Flower Dream Chapter 23

“Mmm, I’ll try to keep an open mind.”

Dan Yuha nodded slightly. It would be a lie to say he didn’t feel pressured, but still, his shoulders felt a little lighter than before.

“…People who don’t know assume His Highness the Prince lives a happier life than others and envy him. But from the perspective of someone who has watched him up close, I absolutely cannot agree with that.”

“Pardon?”

“As you probably know, Perfumer Dan, His Highness has had more sleepless nights than restful ones from childhood to the present. Especially over the past few months, it was truly painful to watch.”

Hyeok Ryeoa’s eyes narrowed slightly. What filled her face was a sense of self-reproach. She couldn’t have felt more pathetic about herself, having been unable to do anything for her lord, who couldn’t fall asleep peacefully even for a single day. Each time, she had comforted herself by saying things would get better once they returned to the imperial capital.

But Hyeok Ryeoa’s expectations were shattered. Neither the royal physicians of the Imperial Medical Bureau, who would be lauded as master doctors outside the palace, nor the prominent perfumers with decades of experience could alleviate Shin Ryuwon’s insomnia symptoms. And all they did was make excuses, talking about side effects of suppressants, or excessive use of sleeping pills and sedatives.

Because such incidents were frequent, she hadn’t paid much attention to Dan Yuha just yesterday. Yet he had outperformed numerous royal physicians and perfumers and succeeded in putting Shin Ryuwon to sleep. The one she hadn’t expected at all—a fledgling perfumer who had just passed the state examination.

That was why Hyeok Ryeoa felt both sorry and grateful toward Dan Yuha. She felt guilty for having unconsciously dismissed him based solely on his experience, and deeply indebted to him for giving her precious lord a gift of sound sleep.

Recalling Shin Ryuwon, who had seemed in a good mood for the first time in a long while this morning, a faint smile played at the corners of Hyeok Ryeoa’s lips. Even if it was just one day, just a single stroke of luck, it didn’t matter. The fact that the fatigue had completely faded from her lord’s face, as she had seen that morning, was enough.

“Thank you once again. I entrust His Highness to your care from now on as well.”

Hyeok Ryeoa bowed her head toward Dan Yuha, unaware that she herself was smiling. It was the utmost courtesy and expression of gratitude she could offer.

“You don’t have to go this far…”

Dan Yuha was flustered and at a loss seeing Hyeok Ryeoa bowing politely to him. In fact, she didn’t need to speak to him so respectfully. The captain of the guard for the Prince, who led the Imperial Fifth Guard, was of an incomparably higher status than Yuha, a mere craftsman. For someone so distinguished to lower herself and make a request was astonishing.

And it wasn’t just her. Mun Sewon, too, and Chief Eunuch Baek and Senior Court Lady Kim had all shown Dan Yuha respect from their very first meeting. They had also been consistently courteous.

After fidgeting restlessly, Dan Yuha soon seemed to make a resolution and moved his lips with a determined expression.

“I promise you, Captain Hyeok. I may only have a few days to serve His Highness, but… I will do my best, with all my heart, to assist him. So please, raise your head now.”

From Hyeok Ryeoa’s expression, attitude, and voice, her loyalty toward Shin Ryuwon was strongly felt. So Yuha also responded seriously to her request.

In fact, even if Hyeok Ryeoa hadn’t specifically asked, Dan Yuha would have done his utmost to attend to Shin Ryuwon. His passion to help his benefactor was by no means inferior to hers.

“Well, perhaps even after a few days, he might continue to…”

Hyeok Ryeoa straightened her upper body and murmured quietly. It was a small mutter, too soft for Dan Yuha to hear.

“Pardon? What did you just say…”

“It’s nothing.”

Hyeok Ryeoa nonchalantly glossed over her mutter and cast a favorable glance at Dan Yuha. It was fortunate she had stopped herself before saying something she shouldn’t yet.

“I was worried my words might become another burden to you, Perfumer Dan… I am merely grateful that you accepted so readily.”

Hyeok Ryeoa subtly tightened the corners of her mouth to hide her embarrassment. She had almost made a mistake, carried away by the fact that Shin Ryuwon had slept soundly for the first time in months.

Hyeok Ryeoa inwardly repeated that getting ahead of oneself was forbidden and calmed her excitement. There were still several more opportunities to confirm Dan Yuha’s potential and talent. The proposal to work together for the Third Prince could wait; it wouldn’t be too late to make it afterward.

But could someone who had succeeded once fail twice? She was already seeing that the possibility of Dan Yuha joining them was not entirely nonexistent.

What if the sleeping incense worked again tonight?

