Chapter 18: On The Way

Yunho stood in the middle of his room, gazing at the clothing ensemble he had carefully placed on his bed. The party for Irene was only two days away, and Yunho felt blooming anxiety in his stomach.

Daylight streamed into the room through the windows, causing the clothing to sparkle.

A week ago, Yunho sent the butler to place an order with a dressmaker using his measurements. But considering how far any good boutiques were from here, the clothing only arrived today.

The outfit included a navy long-sleeve blouse and black fitting dress pants. There were embroidered gems on the blouse, making the top resemble a starry night. There were additional accessory pieces to ensure the outfit would look breathtaking. However, wasn't this style of clothing a little...? Yunho had a sneaking suspicion that the dressmaker misunderstood something when they saw his measurements.

Yunho felt almost embarrassed looking at the clothes on his bed, but just shook it off. He had never really paid much attention to his appearance in his past life, but it felt more inappropriate not to in this body. Iris was well-proportioned and attractive, so it felt like it was only right to groom himself well.

Yunho folded up the clothes carefully and stored them away. He didn't have to worry about them just yet.

But he did feel that he had something to worry about. What exactly would he do at the party? What would he say? Because one, the crown prince and other important people would most likely be in attendance. And two, Irene would be there, and Yunho doubted she had suddenly gotten amnesia and forgotten the bad blood she had with Iris.

Yunho hummed. Irene wasn't just the mistreated daughter now. Yunho always knew that, since he was aware this world was a novel and Irene was the female lead, but now that Irene awakened as the chosen one, he had to up his redemption attempts to 100%!

But right now, he had to finish packing. The Evastine estate was more than a day's trip away, even with shortcuts, so they had to leave today if they wanted to make it on time. There wasn't much reason to pack a lot for such a short trip, so Yunho only needed one suitcase.

Suddenly, Yunho heard a knock on the door. He turned his head around, his blue eyes facing the white wooden bedroom door.

"You can open the door," Yunho called out.

The person on the other side heard this and gently opened the door. It was Nym.

"Young Master, are you done packing? Just in case, the coachman suggested we leave soon, so we won't be rushing for time," Nym said.

He was one of three people going with Yunho to the Evastine Estate. The two other people were Aris and the butler.

Yunho understood why the coachmen suggested going soon. They didn't know for sure how the conditions would be once they went on the road. If they left early, even if they met delay, they could still make it in time.

Yunho nodded. He didn't have much to pack anyway, only some clothes, money, and necessities.

"I should be done in a little time. I'll be down soon," He said.

Nym smiled and left the room. The door shut with a quiet thud. Yunho, now alone, stood in silence for a little before sighing. Time to pack...

---

Yunho kept to his words and in half an hour, was downstairs with a full suitcase. Aris and Nym were already downstairs and had small bags with them. As servants, it would be improper for them to bring a lot of luggage on their master's trip.

Rizer wasn't too far away. He was already outside, making sure everything was alright with the carriages and coachmen. Seeing that his young master had finally come down, he took Yunho's suitcase and placed it inside a carriage.

Everyone onboarded the carriages, and for a change of pace, Aris was the one placed in his carriage. The butler and Nym rode in the other.

Aris's eyes were sparkling, and she was obviously excited. As a young lady, she was, of course, anticipating the prospect of seeing the sight that would be Irene's celebration party.

In the past, despite working for the Evastine Household, Aris hadn't seen a noble party, especially one that would draw out a crowd of as high caliber as this one. Irene was debuting as the chosen one and eventual high priestess! The guests would not only be regular nobles, but certainly, royals as well. Meaning princes! Like any young girl, this prospect tickled her heart.

But right across from her, Yunho was pale in the face from the same prospect. His behavior at this party would be key. It could be a ticket to freedom or exile, depending on how well he played it.

"That's not stressful at all..." Yunho thought, grumbling to himself.

Aris saw this and raised a brown eyebrow.

"Young master, are you okay?"

She paused for a moment before smiling. She thought she figured something out.

"Oh, I get it! Young master is probably nervous about meeting royalty as well!" Aris said, already musing to herself.

"..."

The girl knew about the conflicts and abuse within the Evastine household, but being a forgiving person, she believed that her young master and Irene could reconcile.

Yunho lamented inside, "That's because she hasn't read the book!"

The book where Iris was banished and the Lord and Lady of the Evastine House were executed!

---

It had been a day and a half since they set off, and finally, the carriage slowed down to a halt.

