Anxiety shadowed the old woman’s eyes as she looked back and forth between Jwa Woo and Eon Nyeon.

“Why? Is there something strange about that house?”

Eon Nyeon hurriedly covered her mouth while glancing at Jwa Woo.

Jwa Woo slipped between the old woman and Eon Nyeon, flashing an easy smile.

“It’s not a strange house. Someone with a connection to my father just asked me to stay there for a while and be a companion to the young lady of the house. So don’t worry, old woman.”

“Ah, if that’s the case…”

The old woman nodded, then glanced sideways at Eon Nyeon.

“That Jo Dong is the problem anyway. Young lady, if that scatterbrain causes any trouble, send him home immediately.”

“Alright, I will.”

“Oh my, look at my mind. Then this old woman had better hurry out and pack up the tea set the young lady likes to use.”

Just before leaving the room, the old woman turned to look at Eon Nyeon once more.

“Pay close attention to the young lady’s words, and make sure you pack everything without missing anything.”

“I’ll take care of it myself.”

Jwa Woo quickly sent the old woman and old man out, then turned to look at Eon Nyeon.

Eon Nyeon stood frozen like a statue, her hand still covering her mouth.

Only after hearing the old woman close the door and her footsteps fade towards the kitchen did she finally uncover her mouth.

“What is all this about? Isn’t the seventh house to the north the one Hwa Seop Ja chose?”

“Yes. That’s why we’re going.”

“Then what you said this morning wasn’t just talk?”

“What did I say?”

“That you’re going to take the civil service exam…”

“Shh!”

Jwa Woo put a finger to her lips.

Eon Nyeon’s voice dropped to a whisper.

“Young lady, are you really going to take the exam?”

Jwa Woo silently focused on packing.

“What are you trying to do?”

Eon Nyeon stamped her feet.

“What else? I’m going to pass the exam with flying colors.”

And then I’ll become an official in the Office of the Inspector General.

Once I’m an official there, I’ll be able to look at the Office’s records without anyone’s permission.

If I can do that, all the questions I’ve had for the past few years will be solved in an instant.

Jwa Woo recalled the deal she had made with Hong Woo Geon, tucked away in her heart.

It didn’t matter what Hong Woo Geon’s true identity was.

The important thing was that he was capable enough to buy the seventh house in Bukchon chosen by Hwa Seop Ja.

A man like that should easily be able to make Jwa Woo an official in the Office of the Inspector General.

Her heart fluttered imagining what was to come.

‘Father, wait for me. I’m coming. I’m going to the Office of the Inspector General where you worked.’

After packing a few changes of clothes and some books, Jwa Woo set out with Eon Nyeon, embarking on a midnight move.

It was the night when the civil service exam was just fifteen days away.

[This is the timeline separator]

Two months later.

A small-framed man in official robes was walking down Six Ministries Street.

It was Jwa Woo, who had passed the recent civil service exam.

Jwa Woo’s face was filled with all kinds of emotions as she stood on Six Ministries Street, lined with the offices of the Ministries of Personnel, Justice, Military, and Finance.

She strode purposefully towards the Office of the Inspector General under the Ministry of Justice.

The guard at the entrance of the Office stopped her.

“Where are you from?”

“Well…”

As Jwa Woo trailed off, an official from the Office approached and greeted her.

“Well, who do we have here? Isn’t this the newly appointed inspector?”

“Inspector?”

The guard’s eyebrows arched.

The man who had spoken to Jwa Woo turned to the guard and said loudly:

“Don’t you know? This is Kwon Jwa Woo, who placed second in the recent exam and is now an inspector for the Hanseong Prefecture.”

The guard’s expression twisted at the man’s explanation.

“What’s a Hanseong Prefecture inspector doing at the Office of the Inspector General?”

That was right.

Though an official of the Office of the Inspector General, Jwa Woo’s post was not at the main office but at the Hanseong Prefecture office.

Hong Woo Geon, you bastard.

What I wanted was to be an official at the main office who could see the Office’s records, not just someone with the title of being from the Office.

Jwa Woo silently berated the invisible Hong Woo Geon.

But there was nothing she could actually do right now.

At most…

“I was hoping I could look around the main office…”

The guard coldly dismissed Jwa Woo, who was smiling awkwardly.

“This isn’t a place just anyone can enter and look around. There’s a meeting scheduled soon. You’re in the way, so step back.”

In the end, unable to set even one foot inside the main office today either, Jwa Woo had no choice but to head to the Hanseong Prefecture.

[This is the timeline separator]

“What are you going to do?”

Hong Woo Geon, who had been watching Jwa Woo from nearby, turned his head.

His gaze fell on the king, who was standing there in disguise.

“Did I know it would turn out like this?”

“You’ve made the situation this bad, so you need to find a solution.”

“Speaking of which…”

Suddenly, the king leaned in close to Hong Woo Geon’s ear.

And whispered something.

A look of surprise appeared on Hong Woo Geon’s face.

“You’re really going to do that?”

When Hong Woo Geon asked, the king nodded.

“Is that okay?”

“Of course it is. That person will be able to freely come and go in and out of the Office of the Inspector General as they wish. And not just the Office. They can go anywhere if they want.”

“But…”

Hong Woo Geon added a worried comment.

“Aren’t we abusing our power too much?”

The king said with a confident expression:

“Someone like me can abuse power a little.”

Hong Woo Geon stared at the king for a moment, then muttered to himself:

“I really should have entered the palace back then.”

[This is the timeline separator]

The next day, as soon as dawn broke, a summons from the Mayor of Hanseong was delivered to Jwa Woo.

