It was truly cruel.

Now she understood how much he disliked her.

Unlike her unstoppable tears, her mind became calmer.

She didn’t know where the courage to confront him came from, but at this moment, she didn’t want to back down.

“Weren’t I just a woman you wouldn’t seek after tonight anyway? To the Prince, I’m not a wife but……”

“Are you asking to be treated as a wife now? Isn’t that what I’m doing? You must have heard the rumors about me. If I hadn’t been courteous, you would have been in tatters under me by now. So.”

His face slowly descended.

“Choose. Whether you’ll spend the night with me today, or live forever lonely harboring another man in your heart.”

Another man? Come to think of it, he’s been talking as if she had another man all along.

Thinking that man might be Vice Minister Kim Hee Gyeom, she felt she shouldn’t just stay like this.

“When you say another man, do you perhaps mean the Vice Minister? He is my teacher. He’s not the kind of person you think he is.”

“I don’t understand why you’re getting so worked up about what I might be thinking.”

“It seems like the Prince is misunderstanding something……”

“Misunderstanding? Did you just say misunderstanding? I’ve seen countless things, and you call it a misunderstanding?”

He coldly cut off her words and shouted in uncontrollable anger.

She couldn’t understand what exactly he had seen.

No matter how she thought about it, she had never done anything with Hee Gyeom that could be misunderstood.

She wanted to question him, but intimidated by his fierce gaze, she couldn’t say anything.

“The way the Vice Minister looks at you is not how a teacher looks at a student, but anyone can see it’s the gaze of a lover. Perhaps you feel the same way?”

“……”

“Your silence suggests I’ve hit the mark.”

What words should be said in front of someone who has already made up their mind?

She couldn’t tell if he wanted her to make excuses or if he wanted her to admit it and step back.

After hesitating, she quietly opened her mouth.

“I clearly told you it’s not true. The Vice Minister is my teacher, and I have never once thought of him as a man. I understand you’re doing this because you don’t like me, but I know my place well.”

She paused for a moment and took a deep breath.

Then, suppressing her painful and chilling emotions, she spoke quietly.

“I won’t ask you to look at me, nor will I covet your heart. When you meet the woman you truly desire, I will disappear. Until then, please let me stay here.”

After hearing her words, he suddenly laughed out loud.

His mouth was clearly laughing, but his eyes were looking at her as cold as ice.

“Try to be a little more honest. Aren’t you the one trying to take advantage of my reputation?”

“What do you……”

“They say the lustful Prince Jin Heon is so crazy about women that he abandoned his first wife. Isn’t this what you want? It would make it easier for you to escape from me. But what can you do? I have no intention of playing along with that tune.”

Withdrawing his hand that was holding her, he stepped back and smiled a sardonic smile.

“Remember this. Now that we’re married, you belong to me. As I said earlier, I can’t stand others touching what’s mine. And it’s best to give up any thoughts of escaping from me.”

With those final words, he turned around and left the room.

Eun Seol watched the door close roughly and collapsed on the floor.

The cold words he had spat out continued to pain her heart for a very long time.

* * *

Lee Woon, leaning back deeply in his chair, was lost in thought.

The deeper his thoughts became, the more uncomfortable his heart felt.

The speed of his fingertips tapping the armrest gradually increased, and his gaze grew fiercer.

How much time had passed?

As the day slowly began to break, Seo Yeom called for him from outside.

Entering the room, Seo Yeom frowned and sighed as soon as he saw him.

“Didn’t you go to the lady? Were you perhaps kicked out?”

“Who, me?”

“If not, why are you here at this hour?”

“Stop with the useless talk and tell me what you found out about what I asked.”

Rebuked, Seo Yeom smiled sheepishly and took a step closer.

Then, immediately composing his expression, he began to report calmly.

“When we investigated the wine bottle you gave us, it was confirmed to contain some improper ingredients. As you suspected, it was indeed ordered by the lady of the house.”

Even after hearing it, it was hard to believe, and he could only laugh hollowly.

A mother-in-law who gives her son-in-law a maid on her daughter’s wedding night.

It was ridiculous and outrageous.

“My lord, there’s something you should know.”

Seeing Seo Yeom hesitate, Lee Woon gestured for him to speak.

“I heard some strange talk from a servant of that house, so I investigated a bit about the maid named Min Ah.”

“Why, is there some problem?”

“The truth is, the Minister of War has already violated that maid.”

“What, what are you saying?”

“It seems he laid hands on her not long after she arrived. In fact, the Minister of War had a history of touching maids before, and the lady of the house had sold them off to other places. So this time, it seems the lady deliberately sent her to your quarters.”

“Ha! Those crazy, are they playing with people!”

He stood up, striking the armrest of the chair hard.

The chair fell to the floor with a scraping sound.

As he opened the window wide and let out a long sigh, unable to contain his anger, Seo Yeom quietly approached him after setting the chair upright.

“About that girl Min Ah. Why did they try to make her your concubine when they could have just sent her somewhere else?”

“They must have been uneasy.”

“About what?”

“They must have thought I would take a liking to the maid. Because I’m Prince Jin Heon who goes crazy for any woman. So, believing only the rumors about me being lustful, they threw the maid at me. They were planning to create a debt by not questioning me for neglecting their eldest daughter due to the maid’s seduction, while also getting rid of that maid.”

He irritably rubbed his face.

At Seo Yeom’s question of what he meant, he couldn’t answer readily and let out a deep sigh.

It was outrageous.

The more he thought about it, the more his anger rose.

This was nothing short of insulting not just him, but the royal family.

