Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 324

“Are you okay?”

“I’m… okay?”

It was an awkward answer, but I understood how he felt.

“So, if what you’re saying is true, then Sister Sehwa is Sister Jihwa? And His Highness the Crown Prince knew about this…?”

“Yeah. Calm down a bit. Let’s go talk to Sehwa.”

Sehwa didn’t drink, so she should be fine. But why is she still there? Is she taking care of the drunk?

‘Since the Crown Prince is asleep, I should call someone to clean the room and just let him sleep here.’

That would be better than moving the Crown Prince.

But there was something I had to do before that.

I grabbed the sleeve of Cheonho, who still seemed a bit confused, and dragged him along. Despite his large size, Cheonho was easily pulled.

“What if my sister… doesn’t believe me?”

“I’ll vouch for you.”

I patted his shoulders, which had become uncharacteristically timid for his size, and decided to settle things today. Cheonho and I were heading to where the Crown Prince was, but we had to stop after only a few steps.

“……”

“……”

Ugh. The atmosphere between them is… something.

I grabbed Cheonho and whispered in a small voice, “It’s a shame, but let’s hold off and talk later.”

“Yes…”

We were both witnessing a scene of familial affection, so we retreated quickly.

Cheonho grabbed me with a speed that couldn’t compare to when I was dragging him, and we headed to a place out of their sight.

“But, Princess. With His Highness the Crown Prince and Sehwa… Sister Jihwa being like that, what will happen to you in the future?”

“That depends on Sehwa.”

“?”

“Brother wants to hold onto Sehwa, but I don’t know if Sehwa will let him.”

“What does the Princess think?”

Cheonho asked worriedly.

“Well, even if things work out with the Crown Prince, living in the palace isn’t easy. It’s different from working as a doctor. I’m a princess, so I’ll be out of the palace soon.”

“That…”

“Why?”

Cheonho seemed to have something to say, then unexpectedly said, “If the Princess chooses to be with His Highness, could you… stay in the palace a little longer?”

“You’re worrying about nothing. Either way, Brother won’t allow my independence until he gets a Crown Princess.”

“I suppose that’s true.”

“And what good is it to have a sister-in-law at home? It’s better to have one less difficult person.”

“…Is that so?”

He looked like he didn’t quite understand.

“Still, if I were your sister… I think it would be reassuring to have the Princess by my side.”

“The palace is a bit of a burdensome place, though.”

It wasn’t something to worry about. It would take time to hand over the work at the medical bureau I was in charge of anyway.

Finally, I can pass on my work…! It was joyous news…!

“But if your sister hasn’t made a decision yet, shouldn’t we wait a bit before telling her about my work? She must be already overwhelmed with her own things.”

“Hmm.”

I thought it would be better to know sooner rather than later, but I decided to respect her opinion for now.

Actually, we both took a step back after witnessing our siblings’ romance, so, well…

I called the Crown Prince’s guards back and decided to go rest.

They’re probably more used to it than I am.

The next day, Crown Prince Seongwon, who came to see me, awkwardly started to speak.

“I think I should leave now.”

It wasn’t unexpected. The Crown Prince was able to come outside for a while, so he must have thought it was time to leave.

But I asked bluntly, “To do what?”

“What else, I have to leave Hanyang… You said you’d take care of my people even after I leave, so I don’t have to worry anymore.”

“Everyone under His Highness seems to dislike it.”

“Haha. It seems like there’s a bit of that.”

“Hmm.”

The Crown Prince had a relieved look on his face, as if he had no regrets after meeting even me.

“Well, leaving is leaving, but Brother, you were a former Crown Prince.”

“Former… That’s right, isn’t it?”

“Then what’s your job now?”

“……”

The unemployed older brother, who was old enough to eat his fill, was speechless at his younger sister’s (*owner of a trading company, a giant in the food and entertainment industries, and a philanthropist*) question.

“Come to think of it, what have you been living off of all this time?”

“Well, I gave Seono some land and things in advance.”

“How much did you give him?”

“Well, it was when I was feeling a bit of existential dread and wanted to run away, so I gave him quite a lot, almost forcing it on him. Yeon Seono accepted it at the time, saying he would return it later, but then he immediately went to Gangmu…”

As expected, he was raised too preciously.

Whether his escape was planned or impulsive, he made it quite obvious.

No wonder there were a few people who knew.

“So, you gave it to him, and in the end, you’ve been traveling around and playing without doing anything.”

“That’s… if you put it that way… is that right?”

“Hmm.”

I gathered my thoughts once more to say what I had been thinking for a while.

“Brother, if you have nothing to do, do some work.”

“Yes?”

I decided to pass on some of the auditing work needed for Siyeongwon [a government agency] to Crown Prince Seongwon.

The Crown Prince agreed to this as well. Siyeongwon was unintentionally monitoring local officials, so Siyeongwon also needed to be audited. Of course, there was internal auditing, but there were things that could only be seen from an outsider’s perspective.

Of course, it would be good if he could also check on the local officials and submit a report.

He was a knowledgeable man, so it would be good if he could find any systemic deficiencies and submit a report.

No matter how much he had put down the worries of the Crown Prince, it was unreasonable to do nothing and play.

How much high-quality manpower and capital went into raising a Crown Prince, and to just abandon it was a national waste.

Since you received it from the country, at least use it for the people!

Seeing Crown Prince Seongwon’s pupils shaking as he listened to my explanation, I urged him for an answer.

“Will you do it or not? If you don’t, I’ll take it that I’ll never see your face again.”

“I didn’t know my youngest sister would become such a scary child…!”

“An older brother who ran away leaving his young siblings has no right to speak!”

