As they approached the main house, not only Nanny Gye’s voice could be heard, but also that of Gilsan, who was rarely at home.

“How many times do I have to tell you, Master? This place is dangerous for Miss Woo-hye!”

“Hey! Put that down right now! What the… you little…!”

It was loud. The Yeonmowon had never been so loud, like a busy marketplace.

“What’s going on?”

When Woo-hye appeared, Nanny Gye greeted her with unusual joy.

“Oh, young lady! Please stop the young master. He insists on setting up the bridal chamber here, not realising how dangerous the main house is for you!”

Now that she mentioned it, Woo-hye remembered hearing that the household had been prepared for the wedding ceremony since yesterday.

The things the Dan family had sent were pathetically shabby – hardly worthy of being called preparations. At most, they would hang a few red cloths on the day itself.

But as if he’d been forewarned, wagon after wagon had arrived in Cheong-un’s name the day before. They were all full of wedding supplies.

While Woo-hye was filled with strange emotions, someone dressed as Cheong-un approached – it was Sankyung.

‘That smell…’

A faint mixture of sweet olives and wood – it was exactly the scent she remembered from that day. It hadn’t been a mistake.

“Lady Dan.”

So it was Cheong-un’s scent after all.

Woo-hye turned towards the voice and offered a respectful greeting.

“I hope you’ve been comfortable these past few days.”

San-gyeong thought that Woo-hye, whom he hadn’t seen for a while, looked a bit exhausted. It wasn’t that she was ill – it was more like her spirit had dimmed.

“There was no discomfort. I heard you weren’t feeling well – are you all right now?”

“Forgive me for worrying you. I’m fine now.”

“That’s good to hear. If you ever need help, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Just saying that means a lot. If I ever really need help, I’ll let you know.”

It was a seemingly ordinary conversation, but it had the feel of two untamed beasts – unranked and unestablished – circling each other, cautiously keeping each other in check.

To outsiders, however, it appeared to be nothing more than a polite and shy exchange between a considerate young man and woman.

Nanny Gye had watched in silence, but finally stepped in with a visibly frustrated expression.

“Young lady, please talk to the young master. You can’t have Hyang-eum by your side all the time – living in the main house is just too dangerous.”

She wasn’t wrong. Not only the main house, but even the way to the front gate was dangerous for Woo-hye, as she had to cross a pond and a bridge.

San-gyeong asked.

“Are there no other maids?”

In fact, there were. But Gye-ri’s daughter, Choeul, was more likely to be seen parading around with trinkets sent by the Dan family – as if they were charity – than doing any real work. She had never once fulfilled her duties.

With a guilty look on her face, Gye-ri’s defended her daughter.

“She’s often sent out on errands, so she can’t always be near the young lady. As you can see, we’re desperately understaffed.”

Both San-gyeong and Woo-hye paid little attention to her excuse.

“Is there anything planned for today?”

“No.”

Woo-hye shook her head.

San-gyeong asked again.

“Are you absolutely sure that you are feeling well?”

“Yes.”

“Then that’s good. There’s something I need to discuss with you…”

Just then, Gilsan approached San-gyeong, practically ready to throw a punch.

“Hey! You’re just a live-in son-in-law, how dare you strut around our residence like you own the place – ugh!”

“Dear!”

Gilsan’s bravado didn’t last long. The hand he raised to grab San-gyeong’s collar was pulled back and Samho forced him to his knees on the floor, immobilising him.

“Aaargh! My arm! My arm! It hurts!”

Despite the pain, Gilsan continued to rage.

San-gyeong twisted the arm he was holding even further outwards.

“Aaaaagh!”

“Young master! What are you doing, really!”

As Gye’s ran over to pull his hand away, Samho stepped in to block her – already with a sword drawn from his waist.

San-gyeong gave her a cold warning.

“Don’t you dare touch me.”

San-gyeong, who was used to responding to aggression with aggression – lunging straight for the throat – unconsciously radiated a murderous aura.

Instinctively sensing a threat to his life, Gilsan trembled and stammered out a reply.

“Alright! I understand!”

“And one more thing. Lady Dan may have been generous enough to overlook your insolence so far, but I am not. If you value your life, don’t cross the line again.”

“Y-Yes! I understand, sir!”

San-gyeong turned his eyes to Nanny Gye.

“I understand.”

The pressure in his eyes left her no choice but to agree. Even if she didn’t, she had to say so if she wanted Gilsan to get out of this in one piece.

Only then did he release Gilsan’s arm, which had been twisted to the point of breaking.

Iho dropped the bundle at Gilsan’s feet and smiled lazily.

“Well then, get your things together. You know where the servants’ quarters are, right?”

Gye household, who had been using the main house as their own, were suddenly relegated to a secluded outhouse.

Woo-hye received whispered updates on everything from Hyang-eum.

‘Was Cheong-un trained in martial arts?’

And Samho also carried a sword.

She felt a twinge of confusion.

Then –

“Take my carriage.”

“Pardon? Where to?”

San-gyeong answered casually,

“You just heard, didn’t you? You need a maid.”

***

Clatter, clatter.

The inside of the carriage, driven by Samho, had been silent for a while.

Woo-hye and Hyang-eum sat facing forward, with San-gyeong beside them, as they made their way to the busy market area.

The carriage was large and extravagant – a clear reflection of Cheong-un’s tastes and spending habits.

