HRB 19

Chapter : 19

Honey Laced with Poison (4)

Yeonho indifferently pulled a book from the shelf and handed it to her.

“Thank you.”

Jo-yeong accepted the book awkwardly, unable to turn back or look at him.

Even as she took it, her breath caught in her throat, and she couldn’t raise her head for fear he might notice her flushed face.

“I’ve read that one as well. It’s rather belligerent poetry for women to enjoy.”

“Ah, that’s why I couldn’t get through it more than a few times. I thought I’d try again on this occasion. It might suit reading at Bisan Fortress better.”

She had made a decent excuse, but Jo-yeong still couldn’t look at him and instead opened the book and flipped through it half-heartedly.

Because he didn’t leave and kept standing behind her, she couldn’t lift her head.

“You truly seem to love poetry. To be so absorbed the moment you open a book.”

At his murmured admiration, Jo-yeong startled and raised her head.

“N-no, it’s not that, I was just—!”

Lifting her head too suddenly, Jo-yeong flinched when she met his intense gaze looking down at her from beneath his bamboo hat.

With his brows furrowed as if he were angry and staring straight at her, her heart lurched—had her lie been exposed?

“Why… why are you looking at me like that?”

“You seem to have a fever.”

“What? Ah! It’s just a bit warm inside…. Aren’t you hot?”

“It’s rather cool today. If you feel hot, it’s likely because you have a fever. I’m worried you may have caught a cold from being exposed to the chill.”

There was also Bu-gyeong’s report that the princess had a delicate constitution, and in truth the late-spring weather was cooler than usual, so Yeonho’s suspicion didn’t easily fade.

“It’s really nothing. I must have been too focused on the book.”

Flustered, Jo-yeong absentmindedly fanned herself with the book to cool down.

At that, the shop owner cried out in alarm and hurried over.

“Oh dear! You’ll crease the book. You mustn’t do that.”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

As she apologized, Jo-yeong felt grateful to the owner for stepping in at just the right moment.

When the owner tried to take the book from the princess’s hands, Yeonho snatched it first and said,

“I’ll pay for it.”

The owner withdrew his awkwardly extended hand and accepted the money Yeonho offered.

“It would be best to head back now.”

Seeing that his stiff expression didn’t soften, it seemed he was firmly convinced she was ill.

Jo-yeong followed his lead and went outside.

As he said, a cool breeze was blowing today, and thanks to it, the heat in her flushed cheeks began to subside.

“See? I don’t have a fever anymore.”

At her words, Yeonho bent at the waist, lifted his bamboo hat, and examined her face closely.

“……”

Meeting his deep gaze as he suddenly leaned in to check her, Jo-yeong felt as though her temperature might rise again and quickly turned her head away.

Just then, something welcome to distract her eyes appeared amid this nerve-wracking situation.

“Oh? May I take a look at that?”

When Jo-yeong pointed across the street to a stall selling embroidery goods, Yeonho nodded and took the lead.

Following behind him, Jo-yeong let out a small sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, Yulbok and the soldiers continued to openly trail the two, completely unaware of how suspiciously people were staring at them.

When they saw the pair enter a bookstore, Yulbok clicked his tongue.

“Tsk, tsk. They finally come out for an outing and go buy books—what a lost cause.”

“Seriously. Even watching is frustrating.”

“He’s a brilliant strategist, but he seems utterly inept when it comes to courting women.”

The soldiers shook their heads fearlessly, lamenting the incompetence of their supreme commander.

Then—

“Oh? Look at that. The lord has made a move!”

One soldier unnecessarily narrated what everyone could plainly see.

“What? How is that making a move? He’s tall, so he just pulled out a book for her. What’s the big deal?”

“Positioning is important—positioning! He could’ve done it from the side, but instead he stood behind her like he was embracing her, and he even brushed her hand lightly and naturally showed the tendons on the back of his hand.”

The soldier excitedly explained the scene.

“Oh. That makes sense. True.”

“It seems the move worked, too. Her Highness the Princess is shy. Look—she can’t even lift her face.”

“Ha! To think our elder brother had such skills!”

“Incredible. To stir a woman’s heart in a bookstore of all places! Truly admirable.”

Because the soldier’s commentary matched the unfolding scene so convincingly, Yulbok’s group continued to listen closely.

They soon forgot their original purpose of keeping watch over the princess and instead became engrossed in the couple’s outing.

When they arrived at the embroidery shop, Yeonho stepped aside near the stall, like a guard escorting a young lady.

After all, it would be embarrassing for a man—especially one who was a general—to occupy space in front of colorful, dainty skeins of thread.

Thinking of him, Jo-yeong said reassuringly,

“I’ll just look for a moment.”

“Take your time.”

Jo-yeong bowed her head in thanks for his consideration and examined the beautiful threads.

Gathered together, the multicolored threads looked as splendid as a flower garden, and some even gave off a soft sheen.

Among those shimmering threads, she placed a few she liked on her palm.

Having mended her clothes since childhood, she was skilled with needlework, and she had often embroidered in place of her elder sister, Jinhong.

But no matter how carefully she embroidered with the prettiest threads, the finished piece was never hers.

She had always harbored the desire to embroider something of her own, using threads she herself had chosen, and it seemed better to pass the time with needlework than to stave off boredom by reading poetry.

However, she had nothing on her at the moment.

They had come to buy a book because he suggested it—but could a princess really ask someone to buy her embroidery thread?

Jo-yeong hesitated, unable even to touch the expensive threads for fear of smudging them.

“Whichever young lady you may be, you have a fine eye for goods. How did you manage to pick only the most expensive threads in our shop?”

The middle-aged woman tending the stall beamed broadly, clearly pleased at the prospect of selling costly items.

“Ah, I’m not trying to buy these, I was just—”

Jo-yeong was about to put the threads down, still unsure whether it was right to buy them, when—

“How much?”

Yeonho, standing beside her, paid the price and bought everything the owner recommended as well—the needles and the embroidery hoop.

Watching from not far away, Yulbok muttered meaningfully,

“This is a bit dangerous.”

“What do you mean?”

“This outing was meant to win Her Highness’s heart.”

“He’s doing very well, isn’t he?”

“He is—too well, in fact. So well it feels sincere.”

“What? Wouldn’t that be even better? It would be great if Her Highness felt it that way too.”

“Well… I wonder if it truly is for the best.”

The soldiers looked puzzled, but Yulbok said no more and watched Yeonho’s back with worried eyes.

Jo-yeong felt burdened watching Yeonho carry all of her things.

Yet it wouldn’t do for a princess to offer to carry luggage herself, and feeling she had to say something, she spoke.

“I’m sorry. I came empty-handed, without anything of my own.”

“Indeed. For someone on the run, you were woefully unprepared.”

“My maid did pack things, but…”

Jo-yeong trailed off.

Her maid had carried travel funds and a few gaudy pieces of jewelry, but in the rush to deal with the body, even that couldn’t be confirmed.

At this point, it was almost a relief that those ornaments hadn’t been discovered.

“I know. Still, you never know what might happen, so when you go out, please carry at least a little with you.”

“Why are you telling me that? You don’t want me to leave this place.”

“I don’t want you to leave, but wherever you are, you must remain safe.”

If anything were to happen to the princess, Bisan Fortress—which had let her go—would be held responsible.

They would already be questioned for letting her leave; if she were harmed, the punishment would be even more severe.

So his concern must surely be for his own safety.

Knowing that full well, Jo-yeong nonetheless found herself wanting to test his heart.

“Well, if something happens to the princess, it would put you in immediate danger, my lord.”

At that, Yeonho stopped walking and looked at her.