***

The noise of the crowd began to fade into the distance. This meant that they were approaching the inner quarters, an area forbidden to outsiders.

Now that the performance was no longer necessary, Woo-hye tapped San-gyeong lightly on the shoulder and said.

“You can put me down now.”

“We’re almost there.”

He replied calmly and continued walking with her in his arms.

“Aren’t I heavy for you?”

“Not at all.”

Well then.

Woo-hye had only asked out of concern that he might be struggling – but since he said he was fine, she relaxed against him.

For some reason, that made her feel better. It was as if his calm indifference rubbed off on her.

And she found that strangely reassuring.

“As soon as you take me to the bridal chamber, you’ll have to deal with His Highness the Sixth Prince alone. Will you be all right?”

“He’s not a man-eating monster. There’s no reason why I shouldn’t be.”

The Sixth Prince himself wasn’t particularly intimidating, but the problem lay with the one who bore him: the current consort, Yeon.

Among her sons, the Third Prince was one of the strongest contenders for the throne, along with the First Prince.

For this reason, Consort Yeon was extremely sensitive to anything that might cast a shadow over her favoured son, especially the Sixth Prince’s scandalous behaviour, which often drew the Emperor’s ire.

‘She’s probably already watching this visit to Doha closely.’

If the Sixth Prince were to do anything improper, it would be all too easy to twist the story and paint Woo-hye as a dishonourable woman, even if only to protect him.

“You, on the other hand, should make sure that you are not alone with His Highness. No powerful man would come all this way just to see a pretty face.”

Woo-hye realised why San-gyeong had insisted on carrying her.

‘He wanted to get me away from the Sixth Prince as soon as possible.’

She understood the meaning of the prince’s visit only too well.

‘Someone orchestrated this trip to Doha, hoping to use the Sixth Prince’s womanising to paint me as immoral – to give Consort Yeon a reason to strike.’

The method bore traces of Seol Mi-hee’s schemes – but there was something different about it.

‘Seol Mi-hee knows only too well how dangerous the royal family can be. She wouldn’t dare involve them in something so trivial.’

Then someone else must be pulling the strings.

‘Dan Wan-ri.’

Woo-hye suspected her.

But now there was something else on her mind.

‘Why does Cheong-un keep helping me? What exactly is he after?’

She wanted to know what the man was hiding.

At the same time, the way he protected her so gently made her think – maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to keep pretending that she didn’t know anything.

He could protect her, and she could go on living like an innocent woman, oblivious to everything.

It didn’t seem like such a bad arrangement.

So Woo-hye deliberately said something absurd.

“Are you… jealous?”

“Jealous?”

“You rushed over so that the Sixth Prince wouldn’t steal me away. I understand now.”

“You seem to understand absolutely nothing.”

Woo-hye burst into a clear, bright laugh.

His horrified reaction was just too funny.

‘Doesn’t he know that this makes me want to tease him even more?’

After helping her to sit on the bed, San-gyeong immediately tried to get up.

But Woo-hye didn’t let go of the arm she had wrapped around his neck.

He could have easily pulled away with force – but he didn’t.

If he did, she might get hurt.

“There’s no time for games.”

He had to get back to the banquet.

It wouldn’t be good for the groom to linger too long in the bridal chamber – people would assume he was indulging in immorality.

And yet, Woo-hye pulled him even closer, as if she wanted to make that assumption a reality.

Thump!

San-gyeong quickly braced himself on the bed with one hand to avoid falling on top of her.

He frowned and asked,

“What are you doing?”

Woo-hye wasn’t playing around for no reason.

She had a clear goal in mind.

“The time has come, my husband.”

“What are you talking about?”

“If you plan on taking me, I mean.”

No matter how she looked at it, the only reason he was being so friendly had to be to lower her guard.

Woo-hye didn’t believe for a moment that Seol Mi-hee would send someone so useless all the way out here without a clear agenda.

Seol Mi-hee would want her to appear completely broken –

-and crippling her legs would certainly do the trick.

“Go on then, pick me up again. The stone steps looked high enough. Dropping me there should do the trick.”

She didn’t think he meant any harm. Not really.

But that didn’t mean she could relax.

Woo-hye had never been the kind of person to rule out any possibility too quickly.

Perhaps he was just hesitating.

“You must be drunk from the hap-hwan-ju.”

Sagyeong said with a hint of irritation.

In spite of himself, she had aroused a real emotion in someone who was known to be unreadable.

“Aren’t you going to do it? The Seol family won’t be happy if you don’t… Didn’t they tell you to make me a cripple?”

San-gyeong’s eyes narrowed.

That was exactly what Seol Mi-hee had ordered Cheong-un to do.

“I don’t know why you said that.”

“Well, it’s not like losing the use of a leg would prevent me from having children.”

San-gyeong briefly wondered if Pungwoo had told her something – but then he realised it was just a guess.

She speaks from her own conclusions.

As he suspected, Woo-hye had no idea what kind of transaction had taken place between the Taesang family and the Seol clan.

