Chapter 4

"Yes."

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Why did you say that at this timing? I caught a glimpse of him while my head was still down, and Garam drew up his breath again. It seems that his intentions are quite ridiculous. To be honest, I feel a little dejected.

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"I came here to see what you're like, but I think I have seen enough."

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"…I'm sorry."

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"What's there to apologize for?"

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Oh, this and that, what do you want me to do?

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"I don't need you to see me off. Don't appear in front of me in the future."

Don't worry, I don't plan on seeing you either. Also, don't come here alone like you did just now.

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While I was thinking, I lowered my head again as the door closed.

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"That son of a bitch…"

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It wasn't until the sound of his steps was completely distant that I quietly murmured.

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***

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After Garam and Jo Yoon left with the maid, I sat on my bed with nothing to do. I thought that I might as well as do what I'm being told, but then everyone would just order me around.

There must be a lot to teach to the concubines who recently came into the palace, but everyone already had their own seats. All that's left is liquor, and you can't teach an eight-year-old that. Of course, this is a story that others don't know of, and that is the Yeoran family taught Sanya to study liquor. The reason for this was so the emperor can like the child.

For a moment, I felt goosebumps and shivered. I'm glad I possessed this body yesterday. I was an adult, but I didn't want to learn something like alcohol in an eight-year-old body. But I was truly grateful for Jo Yoon, who took that maid away. I can't imagine what would've happened if that maid became my tutor and monitored my every move.

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I think the probability of a spy being here is one in a million, but I shouldn't be too carefree either. And if there really was a spy, that person would try to get close to me and then use me. Maybe that's…

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How would I know who it will be anyways? In fact, it would just create more doubts in my head whether I know or not. So I should just get comfortable and think that the imperial family is always one step ahead. The people that are in my palace are the eyes and ears of the emperor, so she must've prepared everything before I came here.

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It's rather nice. If there's someone from the Yeoran family here, they would think about how to use me and interfere in everything that I do.

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I blinked my eyes a few times and laid down. Last night, that maid naturally took over the bed, so I couldn't even sleep properly. Thanks to that, I became very sensitive and almost kicked her head while she was asleep. When I get older, and if the maid is still alive, I will surely get my revenge. I can't let my temper get the best of me…

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I was almost asleep until I heard a voice outside my door.

"Miss, I'm coming in."

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The voice sounded very doll-like. I was so surprised that I sprang up from my bed and cleared my throat.

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"What's going on?"

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"I will prepare your bed."

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I got goosebumps again. How did you know I was about to sleep? The door is not iron, so maybe my shadow got reflected. That's what it is… right?

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"Okay."

As soon as she got my permission, the door sprang open. Six ladies then walked in with their hands full of stuff. I watched silently as they turned the room upside down. I thought they would just make the bed, but they were changing everything from the bedding to the curtains on the window frame. At least they're making the room more colorful. Finally, the ladies who removed the vase from the table and replaced it with a basket of pomegranates bowed to me and left.

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After being alone again, I started looking around. The room, which was plain beforehand, became very splendid and fancy instead. I could feel that the quality difference went up one-by-one as I scanned the room with my eyes. I wanted to change the bedding earlier because the maid slept in it, but I didn't know how.

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I feel like I'm in a luxurious hotel room. However, the only bad thing about all this is the color. Earlier, it was white but now everything is red, bright enough to hurt my eyes. I ignored this as I laid on my bed to sleep, but when I opened my eyes, all I could see was red. I couldn't tell if I was still lying down in my room or in the middle of a bloodbath.

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Eventually, I got up and opened the door. As soon as the door opened, the eyes of the court ladies standing there looked at me. Carefully, I said,

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"Can the bedding be changed for something else?"

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"Do you feel uncomfortable?"

"My eyes hurt because it's all red."

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The tone of their voice sounded like those in a historical drama. I smiled apologetically and laughed an awkward laugh. But the answer I got from them was unbelievable.

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"I'm sorry, but it's your first night with her Majesty…."

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What now.

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The smile disappeared from my face. I wanted to grab the court lady that said this and shake her until she repeats what she just said, but I clearly heard the statement.

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"…Oh, I see."

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It was very hard for me to say that and then I closed the door. When I turned around, the view of the room caught my eyes where all I could see was blood. The words "first night" alone makes me feel like I'm suffocating. First of all, I'm straight, and second of all, this body is young. Will they really make me go through the night in this eight-year-old body? They're crazy! I screamed internally.

Actually, I'm not worried. I thought I got away with it yesterday when nothing happened. But why is today any different? I don't think the emperor would really do something to me. In the original, it was mentioned several times that the emperor cherished Sanya as a child.

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I then staggered towards my bed. It's really hard to even sleep properly now. I tried lying down again, but my wish was immediately shattered.

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"Miss, you have to wash first."

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Oh, really.

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I banged my head against the pillow.

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***

(Emperor's pov)

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While Sanya was thinking deeply about the meaning of life as she was being washed from the court ladies, the emperor, Yehwa Aryun, sat at the edge of Sanya's bed.

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Sanya must be a spy. It was a cold, but rational thought. No matter how young she is, she's still from the Yeoran family. They're not easy people, for there can be many reasons to let a child come in disguised as a concubine and be a spy.

I regretted yesterday's mistake. Even if I saw her as a child, I shouldn't be embarrassed. But I still crossed the line for it is rare for me to do someone a favor, and that caused more trouble.

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What better position is there to steal information from the palace than the concubines who live there? Because of that, I prepared very carefully. I filled Sanya's palace with people who were my eyes and ears and confirmed that Sanya was really a child without any issues.

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I had to be wary. But I was also very surprised. Kiyun Yeoran said he would send someone to the wedding, but he never mentioned the age. What I was worried about was what kind of damage the new concubine would bring. It's obvious that I have enough power where I don't need to marry a child. But who knew she would be so young?

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I noticed that day Sanya's wedding clothes were heavy and uncomfortable, and I had her kneel for quite some time too. It was a mockery from the Yeoran family, who sent her very late. Of course, I ignored the contempt from the other concubines.

When Sanya raised her head, her expression was scary, as it was frighteningly calm. Her body was in pain from kneeling so long, but she never showed any change in her expression. It almost seemed like she was used to the pain, except when she got up, she wobbled and fell, and that's when I knew she was very thin and had no muscles.

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Never less, she only frowned once and made no movement. She avoided people's hands that reached out to her without showing any changes in her expression that she was in pain.

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It's like…

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"Your Majesty."

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The voice outside the door made me stopped thinking.