Flower Dream Chapter 24

“What do you mean by that? It sounds as if you’ve known each other for a long time.”

“Deputy Commander Mun, you’re the one who recommended Perfumer Dan—surely you haven’t forgotten his background?”

“Uh… Ah!”

Only then did Mun Sewon recall what he had forgotten and let out an exclamation. He remembered the information he had looked into before requesting an attendant from the tribal chief.

“I remember now! Perfumer Dan’s late father had served His Highness the Prince before! So that’s when you met!”

Mun Sewon spoke with a face full of certainty. Shin Ryuwon, who had suffered from severe divine fevers since childhood, would visit the Honghwa Clan’s small island once or twice a year to purify his body and replenish his vital energy. At that time, the person who caught Ryuwon’s eye and was chosen as the perfumer to attend him was Dan Yuha’s father.

After that, Jeok Hyangrim had steadily supplied sleeping incense and medicinal teas to the Prince’s Palace until he fell ill. According to the records, his son had served as his assistant. Mun Sewon had seen that and became interested in Dan Yuha.

Among those present, the person who had served Shin Ryuwon the longest was Chief Eunuch Baek. Having practically raised the Prince since he was a child, it was only natural that he would be acquainted with the young Dan Yuha.

“That’s correct. At the time, I wasn’t the chief eunuch yet, but I had exchanged greetings with him whenever we passed each other. Isn’t that right?”

Chief Eunuch Baek smiled warmly at Mun Sewon as if to say “well done.” Then he turned his head and met the gaze of Dan Yuha, who was looking at him with a surprised expression.

“…You remembered me?”

When Dan Yuha met Chief Eunuch Baek’s eyes, he asked in a bewildered voice.

“Of course. You’ve grown up looking just like you did as a child, so I couldn’t possibly have failed to recognize you.”

How could he forget? He had saved the boy when he was nearly beaten to death by people. Chief Eunuch Baek replied with a kind face. Over the young man’s face staring at him in bewilderment, the image of a boy who had once looked up at him with a similar expression overlapped.

“You left quite an impression even as a child, and seeing you all grown up like this makes me feel proud myself. And it seems you’ve inherited your late father’s talents perfectly. Or should I say, the pupil has surpassed the master?”

“You flatter me. Compared to my father, I’m still lacking. Since you didn’t say anything yesterday, Chief Eunuch Baek… I thought I was the only one who remembered.”

“Oh dear, were you upset? I apologize. Yesterday, I was distracted by many things.”

Chief Eunuch Baek apologized and explained why he hadn’t acknowledged Yuha the day before.

“If my actions made you feel slighted, I offer my apologies. It’s just that revealing personal acquaintanceship in front of others is rather delicate… It could also put you in an awkward position, Perfumer Dan.”

“Ah…”

Dan Yuha sighed faintly with a look of realization. Hearing that, it made sense. If Chief Eunuch Baek had greeted him first yesterday with “it’s been a long time” or shown familiarity, the tribal chief would have immediately become wary.

Moreover, here in Honghwajeong, there was also someone who acted as Hong Haehwa’s eyes—Jeong Ryeon. Although she had never directly harassed Yuha like other tribespeople, it was clear that she was on the tribal chief’s side.

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Chief Eunuch Baek probably also knew that Yuha’s position within the Honghwa Clan was not a good one. In the first place, they had only exchanged greetings a few times, and there was no real relationship between them—it would have been strange to act affectionately familiar.

The more he thought about it, the more foolish he felt for having felt slighted, and Dan Yuha couldn’t look Chief Eunuch Baek straight in the eye, lowering his gaze instead.

“Think nothing of it. Then, I entrust His Highness to your care again tonight.”

“Yes, I will do my utmost.”

Dan Yuha answered in an enthusiastic voice. After hearing Chief Eunuch Baek’s story, a sudden expectation arose in him—perhaps His Highness the Prince might also remember him. Yuha suppressed the impulse to ask about it and pressed his lips together.

“Alright, alright. Our Perfumer Dan still has to attend to His Highness later. He needs to rest until then, so let’s head back now.”

Clapping his hands, Chief Eunuch Baek signaled Mun Sewon and Hyeok Ryeoa to get up. The three returned to the main building, seen off by Dan Yuha.

∞ ∞ ∞

“Phew…”

Shin Ryuwon, who had been soaking his body deep in the open-air bath, rose with a splash at the presence he felt from outside. As if waiting for that signal, Chief Eunuch Baek entered.

“Your Highness, I’ve brought some chilled tea. It’s made with pine nuts.”

“Thank you.”

Shin Ryuwon took the teacup Chief Eunuch Baek offered and asked in passing.

“Did Perfumer Dan make this too?”

