At the sudden intrusion of the man’s voice, she and Geum Ok simultaneously turned around.

A man wearing a navy blue robe approached them with his hands behind his back, smiling brightly.

With a taller stature than ordinary men and fair skin, his handsome face outshone even his fancy attire.

The man had narrow, curving eyes and upturned corners of his mouth when he smiled, which suited his low voice well.

He slowly shifted his gaze following the flower petals flying in the wind.

“My elder brother, despite appearances, likes flowers. Especially plum blossoms and magnolias.”

The man caught a flying plum blossom petal in his hand and smiled.

His appearance reminded her of warm spring sunshine.

“Greetings, my lord.”

Geum Ok, who had been standing at a distance, approached with quick steps and greeted the man.

Judging by her face, she seemed to recognize the man before her.

The man turned his gaze with a faint smile on his lips.

“Do you know who I am?”

“Are you not Lord Seong Won Gun? I’ve seen you a few times at the palace.”

“I do tend to leave a lasting impression.”

“Y-yes, indeed.”

He playfully joked and then approached Eun Seol to greet her.

Eun Seol took a small step back, avoiding his close proximity.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Seong Won Gun. I saw you on your wedding day, but this must be your first time seeing me, sister-in-law.”

So this man was Seong Won Gun.

Though it was her first time seeing Seong Won Gun in person, she vaguely remembered hearing stories about him from the servants.

Seong Won Gun, born to Lady Hye Bin, had left the palace early due to the former king’s dislike and had married relatively late a few years ago.

Though she didn’t know why he had fallen out of favor with the former king, he seemed quite different from the rumors.

He had a smiling face and a kind voice, yet somehow gave off an uncomfortable and cold feeling.

“I heard my elder brother went hunting?”

“Yes, he left recently and said it would take a few days.”

“Isn’t that too much? You’ve only been married for a short while, and he’s leaving for days. Shall I have a word with him?”

“Pardon?”

“Haha… I’m only joking.”

Smiling with his lips slightly curved, he subtly moved closer to her side.

She thought she caught a faint scent of gardenia from him.

“Would you like to go to the training grounds now? The magnolias should be in full bloom. If you’d like, I can guide you there.”

His eyes steadily gazed at her as he spoke in a low voice.

Feeling the man had suddenly come too close, she stepped aside and said,

“I’ll… go later.”

“Ah, as you wish. But you might want to hurry. Magnolias are flowers that wither quickly, you know.”

“…I see.”

She did want to see the magnolias she had never seen before.

If they were flowers he liked, they must surely be elegant and beautiful.

“Is there anything you like? For instance, books or something you enjoy doing?”

“Our lady enjoys painting.”

Geum Ok, standing a little distance away, said while fiddling with a lotus leaf floating in the pond.

Geum Ok stood up, shaking the water off her hands, and looked in their direction.

“Our lady likes reading books too, but she’s really good at painting. Isn’t that right, my lady?”

Flustered by Seong Won Gun’s sudden question about her likes, she was at a loss for words and looked back and forth between the two.

“So you like painting. I’d love to see your paintings sometime, sister-in-law.”

“That child is just saying things. It’s not a skill worth showing.”

“But you do enjoy painting, don’t you?”

What a strange man.

He seemed kind yet somehow cold, playful yet with unwavering eyes that held seriousness.

His eloquent words were enough to captivate her.

In short, Seong Won Gun was a pleasant man.

He treated her and Geum Ok without formality.

Perhaps that’s why the initial discomfort quickly disappeared. For the first time in a while, she could laugh comfortably without any worries.

As Seong Won Gun was excitedly talking, his gaze suddenly stopped at one point.

Following his gaze, she turned her head and for a moment, felt her breath stop.

Not far away, the dazzlingly handsome Prince Jin Heon, who always left her in awe, was walking towards them.

Judging by his hunting attire, it seemed he was returning from a hunt.

He fixed his gaze on her as he handed the black hat he was holding to Seo Yeom.

Seeing the cold anger and fury in his unwavering eyes, she unconsciously averted her gaze.

Sensing the strange atmosphere, Seong Won Gun cleared his throat and called out to the prince.

“Elder brother, you said it would take a few days, but you’re back early.”

“What are you doing here again?”

“How hurtful to say ‘again’. I came all this way to see my newly married elder brother, and this is how you treat me? Besides, didn’t I ask you to take me along when you went hunting?”

“Do you think hunting is like going on a picnic in the backyard?”

“Why are you being like this? If I put my mind to it, I might not catch a tiger, but I could at least catch a rabbit.”

“You? Try holding a bow first before you talk.”

His gaze lingered on her for a moment before he turned away, leaving as if he had no further business.

She silently swallowed a sigh.

Even the biting winter wind seemed better than this.

“Elder brother, how about a drink for old times’ sake?”

