“When did you come? If you had arrived, you should have called for me.”

Lee Woon called out to Seong Won Gun, who was lost in thought, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Has he become sensitive? Lately, Seong Won Gun’s gaze towards him had been strangely irritating.

“I came because you weren’t in the guest house. Elder brother, have you heard the news? They say Taeseong Trading Company is buying more than half of the seafood from the inner market.”

“I’ve heard. What’s the problem with that?”

“If they were just buying, there wouldn’t be a problem. But they say Taeseong Trading Company will be in charge of all seafood entering the palace.”

“And?”

“Do you think Choi Man Seok of Jindo Trading Company will stand idle? He will move the Left State Councilor to shake Taeseong Trading Company. Will you, with your close relationship to the chief merchant, be free from that matter?”

What on earth was Seong Won Gun trying to say?

There was a barb hidden in his seemingly concerned words. He furrowed his brow as if he didn’t understand.

“They’re providing the best seafood to the court at a cheap price. On what grounds would they try to stop Taeseong Trading Company?”

Until now, Jindo Trading Company, backed by the Left State Councilor, had been committing all sorts of tyranny and making a lot of profit.

Most powerless merchants had no choice but to endure.

“I heard that Taeseong Trading Company sells the remaining seafood, except for the best quality, to nearby merchants at a low price. It’s good for everyone, so what’s the problem?”

Seong Won Gun’s expression hardened as he listened quietly.

“By any chance, is this something you and His Majesty are involved in?”

“What do you mean?”

He looked at Seong Won Gun with unconcealed displeasure.

The tone of voice, not asking out of concern but trying to confirm something, was irritating and unpleasant.

“I ask because I know you visit Taeseong Trading Company often. I told you it’s better to keep your distance from trading companies. Do you know what kind of rumors are circulating? Your debauchery is a lie, and behind the scenes… No, never mind.”

“Speak!”

He could guess what was coming. It would be the obvious rumor that the debauched and licentious Prince Jin Heon was coveting the next throne, using the king’s deteriorating health as an excuse.

In a royal family without an heir, wouldn’t he naturally be the most guarded figure?

From Left State Councilor Song Moon Sik’s perspective, he would be the first target to be removed.

He already knew they would spread false rumors about him building power by frequenting the trading company.

It doesn’t matter. If he had lived worrying about such rumors, he might have already died from stress.

However, now that he was with Eun Seol, he wasn’t completely free from rumors that he wouldn’t have cared about when he was alone.

Though he knew about the rumors, he pretended not to know and calmly waited for Seong Won Gun’s next words.

Seong Won Gun let out a deep sigh.

“There are rumors that all of your actions so far have been planned, and that you’re conspiring with the trading company behind the scenes.”

He let out a hollow laugh at how accurate it was.

He glared at Seong Won Gun as if dumbfounded.

“Conspiring behind the scenes? What do you mean? Speak so I can understand.”

“I know you, so I don’t think that way, but people who don’t know you think you have ambitions for the throne.”

He wondered when those words would come out. Hearing them from Seong Won Gun, of all people, made him feel somehow twisted inside.

Seong Won Gun had just revealed his true thoughts by speaking of others. His thick eyebrows contorted.

“Stop talking nonsense. Could it be that what you just said are your own thoughts?”

“Elder brother! How could you… I’m not saying that, I’m saying that’s what people think.”

Seong Won Gun raised his voice as if feeling wronged.

Though the darkness made it hard to see Seong Won Gun’s expression as he avoided eye contact, he was clearly twisting his mouth in a sneer.

An awkward silence fell between the two for a moment.

What he wanted was just one thing. He had never coveted anything except Yoon Eun Seol.

All this time, he had lived without even appearing before the former king or the queen dowager, fearing his elder brother would be pained after losing their mother early.

For his sake, the former king had built and bestowed Unyeon Palace.

The palace was like hell for him as a child, but at least he could breathe and live after coming to Unyeon Palace.

He thought everything would get better if he left the palace. He thought if he lived as if he didn’t exist, the world would forget about him.

But people wouldn’t leave him alone. He was sick of being viewed with suspicious eyes no matter what he did.

So he pretended to be debauched and licentious, though it didn’t suit him, and frequented Eunwol House as if it were his own home.

“There are also rumors that you’re backing Taeseong Trading Company. I heard you were away from the prince’s residence for a long time recently. Where did you go?”

His eyes narrowed at Seong Won Gun’s words mentioning Taeseong Trading Company again, pulling him from his thoughts.

He swallowed the hollow laughter that was about to escape at the transparent question.

“Why do you need to know that?”

“I’m the same, but though she doesn’t say it, the queen dowager is also very worried about you. It’s not good to be the subject of gossip, is it?”

“I told you not to cross the line. I’ll handle my own affairs. You can go now.”

He picked up the sword placed beside him and raised his upper body.

Seong Won Gun slowly got up, lowered his gaze, and muttered softly.