The Mayor of Hanseong ordered Jwa Woo to deliver a letter to the Chief Inspector of the Office of the Inspector General.

They say where there’s a will, there’s a way.

After wishing so desperately to set foot in the main office of the Inspector General, the opportunity had finally come.

“You know the way to the main office of the Inspector General well?”

At the Mayor’s doubtful question, Jwa Woo put on a confident expression as if to say not to worry.

Her steps were lighter than ever as she left the Hanseong Prefecture and headed towards the Office of the Inspector General.

As she approached the office of the Inspector General, the familiar face of the guard narrowed his eyes.

His expression clearly said, why have you come again today?

Any other time, she would have unconsciously shrunk her shoulders.

But today, she proudly waved the envelope containing the Mayor of Hanseong’s letter.

The gates of the Inspector General’s Office, which had seemed they would never open, finally swung wide for Jwa Woo.

After proudly crossing the threshold, Jwa Woo asked for the Chief Inspector’s office.

A runner came hurrying out to politely guide Jwa Woo.

As they walked through the long corridors to the Chief Inspector’s office, Jwa Woo kept looking around.

Where could the archives that held the Office’s records be?

As if seeing through that curiosity, the runner gave detailed explanations about various parts of the Office.

“This is where the inspectors work. And this is where we runners wait.”

“I see. But…”

Jwa Woo stopped walking in the corridor.

“Where might the archives be?”

Unable to contain her curiosity, she finally asked.

The runner looked at Jwa Woo with a puzzled expression.

Worried she might have aroused suspicion, Jwa Woo hurried to explain:

“I didn’t ask with any other intention. I’ve heard that the Inspector General’s archives have many rare books that are hard to find elsewhere in Joseon. I’ve always wanted to see them if I had the chance. That’s why I asked.”

“Haha, you seem to know a lot about the Office of the Inspector General.”

“I may not work at the main office, but I am a Hanseong Prefecture inspector under the Office. If it’s alright, could I take a look around the archives too?”

The runner gave a simple smile at Jwa Woo’s friendly tone.

“Of course you can. We’re not strangers, are we? We’re all family in the Office of the Inspector General.”

“Thank you.”

“Ah, instead of this, give me that letter.”

“What?”

“I’ll deliver the letter to the Chief Inspector. Meanwhile, you can look around the archives.”

“No, this is my job.”

“If you’re really worried about it, you can buy me a bowl of makgeolli later.”

The runner had already led the protesting Jwa Woo to the archives.

The archives of the Office of the Inspector General had books packed tightly on all four walls – east, west, south, and north.

In the center of the archives were tables and chairs for reading books, and bookshelves as tall as the ceiling stood in rows in the remaining space.

The bookshelves standing in rows were also packed tightly with books.

Seeing Jwa Woo’s momentarily dazed expression, the runner smiled contentedly as if to say, “That’s how it always is.”

“Everyone who comes here gets that expression. It’s strange, isn’t it? It’s not like they’re seeing an incredibly beautiful woman, nor are they seeing great treasures. But they all look like they’ve got the whole world.”

The runner shook his head with a face that showed he really didn’t understand.

Then he snatched the Mayor of Hanseong’s letter from Jwa Woo’s hand.

“That, I was also told to bring back a reply…”

“Yes, yes, then it will take some time. Wait here and I’ll bring back the reply for you.”

With that, the runner disappeared, leaving Jwa Woo alone. She took a deep breath.

The pleasant scent unique to books seeped into her nostrils. At the same time, the smell of old dust rushed into Jwa Woo’s lungs.

Jwa Woo closed her eyes and took a few breaths in and out, then suddenly opened them.

That was enough appreciation and emotion.

There was something she needed to do quickly.

Something she had wanted to do for a very long time.

To do that, Jwa Woo’s eyes rapidly scanned the list of books.

From military texts to strategy books.

It was an archive with every book related to martial arts.

Then where might the records be?

Jwa Woo’s eyes, which had been busily scanning up and down the bookshelves, suddenly stopped.

She had finally found the books containing the Office’s records.

The Office’s records, which began on the third shelf of the bookcase on the north wall, filled the shelves all the way to the last one.

Among them, Jwa Woo began to search for the records from 1836, the year her father had passed away.

1830, 1831… 1834, 1835… and finally 1836.

Found it!

Jwa Woo’s large eyes flashed with light.

Her heart was pounding.

This was the perfect opportunity to find out what had happened on the day of her father’s death, why he had to die.

If she could just read this…

If she could just read these records…

Jwa Woo’s trembling hand had just pulled the 1836 records from the shelf.

In that instant.

“Who’s there?”

A sharp voice struck the back of Jwa Woo’s head.

Startled, the book fell from Jwa Woo’s hand with a thud.

The records from 1836 lay pitifully at Jwa Woo’s feet.

“What are you doing?”

The man who had entered the archives picked up the records from Jwa Woo’s feet.

“State your affiliation.”

Jwa Woo swallowed dryly at the man’s demanding tone.

“I’m an inspector from the Hanseong Prefecture.”

“A Hanseong Prefecture inspector?”

The man, scanning Jwa Woo up and down with a doubtful gaze, turned around.

“Is this the person you mentioned?”

In response to his question, a familiar voice was heard from somewhere.

“Without a doubt.”

“Then…”

She didn’t hear the rest.

Or rather, she couldn’t hear it.

The man in front of her raised his hand, then struck Jwa Woo’s nape.

Her vision blurred. Her legs lost strength and she couldn’t properly support her body.

Someone came to support her on both sides as she staggered.

They don’t intend to kill me here?

Then this is…

Another kidnapping?

This is becoming a habit.