Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 11

I was born as the daughter of a low-ranking concubine. (11)

“Baby!”

“Awoo!”

It had been quite a while since the King promised I would see my sister again at the Queen Dowager’s Palace.

I think my causing trouble in the King’s residence might have had a little influence on our meeting now.

I deliberately crawled around and played when there were many people watching, and I even interfered with the scribes’ work.

Of course, I may have excessively put my handprint on things because I was worried that the King yelling at his ministers would be recorded in the historical records…

Anyway, the paper used for the historical records will be washed and reused later (Washing the Drafts: The act of discarding drafts after the compilation of the Veritable Records. The paper was washed in water and recycled.), so I thought it would be okay to go a little wild.

I feel a little sorry for the scribes for interfering with their work.

But once the rumors spread that I was running around in the King’s residence, he couldn’t keep me there, even if he was embarrassed.

‘Granting the title is the job of the inner court, and now that there is no Queen, the Queen Dowager is the head of the inner court.’

The Queen Dowager wanted to send me to be raised by another selected concubine. But the King was against it, so she couldn’t send me to another concubine without his permission. It seems she showed her opposition by not granting the title.

The fact that the title of Royal Consort Suk-won was granted meant that the Queen Dowager had finally stepped back.

She seems like a slightly tiring type, but there’s nothing I can do.

I think the reason she kept trying to send me to Royal Concubine Young might have been to use the baby to filter out candidates for the Queen position… Am I some kind of litmus test?

Anyway, my sister looked much better than I remembered.

Perhaps because she officially became a Royal Consort Suk-won of the 4th rank [a high-ranking concubine], her clothes and residence were different from before, and fortunately, almost all the people serving her had been replaced.

My sister hugged me tightly and wouldn’t let go. I stayed in her arms for a while, but it seemed too much, so I wriggled. Someone smiled and spoke to my sister.

“Your Ladyship, the young lady seems uncomfortable.”

“Ah, I’m sorry, Baby. It’s been so long… You haven’t forgotten me, have you?”

“Oooo.”

When I reached out and clung to her, my sister hugged me again, looking happy, and rubbed her cheek against mine.

“You’ve grown so much in the meantime. I thought I would never see you again.”

“Oooo.”

I don’t know, but I guess I’ve grown a lot.

When my sister shed tears, the court lady who had been speaking kindly offered her a handkerchief and comforted her.

“Your Ladyship, if you show tears like that, the young lady might cry too.”

“Ooo.”

I took the handkerchief the court lady offered and dabbed at her tears, and my sister finally smiled.

“The young lady has really grown a lot.”

“Woong.”

When my sister finally calmed down and smiled, the court lady next to her urged her on.

“You should introduce me to the young lady too.”

“Hehe. Yes, I should.”

“?”

“Baby, this child has been a close friend of mine since I was a court lady in the Saenggwabang [a department in the palace that makes sweets and beverages]. She will help me serve you from now on.”

“Baby, my name is Song-bi.”

“Awoo?”

That innocent-looking court lady was apparently the one who would take care of me, not my sister.

But I can’t trust people just by their faces. I hugged my sister and kept a little distance from the unfamiliar court lady.

“Oong.”

“Song-bi is not a scary person, so you don’t have to be so wary of her.”

When I showed signs of being wary, my sister whispered in my ear in a small voice.

Even though she had been sick, she must have heard that I was very picky about people after I went to the Chwiyeongdang [Royal Concubine Young’s residence]. Both of them looked a little nervous.

“Oo-uh?”

“Well, please take care of me, Baby.”

“Okay…”

Well, my sister can’t keep taking care of me, so I need someone to take care of me full-time.

She seems to trust her a lot, so I decided to trust her for now.

When I stared at her for a while and reached out my hand, Song-bi politely took my hand with both hands.

“Do you like her…?”

“Maybe…?”

Along with their uncertain voices, sighs of relief were heard here and there.

Everyone was worried that I might reject someone again, so I felt a little sorry.

‘I feel like I’m going to lose faith in humanity. No, I should say I already have.’

But I can’t keep making things difficult for people, so I have no choice but to compromise.

After that first meeting, I observed her for a few days, and fortunately, my sister’s choice didn’t seem wrong.

