Chapter 10
“Serve more rice. What is this for a strapping man? It’s not even a little bowl of soy sauce.”
He suddenly demanded more rice, then left half of it untouched.
“Is this bird feed? You say it’ll give me strength, but why serve food so miserly?”
He would criticize the portions after barely touching the dishes.
“And why is there only this much chili?”
“Huh?”
“The pepper. You said you like spicy food. Don’t you even know what chili is? Ugh, I won’t eat it.”
For no clear reason, he would reject food.
“Why is the egg garnish only this much? Bring more—heaps of it.”
He ordered enough thinly sliced egg from the dumpling soup to fill a rice bowl, using up all the expensive eggs.
The picky complaints about where spoons and bowls were placed had now moved on to food, muttered the assistant, but…
“…….”
For some reason, it felt like that wasn’t the whole story.
As Dancho chewed the food left behind by the master, she sometimes felt a gaze from behind. When she turned, he would raise his chin arrogantly as if nothing had happened, putting down his spoon and declaring it tasteless—but sometimes, the corners of his mouth would curve slightly.
Tasteless, he said. And then… he smiled.
“…….”
“…….”
Gasp. Did he sprinkle something strange on the rice? Some leftover ash or something? Is he trying to prank me?
He wouldn’t smile like that otherwise!
“But why not make plenty and eat together?”
Suddenly, Buni, who had stuck all the head ornaments from the shop into her hair, looked over carefully, her head heavy with the weight. Dancho cut off her thoughts and fixed her gaze sharply, as if she had been listening all along.
“He’s from a wealthy family. What’s a little food you eat going to matter?”
“How can you say that?”
“You’ll barely eat much. His elders wouldn’t care.”
“I get paid separately for my work.”
Dancho removed the ornaments from Buni’s head, letting her walk with a lighter step, linking arms with her.
“You silly girl. How will you survive in this harsh world being so naive?”
Dancho simply laughed. From her perspective, no one was as pure and innocent as Buni. It was natural to laugh when Buni worried about her.
“Alright. Next time, I’ll make so much we could hold a whole village feast.”
“Yeah, let’s totally ruin that stingy master’s house!”
Just from a silly joke, the two burst into laughter. Then the troupe of clowns began playing, beating gongs to gather people.
Buni tried hopping on her tiptoes, but Dancho firmly turned her direction.
“No. First, let’s finish the shopping.”
There was a lot to buy today. To purchase according to the money they had, they couldn’t leisurely browse.
Dancho strictly followed her principle of never wasting the money she received for serving the master. This time, the physician had generously given money for living expenses, but it was all meant for the master anyway.
She was told to make sure he ate well. That’s how he would regain strength.
After being cooped up in the mountains instead of freely traveling across the provinces, he must be frustrated. To keep him from wandering in thought, he had to eat well.
Dancho agreed. Well, up until now, she hadn’t been able to season his food properly due to the antidote.
“But why are you saving so much money? Even though you’ll get a hundred nyang for this task, why be so frugal?”
“Uh… in case my younger sibling comes, there might be a lot to spend on…”
Buni, looking sympathetic, glanced at the troupe, letting Dancho’s vague answer slide once again.
She shared everything with Buni, but talking about money was difficult. Especially since that day, she couldn’t answer without feeling uneasy.
When Buni joyfully celebrated finding her sibling, Dancho still couldn’t bring herself to explain.
If Buni asked why it would cost a hundred nyang to fetch the sibling, it would just add another secret to keep.
“Just… I’ll treat them well when they arrive.”
Grateful that Buni believed such a flimsy excuse, Dancho gave her a piece of candy while shopping. Sucking on the candy, Buni leaned her shoulder against Dancho.
“So, is the master sitting up now?”
“Huh?”
“Lying down already? I wondered if his rear was still sore.”
Come to think of it… he could now sit properly, and the bruising seemed to have faded.
“Want me to turn him over?”
“Is the master a pancake?”
Dancho laughed, clutching her stomach. Being at the market after so long, there was so much to see and buy that her eyes and hands were constantly busy.
⋆★⋆
“Why has the price gone up so much?”
