Just then, Iho asked in a subtly probing tone,

“Are you going out, my lady?”

“Yes. I want to stop by the apothecary – I don’t want to get sick during the wedding.”

Woo-hye expected Iho to say he would accompany her.

“Mok’s clinic, right? Perfect timing! My master’s shop is nearby.”

Just as she had suspected, Iho had approached her with a purpose. But he had no intention of escorting her.

His real goal was to create an opportunity for Woo-hye and San-gyeong to spend some time together.

“I’m sorry to make such a request, but… would you mind having dinner with my master before you return home? I’m sure he skipped lunch and is still working hard.

The shop San-gyeong had opened was more of a front to establish a presence in Doha.

But doing nothing would have aroused suspicion, so he had to at least keep up the pretence of running a business.

Iho knew that San-gyeong and his other subordinates would be busy brewing liquor by now.

“Please, I really hope you’ll consider it, my lady.”

Remembering how Iho had once bought her dumplings, Woo-hye nodded without hesitation.

“It’s not a difficult favour. I’ll do it.”

“Oh, my lady is so kind! Ah-whoops, I forgot I should still call you ‘young lady’. I got a bit carried away. Come, I’ll show you to the carriage, my lady!”

Hyang-eum muttered under her breath,

“Phew, he’s a handful…”

Still, the fact that he was clearly warm and respectful towards Woo-hye was something she appreciated.

The three of them soon reached the carriage.

As Woo-hye carefully stepped onto the platform, Iho watched and offered,

“If you don’t mind, may I carry you up?”

“If you would, I would really appreciate it…”

When she agreed, Iho lifted her lightly and helped her into the carriage.

“Mind your head, please. Yes, that’s how much you have to bend.”

‘Between Cheong-un and Iho, how are they both so strong?’

Samho carried a sword, so he was clearly a warrior – and there was also this unnamed bodyguard whose true identity she had yet to discover.

Casually, Woo-hye asked:

“Iho, have you been trained in martial arts? You’re surprisingly strong.”

Iho grinned and leaned over to whisper to Woo-hye,

“Yes. But it’s a secret.”

Then he happily jumped down from the carriage.

“Have a safe journey, my lady!”

Woo-hye shook her head and let out a small laugh.

‘I walked right into it.’

She had tried to read him, but had only added to the mystery.

Every new person who came into her life lately proved to be anything but easy.

***

After getting off near the apothecary, Woo-hye was drawn in by the delicious aroma that tickled her nose.

In the past, she would have ignored such smells – but perhaps because her meal with San-gyeong had left a strong impression, she now found herself interested in food.

‘I wonder if Uncle Mok has eaten yet.’

Mokcheon, like Woo-hye, had little interest in food. For him, eating was just another part of the training.

Woo-hye and Hyang-eum went to a street vendor and ordered four portions of fried meat. It was a dish of pork, spring greens and spices, freshly cooked on the spot.

That’s when they heard a loud, boisterous voice nearby.

“Hey! You can’t do that!”

“Come on, Master Seok! That’s too much!”

“Wahahaha!”

The men’s boisterous voices echoed nearby.

With a scowl, Hyang-eum leaned forward and whispered,

“It’s Seok Cheol-won, my lady.”

Woo-hye had already guessed from the noise.

They were a notorious group known for causing trouble in Doha – and unfortunately their leader was none other than Seok Cheol-won, the son of Seok Yung, a powerful noble whom even the county magistrate couldn’t touch.

The Seok family was also related to the Seol family through marriage. Since Woo-hye came to Doha, Seol Mi-hee had appointed them as her guards.

“Please go to the pharmacy first. I’ll bring the food later.

“No, it’s all right. It would be more dangerous if you were the only one.”

Seok Cheol-won was one of the men who had long harboured feelings for Woo-hye.

Since childhood, he had cruelly and mercilessly tormented both Woo-hye and Hyang-eum. As he grew older, his methods became more vicious and brutal.

To make matters worse, the Seok family commanded a band of thieves who acted as their private army. These outlaws protected those in power connected to the Seok household.

Simply put, even if Woo-hye offered them a large sum of money, she wouldn’t be able to ask for anything that involved the Seok family.

‘If I push myself, I might be able to deal with Seok Cheol-won, but if he investigates and discovers the existence of Pungwoo Pavilion, it’ll be dangerous.’

There wasn’t much Woo-hye could do to ensure her own safety. Seok Cheol-won had basically taught her first hand why people chase after power, no matter how much money they have.

In this sense, she could even understand the path the head of the Taesang merchant guild had chosen.

For this reason, the best way to deal with Seok Cheol-won was to avoid him altogether – but unfortunately, luck wasn’t on her side today.

“Here’s your food.”

Woo-hye quickly paid and walked towards the pharmacist.

The crowd of nobles walking shoulder to shoulder down the street spotted her and began to whisper and giggle to each other.

The tallest and broadest of them all – the one with the fiercest gaze – was Seok Cheol-won.

At first he looked surprised to see Woo-hye, but then a twisted smile spread across his face as he looked her up and down.

Hyang-eum, watching him, had to resist the urge to gouge out those lecherous eyes – but she knew better than to go head-to-head with a brute like Seok Cheol-won.

