Chapter 5. Who Dared Touch the Master?
Why did my disciple’s voice echo through the gambling den?
At this point in time, he should still be playing the obedient, timid role of the 13th prince.
A chill ran down my spine, and cold sweat trickled down.
But I was certain it was his voice.
I stood there, unable to turn around, holding my breath.
The sound of footsteps drew closer, and soon enough, the owner of the voice approached me directly.
“To think I’d see Master in a place like this.”
As expected.
The refined face looking down at me from a much higher vantage point was that of my disciple, Hwaryeo. I let out a reflexive sigh, which made his smile twitch into a slight smirk.
“Should I say it’s a pleasure to meet?”
Standing close, my disciple posed a question as if seeking my advice rather than greeting me.
I swallowed dryly, looked up at him, and managed to speak.
“Your-.”
I was going to say, ‘What brings Your Highness here?’ but the question was swallowed back down.
Hwaryeo had placed his closed fan against my lips. Had he lost his mind? Startled, I closed my mouth and blinked, and he asked in a gentle voice.
“What good would it do if people found out that Master and disciple met in a gambling den? Isn’t that right, Master?”
It seemed he was cautioning me not to reveal his identity.
Come to think of it, the 13th prince was outside the palace, and in a gambling den no less.
And there was only one bodyguard with him. He clearly hadn’t come here publicly.
I nodded to signal that I understood and would remain silent.
Only then did he withdraw the fan and scan the surroundings.
I followed suit, glancing around.
‘Where did Seon-an go? When is he coming back?’
Seon-an was still nowhere in sight.
At least, the silver lining was that while people had been glancing at me when I stood alone, they now ignored me entirely because Hwaryeo was by my side.
I stopped looking around and turned my gaze back to him.
‘Damn. Heart, stop racing. It’s too much even if we met unexpectedly.’
Why was he here? I didn’t know.
Did Hwaryeo visit gambling dens in the past life? I couldn’t recall.
But while he seemed to recognize me and approached, now that I was silent, he ignored me and kept scanning the room.
Running into me must have been coincidental.
Was he here to meet someone else? I finally decided to ask him, but when I opened my mouth, I froze. Damn it. How should I address him? I usually called him ‘Your Highness.’ But he had just indicated that I shouldn’t call him that. Calling him ‘13th prince’ was even worse.
But addressing him as ‘young master’ felt odd given my attire, which also suggested a well-off noble. Sibling? Insane. The 13th prince would kill me.
“Um… Disciple.”
After much deliberation, I cautiously tried using that term. Hwaryeo, who had been scanning the room, immediately looked at me and raised an eyebrow.
“Disciple?”
He repeated what I said. Did he not like it?
“Shall I call you something else?”
I quickly tried to backtrack out of fear, but I couldn’t think of another term.
While I fumbled for words, he narrowed his eyes and studied me as if testing me.
The scrutinizing gaze made my heart shrink.
Several breaths passed.
Just when it felt like I couldn’t breathe anymore, he nodded.
“Call me that.”
I had been so tense that I immediately thanked him.
“Thank you.”
In retrospect, it wasn’t something I should have thanked him for.
Damn it.
I’m the one avoiding calling him ‘Your Highness’ out of consideration for him. Why am I thanking him? No, stop overthinking. The more I think about anything involving this disciple, the more infuriating it becomes.
Suppressing the frustration welling up inside, I carefully asked Hwaryeo, who had gone back to looking around.
“Disciple, what brings you here?”
Without even looking at me, he responded,
“And what brings Master here?”
“I asked first… but I don’t mind answering first. A friend of mine is fond of gambling. I came to fetch him. I’m known for my loyalty. What about you, Disciple?”
I expected him to say, ‘I came to gamble,’ even if it wasn’t true. But instead, he let out a soft chuckle and looked me up and down before responding.
“Loyalty?”
It sounded like he was repeating my word, but there was mockery in his tone.
I couldn’t tell what part of what I said could be mocked, but the tone was undeniable.
I winced, glanced at him, and then answered.
“Yes, loyalty.”
Ignoring his mocking tone, I asked again.
“Why are you here, Disciple?”
“I’m also looking for someone.”
“Someone?”
Could it be Seon-an? Did they have some connection in the past life? I wouldn’t know what happened when I wasn’t looking.
But to my knowledge, Hwaryeo and Seon-an weren’t particularly close.
“You seem to be thinking hard, Master.”
Had my thoughts been so obvious on my face? Suddenly, Hwaryeo whispered from above my head.
I flinched and looked up, only to find him staring down at me with a smirk.
But just because he smiled didn’t mean I could trust it. In the past life, he was always kind to me until he handed me the poison.
“What do you mean… thinking hard?”
“Who knows. Perhaps you were thinking of ways to scold your disciple for coming to a gambling den?”
