I Became the Owner of the Heavenly Flower Palace-Chapter 14: If You Don’t Call It Out, It Just Passes

The Grand Hall was filled with silence.

Amid the strange pressure and heavy atmosphere, Jincheon couldn’t say a word.

Rustle.

Those who had been prostrated in submission slowly rose to their feet.

While Jincheon stood frozen, they joined their hands, bowed their heads respectfully, and silently left the hall.

They had entered without making a sound, but now they walked out like any ordinary people.

The last to leave was the elegant woman who had stood at the front of the hall.

She was the one who had asked Jincheon for “permission” and led the conversation afterward.

“Ensure the Red Dragon is treated with the utmost care and allowed to rest in peace.”

She was addressing Gi Seoran.

Still kneeling upright, Gi Seoran bowed her head.

The woman gave a faint smile at Gi Seoran’s posture.

“You’ll need to train hard from now on. If you don’t want people whispering that you were only admitted to the White Forest thanks to the Red Dragon’s favor, that is.”

Gi Seoran’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

Jincheon also thought, What’s that supposed to mean? — but saw no reason to dig into it right now.

He could just ask Gi Seoran later anyway.

Rustle, rustle.

As the woman departed, only Jincheon, Gi Seoran, and Po Eunryeong remained in the hall.

“...I will serve you.”

At Gi Seoran’s words, Jincheon gave a nod.

With the Red Orb tucked into his chest, Jincheon took a step to follow her.

Then he noticed—Po Eunryeong was still kneeling.

“Let’s go,” Jincheon said.

Po Eunryeong flinched and looked up in surprise.

Her blue eyes were wide with disbelief.

“M-me too?”

“Yes.”

Jincheon nodded.

There was so much he needed to ask. And if that was the case, having answers from two people would be better than one.

Besides, Po Eunryeong had helped him get here—she deserved to know the full story.

“Unless you don’t want to...”

“N-no, not at all!”

Po Eunryeong quickly bowed her head.

“I—it would be my honor to serve you.”

Jincheon nodded and turned away.

Rustle.

Po Eunryeong stood up from where she knelt.

As if trying to hide her flustered state, she fiddled with the folds of her robe. Her pale ears flushed red—but Jincheon didn’t see it.

Jincheon stepped out of the hall with Gi Seoran and Po Eunryeong by his side.

Outside, the seven maids who had followed earlier were waiting for them.

They were all neat in appearance, with graceful features. One by one, they bowed their heads politely to Jincheon once more.

Two of them were the same ones who had left earlier with that large, imposing man.

“...Let’s go,” Jincheon said.

Only then did the maids lift their heads.

They moved to stand behind Jincheon.

Huh?

He thought they were going to lead the way—but instead, they took their places behind him.

Jincheon found it odd, but then remembered it had been the same during the procession through the city streets.

He was supposed to take the lead.

These ceremonial rules are annoyingly strict.

No matter the situation, they never walk ahead of him.

Jincheon clicked his tongue inwardly but didn’t want to argue about it anymore.

Step.

Jincheon began walking.

Sure enough, the seven maids followed silently behind him.

But since he didn’t know the way, he had to pause at every fork in the path. Watching the maids for subtle hints—without actually looking at them directly.

Fortunately, most of the turns required him to walk straight ahead.

Even so, the layout’s not as complicated as I thought it’d be.

He’d guessed it from the outside, but now he was sure—this “Palace” was far bigger than he’d imagined.

The buildings were tall and massive by default, with dazzling decorations glinting from every corner.

Strangely, the building they’d just come from—the Grand Hall—was surrounded by other structures, all connected together like one massive complex.

It was a completely different layout from the palace in Beijing, which scattered its halls and towers across a vast area.

Not that knowing this stuff does me any good.

It was pointless for an outsider like him to be pondering the Palace’s layout.

“This way.”

A maid’s voice pulled Jincheon out of his thoughts.

Before he realized it, he had arrived in front of another hall.

Smaller than the one they had come from, but neat, refined, and somehow comforting.

Rustle.

The maids opened the doors.

Inside, he saw a table and a bedding platform.

Is this the place?

It seemed this was where he was meant to rest.

“Thank you for your efforts,” Jincheon said.

The seven maids bowed deeply, as if his words were far more than they deserved.

Their posture was so graceful and charming that Jincheon found himself staring longer than he intended.

I thought this earlier, but why is everyone here ridiculously good-looking? Is it just this region?

From the very beginning, Gi Seoran had been astonishingly beautiful.

Po Eunryeong, too—tall, silver-haired, with those foreign blue eyes, had an exotic charm. And the woman who led the conversation earlier—elegant and striking in every way.

Even the men in the Grand Hall had been absurdly handsome.

And now, even the maids were far from ordinary in appearance.

Kind of makes me feel pathetic.

Jincheon himself—sure, if he made an effort, he could look decent enough. But objectively, he was just an average young man. Nothing striking.

Until now, he’d been too busy to think about it. But now that things had quieted down, the realization hit him—and it didn’t feel great.

While still staring at the maids, Jincheon suddenly snapped back to reality.

They were all waiting for him to enter the hall, weren’t they?

Ahem.

Feeling embarrassed, Jincheon cleared his throat and stepped inside.

Step.

Whoa.

He couldn’t help but admire it inwardly.

The interior was cozier and more comfortable than he’d expected.

Unlike the Grand Hall earlier, this place clearly felt like somewhere a person actually lived.

