IEJ 06

Chapter 06

I Need to Use You.

Cheongbi’s mouth fell open in delight as she hurried after the man, afraid of losing sight of him.

But then she began to feel that something was a little strange.

Wait, even that man’s clothes were kind of…

She hadn’t noticed it before because she had been so focused on his face, but now that she looked at him, this man was also dressed in an old-fashioned outfit that looked like a Western medieval costume.

Ah, seriously, what is wrong with this place?

Cheongbi had absolutely no idea where she was or what kind of place this was.

All she knew was that it was a bizarre and strange place.

With no other options, Cheongbi regarded this man as the new lifeline she had been given and followed closely behind him.

Because Rian knew the patrol routes of the soldiers making their rounds at night, he had no trouble reaching an escape route known only to him.

After looking around one more time, he suddenly grabbed Cheongbi by the waist.

Before Cheongbi even had a chance to scream, he climbed up a thick tree and, in an instant, reached the top of the castle wall beside it.

It happened in a flash, like a scene straight out of a martial arts drama.

Cheongbi was dumbfounded, but afraid that she might fall, she tightly grabbed Rian’s shoulder and refused to let go, not even knowing when she had started holding on to him.

Rian found the woman’s behavior unfamiliar.

Naturally, she was acting this way because she didn’t know that he was the Crown Prince, but until now, no one had ever dared to touch his body without permission.

“Where do you think you’re putting your hands? How dare you?”

The moment he finished speaking, Cheongbi immediately took her hands off him.

“How dare I? You really throw those words around so casually. Do you think I grabbed you because I wanted to? I grabbed you because I had to if I wanted to survive.”

Cheongbi was extremely irritated by the way the man kept speaking down to her.

He sounded exactly like those senior students in her physical education college who had just returned from the military and were obsessed with throwing their weight around.

She had hated dealing with those seniors so much on campus that she would hide or run away whenever she saw them. Did she really have to be treated like this even here?

But it wasn’t as though she would ever see this man again.

Just endure it. Ignore him.

There was no point wasting precious time arguing with him.

Cheongbi shot the man an irritated glare before abruptly turning her head away.

In front of her, thick green branches stretched outward beneath the outer wall. If she stepped carefully across those dense branches one by one, she felt she could somehow make her way out of here.

This height was nothing.

She had practiced jumping exercises all the time at school. This was basically a warm-up.

“Anyway, thank you. You can go on your way now. I can climb down by myself from here.”

Just as she was about to cautiously place one foot on the nearest branch, a gentle breeze blew through the dense vegetation and brushed past Cheongbi.

At that moment, Rian turned around.

His eyes narrowed as his gaze returned to the woman.

The familiar scent had been carried on the breeze.

It was definitely that scent.

The same fragrance that had come from the foreign woman who had lain there pretending to be dead earlier that day was now coming from this new maid standing before him.

“Wait.”

Rian grabbed Cheongbi by the wrist in one swift motion and turned her toward him.

“You…”

Rian immediately pulled the black cloth from around her head, and Cheongbi’s hair spilled down.

Her hair, which she had recently spent a considerable amount of money dyeing blue-black, shone even bluer under the moonlight, instantly capturing Rian’s gaze.

Cheongbi couldn’t hide her confusion at the man’s sudden action.

“What are you doing? That’s rude!”

“You, earlier today…”

“Huh? You… know me?”

Thinking that perhaps he knew something about how she had ended up here, Cheongbi waited for his answer, but he seemed to have no intention of answering.

Rian couldn’t hear a word she was saying.

The wind blew again, and Cheongbi’s long hair fluttered through the air.

Without withdrawing his sharp gaze, Rian continued to hold on to her.

The woman’s bluish hair, her exotic appearance, and her clear, bright eyes staring straight at him.

And that unfamiliar fragrance.

He hadn’t even taken a sip of alcohol, yet the scent made him feel as though he were becoming intoxicated by a fresh, sweet fruit wine.

In the ensuing silence, a pale halo of moonlight poured down upon them, giving Cheongbi’s face an even more elegant glow.

“Oh, if you don’t know me, then never mind.”

The man’s gaze fixed on her was anything but ordinary.