“Haha. How could I…”
“Or perhaps you came here to enjoy yourself and were annoyed to see an unwanted face?”
“What?”
I looked up at him with a blank, confused expression.
My heart, which had just calmed down, started racing again.
Every word this disciple spoke dripped with sarcasm. I deliberately kept my expression vacant, and he muttered coldly.
“Well, telling you anything now wouldn’t make a difference, would it?”
Then, turning his gaze away, he added,
“If the friend you came to find is none other than Seon-an of the Seon clan, then good luck finding him.”
“Disciple, you…”
“I am here to look for a friend.”
Ah, of course.
He, too, came here to find someone.
I felt a wave of relief as my disciple added one last sarcastic remark.
“I know you have a light heart, but don’t let your pockets become light as well.”
‘Don’t let your pockets become light’ likely meant not to gamble.
But what did he mean by having a light heart? Either way, it seemed that he didn’t intend to torment me today, which was a relief.
Rather than responding sarcastically, I simply answered, “Yes,” and looked towards the bustling crowd.
Hurry up and come, Seon-an. Your friend is in a tough spot.
Just as I thought Hwaryeo was leaving to find his friend, he suddenly touched my neck.
His large, warm hand brushed the back of my neck, and I instinctively shrank, raising my shoulders like a turtle. When I turned back, tense and hunched, I saw Hwaryeo’s stern expression. My heart froze at the sight. This wasn’t the time when I should fear him! Hwaryeo was still the mistreated and ignored prince! But here I was, visibly frightened.
I must be crazy! Internally cursing myself, I hastily made an excuse.
“My neck… is a bit sensitive. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t touch it.”
It sounded absurd even to my ears, but I couldn’t think of anything else.
Since we were both men outwardly, hopefully, he wouldn’t take it the wrong way.
I sneaked a glance at his face.
Why did his eyes look so intense? His expression was as cold as ice, but his eyes glowed with the ferocity of a tiger encountered at night.
A chill ran down my spine at his demeanor.
Did he misunderstand my words? Did he interpret ‘sensitive’ differently?
“I mean, I—”
Just as I tried to add more, he spoke in a voice as cold as the wind.
“Your neck. Who did this?”
“What?”
As soon as I asked, he grabbed the collar of my robe and pulled it aside as if to reveal something.
I jumped in shock, but he kept his grip firm and repeated in a low voice.
“I asked who left the handprint on your neck, Master.”
‘Ah! It was Seon-an earlier!’
Seon-an had once mentioned almost being assassinated over family matters.
When I brought up his family’s secrets without prior warning, he had choked me out of suspicion.
I’d even choked him in return.
The marks from that encounter must still be visible.
Realizing this, I quickly tried to cover my neck with my collar.
But Hwaryeo’s hand blocked me.
“Disciple, what are you doing?”
I tried to frown and sound authoritative, as a stern Master would, but it was no use. His gaze was fixed on my neck.
“Who did this? I’m asking for the second time, Master.”
What caught me off guard was that he looked somewhat angry.
His eyes, locked onto my neck, left me speechless.
If I didn’t have to hide the fact that I’d regressed, I would have asked him outright.
Why are you angry when you also wanted me dead? He had once poisoned me to death, not just left marks on my neck. Why did he look so furious over a few lingering handprints? Was he upset that someone else almost did what he was meant to do? Wait.
Now that I thought about it, maybe that was the reason. The realization made my neck tingle with fear.
How deep must his grudge be if he could be so angry over someone else nearly killing his enemy?
“You’re not answering.”
Caught between options and holding my neck, I heard him mutter coldly.
“There were some circumstances.”
I forced a strained smile and answered vaguely.
Although it angered me that Seon-an had choked me, it was between him and me.
It had been reckless of me to mention his family’s secrets, especially to someone already sensitive to assassination attempts.
This wasn’t something I wanted to share, especially not with my disciple. It had nothing to do with him. But Hwaryeo was relentless.
“I’m asking what those circumstances were, Master.”
“It’s not something you need to know, Disciple.”
“It’s not something I need to know?”
“Yes. It’s a personal matter.”
“…”
Was he… angry?
The disciple who had been speaking firmly and arguing with me fell silent.
I slowly raised my eyes, brushing my neck as I did so. Hwaryeo was still staring at me, just as before.
When our eyes met, to my shock, he smiled—a smile as radiant as cherry blossoms in full bloom—and said something I didn’t want to believe.
“I see. If that’s the case, I won’t ask further. I understand that even a Master has matters they don’t wish to share with someone like me. But as your disciple, how could I let you leave with an injury on your neck? Let’s go to a room. I will treat it for you.”
What? I looked at him with wide eyes, stunned.
This was absolutely out of the question.
Treating a neck injury would mean loosening my clothes.
And I was in disguise as a man!
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