제 71 부

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Sae Joo scanned the crowd, looking for the sender of such a blasphemous gift. He has observed similar reactions. The council members were all confused but Dae Wong stood out them all. His colorless, horrified face made the Prince feel suspicious. With the minister's exaggerated reaction, it would be too dumb to just flush it out—Sae Joo had no idea about the whole story behind his uncle and the King's right hand's faces but his instincts were screaming straight to his face. After this gathering, ask them. Everyone in the court seemed to have no idea where the cloth came from.

To stop the growing commotion, the Prince cleared his throat and announced, his lips moved sideways into a controlled smile. "Well, this one is an interesting gift though. I didn't know that icebreakers could be presented on the finale. Whoever sent this one, I must applaud you. This is a good comic relief! But please... spell my name correctly the next time. It's Sae Joo, not Sae Yoo."

He raised the note and showed it to the crowd. The noblemen did not know how to react so they just came up with the same reaction. They all laughed at Sae Joo's speech. Unnatural and awkward. But on the bright side, like passing through the eye of a storm, there was a momentary ambiance of lightness and ease. Maybe someone just wanted to crack a joke. If the Prince did not take it seriously, who were they to judge?

After the opening of the final gift, the event ended as if nothing strange had happened. The noblemen sent their final congratulatory messages to the Prince and his bride before they left. As the crowd dissipated, Dae Wong approached Sae Joo with his worried face. The Prince gently shoved him away and jetted out of the hall with his bodyguard. He strode back to his chambers and strictly ordered his ladies-in-waiting and the guards to not let anyone in for a few moments.

Inside, he placed the controversial cloth on top of his table and spread it wide. He flipped it a few times, inspecting its familiar design. A sudden memory from his childhood flashed into his mind as he remembered an exact copy of the cloth, but with a different color.

"That's right!" he turned to Shun and revealed, "This is the same as my baby wrapper. That's why it's so familiar."

Shun squinted as he also surveyed the said silk. He suddenly blurted with the sudden realization, "Your Highness!"

The stunned prince's forehead folded, "What is it?"

"Uh, the day before I went to Seorabeol to buy my father's medicine, I found our old underground storage room open. It has never been opened ever since I was born. That was the first time that I saw the door gaping wide so I stormed inside. I found this chest which contained all of my father's old belongings—including the headband, remember?"

Sae Joo interrupted his bodyguard, confused with his jabbers, "W-wa-wait, where is this going?"

"In that chest, I saw a baby cloth with the same design. I just remembered it now. They had the same design—blue also but at the bottom, there was an embroidered name. I wasn't able to read it because my father had already called my name."

The Prince hurriedly searched at the bottom, and he was shocked to find an embroidered name. Shun turned pale, his lips and throat dried out. "That's it! But no way... There's no way that my father would send that to you, Your Highness. There must be a mistake, right? They are framing up my father! I will hunt those impudent..."

"Relax, Shun." Sae Joo grabbed Shun's arm, preventing him to do harsh actions. "I don't think that way. I believe in you and Muhyuk-ahjussi's goodness. I know he won't do this to me... You said that you haven't read the name, so maybe this is different from your father's. This cloth is common, anyone can have it, anyone can imprint names on it. Alright?"

"Forgive my insolence, Your Highness." Shun's red face gradually stabilized in color as he inhaled and exhaled deeply.

"No. It's fine. I know your fear. A suspect is a suspect. You know how the palace works. They wouldn't leave your father alone if they knew about what you have said. I might react the same if I were you. Just calm down, Shun. Your father won't be involved with this."

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