obtaining a good house was not something a beggar could achieve overnight.

Someone must have provided him with backdoor money. It was clear that someone had deliberately slandered Yeoul.

“We are narrowing down the investigation network to determine who instigated that bastard and for what purpose.”

Goosebumps rose on Yeoul’s skin.

“Who…? Why on earth…?”

Yeoul had lived without harming anyone.

Confined to the inner quarters of her family home, there was no one who would seek revenge against her.

But who, why? For what purpose did they frame her?

No less terrifying was Tae’s information network.

It was an unresolved question as to how he had found out this story and how he had found Yeoul in the first place.

Various complex questions settled in Yeoul’s mind.

Seeing Yeoul like that, Tae leaned his body diagonally against the wooden tub.

“You seem to have many questions, but let’s unravel them gradually. I’ll tell you about the future plans.”

Water splashed and rippled.

His well-toned upper body muscles became even more prominent.

“Soon, a selection ceremony will be held to choose my concubine. What you need to do is to make it to the top three candidates.”

Yeoul swallowed her saliva again.

She had been prepared for the great price that would accompany the deal with Tae.

Many noble family maidens would gather for the concubine selection.

It wouldn’t be an easy task to break through the competition and secure the concubine position.

However, there was a separate part that Yeoul was worried about.

“There is one thing that Your Highness has overlooked.”

“What is it?”

“…I have been cast out from my family. My father will not submit a maiden application for me.”

The ties of parents and children between Yeoul and the Han family had long been severed.

With no one to submit a maiden application, Yeoul couldn’t even enter the selection process.

However, contrary to Yeoul’s concern, Tae answered nonchalantly.

“You don’t need to worry about that. I plan to meet your father in advance.”

“My father will not easily give permission.”

“You are the one overlooking something.”

Tae said with his characteristic arrogant smile.

“I am Prince Gang Sung, Lee Tae. Do you think I can’t even persuade a scholar?”

That confidence must have come from his noble bloodline.

Tae, whose birth was different from Yeoul, an orphan from heaven and earth.

Yeoul found Tae’s arrogant attitude a bit uncomfortable, but on the other hand, it was also reassuring.

He had proven his ability by getting Yeoul out of prison overnight.

Yeoul shook her head and asked.

“What about after making it to the top three candidates?”

“Leave the rest to me after that. You only need to focus on making it to the final selection.”

Tae’s dark eyes stared at Yeoul.

“Can you do it?”

Yeoul took a deep breath.

For over a decade, she had lived as an obedient daughter and a woman who restrained herself for her future husband.

But the outcome was devastating, and she experienced things she didn’t have to go through.

In that process, no one held Yeoul’s hand except Prince Gang Sung, Lee Tae.

All of this must have happened because she lacked power.

The only person who could protect her was herself.

To survive, Yeoul had to become ruthless.

Now there was no way back. Perhaps this opportunity was the first and last.

Survival.

For that, she would use anything.

Yeoul decided to grip the last lifeline given to her with all her might, even the strength she had when suckling milk.

“…I will make it.”

Yeoul looked straight at Tae and continued.

“If I can’t make it, I’ll have to make it happen.”

“Good. I like it.”

Tae let out a low laugh, seemingly satisfied with Yeoul’s answer.

“Let’s end the personal talk here.”

With the sound of splashing water, Tae got up from his seat.

Tae’s lower body, wet with water, was blatantly exposed.

Even if he were wearing undergarments, his skin would be visible through the white cloth.

Yeoul hurriedly lowered her gaze.

If a clothed appearance was more obscene than a naked one, what was she to do?

Beyond her bowed head, Tae’s snickering laughter was heard.

Tae spoke in a sly voice.

“You should wash up comfortably too.”

The thought of bathing with Tae made Yeoul’s mind go dizzy.

If she could, she wanted to run out of the bath immediately. But Yeoul, still with her head bowed, replied.

“I have no intention of doing so.”

“You’re going to become my concubine looking like that?”

Due to several days in prison, Yeoul’s appearance was shabby beyond words.

Was that all? Since being splattered with a man’s blood in the straw-thatched house, Yeoul’s hair and clothes were caked with dried blood.

