“Why’d you steal it?” Mai asked, hands tightening into fists.
Ni Seung couldn’t meet her eyes. “I know this might seem far-fetched, but I believe I was framed.”
“You’re right. That is far-fetched.”
“I do not know how it got in my bag,” the boy continued. He showed no concern over her suspicion of him. In fact, his expression had hardly changed at all. “I hope that now that it’s been returned to His Highness, the matter will resolve itself.”
Hmph. That was presumptuous.
“What makes you think the matter will resolve itself. Someone was wrongly accused because of you,” Mai said. This would be what Min-jun would say in this situation, surely.
“But it was no fault of mine,” Seung said, his voice pitching slightly.
“Prove it.”
Seung faltered, his confidence failing him. “I-I have no way of doing so.”
Min-jun would be back soon. She just had to keep Seung here until he returned. This was none of her business anyhow. What did it matter to her if the book was returned or not? Or if the culprit ran away? Mai had done worse than stealing. Something like this hardly fazed her. But it’s important to Min-jun. And Min-jun, even if he was a murderer, even if he’d killed her father, had taken her away from Mother’s control. Mai often felt as if she’d suddenly acquired a debt she could never repay. But she could still try, in these little ways. So when the day came that she had to keep her promise and kill him, at least her debt would be cleared.
“Don’t sneak around, then,” Mai told him, crossing her arms. “If you’re not a thief, Min-jun will be able to tell.”
“Min-jun?”
Mai scrunched up her nose, before repeating the tile painstakingly. “His Highness Royal Noble Consort Hui.”
“Ah, I did not know you were so familiar with His Highness that you refer to him by his first name.” Seung looked around the office and its sparse furnishings, swaying slightly on the balls of his feet. “The weather is dreadful today.”
“It is.”
Something like concern flashed across his face, as he mumbled something to himself, too quiet for Mai to hear. She was prepared for anything, so she did not mind his secrecy. They stood in silence for a long while, Seung making no attempt to escape the room, and Mai watching him as if he might attack at any moment. Until, eventually, footsteps approached the room.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Well, that was wholly unnecessary,” Min-jun’s voice rang clear behind the paper doors. “But at least . . .” He opened the doors in one swift motion, standing there, overdressed as usual, with his clothes dotted with rain droplets. “It did expedite things.”
Vfecu rjcx lcab j ibk ybk jujlc, tlr ojmf atf rjwf yijcx rijaf la kjr ktfc tf’v olgra fcafgfv atf gbbw. “Tbeg Llutcfrr!”
Mgbw yftlcv Zlc-pec, atf batfg ybs, Jtbl Tecu, rafqqfv lcab nlfk, tlr fzqgfrrlbc ecgfjvjyif obg bcmf. Vec rabbv bc Zlc-pec’r batfg rlvf jr ereji, nlulijca.
Zlc-pec kjixfv lc ab rajcv ys Zjl, yea Vfecu’r fsfr tjv jigfjvs ifoa tlw, rajglcu ragjluta jtfjv ab Tecu. Mbg atf olgra alwf, rbwfatlcu mibrf ab qjclm abbx Vfecu, ogffhlcu tlw lc qijmf.
“Be at ease.” Min-jun’s voice was soft, as he undoubtedly analyzed every single thing about the student in front of him. “You are not in any trouble, though I must thank you for returning the stolen item to us.”
“I could not keep hold of something so precious to His Highness. It would be unjust,” Seung said. Mai could’ve sworn she saw Choi Yung roll his eyes at that. Were the two of them enemies? It didn’t seem like Seung thought of them as such.
“Oh, it’s not mine either,” Min-jun said. He went to sit behind his desk, and Mai thought he looked a bit like the King then, with the same aura of confidence and authority. “I fear the one who this was stolen from would’ve sought to punish someone innocent had it not been returned. That is why I wanted to return it.”
Min-jun flipped through the book, opened to a random page, and nodded to himself.
“You may leave,” Min-jun told the boys. When the two of them turned to go, Min-jun steepled his fingers and added, “I didn’t say both of you could leave. Student Choi, you stay.”
