“Did that girl behave like a cold fish in bed last night as well?”

…What did I just hear? “Last night as well”?

I froze at the insult, too stunned to speak, and Baek Seungjo did not so much as furrow his brow. He let out a quiet laugh and answered with perfect composure.

“One night could hardly be enough to change that.”

This meant Baek Seungjo had complained to Park Wonchul that I behaved like a cold fish in bed. It was a wedding night that had never even taken place, yet to have two men passing crude judgments on me like this made me feel stripped bare and left standing in the middle of a marketplace.

I tried to act as though it did not touch me, but the heat that rushed to my face was beyond my power to stop. Park Wonchul seemed to find my state all the more appetizing, and he twisted his mouth into a slimy smile.

“Tsk tsk, that girl does not know her place. She seems to think she is still a daughter of a noble house. Insufferably presumptuous.”

The color drained from my face at those words. Could Park Wonchul be on the verge of revealing to Baek Seungjo that I truly had once been a daughter of a noble house, that I was none other than his former betrothed?

Park Wonchul seemed to relish the sight of me going pale and trembling, then offered his cruel advice.

“You ought to beat some sense into her.”

“I intend to.”

“If she truly bores you, I can swap her out for a more obedient one. Just say the word.”

“For now, there is still some pleasure in breaking in something stiff. But I will let you know when I tire of it.”

What a relief that my identity had not come to light. That had taken ten years off my life. Even so, my spirits had sunk to the level of a fallen leaf trampled into the mud.

Fortunately, the attention of both men drifted naturally away from my diminished self and turned to the wild ginseng.

“Ginseng? That I cannot give. How could I use tribute goods for private purposes?”

“Come now, surely there is a separate allotment set aside for this provincial office’s own use, beyond what goes to the court.”

“The harvest has been poor these past few years and what we received was woefully short. There is nothing left.”

“My, my. Governor, is that not a little too stingy between the two of us? Or perhaps you are holding back on purpose because you would hate to see me recover my strength and leave too soon?”

Park Wonchul’s twitching brow said otherwise, but Baek Seungjo pressed on with shameless ease.

“I had no idea you were so eager to keep me close. I will come and call on you every single day from now on, so please do not feel too hard done by.”

Having apparently had his fill of needling, he stepped aside and cleared the way.

“Now then, you must be busy with official matters. Please, do not let us keep you.”

Before Park Wonchul moved on with his clerks, those covetous eyes of his fixed on me with a look that could have devoured me whole.

He had heaped humiliation on me, but he had not demanded I be handed over on the spot. I pressed a hand to my startled chest to calm myself, and Deoksoe resumed his role as guide, pointing out the buildings on either side of the path.

“On this side is Beomnyeondang, where the military aides work…”

But Baek Seungjo already looked as though he had lost interest, and before long he waved a hand at Deoksoe to stop.

“The inner grounds are terribly dull. Nothing but buildings for government work. It reminds me of the palace and makes my head ache. I would rather go look around the market.”

“Ah, yes… of course, my lord. Please enjoy your outing.”

Deoksoe’s duty ended at the provincial office grounds. Surveillance outside was someone else’s business.

Once the gentleman and his party rounded the corner of the wall and disappeared entirely from view, Deoksoe snapped his bent back upright and sprinted back the way he had come. He had to report everything he had seen and heard without leaving out a single word, before it slipped his mind.

As luck would have it, the governor had not gone far. He noticed Deoksoe falling into step behind him and stopped, then waved the surrounding clerks away with a gesture.

“Well then. Speak.”

Deoksoe reported between gasping breaths.

“He, he goes wild for sightseeing and medicinal herbs, but called the government buildings dull and would not spare them a glance.”

“Is that so?”

The tension in Park Wonchul’s face eased slightly. That meant Baek Seungjo had not come to dig into his affairs, at least. He had broken into a needless sweat over the ginseng business.

“And today as well, he met not a single soul inside this provincial office, whether in secret or openly.”

“Hmm…”

This was too soon to feel at ease.

