– Splosh.

After finishing my meal, I sank into the warmth of the water.

Once before returning to the Tang Clan, when I caught Yeon-yeon, the spirit fish Euneo, I had bathed in cold water.

And after coming back to the Tang Clan, I had already washed again in hot water—but since this was the princess’s first night, I had to bathe once more.

The first night wasn’t just a matter of hygiene; in this era, it also carried the meaning of washing away impurities and the two becoming one. Cleanliness was part of the ritual.

It was a kind of purification.

“Haa... that’s good. The mugwort scent is nice, too.”

The bath had been prepared with water filled with dried mugwort, so the fragrance spread thickly through the room.

I had experienced the same thing on my first night with Hwa-eun. It seemed this mugwort bath was a tradition for first nights.

If I remembered correctly, when a child was born, the father was supposed to bathe the baby in mugwort water as well?

Apparently, mugwort water had many uses.

In my previous life, I would have wrinkled my nose at the thought—mugwort baths were for old people.

As a kid, the sauna had a mugwort bath corner, and it was always filled with old men.

But maybe I’d adapted to the Central Plains, because now the scent felt refreshing.

As I inhaled the fragrance, the servant maids who had followed me in to the bathing room spoke up.

“So-ryong-nim, turn your head this way. We’ll wash your hair for you.”

“Thank you.”

At first, it felt awkward to have someone else wash me, but after doing it a few times, nothing was more convenient.

I still felt uncomfortable letting anyone wash my whole body, so I only let them help with my hair, but even that was much easier.

I did kind of want to try letting them do the rest, but I wasn’t confident I could keep Great Dragon still.

‘If I let them wash my body and the Great Dragon makes his presence known... that’d be embarrassing.’

I was leaning back against the tub, letting the maids handle my hair, when a voice came from the adjoining dressing room.

“Master, wh-when you’re finished washing, come out. I’ve prepared your clothes.”

“Understood.”

Gun Hye-rin had insisted she’d be the one to dress me after my bath, so I figured she was waiting with the clothes.

I’d intended to dress myself, but I answered anyway and continued to enjoy the bath.

A short while later, I finished, had my hair dried, wiped myself with a cloth, and stepped into the next room.

– Clatter.

When I opened the door and entered, what greeted me was Gun Hye-rin’s flushed face.

I was the one who had just bathed, but her cheeks were bright red, as if she’d just spent half an hour in the hot tub herself.

“M-master.”

The way she looked at me, flustered, made it obvious. This must have been because of the “education” Hwa-eun and the princess had just given her.

Right after our meal, those two had dragged her off, saying she needed instruction—since tomorrow would be her turn, she had to be taught.

Whatever they’d taught her, her eyes kept flicking toward the cloth wrapped around my lower body.

‘Seriously... she can hide her demonic energy so well, but with this sort of thing she’s completely transparent.’

With my lower body covered by a cloth, I stepped right up to her.

Then I placed my hand gently on her forehead.

And in a tender voice, I said:

“Hye-rin, your face is strangely red. You’re not feeling unwell, are you?”

At that, her flushed cheeks deepened, spreading to her ears and the nape of her neck in an instant.

Anyone watching might have thought she’d just downed a whole bottle of harsh liquor.

“N-no, I, I...”

Shaking all over, she stammered out incomprehensible sounds.

A mischievous impulse took hold of me, and I brought my lips close to her ear, speaking in a sticky whisper.

“You mustn’t get sick. If you fall ill, it hurts my heart.”

It was the kind of line I’d only ever seen in old romance films from my previous life—and at that, Gun Hye-rin froze in place.

– Plip. Plop.

Then came a sound like raindrops falling, and I felt something hit the tops of my feet. Looking down, I saw red droplets spattering onto them.

Falling in real time.

‘A nosebleed? Damn it, how embarrassing.’

At first I thought I was the one bleeding.

Maybe the hot bath had raised my blood pressure, or maybe teasing Gun Hye-rin had sent my blood rushing, making my nose bleed.

After all, a hot bath increases circulation, and messing around with Hye-rin could easily have done the rest.

‘No, it’s just... seeing her like this so innocently, I couldn’t help myself...’

Some men are drawn to the foxlike, seductive type—like the princess—but honestly, that style divides opinion.

For herbivore types like me, that kind of dangerous allure screams trouble. It feels like if you fall for that woman, your life will spiral into ruin. Sweet as it may be, it’s too perilous to indulge.

But there’s one style that’s held men’s hearts unchanged for thousands of years: pure, innocent beauty.

So seeing Gun Hye-rin’s pure demeanor had sent my blood rushing—but when I touched my nose, there was nothing.

No blood on my hand.

And judging by the amount dripping onto my feet, there should have been plenty.

‘What the...? Nothing’s coming out? Don’t tell me... no, it couldn’t be, right?’

Feeling uneasy, I stepped back and looked straight at Gun Hye-rin.

If it wasn’t me, then there was only one other possibility.

And sure enough, there she was, eyes glazed, both nostrils gushing blood like an oil well in the Middle East.

‘Wait, what!? I didn’t even touch her, why’s she bleeding already?’

“L-lady Gun?”

If the blood she was spewing were crude oil, she’d have been a Middle Eastern tycoon already.

I called out to her, but she was already half out of her wits. When I poked her lightly, she toppled backward like a felled log.

– Thud.

“Lady Gun!”

I barely managed to catch her as she fell, cradling her in my arms. Nosebleed streaming, she gave a silly smile.

