Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 15

Thanks to the court lady, Royal Prince Gyeong-eon seemed to have forgotten my existence for a moment, but I couldn’t run away from that spot.

‘If something happens in this state, what will happen to that court lady?’

In fact, running away would have been the right choice, but looking back, I was in a state of slight irrationality at the time.

The moment that jerk was about to strike the terrified court lady, I threw myself and pushed Royal Prince Gyeong-eon’s leg.

When Royal Prince Gyeong-eon was about to slap the kneeling court lady’s cheek, his weight was on one leg. I figured if I aimed for that moment, even with my limited strength, I might be able to push him off balance. It was a split-second decision.

But… it worked better than I expected.

“Ugh?!”

Royal Prince Gyeong-eon let out a surprised scream, flailing his arms.

Splash!

A loud splash of water echoed.

“Ah… ooh?”

Unable to regain his balance, Royal Prince Gyeong-eon tumbled forward.

I managed to avoid falling thanks to the court lady who grabbed me. When I looked up, she had a bewildered expression.

Royal Prince Gyeong-eon was nowhere to be seen.

He wasn’t in front of me or the court lady. Instead, there was a splash in the pond?

‘…Did he fall in?’

Am I… stronger than I thought?

Was Royal Prince Gyeong-won really in pain every time I hit him, and it wasn’t just him humoring me?

While I was lost in thought about my strength, the court lady snapped out of her daze, set me down, and peered into the pond, searching for Royal Prince Gyeong-eon.

“Your, Your Excellency! Are you alright, Royal Prince Gyeong-eon?”

“You, you, you bitches…!!”

Even as he floundered in the water, Royal Prince Gyeong-eon glared at me.

And after quickly understanding the situation, I….

“Ah… Waaaaah!!”

I launched into the tearful act that I had unintentionally perfected since being reborn.

Sorry, it was an accident. I was surprised too, okay?

That was roughly the meaning behind my tears.

“Isn’t there anyone here? Royal Prince Gyeong-eon has fallen into the water!!”

The court lady looked around and shouted, then pulled me away from the pond. She squeezed her eyes shut and jumped into the water.

‘Well, I guess she figured it was better to jump in than get scolded later for just standing by.’

Perhaps because she couldn’t swim, she soon began struggling as well.

Fortunately, whether they heard my cries or the court lady’s shouts, someone came running and jumped into the pond, pulling out both the court lady and Royal Prince Gyeong-eon.

It would have been unsettling if something bad had happened to Royal Prince Gyeong-eon because of me, so it was a relief.

“Princess! Are you alright, Princess?”

“Ooh.”

“Oh, you must have been scared.”

The court ladies who had arrived late rushed over and called out to me. Sobbing, I reached out my hand.

“We shouldn’t have let Royal Prince Gyeong-eon take her….”

The court ladies checked to see if I was safe, and then, as if relieved, they held me tightly and sat down.

‘It’s getting noisy. The court ladies from Chwiyeongdang have also run over here.’

They were making a fuss, saying they were calling a doctor, but both of them looked fine.

No, they looked too fine and were heading this way.

Royal Prince Gyeong-eon, approaching with a flushed face and panting, had a venomous look in his eyes.

‘No, I really didn’t mean to.’

I was just trying to stop the assault that was happening in front of me.

In the first place, what were you planning to do by dragging me here?

The court ladies who were comforting me also sensed the danger in Royal Prince Gyeong-eon’s expression and stood in front of me.

‘It would be better if I got hit… No. If I get hurt, the court ladies will be in trouble too.’

Protecting and taking care of me was their duty, and if something happened to me, they couldn’t avoid responsibility.

Of course, they weren’t in a position to resist royalty either.

“What on earth is going on here?”

Just then, a familiar voice rang out.

“Oho.”

“Royal Prince Gyeong-eon? Sia? What on earth happened that Royal Prince Gyeong-eon is soaked, and you are crying like this?”

“Awoo.”

Behind the Crown Prince, the court lady from my residence, who had run off in a different direction earlier, was panting and exchanging glances with the court ladies here.

‘To bring the Crown Prince at this opportune moment, is this good luck?’

Normally, the Crown Prince often visited near the concubine’s residence to see me whenever he had time, so it wasn’t unusual.

He always sent people to check if I was there before coming over, so it seemed like they had run into each other on the way.

***

That day’s commotion ended there. No matter how bad Royal Prince Gyeong-eon’s personality was, he wasn’t stupid enough to openly act violently toward me in front of the Crown Prince.

But the problem arose afterward.

“Kyaa!”

“Shh, shh, can’t you be quiet?”

The number of days when dead animal carcasses were thrown into our residence increased.

At first, the carcasses looked like they had died of natural causes, so we thought it was the work of animals or a coincidence. But as we found more and more that were in bad condition, we couldn’t help but realize it was someone’s intentional act.