But she knew Seol Mi-hee’s twisted mind only too well.

“If I break a leg, maybe the sixth prince will lose interest in me too.”

She said it in a sweet, seductive tone, as if she was whispering something insane.

This woman’s mind was twisted.

She treated even injury – her own or that of others – as nothing more than a tool.

As if survival required turning everything into a weapon.

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t trust me. But don’t be so careless with your own body.”

Woo-hye was silent for a moment.

She hadn’t expected such gentle concern – and it surprised her.

But she quickly shook off the cloying feeling and forced a sardonic smile, as if she’d just heard a funny joke.

“You’re very kind, my husband.”

There was a sharp edge to her words.

And indeed, Woo-hye immediately began to doubt his kindness.

“But I don’t believe in kindness without a price. If Seol Mi-hee has nothing to gain, why would you come all the way to Doha just to be my husband? It’s not like you fell in love with me.”

San-gyeong paused for a moment as if thinking.

‘Would it have been easier if I had just pretended to be in love?’

‘No… She would have seen through that in an instant.’

He understood very well that when dealing with someone as perceptive as her, the only way to deceive her was with the truth.

So he answered honestly.

“Due to certain circumstances… I had no choice but to use you.”

Woo-hye, knowing he wouldn’t tell her anything more, asked anyway.

“What circumstances?”

“That… I can’t tell you.”

“Oh, really? Well, perhaps I should ask His Highness the Sixth Prince to find out for me. He seems quite eager to grant my requests.”

As she spoke, she released the arms that had been wrapped around San-gyeong like a noose.

San-gyeong was at a loss.

“Don’t you see how dangerous this situation is?”

“And what about you, husband? Isn’t it dangerous that you refuse to explain your reasons?”

Their exchange was like a battle between a sword and a shield – San-gyeong being the shield, of course.

True, Woo-hye had no solid reason to trust him.

To say that they’d gotten along well so far would have been far too superficial an argument.

Still, it stung to be compared to the Sixth Prince.

“I really want to take good care of you.”

And Woo-hye could tell that he meant it.

He really cared for her – she didn’t need words to know that.

That was probably the reason for the rumour that they were more like siblings than husband and wife.

But that wasn’t what Woo-hye wanted to hear.

What she wanted was something more definitive.

‘I am on your side.’

‘You can trust me.’

He didn’t know it, but Woo-hye was already on the verge of trusting him.

All she needed was a clear sign – just one.

Then she’d be ready to believe him completely.

But to trust someone of her own free will, without even a word of reassurance – her life had been far too painful for that.

‘Still… he doesn’t seem like the type to say those words, no matter what.’

Woo-hye asked.

“So in exchange for using me, you’re offering to take care of me like a big brother?”

“If a good man comes into your life, I’ll let you go.”

He wanted to help Woo-hye get a safe divorce from someone like Cheong-un, just as he had done for the late Dan Joo-hyuk, and then help her marry a decent man.

And if she didn’t want to remarry, he would support her so that she could live comfortably and safely on her own.

Woo-hye scoffed inwardly.

‘Let me go if a good man comes along?’

It sounded like he was doing it for her, but it was really for his own convenience.

She spoke mockingly, imagining the day he’d try to send her away so he could act like a bachelor again.

“What if no such man ever appears? Should I spend the rest of my life being lovingly looked after by you like a devoted husband?”

San-gyeong couldn’t understand her reaction.

“You know this marriage is not honourable for you.”

“But I like you, husband.”

It was an unexpected blow.

“What?”

Without changing her expression, Woo-hye calmly repeated.

“I said, I like you.”

“But… why?”

“That’s a strange question. After everything you’ve done for me—how could I not fall for you?”

From the beginning, San-gyeong had treated her well.

He was blunt, yes, but his kindness was always evident in his actions.

He never spoke carelessly, never acted harshly, never boasted or exaggerated about himself.

He was very different from the men she had known.

And the thing she liked best was the way he cared for Hyang-eum.

That alone distinguished him more than anything else.

San-gyeong was confused – deeply and completely disoriented.

He could count on one hand how many times in his life he had felt so out of balance – and Woo-hye had managed it.

He stood up.

“I’ve been away from the banquet for too long.”

Perhaps out of embarrassment, a light sweat had begun to form at the back of his neck.

A stifling heat stirred within him, and the sweet scent that clung to Woo-hye made him feel strangely parched.

“I’m going now. Get some rest.”

Without giving her a chance to stop him, San-gyeong turned on his heel and quickly left the bridal chamber.

Woo-hye pulled back the red cloth covering her face and stared straight ahead.

“He really left.”

She had only been teasing him, annoyed that he kept hinting that they would have to get divorced one day. But his reaction had been surprisingly strong.

“Why does he act like someone who’s never held a woman’s hand?”

‘Although… when I said I liked him, I meant it.’

No matter how she looked at it, the rumours that he had three illegitimate children had to be nonsense.

There was no way a man that stiff and unshakable could be a womaniser.