There were even people who were beaten so badly by him that they ended up crippled.

He was so notorious that people said, “If Cheong-un rules Akyang, Seok Cheol-won rules Doha. That’s how infamous he was.

Fortunately, Seok Cheol-won never set foot near Mokcheon Hospital, so although he stared brazenly at Woo-hye, he didn’t actually try to hurt her.

Inside, Wang – the clinic’s assistant – greeted her warmly.

“You visit us again today, Lady Dan. I even heard about your upcoming wedding. Congratulations! I’m so happy for you, as if it was happening to one of my own.”

Woo-hye smiled shyly, like a new bride.

“Thank you. Oh, and I picked up some fried meat nearby. Please have some.”

“Oh dear, thank you. I’ll eat it well. Oh, and the doctor is in the storeroom again today. I’m sorry for always taking such an important guest there instead of to the clinic on the second floor.”

Woo-hye shook her head.

“I like it there too. I used to play there as a child.”

Wang smiled fondly, his expression softening as he remembered the younger Woo-hye.

“I remember. The doctor also taught you a lot about medicinal herbs. Do you remember any of it?”

“No. Of course I have forgotten everything. Don’t tell Uncle, OK? If he finds out, he’ll make me hold all sorts of twigs in my mouth for hours again.”

“Oh dear, I didn’t hear anything. Please go in.”

They ended their cheerful conversation with a light laugh.

As Woo-hye entered the storeroom, filled with the familiar scent of medicinal herbs, a sudden wave of nostalgia washed over her.

This was where she had spent the darkest period of her life.

Back then, Mokcheon had tried everything to help her regain even a little bit of her sight – making her drink bitter medicine every day and covering her body with acupuncture needles.

Every day was gruelling and unbearable.

Strange exercises, strange studies, strange medicines…

She hated it all so much that once she even made a mess of the storeroom.

“What is the point of all this? It’s not like I can poison Seol Mi-hee myself – why do I have to learn this stuff?”

But Mokcheon never got angry.

In fact, he was relieved to see Woo-hye, who had lived on anger and hatred, crying for the first time and throwing a tantrum like a child.

‘That must have been when this place started to feel like a playroom.’

Woo-hye learned many new things here. She also failed countless times.

Her favourite subject was the study of tea leaves.

Mokcheon had taught her about the leaves used in medicine, and from there her interest in tea culture had blossomed.

“Uncle Mok, I’m here.”

Mokcheon stopped for a moment when he saw Woo-hye, who had visibly brightened up over the past few days.

Even for someone like him, who had little interest in external affairs, it was impossible not to have heard the latest rumours about Woo-hye’s lavish dowry.

“So? How do I look?”

Woo-hye turned slightly, proud of her appearance.

“It’s dangerous, my lady.”

Hyang-eum said, moving quickly to shield her – though she couldn’t quite hide the proud smile on her face.

“Have a seat.”

As usual, Mokcheon offered no compliments, and Woo-hye couldn’t help but pout a little at the thought of how consistent he was.

After checking her pulse and examining her eyes, he spoke.

“Your vision should soon return to the point where you can distinguish light and the colour red. This is the best condition your body has been in for a long time.”

“Really?”

That was really good news to hear.

“Yes. But from now on you need to eat better and keep warmer.”

“Got it. Oh, and Uncle Mok, please have some fried meat. It smelled so good, I bought some for you.”

“I’ll eat later. We have to start the acupuncture. Please lie down.”

Although she had bought a generous portion of fried meat to share with Mokcheon, the treatment came first, so she lay down on the treatment bed.

Just as the acupuncture began, the door to the secret passage creaked open and Gayu appeared.

“My lady! Are you all right? You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”

Gayu called in a whisper, worried and nervous – but still keeping his voice low so it wouldn’t be heard outside.

In truth, the storeroom had been designed to be soundproof against eavesdropping, so his caution was a bit excessive.

“I’m fine. Apart from the lingering side effects of the poison needle.”

“That hurts!”

Gayu had desperately wanted to see her, but he couldn’t go to Yeonmowon – so he had suffered in silence all this time.

Now he was finally reunited with Woo-hye at the pharmacy.

He knelt beside her while she was being treated and held her hand.

Hyang-eum, unable to stand it any longer, joked,

“You look like a grandson sitting next to his sick grandmother, Gayu.”

Gayu didn’t deny it.

“Well, even though she’s younger than me, the lady is like a grandmotherly spiritual guide to me.”

Woo-hye made a face.

“Hmm… That’s not exactly a compliment.”

At that moment, Mokcheon, who had to put needles in her other hand, spoke up.

“Move your hand.”

“Ah-hello, Doctor Mok. I should have greeted you first, but I was so worried about my lady that I forgot…”

“It’s all right. Just move your hand.”

“Yes…”

Just then, Gayu sniffed the air and suddenly noticed a delicious smell that he hadn’t noticed before. He began to search the room for the source.

“Oh, you bought some fried meat earlier, didn’t you? Wow, that smells amazing. Is there any for me?”

Oops.

Woo-hye replied without missing a beat, a hint of mischief in her tone.

“Of course there is. I mean, just look at how much there is—there’s no way Uncle Mok could eat all that by himself.”