The Young Consort Wants to Live Quietly

Chapter 67

* * *

Thump, thump.

The sound of cotton touching the wooden floor was heard. Listening to that sound, I quietly controlled my breathing.

“Princess. The Minister has arrived.”

Seoyeon’s quiet voice was heard. I relaxed my facial muscles once and quickly got up from my seat and approached the door.

“Open the door!”

The sliding door opened without a sound, revealing Giyun’s figure. As soon as I saw his face, I brightened up and smiled widely.

“Father!”

I shouted that without realizing it, then startled and shut my mouth. Noticing me sneakily checking the palace maids’ reactions, Giyun smiled and picked me up. As he entered the room, the door closed, and since Gowun had also been sent out, only he and I remained.

“It seems you missed your father a lot.”

“Of course, Father.”

I smiled brightly and hugged his neck tightly.

“I missed you so much. Why didn’t you visit often?”

Ah, I feel like I’m going to break out in hives.

I tried hard to hold my trembling lips. Since I told Jisu to say I was brainwashed, I had to act like a daughter who loves her father no matter what.

So I deliberately sent him a letter asking him to enter the palace, smiled as if delighted as soon as I saw his face, and even now I’m clinging to him like this.

“It took some time for the confinement order issued by Her Majesty to be lifted. I’m sorry.”

Giyun, smiling and stroking my hair, sat me down on a chair. I sat obediently on the chair, swinging my feet, and said with puffed-out lips.

“Do you know how startled I was when some stranger was there instead of you at the place you mentioned last time?”

At those words, Giyun, who was smiling faintly, tilted his head slightly.

“Stranger? Isn’t he a servant of the family?”

He spoke as if he knew very well. I erased the hypothesis in my mind that Jisu had made a rough excuse.

“Huh? Ah… right.”

I nodded appropriately and frowned as if it was strange.

“I think I had a conversation with him, but I can’t remember well.”

“It must mean it wasn’t that important. Don’t worry about it.”

Changing the subject. I thought that while smiling brightly.

“You’re right.”

As soon as those words ended, the voices of the palace maids were heard.

“My lady. We will bring in the refreshments.”

“Ah, come in.”

As I gave permission, the door quietly opened, and the palace maids placed various sweets and tea on the table.

A plain white teacup was placed in front of Giyun, and a teacup with a pattern of hydrangeas was placed in front of me. When his gaze turned to my teacup, I smiled brightly.

“Her Majesty gave it to me. It’s pretty, right?”

At those words, Giyun didn’t answer. He quietly watched as the palace maids finished their work and backed out, and only after elegantly drinking a sip of tea did he open his mouth.

“It seems Her Majesty cherishes you very much.”

His tone was subtle, so I sneakily glanced at him.

“…Father.”

“What is it, Sanya?”

“Are you upset?”

At my question, a flash of surprise passed over Giyun’s face.

“Why did you think that?”

“Because your face is stiff.”

Restlessly approaching him, I carefully asked.

“Did I do something wrong?”

Looking down at me like that, the corners of Giyun’s mouth stretched long.

“How could it be your fault, Sanya?”

“……”

“I was just feeling a bit lonely. I’m sorry if I looked scary.”

“Why?”

When I asked that, Giyun gently stroked my head.

“You’re no longer my daughter, are you?”

My heart sank at those gentle words. I thought it ended with that brainwashing, but was he still suspicious? Was there something that could have given me away?

“Oh my, you’re startled.”

Perhaps my expression showed clearly, Giyun picked me up. He stroked my back and said,

“Don’t be sad. Although I sent you to be Her Majesty’s adopted daughter, you’re still my daughter.”

‘Goodness, you startled me.’

This damn person. Why do you speak so ambiguously?

It was annoying, but those words allowed me to feel relieved. It wasn’t that I was found out, but he was saying that I’m no longer his daughter in public.

“I like Father more than Her Majesty!”

When I said that with a bright smile, Giyun looked at me with affectionate eyes.

“Don’t you hate your father?”

