Chapter 18. Meeting (4)

Sohyeon’s assistant whispered in her ear about Eunha.

“Ah… You are the little maid of the courtesan house.”

Only then did Eunha come to her senses and bow her head respectfully,

“My name is Eunha.”

“Ok, Eunha… By the way, how long were you at Young Master Shihoon’s house? I didn’t see you come in.”

“I came to see him about an hour ago, but he was busy with other things… he barely paid any attention to me so I’m leaving now.”

‘How can I tell so many lies?’

Eunha bit her lip, thinking that if she continued like this she would end up in hell. Then Sohyeon, who was looking at Eunha’s frozen blue hands, held out something wrapped in a pretty handkerchief.

Eunha, with her eyes wide open, hesitated whether she should accept it. This caused the assistant behind Sohyeon to scream fiercely,

“What are you doing?! Take what the young lady is giving you right away. Insolent.”

“Yes! Yes!”

Eunha quickly reached out and took what Sohyeon offered. Her fingertips, as smooth as porcelain, brushed the rough back of her hand. What Sohyeon gave her was a warm stone wrapped in a handkerchief.

“Whenever your hands get cold, touch it to warm them up. You shouldn’t have such rough hands with such a pretty face. It retains heat quite well. When it cools down, put it on the fire for a while so you can use it again.”

“Ok, thank you. Thank you so much.”

Eunha couldn’t bear to look at Sohyeon’s face, whose heart seemed as beautiful as her face.

She felt bad for wanting to pair Shihoon up with Yongi. However, Sohyeon wasn’t that kind-hearted.

“You’re welcome. See you later, take care.”

“You too, bye.”

Eunha bowed and ran, holding the stone that Sohyeon had given her as a treasure. As she ran to the bookshop, she passed many familiar faces, but she didn’t stop.

The stone in her arms was quite warm. She felt a little sad, to the point that her chest hurt, because she had not been honest with the young lady.

***

“Please tell me right now. You know him, right? I mean the lord. What’s his status?”

The bookshop owner, Mr. Song, was not amused when Eunha suddenly burst in and asked so many questions. He couldn’t help but raise his voice,

“He’s your lord, why are you asking me that?! I told you I don’t know him!”

“You lie. Mister, your beard twitches whenever you lie. Did you know that?”

“Jeez. Where do you get such nonsense?”

“Mister, do you think I don’t notice things? I won’t go around talking about it, so please tell me. Who is he?”

The bookshop owner, who had to kick out all the customers, sighed heavily and looked at the door blocked by Eunha, who had a ferocious aura.

“You… Lock the door and sit here.”

Only then did Eunha calm down. Once she approached, the bookshop owner asked,

“Did something happen while you were in there?”

“It’s normal that something happens every day. Please tell me at once. Is he a high-status man?”

“That’s right, he’s a high-status man…”

Eunha gulped and her ears pricked up as the bookshop owner hesitated.

A moment later, Mr. Song pretended to fan himself gently in this cold weather, looked away, and blurted out his words so fast it was almost inaudible.

“The Deposed Crown Prince.”

“What?”

“The Deposed Crown Prince.”

“What did you say…?”

“Ah, you little fool! Seo Jihak, the Deposed Crown Prince, don’t you know who he is?”

‘Am I hearing wrong? Or am I dreaming?’

The lord was not just any high-status man who is in a rural town outside the capital… but the deposed crown prince.

Eunha held back her surprise and covered her mouth with both hands. Then, with a dazed expression on her face, she silently stood up and walked to a corner of the bookshop.

Mr. Song, who hurried to follow her, spoke to her as if to reassure her,

“Don’t worry, Eunha. He said he was just looking for someone to read books to him. More than 15 days have already passed, how many more could there be left? I think about a month will be enough.”

“About a month? Mister… In fifteen days I still haven’t read a single book! And I have to read thirty books, thirty books!”

“Wow, isn’t that too slow? I didn’t expect it to be so many books and so difficult. Still, the payout is pretty generous, isn’t it?”

‘That’s true, but…’

Eunha squatted in the corner of the bookshop and reflected on her actions in front of the lord.

One by one, embarrassing and shocking events flashed through her mind, including the time she accidentally entered his bathhouse and took a look at his naked body.

“Ahh, what do I do, mister? Do you think I can save my life? Huh?”

Finally, Eunha’s eyes filled with tears. Surprised, Mr. Song looked around in bewilderment. Suddenly, he picked up a book and put it in her hand.

“Take this. Men really like dirty things. I haven’t met a man who doesn’t like that! So even the lord…”

“Yes?”

“Cough, I mean… Just take it! You’ll know once you read it! You’ll see!”

Once Eunha held the book, the bookshop owner pulled her hand.

“I have to work hard to earn a living, to feed my children and save you too. Eunha, not much has happened so far, but I’m afraid of what might happen later. Come on, believe me. Yes? Now I have to take care of my business, so I can’t talk to you anymore.”

Eunha was practically pushed out of the bookshop. Thrown out the door, she looked back and forth between the book in her arms and the bookstore owner before he slammed the door shut. She stomped her foot and screamed,

“Mister!”