Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 114

“I didn’t quite catch all the details of their plan. Eavesdropping isn’t always reliable. But it was clear they were planning something illegal. And they kept repeating this unsettling phrase.”

“What was it?”

“‘With that person on our side, we can’t possibly fail.’”

“That person? Who are they talking about?”

“They only referred to them as ‘that person,’ so how would I know?”

“Hmm.”

So far, the information wasn’t groundbreaking. But Maehyang was sharp, so there must have been a reason she specifically called for Princess Gaga.

“They also said they needed a lot of people and money, and that they were going to make a huge deal that would bring in a lot of money.”

“A huge deal that would bring in a lot of money?”

“Yes.”

Maehyang frowned, clearly displeased, and continued.

“They were mistreating the *gisaengs* [female entertainers], boasting, ‘If I succeed this time, I’ll bring in young girls to replace you and remove you from the *gisaeng* registry.’”

“That’s…”

It’s open to interpretation, but I’ve been so sensitive about human trafficking lately that my mind immediately jumps to that.

And it seemed Maehyang felt the same way.

“I don’t like making such claims without clear evidence, but I couldn’t bear the thought that they might be involved in the human trade.”

“Yeah…”

Some *gisaengs* are sold by their parents, so it was plausible.

“And yesterday, they said they were going to make a big deal tonight.”

“A big deal?”

“Yes.”

“Tonight?”

“Yes, tonight. That’s why I asked you to come today.”

Ah, I see.

“But why ask me to come directly?”

“Who else would I trust to tell such dangerous information to, other than you, Princess?”

“I appreciate the thought, but don’t do anything too dangerous. What would have happened if you’d been caught?”

“Yes, Princess. I’ll be careful.”

With that, Maehyang told me about the location of tonight’s deal, which she had inferred from their conversation.

‘I should probably get this news to the palace…’

The police bureau couldn’t be trusted, so it would be better to get the Crown Prince involved directly.

‘What if it’s a false lead? No, but the story about human trafficking must have already reached the Crown Prince’s ears. If this isn’t a diversion, it might be the only clue.’

With that thought, I acted without delay.

“Thank you, Maehyang. Thanks to you, we might be able to save people.”

“If that’s the case, what more could I ask for?”

I rushed out of the *gibang* [a house of courtesans] and told Soi, who was waiting outside, about the situation.

“Is that true?”

“It’s highly likely.”

Soi, who had already heard about the illegal human trafficking from being by my side, was flustered.

“What should we do?”

“Soi, go to the palace and tell my brother this news. It’ll be quicker if you go by horse.”

“What? Before me? Then what about you, Princess?”

“You can drop me off at the Hyeminseo [Joseon-era medical institution], right?”

Location-wise, there was a main road with the Hyeminseo on the way from Dabang-gol to the palace, and it wasn’t far.

If I went to the palace now, the process of getting in would be troublesome. I was dressed as a commoner, and I didn’t have any clothes to change into.

Soi, who had started on horseback, dropped me off on the way to the Hyeminseo.

“Princess, you must stay at the Hyeminseo until I come back.”

“Don’t worry. It’s a main road here, what could happen? Hurry up and go.”

It wasn’t a long distance even for a child, so I wasn’t too worried.

***

“You’re here again?”

“Haha…”

“The Princess doesn’t come every day, so please come back another time.”

“Is there anything I can help with? Even chores…”

“It’s alright.”

Feeling the cold gaze of the Hyeminseo’s female doctor, who was pretty but firm, Cheonho turned away dejectedly.

His uncle was meeting those suspicious guys again, saying he would approach them to get more information because they seemed suspicious.

He told Cheonho not to follow him because they were bad people, so he had more time alone.

Thanks to that, he visited the Hyeminseo to see the Princess, but she was surprisingly hard to meet.

He had run into her twice by chance, so he thought he would see her again soon.

As Cheonho lingered in front of the Hyeminseo, he tilted his head, spotting a child approaching from the distance.

‘Wait, am I seeing things…?’

That face looks like the one he’s looking for, but strangely, her clothes look shabby today.

Changing her clothes doesn’t make her cute face disappear… and she’s dangerously alone again.

Thinking he should scold her, he approached, but suddenly a large hand appeared from somewhere and grabbed the child.

“Kyaa!”

“Oh dear, this kid is giving me so much trouble!”

People who had briefly glanced at the girl’s scream indifferently turned their heads at the man’s words.

The man covered the child’s mouth, held her around the waist, and ran off in an instant.

“?”

What just happened?

‘What’s going on?’

Am I being kidnapped in the middle of the street???

I resisted, but no matter how strong I am, there was no way to win against his physique.

Even if I struggled and asked passersby for help, no one found it strange because the kidnapper pretended to be my parent, calling out a name he made up.

Anyway, the mindset that parents can treat their children however they want was the problem.

Because after saying, ‘Father told me not to do that!’ no one would look at me strangely.

The man, who had taken me and quickly entered a private house, covered my mouth to prevent me from screaming, tied my hands and feet tightly, and shoved me somewhere.

