Housekeeper of the Hundred Blossom Palace

“No need for change, keep it.”

“Thank you very much.”

And so, the purchase was completed just like that; moreover, it ended with the rich’s lines of ‘No need for change’.

“Libin, are you bribing me with the candy, perhaps?”

Under the unrelenting gaze of Yui Mei, Libin lightly sighed.

“What a cheap bribery money. I won’t gain anything from bribing you in the first place, you know.”

Indeed, there was no merit in bribing a housekeeping court lady who wasn’t even a lady-in-waiting of a high-ranking consort.

Apparently, it was not a bargaining point for something else.

In that case, then Libin must have genuinely bought the candy for her.

“Then, thank you very much for buying it for me, I will eat it with pleasure.”

Yui Mei clutched the bottle of candies and she beamed as she thanked him.

They were in the way for standing too long in front of the stall, so Yui Mei and Libin left that place. Yui Mei stared again at the bottle of candies.

“Fufufu, it’s sooo beautiful.”

Being able to eat with pleasure while appreciating it, isn’t this the best?

Libin looked at Yui Mei grinning broadly while thinking those things, then he spoke.

“If you are shopping then you could have chosen to buy an accessory.”

He then glanced at the court ladies who were gathered where the accessories were lined up.

They were scrutinizing each of the goods in the hopes of finding something better despite being left-overs.

‘He’s telling me to mingle with them, huh.’

It was probably Libin’s kind advice; unfortunately, Yui Mei had no intention of buying those things.

“I’m not interested, and I couldn’t use it everyday since it will get in the way of cleaning.”

Libin scrunched his brows when he heard Yui Mei’s resolute remarks.

“Good grief, it is just as the crown prince feared, huh.”

After saying those with a sigh, Libin took a package wrapped in cloth from his bosom.

It was thin and roughly the size of a palm, and he held it out to her.

“What might this be?”

“You’ll know, so open it.”

Libin thrust it towards the suspicious Yui Mei.

‘Somehow, he looks like a swindler, though.’

The thought that he might demand for a large sum afterward passed through her mind.

“Faster.”

Yui Mei lost to the intensity of Libin’s stare, so she placed the bottle of candies on the ground, and unwillingly opened the package.

Inside was a –

“…Hairpin?”

Indeed, it was a petite hairpin embellished with cute little red flowers suitable for young girls.

‘Why a hairpin?’

Yui Mei could not understand why Libin gave her a hairpin.

“What is this?”

Yui Mei was completely bewildered as she looked up at Libin, so he heaved another deep sigh.

“Women normally become happy with this, though.”

Libin grumbled like that, but she thought unhappiness also depended on the attitude of the person who gave it.

Even Yui Mei knew exactly what it usually meant when a man gave a present to a woman.

Handing an accessory then confessing was a commonly used scene in the dramas she watched in her previous life.

However, the man standing in front of her had an austere face, and if he had that intention when he handed the hairpin, then the answer would be no.

Their conversation did not seem to be a confession, and that kind of mood was also absent.

She couldn’t see Libin hiding his embarrassment at all.

‘I wish he would stop talking to me as if I’m thickheaded, though.’

Libin talked to the wholly unsatisfied Yui Mei with a straight face.

“The Cherry Blossom Viewing Banquet is soon. It would be troublesome if you don’t wear at least one hairpin,”

How on earth was the Cherry Blossom Viewing Banquet related to a hairpin?

Rather than that, was it an event where all were required to attend?

“Honestly, I do not care for the princes who are coming from the outside.”

Yui Mei thought she would grab some left-over food and relax in some corner.

It was her plan, but Libin shook his head.

“It is a grand, extensive banquet, so there is no way you would be permitted to skip. You cannot wear that kerchief in that showy place.”

According to Libin, the festivities were done so that all the women in the Inner Palace, including the court ladies, would be enlivened.

The court ladies might also serve during the flower viewing.

That was why even the lowest of all the court ladies had to be presentable.

‘This Inner Palace cherry blossom viewing is that troublesome!? It would be better if they can just drink alcohol on their own and get drunk.’

Just as Yui Mei was thinking in that fashion, a problematic issue was brought up.

“You probably heard this from somebody else, but princesses and princes were invited to attend. A court lady with nary a hairpin would easily catch the eye of other people, particularly the princes.”

In that case, then all the efforts of the court ladies in shopping so they could catch the fancy of a prince were all in vain, then.

Libin raised his brow at Yui Mei’s doubts.

“You’re a guy with a peculiar reasoning, huh. With no one to give her a hairpin, no money to buy one, they would think it would be easy to crush her.”

‘I see, so she’d be a target of assaults, then.’

It was a situation that must be avoided at all costs.

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T/L Thoughts: Can’t help but notice how Libin’s brows were doing acrobatics in this series lol ?

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