There’s no need to even talk about hate. We have no relationship at all. You’re the one who hates me, yet you’re asking such a strange question… I shook my head quite sincerely.

“You’re my father. How could I hate you?”

“You’re such a good girl, my Sanya.”

He bent down and hugged me.

“I know I’ve been neglecting you until now, so you must be disappointed.”

“……”

“Still, I’m your father, so please forgive me with your kind heart.”

I was silent for a moment in his cold and hard embrace. Whether Giyun cries or laughs in front of me, he’s a stranger, so it doesn’t matter. But really, I thought he was an adult who couldn’t be disciplined.

“Of course, Father.”

How long do I have to have this unpleasant conversation? I inwardly sighed and thought. It should be about time for the drug to take effect.

Returning to my seat, I sipped my tea and observed the other side. And I noticed Giyun’s forehead furrowing slightly. His teacup was completely empty.

‘It worked.’

“Father? You don’t look well.”

At my concerned words, Giyun tried to say something but coughed. He seemed to be in quite a lot of pain.

Thinking I’m glad he didn’t die, I got up from my seat with a startled face.

“Father?!”

As I approached him, Giyun smiled at me, but his brow was still furrowed, probably from the considerable pain.

“…It seems there was something else mixed in my teacup.”

He said through gritted teeth. I fidgeted and opened the drawer of the dressing table, taking out a small bottle.

“Father, have this.”

“What is that?”

Even in pain, Giyun didn’t immediately accept and drink it. I answered right away.

“It’s a panacea!”

* * *

Not long after, Giyun left, and I sat alone in that spot again, rolling the bottle in my hand.

The tea I served him was tea with hydrangeas. In other words, tea brewed with dried hydrangea flowers.

Hydrangea tea and tea made from hydrangeas is very different. Although hydrangea tea sounds like a tea name, it’s actually coming from the plant.

Tea made from the hydrangea plant has a sweet taste, but if you make tea with hydrangeas, it has a bitter and astringent taste.

Because the name is confusing, hydrangea tea is sometimes called Sweet Dew Tea or Dew Tea… Well, how would a young child know that?

Anyway, the important thing is that hydrangea is poisonous. There have been cases of people dying from hydrangea poison, but given Giyun’s position, I thought he wouldn’t die. Just enough poison to make it difficult for him to endure at the moment. That was sufficient.

I added to the explanation of the medicine that it is sold by the Yeoran family’s merchant group.

If the medicine he was selling was really a panacea, Giyun would have taken it without hesitation.

However, he never even touched the medicine with his fingertips and told me not to take it, saying it wasn’t suitable for a young child.

In other words, Giyun knows he shouldn’t take this medicine. And yet he calls it a panacea.

‘It’s definitely opium.’

Completely drained of energy, I sprawled out on the chair. Since it wasn’t poison coated on the teacup but the tea itself, I couldn’t avoid drinking a small amount too.

Even with the same poison, my body with no resistance would obviously be more severely affected, so I used Mirinae. The Jeyun family’s ability is entirely healing, but fortunately, he was the dragon who bestowed abilities to that family.

I went to him without warning and handed him my teacup, asking him to cast a blessing on it.

Mirinae seemed flustered in many ways by my sudden visit. How did I know he was a dragon, why was I asking him to bestow a blessing significant enough to create a family on a teacup, and why was I suddenly acting like this…

His eyes were full of confusion, but Mirinae obediently cast a blessing on the teacup. And since I was sitting there perfectly fine without any abnormalities, it seemed to have worked well.

‘Everything ended well.’

I’m fine, I found out the true nature of the drug, and Giyun too…

Giyun Yeoran.

The moment I thought of that name, I threw the bottle in my hand onto the bed.

Asking me to forgive him even though he did wrong? Is that something an adult should say to a child, especially a parent who neglected their child’s suffering?

He’s a bad son in many ways, really. I huffed and puffed, then sighed and slumped my shoulders.

Ah, I’m drained.

“I miss Mom.”