Chapter 60 - The Night With Secret
Although Minhwa had noticed the Crown Prince the moment he entered the hall, she pushed the thought aside as soon as he left.
There were more important things to focus on. This was not the place for distractions.
Her gaze returned to the training floor.
Soon, Instructor Zhao Liang stepped forward, his sharp eyes sweeping across the Level Six group.
"Everyone, positions."
The girls immediately arranged themselves into formation. Zhao Liang clasped his hands behind his back. Not bothering with the introduction, he moved straight into dance mode.
"We begin again."
The practice started with basic control movements.
The cloud sleeve turn :The dancers raised their arms, their long sleeves flowing as they spun gracefully in place.
The lotus steps: Their feet shifted lightly across the wooden floor, heels barely touching as their bodies glided from one position to another.
Then the willow bend :The girls bent their bodies low, their arms extending outward like branches swaying in the wind.
Zhao Liang's voice remained calm but strict as he guided them.
"Again."
The sequence repeated. The rhythm of their movements filled the hall.
Silk sleeves swirled.
Feet tapped softly against the polished floor. Every mistake was immediately corrected.
"Your wrist is stiff."
"Lower your shoulders."
"Balance!"
The training continued without pause. That night, there would be a gisaeng performance.
When performances were scheduled, every training session had to be unified and precise. No one was allowed to be careless.
The lesson stretched on for hours.
For every hour of practice, they were given only a thirty-minute break before being called back to the floor again.
Then the cycle continued.
Dance. Correct. Then Again.
By the time the sixth hour arrived, the sun outside had already begun to sink toward the horizon. The golden evening light slipped through the windows of the inner hall.
Most of the girls were visibly exhausted. Their breathing had grown heavier, and their steps slower.
Minhwa felt it too. Her muscles burned.
Her legs felt as if they no longer belonged to her. It was as though every bone in her body had been drained of strength.
But she endured.
Although, she was the youngest in the room, she could not afford to fall behind.
So she kept dancing.
.
.
.
.
.
A while later, the dance class finally came to an end.
The moment the girls were dismissed and allowed to return to their rooms.
Minhwa did not linger, she walked straight back to her room.
Closing the door behind her, she sat down quietly.
Only then did the events of the day begin replaying in her mind, her brows furrowed slightly as she sank into deep thought.
First—
She was not surprised at the prince being in Hanshen Ge.
But why had the Crown Prince come to the inner hall?, And why had the Queen appeared as well?
In her previous life, she had seen the Crown Prince on the second day after arriving at Hanshen Ge. He had been walking through the garden with a guard when she saw him.
That was the moment she had falllen in love with him at first sight.
But in this life, she had deliberately avoided that place. She had made sure not to go anywhere near the garden.
So why…
Why had the Crown Prince still appeared?
And why did it feel as if he had come there specifically for her?
The thought lingered uneasily in her mind.
Then there was the second matter.
If Jianhe was known as Madam's pet, Min Ke as the biggest bully in Hanshen Ge, and Yunluo as the illegitimate daughter of the Left Prime Minister…
Then how was it possible that in her past life she had never known any of this?
Even when she had been friends with Jianhe.
She had never heard anyone speak about Min Ke. She had never once known that someone named Yunluo even existed.
It was as if those people had never appeared in her life at all.
Minhwa's gaze lowered slightly as another question surfaced.
Since she had been Jianhe's friend back then…
What had she been known as?
In her previous life, after the Crown Prince married and before he brought her into the palace as a concubine, the people of Hanshen Ge had bullied her relentlessly.
Was it simply because they thought the Crown Prince had abandoned her?
Or…
Was it because of a reputation she had carried without even knowing it?
Minhwa remained seated, completely lost in thought.
Time passed quietly.
Before she realized it, two hours had gone by.
Unable to find answers within her memories, she finally exhaled softly and forced herself out of her thoughts.
She stood and began preparing for bed.
But as she glanced toward the other side of the room, something caught her attention.
Jianhe was not there.
Minhwa paused.
Every girl in Hanshen Ge who was younger than thirteen—or who had not yet experienced the sign that marked them as women—knew one rule very clearly.
During gisaeng performances, they were not allowed to wander outside.
