Chapter 25…
This can’t be happening.
Hong-ah stared blankly at his clean, composed face, unable to think about holding his hand or even standing up. Somehow, seeing the boy looking so shy only made her thoughts more chaotic.
“Wh-why are you—?”
Her words didn’t even make it properly through her mind. At her incoherent question, Han-gyeom answered calmly.
“I thought you would come out.”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
Though he had grown a lot since she had seen him two years ago in that library, he was still too young to be considered a man. Yet strangely, he seemed like a completely different person. His quirks remained, but now he was even more unpredictable.
Hong-ah stared at his face for a moment, then placed her hands on the ground and braced her legs to stand up. Han-gyeom flinched, as if wanting to help her, but Hong-ah deliberately ignored his hand.
Honestly, she felt deeply uneasy. She had thought the fleeting time they shared was over. That was why she had confessed her inner thoughts.
‘I told him honestly that I didn’t know who he was and hid because I felt frustrated.’
Since she was the crown prince’s daughter and Han-gyeom the son of the Ban family, she had never expected to meet him again.
If she had thought she would ever see him again, no matter how young he was, she would never have been so reckless.
What may have been an ordinary statement to him had felt to Hong-ah like exposing her heart entirely.
Even though she couldn’t hide her embarrassment, she didn’t want him to see how confused she felt. She forced herself to speak calmly.
“Where do you think I’m going?”
“To the house of Jungchu-won scholar Han-hwak, I presume.”
A bright smile bloomed on his face, resembling a simple, innocent countryside puppy. It was the expression of someone proud to have read her thoughts, playfully teasing.
“How can you be so sure?”
“After seeing that you wouldn’t give up even though there were no sons suitable for marriage, it seemed to me that you were more interested in the scholar Han-hwak.”
“Even Uncle Ik-hyeon or Uncle Suchun would have known that much.”
Despite her cold reply, Han-gyeom remained steadfast.
“I heard that Grand Prince Anpyeong studied under Ja. It is widely known in Hanyang that the prince spends nearly every day inviting scholars and artists for discussions. Such gatherings usually take place in the evening.”
“…”
“Then the remaining time would be in the morning and afternoon. It would be unusual for him to hold onto an unmarried niece for long in the afternoon when unknown men could suddenly appear, wouldn’t it?”
“Ha.”
A hollow laugh escaped Hong-ah’s lips.
“Then it would be the morning, but after the curfew ends at dawn, the royals usually come to pay respects, so that time is also unlikely.”
Han-gyeom continued unfazed.
“Then a slightly later morning. Since Grand Prince Anpyeong would not begrudge giving a meal to Ja, who is also his student, I thought he would only return home after noon. That leaves only the mid-afternoon (Misi, 未時) as the time to sneak out from the palace maids unnoticed.”
Wait, am I a detective now?
Hong-ah felt both astonished and pierced to the core.
Since waking up here as “Lee Hong-ah,” no one had ever read her mind like this. There were clever people around, yes, but not a single one who understood her as if they had stepped inside her thoughts.
It was absurd, but strangely fascinating. She felt a peculiar kinship with the only person in her seven-year life who seemed to understand her.
She could have ignored him, but as when she first saw him, she could not keep her mouth shut. Rationally, she did not want to, yet her heart was unusually honest in front of Han-gyeom.
“So, what do you intend to do?”
“I will guide you.”
The boy said it cheerfully, in a light tone as if exchanging greetings.
“You won’t tell anyone I escaped once we get inside, right?”
“I did not come here to do such a thing.”
Han-gyeom spoke firmly.
“I know Han-hwak’s house. I only decided to accompany you because I assumed you would go there.”
“You speak as if you know me well.”
Hong-ah was not a child, but neither was Han-gyeom. The soft child she had seen in the library was gone, replaced by a resolute young boy.
“You must have found the general location, right? But could you have reached it alone in such a short time?”
“How do you know I found the address?”
“I assumed you wouldn’t act without preparation, no matter how urgent it was.”
What is this person?
As Hong-ah hesitated, Han-gyeom quickly added:
“There is a connection between the Jungchu-won scholar and my family. Please allow me to accompany you.”
