MOSC 23

In reality, Wigyeom wore an expression of someone who had no idea what he had done wrong to make his beautiful wife cry as if the world were ending.

Why on earth.

‘We are in the middle of a perfect newlywed life.’

That was right. This period of confinement was a radiant moment that would be remembered for a long time, even in the context of Wigyeom’s entire life.

‘What on earth is the source of the trouble. I must root out the source of the problem at once.’

While Wigyeom was seriously pondering the situation by himself, On thought.

‘Please let me out…!’

There had never been such a case of two people in the same bed with different dreams.

One was enjoying a perfect honeymoon, while the other was living a life of confinement where life and death hung in the balance.

In the end, On burst into tears like a child.

And an answer that made Wigyeom’s eyes widen in surprise burst forth.

“…want to.”

“Pardon? This lowly one did not hear your words clearly just now, so please tell me once more.”

In the end, while Wigyeom listened with a serious attitude, On shouted in a voice loud enough to shake the main chamber of the princess’s palace.

“P-Please… I want to leave this room…!”

This was really too much.

It was the moment On’s reddened eyes and Wigyeom’s bewildered eyes met.

Wigyeom’s eyes widened for a moment. Soon, as if judging that it was not such a serious matter, they curved into a gentle shape.

“Aah. So that was it. You wanted to go outside the room. Who has confined my princess and made her cry? I will have them captured and flogged at once.”

A murderous glint suddenly appeared in his eyes.

On broke into a cold sweat and sent him a signal.

…It’s you, you!

‘You are the one who locked me in this room. Me, who is not even a princess!’

However, Wigyeom, in his own attempt to soothe On, only rocked her back and forth, and failed to notice the signal.

There was a mountain of things she wanted to say, but On had no choice but to keep her mouth shut.

And for good reason. During the three days and nights On had spent confined with Wigyeom like a beast in heat, she too had come to know the man named Sim Wigyeom a little more intimately.

Her husband, no, the princess’s husband, whom she had observed for several days, feigned a gentle disposition, but his innate character was not genuinely gentle.

‘O-Of course, it is true that he has an excessively handsome appearance compared to the rumors.’

In the midst of it all, On praised Wigyeom’s outstanding looks.

It was an old habit, so she could not help it.

…But is that all?

It was not.

Certainly, Wigyeom was a scholar who possessed the virtues of a gentleman.

He was a splendid man, born with a pure and gentle nature, who could read ten lines at a glance, compose a poem within seven steps, and was quiet and fond of learning, so much so that he was well-versed in the classics, arts, and various techniques, making him a model for a prestigious family and a worthy choice for the Prince Consort.

…But that was clearly not all.

‘There is something suspicious about you…!’

On had only just noticed.

Beyond suspicious, there was definitely a disconcerting aspect to the princess’s husband.

Of course, the gentle and sincere On had not yet uncovered Wigyeom’s true identity.

Wigyeom, holding On in his arms, commanded the outside of the room.

“Is anyone there.”

At the chillingly low voice, On unknowingly flinched.

The man who usually lightened the mood by doing all sorts of ridiculous things when they were in this room was nowhere to be seen.

The voice, tinged with an authority that could not be defied, was unfamiliar, something On had heard for the first time.

‘To think he could be so different in front and behind….’

On, held in Wigyeom’s arms, blankly thought about the completely different attitude Wigyeom had when dealing with her versus when dealing with his servant.

She could not get used to it no matter how many times she saw it. It was as if a completely different person from the one who had just held her and soothed her had come.

On could not figure out what kind of person the man who had suddenly become her husband was.

‘Scary.’

She made a crying face.

Immediately, the servant’s voice was heard from outside the door.

“Yes. This humble one, Jo Gyesaeng, is on standby.”

On remembered that voice.

It was the man who had said he was a servant of the Sim family, whom she had met before.

Her face immediately turned red.

At the unfamiliar man’s voice, On struggled to get away from Wigyeom and at least put on some clothes. At that, Wigyeom’s eyes sank deeper as he looked at On.

‘Cute.’

She is feeling shy.

To ease On’s worries, Wigyeom wrapped her even more tightly in the blanket.

However, that resulted in an outcome that was even further from what On truly wanted.

‘Let me go…! I want to get dressed!’

‘I should wrap her even more tightly in the blanket.’

Their inner thoughts were not being conveyed to each other at all.

Of course, Wigyeom was victorious.

There was no way On could handle the mysterious power of Wigyeom, a half-human, half-yokai wearing a human mask.

‘Since she is from the palace, she is well-versed in etiquette, so she must be feeling shy. I should tell her she does not need to be.’

