Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 120

I was born as the daughter of a low-ranking concubine.

Soi blinked her hollow eyes at my question. Soi was deeply saddened by my kidnapping and still hadn’t recovered.

“I’m sorry.”

“Didn’t His Royal Highness the Crown Prince personally lead the soldiers to save the Ongju [Princess]?”

“He… did.”

“They say his heart for his sister is so profound, and voices praising him as a brave and dignified man are growing louder. Everyone who heard him say, ‘I will never let such a terrible thing happen again,’ said he is indeed the Crown Prince.”

Hmm. The person who spread that must have been there that day.

‘If the person was there that day, it would be one of three groups: the criminals, the officials, or the victims. The only ones who would spread such words as admirable are…’

The victims.

Most of those who were temporarily taken in by Siyoungwon [a government relief agency], other than those who were kidnapped like me, ended up staying in Siyoungwon.

The Crown Prince did not forgive those who sold their wives and children.

The Crown Prince called them shameless people who abandoned human ethics, and of course, the King did not deny it.

Since they were mostly people who seemed incapable of normal life due to gambling addiction and alcoholism, the King sent them to the mines to forcibly pay off their debts.

With the troublemakers of the family gone, the women seemed like they could return home and live in peace.

But for some reason, the people around them still pressured them, sending their husbands, brothers, and parents to the mines, saying, “How can you live in peace?” and calling them selfish.

I used people for aftercare to watch them a little, and I advised them to rely on Siyoungwon or move to the neighborhood where Siyoungwon was located.

Since they were sold off due to debt because they had no property anyway, there was no difficulty in just coming with their bodies.

That’s how in Siyoungwon… the spirit of non-marriage, saying that marriage is unnecessary, was gradually strengthening.

‘I didn’t exactly intend this.’

What to do.

What to do when they say they won’t do it. They’ll figure it out.

‘People who want to date will date, and people who want to marry will marry.’

Of course, there are people who would rather die than do it, but overall, there are more people who do it.

And no matter how much it is the Joseon Dynasty [Korean kingdom from 1392 to 1897], I don’t want to force it.

However, the important thing is that I have been banned from leaving the palace, so I won’t be able to go to Siyoungwon for a while.

‘I can’t help it… but I feel a little lonely.’

I’ve been out and about a lot lately, but as a result, I was kidnapped and worried many people.

“It’s not my fault!”

“It’s certainly not this servant’s fault either,” Soi, who was scolded as a set because of me, said with a pale face.

“It’s not Soi’s fault.”

“Please tell my sister too.”

“I told her.”

She didn’t listen, though.

Since this was not something that could be quietly passed over, the fact that the Ongju, who had secretly come out of the palace, had been kidnapped spread far… far away, and even the children who were doing educational service and surveillance of the stewards in other provinces were surprised and sent letters.

Min Sang-gung [a high-ranking court lady] barely stopped some of them from coming up to the capital.

‘It probably hasn’t gone to Jeolla Province yet.’

Rumors spread quickly.

The letters sent by the children in Chungcheong and Hwanghae Provinces had already arrived.

‘The serious kids are seriously worried, but the ones who aren’t… I’m getting messages at the level of internet comments. Should I call them in and re-educate them?’

Just as I was seriously starting to worry about the academic level of the children, the Crown Prince called the people involved in the Ongju kidnapping case to the East Palace and praised them.

Among them, of course, was Cheonho, who had saved me.

“Ongju, it’s been a while.”

“It’s been a while.”

I was a little sorry that I hadn’t taken care of the people who helped me because I was taking care of the victims first, but fortunately, the Crown Prince didn’t forget.

“You should take good care of the people who helped you.”

“It’s because Older Brother dragged people away without any explanation…”

I couldn’t help it. After confirming that things were somewhat settled, I must have been relieved and lost consciousness and fell asleep.

The doctors were there, so they confirmed that I had just fallen asleep, and everyone was relieved, but that didn’t mean they weren’t worried.

The Crown Prince said that the Ongju must have been very surprised and tired, so he took me back to the palace.

Yeah. Actually, the King must have been worried too.

In fact, I was scolded a lot by the King and Queen, but I was just a person who was caught while walking down the street.

Still, I couldn’t hide everything, so Soi and Seong Gyeom-sabok told the Crown Prince everything about this incident.

Yes, everything….

Thanks to that, the story going to the King and Queen was cut off to some extent, but the Crown Prince learned too much.

And I was scolded a lot by the Crown Prince. Of course, I wasn’t very intimidated.

That’s how the Crown Prince, who also learned how I met Cheonho, was quite friendly to Cheonho.

In fact, there are many things I don’t know about Cheonho, but the fact that he risked danger for me, whom he didn’t even know, hasn’t changed.

“Come to think of it, why did you chase me that day?”

“Actually, my uncle was originally a Chakhogun (捉虎軍) [Tiger Hunter unit] and was quite famous in Hamgyeong Province.”

“Chakhogun?”

Since Chakhogun was the name of a special unit that hunted tigers, the Crown Prince, who was listening to the story, looked interested.