Although Woo-hye couldn’t see what it looked like, the soft cushion beneath her was enough to guess how luxurious it must be.

She had lived her whole life so frugally that it bordered on poverty…

Having lived a life that was not only frugal, but bordering on destitute, Woo-hye felt a little uncomfortable in this situation. She was so used to austerity that it felt uncomfortable, like wearing clothes that didn’t fit.

And yet, strangely, her heart was a little excited.

“If we have more hands, it’ll be easier for Hyang-eum.”

But there was a problem.

“Young Master, hiring more people is fine, but… we don’t have the money to pay them.”

“I’ll pay their wages.”

Although she had brought it up expecting this answer, his reply came so easily that it took her by surprise.

‘I hear he’s lost much of his fortune – perhaps he’s richer than I thought?’

Or perhaps, judging by his reputation as a womaniser, he was trying to hire a whole staff of maids instead of concubines.

‘That’s… not impossible.’

“I feel guilty about overburdening you. I’m not even sure if your stepmother would approve.”

“If she has any complaints, she can come to Doha herself.”

Woo-hye couldn’t help but laugh at his blatant disregard for Seol Mi-hee.

‘If he acts like this, I really think he might be the villain everyone says he is.’

The carriage stopped and San-gyeong got out first.

Woo-hye, assisted by Hyang-eum, began to disembark cautiously.

A single misstep could cause her to fall to the ground and be seriously injured. When she was new to getting in and out of carriages without her eyesight, such accidents weren’t uncommon.

“Wait.”

As Hyang-eum guided her cane to help her find the step, San-gyeong gently tapped the front of Woo-hye’s shoe.

“If you don’t mind, I think it would be safer if I carried you down. May I?”

Normally, anyone who would say such a thing to Woo-hye had unsavory intentions.

While Hyang-eum immediately bristled and glared like a wildcat on alert, Woo-hye readily gave her consent.

“Please do.”

Though she was used to it by now, getting in and out of carriages was never exactly comfortable. Since San-gyeong offered to help, she saw no reason to refuse.

“Excuse me then.”

San-gyeong stepped onto the step of the carriage and quickly approached her. There was no need for a dramatic gesture with both arms.

Just like lifting a child, he simply picked her up with one arm and gently set her down on the floor. His movements were smooth, without any trembling.

‘I know I’m on the lighter side, but still… how strong is he…?’

The brief moment in his arms had been surprisingly warm and firm. She had never experienced anything like it.

‘So this is… how a man feels?’

San-gyeong was equally surprised.

“Even if she is a woman, she’s much too light.”

But he didn’t let his surprise show on his face – that would have been rude.

Still, it lingered in his mind.

He suspected that Woo-hye’s impoverished lifestyle was a trick to deceive Seol Mi-hee.

For someone supposedly destitute, both Woo-hye and Hyang-eum had clean, well-kept fingernails and smooth skin. This suggested that their diet wasn’t seriously deficient.

Although Gye family were known to be extremely stingy with their finances, Woo-hye’s shoes – although obviously cheap – did not look worn or old.

These were details that only someone with a keen eye for such things would notice.

Still, it was clear that they were barely scraping by – living just above the worst.

‘Pungwoo hasn’t stepped up even though his mistress is obviously struggling. Is he the type to make a woman suffer for his own advancement?’

He had enough influence to protect her from Seol Mi-hee’s harassment.

Yet he chose to stay on the sidelines, probably to keep his growing intelligence network under wraps. Truly selfish.

San-gyeong came to the conclusion that Pungwoo was not suitable as a life partner.

‘If Joo-hyuk were still alive, he would never have let a man like Pungwoo get away with neglecting his beloved sister.’

Seeing Woo-hye shivering slightly in the cold wind, San-gyeong took off his outer coat and draped it over her shoulders.

Startled, Woo-hye instinctively grabbed the fabric and pulled it tightly around her. It was soft and luxuriously supple.

She was still stunned by the unexpected act of kindness when San-gyeong spoke again, in a tone that sounded almost apologetic.

“I must have rushed you. I didn’t give you time to get your coat.”

That wasn’t true. In fact, he had told her to get ready and bring everything she needed while the carriage was being prepared. Woo-hye had even worn a coat.

It just wasn’t very warm, and Woo-hye was particularly sensitive to the cold.

“Thank you, sir.”

Woo-hye didn’t refuse the coat he lent her. The extra layer did indeed make her feel warmer.

But his unexpected kindness didn’t end there.

“Wouldn’t it be better if you held my arm instead of relying on your maid?”

Technically, he wasn’t wrong.

Although Hyang-eum was slightly taller than Woo-hye, she was still a woman – and not someone who could compete with San-gyeong’s taller, sturdier frame.

“How nice of him. Though I’m not sure if he really means it.”

“Mmm, yeah… that sounds better.”

Woo-hye held out her hand in agreement, and San-gyeong gently guided it to rest on his arm.

“Let’s go.”

He matched his pace, walking slowly.

As a result, even as they crossed the busy streets, Woo-hye felt more at ease than usual.

‘Is this what it feels like to have a husband?The wedding hadn’t happened yet, of course – but still.’

‘It’s… not bad.’

Woo-hye found herself smiling without realising it, then quickly wiped the expression from her face, as if to remind herself that she wasn’t ready to let her guard down just yet.