“Oh, there it is!”

The Sixth Prince strode briskly to where the boar lay. His eyes gleamed with interest as he spotted other animals nearby – deer, pheasants – clearly impressed.

San-gyeong stepped forward and bowed deeply.

“I am but a humble commoner, and I greet Your Highness.”

“You caught all this yourself?” the prince asked, looking at the massive boar. “It must weigh at least 400 geun – about 240 kilograms. You must be quite a hunter.”

“You flatter me, Your Highness, I had help from the local hunters, so the credit doesn’t go to me alone.”

In truth, the hunters had merely tracked the animals. Every kill had been clean – with just a few arrows and no hounds.

But the prince, an experienced hunter himself, saw through the modesty. He smiled in approval.

He had no retinue of his own and had never received hunted animals from a subordinate.

‘Despite his low birth, someone so capable and loyal… perhaps he’s worth keeping around.’

Not far away, Jarim watched the scene and let out a soft, mocking snort.

“Hmph. How pathetic.”

She was irritated that they had come all this way for the hundted animals the man hadn’t even hunted himself. The whole thing struck her as absurd.

“A newlywed, out hunting at dawn. Can you believe it? Neglecting your bride on the first morning of your marriage… What could be more miserable for a woman than to be abandoned on her wedding night? And for what? To grovel before a powerless prince. If it were me… I’d rather die than marry such a man.”

“Unni, that’s enough.”

Gyu-yeong said with mock concern – but her tone carried the same contempt.

She had long envied Woo-hye’s beauty, and now that she finally had a reason to look down on her, she clung to it with bitter satisfaction.

“I’m sure he had his reasons. With so many guests, there probably wasn’t much to offer them, was there, brother…?”

She looked up at Mujin standing beside her – but her face fell when she saw his expression.

He looked at Dan Woo-hye as if he were a man completely in love with her.

It was a look he had never shown at Gyu-yeong before.

She dismissed it as her imagination and turned her head away.

It must have been a misunderstanding.

But whether it really was or not… she didn’t have the courage to find out.

Though she tried her best to feign indifference, her pride cracked visibly.

‘It’s all… because of that wretched Dan Woo-hye.’

Afraid of learning the truth, Gyu-yeong couldn’t bring herself to look at Gyeon Mujin – but she glared at Woo-hye, who had arrived late, as if she wanted to tear her apart.

‘I should have killed her long ago!’

Hyang-eum saw this from the side and whispered in Woo-hye’s ear.

“Dan Gyu-yeong is looking at you as if she wants to kill you.”

“Don’t mind her. She’s always been like that.”

“That’s true.”

Undeterred, Woo-hye walked past the seething Gyu-yeong with a calmness that bordered on arrogance, then approached San-gyeong.

“Ahem.”

At that moment, San-gyeong, who had turned away to watch thehunted animals with the sixth prince, looked back as he felt Hyang-eum’s presence.

As soon as he spotted Woo-hye, radiant like a ray of sunlight breaking through storm clouds, he furrowed his brow.

‘There is something different about her today.’

He didn’t know why, but there was an aura about her that made her feel untouchable.

Maybe it was the way she was dressed, but it was as if she was radiating light herself.

Even at a glance it was obvious that she had put a lot of effort into her appearance.

“You’re back, husband.”

“Yes, I am.”

San-gyeong looked behind Woo-hye and saw Hyang-eum standing there, her expression clearly combative.

‘She must have told her that we didn’t consummate the marriage.’

That would explain why Woo-hye, feeling slighted, chose to present herself with such meticulous care – because that’s the easiest way for a mistress to demand respect.

It was a foolish and superficial move. She had completely missed the point.

The reason he avoided getting involved with Woo-hye wasn’t because there was something wrong with her.

The problem… was him.

Sometimes a simple and straightforward approach is far more effective than going round in circles.

Why is everyone staring at Dan Woo-hye?

It was only now that San-gyeong really began to understand the impact of Woo-hye’s beauty.

Every man – and even the women – in the residence would steal a glance at her whenever they had the chance.

And it wasn’t just because she was beautiful.

There was something fresh and sophisticated about the way she presented herself – elegant without being childish. It made people want to emulate her, which attracted their attention.

San-gyeong didn’t like the unnecessary attention she attracted.

In that respect, Hyang-eum’s plan had worked – about halfway.

“You look cold.”

“Pardon?”

He took off his black cloak and carefully wrapped it around Woo-hye, pulling it tight to protect her from the cold.

The fabric, still damp with dew and clinging to blades of dry grass and traces of earth from the mountain path, fell heavily over her slender shoulders, covering her completely.