Not near the great hall. Not near the guests.
The men who attended such performances were rarely good people.
And young girls who crossed their paths often faced unfortunate outcomes.
So where could Jianhe have gone?
The thought lingered for only a moment.
Minhwa shook her head slightly. It wasn't her business.
Extinguishing the lamp beside her bed, she lay down.
Soon, exhaustion from the long day took over her.
Before long, she fell into a deep sleep.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
The night deepened. The compound of Hanshen Ge had long fallen deep into the performance.
Then— Gong.
The deep sound of the midnight gong echoed through the halls outside, marking the arrival of the twelfth hour.
Inside the room, Minhwa slept peacefully, unaware of anything happening around her.
But at that very moment, something unusual began to occur. A tiny pink sparkle suddenly appeared in the air above her bed.
It floated gently, drifting in slow circles around Minhwa's sleeping form like a wandering firefly.
The faint glow illuminated the quiet room. The sparkle grew brighter.
Then slowly— It transformed.
The light condensed, gathering into a small shape before finally revealing a cute, fluffy pink ball.
It was Vira.
The moment Vira fully appeared, she looked down at the sleeping Minwha beneath her.
Her eyes softened immediately.
Vira slowly floated closer until she hovered right beside Minhwa's face.
Then, pink bubbly tears began to fall from her eyes. One by one, the tiny glowing droplets disappeared before touching the bed.
With her small, soft hands, she gently caressed Minhwa's cheek.
Her voice trembled slightly as she whispered softly.
"Mother… I'm back."
Minhwa stirred faintly.
For a brief moment, her eyes opened halfway as if sensing something.
She stared forward blankly.
Then, still half-asleep, she shifted slightly on the bed and turned her head to the other side.
Moments later, she sank back into deep sleep. Completely unaware of the small pink creature watching over her.
.
.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, while Minwha slept, the same could not be said for the Crown Prince.
After returning to the palace with the Queen, he was granted permission to retire to his chamber.
Once he was alone, his thoughts refused to settle.
From dinner to the preparation of his bed…
From sitting quietly by the table to finally lying down beneath the silk canopy…
Minhwa's face would not leave his mind.
The way she had danced. The way their eyes had met.
The way time seemed to stop. The quiet intensity in her gaze.
No matter how he tried to focus on anything else, her image returned again and again, interrupting his thoughts like a gentle but persistent wave.
Eventually, exhaustion claimed him. But even in sleep, she remained in his dreams.
When morning finally arrived and light filtered softly through the palace windows, the Crown Prince opened his eyes with a sudden clarity.
The first thought that crossed his mind was not about court matters.
Not about lessons. Not about duties.
It was her.
Without hesitation, he sat up and summoned a servant.
"Bring me a painter."
The servant bowed quickly and hurried away, confused but obedient.
The Crown Prince stood quietly near the window, gazing at the early morning sky.
He needed the painter to capture her.
Her every detail.
The shape of her eyes. The calmness in her expression.
The dance. The way she carried herself.
He needed it captured exactly as he remembered.
Not to display. Not for politics.
But so the moment that had disturbed his heart throughout the night would no longer feel like a fading dream.
And so, with steady resolve, the Crown Prince prepared to preserve the image of the girl who had unknowingly entered his thoughts — and refused to leave.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
In Hanshen Ge, as soon as the morning arrived, a sudden commotion spread throughout the entire compound.
Servants whispered. Guards rushed through the corridors.
Even the dancers preparing for their morning lessons paused in confusion.
Something terrible had happened.
Yunluo was dead.
The one who discovered her body was the old gardener of Hanshen Ge. As he did every morning, he had gone to the garden at dawn to water the plants.
The morning air was still dim, the sun barely rising over the walls of the compound.
The gardener walked toward the old well he always used to fetch water. He tied a bucket to the rope and tossed it down the well as usual.
The bucket dropped.
A moment later, he began pulling it back up.
But suddenly— The rope jerked strangely in his hands.
The bucket felt heavy.
And instead of the usual splash of water filling the bucket, he felt it hit something inside the well.
The gardener frowned.
"That's strange…" he muttered.
Curious, he leaned slightly over the stone edge of the well and peered down.
But the well was dark.