“Ah…”

The answer was already decided, so the only choice Crown Prince Seongwon could make was one.

With a face that didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, Crown Prince Seongwon obediently put his stamp on the labor contract I handed him.

“Unbelievable. My sisters are plotting to exploit their older brother.”

“Instead, you can now comfortably solve your lodging and food problems by using the name of Siyeongwon while traveling.”

“Isn’t that just being monitored?”

“If I plaster your composite sketch all over Siyeongwon branches and taverns, I can monitor you without doing that.”

“!”

At my words, Crown Prince Seongwon opened his mouth wide as if he had just realized something.

In fact, among the children who came to visit me recently to worry about my well-being, there were also the illustration staff, so I deliberately called them inside when Crown Prince Seongwon was there.

‘They looked at him with sparkling eyes, thinking I was telling them to use him as a model because he was a rare handsome man.’

I heard they immediately started sketching.

Ah. But because he has a handsome face, if I spread his composite sketch, everyone will try to collect the drawings.

‘Wouldn’t it be more profitable to sell this…?’

The mind of a merchant that popped out from somewhere flashed by, but I couldn’t put the face of the unfilial Crown Prince who quit being the Crown Prince and ran away on the market. There would still be many people who remember his face.

“Besides, you’re traveling with Yeon Seono anyway. As you know, Yeon Seono’s face is…”

“Ah.”

I had already put out a newspaper advertisement. Even if I took down the advertisement, I think I would still get calls for a while.

“And Brother, you said you’ve been to Mount Kumgang, right?”

That came up in passing when we were eating together before.

“Ah. Yes. I went there because I remembered what Sia said before. There’s a reason why it’s so famous.”

“That’s good. When I go to Mount Kumgang later, please guide me.”

“……To Mount Kumgang?”

“Yeah.”

Crown Prince Seongwon, who had widened his eyes, soon smiled brightly and nodded.

“Yes. I should. Sia has grown up a lot, so she can go to Mount Kumgang later.”

“I think I can do anything comfortably once His Highness the Crown Prince has his wedding.”

Independence. I need to be independent.

“And Brother, how about you watch His Highness the Crown Prince’s wedding before you leave?”

Crown Prince Seongwon’s face said, ‘When is that…’, but he soon shook his head.

“How can I watch a wedding held inside the palace? It’s better for me to disappear without even going near the palace.”

“If you put it that way, that’s true…”

Well, the Crown Prince’s wedding wasn’t something that would end in a day or two.

“More than anything, has his approval been obtained?”

“Not yet.”

“Not yet?”

Fortunately, it didn’t take long to hear that answer.

I was able to hear about what happened after Cheonho and I quietly left the day before from the Crown Prince, who had woken up from his hangover.

“Um, so Brother proposed to Sehwa, but she rejected him?”

“Rejected… Where did you learn such words?”

“Don’t tell me you proposed while drunk yesterday? While smelling of alcohol?”

My face must have said, ‘That’s why she rejected you,’ because the Crown Prince got angry and made excuses.

“No! I did it before that! I just heard her say she needed a little more time then!”

Sehwa hesitated until the end, saying she needed a little more time to restore the identities of those who had been falsely accused of treason, so she could become the Crown Princess.

‘It’s definitely a waste to give up her career now.’

As I nodded in agreement, the Crown Prince sighed so hard that the floor seemed to sink.

“I don’t know how to move her heart.”

“Brother, you don’t know women’s hearts.”

“How would I know that?”

“Don’t you know what kind of person Sehwa is?”

“I know, but… that’s why I don’t know what to say to make her move. What I can give her isn’t something she covets.”

Unless it was someone who didn’t know the royal family at all. Sehwa didn’t even have a shred of fantasy.

‘Still, the atmosphere in the royal family is pretty good now.’

Because it’s just the people who survived the landmine explosion, well…

Her Majesty the Queen wasn’t particularly picky, but she was someone who could raise her son safely without being pushed back in the power struggle with Youngbin.

Thanks to that, the concubines were quiet, whether they knew the Queen’s nature or for some other reason.

Besides, the only son was rotting inside because he wasn’t getting married, so she was someone who had honey dripping from her eyes when she looked at Sehwa.

The Grand Queen Dowager wasn’t around, and the Crown Prince had never even had a rumor with a court lady, let alone a concubine.

…Oh, it wasn’t intentional, but it’s pretty good? Is it because he’s the male lead of a romance?

Of course, the problem is that the pressure to get pregnant after the wedding will be enormous…

‘I guess it’s better for me to stay in the palace for a while after the wedding. No, it’s not like we live in attached houses like ordinary families, so it’s meaningless. I think it’s better to just come and go often.’

Looking at the Crown Prince, who was groaning and worrying while thinking about drinking kimchi soup like me, I opened my mouth.

“Sehwa isn’t worried about you disliking her, but about something else, right?”

“Um… I know what Sehwa is worried about. If she becomes the Crown Princess, she won’t be able to live like she does now.”

The Crown Prince doesn’t lose anything, but Sehwa’s life changes, so she has no choice but to worry.

“Should I talk to her again?”

“Would you… do that?”

Sehwa was busy looking at medical books and records about medicinal herbs that had come from other places, so I went to find Sehwa with the Crown Prince’s support.

And after a little time, I returned to the Crown Prince, who was anxiously waiting in front, and said,

“Go.”

“Huh?”

“Sehwa has made up her mind.”

“What?”

At my words, the Crown Prince ran inside without any dignity, and after a while, cheers were heard from inside.

Unknowingly, a long arc was drawn on my lips.

‘I should have thrown a bait that Sehwa couldn’t refuse.’