The prince hurried to prepare to go out, saying he had important business from the morning.

Eun Seol, who had spent the night sleepless, saw the prince off and returned to the inner room.

She took out the silk pouch from the cabinet and checked Eun Joo’s sachet inside.

Her hand holding the pouch trembled.

The nightmare of that day came back again, and she had to calm herself for a long time.

After a while, she called for Eom Sang Gung.

Eom Sang Gung entered the room and asked, examining her face.

“My lady, are you unwell? Your complexion doesn’t look good.”

“Eom Sang Gung, go to the main house. Tell Eun Joo I want to see her. If she refuses to come, drag her here if you must.”

Eom Sang Gung’s expression darkened.

Though she didn’t say it, considering what had happened, Eom Sang Gung probably didn’t want to see Eun Joo either.

“May I ask what this is about?”

“The prince knows about it, so don’t worry too much. I’ll tell you later when it’s resolved.”

“I understand. I’ll go right away.”

After sending Eom Sang Gung, she waited for Eun Joo.

Normally Eun Joo wouldn’t come, but this time she would have no choice.

It was Yeori who woke her from her thoughts, bringing in medicinal broth.

After setting down the broth, Yeori opened the window to let in fresh air.

“Yeori, Eun Joo is coming today.”

Yeori’s face immediately hardened at the mention of Eun Joo coming.

Yeori had been bullied by Eun Joo almost as much as she had when they were at the main house.

“Why is she coming?”

“I called for her. I’m telling you in advance in case you feel uncomfortable. You don’t need to be wary of Eun Joo anymore.”

“I don’t know what this is about, but I wish you would stay away from Lady Eun Joo.”

“Don’t worry. We won’t have to see each other anymore after this.”

She wanted to let go of the childhood wounds now and forget the painful memories.

She didn’t want to live resenting anyone anymore. She didn’t want to be entangled with those people from that house.

But she had to meet Eun Joo. There was something she absolutely had to say to her.

She called to Yeori, who was staring blankly at the embroidery frame.

“Shall I teach you?”

Yeori, finally coming to her senses, waved her hands and said,

“Oh, no. How could someone lowly like me do embroidery.”

“Why distinguish between high and low status in embroidery? Is there something you want to make?”

“I’d like to try making a handkerchief, but I’m not sure if I can.”

“You’re good with your hands, so you’ll learn quickly. I’ll teach you bit by bit starting tomorrow, so come when you have time.”

It wasn’t an empty promise. Yeori was a very dexterous girl.

She was also an excellent cook, good enough not to be ashamed anywhere.

Just as she was about to pick up the embroidery frame again after finishing the medicinal broth, Eom Sang Gung called her from outside.

“My lady, the young lady from the Minister of War’s house has arrived.”

“Let her in.”

Eun Joo, entering the room, smirked at Yeori who had her head bowed.

“Yeori, you may leave now.”

Yeori, watching Eun Joo’s expression, hastily backed out and left.

Eun Joo clicked her tongue briefly as she watched.

Eun Joo, elaborately dressed up, looked around the room and sat down.

A hollow laugh escaped through her clenched teeth at the brazenness of sitting there as if nothing had happened after committing such a terrible act.

It was infuriating.

Eun Seol gritted her teeth to avoid showing her emotions as much as possible.

“Does the prince come to this room often? Or are you perhaps begging for his bed like someone else?”

“Yoon Eun Joo! Watch your mouth.”

“Why so sensitive, did I make something up? You were born because your mother begged my father for his bed, weren’t you? They say daughters take after their mother’s fate.”

Eun Joo sneered openly, raising one corner of her mouth. Her wicked laughter sent chills down her spine.

Eun Seol clenched her fists so tightly her nails dug into her palms.

Yet she couldn’t feel any pain at all.

“I’m really curious, is the prince satisfied with you?”

How could a human be so cruel?

She felt no guilt at all for kidnapping and imprisoning her.

Rather, she raised the corners of her mouth and smiled as if she found this situation amusing.

“You seem to have quite a talent for seducing men. At least you didn’t take after your mother in that regard. Father said that even though he took her to bed in a drunken state, his body didn’t respond at all. He pitied your mother…”

“I told you to watch your mouth. Mention my mother’s name one more time and I’ll kill you. And it’s not ‘you’, it’s ‘elder sister’. If you don’t like that, call me ‘Lady’ respectfully!”

Eun Seol couldn’t bear to listen anymore and raised her voice, cutting Eun Joo off.

“You like ‘elder sister’, huh? Since when were you my elder sister?”

Tap, tap.

Eun Seol slapped the desk repeatedly with her palm.

Eun Joo’s eyes widened in surprise as she stared blankly at her.

“I told you to watch your mouth! If you don’t want to see me go crazy, shut that mouth.”

“…!”

Eun Joo stared at her with blank eyes, unable to say anything for a while.

