7 An Intruder (1)

The held banquet was now ending. The dancers that brightened up the mood of the feast had already left the area, leaving the musicians to play a gentle song.

Chun, who was standing behind him the entire time waiting for any assistance, immediately escorted Sungho after the king excused himself out of the banquet. With Sungho holding the court lady's arm, they walked their way back to his chambers.

He could not understand the instances of the banquet though, as the ladies of the harem started showing their prepared performances simply to grab the king's attention.

Why would they bother to impress a man? Surely, Hyeon Ju did not once want to grab the attention of the king.

Sungho just badly desired the banquet to finish and leave the place immediately, and perhaps this was what Hyeon Ju felt every time the feast was held as well.

"Your Highness, we have arrived," Chun called him.

She swiftly moved the door open from his chamber, led him inside, and supported him to sit on his bed. This made Sungho appreciate her for her actions.

"Thank you, Chun," he replied, smiling to the court lady.

Just when he was brushing the mattress on his bed, planning to take a short rest, Sungho noticed that Chun was still standing in front of him, as if she was observing.

"Her Highness… has been cheerful recently," Chun commented, "Her Highness has been smiling and going out of her chambers for the past few days."

"Is it a bad thing?" Sungho asked, seeming a bit worried that he made another impression in just one night.

"It's... I think it is pleasant to see that Her Highness is lively and currently has a new hobby. Her Highness would either read books from the library or write her papers on her desk her entire day after all." She took a low bow as she answered his question and walked her way out of the room. "Then please excuse me. I shall prepare to warm Her Highness' bath."

...

The bath his court lady had prepared for him would remain the nicest thing that happened for the days he was possessing the body of the lady. The temperature of the water was perfect. If Chun did not remind him that it would be bad for him to soak his body a little bit longer, then Sungho would have slept there.

With a satisfied expression printed on his face while he was drying his hair after taking his bath, dabbing his hair with the cotton cloth Chun gave him, tapping his feet on the wooden floor, Sungho could not help but hum a song.

He was liking his stay on the current body. He thought that maybe possessing a body might not be a bad thing.

"... Shouldn't I be more cautious?" Sungho asked the question to himself as he stopped from his actions.

What was the cause of the grand concubine hating Hyeon Ju?

And although Sungho knew that Hyeon Ju was neither afraid of anyone at the harem, she probably did not have a decent conversation with anyone. That explained why the woman who approached him was surprised by his unexpected impression.

Chun must be hinting that there was something wrong with Hyeon Ju by now, which explained her weird comments earlier.

I should be more cautious.

Then wasn't their curiosity depicting Hyeon Ju as a lonely person?

Remembering the words from Chun, an idea flashed in his mind that he should visit the library and see what books she was browsing.

Since I'm here, I can check what she has been writing on her desk. 

Although he said it to himself, Sungho felt weird the thought entered his mind, planning to read her writings. With him reflecting on his ideas, Sungho sighed and remained seated on the bed as he resumed dabbing his hair with the cotton cloth.

... Maybe some other time. There might be some personal things written there too.

When he felt his arms were yielding from the unending drying of his hair, Sungho simply gave up and moved to blow the lit candles near his bed.

But soon as he distinguished them, he heard a low hustle of the grass outside from the window.

Perhaps, since Hyeon Ju was legally blind and Sungho had years of experience in hunting, they became sensitive to the sounds and the vibrations of the ground.

"Who's there?" Sungho shifted his gaze on the locked window.