“Heh... heheh...”

At that moment, I honestly wondered whether she’d even be able to go through with tomorrow’s first night.

At this rate, just a touch might send her gushing blood again or knocking herself unconscious.

***

Leaving Gun Hye-rin to the maids, I stepped into the chamber—but the princess wasn’t there.

'Is she taking that long to get ready?'

Since she had already bathed earlier, I thought she’d be here before me, but she still hadn’t arrived.

I sat down at the table to wait, and soon after, the princess entered with two maids at her side.

She wore a wedding robe and a red bridal veil over her face.

There had been no time to prepare a custom gown, and it wasn’t Hwa-eun’s robe either. Whose wedding robe was it?

But wedding robes were often handed down, so she must have borrowed someone’s.

– Clatter.

Just then, a wine flask was set on the table.

The two maids placed only that flask and two cups before us, bowed, and withdrew.

“Then, may you have a blessed night.”

“Good night to you both.”

With their farewells, they stepped outside. The princess poured wine into the two cups, one for me and one for herself, then spoke in a solemn voice.

“Lord Consort, Yu Ji-ryeon swears from this day forward to serve you for life.”

It was like the pledge of a lowborn couple marrying with nothing more than a shared drink.

I smiled and replied.

“So do I.”

We raised our cups and downed them in one shot.

The princess lifted hers beneath the veil and drank hers as well.

That was the ceremony.

A truly simple wedding.

In my past life, there would have been studio shoots and makeup packages, endless preparations—but here, this was all.

Of course, His Majesty the Emperor might hold a belated formal ceremony for us later, but knowing the princess’s personality, this was likely the end of it.

Now that we were husband and wife, I carried her to the bed ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) in the so-called princess carry.

'To think I’d actually carry a princess in the princess carry...'

Sitting down beside her, I slowly lifted the red bridal veil.

Beneath it appeared her lips, curved in a smile.

They parted, and I heard my name.

“So-ryong.”

“Ji-ryeon.”

I softly spoke her name in return, then placed my lips gently over hers.

– Smack.

She must have worn the lipstick I’d had Eum-bong make for her—the sweetness was unmistakable.

Kissing her softly, I pushed the veil aside and removed the bridal headdress.

Then my hand tugged at her sash.

– Srrk.

Not too fast, not too slow—the knot came undone, the robe falling open.

The lanternlight poured in through the gap, revealing bare skin.

Women of the Central Plains always wore an undergarment called malhyung to cover the chest, but here was nothing.

My eyes widened in surprise.

She wasn’t wearing anything beneath the wedding robe.

Then her hand pushed me back, laying me flat on the bed.

“Wait just a moment.”

A flicker of unease crossed my mind, but she rose, slipped the robe from her shoulders—

– Thud.

And in the lantern’s glow, her nude figure stood revealed.

Smooth shoulders, a slender waist... the flickering light alone cloaked her back.

When she turned slowly, the flame wavered, and I clearly saw her clean-shaven form.

Honestly, I thought I’d never look at anything but the chest—but at that moment, I didn’t notice her chest at all.

'...Oh.'

I couldn’t help but admire her.

She climbed onto me, opened the front of my outer robe, and slid inside.

Then, with her fingers tracing over my chest, she whispered:

“I might look too skilled, but the truth is... I’m gathering every bit of courage I have right now.”

“Really?”

“Really. I’m just doing as I was taught... am I doing well?”

I’d never been to a courtesan house, but whoever taught her had to have been from one.

What in the world had they taught the princess?

This was less like bridal training and more like geisha training.

'Well... not that I mind.'

But since she said she was embarrassed, I decided to take the lead.

It was time to show her a man’s passion.

Kissing her again, I began to stroke her body gently.

That was when her voice began to tremble.

“Ah...”

Her body was like the strings of an instrument.

Each place I touched, a new note rang out—high and low.

“Hnn...”

And so the night passed.

***

When I awoke in the morning, bleary-eyed and haggard, the princess’s radiant face was smiling as she clung to me.

I had poured out everything until dawn; judging by her satisfied expression, she had been well pleased. But I was deeply worried.

After my mental interface had upgraded, I could now see the “gem count” that indicated the physical specs of the children registered within it.

Which meant I could also check the princess’s stats. From what I’d confirmed before, her lower body had shown five gems.

I hadn’t known what that meant at the time—but now I knew.

'So five gems meant... that.'

The princess was a dangerous woman, one who could handle five men’s worth.

They say being near someone with overwhelming qi drains your own.

That’s how it felt.

I’d been sucked dry, down to my very soul.

'It’s only a month... I can endure it, right?'

After all, I’d be challenging the Heavenly Boundary in one month. I only had to hold out that long.

But after just one night, I wasn’t sure I could.

'Today, I should go torment Yeon-yeon instead.'

Blaming the whole ordeal on Yeon-yeon, I was about to slip out of the princess’s embrace—when her legs coiled around my waist.

Her hands spread over my chest like a spider’s web.

Startled, I looked at her face. She was smiling.

“Ji-ryeon, I... I don’t think I can right now.”

The meaning was obvious. There was nothing left to squeeze out.

Even a dairy cow is only milked once a day. Twice a day would be animal abuse—no, husband abuse.

That was the meaning behind my words, but the princess pressed her lips to my ear, hot breath spilling as she whispered:

“His Majesty said this: even if the people cry out that they’re dying, if you squeeze, something will always come out.”

Clearly, the Emperor was no sage king.