Everyone was keeping it quiet, pretending not to know, worried that my sister, who was still not in good health, would be upset.

Since I’m a young child, they didn’t really try to hide the rumors from me, so I naturally found out.

‘This is the work of that crazy bastard.’

Sigh, I should have known when he threw the kitten into the water.

Anyway, I’ve been properly targeted.

Royal Prince Gyeong-eon must have been venting the anger he couldn’t unleash on me directly.

‘More than me, I wonder if that court lady is okay.’

I don’t know what that jerk was planning to do to me, but thanks to that court lady, I seemed to have avoided a dangerous situation. I was worried about her safety.

But there’s no way to find out about people in other residences.

After hearing the circumstances of that day, the Crown Prince told the court ladies not to let me go, no matter what Royal Prince Gyeong-eon said.

I vaguely heard that he gave a warning to Royal Prince Gyeong-eon, along with words of concern.

‘That must have displeased Royal Prince Gyeong-eon even more.’

He seemed to dislike the Crown Prince already.

Anyway, as long as that jerk wasn’t an idiot, he wouldn’t openly harm me like that day for a while.

Thanks to that, I was still running around as before.

Training so I can run away at any time… but I can’t overcome the age difference.

‘Will it get better when I grow up?’

When I grow up… even if I’m afraid of the consequences, there’s a way to cry and appeal to the king or the Crown Prince.

‘I wonder if they will take my side when a dispute arises between me and that jerk….’

Of course, on the surface, they don’t seem that close as father and son, but wouldn’t a prince be more important than a princess? Especially from the king’s point of view?

‘Ah, come to think of it.’

The place where I ran into the king last time came to mind.

At the same time, I wanted to see how the government offices actually worked and what the officials were like.

Is it similar to historical dramas? Is it very different?

‘If I wait a few years until I’m old enough to understand, I won’t have an excuse to go as I please… Should I go now?’

Quite some time has passed since the escape incident when I met the Crown Prince and Royal Prince Gyeong-won last time, so the court ladies must be off guard.

Originally, the more well-behaved you are usually, the higher the chances of success for occasional escapes.

I’ve been to that neighborhood before, so they won’t suspect that I’m going there again.

‘It may seem like I’m just wandering around, but I’m actually learning the geography of the palace.’

I’ve memorized that road from last time, so it might be okay to try it once.

‘Even if I run into him, he won’t touch me for a while.’

Since that happened, he won’t cause unnecessary trouble… I hope. But that’s too much to ask.

Should I just not go out?

“Woong.”

“What’s wrong, Princess? Do you want to go out?”

Nain So-un, who had been away for a while, noticed that I was worried and checked my expression.

She was punished by Song-bi [a form of corporal punishment] last time and suffered for a while, but now she seems to be fine again and is taking care of me these days.

“It’s okay, Princess. Today, Royal Prince Gyeong-eon… that Excellency went to the back garden. I don’t know what he’s trying to do again, but if you avoid that place, you’ll be fine.”

“Eung?”

“I thought you were feeling stuffy, Princess, so I found out everything.”

The court ladies who saw So-un putting her hands on her hips and speaking triumphantly smiled weakly.

“…You must want to go out. If you stay by the Princess’s side, you won’t be dragged away and punished for wandering around alone like last time.”

“I’m already targeted, isn’t that obvious? Princess, shall we go out for a short stroll without going too far?”

“Eung!”

Of course.

I put on the clothes that the court ladies were preparing and hurried my steps.

‘If I’m going to go, I should go when there aren’t many people coming and going so that I won’t be caught before I get to the main hall… No, so that the chances of escape are high. It seems a bit late already, but I can’t go at night.’

Hoping that no one would be there, I walked without resting, but there was a limit to a baby’s walk.

It meant that it took time because my legs were short.

But my goal was clear.

‘Let’s go.’

And on days like that, my goal was bound to be thwarted.

‘No, why is he there.’

For some reason, the king, my biological father, was standing in front of the gate leading to the main hall again.

“Your Majesty. Why do you leave the Queen’s Palace for so long?”

“Both I and the Crown Prince are healthy, and Her Majesty the Queen Dowager is also here, so what is so urgent, Chief State Councilor? There are many state affairs that need to be dealt with first, so why would you put your heart and soul into choosing a queen?”

He meant that he had a lot of work to do, so the Chief State Councilor should stop interfering in other people’s family affairs.

He really doesn’t want to choose a queen.

‘He’s still like that.’

Besides, he’s holding his head, so it seems like he’s not feeling well. Maybe that’s why he’s here at this time.

If I get caught now, it’ll be troublesome in many ways.

Hiding behind a tree, I sighed.

‘Should I go back before I get caught?’

But I had forgotten for a moment.

That I couldn’t help but get caught.

