Chapter 2. That Bastard Also Regressed?!
“Elder Sister!”
Linhwa’s thunderous shout snapped me out of my confusion.
“Elder Sister, answer me. Are you ignoring me on purpose?”
Her temper cut through about half of the shock I felt from returning to the past. I was still caught in a half-baked state of confusion, but I instinctively responded with a glare, just like I used to in the past.
“I’m not ignoring you. And be careful how you speak. Mother told you not to call me ‘Elder Sister.’ What if someone hears?”
I wasn’t genuinely worried. Even if Linhwa shouted like this until her voice gave out, no one knew about my cross-dressing secret until my death. Except for my family and the Emperor and Empress, that is. Still, since I used to nag Linhwa about this all the time during this period, it would be natural for me to scold her now too.
Linhwa folded her arms and snorted.
“Let them hear. What does it matter? If we get caught, you’ll be the one in trouble, not me.”
I had gotten used to the more mature version of Linhwa, so seeing her behave like her bratty younger self made me want to flick her on the forehead. I stared at the back of her round head, then quickly averted my gaze.
Quarrelling with my sister right after regressing to the past—this is not how things should go.
“Anyway, I’m warning you. Elder Sister, stop interrupting when I’m with Lord Seonan. Got it?”
As annoying as Linhwa was being, what she just said gave me an idea of how old I was in this regression. There was a period when Linhwa was obsessed with my friend, Seonan, and used to follow him around. This must be that time.
Let’s see… this was about half a year after the 13th Prince became my disciple. So I must be 21 years old now.
***
After shooing away the squawking Linhwa like a duck, I returned to my room and recalled my relationship with the 13th Prince during this period.
I passed the civil service exam at the age of 20 with excellent results, making me a topic of interest among my peers and officials. At the time, I was deeply fascinated by travel and foreign cultures, so I wanted to join the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, the Emperor suddenly appointed me as the 13th Prince’s master.
A prince only four years younger than me.
I remember being so dumbfounded when I first heard the news. I only found out later that the Empress was behind it. The Empress, who was the first to recognize the potential in the supposedly foolish 13th Prince, deliberately appointed me—a ‘person with no backing, power, or experience’—as his master to insult him and stamp out his potential early.
It would’ve been too obvious to pair him with a completely incompetent teacher, so they chose me instead—a young man who had passed the civil service exam with excellent marks and had some recognition. They used the excuse that I ‘possessed great knowledge and, being close in age to the prince, would provide a different and beneficial type of guidance.’ But no one really believed that.
In any case, it wasn’t a good situation for either of us.
For the 13th Prince, my presence itself was a form of mockery.
For me, the 13th Prince was a shackle and a thornbush that bound my feet.
Because of my status as his master, I got involved in countless incidents, and I grew to hate him even more.
Did he say I killed him several times in his previous lives?
If that’s true, it was probably the result of my worsening feelings toward him over various grievances.
Although I don’t have any memories of that.
I took out an ivory dice from my pocket and rolled it around in my hand, then slammed it down onto the desk with a bang.
The mention of ‘killing’ brought back a surge of resentment I felt when he poisoned me.
He claimed it was his revenge against me, but to me, who doesn’t remember killing him, it felt utterly unfair.
Revenge? Damn it. Do you know how much suffering I endured just because the 13th Prince decided to join the battle for the throne in our past life? I had no choice but to get dragged into that political war because I was his only master.
And then, as soon as he won, he killed me in revenge for some incident from two lives ago!
Grinding my teeth as I recalled the sensation of the poison spreading through my body, I forced myself to calm down.
That’s all in the past. No need to get angry or waste energy thinking about it.
I can just pay him back in kind.
If I killed him two lives ago, and he killed me in the last life, I’ll just kill him again in this one.
With a snort, I pocketed the dice and stood up.
I now had a goal in this life.
Revenge.
Yes, I’ll take revenge on the 13th Prince.
While I don’t remember everything, I still have a rough memory of major events from the past life.
Let’s use that information.
In the last life, he acted as he pleased because he knew the future. In this life, I can…
Wait. Hold on.
I was about to head out when I returned to my desk and sat back down.
Damn it.
I just remembered something extremely important.
Did only I regress, or did my disciple regress as well?
If only I regressed, I can take revenge. I just have to use the future knowledge I have.
But if the 13th Prince also regressed, things get tricky.
According to him, he’s experienced regression countless times. So, naturally, he knows the future much better than I do.
And even though he’s currently treated as an outcast, his status is still higher than mine. Though he’s hidden away for now, the 13th Prince’s martial arts skills and intelligence are at a terrifying level.
A shiver ran down my spine, and goosebumps rose on my arms.
Let’s put revenge on hold for now. I need to confirm whether the 13th Prince regressed or if I’m the only one who did.
***
Since I found out that his lesson was scheduled for the next day, I washed my face early in the morning, dressed neatly, and headed straight to the Palace.
After showing my identification at the entrance, I hurriedly walked toward Hyeonang Palace, located in the eastern part of the palace grounds.
But halfway there, I suddenly realized something and changed direction.
How foolish of me!