“Yes, he said it’s good to drink after bathing. He mentioned that while it’s somewhat less effective at keeping muscles relaxed compared to drinking warm tea, since Your Highness’s body temperature tends to rise mainly at night, the cold version might be better…”

“Not bad.”

Upon hearing Chief Eunuch Baek’s explanation, Shin Ryuwon brought the teacup to his lips. He had been soaking in the hot spring water for a while and was feeling a bit warm, so this was welcome. As he took a sip of the cool tea, a nutty flavor spread through his mouth. It went down smoothly without any unpleasantness.

“It’s still too early to make a hasty judgment, but… he’s certainly skilled.”

Shin Ryuwon emptied the teacup in one go and gave a positive assessment of Dan Yuha.

“Don’t you think so?”

Chief Eunuch Baek, receiving the empty teacup, smiled so broadly that wrinkles formed at the corners of his eyes. After placing the tray on the side table in the bath chamber, he brought a towel and carefully wiped Ryuwon’s body.

“Ah, by the way, someone from the tribal chief’s side came by about an hour ago.”

“The tribal chief? What did they say?”

“They asked all sorts of things—whether Your Highness was experiencing any discomfort, whether there was any additional supplies needed like ingredients, whether the attendants were doing well. But their real purpose was something else entirely.”

“Without even seeing them, I can tell they were anxious to ask when they could meet my daughter and came to fish for an answer.”

“Your guess is correct. Before leaving, they subtly hinted about tomorrow, so I told them I would consult with Your Highness and give an answer.”

“Well done.”

Shin Ryuwon let out a sigh as he put on his robe. His mood had been good just a moment ago, but thinking about having to meet Hong Juyak suddenly made him feel exhausted.

“What should we do? The tribal chief seemed eager to have it happen as soon as possible…”

“Well… Her name was Hong Juyak, wasn’t it?”

Shin Ryuwon trailed off and recalled the tribal chief’s daughter he had seen yesterday. Objectively speaking, she was a beauty with a glamorous and alluring face, but to him, she was just average.

More than anything, his first impression had been very poor. Like most true incense bearers, Hong Juyak clearly gave off the air of having been raised spoiled and arrogant.

“I have no interest in people who think they’re the best despite having nothing to show for it…”

Shin Ryuwon muttered in a surly tone. He disliked those who displayed the kind of self-centered attitude that Hong Juyak had.

“Why does Mother like her, anyway?”

“Hmm, I wouldn’t presume to know Her Majesty the Empress’s intentions, but… if I may venture a guess, it might be to keep the Baekhwa Clan in check.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, the Honghwa Clan and the Baekhwa Clan have never been on good terms for generations. If she were to become Your Highness’s consort, they would likely fight each other quite vigorously.”

“Hmm…”

“Truth be told, Her Majesty the Empress’s ideal outcome would probably be for a Cheongsong Clan shepherd like herself to become Your Highness’s consort.”

“So Hong Juyak is a backup plan in case the Cheongsong Clan shepherd isn’t chosen by me?”

“That seems to be the case.”

“Mother has certainly developed a talent for counting her chickens before they hatch. What if I say I don’t want either of them?”

“She’ll probably worry about that when the time comes, won’t she?”

Chief Eunuch Baek said as he tied the sash of Shin Ryuwon’s robe.

“I suppose so. Hmph, I don’t see why I need to meet her separately…”

“You’re saying something that could get you in big trouble. If the tribal chief had heard that just now, they would have fainted.”

“But I have a feeling. Somehow, I think her scent won’t be to my liking either. It’s not a new form of torture, yet every time it’s the same thing… tsk.”

Shin Ryuwon clicked his tongue in annoyance. One thing that absolutely had to be done in a matchmaking meeting between divine people and incense bearers was smelling each other’s body scent. It was because they had to directly smell the fragrance to know whether they were compatible or not.

“Then how should I deliver the message?”

“…Tell them tomorrow is difficult. Say I haven’t fully recovered from travel fatigue yet. Set it for the day after tomorrow—no, make it the day after that.”

“So you intend to delay the meeting as much as possible.”

“There’s nothing good about meeting early anyway.”

Shin Ryuwon replied curtly. Over the past few years, he had gone through matchmaking meetings with dozens of incense bearers. Most of those meetings ended after just one encounter. The moment he smelled their fragrance, Ryuwon had shown rejection.

The problem was that even after being turned down by Shin Ryuwon, the incense bearers didn’t easily back off. Whether it was wounded pride or an overeager desire to become the Prince’s consort, they refused to accept his rejection and pestered him to meet just one more time.

With that scenario having repeated itself dozens of times, he could now roughly predict how the other party would behave just by looking at them for a moment.