Flower Dream Chapter 28

“Regret? About what?”

“I was thinking… if His Highness the Prince truly liked my sleeping incense or medicinal tea that much, wouldn’t he have said something by now…”

“Hmm, so you’re anxious to commit because it doesn’t seem like His Highness himself is showing overwhelming enthusiasm, only his retainers.”

“Yeah. And, um, I also realized that I was the only one looking forward to meeting him again, and that made me feel embarrassed…”

Dan Yuha lowered his eyes and trailed off. As his voice grew smaller, his head drooped like ripe rice heavy with grain. After learning that Chief Eunuch Baek remembered him, he had once again harbored the hope that perhaps the Prince might as well.

But Shin Ryuwon had never once shown any sign of recognizing Dan Yuha. Reading the emotions behind his expression or voice was still beyond Yuha’s ability. And he couldn’t exactly ask directly.

“Getting my hopes up all by myself and then being disappointed… pathetic, right?”

Dan Yuha let out an awkward chuckle. Perhaps because he had finally voiced what he had been agonizing over internally for the past few days, aside from the embarrassment, he felt somewhat relieved. Even if he couldn’t say it to anyone else, Ju Cheongwoo knew about his feelings for Shin Ryuwon, so he could speak freely.

“What are you even saying right now? Pathetic my foot—you’re not the least bit pitiful!”

Ju Cheongwoo pulled Dan Yuha into a tight embrace and shouted. He pondered how to encourage his precious friend, then opened his mouth.

“Anyway, even if His Highness doesn’t say anything, can’t you just accept Captain Hyeok’s proposal? Then she or Deputy Commander Mun will take care of the rest.”

“What if something goes wrong if I do that?”

“Huh? What kind of problem?”

“You know, about my parents…”

Dan Yuha muttered in a gloomy voice. Those of high status, like the imperial family, were sensitive to even the smallest flaws in those beneath them. Since a retainer’s mistake could easily become the master’s own fault, to avoid giving enemies any leverage, one had to manage not only oneself but also one’s surroundings.

Moreover, the existence of a collateral imperial family member entangled in bad blood with his parents also weighed on his mind. It was an incident that had happened before he was born, and the tribespeople treated mentioning that person’s name as taboo and feared it, so he didn’t know exactly who it was, but he had heard they were a imperial family member close to the direct line.

If that person learned of Dan Yuha’s existence and lodged a complaint against Shin Ryuwon? If the Third Prince’s faction suffered damage as a result and the retainers’ attitudes changed? Just imagining it was horrifying.

“Come on, I thought it was something else. When selecting attendants, wasn’t it that Deputy Commander Mun who specifically picked you out? And Chief Eunuch Baek remembered you too. If that’s the case, wouldn’t they already know your entire background? If they thought Uncle Hyangrim’s situation would be a problem, they wouldn’t have made you the offer in the first place, would they?”

Ju Cheongwoo patted his rounded shoulders as if to say “why are you worrying about that.”

“…You think so?”

“Of course! How meticulous do you think people in high positions are! And yet they said they’d recruit you through special appointment—doesn’t that mean they don’t care about the past? Either that, or they’re confident they can smooth things over even if someone raises an issue.”

“I hope so, but…”

“Ah jeez, I’m telling you I’m right! If you don’t believe me, go ask them yourself right now!”

Ju Cheongwoo raised his voice for a moment, then vigorously ruffled Dan Yuha’s hair. Then he hugged his friend tightly once more.

“Anyway, your problem is that you think too much. Worrying about things that haven’t even happened yet only gives you a headache and makes your stomach churn—why do you keep doing it?”

“You’re right…”

At the affectionate scolding, Dan Yuha gave a wry smile. It was true that he had grown up in an environment that inevitably made him timid and pessimistic, but sometimes even Yuha found himself frustrating.

“Alright, put aside all those nagging concerns and tell me your true feelings.”

Ju Cheongwoo gripped Dan Yuha’s shoulders with both hands and met his eyes. Then, with an unusually serious expression, he asked.

“Do you want to become His Highness the Prince’s perfumer, or don’t you?”

“…I want to.”

After a moment of silence as if words had failed him, Dan Yuha finally moved his lips with difficulty. And cautiously but sincerely, he revealed the true feelings he had kept hidden from others.

Ah.

A faint exclamation escaped between his slightly parted lips. Voicing his long-cherished dream out loud made his chest feel as if it had burst open with relief. Dan Yuha finally acknowledged his own desire.

He had pretended not to have any ambition, afraid of hoping in vain and being disappointed. He had used psychological defense mechanisms to come up with all sorts of reasons why it wouldn’t work. But in truth, this was his real heart.

Dan Yuha wanted to work by the Third Prince’s side, for him. Ever since that moment long ago when Shin Ryuwon had pulled him out of the abyss of despair into the light and given him a reason to live.

“Then all you have to do is go to Captain Hyeok and tell her you accept!”

