Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 43

I was born as the daughter of a low-ranking concubine (43)

‘A robber… that sounds a bit much.’

It was the capital, and not far from Sungnyemun Gate, so it didn’t seem like there would be a major robber gang.

‘More like the kind who shake down people like me who are lost and wandering around on a day like today… um, what do you call those people, thugs? No, in this era, *깍정이패* [Kkakjeongipae – a group of vagrants or petty criminals]? Is that right?’

Where did they suddenly pop out from in the middle of the night? They almost made my heart drop.

I put on a straight face and pretended not to know anything, asking,

“Who are you?”

“Little miss. Looks like you’re lost. Shall we take you home? Don’t be scared. We’re quite acquainted with your parents, you know.”

“That can’t be.”

At best, they looked like illegal debt collectors, so that didn’t make any sense.

“Actually, we’re very close to your mother, you see?”

‘Seriously, voice phishing in this era…?’

Indeed, the history of fraud impersonating relatives is long.

But to be scammed, my maternal family was completely wiped out. So much so that even after rising to the rank of Suk-ui [Royal Noble Consort of Second Rank], there was no one to look for me, and even when holding the funeral, one of the Jongchin [relatives of the royal family] had to lend a house to set up the mourning hall.

“My mother passed away a long time ago.”

“Oh, really?”

“I was told she was a complete orphan without any relatives….”

“I see….”

The swaggering men suddenly seemed deflated, looking slightly dejected.

Then, they seemed to be whispering among themselves, exchanging opinions.

I was wondering whether to just pass by or turn around and run away, but as if they had reached an agreement, the men spoke to me again.

“Well, we’re actually old friends of your mother.”

“And the truth is, we’re not in good shape right now, so how about you share some of the things you have that could be worth money with us?”

It was a full-blown shakedown.

But what I have? Unfortunately, even if I wanted to give, there wasn’t really anything I could give.

Since I always had someone attending to me since I was a toddler, I didn’t need to carry such things around.

And even today, I had already given everything to Sucheon earlier.

“I’m sorry. My mom passed away when I was young, and I couldn’t meet my dad because of an accident, and my family went bankrupt, so I gave it all to a kid who was separated from his sister….”

“……”

At my words, the men tilted their heads as if doubting their ears.

“Aren’t you being fooled by some strange kid?”

“It’s true!”

There was a bit of unfairness mixed in the gangster’s voice that followed, as if he felt someone had beaten him to it.

But I was wronged because I only spoke the truth.

“Yeah, they all say it’s true.”

“By any chance, is that kid smooth and handsome?”

“……Well, he is handsome.”

Although still young, Sucheon’s face was objectively handsome. Still young, but a promising talent.

“Goodness, a young one is already scamming people like that, tsk tsk.”

“Anyway, handsome guys are harmful.”

It seemed like everyone had bad memories of handsome men.

But thanks to that, the atmosphere somehow softened a bit.

“Then, maybe, if you hand over that horse….”

“This one was left by my dead brother….”

“……You do have a father, right?”

“I have a stepmother too. Not my brother’s biological mother, though.”

“I see….”

Saying it like that, it sounds like a very complicated 막장 [makjang – Korean drama trope characterized by absurd and over-the-top plotlines] family.

Although I couldn’t see their faces well because it was dark, it was obvious that the men were making strange faces, and I sighed.

I also felt depressed, thinking that my life was more difficult than I thought.

Thinking of Sucheon, who lost his mother, lost his father, and was separated from his sister, starting a more difficult life than mine from today, I somehow shed tears.

“Sniffle.”

Heeheeing!

As I started to cry, Jeok-ah became restless and threatened the men in front.

“No, we were just asking for a little money….”

Why are the guys who came to shake me down so flustered?

Are they really like the neighborhood thugs or hoodlums that only appear in old dramas?

“Then, how about the clothes you’re wearing?”

They really are bad guys.

In an instant, a voice flowed out without going through my brain.

“Sniffle. Are you a pervert….”

“What, no!!”

“You, you were that kind of guy?”

Even his colleagues distanced themselves from the man and stepped back, and the man shouted that he wasn’t.

What do you mean no?

In my book, child molesters should be trampled to death by horseshoes, and it wouldn’t even count as murder.

Well, they probably wouldn’t die.

Taking a deep breath, I gripped the reins tightly, when unexpectedly, laughter was heard from behind.

“Pfft.”

“What, who is it!”

“The atmosphere wasn’t as harsh as I thought, so I was going to just pass by if possible, but I guess I can’t.”

It was too dark to see, but the person approaching from behind me had a slightly older voice than the thugs who were threatening me. He went around me, probably aware of Jeok-ah, and approached the men.

“I don’t know what kind of gang you guys are from, but how can you scare a young miss like that to tears?”

“We’re just trying to make a living together, don’t be so stingy.”

“We weren’t doing anything violent because she’s a child, but it’s different with you, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, you’re definitely more- Ugh?!”

Thud! Thwack!

It was too dark to see well, but it seemed like the thugs were getting beaten up.

‘What’s going on here.’

Where did such a master suddenly pop out from?

The 아저씨 [ajusshi – term for a middle-aged man, often used informally] , presumed to have easily finished the 4-on-1 fight, laughed and chased away the thugs who were running away, then dusted off his hands and turned his head towards me.

“I need to go to the capital, so I’m on my way to Namdaemun Gate. Where were you going, young miss?”

