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Chapter: 34

Lord Naam's gaze shifted towards Gae Yeohwa, then back to me. After looking back and forth between his adopted daughter and me, his face hardened slightly.

He seemed troubled.

"Are you referring to my second daughter?"

I nodded.

I could feel my face turning red. I tried my best to calm my churning stomach, but despite my efforts, it didn't seem to be working.

Even though it was just an act to achieve my goal, I had some dignity, and the shame was becoming unbearable.

"Hahaha, I believe this is the first time Your Highness has seen my daughter..."

Lord Naam was prompting me for a explanation.

Should I just confess that it's a lie and run away? That's what I wanted to do.

But then, my eyes met Gae Yeohwa's.

She didn't look away, so it was clear she was staring at me.

Ah, damn it.

I clenched my fists behind my back and said, "I, at first sight..."

I thought I wasn't bad at lying, even if I didn't do it as often as eating.

But the words wouldn't come out.

"At first sight..."

Lord Naam narrowed his eyes as I hesitated.

But in the end, I didn't have to lie.

Gae Yeohwa, the lord's adopted daughter who had been silent, intervened in the conversation.

"Are you saying that the moment you saw me for the first time, you developed feelings for me?"

Gae Yeohwa spoke in a gentle tone, quite different from when she had introduced herself earlier.

At the same time, a strange glint appeared in her eyes.

"Yes, that's what I was trying to say."

I cleared my throat awkwardly.

Then, Gae Yeohwa suddenly knelt on the floor. And then she bowed deeply.

She wasn't bowing to me. Gae Yeohwa bowed deeply to Lord Naam.

"Father."

Perhaps because Gae Yeohwa suddenly prostrated herself on the floor, the wrinkles between Lord Naam's eyebrows deepened slightly.

Lord Naamseong replied after a beat, "Speak."

"Although it is an undeserved honor... His Highness says he has feelings for me, but I do not possess the qualifications to stand beside someone like him."

...Huh?

"I apologize for causing a misunderstanding due to the ignorance of my own nature. Father, I wish to reveal my true nature to His Highness and console his heart. Isn't this unfortunate situation entirely my fault? I believe it is only right for me to take responsibility."

Wait, hold on.

Just a moment.

"I implore you, please grant my request."

I was taken aback.

Gae Yeohwa, bowing so deeply that her forehead nearly touched the floor, Gae Ri-hwa observing the situation calmly beside her, and Lord Naam, glancing at me nervously despite his adopted daughter's actions.

They were certainly not a typical family. But it wasn't this scene that confused me.

It was Gae Yeohwa.

Something was suspicious.

Gon had secretly met with Gae Yeohwa last night and told me this:

- Oh my, oh my... I've never seen a human curse so eloquently!

He said she first read the note and cursed at me, then muttered something incomprehensible to herself. After that, as if suddenly remembering something, she started cursing at Lord Naam, and by the end, it looked like she was possessed by a demon.

- It was so scary, I was terrified!

That's definitely what he told me last night.

Of course, there was probably some exaggeration. Besides, Gon had spent almost his entire life in the palace, so if the palace maids were his standard, he'd probably faint from shock just by stepping into the marketplace.

After all, the speech patterns of palace maids were quite different from those outside the palace.

But even considering that, it was likely true that Gae Yeohwa's words weren't entirely gentle.

And such a person was acting like this?

I didn't care what her personality was, as long as she cooperated with me. But the image Gon painted and the one before my eyes didn't quite match.

Was she someone whose inner and outer self were completely different?

Even so, the Gae Yeohwa I had just seen with my own eyes was a bit too much. I couldn't help but think that it was far from her true self.

Anyway, thanks to this, I could be sure that this wasn't her true nature.

Then, what was her true nature?

Would there ever be a chance for her to reveal her true self to me? I wondered if that would ever happen.

It would be nice if we became close enough for her to open up to me. After all, from my perspective, she was someone I needed. It wouldn't hurt to be on good terms, would it?

Just like with Yoo Geung.

But even if I wanted her as a close associate, it was different from the case of Shin Gwiryung. For some reason, I didn't particularly want to get close to him.

Lord Naam replied.

His expression wasn't gloomy at all.

"I understand your loyalty."

Lord Naamseong spoke in a solemn tone.

"I apologize, Your Highness."

Out of the blue, I wondered what kind of play this was.

Gon wouldn't have lied to me. So I was certain that what he said was true.

A person with that kind of personality bowing her head because of me?

It was laughable.

Didn't he say she didn't hesitate to curse her own father, Lord Naam?

It was hard to suppress a snicker.

"It is difficult for me, as a father, to flatly refuse when my daughter speaks thus."