Wigyeom gently soothed On. In the most affectionate and gentle voice he could feign.

“Do not worry, wife. You do not need to treat that servant fellow as a person. You can just think of him as a walking family property ledger.”

However, contrary to his intentions, On’s eyes widened in horror.

‘A, a walking family property ledger….’

What kind of terrifying words were these.

A cold sweat broke out along On’s spine.

However, On, who met Wigyeom’s eyes, was first surprised by how serious Wigyeom’s expression was, and second, surprised by the reaction of Gyesaeng outside the door, who expressed no protest whatsoever.

In fact, Gyesaeng was blinking his eyes as if it were the most natural thing in the world. The situation of not being treated as a person but as a ledger was so natural that he was on the verge of casually picking his nose.

“Your Highness the Princess, I greet you for the second time.”

Thus, wrapped even more securely than On had originally intended, like a cocoon in Wigyeom’s arms, she had to listen to the reply of the Sim family servant, Gyesaeng.

‘S-Such a private matter….’

Unable to handle the embarrassment, On could only cry inwardly.

“You called. Please give your command.”

Gyesaeng politely stated.

Wigyeom, soothing On by rocking her back and forth, commanded the servant.

“I must give Her Highness the Princess something to eat. Prepare a grand meal, no less than a royal feast. Remember that it must be a twelve-dish meal, complete with the platter of nine delicacies, a royal hot pot, pressed meat, and a jelly salad.”

‘A, a twelve-dish meal?’

At Wigyeom’s words, On’s eyes, who was in his arms, widened.

Was not such a luxurious meal served only to members of the royal family?

However, before On could even say that it was too much, the door suddenly slid open with a clatter.

…Fortunately, there was someone who was horrified on On’s behalf.

“Whaaat?!”

On was startled and let out a yelp, hiding inside the cocoon-like blanket.

How dare a servant open the door to the main chamber first. And to burst open the door of a young couple who had just married at that.

In a normal prestigious family, it would be an unthinkable situation. However, the Sim family, ruled by the half-human, half-yokai Wigyeom, was not an ordinary prestigious family.

The young master Wigyeom calmly greeted Gyesaeng, who had nonchalantly opened the paper screen door.

“Did you not hear me?”

He asked Gyesaeng with perfect composure.

“N-No, it’s just that….”

It was only the servant Gyesaeng who was flustered, his eyes wide enough to pop out.

Who, indeed, was Sim Wigyeom?

Was he not the greatest miser in all of the kingdom of Hwan?

Gyesaeng knew Wigyeom’s ways better than anyone.

Was he not a man who had his robes made short to save fabric, who would soak a single leaf of cabbage in water and mix the resulting broth with his rice to save kimchi, who would even shed sweat only once every half-quarter hour to save it, and who would sometimes even walk barefoot because it was a waste for the soles of his shoes to wear out?

‘Th-That master just said what now…?’

Gyesaeng quickly dug his ears, thinking he had misheard, and asked again.

“A 12-dish meal! Just last night, to save on candles, you told me to use the moonlight as a candle to do the bookkeeping, what kind of nonsense— Keoheok!”

A kick flew at him at once.

Struck by Sim Wigyeom’s left foot, Jo Gyesaeng’s body was instantly sent flying to the opposite end of the hallway.

And he was still holding On.

On did not know what kind of situation she should be playing along with.

Should she be ashamed of the fact that a family servant had seen her stark naked and wrapped in a blanket, held in the young master’s arms?

Or should she be horrified at the sight of Gyesaeng, who had just been sent flying with enough force to break through a wall by Wigyeom, who had kicked him with a gentlemanly smile?

In the end, On decided to do both.

‘Scary…!’

Prince Consort Sim Wigyeom was a much scarier master than On had thought.

As she trembled in Wigyeom’s arms, frozen, the man’s command fell.

“No more talking, just bring it as ordered. If our Princess suffers from malnutrition by any chance, it will all be your responsibility. Keep that in mind.”

Wigyeom, who was still pressing down on Gyesaeng’s cheek with the left foot that had sent him flying, said as he ground his heel into his confidant.

Then, with a face like a celestial maiden that was the exact opposite, he turned back to On and informed her.

“For my wife, nutrition is first, and nutrition is second. Only then can you produce the legitimate heir of the Sim family.”

The gap between those two expressions was so great that it horrified On.

Looking down at the pale-faced On, Wigyeom, regardless of the fact that Gyesaeng looked like he was about to vomit his guts out, left a short kiss on her forehead with a smack.

On trembled in his arms.

Perhaps her master, no, the man she was now forced to act as the wife of, had a worse personality than she had thought.

…Perhaps much worse than she had expected.