73 Chapter 14: Imperial Dr. Yen, Spring Garden Party Part Three (2/2)

Enough though it was a simple question, it irritated her everyone is still staring at her in a daze. How could there not be any meaning to making myself look ugly, especially around this era?

”Yes. It is, so I won't be taken into the back alleys.” The pleasure district – being what it is – had those who hungered for women. Most of those guys don't have money, are violent, and mental illnesses were common among them. Of course, she would want to excuse herself from that, even though she could protect herself from them

The flabbergasted Ren, for some reason, timidly asked her. ”Have you ever been taken?”

”They tried.” So, he could understand what she said, and she glared at him with narrowed eyes even though she killed them, all fifty of them. It was such a hassle to clean up too. And can you also imagine what the town would think if she was caught? They wouldn't believe that she killed fifty people. So, when she was kidnapped in public, she didn't do a thing in fear of a manhunt for her.

Have you ever been chased by the FBI or CIA, it's not fun.

”I'm sorry.”

”Why? It's not as if you kidnapped me, yourself”

”The management wasn't thorough,” he said.

”There isn't much distinction between selling someone as kidnappers and selling someone to reduce the number of mouths to feed. It's all the same,” she told him. The former was criminal, and the latter was legal. Even a kidnapper couldn't be punished if the person they bought didn't know that distinction. Right now, the reason to her using this sort of make-up in the inner palace was the same as her hiding her ability to write.

”Ahh. I'm sorry.” He said again, and then he quickly stuck something on her head

”That hurts,” she said.

”Does it? Have this.” He wasn't smiling his usual saccharine smile. His face was also mixed with embarrassment and gloominess. When she felt her head, she felt something cold and metallic in her hair even though she wasn't wearing anything. ”Well then, I'll see you at the assembly place.” Ren turned his back and left the gazebo just like that. Stuck in her hair was a man's silver kanzashi.

”Ahh, how nice,” Yao said. She thought to give it to Yao who looked like she wanted it, but the other two had the same expressions, so she had no choice but to draw in her hands.

Hong made a wry smile.

”Aw, you broke the promise so quickly.” Consort Gina looked peevish. She took the kanzashi from

Yen's hand and neatly fastened it in her tied-up hair. ”It looks like you're not just my maid now.”

For good or evil, Yen was especially estranged from the talk of the upper echelons of the Imperial Court. She didn't know the significance it represented.