Miyoung had not stopped crying since morning and her tears have run dry but her father has not shown any signs of relenting. This has never been the case for Miyoung which means her father is truly angered this time, but she knows she can’t stop pleading.

“I am so sorry, Father. I really am. I have done wrong but I won’t do it again, Father,” Miyoung says between dry sobs and breathy heaves.

“You helped outsiders deceive your own family, Miyoung. You are siding with cheats against me. Against your brother. I am very disappointed.”

Desperation hangs over Miyoung as she kneels on the floor. Taeyeon will be sent to the magistrate for fraud if she does not succeed in changing her father’s mind. She had thought that hearing Taeyeon’s heart-breaking story would sooth his anger and make him change his mind about persecuting her but it had not. Instead, he had ordered Taeyeon and Heechul to be locked up in separate rooms and if it were not for her timely fainting spell, they would have been sent to court there and then.

“I won’t do it again, I promise.”

“You are still lying to me!” her father shouts, his eyes flashing with so much anger that she cowers in fright.

“W-What lie? I-I’m not lying.”

“Do you think I lost my brain? Or do you think I don’t have the eyes to see that both you and the cheat have something going on?”

All of Miyoung’s body heat ups and abandons her in that moment, leaving her trembling, shivering from the cold harsh reality. “W-What do you mean?” she whimpers, unwilling to let go of the last bit of hope that they can keep their true feelings under wraps.

“Now that we are alone, I am giving you one final chance to tell me what the cheat did not tell me.”

“Father . . .”

“I am not unreasonable. I know the cheat has reasons for leaving some truths out of her admission. And fortunately for you, she is smart enough to leave it out. But I want to hear your admission. I cannot accept being lied to by my very own daughter.”

The game is up. Her father knows. But how?

“I have feelings for Taeyeon and she has feelings for me. Pure feelings. It is genuine care and concern. We have not done anything that we shouldn’t.”

“Are you saying that it is perfectly fine for you to get in bed with her?”

“We did not do anything more than sleep. Real sleep. I went to her room to talk because I wasn’t able to see her during the day. It grew late and I fell asleep. Taeyeon must have moved me to the bed so that I would be comfortable.”

“Are you sure all you did was talk?”

Why does her father want her to admit these things? She knows he knows the truth. He knows she knows. Must she be forced to bring these things to light?

“We . . . we kissed.”

“Is that all?”

“We only hugged and kissed. We did not do more than that.”

“Is that the complete truth?”

Miyoung chokes on a sob as she nods. She wishes there were more to confess to, but hugs and kisses are all she has shared with Taeyeon.

“I gave you a horse as a gift to keep you company on days when you might feel lonely. I did not give you the horse to help you go on escapades with another girl.”

How did Father find out about my peach blossom dates? Miyoung’s blood freezes as the only possible name pops up. Lim Dayu? Did he betray her? It is difficult to believe. But if she were to consider how loyal he is to her father . . .

“You are lucky your virtue is still intact. No one will hear of this and you will accept Young Master Fan as soon as the cheat is put away in jail in a faraway town.”

Miyoung shakes her head in despair. “No . . . please . . . let her go . . .”

“Stop begging for her release. She does not deserve to go free after cheating so many people of their money.”

“She did not cheat people of their money. Her paintings are worth every cent she charges and everyone is happy to pay for it.”

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