They were currently in a town that wasn't too far from the Evastine estate to stay the night at a hotel. The butler had suggested continuing and just staying the night at the estate, but Yunho wasn't ready to face the music that soon.

Incapable of going against their young master, the group stopped at a hotel.

Everyone got out of the carriages, and the coachmen drove by themselves to the town holding areas.

The hotel was taller than the inn last time. The lights inside were also brighter and cast an almost white glow. Since the town was wealthier than the small villages near the estate, their lighting wasn't flame-based but instead powered by more advanced systems and possibly mana.

They quickly booked a three rooms next to each other. One would be for Yunho, another for Rizer and Nym, and the last for Aris.

Yunho felt the small weight of the key in his palm and looked at the white door in front of him. Yunho pushed it open and looked at the room he'd be staying in for the night. It was only late afternoon, but considering what happened last time, Yunho decided to just stay in his room.

They would have to set out again tomorrow afternoon. Since it would still take a few hours to reach the estate and they'd most likely arrive just in time, Yunho had to dress up before they got back into the carriages.

The youth opened the window in the room and felt the breeze brush against his skin. It wasn't as cold as it was in the North.

The wind was warm like spring rain and kissed his white jade cheeks. Yunho smiled. Even though tomorrow would most definitely be eventful, this was a moment of peace.

---

Tomorrow soon came with the calls of morning birds. Yunho stirred in his bed, and his eyelids fluttered up, fending against the invasive sunlight.

He knew he had a busy morning ahead.

After quickly freshening up in the provided private bath, Yunho toweled himself down in the room. He debated getting ready for the party then, but decided to do that a bit later. He slipped into simpler clothing in the meantime. Yunho chose a light shirt with a hood just in case.

There was a knock on the door. He made his way to it and slowly opened the door. Outside, Rizer was standing.

"Oh, you're awake. I was going to call the young master to breakfast. The hotel's dining hall is open," the butler said with a bow.

Yunho nodded, "Yes, today will be too busy to skip out on a meal."

He followed Rizer to the hotel's dining hall, where he saw Aris and Nym already seated.

The hotel had a buffet layout with different pastries and choice drinks. Yunho was surprised. They even had luxuries like this in whatever mess of a setting "The Mistreated High Priestess Is Now a Princess" took place in.

Yunho looked over the options and chose a breakfast cake and some fruits. He sat down at the table Aris and Nym were sitting at, and Rizer followed his lead. The two servants were sharing a bread dish while Rizer was drinking a cup of tea with a muffin on the side.

Yunho looked around the hall and saw that a few other people were seated around. Everyone was talking amongst themselves, and Yunho could only catch a few stray whispers.

"Have you heard that the House de Evastine is having a ball today? I heard it's for their daughter," A woman at the table next to them said to her companion.

The other woman made a sound of surprise and responded, "What for? I don't believe they even held a debut for the girl before?" She sipped her cup of tea.

The first woman leaned in closer, "Well...apparently, their daughter may be...the chosen one. It hasn't been confirmed yet, but my friend's friend's cousin's acquaintance's former classmate is a servant at the Evastine House, and that's what they said."

The other woman gasped and drank another sip of tea. They were clearly gossips.

"But not only that, there's also talk about their son..." The first woman spoke.

Their son? If they were still on the topic of the Evastine household, wasn't that him? Curious, Yunho strained his ears to hear what they'd say, but that's when he felt a light tap on his shoulder.

"Young master, it's time for us to get ready to leave. The coachmen should not be long," Rizer said, startling Yunho out of his eavesdropping.

The youth felt slightly aggrieved; he'd never know what they thought now. But the boy nodded, for the sake of time, he agreed.

---

It had been an hour, and all of the servants were already waiting by the carriages. Nym had offered to help Yunho get ready, but Yunho insisted on not waiting for him.

Little did they know, the youth had almost killed himself trying to put on the complicated outfit pieces. Why were this setting's clothes so finicky?!

But after what felt like an eternity and two questionings of life, the silver-haired youth was done. He made his way out of the hotel, collecting stares from the other guests as he walked past. With how quickly people's heads were snapping back, Yunho was afraid he was causing mass whiplash.

He finally made it to the front. The carriages were carefully parked, and the coachmen were feeding the horses. The servants stood around, checking their own bags. Once they heard the hotel door open, they looked back. Nym's eyes widened, and Aris gasped, her eyes twinkling. Even the usually stoic Rizer had a surprised expression.

This was their young master?!!

---

End of Chapter 18