Since they didn’t cover my eyes, I quickly realized that the man who kidnapped me was the same man who had kidnapped me before.

“I didn’t expect to see this damn brat in a place like that.”

“Mmmph!”

“We went through so much trouble because of you…”

It’s your fault for kidnapping me, isn’t it? Who went through trouble?

Then, another voice was heard from behind the kidnapper. It sounded like a voice I remembered hearing last time.

“What, that child again?”

“It’s that child from last time. I saw her coming out of the Dabang-gol *gibang* and followed her to catch her.”

I can’t believe these guys were still lurking around the *gibang*. While Soi was taking me, there were many people on the road, so she couldn’t go very fast, and it seems they caught up thanks to that.

“This child is the one from last time?”

“Yes, she saw my face last time, so we can’t just leave her alone.”

“But there was an order not to harm people carelessly for a while, wasn’t there?”

Oh? They said they would get rid of me that day, but has something changed?

I took a breath and listened carefully.

“I thought she was a daughter of a noble family back then, but seeing her come out of the *gibang*, that can’t be the case.”

“Hmm. Maybe a young *gisaeng* was secretly wandering around…”

“I think she was either an illegitimate daughter of some family or a *gisaeng’s* daughter. I saw a woman putting her on a horse in front of the *gibang* and dropping her off on the road.”

The kidnapper must have seen Soi’s face last time, but judging from what he’s saying, he didn’t get a good look at Soi’s face this time.

‘Come to think of it, I don’t hear the voice of the person who told them to get rid of me back then. Is he somewhere else?’

The man seemed to ponder for a moment, then said in a bright voice.

“Ah, that’s even better. She’s just a child, isn’t she? If we sell her far away, how would anyone know? I was having trouble finding a suitable girl anyway, so this is perfect. The *gibang* will probably like her.”

“Indeed, the *gibang* has been lamenting that girls have dried up near the capital because of that Siyoungwon or whatever. It’s good that we can exchange her for a child from another region without any problems.”

I didn’t know it would have this kind of effect. I’m feeling the worth of creating Siyoungwon in a place like this.

Anyway, judging from what they’re saying, they don’t seem like they’ll kill me right away, but it’s not a good thing.

The kidnappers, who had finished talking, pushed me into what seemed to be a cart with a double structure.

After warning me to be quiet, they filled the area around me with something like chicken coops and closed the door, so it didn’t seem like anyone outside would notice the sounds I made by moving around.

It seemed to be used for transporting kidnapped children or illegal goods, as there was enough space for a child to sit.

‘…So, this means they’re going to sell me to the slave market too?’

Since I’m a child, it’s difficult to prove my identity, and even if I have a family, there’s a high possibility that I won’t remember them properly after a few years.

Judging by their actions, this doesn’t seem to be their first crime.

Ugh, the country is in a mess.

The men, who had been silently pulling the cart for a while, occasionally laughing and talking with someone, soon relaxed and whispered among themselves.

It was noisy because of the chicken sounds, but I could hear their conversation well enough if I strained my ears.

“Now that we’ve left the capital, shouldn’t we relax a bit?”

“Problems always arise when you let your guard down like that.”

At those words, the kidnapper seemed to feel guilty and brought me up again.

“But shouldn’t we investigate this child’s background a bit?”

“What would a little kid like that know even if we investigated?”

“Still, you never know. Now that I think about it, wouldn’t it be a headache if she were a daughter of a noble family?”

“Would a daughter of a noble family be wandering around like this? At best, she’s an illegitimate child whose mother is a *gisaeng*… or maybe she was sold off because of debt.”

“Wouldn’t it be faster to ask her later?”

The two were making various guesses about my identity, but it was difficult to answer either way.

They’ve already committed kidnapping, and if they think I’m a daughter of a noble family, they might try to silence me in some other way.

If they ask something, it’s better to vaguely gloss over which side I’m on rather than giving a definite answer. That way, they’ll be indecisive.

‘Surviving comes first. I mustn’t look suspicious. What’s the typical reaction of a child of this age when kidnapped…?’

For that reason, when the cart stopped and the men opened the door, I was sobbing and crying.

“Huuu…”

“……”

“You’ve tied her up, so take the kids down yourself.”

“Yes.”

When I came outside, the light was so bright that I couldn’t tell where I was at first, but I could tell it was a building in a fairly remote location.

And its purpose was clear.

Because there were several people inside a wooden prison.

I thought I would be put in prison like the others, but these people unexpectedly took me to a remote shed.

Seriously, they lock people in sheds at the drop of a hat!

Of course, the purpose was obvious.

The men untied my mouth and tried to get information, but when I, whose mouth was now free, only sobbed, they couldn’t hold out for long and quickly gave up.

“Save, save me… Hic, cough, cough! M, Mommy!”

“No, she wasn’t like this last time… was she…?”

The kidnapper doubted his own memory and was puzzled. And the kidnapper’s gang distrusted that man’s memory.

“Did you perhaps bring the wrong person…?”