However, that didn’t mean she could enter the same wooden tub as a man.

“Men and women should not sit together after the age of seven. How can an unmarried man and woman bathe together?”

“I wasn’t telling you to bathe together.”

“Ah…!”

Yeoul lifted her head in bewilderment, her face turning red.

Only Yeoul had impure thoughts, it seemed.

Finding Yeoul’s dumbfounded face amusing, Tae let out a low laugh.

“You have a more mischievous side than you appear.”

Tae stepped out of the wooden tub, wiping off the water.

The heavy scent of peony billowed closer to Yeoul.

Tae’s gaze that reached Yeoul was as hot as the warmth filling the tub.

Tae’s reddish lips curled up mischievously.

“If you want, you’re welcome anytime.”

Flustered, Yeoul replied with a reddened face.

“…I will bathe after you finish.”

Hearing that, Tae stepped back, still speaking in a sly voice.

“Suit yourself.”

Even after he disappeared, Yeoul remained in that spot for a long time, just fanning herself.

She had been worried that he might not leave until she bathed, but fortunately, that wasn’t the case.

If she had accepted Tae’s proposal twice, she felt like she wouldn’t be able to live with herself.

.

.

.

After finishing her bath, Yeoul wiped off the water.

The long-awaited bath seemed to wash away the prolonged fatigue.

Yeoul changed into the clothes that Je Hun had prepared in advance and left the tub.

Je Hun, who had been waiting outside, approached Yeoul.

“I will guide you. Please come this way.”

Nodding her head, Yeoul followed Je Hun and scanned the interior of the official residence.

Although the scale of the residence was small, the interior was adorned with high-quality wood.

With a hot spring attached, it didn’t seem to be a place where ordinary nobles stayed.

Seeing Yeoul looking around, Je Hun smiled.

“It’s splendid even though it’s small in scale, isn’t it?”

“Ah…”

“It’s a temporary palace that His Highness has been visiting since childhood.”

A temporary palace was a separate palace used by the king during outings.

If it was a place used by the royal family, the luxurious interior made sense.

As she followed Je Hun while touring the interior of the temporary palace, she soon arrived in front of a small room.

“Then I will take my leave now.”

Despite the small area, the room was densely furnished with luxurious furniture.

Yeoul briefly looked around the room and stood in front of a folding screen with peonies painted on it.

As she was blankly gazing at the painting, at some point, a heavy scent of peony began to emanate in the room.

“Do you like the painting?”

“Eek!”

Startled by the low voice that abruptly popped out, Yeoul turned around in surprise.

Tae, who had quietly approached right behind Yeoul without a sound, appeared.

Yeoul caught her breath and barely calmed her startled heart.

“Wh-when did you…”

Instead of answering, Tae lowered his eyes and slowly swept over Yeoul’s body.

Yeoul flinched.

Just by looking. It felt like her flesh ached wherever Tae’s gaze touched.

Seeing Yeoul like that, Tae flashed a brazen smile.

“Now you’re worth looking at.”

Why had she gotten tense over this?

Yeoul took a deep breath and asked Tae.

“What should I do now?”

It didn’t seem like he had brought her here just to make her take a bath.

To Yeoul’s question, Tae approached her while throwing a question back.

“Well. What do you think you should do now?”

The distance narrowed further, and the peony scent grew thicker.

Tae spoke in a low voice.

“I have something to see you about.”

The distance narrowed once more.

As the surrounding air became strangely tense, Yeoul swallowed dry saliva.

Tae’s outstretched hand gently grasped Yeoul’s chin.

An embarrassing heat swirled through Yeoul’s entire body.

She couldn’t discern whether the heat devouring her whole body was due to the blatant gaze looking at her or the touch of their skin.

But one thing was certain: she had fallen into the trap Tae had set.

When she couldn’t come to her senses due to the burning heat, Tae’s reddish lips drew a seductive curve.

Tae grasped Yeoul’s chin and fixed his dark eyes on her.

Under that gaze, Yeoul felt as if she were being stripped naked.

Tae’s low and thick voice stuck stickily to Yeoul’s ears.

“Think about it. Why did I bring you here and have you wash up?”