Yung stopped but did not turn to face him. Seung, on the other hand, had a more intense reaction, his calm, collected facade dropping entirely. He whirled around, stepping between Min-jun and Yung, the former appearing unsurprised, while the latter didn’t dare to move still.
“Yung had nothing to do with this,” Seung said, raising one arm as if trying the shield the other student. “We went to the store together, but he was looking at ink sets the entire time. It could not have been him.”
“I understand,” Min-jun said. “Don’t worry, student Choi will not be punished, you have my word. But I must speak to him in private.”
Yung placed a hand on Seung’s arm with a reassuring smile on his face. “I trust His Highness. Seung-ah, you should go.”
Seung appeared hesitant still, but he did as he was told, casting one last concerned glance to Yung before sliding the doors shut. They waited for the footsteps to fade, and then Min-jun heaved a sigh, massaging his forehead.
“All this for a book.”
. . .
Min-jun lifted his head. As much as he enjoyed solving cases, they never ceased to weigh on his mind.
“Student Yung, just what were you thinking when you put that book in Ni Seung’s belongings?”
Choi Yung blinked. “H-how could I do such a thing? Seung-ah is my friend.”
“I’m wondering the same thing,” Min-jun told him, folding his hands on the table. “Until now. Your acting skills are remarkable but even you can’t hide how resentful you are toward him. What has he done to you to warrant such anger?”
“Resentful?” Yung continued, perplexed. What a clever little actor he was. Truly gifted. “Why would I be resentful?”
Min-jun clicked his tongue, irritation forming a throbbing headache in his temple. “Stop asking so many questions and answer properly. Else I’ll tell the man you were the one who stole from him.”
Yung tilted his head to the side, still pretending to be confused, innocent. And then, his face morphed, slowly, his lips twisting up into a crooked grin, his eyes shining with glee. His face seemed almost broken, twisted. “You’re the first one it hasn’t worked on. I suppose you really were an investigator before getting chained down by the King.”
So, this was his true face. Well, Min-jun had no time for his theatrics.
“Right. So now that we’ve established that . . .”
Yung became more melancholy then, though his smile remained. “I just wanted to see him suffer a little, that’s all.”
How positively psychotic, and yet, Min-jun could relate to it on some level. The desire to see someone suffer so badly that one put their own safety at risk. How tragic. How pointless. “You realize his family could crush you if you’d taken this game any further.”
“I thank Your Highness for your concern, but I’m smart enough to know where the lines are drawn.”
Are you, though? When it came to nobles, lines were drawn and redrawn without much effort. Choi Yung was clearly intelligent, but intelligence usually only put more of a target on your back. “If you were as smart as you say you are, you wouldn’t be going out of your way to terrorize one of the only allies you have.”
“Your Highness is truly wise.”
By now, it had become quite evident that people only called an authority figure wise when they wanted to mock them.
Well, it’s naive to think someone would change overnight. How had the son of a carpenter become so twisted, anyway?
“You may leave,” Min-jun told him. “Your next class will be starting soon.”
Choi Yung bowed and turned to leave, again with that same impeccable posture of a noble’s son. His words, with his facade shaken, were as eloquent and articulate as any educated, rich young man’s. Somewhere inside Min-jun’s mind, the puzzle pieces clicked together.
Unless he was not a carpenter’s son at all. Just . . . who exactly have they let into the Academy?
. . .
Hours passed by and the rain had only become more torrential. Min-jun had finished finalizing his lecture, after poring over the lesson for far longer than was necessary. Shortly after, he also received approval from the Chief (who had only briefly glanced over it before stamping it). Min-jun had Sun read over it twice for any mistakes or leaps in logic, and both times the man had only given small suggestions. Min-jun felt unsatisfied, reviewing the lecture again and again. Was Sun only praising Min-jun due to his status as a royal guard, or was he being genuine? Min-jun couldn’t be sure, but he couldn’t imagine anyone who knew him as the King’s consort being honest with him. Well, save for the King himself . . .
