Chapter 6. I’d Rather Not Keep Running Into You
“It’s fine. It’s not a cut or anything.”
I hadn’t seen the injury directly, but it was probably just a red mark. At worst, it might bruise a bit. I covered my neck with both hands this time.
“I can take care of it myself, Your— I mean, Disciple.”
“There is an excellent ointment for quickly reducing bruises. I’ll apply it for you.”
“It’s fine.”
The ointment isn’t the problem—you are!
I shook my head and stepped back cautiously.
But there was nowhere else to go.
As soon as I finished speaking, the cherry blossom-like smile of the 13th prince faded.
It returned soon after, but I had already glimpsed his real expression for a moment.
He wore a smile as cold as a frozen winter lake, and he asked,
“To apply the ointment, I’ll need to touch your neck. Do you dislike my touch, Master?”
“It’s not that—”
“It seems that way.”
I had tried my best to maintain a good relationship with him since regressing, but it hadn’t even been that many days, and things were already going wrong.
A wave of worry washed over me.
Would he kill me again? Still, I had no choice. It was better to earn his resentment now than to reveal my neck to him.
He probably already disliked me anyway. At this point, I, as his Master, would have kept a distance from him.
Yes, I had drawn a line back then, so I should do the same now.
Building a better relationship could wait.
Although I was on his kill list, he wouldn’t kill me for a few more years.
“A-A disciple should not touch a Master’s body without permission.”
But my words were useless.
“It’s an order.”
He whispered those words into my ear as he stepped closer.
I closed my mouth and glared at him resentfully, which made his smile more genuine. He seemed to enjoy seeing me frustrated.
Suddenly, I remembered that in my past life, he had often smiled like this.
I thought it was just a habit back then, but now I wondered—was it a smile he used when mocking me?
***
Following his order, I had to enter a nearby room. Even inside, I couldn’t bring myself to sit down and lingered by the door.
“Are you worried that your disciple might do something? What could there be to worry about between men?”
He said with a belated attempt at humor, but his words only tightened the fear in my chest.
I may act like a flirt, but I wasn’t a man.
But that was only my secret.
“No one is to come in.”
He gave an order to the lone guard who had accompanied him.
The guard answered, “Yes,” and promptly shut the door.
Hwa-ryeo extended his hand, motioning for me to come closer.
“Your Highness…”
“Come here, Master.”
There was no use resisting. I approached him reluctantly, only to be pulled into a chair by him. The sudden movement made my vision darken.
He would probably tell me to take off my robe to apply the ointment. Removing just the outer robe wouldn’t reveal that I was a woman, but what if he asked me to remove my inner garment?
That would make it obvious.
My vision turned black with anxiety. Clasping my hands tightly, I watched in dread as he took out the ointment and opened the lid.
“Lower your collar.”
Unexpectedly, he gave this command while dipping his fingers into the ointment.
“Pardon?”
I looked at him in surprise, and he repeated his instruction.
“Lower the collar so I can see the injury.”
“Ah… Just lower the collar, not remove it?”
When I foolishly asked, a faint smile appeared on his face.
“If you wish to remove it, you may.”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
Idiot! Why did I say anything other than just lowering the collar?
Before I could utter anything more foolish, I quickly lowered my collar to expose my neck.
His fingers, coated with ointment, touched my skin.
I feared he might suddenly strangle me, but nothing happened.
His touch was gentler than I expected, considering the hatred he harbored for me.
“Your Highness.”
“Does it hurt?”
“No, it’s not that… Your Highness, may I ask a small question?”
“Go ahead.”
“Do you save the best food for later?”
I should tell my mouth to shut up.
“Why do you ask that? Turn your head to the left.”
Why do you think I’m asking?
Because it’s odd for you, who despises me, to be applying ointment so carefully.
But I decided it was better to stay silent, so I closed my mouth.
When I stopped talking, so did he.
He simply moved his fingers cautiously along the mark on my neck.
All I could do was clench my fists and tense up, willing my body not to react.
When he finally withdrew his hand, signaling that he had finished applying the ointment, my shoulders relaxed.
The sound of the ointment jar being closed matched the relief I felt.
I pulled up my collar and looked at him.
His expression had returned to normal, devoid of anger or intensity.
When our eyes met, he handed me the ointment he’d applied.
“Apply it often. It will help the bruise fade quickly.”
I glanced at him after accepting the ointment.
I thought he would say something more to me, but instead, he was fixing his clothes as if applying the ointment had concluded everything between us.
In the blink of an eye, my disciple, who had returned to his usual perfect composure, met my eyes and smiled gently.
