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"My lady," Da-hee gasped. "What was all that about? Who is this lord that he was saying earlier?"
Manoeuvring through the market crowd, Eun-bi couldn't wipe the grin off her face as they made their way home. "Nobody, really. He's just my route to my retirement plans."
Da-hee raised one brow at her. "I'm not getting you."
"It's nothing, this matter is too complicated for your small, delicate brain anyway."
"Well," her maid lifted her chin challengingly. "At least I'm born with a small face."
"Fine, I'll give you that. Now, hush. You're putting too much effort into talking instead of walking. Come on, hasten your pace."
"Who was the one who started it?!"
Laughing, Eun-bi tugged on Da-hee's hands and threw a few glances behind them to ensure that they were no longer being followed. Whoever that boy was earlier, he was being rather persistent and it was kind of hard to shrug him off their tails.
"I hope that you won't get into trouble for angering a young master from another household," Da-hee mumbled with a sigh. "Mistress is restless enough. Adding more troubles to her shoulders would make her mood swings worse."
Eun-bi brought her palm to her face, shaking her head at the dreary thought. "This is why you aren't telling my mother anything if she asks, you hear me? We're keeping this a secret between the both of us."
"You know I can't lie when I'm nervous, especially in front of her."
"Well..." Eun-bi drawled. "You better pick up on your acting skills. It might come in handy one day like, let's say, when your lover is having an affair and you'll have to start snooping about without him finding out."
Da-hee stopped in her tracks, their interlocked hands made Eun-bi skid to a stop.
With her nostrils flared and her face heated in annoyance, Da-hee retorted. "He's not like that!"
"I'm just saying it might happen..." The grin on Eun-bi's face dropped at the sight of her maid's murderous expression. "...or maybe not."
"Stop jinxing my love life!"
"Fine, fine..." She swung their interlaced hands between them, trying to ease the tension. While doing so, she couldn't suppress the smile on her face, knowing that Da-hee hadn't realised she had accidentally loosened her tongue.
"So... What is the name of our lover-boy?"
In return, she was warmly greeted with another death glare.
When they returned back to the Hwang manor, Eun-bi was delighted to find a letter from Yoo-jung who had asked a maid to have it delivered from the palace to their home. The sight of the familiar handwriting augmented her excitement and she hopped onto her bed to read it.
To the world's cheekiest and loveliest sister,
It has only been a few days since we last saw each other but I'm already missing you so much. I'm aware of how worried you are about my wellbeing, but please rest assured that I've settled well into the palace. It is truly a beautiful place.
I've also discovered the little treat you had hidden away in my baggage — thank you for that. I'll eat the sweets whenever I think of home.
In the meantime, promise me that you won't cause too much trouble for Father and Mother. I'll be back home soon.
– Yoo-jung
Reading her sister's letter, a huge grin formed on Eun-bi's face. She carefully folded the paper in half, tucked it under her pillow and rested her head on it. A pleasant dream arrived in her sleep and had her waking up with a smile later that morning, but sadly, she couldn't remember a single detail about it.
***
The following night, Eun-bi found herself facing another obstacle.
Tugging on the horse reins, she walked down the dimly-lit streets. For some reason, Bo-mi was rather restless after being cooped up in the shed all day, which was why she had decided to bring him out on a night ride to relieve his stress.
But that was about to turn into one of the biggest mistakes she had ever made.
Standing next to her, Bo-mi was neighing restlessly. He flipped his soft, raven mane and slapped his owner's cheek in the process, desperately trying hard to catch her attention. However, Eun-bi's gaze was focused elsewhere. She licked her dry lips nervously, eyeing the familiar boy standing in front of her.
From the expression on his face, she knew that he had caught up to her lie.
Trying to act as nonchalant as possible, she greeted the 'stalker' that she had met earlier that day with a wave of her fingers.
"We meet again, sir. How are you?"
"Not good, unfortunately," Hyun-jun answered with a grim look. "After what you've told me, my lady, I scouted every pawnshop in the capital with my subordinates but the jade charm still remains nowhere to be found."
"Is that so? What a pity that is."
However, Hyun-jun didn't seem to buy her lie this time. He shifted from one foot to the other, his intense gaze weighing on her heavily. He was definitely suspicious of her.
"My lady, I need you to be a lot more honest with me."
Eun-bi swallowed thickly. Seeing how thorough his search for the jade charm was, she had clearly underestimated him. She would give him the credit; he was a lot more competent at his job than she had thought.
"That's strange..." she mused thoughtfully. "Maybe someone has purchased it right after I pawned it?"
"No." Hyun-jun shook his head firmly. "Even though I provided them the description, none of them have seen it before. My lady, the jade charm... It is still with you, isn't it?
Oh heavens.
It seemed like Eun-bi got busted before she could even meet Minister Park's son. What was her backup plan again?
...
...
Wait, she forgot to make one!
Eun-bi scratched her cheek awkwardly. "You see, sir–"
He corrected her quickly. "Please, my lady. Call me Hyun-jun."
"Hyun-jun... To be honest with you, I–I broke the jade charm into two." The lies that were tumbling out of her mouth were quicker than when she was throwing grapes up in the air and catching them in her mouth. "But I'll fix it up right away! Do you think your lord will be mad at me? May I personally meet up with him to apologise for my mistake?"
Hyun-jun ate her lies this time. He looked so gravely stricken by her words that she felt bad for tricking him.
"You can give it to me, I-I'll fix them instead!"
"B-but how are you going to do that?"
"I'll figure out a way!"
Frustrated, she resisted the urge to pull her hair strands. God! Could he just stop hindering her from meeting the owner of the jade charm?
As Hyun-jun begged her, thunder rumbled in the dark clouds above them, warning people of the rain that was approaching soon. This caused a brief thought to cross Eun-bi's mind — she certainly hoped she wouldn't be struck by lightning for all the lies she had spoken.
Instead of answering Hyun-jun, she heaved herself up onto her horse's back. "I have to go! My mother is going to be so worried if I'm home any later than this!"
Despite his protests, she dismissed him and nudged her horse forward. Bo-mi broke into a gallop and they sailed past the poor boy, escaping from his hands once again. When they rounded the corner at the end of the street, they were caught off guard by something else.
A tall silhouette obstructed their path.
Startled, Bo-mi lifted his front legs up in the air as he skidded to a stop. To her horror, the sudden motion threw Eun-bi off the saddle for the second time in less than a week.
Good heavens! How could her horse be spooked by a mere man when it should be the other way instead?
And forget about that – she was falling!
Just as she thought she was about to land on her back and break a few ribs, the impact that she expected never came. Instead, a pair of strong hands wrapped around her waist as someone broke her fall, pulled her into his chest and held her steady.
When she glanced up, her eyes finally connected with the mysterious man.
And she finally understood why poor Bo-mi was startled by him.
With eyes as cold as the winter wind, the hauntingly beautiful man's gaze rested on her face. When his lips parted, his voice was surprisingly as light as a feather.
"Are you alright?"
––
A/N: It's my first time writing such a witty main character, I hope I didn't disappoint. (>_<)
Anyways, hope you guys are doing well at home and stay safe! 🌻