Perhaps to get closer to me, Song-bi often told me stories about my sister from her time in the Saenggwabang. She probably didn’t think I would understand, but they were exciting stories for me.

“When the other apprentice court ladies secretly splashed water on my clothes and bullied me, she found out and splashed water on their clothes in the same way. After that, she called me separately, and I thought I was going to be scolded, but she secretly gave me yakgwa [a traditional Korean honey cookie].”

“Awoo awoo.”

“It seems the young lady really likes Your Ladyship.”

“Woong.”

I heard that even when my sister was pregnant, she would secretly come and give her the sweets she made; they were that close.

However, after I was born, the entry of outsiders was prohibited, so she couldn’t even dare to visit her residence.

Perhaps because she had someone nearby she could confide in, my sister’s face looked much brighter. The previous nanny and governess had many problems, so it must have been uncomfortable to be with them.

‘To allow a friend from her court lady days into her private chamber. Someone must have been quite considerate to do that.’

There’s no way my sister, who had just become a Royal Consort, could have asked for that, so someone from above must have taken care of it.

Royal Concubine Young wouldn’t have done such a commendable thing, and the Queen Dowager doesn’t seem that meticulous, so it’s highly likely that Royal Concubine Seon did it.

‘Originally, helping to manage the inner court while the Queen is absent is the role of the concubines.’

In the first place, Royal Concubine Young is currently under forced reflection in her residence by the King’s order, so I can’t think of anyone else. Looking back, the Queen Dowager doesn’t seem like she would be that cooperative to be so considerate.

“Baby, does the food suit your taste?”

“Woong.”

It was quite comfortable to be fed baby food by Song-bi.

Of course, I had become accustomed to the baby food fed to me by my biological father, but he had lived his whole life being served by others, so he was clumsy in some ways, which was annoying.

In fact, that was one of the reasons for my sudden outbursts when eating baby food. But I couldn’t entrust my meals to anyone else because there was no one I could trust.

Because of those times, my biological father, who had visited my residence a while ago, had a shocked expression as if he had been betrayed when he saw me eating baby food quietly.

‘He said he was glad that the princess seemed stable with Royal Consort Suk-won, but he had a subtly bitter expression.’

Even here, I don’t trust all the court ladies, so my sister and Song-bi are taking care of me together.

Since it’s more appropriate for a court lady to do the work than a Royal Consort, it’s safe to say that Song-bi is practically taking care of me full-time. And Song-bi was definitely a kind person whom my sister trusted enough to entrust me to.

If anything, her being too kind was a flaw.

‘Everyone is so honest in front of babies who can’t talk, like me.’

As a result, after a few days, I quickly realized that the other court ladies were ignoring Song-bi and pushing all the work onto her.

Perhaps because Song-bi was originally from the Saenggwabang, the court ladies who had been from the private chamber from the beginning seemed to be ignoring Song-bi and making her do all the work.

In particular, Song-bi’s hands were rough because she was a court lady from the Saenggwabang, and she was still a bit clumsy in the etiquette of serving superiors. The private chamber court ladies mocked her for that.

“What to do? It must be hard for you, who used to make sweets in the Saenggwabang, to suddenly become like this. Unlike us, you have a lot to learn.”

“The young lady needs to learn the etiquette right away, so the court lady who serves her most closely should naturally learn it. Isn’t that right?”

“They’re just calling her a private chamber court lady, but she’s practically a nanny, so why don’t you all be a little more careful with your words? Who knows what she’ll say to the young lady later?”

Frankly speaking, if she were a nanny, they wouldn’t have treated her so badly.

I’m still a baby who can’t talk, but they’re acting like this in front of me, so who knows how much they’ll bully her when others aren’t watching.

Besides, the problem is that my biological mother, Royal Consort Yoon Suk-won, is also from the Saenggwabang.

“Hmph.”

I poured cold dongchimi broth [a type of kimchi soup] on the clothes of the court ladies who thought I wouldn’t understand what they were saying because I was young.

Thud-

Because my hands were not yet strong enough, I could only tilt the bowl, so the earthenware bowl that held the dongchimi lost its balance and rolled on the floor.

“Ah, cold, cold!”

“Ah, Baby.”