“That’s why people often ask me to work with them, saying they will give me a good reward, but the day I met the young lady… Ongju in the gibang [traditional Korean house of entertainment], those people called my uncle out and were there. But that day, my uncle learned through me that they were criminals who kidnapped the young lady, so he pretended to join hands with them and was digging behind their backs when he sensed that they were doing something dangerous.”

“Human trafficking, I see.”

“Yes. My uncle warned me not to get involved anymore and secretly followed them alone. I heard later that he followed them that day and found out that a slave market was opening and reported it to the police.”

“The source of the report that came into the police station was your uncle.”

Ah, that’s how it connects.

No wonder they came so quickly.

“I didn’t know that at the time, but I was worried that the young lady might get involved with them, so I was hanging around near the Hyeminseo [government-run clinic] to tell you to avoid them if you saw them. Then I found the young lady near the Hyeminseo, and at that moment, I saw a man carrying the young lady and was embarrassed, so I chased after him.”

Oh dear. The timing was bad.

“The kidnapper took me into a shabby house and soon pulled out a large cargo cart.

The moment I saw that, I instinctively knew that I was in that cart and followed him, and when I found out that I was locked in the shed, I looked around and briefly approached, and luckily, I even received the jade pendant.”

With that, Cheonho took out my jade pendant.

“I forgot to return it that day, so I brought it with me.”

“Ah.”

“You forgot about it?”

The Crown Prince scolded me as if I was pathetic, but since I had no reason to go out, I didn’t look for it.

“Still, thanks to you, we were able to save the Ongju. Thank you so much.”

“I’m sorry that such a big deal wouldn’t have happened if I had been a little faster.”

“Who would say such a thing to someone who threw himself to save the Ongju faster than anyone else that day? So, is your injury okay?”

“It’s just a scratch, not that big of an injury.”

With that, Cheonho said, exaggeratingly and proudly.

“I’ve even caught a tiger, so this is nothing compared to that.”

“How did you catch a tiger?”

“It’s true. Isn’t the uncle who raised me a Chakhogun?”

That’s a bit convincing.

The Crown Prince, who saw me and Cheonho having a playful conversation, opened his mouth.

“I want to give you a reward. Is there anything you want?”

“What reward would I receive when I haven’t done anything?”

“What do you mean you haven’t done anything? You’ve done a great job. Besides, I’ve seen with my own eyes that you have excellent martial arts.”

“Even if my martial arts are excellent, I’m still a fledgling. How can I expect a reward? If there is only one request….”

With that, Cheonho paused for a moment, glanced at me, and continued.

“I want to serve Ongju by her side.”

You too…?

It was the second time, following Seong Gyeom-sabok. The Crown Prince would naturally ask this.

“Why?”

“Actually, when I arrived in the capital, I had the opportunity to taste the sweets that Ongju made at the Hyeminseo.”

Don’t tell me you too…?

By the way, I sometimes made them and distributed them at the Hyeminseo, but I’m sure I’ve never met this child before?

‘There’s no way I wouldn’t remember such a big guy with a handsome face.’

But perhaps because there was already a precedent, the Crown Prince quickly understood.

“Everyone likes the sweets that Ongju makes.”

“Besides, wouldn’t it be good to have someone like me by the side of Ongju, who is so precarious?”

“Eek.”

“That’s good.”

I was disgusted by Cheonho’s words, but the Crown Prince seemed to like it very much.

If he had said that he wanted a government position, I would have suspected that he was approaching with an ulterior motive. Like Seong Gyeom-sabok, he just wanted to be by the Ongju’s side, so he seemed to be relieved.

It would be difficult for Seong Gyeom-sabok, who is already working part-time, to continue following me around like this time.

‘But the Crown Prince is a job that has to embrace even the guys who are aiming for power. Still, I can’t help but feel more favorable towards this kind of person.’

But the reason is sweets, so isn’t it a bit unreliable?

‘Actually, I don’t know why Seong Gyeom-sabok is so loyal to me.’

I don’t suspect that side as much because it seems like he sees me as a niece, but I really don’t know what this kid is thinking.

Whether I was wondering or not, a scene like a job interview was unfolding next to me.

“How old are you?”

“Fifteen.”

And I already stopped in embarrassment at the answer to the first question.

“Really? Fifteen?”

“Really.”

The boy was a little embarrassed, but calm, as if it was a common occurrence. On the other hand, the Crown Prince seemed a little embarrassed.

“No, but when I saw you last time, there was clearly not much difference between me and you….”

There wasn’t.

He’s still growing, so he might get bigger.

“If you’re fifteen, you’re a year younger than me. Should I call you Older Sister?”

“Haha. How can I commit such rudeness to Ongju.”

The Crown Prince was embarrassed by the fact that the boy, who was similar in physique to him, was still quite young, but at the same time, he looked like he understood why he said he would be by my side because of the sweets earlier.

“Yes. There’s no denying that it’s a bit too much for Seong Gyeom-sabok, who keeps trying to get out of the way, to follow Sia.”

Are you criticizing me or Seong Gyeom-sabok?

“What about you? Even if it’s not a permanent position, I don’t think it would be bad to have a bodyguard dedicated to following you.”

“…Then can I go out?”

“Where are you trying to wander around so much?”

“I have a lot to do.”

“Oh my. How can I stop you?”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

I liked the Crown Prince, who was weak to me no matter what.

***