Ju Cheongwoo sprang to his feet and tugged Dan Yuha’s wrist, as if to go find Hyeok Ryeoa right away.

“Hurry up and get up! Strike while the iron is hot—go tell her now!”

“No, wait, Captain Hyeok isn’t here right now. I heard she went with His Highness to the sacred site.”

“Oh, really? Then when she comes back later, tell her you accept, got it?”

“Hmm, let me think about it a little more.”

“No! Decide by today!”

“You’re being too hasty…”

“These things are fine to be hasty about!”

Ju Cheongwoo pulled Dan Yuha’s head into his arms and tousled it mercilessly.

“Stop, you’re ruining my hair…!”

“If you don’t want that, make up your mind fast! Hurry! I’m not letting go until you say you’ll go to the palace!”

“Stop, ah, haha, that tickles!”

Dan Yuha twisted his waist to escape Ju Cheongwoo, who was messing up his hair so badly his hair tie came loose. Then he burst into laughter at the fingers tickling his neck. Only after a good scuffle with Cheongwoo did he finally manage to break free.

“You’re relentless, truly relentless. Not giving an answer to the very end…”

Exhausted, Ju Cheongwoo sprawled out on the veranda, panting, and shot a glare at Dan Yuha.

“It’s not like I can just go because I want to… Still, I’ll talk with them again depending on the situation. I’ll also ask whether a special appointment is actually feasible.”

“Really? Promise?”

“Yeah.”

Dan Yuha lay down on the veranda next to Ju Cheongwoo and smiled, his eyes curving gently. Although his worries weren’t completely resolved, his heart felt much lighter.

∞ ∞ ∞

“…Me?”

Dan Yuha, who had brewed pine nut tea as usual to coincide with Shin Ryuwon’s bath time, found himself faced with an unexpected situation. Chief Eunuch Baek had asked him to deliver the tea to the Prince in his stead.

“Yes, I’m asking just for today. It seems I need to inspect the separate pavilion myself.”

Chief Eunuch Baek explained the circumstances with a kind smile. After setting the date for Shin Ryuwon and Hong Juyak’s matchmaking meeting, he had been coordinating the venue where the two would meet.

Hong Haehwa had wanted them to meet at her residence, but Chief Eunuch Baek had flatly refused. Since the Honghwa Clan’s small island was essentially her domain, he sought a place as free from the tribal chief’s influence as possible. That way, the likelihood of Hong Haehwa pulling any tricks would be reduced.

After several rounds of discussion, the separate pavilion of Honghwajeong was chosen as the meeting place. When Chief Eunuch Baek took a firm stance, Hong Haehwa, unable to persist in her obstinacy, had backed down.

Instead, she requested that they be allowed to decorate the separate pavilion themselves, citing the need for formality since it was a meeting between the Prince and someone who might become his consort.

Having no real reason to object, Chief Eunuch Baek accepted Hong Haehwa’s request. He had already calculated that even if she tried some scheme, he would be able to block it. Having dealt with countless people coveting Shin Ryuwon’s side over the past several years, he was confident he could thwart whatever underhanded plot Hong Haehwa might devise.

“The separate pavilion? Uh, did something go wrong?”

“No, I just want to double-check just in case. You know that tomorrow His Highness the Prince and Lady Hong Juyak are having their meeting, right?”

“…Yes.”

“Hmm, please don’t take this the wrong way. It’s not that I don’t trust your tribespeople… it’s just that occasionally, there are those whose excessive ambition leads them to cause incidents during meetings with His Highness. Several such incidents have occurred over time, so whenever a schedule like this comes up, we tend to prepare thoroughly.”

Chief Eunuch Baek asked for understanding with a cautious attitude. It was because Dan Yuha might feel offended at being made to suspect innocent people.

“I don’t misunderstand, and I’m not offended either.”

“Thank you for understanding. At any rate, I sent Senior Court Lady Kim to rest, and Deputy Commander Mun is dealing with a communication from the imperial side, so… you were the only one who came to mind as a suitable person.”

Relieved by Dan Yuha’s reaction, wrinkles formed at the corners of Chief Eunuch Baek’s eyes.

“Umm… what about Captain Hyeok?”

“Ah, well, Captain Hyeok and the guards are people who are only good at wielding swords. Leaving it to them would be a hundred, a thousand times worse than leaving it to you.”

Chief Eunuch Baek leaned his upper body slightly closer and whispered in a small voice so only Dan Yuha could hear. Then he winked one eye as if sharing a secret.

“Anyway, I did watch Senior Court Lady Kim decorating the separate pavilion during the day, but… I’m the type who can only be satisfied after seeing everything with my own eyes. I’ve already informed His Highness as well. You don’t need to attend to him otherwise—just bring the tea.”

“Understood.”

“Then I’ll leave it to you.”

After Chief Eunuch Baek gave a slight nod and turned away, Dan Yuha fixed his gaze on the bath chamber at the end of the corridor. Swallowing dryly, he slowly began to walk.