Gayu grinned sheepishly.

“As expected of my lady. But I have several urgent matters to report, so I’ll start with those first.”

Woo-hye replied with a quiet smile.

Although Gayu might appear timid, he always had clear priorities and never let emotions interfere with important facts.

“There were no accomplices other than the three kidnappers. The car and boat they used were abandoned in remote areas, and the bodies were hidden, so we couldn’t recover them.”

“And who was behind the kidnappers?”

“They were from a human trafficking group based in a nearby town. The district magistrate happens to be a member of the Seol family.”

“So the magistrate and the traffickers are in cahoots.”

“All signs point to that. And as for the man in black you mentioned – I think he’s also one of Cheong-un’s men. Including Cheong-un himself, he brought seven people with him.

So he had six subordinates. Even for a wealthy young master, that was an unusually large number of retainers for someone of ordinary status.

‘At least two of them are trained in martial arts. Including Cheong-un, there are three.’

It was a group structure that defied conventional logic.

Gayu continued.

“I have sent investigators to investigate Cheong-un. We should have some news within the next month. This next bit is the most important – the Sixth Prince is coming to Doha. He’s expected to arrive tomorrow.”

The Sixth Prince was the son of the current preferred consort.

Unlike the other princes who were involved in a bloody struggle to become crown prince, the Sixth Prince showed no interest in succession.

But that didn’t mean he was a humble man.

He was what people called a refined rake. A man who loved poetry, music, dancing, wine and beautiful women.

He always seemed to be living in a dream, detached from reality. Most assumed he wasn’t quite sane.

Woo-hye couldn’t understand what possible reason the Sixth Prince – who had no connection to Doha – would have to come all the way out here.

“Why would the Sixth Prince suddenly come here?”

“It has to do with the portrait you asked me to look into, my lady. I only heard about it yesterday, and it all made sense when I saw it.”

Here’s what had happened:

The artist who painted Woo-hye’s portrait hadn’t just painted one copy, but two.

One of the portraits was a typical frontal portrait, while the one that was widely distributed in Akyang showed Woo-hye standing under a peach tree.

The artist had titled it ‘Fairy of the Peach Blossom Land’ and made several copies for sale. One of them ended up in the hands of the Sixth Prince.

“You know, the Sixth Prince is famous for collecting portraits of beautiful women.”

Woo-hye suddenly wondered how she had been painted to cause such a stir.

“There is a reason why your portrait has become so popular, my lady.”

Portraits of beautiful women tended to follow a similar aesthetic – typically depicting women standing by streams, in the moonlight, or among flowers.

Woo-hye’s portrait wasn’t drastically different in theme, but it had a unique impact in Akyang for one particular reason:

Her humble appearance.

In the portrait, Woo-hye wore only a simple wooden hairpin.

Her hair looked roughly gathered and tied, as if she had done it herself, and her clothes were simple and practical – designed for comfort rather than adornment.

This stood out in Akyang, where portraits were usually filled with women more dazzling than blooming peonies.

This modesty struck a new chord, sparking a storm of interest and changing the city’s ideals of beauty.

In those days, Akyang’s extravagance escalated by the day.

As the capital became more indulgent, the surrounding provinces followed suit – pouring money into luxuries like silk and jewellery.

“Someone must be using my portrait to put pressure on the nobility for their excesses.”

And most likely it was a move orchestrated by the Emperor’s faction.

“In my opinion, luxury clothes and accessories have become so commonplace that they no longer feel special. People were getting tired of it – your portrait came at just the right time.

Woo-hye didn’t disagree. She thought it was just a matter of timing.

‘Still, the impact of a single portrait is far too great.’

Someone must have kept the public’s interest alive to prevent it from fading.

“The Emperor criticised the excessive luxury of the nobility at every royal assembly, but thanks to Empress Ryu, nothing ever stuck.”

The Empire was currently divided between two factions: the Emperor’s side and Empress Ryu’s side.

Empress Ryu was originally a concubine.

Seven years ago, after a great victory in palace intrigue, she overthrew the former Empress Seop Ji-yeon and claimed the title for herself.

Her birth family – the House of Chancellor Ryu – soared through the Empire like a hawk in flight.

‘And the Seol family joined forces with Empress Ryu.’

It was no coincidence that Seol Mi-hee had taken control of the Dan family.

“When the tide turns in Akyang, Pungwoo Pavilion must change course.”

“They are too used to extravagance to suddenly become frugal. Instead, demand will grow for items that quietly assert power – those that suggest wealth without ostentatious display.”

There would be a growing preference for pale, elegant fabrics that exude sophistication, rather than brightly coloured garments designed to accentuate garish jewellery.

“What colour was my dress in the portrait?”

“A soft green.”

“Then start securing soft green silk – get as much of it as you can. It’ll sell better than anything else for a while.”

Gayu’s eyes lit up.

