TKEP 16🔐

Chapter 16

Yeon normally never used words like “spinster” or “old maid.” They were outdated, anachronistic terms.

But right now, she brought them up deliberately—purely as a strategic move to shake the Empress Dowager Oh’s heart.

And sure enough—

It worked.

Oh’s facial muscles twitched, her hands gripping the tea table tightly.

The head court lady, standing behind her, gave a discreet signal for the medical staff to be ready.

“Of all the men in the world, why would you pick him—someone who doesn’t even respect the Imperial Family?!”

Yeon pushed Seo-jun forward so he stood directly before Oh.

The sunlight streaming in at just the right angle made his features seem to glow.

With eyelashes so long they could put a Barbie doll to shame, the shadows they cast gave his eyes a pensive, soulful look—eyes which Seo-jun now softened as he met hers.

Their gazes locked.

Oh inhaled sharply, a sound that neither Seo-jun nor Yeon missed.

Yeon smiled and asked,

“Now that you’ve seen him, can you still say you don’t understand why it has to be this man?”

A twitch ran under Oh’s eye.

She thought she understood Yeon’s heart—but there were still points to press.

“Your Majesty, you’re going to put him through the vetting process anyway. Whether he’s worthy to be my husband or not, you’ll find out in time.”

“Sounds like you’re confident.”

Her eyes turned toward Seo-jun.

When Yeon moved to answer, Seo-jun caught her hand, signaling that from here on, he would handle the Empress Dowager himself.

Yeon glanced at him with concern.

In the past few days, she had learned that Seo-jun was not a man to lose in a war of words.

My grandmother hates losing… is she going to be okay?

Yeon wasn’t worried about Seo-jun. She was worried about the Empress Dowager.

Mr. Kang Seo-jun picked the wrong career.

He should have been a lawyer…

While Yeon’s mind wandered, Seo-jun spoke.

“Your Majesty.”

“And why exactly am I your grandmother?” she retorted sharply.

“Your Highness, then.”

He corrected himself immediately.

“Her Highness the Princess needs me.”

The unexpected line lit a spark in Oh’s eyes.

“So you’re saying my Yeon is lacking something?”

“Impossible. Her Highness is perfect as she is. Precisely because of that, she has many admirers. But there are also those who would be jealous of her and try to tear her down. Most notably…”

Seo-jun smiled at Oh in a way that made it seem like he was suggesting she was among those who undermined Yeon.

Oh let out two incredulous bursts of air.

Yeon shot Seo-jun a glare. Feeling the sharpness of her gaze, he looked back at her.

Their eyes met.

Yeon mouthed, You said we’d win her over—why are you turning her into the enemy?

Seo-jun lifted and dropped his right eyebrow slightly.

He had never planned to make the Empress Dowager “one of them.”

In his mind, there was no such thing as a permanent ally—only strategic partnerships formed for mutual benefit.

It was the same logic Yeon had used when she proposed marriage to him.

The difference was, now that he had taken her hand, he intended to remain firmly on her side.

After giving Yeon a reassuring smile, he continued.

“Most notably, the conservative press.”

Before Oh could unleash another outburst, he soothed her with the next line.

To the conservative media, Yeon—progressive in her views—was an easy target. Her choice to attend university in the U.S., her decision to remain unmarried, even her absence from clan events—none of these were a problem in a modern society, but in the wrong hands, they became scandal fodder.

For now, it was easy enough to brush off with a “There they go again,” but if their voices grew louder, it would be bad for both Yeon and the Imperial Family.

“I know exactly how they operate. Which is why I’m the only one who can protect Her Highness from them.”

“So you’re saying you want to be not just an envoy, but her bodyguard as well?”

“If necessary, yes. I’ll be the sword at her side, and bite the enemy if I must.”

“So, a dog too?”

“If that’s what it takes. But what I truly want is to be Yeon’s lifelong partner.”

Seo-jun slowly ran his hand down Yeon’s back.

The sudden touch blanked her mind for a moment.

