It was Iho’s idea to prepare a spare wedding dress for the bride.

As someone with five older sisters, Iho was adamant that the bride should not be disappointed on her wedding day.

San-gyeong had initially argued that it was a senseless waste, but the emperor had eagerly agreed and ordered the preparations to begin immediately.

“A man and a woman are a pair. Just as Yin and Yang must be in harmony, the bride and groom’s attire should be equally dignified, don’t you think?”

Thanks to the Emperor’s twisted reasoning, their already hectic mission preparations became even more hectic.

If it hadn’t been for the wedding dress preparations, they wouldn’t have had to rush here like madmen without sleep.

At the time, it had all seemed like a waste of effort, but perhaps that was how things worked when fate was on your side.

When she heard that they had brought a wedding dress, it was Hyang-eum – not Woo-hye – who looked more overjoyed.

“Lord Cheong-un is incredibly considerate. How could he understand a woman’s heart so well and even prepare a wedding dress!”

Iho quickly and firmly denied it.

“Not at all! Our lord doesn’t know anything about women!”

“Iho.”

Even when San-gyeong called his name in a warning tone, Iho continued to ramble on.

“The wedding dress, the house decorations – they were all my ideas. So, my lady, from now on, just trust me with everything you need.”

Woo-hye remembered what had happened in San-gyeong’s shop.

Something similar had happened back then.

‘Although the roles had been reversed.’

Still, she found it strangely amusing.

“Thank you, Iho. And of course, my thanks to Lord Cheong-un as well. I don’t know how I can ever repay your kindness.”

“There is no need to repay it. It wasn’t that important.”

“It was very important to me.”

Nanny Gye knew only too well how important Hyang-eum’s slave document had been as a bargaining chip.

It was the main reason why Woo-hye had turned a blind eye to the abuse and embezzlement of Madam Gye and others.

If it had been less serious, Nanny Gye would never have handed over the document.

“Hyang-eum, Nanny Gye might change her mind, so take some servants with you and get the slave document.”

San-gyeong gave Iho a slight nod.

“Go with them and check if the document is authentic. And if Madam Gye tries anything suspicious, stop her.”

“Understood, my lord.”

Soon, only Woo-hye and San-gyeong were left in the room.

“I think I should go now.”

“Lord Cheong-un.”

Woo-hye held out her hand in the direction of his voice. San-gyeong took it instinctively as it moved towards him.

‘Cold.’

The hand he caught was ice cold.

He was surprised that a living person could feel so cold.

“Ah… I’m sorry. Did I startle you?”

“I should be the one to apologise. It’s a habit.”

‘A habit?’

Woo-hye repeated the word carefully in her mind.

‘He must have been attacked without warning many times.’

‘If that was the case, it made sense that he trained his body so thoroughly.’

‘I heard the succession battle in Taesang has caused terrible rifts between the brothers. Maybe Cheong-un pretends to be a scoundrel to hide his true abilities from his brothers.’

Just as she herself lived in poverty and pretended to be blind to deceive Seol Mi-hee.

“Then why did you call me?”

Yes… why had she called him?

Woo-hye blinked blankly.

She had just… not wanted to be alone. So she’d instinctively tried to reach for him.

“I just… wanted to say that I’ll do my best from now on.”

“At what?”

San-gyeong asked instinctively, confused by her vague words.

He was used to communication that left no room for ambiguity – the exchange of clear and precise information that could not be interpreted in more than one way.

It wasn’t a very aristocratic way of speaking, but Woo-hye didn’t find it strange.

He had always spoken bluntly and she thought this time would be no different.

He always spoke bluntly, and she assumed this time would be no different.

Still, it was absurd.

What kind of person reacts like that when someone says they’ll try to be a good wife?

But Woo-hye wasn’t at a loss for words.

“A wife’s duty… Our union may have been born from the circumstances of our families, but the fact remains—we will pledge ourselves as husband and wife before heaven and earth. I intend to fulfill my role as a true wife.”

‘The duty of a wife. The responsibility of marriage.’

San-gyeong found these words strangely unsettling.

He had just learned of the situation that had led to their arranged marriage.

Taesang wanted a child.

And because of that, everything Woo-hye said now sounded like it had something to do with conception.

San-gyeong quickly corrected her misunderstanding.

“If you’re worried about Taesang’s conditions for marriage, don’t be. I have no intention of asking you.”

Woo-hye found this strange.

“Do you mean… you don’t want children?”

It was natural for a married couple to have children.