Behind her, Hyang-eum watched in silent horror, her breath catching in her throat.

“Please… keep warm, my lady.”

The cloak did not hide her beauty – it never could – but the gesture spoke volumes. It was quiet and deliberate, like drawing a line around something precious. A silent assertion, witnessed by all.

But Woo-hye, unaware of how she looked or how many eyes were on her, felt only the warmth in his voice. For her, it was just another moment of his gentle kindness. Another reason for her heart to ache.

“It’s before lunch, isn’t it? Let’s go to the dining room together.”

“Let’s.”

As San-gyeong ordered the servants to prepare the hunted animals, he happened to notice that Mujin was looking in their direction.

No, to be more precise, he was looking at Woo-hye.

The emotion in his face clearly showed that he had no idea how obvious his feelings were.

‘He said yesterday that I needn’t worry about him – but he can’t even keep to his own words.’

To block Mujin’s view, San-gyeong moved to Woo-hye’s side and took her hand as they walked.

Protecting her from such impure glances was also a husband’s duty.

“What’s wrong with you all of a sudden?”

“What do you mean?”

“You used to just let me hold your arm.”

“Well, we’re husband and wife now. Things should be different.”

“Oh, so you remember we’re married? Because last night…”

“…could we talk about this later?”

Woo-hye let out a small chuckle. She could sense the regret in his hesitation.

Although what had happened the night before was still upsetting, she felt a little more understanding and replied with a touch of feigned indifference.

“All right.”

She briefly considered pressing him harder on his wrongdoing – perhaps even getting him to sign some sort of favourable oath – but stopped herself.

‘I didn’t know I was so soft-hearted.’

His hand was warm, and somehow that warmth had softened her heart as well.

By the time everyone arrived in the dining hall, the servants had timed the presentation of the meal perfectly.

The Sixth Prince, obviously still excited, spent the entire meal talking animatedly about hunting.

San-gyeong barely touched his food, too busy responding to each of the prince’s comments.

Woo-hye, for her part, just picked at her food, having no appetite.

No one else seemed particularly focused on eating either – everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts: sudden infatuations, the sting of betrayal, simple irritation and more.

The atmosphere was a tangle of conflicting emotions.

The only person who really enjoyed himself was the Sixth Prince.

“Doha cultivates valuable crops and is a tourist destination. It makes no sense for dangerous wild animals to roam free. If I’d known earlier, I would have organised regular hunting competitions to ensure public safety.”

As he rattled off a long list of things needed for such a tournament, he began to draw up an increasingly detailed plan.

At this rate, San-gyeong would end up managing the entire event.

Woo-hye had no intention of letting that happen. She put down her chopsticks and stood up.

“Your Highness, we’d like to excuse ourselves to visit the family shrine. My husband and I haven’t yet offered incense at my mother’s memorial.”

The Sixth Prince, who had been enjoying himself, looked visibly deflated, but nodded reluctantly.

“All right. Go then.”

Offering incense at the family shrine was a proper and expected duty.

Their marriage had been rushed, and they had yet to visit the temple to pray to the Buddha.

“Let’s go, husband.”

San-gyeong immediately understood that Woo-hye had deliberately cut off the prince’s ramblings and, without a word of protest, took her hand and followed her out of the dining hall.

Once they were far enough away from the others, they both opened their mouths at the same time.

“About last night, I…”

“Let’s not have any more nights like…”

They both stopped.

It seemed they had been thinking about the same thing all along – the events of the previous night.

Even though it wasn’t his intention, San-gyeong felt no different than a guilty man in front of her. He allowed her to speak without protest – thinking it better to take the blow first.

“…Go ahead.”

Woo-hye didn’t hesitate.

“I hope nothing like last night will ever happen again. I know you have no feelings for me, but I’d still like us to respect the basic duties between husband and wife.”

Nobles seldom married for love.

Marriage was a serious transaction, determined by the profits and losses between families.

Nevertheless, couples often grew close over time as they shared a home and a bed.

Woo-hye, who was very perceptive, had already sensed that San-gyeong wanted them to separate one day.

But that was something for the future.

For now, since they were married, it was only natural to expect at least the minimum of marital courtesy.

In aristocratic society, domestic harmony was a highly prized virtue – so much so that marital strife could even cost a man his official position.

What Woo-hye said made perfect sense, and San-gyeong couldn’t help but agree.

After all, the reason he had brought up the matter in the first place was to apologise properly.

“I was thoughtless yesterday. I want to apologise for treating you so coldly, even if it was unintentional. But I hope you understand – it was never my intention.”