Had he changed his mind and decided to hand her over to someone else?

“I should go now.”

Cheongbi firmly pried his hand off her wrist. Feeling that she shouldn’t waste any more time, she hurried to continue her escape.

At her actions, Rian finally snapped back to his senses.

The woman standing before him was undoubtedly the same woman his brother had brought to the palace earlier that day.

A strong thought took over his mind.

He couldn’t let her go like this.

Not only would it ruin his plan to use this woman in place of a concubine, but he would then have to go out and find another woman, which would be troublesome in itself.

Rian called out to her.

“Stop there.”

But she had already gotten away from Rian and was too preoccupied with climbing down the tree.

“I said stop.”

Only then did Cheongbi lift her head from where she had been staring down at the wall below.

“What is your problem?”

“You can’t go.”

“What?”

Wondering why this man she had only just met was acting like this, Cheongbi frowned and tilted her head before starting to search for a sturdy branch that looked like it could support her weight.

The woman was trying to escape without even pretending to listen to him, without a trace of hesitation or regret. Rian’s expression quickly darkened.

He didn’t understand why the thought of this woman leaving the palace irritated him so much.

Why?

Was it because she dared to ignore his orders even though he was the Crown Prince?

Or was it because he was annoyed at the thought of having to find another woman to serve as a stand-in for his concubine?

One thing was certain.

Even though she was a woman he had only met today, he didn’t want to let her go just like this.

Rian grabbed Cheongbi’s wrist again and spun her around.

“Ah, why are you doing this? Let me go!”

“You’re suspicious. Sneaking out like this. Tell me honestly. What crime did you commit? You didn’t steal something and try to escape, did you?”

It was an excuse.

Even if he had to make up some excuse, keeping the woman here was his priority.

“No, what the heck is wrong with you? Are you accusing me of stealing something? I didn’t do anything like that, so stop meddling and just go on your way.”

Cheongbi tried to pull her wrist free from Rian’s grasp, but there was no chance.

Words alone weren’t going to work.

I need to come on stronger.

These days, there was one phrase that would make anyone panic.

“Hey, this is sexual harassment. You’re committing a crime right now. Do you really want to end up wearing an electronic ankle monitor while you’re still young?”

Cheongbi threatened him, waiting for him to let her go, but he didn’t show the reaction she expected.

Huh? That didn’t work either?

He’s got nerves of steel.

Rian had no idea what she was talking about, but he was relieved that he hadn’t lost her, and the corners of his mouth lifted.

“You can’t go.”

“Why can’t I?”

“Because I need you.”

A strange smile spread across Rian’s face as he continued.

“I need to use you for a little while.”

“Use me? Am I a hat? A pencil? What do you mean, use me? Let go of my hand already!”

Rather than releasing Cheongbi’s hand as she tried to pull away, Rian grabbed it firmly and pulled her into his arms.

“Just stay still.”

Holding onto the struggling Cheongbi, he descended from the castle wall to the ground in an instant.

Cheongbi couldn’t believe it.

She had definitely been standing on the castle wall just a moment ago, yet after blinking once, she was already standing on the ground.

“Why did you bring me down? I worked so hard to climb up there!”

“I didn’t see you work very hard to get up.”

“Whatever! We’re down now, aren’t we? Put me back up!”

Judging from that expression, there was no way he was going to put her back.

Cheongbi shook herself free of Rian and tried to climb back up the tree somehow, but it was simply too high for her to climb on her own.

Seeing Rian approaching her one step at a time, she backed away.

Believing there had to be another way out somewhere else, she suddenly turned and started running straight ahead.

She especially needed to get away from this strange man whose words made no sense and whose behavior changed every other second.

When Cheongbi sensed that he was still chasing after her, she shouted at the top of her lungs.

“Don’t come any closer! Stop following me! I’m getting out of here even if I have to do it alone!”

Huh?

She could definitely hear footsteps chasing her, but this sounded like more than one person.

The murmuring grew louder and louder, which seemed strange, so she turned around.

The man was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, the large men who had been patrolling the area earlier—the ones who looked like those gangsters’ lackeys—were chasing after her.

