chapter 31
Hongseol had been sitting in the dusty library for several days, burying her head in a book.
The martial arts manual Namgung On mentioned was full of illustrations, so even Hongseol, who had just started learning to read, could understand it easily.
“Hmmm… I’m sure there must be a way to win…”
“Unni!”
While she was deep in thought, a familiar voice called out.
Hongseol looked up toward the sound.
At the tall window, the youngest Namgung sibling’s face appeared. His messy bangs were still tied up with a blue silk ribbon.
“Oh?”
He swayed from side to side, apparently standing on his older brother Heuk’s shoulders.
Ever since receiving the little mouse doll, Hongseol had been opening her heart and had been spending her free time playing with Namgung Heuk and Namgung Jeok.
So when she suddenly locked herself in the library, the two princes had come to find her.
“Hey, it’s tiring! Hurry up and tell me!”
Namgung Heuk, pressed under the youngest sibling’s feet, urged her.
“Unni! Do you want to go to the kitchen to get some rice cakes?”
Hmm…
Hongseol, still pondering the open martial arts manual, nodded eagerly.
“Sure!”
She was already feeling a bit hungry and needed a change of pace.
The manual can wait until this afternoon…!
With a leap, Hongseol hopped off her chair.
The youngest Namgung sibling’s face instantly lit up at the sight.
All the children except Namgung Baek gathered near the kitchen attached to Changcheon Pavilion.
Hongseol, unusually, was in her cat form.
“Hongseol, you can do this, right?”
Namgung Heuk’s voice was serious. Hongseol responded with determination.
“Meow!”
In truth, she was trembling like she might die, but she couldn’t say that out loud.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t let her join such fun activities again!
Pretending to be calm, she lifted her fluffy muzzle.
“Good. Today, we’re counting on you alone, Hongseol.”
At that moment, Si-bi Ihwa, a kitchen staff member from Changcheon Pavilion, passing by, asked with a puzzled expression,
“Princes, what are you doing here?”
“Oh, a stray cat wandered in, so we were just playing with it.”
Namgung Heuk replied shamelessly. Ihwa gave them a suspicious look.
The second son of the Namgung family had a mischievous streak second to none.
“You mean the prince played with a stray cat?”
Ihwa’s gaze fell on the pink baby cat sitting neatly beside Namgung Heuk.
Luckily, there were no signs of harm, but the atmosphere was suspicious. The cat was tense, its pink fur standing on end.
“It’s already suspicious enough that a stray cat wandered into the Namgung residence. You’re clearly up to some mischief. I should report this to the head of the household.”
Disaster! A panicked Namgung Heuk glanced at Hongseol.
Hongseol!
Seeing Namgung Heuk’s urgent eyes, Hongseol nodded.
Leave it to me!
In the next moment, she rolled onto her back, exposing her belly.
“Meow.”
Ihwa’s eyes softened at the sight of the pink belly and soft paws.
“Oh my, what a beautifully cute cat!”
Ihwa, completely distracted, reached to touch the belly, but Namgung Jeok hurriedly waved her off.
“Cats don’t like their bellies touched.”
“Oh, I see.”
Ihwa withdrew her hand with an embarrassed expression. She had no idea since when the mischievous Namgung princes had become cat experts.
Seizing the moment, Namgung Heuk said,
“Is it okay to hang around here? It seemed like the old lady was looking for someone a while ago.”
The old lady Namgung Heuk referred to was Mrs. Lee, in charge of the Changcheon Pavilion kitchen—the direct superior of Ihwa.
Hearing that, Ihwa’s face went pale.
“Oh my, I’d better go check on that.”
“Thank you.”
Once Ihwa left, the youngest Namgung Jeok sighed in relief.
“Phew, I thought Father would call us for sure, hyung.”
“You’re the youngest Namgung prince, yet your courage is smaller than a peanut. Are you okay, Hongseol?”
Relaxed on the floor like a flattened rice cake, Hongseol suddenly lifted her head at his words.
“Meow!”
“Good. Hongseol, you truly deserve to be my little sibling.”
“Meow!”
Hongseol answered energetically.
She liked the Namgung princes.
“I want to join the mission with Hongseol unni too.”
The clumsy youngest Namgung Jeok grew cuter the more she looked at him.
“No. If you go, Jeok, the plan will fail. Then no steamed rice cakes for us today.”
Being with Namgung Heuk was always fun.
They could play with complex toys made by the Jegal family, or, like today, smoothly trick Si-bi without a hitch.
“Hyung, can’t we just ask Mrs. Lee for the rice cakes?”
“That wouldn’t be fun. Besides, you already ate three rice cakes today, so she’d probably refuse.”
“Waaah.”
“You checked that the eldest brother isn’t around, right?”
“Yes! Hyung.”
At that, Hongseol instinctively peeked around.
As far as she knew, Namgung Baek should be at the training hall. But she couldn’t be sure—sometimes he skipped practice.
“Good. If hyung sees this, he’ll definitely have something to say.”
Even though he wasn’t much older, Namgung Baek rarely interacted with his siblings.
He always acted as if trapped in a snowstorm alone.
He would eat only a few bites of food, read just the beginning of books, and leave halfway through musical performances, retreating to his room to hide under the blankets.
For that reason, Hongseol hadn’t grown close to Namgung Baek.
But she got along very well with Heuk and Jeok.
At first, she tried to get closer to Baek, but now she didn’t.
Strangely, Namgung Baek hyung makes me uncomfortable.
Hongseol had repeatedly walked to his quarters but left without speaking, feeling “uneasy.” She decided to ignore him entirely these past few days.
She hadn’t realized that her discomfort was actually pity.
“Alright, let’s go with the original plan.”
With Namgung Heuk’s final check, Hongseol focused.
“Hongseol, ready?”
“Meow!”
The three tiptoed toward the kitchen’s back door.
“Right, Hongseol! If Si-bi catches you…”
Namgung Heuk whispered something into the little cat’s ear—a secret operation in case of emergency. Hongseol responded vigorously.
“Meow!”
Then, peeking through the back door, Namgung Heuk nodded. It was the signal to go in.
“Haaah!”
To calm her trembling heart, Hongseol took a deep breath.
I can do this!
In the next moment, she leaped like a flying squirrel, slipping through the window.
“Ha! When it comes to stealth, cats beat wolves every time.”
Sniff sniff.
Hongseol’s little nose twitched in the air.
Let’s see… the scent is here somewhere, must be nearby.
Crouched on a high shelf, Hongseol carefully observed the situation.
The Changcheon Pavilion kitchen was unusually busy today.
A small, strict-looking old lady wielded a cane, constantly ordering the cooks and Si-bi around.
“Is the tea ready?”
“I’ve prepared the Bai Hao Yin Zhen for the Grand Ancestor!”
“Did you check the liquor storage? The branch house head will surely request the Baihua Dew again.”
“Ah, every time they come, it’s so expensive.”
“Watch your words! Don’t forget even small misbehavior can displease the Grand Ancestor!”
She’s terrifying.
No doubt, this strict old lady was Mrs. Lee, head of the Changcheon Pavilion kitchen.
“Oh, and prepare some rice cakes for the Namgung branch prince!”
Rice cakes?
Hongseol’s ears perked up at that.
