When Seong Won Gun saw the paper he handed out, he reached out to grab it.

At that moment, his hand pulled back and he smiled mischievously.

“What are you looking for so hurriedly? Perhaps a love letter?”

“No, it’s not. Please give it to me. Did you perhaps see it?”

“Not yet, but seeing you get so serious makes me even more curious. Let’s take a look at what it is.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the paper was transferred to Seong Won Gun’s hand. He looked genuinely flustered.

“Is it something I shouldn’t see?”

“Yes, you can’t. The person who gave this said it was a secret, so I can’t show it to you.”

“A secret… Do you perhaps have a woman you fancy besides your wife?”

Flustered by his words, Seong Won Gun uncharacteristically fumbled as he put the drawing into his bosom.

Then, barely bowing, he hurriedly went outside.

The room was quiet.

Lee Woon sat askew in the chair, resting his elbow on the table and propping his chin.

The name written next to the drawing wouldn’t leave his mind.

Yoon Eun Seol wouldn’t have written her name thoughtlessly. He knew this, but it still soured his mood.

What was more unpleasant was Seong Won Gun’s attitude. His eyes and tone seemed deliberately provocative.

An inexplicable anger welled up from the depths of his heart.

* * *

Yoon Eun Seol opened her eyes and sighed, looking at the empty space beside her.

His empty spot was coldly chilled like its owner.

Eom Sang Gung called out to her as she was lost in thought.

Eom Sang Gung stared intently at her as she tried to sit calmly.

“Why, is there something on my face?”

“The master came here every night to see you sleeping, but you didn’t know, did you?”

“What do you mean? Is it true that the master came here?”

“It seems you didn’t know. The master is unnecessarily tight-lipped about such things.”

She didn’t understand Eom Sang Gung’s words.

She had no idea he came here every night. But why didn’t he say anything?

“He went straight to Yeonhwa Hall after just checking on you sleeping, afraid he might wake you. This is how misunderstandings build up when he only shows consideration without saying anything.”

His behavior over the past few days had made her feel hurt and disappointed.

If he really cared about her, he should have stayed by her side even if it was late, and should have prevented misunderstandings.

“I saw young lady Yeon Woo coming before I came here.”

“Already?”

“I heard she was raised like a boy, so I thought she’d really look like one, but when I saw her today, she was so beautiful I thought a fairy had entered. The master also looked at her for quite a while.”

Eom Sang Gung’s expression was strange, but she had no leisure to mind such words.

“Where is the master now?”

“When I was coming, I saw the two of them leave the men’s quarters and go to Dowon Pavilion.”

“Just… the two of them?”

The words that they went to Dowon Pavilion alone bothered her.

She really wanted to react indifferently, but she didn’t know why she couldn’t.

“Would you like to go see?”

“That’s alright. The master said not to worry, so he’ll handle it himself.”

“I’ve heard that men and women shouldn’t be left alone from the start, but our master will be fine.”

Eom Sang Gung spoke like that because she didn’t know about Yeon Woo’s love letter.

Today, Eom Sang Gung seemed particularly unkind. Unaware of her feelings, Eom Sang Gung continued speaking excitedly.

“But when the two of them were walking side by side, everyone was saying they looked like an affectionate couple. Well, our master is quite a catch no matter where you put him. That’s why he’s so popular among women.”

“Eom Sang Gung, are you saying this for me to hear?”

“All men are the same. It’s natural for them to be drawn to beautiful women. Aren’t you curious about how our master is?”

She didn’t see Eom Sang Gung’s lips curling up.

Yoon Eun Seol grew increasingly anxious and uneasy as time passed.

Eventually, she went to the men’s quarters with Eom Sang Gung.

If Yeon Woo’s letter was true, she didn’t know what to do, but right now, more than such thoughts, she wanted to directly confirm his gaze as he looked at Yeon Woo.

Geum Ok, who was with them in the men’s quarters, led her under the wall.

“Do we really have to do this?”

“Aren’t you curious, my lady? A man who only knew you as a woman is now walking side by side with young lady Yeon Woo. Even with this, you’re not bothered at all?”

“I heard men are naturally drawn to beautiful women. Would the master be any different from other men?”

Though her heart felt different, completely different nonsensical words came out of her mouth.

She didn’t want to even imagine Lee Woon harboring feelings for another woman besides her.

She wanted to believe that such a thing would never happen.

However, that thought crumbled miserably not long after.

The moment she turned her head in the direction Geum Ok pointed, her face hardened.

She barely held back a scream that was about to escape her lips.

He was embracing Yeon Woo.

He was holding her tightly, as if embracing the most precious treasure in the world. Someone beside her wrapped an arm around her shoulders as if to comfort her.

“Geum Ok, I’ll go first.”