Whenever Woo-hye made such precise predictions – like a fortune teller reading the future – it always brought in massive profits.

Of course, she always had a solid basis.

After the Empress changed, the trade goods bound for Akyang shifted.

Woo-hye had tracked every merchant ship and meticulously recorded the changes.

When Lady Seop was Empress, the nobles had to live modestly and watch their spending.

But after Lady Ryu came to power, their habits gradually became more extravagant.

Woo-hye concluded that this wasn’t just a passing trend, but a powerful trend.

She invested heavily in luxury goods, and as demand soared, sales exploded.

Her next bet was alcohol.

Luxury only mattered if others could see it.

As social gatherings grew, Woo-hye gave her merchants the rights to a drink called Do-ha-ju.

It was an inconspicuous liquor that the locals made from peach blossoms – prized for their fragrance and beautiful colour.

In no time, Do-ha-ju became a famous speciality.

There wasn’t a single tavern or inn in Doha that didn’t serve it.

Sometimes Gayu wondered if Woo-hye had gained the ability to see the future by losing her sight.

“Understood. And there’s something else you need to know – Dan Gyu-yeong is accompanying the sixth prince to Doha. She is acquainted with the prince’s wife and seems to be there because of your wedding.”

“What? Dan Gyu-yeong?!”

Woo-hye instinctively tried to sit up but was stopped by Mokcheon.

Gyu-yeong was Seol Mi-hee’s second daughter and half a year younger than Woo-hye.

‘There’s no way that Seol Mi-hee – who keeps such tight control – would send Dan Gyu-yeong to Doha alone, even with the Sixth Prince’s party.’

Still, it was good news for Woo-hye. It was like prey walking straight into the tiger’s den.

“The treatment is finished.”

Mokcheon said as he removed the last of the needles and began to write a new prescription.

“As soon as you finish the last batch, switch to this new one.”

“Thank you, Uncle Mok. You are coming to the wedding tomorrow, aren’t you? Gayu, you too. The whole town is talking about it – wouldn’t it be strange not to be there?”

“Understood.”

“Yes! I’ll be there for sure! I can’t wait to eat sweets and noodles – and to see how you look in your wedding dress, my lady!”

‘That part will probably be disappointing, though.’

Woo-hye could already see the huge difference between her wedding dress and her husband’s.

There was no way the Dan family had sent anything really nice.

“Here is the payment for the medicine.”

Woo-hye handed the silver to Wang, the clerk.

“This is too much. If I accept all this, the doctor will scold me.”

“I used to get medicine for free. That won’t happen again.”

“Still…”

“Just take it.”

For the first time, Woo-hye paid for her medicine with her own money.

Others might say she was just showing off with her husband’s money, but that didn’t matter.

When there was a way to repay a benefactor, trivial things like pride didn’t matter.

‘Thanks to Cheong-un, it’s easier to spend money now.’

What she liked most was having a legitimate reason to spend money without arousing suspicion.

Even if her budget was still more like pocket change than real wealth.

After checking the street outside, Hyang-eum returned and said,

“I don’t see Lord Seok anywhere. He seems to have left. Please get in the carriage, my lady.”

“Okay.”

Just before getting into the carriage, Woo-hye turned to the driver and asked:

“What’s your name?”
“Sa-ho, ma’am.”

‘Judging by his voice, he’s probably over thirty. He’s not the man in black. I’ll have to ask Hyang-eum for more details later.’

“Sa-ho. I didn’t have a chance to greet you earlier in the chaos. I’m on my way to Lord Cheong-un’s shop now – do you know the way?”

“Of course. If you get on the carriage, I’ll take you there.”

“All right, I’ll count on you.”

Sa-ho scratched his head uneasily.

Woo-hye’s soft, gentle way of speaking – befitting a noble lady – struck him as almost embarrassingly sweet.

Strangely, she acted more formal around San-gyeong, but was warm and friendly with the servants.

This was probably because she had long relied on Hyang-eum more than even her own relatives.

The carriage didn’t travel far before stopping.

“I’ll wait with the carriage nearby, my lady.”

“Okay.”

The shop San-gyeong had bought was backed by a small hill.

It was tucked away in a slightly secluded corner, even a little further away from the riverbank – the most sought after area in the busy shopping district.

It was the kind of place where it would have made sense for modest merchants to open an inn.

Just as she raised her hand to knock on the shop’s door, the sound of hooves rang out – Seok Cheol-won had appeared.

“Oh no, my lady! Lord Seok followed us here!”

“It’s all right. He’s not completely unreasonable – as long as he’s in a good mood.”

Of course, that was only true when he was in a good mood.

Seok Cheol-won, though relentlessly attached to Woo-hye, had his own awkward sense of affection and often tried to treat her well in his own way.

But when she repeatedly rejected him, he would sometimes lash out in anger – today seemed to be one of those days.

Seok Cheol-won dismounted from his horse and strutted towards her.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it, Woo-hye?”