Though... that oversized bed on one side looked a little too grand and over-the-top, didn’t it?

As Jincheon was looking around, he glanced behind him almost absentmindedly.

Gi Seoran, Po Eunryeong, and the maids were still standing at the entrance, heads bowed.

Jincheon sighed inwardly.

He didn’t know exactly why they hadn’t entered, but he had a good idea.

They were waiting for his permission.

“You may come in.”

Gi Seoran bowed her head in response, while Po Eunryeong flinched slightly at his words.

But the moment was overshadowed by Gi Seoran’s calm reply.

“We shall enter.”

“I—I’ll come in too,” Po Eunryeong added.

As if they’d received some kind of grand privilege, the two women stepped carefully into the hall.

Rustle.

Behind them, the large doors closed without a sound.

But the maids didn’t seem to be leaving. Or perhaps they had already left without making a single sound?

Jincheon stared at the door for a moment, then turned his eyes back to Gi Seoran and Po Eunryeong.

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Both women were already kneeling on one knee with their heads lowered.

“Have either of you been here before?”

“No,” Gi Seoran answered calmly.

“N-no, never!” Po Eunryeong blurted out, raising her head and blinking in surprise.

Their responses couldn’t have been more different. Gi Seoran remained composed, while Po Eunryeong looked like a startled animal.

Jincheon couldn’t help but let out a faint chuckle.

She had been so confident earlier, and now she looked completely lost, like a small creature caught in the rain.

She even looked... kind of cute.

“I see. Then for now, please make yourselves comfortable.”

He wasn’t the owner, but he offered the seat anyway.

Jincheon glanced around.

He wanted to wash his face—where could he find a water basin?

Just then, Gi Seoran, still kneeling, spoke up.

“If you need anything, the maids will see to it.”

Oh, that’s...

For a moment, Jincheon imagined the scene vividly.

If he said he wanted to wash, the maids would come in, take his clothes, and personally scrub down his bare body.

Ugh.

Maybe not. But honestly, based on everything that had happened so far, it didn’t seem that far-fetched.

“No need,” Jincheon declined politely.

Instead, he looked around for a spot where the two women could sit more comfortably.

“Over there.”

He gestured toward the large table nearby.

There were only four chairs placed around it, but the table was big enough to seat six, maybe even eight.

Sure enough, Gi Seoran and Po Eunryeong rose without hesitation and sat at the table.

Jincheon, meanwhile, was still checking the room for a kettle or any sign of tea.

In some inns—at least the good ones—it was common to have a brazier and teapot ready.

“No sound projection,” came Gi Seoran’s voice.

It was very soft—barely above a ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ whisper—but not so quiet that Jincheon couldn’t hear it.

Sound projection?

Jincheon turned, puzzled, but the two women were seated calmly, gazing forward as if nothing had happened.

Strange. But it didn’t seem like they were talking to him, so he resumed his quiet search for a teapot.

Then Gi Seoran’s voice came again, low but distinct.

“Sound projection is forbidden inside the Palace. No exceptions.”

“O-oh, really? I’m new to the Palace, so...”

It was Po Eunryeong’s voice this time, hushed but clearly flustered.

“But what do I do? My body gives off a strong scent. And I came straight from guard duty—I haven’t even washed. I must reek.”

“Same here. We ran straight here from Jiuquan,” Gi Seoran replied, unusually subdued for her.

Jincheon gave up on the teapot.

Step.

He walked toward the door.

“Could we have some tea, please?”

If the fragrance was strong enough, maybe it would ease their worries.

Rustle.

The door opened without a sound, and the maids bowed their heads.

“We will prepare it,” one of them said.

It was the same maids who had escorted him here. As expected, they hadn’t left, but had simply waited silently at the door.

Moments later, the women who had disappeared returned.

They carried square wooden trays. On them were porcelain cups and a teapot—just what Jincheon had been looking for.

“Please, come in.”

At his permission, one maid bowed silently and entered.

Without a sound, she placed the teacups and the teapot—made of deep blue porcelain—on the table. Then she lifted the teapot to eye level and filled the cups.

Drip.

The sound of pouring tea varied by region, but often it was part of the proper etiquette when serving guests.

Wow, smells good.

The fragrance spread throughout the room, immediately drawing a quiet sigh of admiration from Jincheon.

Gi Seoran and Po Eunryeong visibly relaxed as the scent filled the space.

The maid, having served the tea flawlessly, bowed once more and left without a word.

The door closed behind her in total silence, and once again only Jincheon, Gi Seoran, and Po Eunryeong remained.

Jincheon sat across from them.

“Please, go ahead.”

The words slipped out, and both women reached for their teacups at once.

Technically, Jincheon wasn’t the host, and they weren’t guests.

If anything, they’re the ones in charge and I’m the guest... but hey, if I don’t call it out, it just passes—just like everything else so far.

With that thought, Jincheon picked up his own teacup.

The flavor was stunning.

Holy crap... how did they even brew this?

The tea was wonderfully aromatic and surprisingly smooth. It was unlike anything he’d ever tasted.

Thanks to that, Jincheon was able to let go of the chaos swirling in his head and feel, even if just briefly, at ease.

Then he glanced up and noticed the two women still sitting stiffly, tension written all over their faces.

Setting his teacup down, Jincheon opened his mouth.

“First of all...”

The two women flinched.

Jincheon continued as gently and naturally as he could.

“I want to thank you both for helping me get here. It’s safe now, right?”

Something flickered in Gi Seoran’s eyes.