Ridiculous. Min-jun did not need his opinion.
That was what he told himself as he stepped into the rain, which was intent on soaking him through. The King had not been exaggerating when he’d done his little weather prediction that morning. And now Min-jun had to walk through it. His clothes would be irrevocably dirtied. Min-jun let out a small groan, dreading the damage to these beautiful blue robes.
He headed for the entrance regardless, trying to maintain some dignity as he did so. However, when he reached the gate of the Academy, a crowd blocked him. They were all facing the street, scholars, instructors, and students alike, a sea of different shades of blue
“Now, what’s all this fuss about,” Min-jun asked, loud enough for the people closest to him to hear. They turned, and with them the rest of the crowd. And just as quickly, they parted for him, creating a makeshift path for Min-jun and his companions to reach the street. Min-jun exchanged a look with Sun, who nodded, his hand on the hilt of his sword. More confident, Min-jun looked behind him to make sure Mai hadn’t lost her way. She moved a bit closer to him, her hand reaching for the fabric of his sleeve.
They moved together, the crowd bowing as they passed. There was only one man who could make them act like this.
“My love,” the King stepped out of his palanquin in all his glory, the gloomy weather only accentuating his beauty. Min-jun was quite certain the King could make any environment accentuate his beauty.
The crowd was now kneeling on the wet ground, their faces to the ground. The King paid them no mind, as he made his way over to Min-jun in his striking dark blue and gold ensemble. He did not seem to get as drenched as Min-jun was. That didn’t seem quite fair.
“Oh, my love,” the King told him, reaching a hand out to the servants behind him. One of them pulled out a towel from inside the palanquin, and the King wrapped it around Min-jun’s shoulders. “You must be freezing. Let us be off now.” He gestured to the (smaller) palanquins near the Royal Carriage. One for him, and one for Mai.
With the eyes of the entire Academy still on him, Min-jun decided to put on an act. He glanced to the side, biting his lip, the picture of a bashful, but enamored, bride. “Y-your Majesty. Thank you.”
The King’s violet eyes twinkled with mirth, his lips pulling up into a barely concealed laugh. Behind them, a number of students and scholars sighed. “How romantic!”
As he drew closer, Min-jun glanced at the soaking men who carried the palanquin. Poor souls. They could blame their King for forcing them to come all the way here.
And besides that, the King had shown up decidedly too late. Min-jun was already cold and drenched. This won the King no favors, in Min-jun’s humble opinion.
Even so, as Min-jun watched the King through the window of the palanquin, he had to admit his heart felt a little warmer.
A/N: All this over a book? Let us not forgot the jade bracelet Min-jun gave up heheh. Thank you for reading! If you liked it, please leave a comment!
Choi Yung another consort son? Or an illegitimate son? Too many choices right now lol
Thank you for chapter
Yung is definitely shady. That is all I will say for now. Thank you for commenting!
Hmmmmm 🧐 i have no idea what is going on with this kid choi yung but i can’t wait to know
Choi Yung is full of surprises, and I can’t wait to write more about him. Thank you so much for commenting!
How are these kids so crooked… Sigh.
Thanks for the chapter ♥️♥️
No one in this novel is sane sigh. Min-jun has his hands full with these crazy kids. I wonder when he’ll finally realize his true calling is running an orphanage.
Thank you for commenting!
Surely Min-jun knows Cheol would never let him walk home in the rain. Wet clothes clinging to his body, pink cheeks lol not if they can make a show in front of the scholars instead!
Heheh, you know exactly what’s on Cheol’s mind. Gotta show off while also telling everyone else to back off.
Thank you for commenting!
Wait doesn’t Min-jun have a class to teach?! Lol thanks for the chapter! Have been really enjoying reading this.
Good question! The class is in a few days but he’s been working on it for a while. He was supposed to be ready with it in this chapter, but the whole business with Choi Yung distracted him and forced him to move it up.
Thank you so much for commenting! I’m so glad you’re enjoying it!