She seemed quite shocked.

She continued speaking calmly with unwavering eyes.

“You know why I called you here, don’t you?”

Eun Joo’s eyes wavered at the sudden question.

“H-how would I know that?”

“Ha, you don’t know?”

“That’s right, I don’t know. What’s this about, calling someone over first thing in the morning!”

She knew Eun Joo was selfish and cruel, but how could she be so brazen? She was not deviating at all from the expectation that she would not repent.

She didn’t think Eun Joo would open up easily. She also knew she wouldn’t admit her wrongdoing.

The reason she called Eun Joo wasn’t to pressure her into admitting her guilt.

“I remember it as vividly as if it happened yesterday, why don’t you know?”

From now on, she would make her be on edge and fight with anxiety.

Yoon Eun Joo, if you’ve been living without a care after committing crimes, from now on your heart will feel like hell.

Let’s see how well you endure it.

“What are you talking about? Speak so I can understand.”

“Stop acting. There’s no one here but the two of us… You look ugly.”

Unlike her who was becoming calmer as time passed, Eun Joo was growing more anxious bit by bit.

The face that had been sneering and mocking was now stiff. She could see her clenched fist trembling occasionally.

Yet she still seemed not to know what she had done wrong.

“The ugly one isn’t me, but you. You’re the one who should stop acting. Do you know how pathetic you look, sitting in a place that doesn’t suit you and acting like you’re something? It makes me want to throw up.”

A hollow laugh escaped at her shamelessness, unfazed by the sharp gaze.

“Even in the moment when I was collapsing on the cold floor, my consciousness fading, I didn’t want to believe it. I hoped it wasn’t you. No matter how much you hated me… you shouldn’t have touched the child! You should have just killed me instead. Why did you kill an innocent child? Why!”

She gritted her teeth, trying hard to suppress her rising anger.

Her clenched fists trembled violently.

At that moment, Eun Joo, who had been pretending not to know anything, started laughing with her lips twisted.

“A child… So there was a child. Ha. Is this what they call killing two birds with one stone? You asked me to kill you? That won’t do.”

Eun Joo shrugged with a faint smile on her lips, as if finding it amusing.

Then she said in a voice mixed with laughter.

“If I killed you, it wouldn’t be fun. It’s so entertaining to see you suffering.”

“You. Are you… really saying this now?”

“That’s what you get for coveting what belongs to others. Didn’t I tell you not to desire anything? You should have just lived like a dead mouse like your mother.”

“What did my mother do so wrong! If she had any sin, it was only meeting the wrong man. And I never coveted anything of yours.”

She couldn’t hold back anymore and shouted.

“This is why I hate you. Pretending to be innocent while only looking out for your own interests behind others’ backs. That’s who you are.”

“Is that why you tormented me so much?”

Eun Joo had avoided getting close to her since childhood.

She treated her like a disgusting bug, just like Soon Young treated her.

She couldn’t stand to see her have anything, and always looked down on her.

She tormented her when she was just minding her own business, and told lies to Soon Young to get her beaten.

Eun Seol remembered Eun Joo watching her getting beaten while hiding.

After Soon Young left, Eun Joo always approached her as she lay collapsed. And then.

– Does it hurt? But don’t die. I’d be bored.

It was chilling and creepy. Eun Joo was enjoying her pain.

“Do you have any evidence that I killed your child? You don’t. If you had evidence, you wouldn’t be acting like this. Seeing that the prince isn’t doing anything, it seems you haven’t even told him yet. Don’t make trouble for yourself by saying anything unnecessary, just stay crushed like you always have.”

“You really are beyond help and terrifying.”

“You just realized that? That’s what you get for not knowing your place. If you were born dirty and lowly, you should live like a bug crawling on the ground. How dare a bug like you try to hold your head up high? You seem to think you’ve become something because the prince is treating you a bit better, but no matter what, you’re still just a despised bug.”

Eun Seol stared blankly at Eun Joo, at a loss for words.

Eun Joo’s eyes were sharp with malice.

She wanted to stop.

Her greed, selfishness, and self-pity, without even a trace of guilt, looked almost pitiful.

“Do you know why I didn’t tell the lord about you? I thought you would at least feel some regret after doing such a thing. But here you are, breathing in front of me as if nothing happened. You will surely pay for your sins even if I don’t punish you. Live the rest of your life feeling sorry to my child until the day you die.”

“Why should I? I didn’t do anything wrong, so why should I live feeling sorry?”

Eun Joo’s sharp laughter rang out in the room.

After laughing for a while, Eun Joo twisted her lips as if amused.

“I see, the prince has been treating you a bit better so you can’t see anything else. Do you trust the prince?”

“I may not trust others, but I trust the prince.”

“Ha, is that so?”

Eun Joo’s lips curled up wickedly into a sinister smile.

“If I seduce him and he falls for me, you get out of here.”