“Connection? What kind of connection?”
Hong-ah did not know Han-gyeom’s family well. As far as she knew, no member of his family had participated in the Gyeyujeongnan rebellion or assisted Grand Prince Suyang’s usurpation. For now, that meant they were not enemies.
But that did not guarantee they were allies. Her instinct was to stay cautious.
“The household steward of that family is the cousin-in-law of my sixth cousin, Chan-mo, who works in our house.”
“Hmm?”
So, this isn’t a stranger.
Hong-ah looked at Han-gyeom in disbelief. Yet he smiled without losing his composure.
“Doesn’t that make me seem more connected to that house?”
“…We don’t have much time, so I’ll trust you. Lead the way.”
She had not fully trusted him, but they could not afford to waste more time. It would not be strange for anyone to appear along the servants’ path. Han-gyeom nodded cheerfully and reached out ahead.
“Shall we go?”
Hong-ah followed him quickly, prioritizing getting out of the estate.
Though her face was not widely known, many royals lived in this area. Half the men crushed by Hanyang’s streets were royals, after all.
Someone might recognize her. Hong-ah kept her head down and followed him.
The fortunate thing was that Han-gyeom chose paths with fewer people. Hong-ah advanced cautiously, watching her surroundings.
‘We might not gain anything at Han-hwak’s house.’
They couldn’t storm his house and demand a matchmaking meeting outright. For now, they could only observe.
Even so, she had come out with the intention of doing something. Even a small piece of information would count as a success.
“Miss.”
Passing pedestrians crowded the alley briefly. Hong-ah bowed her head, and Han-gyeom extended his arm to shield her. Peeking slightly to observe, he suddenly spoke.
“Yes?”
Hong-ah, thinking he was signaling to move, raised her head, but seeing the crowd, she lowered it again. Han-gyeom slowly turned to her, serious.
“Could you lower your posture, please?”
“Huh?”
Was this the right conversation to have while hiding in an alley? Hong-ah’s expression twisted instantly.
“You are just the son of the Ban family who has not yet taken office. Please treat me with courtesy.”
She had no leisure to entertain his protest. Hong-ah replied coldly:
“How could I ever look down on a scholar who will one day gain rank? Moreover, you are neither family nor close, so there is no reason to lower my tone.”
What’s this?
Hong-ah’s words left him visibly embarrassed. Normally composed, he suddenly seemed depressed.
His large eyes drooped like a dog scolded by its master.
Seeing him like this, Hong-ah felt a strange guilt rising deep within her.
‘Why? Why do I feel this way?’
Even though there was no reason to apologize, just one moment of deflating this boy’s cheerfulness made her feel awkward.
As they resumed moving, Han-gyeom kept a sullen expression and did not speak a word to her. If it had been uncles, they would have scolded him for acting immaturely in front of a young niece.
One must guard against actions that affect others according to one’s own feelings. Hong-ah would never forget the day when a single outburst had hurt her mother and killed her brother.
“…I lower my posture because it makes me comfortable.”
Still, a faintly apologetic tone slipped from Hong-ah.
It was strange. Standing before this boy, she became strangely honest. Though her mind was confused, she did not want to hurt him.
Perhaps it was because she still vividly remembered Han-gyeom’s bright smile.
“Then, Miss, please do as you feel comfortable.”
He regained his cheerful smile quickly. Hong-ah felt a sudden headache.
Before long, the two children arrived at scholar Han-hwak’s house in Sunhwa-bang. As Nani had said, it was not far, but as Han-gyeom noted, it would have been hard for Hong-ah to find the way alone.
Without him, she might have wasted her trip. Yet she was reluctant to say thank you—not merely out of spite.
Leaning against the wall of Han-hwak’s house would change nothing. All Hong-ah could do was peek at the people coming and going.
Han-gyeom watched her subtly, feeling the reward of sharing the moment.
“May I ask why you are so concerned about the scholar?”
While passing time idly, Han-gyeom spoke first. Hong-ah glanced at him briefly, then raised her head firmly.
“Didn’t you hear what happened that day?”
Hong-ah realized now that she had to be especially cautious with this boy.