“I’m tired. Come another time.”

“You don’t look tired at all.”

“Shut up and go.”

“My, how cold of you.”

Seong Won Gun gave her a nod goodbye and disappeared following the prince who had gone ahead.

The prince’s retreating figure always left her heart aching and cold.

* * *

The next day.

After finishing breakfast, Eun Seol went outside and sat in a sunny spot to open a book.

Although she felt like she was wearing clothes that didn’t suit her, she was happy to be able to enjoy this leisure.

How much time had passed?

Eom Sang Gung held out a small tray in front of her.

“What’s this?”

“Flower petal tea and yakgwa. That man who dislikes sweets only eats yakgwa.”

“So why…”

“It needs to be taken to the master, but everyone’s busy and there’s no one to take it. My lady, please take it to the men’s quarters.”

It was awkward.

If she took it, he would surely dislike it. But she hesitated to say such things to Eom Sang Gung.

While she was hesitating, Eom Sang Gung spoke first.

“People tend to forget what’s not in front of their eyes. Whether you like it or not, you need to see each other’s faces often for affection to grow. He usually eats this after finishing training, so he’ll be glad if you take it.”

Eom Sang Gung seemed more worried than her about the prince not visiting the inner quarters even after returning from hunting.

She reluctantly took the tray and headed to the men’s quarters.

She approached where the door was open and looked inside, but no one was there.

She was told he would be in the men’s quarters at this time after finishing training, but since he wasn’t there, it seemed he was still training.

Thinking it was better this way, she placed the snack tray on the table and as she turned to leave, she met eyes with the prince leaning against the wall by the door.

He seemed to have just come from the training grounds, as he was in his training attire.

“What are you doing here?”

Seeing her standing there dumbfounded, unable to say anything out of surprise, he moved first.

He walked towards her with large strides, his gaze still fixed on her.

He glanced at the tray on the table and let out a short sigh along with a hollow laugh.

“Stop pretending to be a wife when you don’t mean it. It seems you’re doing this because you don’t want to be cast out of this place, but don’t worry. I will never cast you out. Didn’t I tell you? I won’t let anyone touch what’s mine. So, don’t do things like this, and if you’re done with your business, you can go.”

“I didn’t have any other intention, I just heard you have a light snack after training…”

“These insincere actions are not welcome. And there are plenty of others who can do this, so don’t bother with unnecessary effort in the future.”

Although she had come prepared, hearing it directly in front of her made her heart ache.

She surely had many things she wanted to say. But the words that were swirling in her head were swallowed back down her throat without being uttered.

As she was about to leave, avoiding his gaze, Seo Yeom entered.

“What’s the matter?”

“There’s a guest outside, but I’ll tell them to come back another time.”

“Who is it?”

Seo Yeom looked at her awkwardly, seeming troubled.

Feeling that Seo Yeom was in a difficult position because of her, she was about to take a step to leave when the prince’s sharp voice rang out in the room.

“I asked who it is!”

“Well… So Hyang from Eunwolgwan has come to visit.”

She knew about So Hyang from Eunwolgwan from what she had heard from people before.

It was said that men had spent enormous sums of money trying to win her heart, but no one had managed to capture the heart of the haughty So Hyang.

The story of how she had become Prince Jin Heon’s concubine was known to everyone in the capital.

And now, that So Hyang had come to visit Unyeongung.

She could see the prince’s dark expression brightening.

“It would be impolite to send away someone who has come to visit. Tell her to come in.”

His previously dark face lit up. Even his voice had softened.

She could guess what So Hyang meant to him without needing to be told.

When she had first heard rumors about the prince and So Hyang, she hadn’t wanted to believe them. No, she hadn’t believed them.

The prince she had seen was neat and tidy, unlike the rumors.

So she had harbored a small hope that it was just a rumor made up by gossip-loving people.

It had been a delusion.

His eyes rippled quietly as he looked at So Hyang, and a faint smile played on his lips.

She should have left when Seo Yeom went out.

By the time she came to her senses and tried to leave, So Hyang was already entering the room.

Unlike other gisaeng, So Hyang wore light makeup and simple clothes, and was beautiful even to her female eyes.

Her simple and elegant appearance exuded dignity.

What man would refuse such a woman?

So Hyang was certainly charming enough to capture the prince’s heart.

“I didn’t know the second lady was here. I pay my respects. I am So Hyang.”

Her voice was as neat as her tidy appearance.

So Hyang, who had bowed her head slightly in greeting, approached where the prince was.

“I was curious about who had become the mistress of the inner quarters, and now I finally get to meet you. Congratulations, second lady.”

“Thank you.”

“How can you be so polite to a lowly gisaeng? Please speak more casually.”

She envied So Hyang’s relaxed smile and confident demeanor in front of her.

At least for now, So Hyang seemed happier than her.