Her voice trembled. As she was about to run away, unable to stand any longer, someone grabbed her arm and pulled her waist into an embrace.

“Yoon Eun Seol!”

Recognizing the owner of the voice immediately, she was about to raise her head but bit her lip instead.

Lifting her chin with one hand, he called her name once more.

“Have you finished speaking?”

“…!”

“Am I really no different from other men?”

Not knowing what was going on, she turned her head towards Dowon Pavilion.

She saw a man there with Yeon Woo.

The man was walking up with one arm around Yeon Woo’s shoulders.

“Wife, shall we go inside and talk?”

His voice was cold like an angry person’s.

Cold sweat ran down her back and her heart started pounding wildly.

.

.

.

As soon as they entered the room, a sharp voice echoed.

“Just what kind of person am I to you, wife?”

“…Pardon?”

“Am I so untrustworthy to you? Or is your heart for me only this much?”

“It’s, it’s not like that.”

“I’m already married to you, and that girl is a noble lady with the Chief State Councillor as her father. What could be lacking about such a girl that she would have feelings for me?”

His words weren’t wrong, so she had nothing to say, but she wondered if this was really something to get so angry about.

The situation where the person who caused the misunderstanding was raising his voice instead seemed absurd.

“I was wrong. I was shortsighted and foolish. I was so overwhelmed by the love you gave me that I couldn’t think straight and did something stupid. Is that enough!”

“Wife!”

“And what about you? How do you think of me? Do you want to protect me because you pity my background and find it pitiful, and want to protect me because my actions seem untrustworthy? Aren’t you mistaking such feelings for love?”

“What nonsense!”

“Why don’t you ever have a deep conversation with me? You make me misunderstand and then blame me for misunderstanding?”

She took a breath to steady her voice.

She widened her eyes, not wanting to show tears.

“For almost ten days, you didn’t visit me even once. No matter how busy you were, you could have at least let me know what was going on. If I were you, I would have done that. Am I just someone who can live on the love you give, like a greenhouse flower?”

She ended up showing tears despite holding back.

His face, not seeing her tears, contorted coldly.

“Don’t be unreasonable. If I thought that way, I wouldn’t have married you in the first place.”

“Do I look like I’m being unreasonable to you right now?”

She wondered if the man before her eyes was really the person she knew.

He was inexplicably on edge and reacting sensitively to things that should have been let go.

“It’s not like I have feelings for another woman, or that I’m drinking with women at a gisaeng house, so what exactly is the problem!”

“Just try having feelings for another woman. Then…”

“Then… what will you do?”

“Nevermind. I don’t want to say it.”

She felt angry and upset for no reason.

She gritted her teeth and held back, afraid of appearing as a narrow-minded woman who was just being jealous if she said more.

As she was about to go out, feeling awkward from the heavy silence, he suddenly came close and wrapped his arms around her waist.

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

“Are you going to drive me crazy and then run away?”

“Ru-run away? It’s not like that. This is…”

“By any chance, did you come to Yeonhwa Hall when I was asleep?”

Surprised by the unexpected question, Yoon Eun Seol looked up at him with startled eyes.

She couldn’t read his expression, whether he knew she had seen the love letter or if he was just asking.

“Why can’t you answer?”

“I did go because I couldn’t see your face for so long and wondered if something had happened.”

“Then did you see the silk pouch on the table?”

“Silk pouch? Well… I think I might have seen it… or maybe I didn’t.”

His piercing gaze lingered on her face for a while.

She particularly disliked that gaze today, looking at her as if he knew everything.

“I heard you stayed in the room for a while that day you stopped by Yeonhwa Hall. I wondered why, since I had no memory of you coming to me, and then I thought of the pouch Yeon Woo had left. So I ended up reading the love letter unintentionally as well.”

He pulled her hand. Then, he carefully continued speaking.

“I’m sorry for shouting. I didn’t mean it. It started as a joke, but as you kept misunderstanding, I ended up getting excited.”

He cupped her face with both hands and lightly kissed her forehead.

“Is that what you misunderstood after seeing that? The one Yeon Woo loves is not me, but Park Han Sung from the Office of the Inspector-General. Her teacher doesn’t know yet, so I lent her Unyeon Palace.”

“Then instead of meeting like that, shouldn’t we have them talk to the Chief State Councillor?”

“They will do so soon enough. That child Yeon Woo is really something. When I asked why she chose the poor Park Han Sung when there are many great families, she said he’s someone who will become the Chief State Councillor in the distant future. She may be odd in some ways, but she’s as gutsy as any man.”

It was true that Yeon Woo had left an impression after seeing her once.

Just by looking at how she chose her own fiancé, it was clear she was no ordinary girl.

“By the way, there’s something I want to confirm with you. Do you know Seong Won Gun’s name? I mean his given name, not his title.”