The court ladies following behind me were pretending to hide and biting their lips to hold back their laughter, but there was no way that this many people wouldn’t be noticed.

Even the familiar-faced eunuch following the king caught my eye.

‘Agh.’

I shook my head and gestured for him to pretend not to notice me, and the eunuch smiled and nodded as if he understood.

‘Ah, did it work?’

And of course, the eunuch betrayed me with a smile.

“Your Majesty, do you see anyone behind that tree over there?”

“Hmm?”

Wow, I didn’t think that uncle was like that.

I can hear everything, you know?

“It seems that Princess wants to see Your Majesty.”

“Is that so? But why is she hiding?”

“Perhaps she wants to surprise Your Majesty.”

“Hoo. Is that so?”

No, no, that’s not it.

I wanted to shake my head, but the king was walking towards me with a strangely expectant face.

‘Oh, do I have to meet his expectations?’

Me, at this age, do I have to do that to my uncle… no, my biological father?

Faced with an unexpected obstacle, I staggered backwards.

‘It’s ruined anyway. Should I run away like this?’

This time, there were also some ministers, and it still seemed difficult to break through.

But that uncle… my biological father has such expectant eyes. And there are many eyes watching behind me.

‘Seeing him suffer from the grandpas, he looks a bit pitiful…?’

After a fierce internal conflict, I finally decided to show some generosity.

Waiting for the king to come closer, I spread my arms and jumped forward.

“Wah!”

“Oho. You were surprised. Did you come all the way here again because you wanted to see this father?”

That’s not it, but let’s just assume that’s the case, considering that I’m pretending to be surprised.

‘This is also business filial piety.’

After quickly finishing the calculation and giggling artificially, I toddled over, and the king quickly came over and picked me up.

“Hehe. How bright, indeed my daughter.”

I’m smart because it’s my second life, not because of genetics.

“…Your Majesty.”

“I’m going to take the princess for a walk, so Chief State Councilor, please step down. My head is aching because of you.”

Of course, the grandpa didn’t step down easily.

‘Oh, this grandpa looks like a villain.’

I think I’ve seen him in the main hall before… From the perspective of a viewer who has watched historical dramas for over 10 years, he had a great villainous look.

Of course, you can’t judge a person by their face alone.

The Chief State Councilor approached with a gloomy face and pleaded in a mournful voice.

“Who was it that reported Shin Heo-do when he plotted a rebellion several years ago and assisted Your Majesty? Your Majesty said that you would not forget my contribution that day, so why are you treating this old man so badly?”

“Shin Heo-do, who caused the rebellion, also claimed to be a loyal subject until then. Didn’t he leave us with the lesson that we should be careful about giving power?”

“!”

What is it? Why are you two talking about things only you know?

‘It seems like the Chief State Councilor is boasting about his contribution, saying that he revealed the rebellion. It’s not like he’s threatening me, but why is he saying such things to the king?’

No wonder the two of them don’t get along.

But are they fighting now? Can’t they put me down and fight somewhere else?

Fortunately, the king’s words had an effect, and the Chief State Councilor quietly closed his mouth with a sour expression.

I smiled brightly as if I hadn’t heard anything and waved my hand at the grandpas.

‘What would I, a baby, know? They wouldn’t spit on a smiling face. Well, if this was a historical drama, there might be a setting where that grandpa is actually the mastermind behind the rebellion and framed that Shin so-and-so.’

The whispering behind me was bothering me, but my biological father was talking to me, so I couldn’t pay more attention to it.

“Since Sia came to visit, I should go to Consort Yun today.”

“Woong.”

It’s not bad for the king to visit often.

‘Come to think of it, I wonder if she knows about what happened last time. Even if she does, she wouldn’t know the truth.’

The only ones who know the truth of that day are me, Royal Prince Gyeong-eon, and the three court ladies of Royal Prince Gyeong-eon.

That court lady belonging to Chwiyeongdang wouldn’t tell the truth, so it will be buried like this.

‘Hmm. For a peaceful future, should I build a stable father-daughter relationship from now on?’

Of course, it would be easier to live if I were in a position to be favored by a biased father like King Yeongjo and Princess Hwawan [historical figures known for their close relationship].

But that’s not normal either.

It didn’t seem like an answer would come out even if I worried, so I just leaned my head and entrusted my body comfortably.

“Oh my, you must be tired from coming all the way here.”

“Eung.”

Both the Crown Prince and the king especially like to hold me, so maybe they’re too tired and healing by looking at the baby.

‘Well… sigh. I’ll let them.’

There’s not much to heal here, so I have to consider this much.

‘Let’s think of it as paying for my meals.’

He’s holding me and grinning now, but until just now, my biological father’s complexion didn’t look very good.

But unlike expectations, the front of the residence I returned to, expecting such a peaceful evening, was not so peaceful.