“Please know that I’m the only one who will tell you these things. I’ll come by again later.”

After Seong Won Gun left, he stood up, picked up his sword, and cut down the rice straw laid out in front of him one by one.

Looking at the rice straw scattered on the ground, he let out the breath he had been holding. He didn’t know why he felt so foul.

Seong Won Gun had clearly conveyed his thoughts to him. The rumors were just an excuse; he had been probing his thoughts, and his eyes were clearly wary.

If Seong Won Gun has a close relationship with Left State Councilor Song Moon Sik, as Kim Woo Seop, the chief merchant of Taeseong Trading Company, said, things will become complicated.

He let out a deep sigh while pressing hard on his temples.

“Yeom.”

At his call, Seo Yeom, who had been far away, came running.

“I need you to go to Taeseong Trading Company. Tell the chief merchant I’ll visit in three days.”

“Understood.”

As Seong Won Gun said, Jindo Trading Company might move Left State Councilor Song Moon Sik.

It wasn’t even funny how they were only upset about losing their rice bowl, not thinking about the evil deeds they had done so far.

Hoping Seong Won Gun wasn’t among that group, he sheathed his sword.

* * *

“Yeori?”

Eun Seol called out to Yeori, who was staring blankly at the floor.

All day long, lost in thought about something, Yeori had been in a daze every time she saw her.

“You’ll wear a hole in the floor.”

“Ah… I’m sorry.”

“Do you have something troubling you? Why are you so out of it?”

“I’m sorry. I was just lost in thought.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about. Could you go tell Chief Court Lady Eom that I’m calling for her?”

Yeori, who had been absentmindedly wiping the same spot over and over, said she understood, put away the rag, and went outside.

After a while, Chief Court Lady Eom came in holding a piece of paper and handed it to her.

“Where is this place?”

“It’s said to be a secluded place a bit far from Namchon.”

“Is Min Ah alone?”

“The person who went to check said there’s one child serving her.”

Fortunately, it seemed nothing had happened yet.

She had been worried about what would happen if Soon Young found her first.

“If you’re so worried, I can go check on her.”

“You, Chief Court Lady Eom?”

“Otherwise, you’ll keep worrying, won’t you?”

“Then please find out how Min Ah is living, Chief Court Lady Eom.”

“Yes, I’ll go visit her soon.”

Just then, the door opened and Lee Woon entered.

“Why is my lady looking for a maid named Min Ah?”

He frowned as if something displeased him.

Despite his stern expression, his voice was low and calm.

Chief Court Lady Eom winked at her, out of his sight, silently telling her to pretend not to know.

“Chief Court Lady Eom, leave us for a moment.”

Looking uncomfortable, Chief Court Lady Eom glanced around and left the room.

His face looked angry, but his voice was gentle.

“Now, tell me. Why are you looking for that girl?”

He came close and whispered in a quiet yet affectionate voice. It was so affectionate it was almost frightening.

“My lord, well…”

She couldn’t tell the truth.

That made her feel even more frustrated and sorry, but he spoke calmly without changing his expression.

“Surely you’re not trying to confirm something from the past?”

“Confirm what?”

“That I might have slept with that girl Min Ah on our wedding night… oof!”

She covered his mouth with both hands.

She was so surprised by her own action that she couldn’t move, just blinking her eyes.

His large eyes widened in shock. She was just as surprised.

As she came to her senses and tried to lower her hands, his hands gently grasped hers.

No one at Unyeon Palace knew about that incident except for Seo Yeom.

She had meant to stop him from saying more in case someone heard, but her hands moved before she could think.

She didn’t know why on earth she had covered his mouth.

Eun Seol quickly lowered her hands from his mouth and sat down, covering her face with both hands.

He sat down close beside her and called out to her in a low voice.

“My lady?”

“I-I’m sorry. I must have lost my mind for a moment.”

He laughed out loud and embraced her.

His hand, which had been patting her as if nothing had happened, caressed around her neck.

“The maid named Min Ah. The Minister of War has her.”

She was momentarily stunned, not expecting to hear about Min Ah from the prince’s lips.

She looked up at him while in his embrace.

“How did you know about that, my lord? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It’s not something good, so there was no need for you to worry about it.”

“Actually, mother is looking for Min Ah. I don’t know what she’ll do when she finds her. We need to bring her here before that happens.”

He released his arms from around her and quietly studied her face.

His tightly closed lips seemed to be smiling, but there was a seriousness in his eyes as he looked at her.

“After you find her and bring her here, what will you do next?”

“Pardon?”

She couldn’t answer his question properly.

It was true that in her single-minded focus on finding Min Ah, she hadn’t thought about what came next.

He had been quietly waiting for her answer, but spoke first.

“Will you ask her why she did it? Or will you tell her to run away because it’s dangerous? Or will you bring her here yourself?”

“I…”

She stared blankly at Lee Woon’s face, at a loss for words for reasons other than Min Ah’s situation.