Chapter 3. Defending an Unruly Disciple Isn’t Easy
Hwaryeo, 13th Prince.
Yo Yo-hwa, The master.
He must be acting like this because, like me, he just reincarnated and doesn’t remember where we left off in our lessons.
Although I am in a similar situation, I feel a slight sense of satisfaction seeing my insufferable disciple in distress.
To hide my smile, I bit my lip and composed myself. I hoped he would feel even more troubled. However, the disciple soon displayed a calm smile and asked:
“I apologize, Master. Where were we last time? I had a terrible headache and can’t quite recall. I’m sorry for not paying attention.”
Clever brat.
“Were you unwell? I see. I didn’t know that,” I said, subtly trying to seize on his words, unwilling to let it pass.
He feigned a look of disappointment.
“You don’t seem to care about me, Master.”
Sly child. But he’s right.
At the time of our last lesson, I probably didn’t care about him at all.
Instead of pressing further, I put on a kind smile and flipped through my book. Let’s see… Neither of us remembers the progress, so I’ll just pick a random spot and continue the lesson.
Where should I start? As I skimmed the pages, a suitable section caught my eye.
“Master? Why are you silent?”
“Section 2, Clause 4. Let’s go over the concept of Gun-Sa-Bu-Il-Che, Your Highness.”
***
Throughout the lesson, I felt as though I were sitting on a bed of thorns.
How could I not?
My disciple has lived through many regressions. His mind is undoubtedly brimming with knowledge.
In fact, in his past life, he excelled in both scholarly and martial pursuits.
Here I was, a mere twenty-one-year-old Master, pretending to lecture a disciple who was far beyond me in skill.
He doesn’t know that I, too, have regressed, so he pretends to be docile. But I know the truth, and that knowledge gnawed at me. It made me uneasy.
Under that obedient expression, he harbored a thirst for revenge and murderous intent directed at me, which only worsened my discomfort.
Whenever he smiled, unpleasant thoughts crept into my mind. What was he thinking now? The times he deceived me?
The time he manipulated me into becoming the Royal Authority and then killed me?
“Master, you don’t look well today.”
“I have a cold.”
Since he’s also regressed, I can’t seek revenge on him.
Revenge? I’m too preoccupied with surviving.
What I need to do isn’t to take revenge but to treat this treacherous disciple well, hoping he won’t kill me again.
He must never know I’ve also regressed, or he’ll realize my kindness isn’t genuine and try to kill me once more.
“Your Highness.”
“Yes, Master.”
“You have a wonderful voice.”
“…Pardon?”
Hmm. Maybe that was too abrupt. Right. Sudden changes in behavior would also be suspicious. I need to treat him the way I did in my past life but subtly show kindness.
‘I need to act familiar and warm when the moment calls for it.’
No sooner had I made up my mind than my disciple said something chilling.
“You’re a bit different today, Master.”
An ordinary comment, yet it struck me like a blow to the chest.
I paused mid-page turn and glanced at him.
He was resting his chin on his hand, staring straight at me. My mind raced.
What was different about me? The compliment earlier? That was only once. Then what? How did I teach him in our past life? I think I kept it neutral. I didn’t like him, but I wasn’t openly cold either.
So, what’s different now? Anxiety gripped me.
The memory of him pressing poison to my lips made my fingers start to tremble again.
I lowered my hand beneath the table and tried to appear nonchalant while looking at him.
He was still watching me intently.
Several breaths passed.
This wouldn’t do. I furrowed my brow and spoke in a tone that suggested displeasure.
“I know my teaching may not satisfy Your Highness, but remember, I am your Master, and you are my disciple. During lessons, please focus on the material.”
I reprimanded him coldly, maintaining a stern expression as I observed his reaction.
Would he be offended? Would he think, ‘Ah, yes, this Master needs to be killed again someday’? My heart pounded as I met his gaze.
Outside, the sound of wooden plaques signaling the end of the session echoed.
As if on cue, he ceased staring and smiled, closing his book.
“The lesson is over.”
The tension that had coiled in my chest unfurled like seaweed soaked in water.
I suppressed my relief and closed my book as well.
“Let’s make sure we don’t waste the next lesson like this.”
I added what my past self would have likely said, just in case.
‘I need to go home. It’s more frightening to face him than I thought.’
I packed up hastily, not waiting for his response, and stood up.
But why is he doing this? Is he insane? Unexpectedly, he stood up too.
“Let’s go together, Master. I’d like a walk and will see you to the door.”
I almost blurted out, ‘No!’ reflexively.