“Heuung.”

While a surprised Song-bi held me in her arms, the private chamber court ladies hurriedly wiped up the broth. The court ladies, who had been playing around and leaving everything to Song-bi because I was usually so quiet, became busy.

“Oh my, the baby is so strong. But spilling broth is cold, Baby.”

Hugging Song-bi, who was worried about whether my clothes were wet, I looked down at the court ladies and pouted.

‘Hot broth is dangerous, so I’ll switch to dongchimi for now.’

But next time, even I don’t know what I’ll pour on them.

After I caused such a commotion a few times, the word eventually got to the manager.

“Doesn’t the young lady not like those court ladies?”

My sister’s new head court lady, Court Lady Min, was a strict person who stuck to principles, which is why she ended up in the private chamber of such a low-ranking concubine. But I was relieved by Court Lady Min’s strictness.

Besides, perhaps because she had been told in advance, she quickly replaced anyone I didn’t like.

“There was a strict order not to keep anyone who could harm the young lady by her side.”

I wanted to ask who, but I gave up because it seemed like she was talking about someone other than the inner court.

‘No, in the first place, I can’t talk yet…’

In fact, there were familiar private chamber court ladies who had taken care of me in the King’s residence, but of course, no one who had worked in the King’s residence wanted a position as a private chamber court lady for a mere concubine, even the lowest-ranking one, Suk-won.

But there were things they learned, so there were parts that were naturally reflected in the process of selecting private chamber court ladies.

‘Princess, we have nothing to do with Chwi… that place.’

‘Only she has a close court lady in Chwi… that place. Please trust us.’

‘What did I do…? Aren’t you guys going too far?’

‘Hey, be quiet. If the baby starts crying again, it’s all your fault.’

‘Unless you want to be reassigned to Chwi… that place, be quiet.’

On the day I left the King’s residence in the hands of the Crown Prince, the King’s residence court ladies, who realized that I understood the words Chwiyeongdang and Royal Concubine Young, desperately appealed for their innocence while avoiding the words Chwiyeongdang and Royal Concubine Young.

For reference, I dramatically reconciled with the court lady who was suspected of being close to Chwiyeongdang and protecting the Chwiyeongdang court ladies before leaving the King’s residence.

‘I really have nothing to do with Chwi… that place! Please trust me, Baby.’

‘Oooo.’

I thought workplace bullying was not good, so I patted the shoulder of the court lady who was pleading, and she was so moved that she vowed not to even talk to the Chwiyeongdang court ladies in the future.

Perhaps because of those things, court ladies who were not related to Chwiyeongdang as much as possible were assigned here.

‘But I guess checking their personality was too much.’

Song-bi was a court lady attached by my sister and was practically acting as my nanny. So it was difficult for the court ladies to try to treat Song-bi like an inferior. Otherwise, it was obvious how they would see my sister.

‘It’s hard to endure when someone you thought was below you becomes your superior.’

In this male-dominated class society, the ways for women to rise in status were too distorted.

It was unfortunate, but those who were being bullied couldn’t just stand by and take it.

And it was Song-bi who was the first to realize that I was overturning the bowls whenever the court ladies bullied her.

“Is the young lady protecting me?”

“Oooo.”

“Hehe. The young lady really resembles Your Ladyship.”

They pretend to be polite in front of superiors and hide it, but even the smartest people become honest in front of babies who can’t talk, so I could easily recognize the people who didn’t like us.

Thanks to that, even if it wasn’t as violent a reaction as when I was entangled with Royal Concubine Young, I refused the kids whose personalities were suspicious enough to bully Song-bi with a clear expression of my intention.

They might resent me, but I had no choice if I wanted to live comfortably. It was better than seeing them fight among themselves internally.

Song-bi has a gentle personality and can’t fight well with others.

That’s a concern, but… anyway, the other court ladies were eventually assigned to be moderately easygoing people.

Only after the surroundings were roughly cleaned up could I relax and fall asleep next to my sister.

‘Can I finally live in peace now?’

It was some time after I started living with that thought in mind. Royal Concubine Seon, still with a pale complexion, visited my sister and my new residence with gifts.

Next to Royal Concubine Seon was a boy with a blunt expression.