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“Three rooms would mean I could even give Eonnyeon her own room.”

Lost in the thought, Iseo blinked in surprise at himself. He had been planning to leave Hanyang and head south, yet merely hearing that there were three rooms was enough to shake his resolve.

Just as Iseo tried to compose himself and shake his head, Danyang continued speaking.

“The owner is offering the lease at an incredibly cheap price. The moment I heard it, I thought of you, Young Master Iseo, so I haven’t told anyone else yet. And the place is spotless. As you know, thatched houses are full of bugs, aren’t they? But this one is a tiled-roof house, and it even has several hearths.”

At the mention of a tiled-roof house, Han Seojae suddenly came to Iseo’s mind again. Along with the man who had told him he could come pick plums whenever he wished if he stayed there together with him.

“There’s also a separate storage room for food supplies. The walls are thick and the ceiling is high, so it stays cool even during summer. They say ingredients can be stored there for a long time.”

A storage room for food ingredients had long been one of Iseo’s wishes. Danyang continued.

“There’s also a fairly spacious rear garden behind the house. I heard it once belonged to a noble family that lived quite comfortably. Maybe that’s why they planted all kinds of flowers there. One side of the garden even has a small vegetable patch attached, so if you sow seeds there, you won’t have to worry about side dishes.”

“Excuse me.”

“Please don’t hesitate to ask if you’re curious about anything.”

Danyang spoke with an easygoing smile.

“Why did the noble family who lived there before decide to sell the house?”

Remembering his grandfather who had been branded a traitor and died, Iseo asked cautiously.

“Ah! It was because of their health. I heard they put the house up for lease and moved to the warmer southern provinces with cleaner air.”

“That’s a relief.”

Iseo said as he pressed a hand to his chest. Thankfully, it wasn’t a case like his grandfather’s.

“What do you mean?”

Danyang asked, puzzled. Startled, Iseo reddened slightly and mumbled an excuse.

“O-Oh, it’s nothing. More importantly, if the shop is so spacious and even comes with such a fine house, wouldn’t the rent be very expensive?”

“I’d practically give it away for free if I could…”

“Pardon?”

“Ahem, nothing. A slip of the tongue. I was distracted for a moment. It won’t be that expensive. The owner is an extremely generous person.”

The house Danyang was introducing to Iseo was one of Ryun’s private residences in Hanyang. Aside from the fact that many people passed by the front during the daytime market hours, it was an excellent house. It had a spacious yard and rear garden, and the delicate landscaping was exquisite.

To lease it to Iseo, they had removed the main gate and built a fairly wide storefront, which made the yard somewhat smaller, but the garden itself remained completely untouched.

Since it was near the market district, it was useful for gauging public sentiment in an area with heavy foot traffic, and above all, it was close to the entertainment district.

Prince Je-an had lavishly praised the house as ideal for understanding the people’s mood, though Danyang had scoffed at that statement. If that were truly the reason, then why was it that the prince hardly ever stayed there except on days he visited Haeweolgak?

By the time they had walked further, they had reached the market district. Danyang pointed at a place and said,

“That’s the house.”

Iseo’s mouth fell open. This far exceeded anything he had imagined. He had only pictured a small tiled-roof house with three rooms, but as if mocking that modest expectation, the wide shop was designed so the kitchen could be seen at a glance, and the countertops were set at the perfect height for him without needing to bend over.

And that wasn’t all. There was a huge hearth large enough to hold three cauldrons at once, and there was even a system installed nearby to draw water directly into the kitchen.

“The owner built the shop for leasing and made sure to equip it with all sorts of facilities, so it should be very convenient for running a business.”

Glancing at the stunned Iseo, Danyang swung the shop doors wide open. Inside the spacious entrance were several tables and chairs where customers could rest, and through the slightly open back door, a beautiful garden with lush green grass could be seen.

“B-But is it really alright for me to use a place like this?”

His resolve never to make sweets in Hanyang again had already begun to fade before the splendid appearance of the shop.

“Goodness, of course it is. This place is perfectly suited to become Iseodang, wouldn’t you agree?”

Noticing that Iseo was already halfway convinced, Danyang smiled warmly and encouraged him further. Of course it was suitable. This had once been the residence of royalty, after all. It was a house that had passed through Ryun’s notoriously exacting aesthetic standards.

Still, he absolutely could not reveal any of that before Iseo. Wearing an intentionally casual expression, he asked,

“So, do you like it?”

With a dazed expression, Iseo slowly nodded. How could anyone not like a shop like this?

“It feels too good for someone like me. Honestly, the rent sounds frighteningly expensive because it’s so nice, but I really do love it.”

The shop was so neatly built that merely having the chance to look around already felt like a blessing.

“Oh dear, what are you saying!”

Danyang’s chest tightened because he could not reveal that the shop and house had been built solely for Iseo.

“Please don’t worry about the rent. The owner said that since you’ll be moving and organizing your household during the first month, you won’t need to pay anything. Starting from the following month, it’ll only be ten nyang.”

“Per month?”