I stared at him dumbfounded, my belongings in hand.
Why would he escort me to the door? My mind raced again. Had he ever done this in my past life?
Ah, right. He had, though not often. During those times, I thought he was craving affection, the kind of trust shared between normal Masters and disciples.
But now, I wasn’t sure.
The disciple I taught in the past had already regressed many times.
Why did he sometimes escort me to the door? Even though he claimed I had killed him multiple times? And why had he always died at my hands during each regression? If he had just avoided me after the first, he could have spared himself.
Did he keep me close out of vengeance only to be struck down each time?
“Shall we?”
Making my head spin with confusion, he spoke with a composed demeanor.
I had no reason to refuse.
Reluctantly, I nodded, and we stepped outside together. The weather was pleasant, in stark contrast to my troubled thoughts. As we walked side by side across the yard, heading for the main gate, Court Lady Gi-yang approached and called out to me.
“Um… Yo Dae-in.”
I turned, curious about her reason for calling, and she held out a bundle wrapped in yellow paper.
“I wanted to give you this.”
“What is it?”
But I couldn’t accept it right away, as I was distracted by Hwa-ryeo. Gi-yang’s ears turned red as she responded.
“You helped me the other day. I was so grateful but didn’t know how to repay you. I made these chestnut cookies myself as a token of my appreciation.”
Had I helped her before?
I had no memory of it.
Still, refusing her gift would look odd. In my past life, I had cultivated a reputation as a flirt and often received presents from women.
Few wanted to pursue serious relationships with me, but many enjoyed being casual friends.
“Thank you, Lady Gi.”
I accepted the bundle, keeping an eye on Hwa-ryeo’s reaction.
As I turned to leave, it felt too reserved.
In my past life, to maintain my reputation as a libertine, I would have made a light-hearted comment here.
I needed to do the same in this life to avoid raising suspicion about my regression.
“Lady Gi is so thoughtful. I’m always charmed when you’re this kind—it makes my heart ache, you know?”
Gi-yang laughed, taking it as a half-joke.
That should be enough, I thought, but I threw out a few more playful remarks. Just as she was about to respond, a laugh burst out from beside me. It was that sudden, barely-contained chuckle.
Wondering what the sound was, I turned to see Hwa-ryeo watching me with amusement.
“What’s so funny?”
His reaction felt slightly off and made me uneasy, even though I knew I needed to stay on his good side.
I asked with a tone that betrayed my awkwardness.
Gi-yang, who had been ready to answer, also turned to look at the 13th prince.
“Oh, nothing at all.”
He shook his head with a smile and looked at me with an odd expression before adding:
“I was just thinking how you are admirable in every way, Master, but perhaps a bit too flirtatious. You speak rather lightly.”
What did he mean by that?
In my past life, I had acted frivolously to disguise my true identity as a woman.
It worked, keeping my secret safe, though it left my reputation regarding women in tatters.
Yet Hwa-ryeo had never once commented on my personal reputation before. Why, then, did he choose now to say, “You speak rather lightly”?
It wasn’t because I was friendly to his court lady—I’d always been amicable toward them.
Was it simply annoyance? Does he hate me so much that even seeing me smile makes his blood boil?
It’s highly probable. After all, seeing him smile makes me feel the same way. If anything, he would hate me more.
Damn it.
Even after the lesson and heading home, why can’t I stop thinking about this insufferable disciple?
In my past life, I prioritized my family and only thought of him minimally.
Now that I feared him, my mind was consumed with thoughts of him.
It was absurd.
Did he think about me the same way? Was he constantly haunted by memories of me killing him? Did that fuel his handling of all those rivals, keeping me until the end for the final act of vengeance?
Suddenly, the idea of reshaping this life to my liking, as he did, crossed my mind.
But I quickly dismissed it. Thanks to that accursed disciple, I’d already reached the pinnacle in my past life.
If he hadn’t killed me, I would have comfortably ascended to the position of Grand Tutor as I aged. No matter how much I altered the past, I couldn’t climb higher without rebellion.
Unlike Hwa-ryeo, a royal, I lacked the power to stage a coup.
And what good was knowing the future? To keep my regression hidden, I couldn’t avoid future misfortunes. If I shaped my destiny too favorably, he would realize I’d regressed and act even sooner.
All I could do in this life was placate him enough to quell his resentment while preparing a plan for escape. If he seemed poised to ascend the throne, I would quietly resign and disappear to live in hiding.
‘Yes. I need to prepare ten different safehouses.’
I had friends in the academy with extensive knowledge in such matters.
I’d have to enlist their help.
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