Lord Naam bowed deeply while standing.

"I intend to grant my daughter's request, so please do not be angered."

Like father, like daughter, huh?

Gon had told me that she seemed dissatisfied with her life, but that didn't seem to be the case either.

I'd prefer it if Gae Yeohwa was unhappy with her current situation. Though it was unfortunate that I couldn't wish her happiness.

"If Lord Naam, who has shown me such hospitality, makes this request..."

I reached out and placed a hand on the shoulder of the bowing Lord Naam.

"How could I not accept your request? Hmm? How could I refuse you? I do not wish for our trust to be damaged. Your words do not anger me, so please raise your head."

Lord Naam immediately lifted his head.

"Your Highness...!"

His reaction seemed filled with gratitude, but it didn't feel entirely sincere.

I waved my hand.

"Lady Gae has something to say, so I shall hear her out first. However, the judgment of Lady Gae's character and qualities is mine to make. That is not something even you can influence."

"Of course, Your Highness."

Lord Naam bowed his head again. This time, it was simply an acknowledgment.

Lord Naam, unable to hide his boredom, gestured to his biological daughter, Gae Rihwa, who had been observing the situation with disinterest. He left the room with her, leaving only Gae Yeohwa and me.

Click.

The door closed, and silence descended. Only then did Gae Yeohwa raise her head and rise from her position.

I smiled awkwardly.

"I'm curious to hear what Lady Gae has to say to me."

We had been standing throughout our brief conversation, but there was a round table and chairs in the room. I pulled out a chair and offered, "Would you like to sit?"

Gae Yeohwa didn't refuse.

"I am deeply honored, Your Highness."

I chose a chair opposite Gae Yeohwa and sat down. Since it was a round table, the seat I chose was the furthest away from her.

I rested my elbows on the table and clasped my hands together.

"Then, let's hear how terrible a person Lady Gae is."

So, it was a failure after all, just a waste of time.

The thought of missing out on the future strategist favored by the Duke of Mungong, Woo Joong, brought tears to my eyes.

But what could I do? It was all my fault.

My own stupidity.

The bitterness of failure was already setting in.

But then, Gae Yeohwa's eyes changed.

"...I was taken in as Lord Naam's adopted daughter and raised without lacking in food or clothing."

How should I describe this? What words should I use?

"Yet, there was something that remained unfulfilled."

Her eyes were earnest.

"Your Highness. Prince Ikwon."

The same gaze I had seen in the mirror was now before me.

"I implore you, please grant me an opportunity."

* * *

Last night, after quickly reading through the nonsensical love letter, Gae Yeohwa thought to herself.

What a load of bullshit.

The King's firstborn son, Prince Ikwon.

The infamous crazy prince she had only heard rumors about.

How could that mad prince profess his love for her when he had barely even seen her?

It was the most absurd confession she had ever heard in her life.

Therefore...

"I already know, Your Highness."

This was.

"You have a different kind of interest in me, don't you?"

Definitely a secret message.

Of course, a love letter could also be called a secret message.

"...A different kind of interest?"

The crazy prince asked back.

Gae Yeohwa cautiously, very cautiously, nodded her head.

In truth, making such a statement wasn't an easy decision.

The person before her was none other than the infamous crazy prince from the rumors.

He was someone who could ruin her life with just a few careless words.

But Gae Yeohwa trusted herself.

She decided to trust her own eyes.

It was a belief based on evidence.

Her adoptive father, Lord Naam, was a man with a good reputation. But she could never consider him a good person.

There were always exceptions.

Perhaps, just perhaps, this mad prince might not be a bad person, at least to her.

That's what she had been thinking.

However, it was different.

The prince, notorious for his recklessness, was different from the image she had in her mind.

Last night, after hearing that he had dinner with her adoptive father, she even asked the maidservant who had attended them.

He had dismissed the courtesans and refused alcohol. He had been polite throughout his stay.

Thanks to that, she had come along with her adoptive father, harboring a glimmer of hope.

Of course, she didn't believe the mad prince's words about falling in love with her at first sight.

She prided herself on not being foolish enough to fall for such sweet words.

"Yes, Your Highness."

The libertine prince seemed taken aback.

Her conviction grew stronger.

"If it's a different kind of interest."

A vague answer.

"What kind?"

And a follow-up question.

Thanks to this, Gae Yeohwa gained even more confidence.

Her heart swelled with anticipation.

Even if he was called a crazy prince, he was still a prince. He might have access to information that ordinary people didn't.

So, perhaps, just perhaps...

She couldn't have been wrong about the future she had foreseen countless times, could she?

"Do you, perhaps, need me?"