At this time, the 13th Prince resides in Wolmu Palace. Hyeonang Palace was where the 13th Prince stayed right before he became the Emperor, but right now, it’s someone else’s residence.
As I briskly adjusted my course, the contrasting situations of the 13th Prince as an outcast and as the Emperor made me click my tongue in amazement.
The 13th Prince, who used to live in Wolmu Palace, the furthest place from Yangyeong Palace, where the Emperor resided, gradually worked his way to the centre of the palace with his own power…
If only he hadn’t killed me, I could’ve sincerely admired how impressive of a prince he was.
What a shame.
Lost in thought, I finally arrived at Wolmu Palace.
Unlike other palaces, there were no guards stationed at the entrance of Wolmu Palace.
Without needing to inform anyone of my presence, I stepped over the threshold and entered the palace.
‘If my disciple did regress as well, he must have been furious seeing himself in this miserable state.’
I only sensed movement after passing through the overgrown yard, where the weeds had clearly been neglected.
“Grand Scholar Yo, you’ve arrived.”
It was Gi-yang, the court lady serving my disciple. If my memory serves correctly, she got caught acting as a spy and was executed later on.
‘It feels strange meeting someone who’s destined to die in the future. I wonder if this was how my disciple felt when he first regressed?’
“Grand Scholar?”
Gi-yang called out, blushing, as I stared intently at her.
Even without cross-dressing, I have a strikingly beautiful face. But dressed as a man, I’m so handsome that I’ve caught myself admiring my own reflection in the mirror. She must be blushing because of that. I have to be cautious. Attracting too much attention while cross-dressing can lead to trouble.
If some highborn lady who’s set her eyes on me brings up a marriage proposal through her family, it would be disastrous.
That’s why, in my previous life, I deliberately acted like a libertine, making families think, ‘There’s no way I’d let my daughter marry that kind of man!’
I should probably do the same in this life, too.
“My apologies, Lady Gi. I was lost in thought after seeing you. You dazzle me more each time I see you.”
“You’re always teasing, Grand Scholar.”
“Or perhaps it’s because you put my mind at ease?”
Gi-yang chuckled softly and then turned toward the room where my disciple resided.
“13th Prince, Grand Scholar Yo has arrived.”
I gave her a slight nod and entered the room I used to frequent daily in my past life.
As I opened the door, pushed aside the heavy curtain, and stepped inside, I saw my disciple standing up from his desk.
He didn’t have the imposing and dignified presence I last remembered before my death. Instead, the youthful face of a seventeen-year-old greeted me.
“Master.”
But that voice was the same as before—both in the past and now. Just as he always did, he greeted me warmly as soon as he saw me.
“You’re early today.”
At the sound of his voice, I felt my composure shatter in an instant. My fingertips began to tremble. The image of him handing me that bowl of poison replayed over and over in my mind.
‘No, I can’t get scared already. First, I need to find out if my disciple has regressed or not. If he has… I have to be even more cautious. He must not know that I’ve regressed.’
Pretending to clasp my hands behind my back, I forced a smile onto my face.
“It’s a lovely day.”
“Yes, it’s a beautiful day.”
Hearing his voice—the exact same whisper that I heard right before my death—sent chills down my spine. My heart, gripped by fear, pounded wildly, and I felt my lips tremble.
I quickly walked forward.
Although a master holds a higher status than his disciple, we sat facing each other with identical desks when having lessons since my disciple was a member of the royal family.
I went to my desk and bent down, pretending to check the drawers to hide my face. As I rummaged through the desk, I barely managed to steady my breathing.
Don’t be foolish. Be sharp. Yo Yo-hwa.
I still don’t know if the 13th Prince is just a naive seventeen-year-old prince or a cunning schemer who has regressed multiple times.
Let’s hope for the former.
I was silently praying when I heard the sound of wood scraping from across the room.
Even though it wasn’t a sound coming from right beside me, it sent shivers down my spine.
After taking out some random book from the drawer and placing it on the desk, I looked across at him, trying to maintain my composure.
The sound was from my disciple pushing back his chair.
He smiled at me as he sat down. I also took my seat.
That’s when another wave of panic hit me.
Now that we were sitting face-to-face, I couldn’t remember what lessons I was supposed to teach at this point in time.
Even if I have a good memory, it’s impossible to recall every single daily schedule.
But… What about him? Why is he acting like this?
He’s just staring at me, like I’m doing, without even opening a book.
Finding it strange, I stared at him for a long time. Then, he tilted his head and asked,
“What lesson do we have today, Master?”
The moment I heard that question, I realized: This bastard has regressed too!
It wasn’t just me!
It was unmistakable.
Just like how I couldn’t remember where we left off because I had suddenly regressed, he must have forgotten where to start because he’s also regressed.
Even if he’s experienced regression more times than I have and knows more about the past, it’s impossible to remember every single lesson step-by-step.
Realizing this sent chills down my spine.
Revenge? How could I possibly get revenge? He’s died far more times than I have, and his desire for revenge must be much greater than mine.
“Master?”
As I struggled to calm my pounding heart, he narrowed his eyes and called out to me.
I barely managed to speak.
“Today’s lesson… will be a review of what we covered last time.”
For the first time, the friendly smile on his face wavered slightly.
—
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