“Baek Seungjo must surely have someone inside this provincial office feeding him information… He may simply not have found the right moment yet. Keep watching him.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“And Nagyeong, that girl. How did she conduct herself?”

When he had tossed out the words “daughter of a noble house” a short while ago, she had gone white as a sheet. That made it plain enough that no tender reunion had passed between them.

And she had not revealed her identity of her own accord.

Why? Without clinging to his sleeve and begging him to save her.

She must have decided she would sooner die than let the man who abandoned her and lived in splendor see how far she had fallen. Even now, lowborn as she was, she could not shed her yangban pride, and so she had chosen to act as though she and Baek Seungjo were strangers. A truly hardened woman.

“Oh, do not even get me started. The courtesan has not a shred of warmth toward a man, and when he tries to take her hand she makes the most dreadful fuss.”

Just as I thought. Park Wonchul clicked his tongue.

“And Baek Seungjo just sat there while she acted so insolently?”

Han Seollyeon had always been that way in front of men. The question was what lay in Baek Seungjo’s mind. He needed to know whether Baek Seungjo knew Nagyeong’s true identity, and if he did, whether he was playing ignorant.

“He did reproach her for it, said she acted more like a chaste widow than a courtesan.”

“Hmm, consistent enough…”

Park Wonchul narrowed his eyes and twisted his beard.

Just a short while ago, in front of the medicinal storehouse, when he had humiliated the man’s woman, Baek Seungjo had not shown a flicker of anger. He had played right along. If he knew who Nagyeong was, he could not have reacted that way.

But it was still too soon to feel at ease.

“Keep watching him.”

Once they rounded the corner and passed entirely out of Deoksoe’s sight, Seungjo snapped his fan open. He held it over his mouth and called quietly to Taegang.

“That one does not follow us outside.”

“But others will certainly tail us.”

“Keep watching to see who picks up the trail.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Taegang laughed and whispered low, keeping up the appearance of idle conversation with his master.

“By the way, when we left the detached quarters, three others latched on besides Deoksoe.”

“Is that so.”

“One of them disappeared midway, and then Park Wonchul turned up.”

“So that one serves as the messenger. And the remaining two?”

“Still following behind us.”

“You have memorized all their faces?”

“Of course.”

Seungjo gave a satisfied nod.

All this wandering about is paying off.

They believed they were watching him, but in truth they had walked straight into Seungjo’s trap and were doing nothing but revealing their numbers and identities.

At the same time, this carefree, leisurely manner was a deliberate act to lull Park Wonchul into complacency. Seungjo turned his head slightly and let his gaze drift to the woman walking behind him.

That girl, knowing nothing of any of this, had matched his moves perfectly without any coordination between them, which had made things considerably easier…

Her expression was hidden beneath the jeonmo she had pulled low over her face. Seungjo could not keep his attention from pulling toward her.

“It is crowded.”

Standing at the entrance to the market, Baek Seungjo looked out over the street packed with people and extended his hand to me once more.

“I cannot have you getting swept away and lost in this. Take my hand.”

This time I did not dig in my heels. I placed my hand in his without resistance. He had clearly not expected the woman who always made such a fuss to take his hand without a fight, for he paused and looked down at me with puzzled eyes.

While I was at it, I tried the coy smile I had been holding back from earlier. I had put in what effort I could, but perhaps it had come out hopelessly clumsy.

“…You do not have to take it if you do not want to. Walk between me and Taegang.”

Baek Seungjo let my hand slip free.

“No.”

But this time it was I who cast aside the costly pride of a noble daughter and quickly took hold of his hand. For some reason, Baek Seungjo looked at my hand and then my face with sorrowful eyes.

“Why do you give me your hand so readily now?”

“Am I not a courtesan?”

At my resigned admission, his expression darkened further. I had expected him to take it as mockery and scold me for it.

“My words from earlier hurt you.”

No. I was not affected in the least.

I wanted to deny it, but I could not open my mouth. I knew that if I did, a wretched, cracked voice would come out. In the end, my silence was as good as a confession.