She asked while inspecting the soft persimmons. The seller recognized Dancho and brought out the finest ones, set aside specially for her request earlier.
“Lately, all persimmons are going to the palace. They’ve become very rare.”
“Why? Is there a persimmon ghost?”
They did process persimmons at home, but those couldn’t be top-grade. Dancho had come to buy them for the master, but the price had risen drastically.
“It’s because of the Crown Prince.”
“The Crown Prince?”
“Dancho, don’t you know? He’s seriously ill. His illness is peculiar, and he only wants sweet things.”
The seller lowered his voice further, glancing around before continuing.
“They say the capital is in chaos right now.”
“Chaos? Why?”
“Since it seems the Crown Prince might die soon, the nobles are fighting over the next heir. They bite, fight, and mob daily. Total chaos.”
“That’s nonsense. If something happens to the Crown Prince, the next heir will be Lord Yeonhwa anyway.”
Buni, cutting the samples for the customers, interrupted with a scoff. The seller hurriedly pulled the tray away from her hands.
“Frankly, Lord Yeonhwa is much better than the Crown Prince. Smart, skilled in combat, and handsome.”
Buni smiled broadly as if she’d met Lord Yeonhwa himself. The seller was horrified.
“Hey! Who would say that aloud? Comparing him to the Crown Prince? You’ll get arrested!”
“Everyone in the provinces knows this. Arrest me, why don’t you?”
The seller, unsatisfied with just whispering, beckoned them closer. With heads nearly touching, he whispered:
“In fact… Lord Yeonhwa has gone missing.”
“What?!”
The three heads swiveled, eyes locking. Even Dancho, usually uninterested in others’ affairs, was shocked. Following the seller’s gestures, their foreheads almost touched.
“Someone attacked Lord Yeonhwa, and ever since, no one knows if he’s alive or dead. Everyone’s searching, but there’s been no news for days.”
“Good heavens.”
Buni covered her mouth. Dancho held her breath in disbelief.
Who could dare attack Lord Yeonhwa? He was the king’s son, revered by all. Attempting to harm him was as grave as treason itself. The safety of the royal family equaled the safety of the country…
“My word!”
Dancho, uncharacteristically, let out a loud sigh.
“Right? Surprised, aren’t you? You’d be even more shocked hearing the price of persimmons, but I specially…”
“I’ll come back!”
Dancho dashed off so suddenly that the paper covering the persimmons fluttered. Buni and the seller’s eyes met briefly before following Dancho’s rapid departure.
“Why so sudden?”
“I have to prepare the master’s dinner. It’s late!”
So, her gasp earlier wasn’t for the kingdom’s sake, but because she worried about not setting the table in time?
Buni relaxed her gaze. Right, when did Hong Dancho ever worry about other people?
Meeting Buni’s eyes, the seller immediately removed the tray of cut persimmons. Buni pouted in mock indignation.
“Hmph. Anyway, we ate everything but the stems, didn’t we?”
⋆★⋆
Back at the quarters, Dancho’s hands were busy. Spending more time at the market than expected had left tasks pending.
For a healthy person, a slightly delayed meal would be fine, but the master was a patient. Meals and medicine had to be on time for full effect.
“He can’t even pour himself a bowl of water properly if I’m not here.”
Dancho hurriedly carried washed rice and prepped vegetables, noticing the master sitting on the floor.
He had positioned a cushion beneath him as instructed and leaned against the wall, lazily staring at the sky. One leg stretched, the other bent with an arm resting atop, he looked utterly carefree.
Despite obeying instructions to use the cushion, he could act like this sometimes, yet at other times claim life was impossibly hard.
“Master, what are you doing?”
“Thinking.”
“…You do that too?”
Now, such cheeky questions no longer bothered him, and Yeonwon scoffed lightly.
“The world is stifling, so I’ve taken to it against my will.”
Dancho perked up, watching him quietly. Her gaze sparkled—perhaps his answer sounded worrisome.
“…Ahem.”
Yeonwon cleared his throat unnecessarily, shifting slightly to avoid her eyes.
From some point on, when Dancho stared intently, his face would flush and his neck tingle—a reaction that had begun ever since he remembered the black horse’s clear gaze.