“Well then, I shall take my leave, Master. Please enjoy yourself.”
Should I thank him? I should, right? After all, he hasn’t shown his fangs yet, and I’m pretending I haven’t regressed, aren’t I?
How would the old me have reacted? Despite my dislike for him, I wouldn’t have ignored his help.
“Your Highness, please enjoy yourself as well.”
The sound of the door closing echoed.
It felt like a whirlwind had passed.
The moment I was alone, I felt completely drained.
I sat back in the chair and rested my head against the desk.
I had been trying to win my disciple’s favor to reduce his resentment, but somehow, everything felt backward.
It seemed like we were clashing faster than expected. Should I bring forward my escape plan?
* * *
My mind was in disarray, so I stayed in the room for a moment before stepping outside. I noticed a mirror hanging on the wall and approached it. Lowering my collar, I examined my neck and understood why my disciple had been so shocked.
That damned Seon-an.
He must have had stronger hands than I thought; a dark bruise had already formed on my neck. I clicked my tongue, raised my collar to cover the mark, and carefully kept the ointment as I stepped outside.
As I walked towards the meeting place with Seon-an, he spotted me and hurried over.
“Where did you go?”
“That’s what I want to ask you! You brought me here and disappeared!”
“I thought I saw my cousin.”
“Your cousin?”
He abandoned me here because he thought he saw his cousin? What was so wrong with looking for him together? I couldn’t understand his explanation and became more confused. Seon-an waved dismissively and said as he turned around,
“Come on. I arranged a meeting with my grandfather, and he was surprised when you weren’t there.”
“Your grandfather?”
“My maternal grandfather.”
I followed him in a daze and whispered in shock,
“A meeting with your grandfather all of a sudden? What are you talking about?”
The Yu clan is known for its dangerous and suspicious activities in the shadows.
Seon-an’s grandfather was the head of that clan. No wonder I was startled.
“You wanted a safe house, didn’t you?”
“Do we really need to meet your grandfather just to get a safe house?”
“Did you think a safe house is something you could just buy from a street vendor?”
Well… he had a point.
It made sense once I thought about it, but I never imagined I would suddenly meet the head of the Yu clan.
My steps grew heavier as anxiety took over.
Noticing my stiff, awkward gait, Seon-an clicked his tongue.
“I don’t know what I told you while drunk to make you act like this.”
“You said your grandfather is scary.”
Seon-an sighed and lightly patted my back.
“Forget about that and relax. You’re just meeting him as my friend. If you keep walking nervously, it’ll look even stranger.”
Even with his reassurance, my anxiety didn’t disappear.
Especially after the emotional turmoil of running into my disciple earlier, I couldn’t calm down.
Despite Seon-an’s efforts to soothe me, I kept glancing around anxiously, which made him shake his head and keep walking.
“Here we are.”
Seon-an stopped in front of a door draped with crimson curtains that reached the floor. He announced loudly,
“Grandfather, it’s me.”
Before we even heard permission to enter, Seon-an moved the curtain aside and gestured for me to go in.
“Can I go in?”
I mouthed, and he nodded.
There was no turning back now.
It would be weirder to leave.
Besides, I desperately needed a safe house.
No matter how intimidating the head of the Yu clan was, the most dangerous person to me was still my disciple, Hwaryeo.
‘Stay calm, Yo Yo-hwa. You’re someone who has already faced death once.’
Taking a deep breath, I stepped inside.
After a few steps, I saw a long bench against the wall, where an elderly man sat upright.
He looked to be around the same age as my grandfather.
Was this the head of the Yu clan? Although Seon-an had told me many stories about him before I regressed, seeing him in person was less frightening, especially since he resembled Seon-an.
And next to him…
‘It’s my disciple!’
It was Hwaryeo, who had applied the ointment to my neck earlier.
Again. My deep breath had been pointless. I forgot all attempts at composure and stared at him blankly.
If Seon-an hadn’t come up and tapped my back, I might have stood there with my mouth agape. But before I could embarrass myself, Seon-an spoke first.
“This is Yo Yo-hwa, Grandfather.”
Then, with a puzzled look, he glanced at Hwaryeo and asked the head of the Yu clan,
“Who is this person, Grandfather?”
I guess Hwaryeo hadn’t been there when Seon-an arranged this meeting.
That made sense, considering he’d been with me at that time.
Damn it. But still, who would have thought that the person my disciple needed to meet was Seon-an’s grandfather!
I clicked my tongue internally, only to realize my heart dropped. Wait. Hold on. I came here for a safe house, right?
Hwaryeo mustn’t find out I’m looking for one!
—
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