HBPEK C4

Chapter 4 – “Something She Wants to Hide”

Yuan Suye already had a guess about what Chen Shenye was going to ask, but she pretended not to understand and simply nodded.

“Did the General tell you?” Chen Shenye asked.

“Tell me what?” she replied calmly.

Her feigned ignorance made Chen Shenye smile faintly, but there was suspicion in her eyes.

“Didn’t Your Highness check my Yangchi acupoint?”

The Yangchi point regulates internal heat and is crucial for martial artists. It reflects one’s internal energy cultivation and circulation. Yuan Suye had earlier used this point to roughly assess Chen Shenye’s cultivation level.

She thought inwardly, So she noticed. Not bad.

But she still acted confused.

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean. I’ve only read basic medical texts—I don’t understand acupoints.”

Chen Shenye pressed again, but before things escalated, Eunryeong (the maid) stepped in, offended by Chen’s tone. The atmosphere turned tense until Yuan Suye stopped her.

She dismissed the situation and sent everyone away, ending the confrontation.

Left alone, Yuan Suye reflected deeply.

Her situation was absurd—reborn into the body of a noble lady, now the Crown Princess, and more importantly, her husband was none other than Ju Geon, the man who had once killed her.

Yet instead of despair, she felt something else: opportunity.

My enemy is right beside me… revenge will be easier than ever.

But memories of her past mission troubled her—the villagers she had failed to protect in her previous life. She hoped they were safe.

In the palace garden

The Crown Princess’s residence, Yeonhwa Palace, was modest but beautiful. A peaceful pond with lotus flowers reflected her thoughts as she gazed at her new face—so beautiful it seemed almost unreal.

She felt a strange sadness. Was it hers? Or the original owner’s?

Suddenly, a maid brought a wooden box, asking whether it should be burned as previously ordered.

Yuan Suye denied ever giving such an order. Curious, she realized the original owner had likely hidden something inside and tried to destroy it.

Inside the box was a locked mechanism. Before she could act, Chen Shenye snatched it, insisting on inspecting it under orders from Lady Yeongbi.

Chen claimed it might contain poison or something dangerous. It was clear—this was surveillance.

Yuan Suye calmly demanded the box back, but Chen refused.

Tension rose again until Yuan Suye forced authority and ordered it opened.

Using a hairpin as a lockpick, she effortlessly unlocked the box, shocking everyone present.

Inside were rolled letters—love letters.

Not state secrets, but passionate correspondence from a man named Seomun, deeply in love with the former Yuan Suye. The letters revealed a tragic romance, ending in despair and a final note suggesting suicide.

Yuan Suye quickly noticed something strange.

The handwriting, tone, and emotional pattern didn’t fully match—there were inconsistencies. Something about these letters felt manipulated.

Her eyes narrowed.

Someone is hiding the truth behind this “love story.”

And more importantly—

Someone is using it against me.