“Are you certain nothing happened with that maid on the wedding night?”

“What do you mean by that? Do I look like someone who would sleep with just any woman to you?”

“Then why don’t you tell the truth to the lady? She must be misunderstanding.”

What difference would it make to tell her?

Her heart is already full of someone else.

The more he thought about it, the more irritated and angry he became.

The only time Yoon Eun Seol smiled was when she was with Kim Hee Gyeom.

Teacher and student relationship, how ridiculous.

It wasn’t just once or twice that he had seen the two of them together intimately.

No matter how much she denied it, the way Kim Hee Gyeom looked at her was clearly love.

It didn’t matter.

Whatever Kim Hee Gyeom’s feelings were, Eun Seol was already married to him.

The problem was that Eun Seol’s heart was with Vice Minister Kim Hee Gyeom, not him.

Even after the marriage was decided, the difference in her attitude towards him and the Vice Minister was stark.

-The only light in my life has been my teacher.

Sadly, her feelings of love for the Vice Minister seemed very deep.

That fact drove him crazy and made him lose his mind.

Lee Woon irritably rubbed his face with both hands.

“Yeom, there’s one more thing I need you to look into.”

“Yes, tell me.”

“Find out about the Minister of War’s former wife, that is, her birth mother.”

“Is there something bothering you?”

There was one thing.

Until now, Lee Woon thought Eun Seol had agreed to her parents’ plan to fulfill her own love.

But listening to her words, something seemed off. She appeared to know nothing.

If that’s the case, it meant the Minister and his wife had pushed forward with their plan, accepting that their eldest daughter would get hurt, but there was no benefit worth giving such shame to their child.

“That’s for later, also find out how she lived from childhood until now. There must be at least one person who knows.”

“I understand.”

Knowing that he wouldn’t answer even if asked, Seo Yeom quietly remained in place.

Beyond the window, the dark dawn was clearing and the day was gradually brightening.

“Prepare for a hunting trip. We’ll leave as soon as it’s light.”

At his words, Seo Yeom’s face darkened.

It was natural to be surprised, as he rarely went hunting.

* * *

Since the Prince left like that, Eun Seol couldn’t sleep properly.

The words he left behind jumbled her mind.

True to his words that he wouldn’t seek her out, she couldn’t see his face for days.

After spending the night with her eyes open, she barely got up, washed briefly, and ate the breakfast brought by Lady Eom.

Usually, Geum Ok would bring the breakfast, so Lady Eom bringing it meant she had something to talk about.

“Did he just leave?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m asking if the lord left that night without staying here.”

“Ah… He had some urgent business come up suddenly and left in a hurry.”

“I see. Do you know he left for a hunting trip three days ago?”

How could she know he had gone hunting when they hadn’t even had a proper conversation?

She put down the spoon she was holding on the table and asked.

“Does he go hunting often?”

“Not often, but occasionally he goes to clear his head. He said he’s going somewhere nearby, so it shouldn’t take long.”

“When he goes hunting, do women also… no, never mind.”

She lowered her head, embarrassed by her own words.

She heard Lady Eom’s soft laughter.

“When he goes hunting, he only takes a few people from the palace. As for taking women… well. Is that what the rumors say? That he takes a woman every time he goes hunting?”

Unable to say anything and blushing, Lady Eom’s lips curled into a smile as she quietly muttered as if to herself.

“Our Prince has quite a wild reputation, doesn’t he? I don’t know his true intentions, but rumors aren’t everything.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“It’s nothing. I’ve said too much this morning. Finish your meal and call for Geum Ok.”

As she was about to stand up and leave, Lady Eom pointed to the bundle next to her and said.

“Here are the paper and drawing materials you requested earlier. I’ve also prepared a few books as you asked, but if you need more, please let me know.”

“This is enough. Thank you.”

“The weather is very nice today. After your meal, why don’t you go out to Dowon Pavilion or the rear garden? There must be many places you haven’t been to yet, so think of it as taking a walk.”

As Lady Eom suggested, she came out intending to take a walk after finishing her breakfast.

As soon as she came out, Geum Ok came running with quick steps.

“My lady, the weather is nice, would you like to go for a walk? The plum blossoms at Dowon Pavilion have bloomed like snow. I’m sure you’ll like it if you go see.”

Instead of answering, she nodded and started walking.

Dowon Pavilion, located above the men’s quarters, was showing off its splendor even more with fully bloomed plum blossoms.

The plum petals drifted like snow in the wind, and the pond below the pavilion was dyed indigo blue, reflecting the sky.

She had never known that plum petals drifting in the wind could be so beautiful.

“It’s truly beautiful. Like a different world.”

“Didn’t I tell you? I said you would like it. This Unyeon Palace is not only beautiful but also has many things to see, it’s like a small palace.”

Seeing Geum Ok’s eyes sparkle with joy, her mood brightened as well.

She had heard that Geum Ok, who had been staying at the palace with Lady Eom, had moved here with the Queen Dowager’s permission.

She was curious why Geum Ok had come to Unyeon Palace when she probably would have preferred the palace with its many sights and people.

“Wouldn’t you have liked the palace better? Why did you come here?”

“I prefer this place to the palace. I like you, my lady, and I like Lady Eom. If the Queen Dowager hadn’t told me, I would have begged to follow Lady Eom.”

“I’m grateful you think that way.”

“My lady, next time let’s go towards the training grounds over there.”

“The training grounds?”

“Yes, I heard there’s a really pretty flower over there, what was its name…?”

“Magnolia.”

At the sudden interjection of a man’s voice, she and Geum Ok turned around at the same time.