Aside from herself, Chief Eunuch Baek and Senior Court Lady Kim would also try to recruit Dan Yuha immediately. Of course, the final decision would be Shin Ryuwon’s, but.

“…”

As Hyeok Ryeoa fell silent to rein in her excited emotions, a brief stillness settled among the three.

“Umm, would you like a cup of tea? I don’t have anything to go with it, but…”

Dan Yuha, who had been rolling his eyes as if finding the unfamiliar silence awkward, cautiously offered tea.

“Ah, I’d love some! I heard that you make excellent tea, Perfumer Dan! His Highness enjoys it too, and I heard even Captain Hyeok here was impressed…”

At Dan Yuha’s invitation, Mun Sewon sat down on the veranda as if he had been waiting for it. Looking at Yuha with sparkling eyes, he was like a puppy wagging its tail at its master.

“I wouldn’t want to impose too much…”

Unlike Mun Sewon, Hyeok Ryeoa showed signs of hesitation. It seemed she remembered that Dan Yuha had been sewing before they arrived.

“Not at all, I was actually about to take a short break since I’d just finished mending one sleeve.”

Dan Yuha smiled as if to say it was fine and rose from his seat. He placed the neatly folded clothes and sewing kit inside his room and went straight to the kitchen. Then, in the blink of an eye, he brought out a neat tea tray.

“Be careful, it’s hot.”

After setting the tea tray down on the veranda, Dan Yuha sat facing the two. Then he picked up the teapot filled with hot water and filled each of their cups.

“It’s yuja tea. You can stir it with the wooden spoon.”

“Thank you, the fragrance is wonderful.”

Following Dan Yuha’s instructions, Hyeok Ryeoa gently stirred the tea with the small wooden spoon. As the yuja preserve dissolved in the hot water, a fresh fragrance rose.

“Wow, just look at that aroma…”

Mun Sewon, sniffing, lifted his teacup with an excited expression as steam curled upward. After blowing on it to cool it down, he took a sip and let out an exclamation of admiration.

“Oh! This is incredibly refreshing. Sweet and… strangely, it’s not bitter at all?”

“Ah, I don’t like a bitter aftertaste myself, so I minimized it as much as possible.”

“Wow, I don’t like it either…! I had no idea there was a way to eliminate it.”

“The bitterness comes from the seeds and the peel… so when I made the yuja preserve, I removed all the seeds and left only the bare minimum of peel. And I also added honey, ginger, and jujubes and let it all steep thoroughly.”

“Oh ho! But I can also smell a faint floral scent…?”

“That’s because I brewed it with dried magnolia petals. Drinking it this way makes the flavor of the tea more refreshing and enriches the aroma.”

“Magnolia? Come to think of it, I do see a few things that look like petals. Are these them?”

Mun Sewon tilted his teacup slightly toward Dan Yuha.

“That’s right. Magnolia also has the effect of aiding digestion, so I added it. Since it’s now the hour of the horse (11 AM–1 PM), I figured you probably hadn’t eaten lunch too long ago…”

“Wow, our Perfumer Dan… I actually had a meal right before coming here! For you to pay attention to even such details… truly, I’m touched! How is it that your heart is as beautiful as your lovely appearance…”

“Captain Hyeok? Deputy Commander Mun? What are the two of you doing here?”

“Ugh, Chief Eunuch Baek? Cough, cough!“

Mun Sewon, who had been praising Dan Yuha with an emotional expression, was startled by the voice from behind and choked. After getting over his coughing fit, he looked with a flushed face at the uninvited guest who had intruded upon their warm tea gathering.

“Tsk, tsk. I wondered where you’d gone right after eating, and here you are, disturbing our Perfumer Dan’s rest?”

Chief Eunuch Baek clicked his tongue with his hands clasped behind his back. It was a mild reproach, but both Mun Sewon and Hyeok Ryeoa wore sheepish expressions. Among those who could be considered the Prince’s closest confidants, Chief Eunuch Baek was the senior-most.

“Eh, no! cough, we just came to express our gratitude…”

“Then why are you being served tea?”

“This is because Perfumer Dan—cough, phew… But wait, since when did you know Perfumer Dan well enough to be calling him ‘our’? Don’t you think you’re being a bit too familiar?”

Mun Sewon, having finally stopped coughing, grumbled in protest.

“Hmm, at least I’m closer than the two of you.”

“Pardon?”

“I mean, compared to you two, I’ve known Perfumer Dan for longer.”

Didn’t they just meet for the first time yesterday? Mun Sewon tilted his head at Chief Eunuch Baek’s meaningful answer. Hyeok Ryeoa’s eyes also filled with undeniable curiosity.