Shocked by the unbelievably generous terms, Iseo repeated the question.

“Of course. Per month. Now, shall we take a look at the house? You should inspect whether there’s anything you dislike or anything that needs fixing. If there is, I’ll immediately inform the owner and have it repaired.”

Smiling broadly, Danyang led Iseo through the back door of the shop toward the modest tiled-roof house. Though traces of age remained, the house had been maintained so neatly that there was not a single crack or damaged corner requiring repair. It looked perfect.

“So then, would you like to sign the contract?”

Danyang asked carefully. Though he knew that Iseo was not as fragile as he appeared and was strong enough to take care of his family, the sight of his slender limbs and waist that looked thin enough to fit within one hand still made him sigh with pity.

Yet despite clearly liking the shop very much, Iseo still hesitated to agree to the contract. Did he still wish to leave far away? Growing quietly anxious, Danyang pressed him gently.

“If you don’t hurry and sign, someone else will snatch it up.”

“……”

He clearly seemed interested, so his hesitation felt strange. Growing frustrated, Danyang moved closer and carefully watched him.

“Young master, they said they’d fix anything you don’t like. What’s the problem?”

“Not long ago, my older brother was scammed and had to pay back a large sum of money.”

At Iseo’s words, Danyang immediately fell silent.

“It’s hard to believe I could rent such a shop and house so cheaply. I keep wondering if I might be getting scammed too, just like my brother.”

“Young master, do you not trust me?”

Truthfully, Danyang himself wasn’t someone who trusted himself very much. But this was hardly the time to worry about that. Somehow, they had to keep this talented young man in Hanyang. The Dowager Queen’s health depended on it, it was Ryun’s command, and it was also the wish of Yuji, the most celebrated courtesan in Hanyang. Even lies would have to be fabricated if necessary.

At Danyang’s words, Iseo looked at him. The clear eyes directed toward him made Danyang flinch, as though his dark intentions had been exposed.

“No, it’s just that the thought suddenly occurred to me. Why would such favorable conditions come to someone like me? Nothing like this has ever happened before.”

Perhaps this was the same kind of scam that had deceived Hyunwoo. The conditions before him were simply too good, making it difficult to judge objectively.

At the same time, he understood Hyunwoo a little better. His brother surely hadn’t intentionally gotten scammed just to trouble Iseo. Still, knowing that did little to ease the pain of the repeated misfortunes they faced.

Letting out a quiet sigh, Iseo seemed to make up his mind and looked at Danyang.

“Then again, no matter who it is, I suppose it’s unlikely someone would bother lying to a person with nothing like me just to earn ten nyang a month. When would it be best for me to move in?”

“Exactly, exactly. Please trust me. You know how long I’ve worked as a broker at the end of that market alley, don’t you?”

Iseo nodded at Danyang’s words.

“Well then, since they say you should strike while the iron’s hot, how about writing the contract right now?”

Danyang pointed toward the alley where his own shop was located.

“It has to be Prince Je-an!”

At Seoyeon’s stubborn declaration as she tightly pressed her lips together, Choi Chiseong’s face crumpled miserably. Unlike his son Choi Sihwan, Seoyeon was a clever child. Perhaps the problem was that she had always been such an obedient daughter who never caused trouble, so he had treasured her dearly and granted her every wish.

“Seoyeon.”

Far from sounding like the nation’s most powerful man, Choi Chiseong’s voice was almost pleading.

“Prince Je-an is, well…”

“He’s royalty in name only and such a penniless wreck that it wouldn’t be surprising if he dropped dead tomorrow.”

Unable to say such words to his precious and lovely daughter, Choi Chiseong merely coughed awkwardly and stared up at the ceiling for a moment.

“I have never seen a man more exceptional than him. Aren’t you the most powerful man in the country, Father? Then naturally, it’s only proper that I marry the finest man in the nation as well.”

Internally, Choi Chiseong was impressed. Whose daughter was she, to be this clever? Yet anyone who knew even a little about the current political situation would never say such things. Still, he couldn’t expose his own ugly truths just to explain reality to his daughter, leaving him in quite the predicament.

Wanting to remain a kind and admirable father in his daughter’s eyes, Choi Chiseong had always embellished the things he did at court when speaking to her. How could he now explain the vicious factional struggles and blood-soaked political battles? His daughter Seoyeon deserved to see only the beautiful and pleasant things in the world.

“Ahem, Seoyeon.”

Dragging out her name, Choi Chiseong called to his daughter. Seoyeon’s brow twitched. Whenever her father stretched out his words like that, it usually meant he intended to refuse her request.

“Yes?”

“You may not know where you happened to meet that damned fellow— ahem, I mean Prince Je-an — but one cannot judge a man merely by appearances. Though Prince Je-an may look all polished and handsome like some pretty playboy, he’s actually a deeply scheming man. Just listen to the rumors going around…”

“Father.”

Lowering her eyes prettily, Seoyeon called out to him.

“W-What is it?”

“I do not wish to hear you speak ill of the man who is to become my husband. And Grandmother always says that a man ultimately depends on how his woman handles him.”