While she was frozen, Oh’s hawk-like gaze swept over Seo-jun, as if to say, Let’s see what you’re really made of.

Then Seo-jun sank to one knee, his expression turning formal.

The air around him shifted.

A moment ago, he had looked like just another handsome young man. Now, there was an elegance and dignity about him—like a sturdy old tree weathered by time.

Anyone could tell which was the real Seo-jun.

Light charm could be faked, but true gravitas could neither be stolen nor imitated.

Intrigue flickered in Oh’s eyes.

Seo-jun smiled inwardly. This was the perfect moment to negotiate.

“Your Highness, what must I do to earn your approval for this marriage?”

“That sounded like you’d do anything.”

“Yes—so long as it’s not something that would harm Her Highness.”

Kang Seo-jun was not someone who bent easily.

The fact that he had never once tried to excuse himself in the press over incidents involving the Crown Prince was proof enough.

Oh wondered—just how far could this man bend?

Then it struck her.

Since earlier, she had been feeling a pull toward him, taking an interest, wondering about him.

When her original plan had been to dismiss him outright.

So I’ve been dancing to his tune.

If this had been his plan all along, it was working perfectly.

A clever one, this man.

She asked seriously,

“An envoy is still a servant of the Emperor. If the interests of the Imperial Family and the Princess were ever to clash, and I ordered you to side with the Imperial Family—what then?”

“That’s unlikely… but…”

Seo-jun lowered his gaze slightly, as if thinking it over.

It didn’t take him long.

He looked up, confident.

“I would find a way—any way—to stay by Her Highness’s side.”

“Even if it meant bringing harm to the Imperial Family?”

“Yeon is what matters most to me.”

“You’d lose your position as envoy.”

“I’m no fool who doesn’t know what’s most important in life.”

Choosing Yeon over his position made something in Oh’s chest twinge faintly.

A man this smooth-faced, yet holding such single-minded devotion—she could fully understand why Yeon had brought him here.

I’ve danced right into his hands.

Clicking her tongue inwardly, she acknowledged her defeat. She had no choice but to step back.

Barring the Crown Prince incident, he was objectively an excellent candidate for envoy—and now, potentially, son-in-law.

He was also the first man Yeon had ever brought home.

But it wasn’t as if she could suddenly declare her approval.

The Princess’s marriage wasn’t hers alone to decide.

While the inner court would handle the wedding arrangements, the final choice of envoy was usually made by the Emperor after the royal family deliberated and conducted their own vetting.

Still, as the Emperor’s mother, her opinion carried significant weight in a royal household that still prized filial piety, loyalty, benevolence, and propriety above all.

No wonder Yeon had come straight to her.

If she came to me first, there must be a problem somewhere.

Which meant she couldn’t immediately give a positive answer.

And the fact that both Yeon and Seo-jun had come, clearly trying to win her favor, rubbed her the wrong way.

I don’t like feeling played.

But she had to admit—she liked that he stood his ground, meeting her head-on instead of yielding.

Calling himself willing to be Yeon’s “dog” didn’t sound like disrespect toward the royal family.

And wanting to be her sword—that was also appealing.

A woman like Yeon, who dove headfirst into trouble, needed a husband who could fight, defend, and negotiate when necessary.

Seo-jun fit the bill.

Still, he needed to learn just how formidable the Imperial Family could be.

“Have you read the Sajasohaak?”

The Sajasohaak (“Four-Character Elementary Learning”) was a primer used in Joseon-era village schools to teach manners and daily etiquette.

In modern terms, it was kindergarten—or at most, early elementary level. But in an age of tablets and digital textbooks, it was an oddity to have read it at all.

Of course, in the Imperial Family, they still taught from the Thousand Character Classic up through the Four Books and Three Classics.

“Husband and wife must be able to converse. If you don’t know what Yeon knows, how can you talk to her?”

Oh was certain Seo-jun had never even seen the cover.

Her sharp gaze locked on him, expecting to see embarrassment on his face.

Instead, a smile spread across his lips.

A twitch jumped under her eye.

“Shall I recite it for you?”