The rising morning light had not yet reached deep enough for him to see clearly. Still, something large seemed to be floating in the water below.
His brows furrowed.
Not understanding what it was, the gardener assumed some large object had fallen into the well during the night.
So he hurriedly called out to the nearby guards of Hanshen Ge.
"Guards! Come help me!"
A few moments later, two guards arrived.
"What's the problem?" one of them asked.
"Something fell into the well," the gardener explained nervously. "It's blocking the bucket."
The guards moved closer.
"Step aside."
They grabbed the rope and began pulling whatever was caught below.
The rope tightened.
Slowly— Something heavy began to rise from the darkness of the well.
At first, only wet black hair appeared.
Then a pale arm.
And finally— A soaked body emerged from the water.
For a brief second, the three men simply stared.
Then the gardener's eyes widened in horror. A deafening scream tore from his throat.
"Aaaahhhh!"
The scream echoed across the gardens of Hanshen Ge. That was how Yunluo's body was discovered.
.
.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, Minhwa was suddenly startled awake by a loud scream that echoed somewhere outside.
Her eyes snapped open.
For a moment, she lay still, trying to understand what had just happened.
Then she slowly sat up.
The room was dim, lit only by the faint morning light creeping through the window.
Her gaze instinctively moved across the room.
There, on the other side, Jianhe was lying on her bed—fast asleep.
Minhwa frowned slightly. The scream had been extremely loud.
So loud that it had echoed across the entire compound.
Yet Jianhe hadn't even stirred.
Minhwa couldn't help but wonder how someone could sleep through something like that.
But after a moment, she dismissed the thought.
It wasn't her concern.
Just as she was about to get up, clean herself, and go outside to see what had happened—
Something suddenly appeared in front of her. A small pink ball popped into existence in the air.
"Host! You're finally awake!"
The ball floated excitedly in front of her face.
"Gosh, you sleep like a log."
Minhwa blinked.Her brows slowly knitted together. Her brain processing what she was seeing.
Minhwa stared at it for a long moment.
Even though Minhwa had never seen a strange floating ball like this before, she felt no fear.
Instead, a strange sense of familiarity stirred within her.
It felt… close.
As if she had known it for a long time.
She narrowed her eyes.
"...Vira?" she asked uncertainly.
The pink ball brightened.
"Yes! It's me, Host!"
"Wait… who are you? How do I know your name?"
The ball froze.
"What are you saying, Host?" Vira said in confusion. "I'm obviously your system."
Then suddenly— Vira seemed to realize something.
"Oh… right."
She laughed awkwardly.
"I wiped your memories."
Minhwa blinked slowly.
"The only memories you have right now are the ones of being Minhwa."
"What nonsense are you muttering?" Minhwa asked, clearly irritated.
"Oh, don't worry about that, Host!" Vira replied cheerfully.
"Just know that I'm your guide to getting complete revenge in this world."
She puffed up proudly.
"I'm the greatest helper you could ever have."
Minhwa stared at the floating creature.
"A helper?"
Her eyes swept over its round body.
"How exactly can a ball help me?"
"A ball?!" Vira gasped dramatically. Her fluffy body puffed up in shock.
"When I helped you in the first world before this one, you didn't call me a ball!"
She pointed tiny paws at Minhwa accusingly.
"Host, how dare you! You're hurting me!"
Her expression became exaggeratedly sad.
Minhwa paused.
"...Sorry," she said after a moment, feeling oddly guilty, though she didn't understand why.
Vira immediately brightened.
"It's okay, Host! I forgive you."
She smiled so widely it looked as if she were blessing the entire world with sunshine.
But suddenly— Something clicked inside Minhwa's mind.
Her eyes narrowed.
"Wait." She looked directly at Vira. "What do you mean by first world?"
For a brief moment, Vira froze. Then she quickly looked around the room.
"Oh! Look, Host!"
She pointed dramatically toward the other bed.
"Why is your roommate sleeping like a dead person when there was such a loud scream outside?"
The sudden change of topic worked. Minhwa turned her head toward Jianhe again.
Jianhe was still lying there, completely motionless.
Not even the slightest movement. Minhwa's eyes sharpened slightly.
"...Yes," she said slowly.
"Why?"