In an instant, she was surrounded from the front, back, and both sides.

Cheongbi was no different from a rat trapped in a jar.

Oh no. I’m screwed.

In the end, Cheongbi was dragged back to the room she had originally escaped from.

“Why are you only catching me?! There was another man who was escaping too!”

It seemed unfair that she was the only one being caught when there had been another escapee, so Cheongbi protested.

But the men merely said that they were only following orders and then left the room.

“Argh! This is all that bastard’s fault!”

Furious because she believed that man had ruined her chance to escape, Cheongbi continued kicking and punching the air even after lying down on the bed.

Eventually, exhausted, she fell asleep.

The shadow cast by the lamplight swayed, repeatedly disappearing and reappearing across the window.

A short while later, the owner of that shadow, Rian, appeared.

Unaware that there was a man standing before her, Cheongbi remained deeply asleep.

Rian’s gaze as he looked down at Cheongbi was as cold as the pale dawn moonlight streaming through the window.

Even he himself couldn’t understand why he had captured the woman.

He had intended to use her as a stand-in for a concubine, but it didn’t necessarily have to be this woman.

Then what exactly was the reason…?

Was he intoxicated by that flower-like scent that had bewitched him?

At that moment, he had clearly been swept away by something and unable to collect his thoughts.

It was an unfamiliar feeling, something he had never experienced before.

No matter how much he thought about what it was, he couldn’t define it.

It was simply curiosity toward a woman with a mysterious appearance.

Nothing more.

Besides, he needed a woman.

That was all there was to it.

“Wake up, miss.”

When Cheongbi sat up at the commotion, she saw a middle-aged woman waking her.

The woman was dressed in the kind of ancient maid’s clothing Cheongbi had seen in historical dramas and movies on TV.

She looked too old to simply be someone who enjoyed cosplay, and her expression was far too serious.

“You must get out of bed now.”

Cheongbi had thought it was a dream, but apparently this really was reality.

She remembered being caught after trying to escape yesterday and being brought back here.

Her sleep instantly vanished, and she shot upright.

“Excuse me, ma’am. I don’t know who you are, but please help me. I don’t know how I ended up here, but this isn’t somewhere I’m supposed to be.”

After making sure no one else was around, Cheongbi covered her mouth with one hand and whispered quietly.

“I think I was kidnapped by human traffickers or something.”

“……”

“I’m not going to end up on some shrimp-fishing boat, am I? You know, human trafficking and all that.”

Regardless of what Cheongbi said, the middle-aged woman showed no reaction whatsoever.

Instead, she handed Cheongbi a set of clothes.

“I have placed water for you to wash with on the table. You may change into these clothes.”

The clothes were made of luxurious-looking fabric, covered in elaborate embroidery, with pearls hanging lavishly from various places.

You want me to wear something this expensive?

Why are these people wasting so much wealth?

Is it really okay to just give expensive clothes like this to someone you’ve never even met?

Cheongbi accepted the clothes, placed them roughly on the bed, and once again looked at the middle-aged woman with an expression pleading for help.

But the middle-aged woman maintained the same attitude and showed no sign whatsoever of helping her.

Even when Cheongbi pleaded with her again, the woman’s expression remained completely indifferent.

She simply kept telling Cheongbi to wash herself and change clothes, using that unfamiliar historical-drama manner of speech that Cheongbi still couldn’t get used to.

Cheongbi became increasingly frustrated and annoyed.

They’re probably planning to dress me up in some cosplay outfit, make me look pretty, and sell me somewhere.

But that’s not happening!

Cheongbi had no choice but to suspect everything.

“Why are you trying to take me somewhere after making me wear this? I’m just going to keep wearing my own clothes!”

She was a little afraid that the woman might hit her, but she wanted to make it clear that she wasn’t someone who could easily be pushed around.

I’m not some meek idiot who just says, “Yes, yes,” to everything.

“Just leave her and go.”

A young man’s voice suddenly spoke from somewhere nearby.

Cheongbi had no idea how long he had been standing there watching them.

At the young man’s single command, the middle-aged woman bowed respectfully and immediately left.

What?

Who is that man now?

Another foreign man!