“Yes? Ah, me too, Namdaemun.”

Ah, did I say it too honestly?

“Then I’ll go ahead, so follow me at a distance. That horse is quite fierce, so honestly, it’s a bit scary.”

“Ah? Oh, yes.”

Saying that, the man started walking ahead at a fast pace, turning back from time to time as if checking on my condition.

“And to make an excuse, those guys probably weren’t trying to do anything strange to you, but were trying to take your clothes to sell. Silk clothes are valuable, you see.”

“Ah.”

Come to think of it, I told Sucheon to sell them too.

“They don’t seem to be bold enough to harm a young miss from a noble family wearing silk clothes and riding a horse, but it’s dangerous for you to be out alone at this hour.”

“Yes. Thank you for helping me.”

I bowed my head without getting off the horse. The man smiled strangely.

“?”

“It’s just surprising to see a precious young miss bowing her head to someone like me.”

“Ah.”

That’s right. My head is a precious one that only a few people can make me bow.

Like a child, I slightly covered my mouth and shook my head. It was better to be seen as somewhat weak if I needed to run away.

“If my fa…ther and brother find out, it’ll be a mess, so please keep it a secret.”

“Haha. I understand.”

Whether my words were funny, the man stopped walking and laughed, and Jeok-ah, who was following behind, also stopped at a distance.

“That’s a very clever thing to say.”

“Jeok-ah is smart.”

The man knew that Jeok-ah was wary, so he walked away again, keeping his distance.

It was a wise choice, rather than getting kicked by the horse and breaking a bone.

“Is the name Jeok-ah (赤鴉: meaning red crow, but a term for the 삼족오 [Samjok-o – a three-legged crow, a mythological creature] in the sun, metaphorically meaning the sun)?”

“Originally, I named it Jeok-ah (赤兒), meaning baby, but the reaction wasn’t good, so I decided to just go with Jeok-ah (赤鴉).”

“Yes? Hahahaha.”

“It was much smaller than it is now when I first saw it.”

I was just throwing out random words because too much silence wasn’t good, but the atmosphere wasn’t bad.

Why, isn’t there a saying that if you act friendly to a potential criminal you meet on the street at night, they recognize you as a person and can’t easily harm you?

Of course, that doesn’t apply to stalkers, dating violence perpetrators, and psychopaths who target people they know.

‘Oh, then is it meaningless?’

To have to rely on the personality of criminals.

In the first place, sex offenders think that even if the other person is a child, the woman seduced them, so wouldn’t talking to them make them say even more nonsense?

Anyway, regardless of my complicated thoughts, which had nothing to do with the laws of this neighborhood, my mouth continued with appropriate small talk.

“Jeokto-ma (赤兎馬) is also a red rabbit.”

“You know Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三國志演義) [Sanguo Yanyi – a historical novel based on the events in the turbulent years towards the end of the Han Dynasty] .”

“It’s fun.”

Except that the ending is too unconventional. Honestly, if it were an original novel, the author would have been stoned.

After going some distance, there were many people walking around, and I felt a little relieved to see lights here and there. As we got closer to the capital, it wasn’t difficult to find where Namdaemun Gate was.

Besides, the person riding a horse and looking around was definitely someone I knew.

“Gai!”

“Young miss!”

Gai called me in a tearful voice after hearing my voice. It seemed like he had heard the story from Song-bi.

“It seems like your guardian has arrived, so I’ll be on my way.”

“Yeah, thank you!”

As light appeared around us, I could see the face of the 아저씨 [ajusshi – term for a middle-aged man, often used informally] who had been by my side until just now. That was probably the same for him too.

‘But I probably won’t see him again, so it doesn’t matter.’

As Gai approached, Jeok-ah also approached him on its own.

“Young miss, are you unharmed?”

“Yeah. Don’t worry.”

“That person….”

“A good person who helped me.”

If I told him the details, Gai would probably faint, so I omitted the beginning and only told him that he had guided me, and Gai sighed and stroked his chest.

I looked around and asked.

“Did it go well?”

“As you ordered, I sent a horse, so he must have left safely.”

“Okay. That’s a relief.”

Sucheon must have escaped safely, right?

“I wonder what happened to Ji-hwa, who was with my brother?”

Judging from the actions of that servant earlier, he wouldn’t have helped Ji-hwa escape.

“Young miss, I’m only saying this just in case.”

“I know, that if she’s already caught, there’s nothing I can do.”

I don’t have such skills in the first place.

‘But it doesn’t seem like Ji-hwa will be caught.’

The protagonist isn’t a protagonist for nothing. She must have escaped well, and the Crown Prince must have helped her for now.

“She must be safe.”

“Please don’t worry too much, young miss.”

“Yeah.”

If she succeeds in escaping like this, it will be difficult to catch her again.

Even if they mobilize the servants who remember the child and draw and distribute a 용모파기 (composite sketch) [yongmopagi – a composite sketch], it will be difficult to recognize her after a few years since she is still a child.

‘But I never thought it would turn out like this.’

Why? Did the exiled State Councilor really do something?

Whether I was worried or not, Jeok-ah was following Gai into Namdaemun Gate.

“Ah, it’s 오라버니 [oraboni – an archaic way for a girl to address her older brother or a male friend she feels close to]. ”

And in front of him, the Crown Prince with a pale complexion was waiting for me.