Of course, Woo-hye was someone who had difficulty conceiving – but as far as she knew, he didn’t know that.

“I…”

For once, San-gyeong wore a troubled expression.

If any of his subordinates had been present, they would have stared in disbelief.

“I want us to be like siblings… and like a married couple, too.”

“……”

‘What did he just say? Married like brothers and sisters? What nonsense is this?’

“As you said, we’re getting married tomorrow. But I don’t think all married couples have to be the same.”

“Ah. I see.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll cherish you. Like a younger sister.”

Even though Woo-hye was smart and sharp beyond her years, this was the first time she had encountered something like this.

She had never even imagined such a scenario, so her mind was completely blank.

For reasons she couldn’t explain, she felt strangely uncomfortable – maybe even slightly offended.

A small thought suddenly occurred to her:

‘So, is my lord the type to marry his own little sister?’

Or perhaps:

‘Are you planning to divorce me later so you can pretend to be a bachelor again?’

“A little sister… how nice. I have an older brother too, but we’ve lived apart for so long that I’ve never truly felt what familial affection is like. Having Lord Cheong-un as an older brother… it’s quite comforting.”

Had Iho been there, he would have noticed the bite behind her words and given San-gyeong a warning look – but unfortunately, they were alone.

Meanwhile, San-gyeong was only thinking about how he had narrowly escaped a tricky situation.

“Thank you for your understanding. I’ll pick you up tomorrow, so get some rest for now.”

After he left, Woo-hye muttered quietly, still stunned.

“Unbelievable.”

***

That night.

Seok Cheol-won, who had been drinking heavily and partying until curfew in the entertainment district, was on his way to relieve himself when someone hit him on the back of his head and he collapsed.

When he came to, he was deep in the mountains, where the eerie call of an owl echoed through the night.

“Wh-What the hell?”

He tried to get up, panicking at this first experience of being kidnapped, but he was bound with rope and unable to move.

“Mmgh! Mmmph!”

Just then he heard groans and the sound of people struggling behind him.

A shiver ran down Seok Cheol-won’s spine. He turned quickly to see a group of suspicious figures dressed in black.

When he came to, he was deep in the mountains, the cold earth biting into his back. The eerie call of an owl echoed through the night, sending shivers down his spine.

His hands were tied, his mouth was dry and his vision was still blurred from the blow. Around him, the trees stood like silent sentinels, the torchlight long gone, replaced by the silver glow of moonlight filtering through the branches.

“Up already? Must be tougher than you look,” someone sneered from the shadows.

Seok Cheol-won tried to raise his head with a groan. Footsteps approached – slow, deliberate.

A figure crouched before him, its face hidden by a dark hood, but the smirk in its voice was unmistakable.

“You’re not the first noble brat to beg for his life out here. But don’t worry… we don’t kill without a reason.”

“Then what do you want from me?”

The figure chuckled.

“That depends. What are you worth, Seok Cheol-won? To your family… and to us?”

Behind them, another man threw something heavy to the ground. A sack? No, it groaned. One of the others.

“You will be very useful, but whether as a bargaining chip or as an example… that’s up to you.”

Cheol-won’s blood ran cold.

“Tsk. No, it’s nothing like that. Our boss just wanted to see you, so we brought you here. It would have been nice if we’d actually wanted something. Pity, isn’t it, brother?”

The man pretending to be a bandit and mocking Seok Cheol-won was none other than Iho.

He found the whole situation incredibly amusing.

Only then did Seok Cheol-won realise that they were just messing with him, and he flew into a rage.

“You bastards, seriously! Who the hell are you?! I’m Seok Cheol-won, damn it! Do you want to die?”

“Ugh, so loud.”

Iho covered his ears with both hands and walked over to San-gyeong.

“You’re going to take care of him yourself?”

“Yes.”

San-gyeong was in the middle of wrapping his hands in cloth when he looked up and gave Seok Cheol-won a quick glance.

His look was like that of a fishmonger deciding how best to cut out the rotting parts of a fish.

“I have to make sure that each part is tenderised evenly, without missing a single spot.”

At these words, Iho nodded and stepped quietly back beside Samho.

“Hey, Samho, do you know what our master’s best skill is?”

Samho, unimpressed by the question, replied in a bored tone.

“To hit someone just enough not to kill them.”

“Mhm. Exactly.”

‘This guy really is under the spell of our master.’

Iho thought, but he had to admit that the man had summed it up perfectly.

Iho made a throat-cutting gesture towards Seok Cheol-won and grinned.

“That bastard is dead meat now.”