Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 116

It wasn’t easy to admit, but given that it was a limited edition item sold by reservation only, obtaining the book now seemed impossible.

Faced with the woman’s unwavering stance, the Crown Prince reluctantly revealed the truth.

“Actually, my younger sister possessed the signed copy, but I accidentally damaged it, and she became incredibly upset.”

“Younger sister… you say?”

“Ever since that day, she’s avoided eye contact and proper conversation. She’s never been this angry before, so she must be deeply hurt about the book’s damage. I heard it was a limited edition, exclusively for those who pre-ordered, so to appease her, I need to get the same one, right?”

Why did he hesitate for so long, only to blurt everything out so pathetically as soon as he spoke?

The Crown Prince felt a mix of embarrassment and relief.

He realized this was the first time he had revealed his inner thoughts to someone other than his sister.

“Oh my.”

Perhaps the Crown Prince’s confession was so unexpected that the woman’s initial cold expression melted away, replaced by a bright smile.

“Please don’t laugh at me.”

“No, no, not at all. I wouldn’t laugh. I’m just impressed by your deep affection for your younger sister.”

“Ahem. Is that so?”

Seeing the Crown Prince’s embarrassment, the woman smiled kindly and offered a positive response.

“If that’s the reason, I’ll concede to you.”

“Really?”

“Ah, but the one I have with me now isn’t the signed copy, so I’ll need a little time to retrieve it.”

“Will it take long?”

He had some free time today, which allowed him to venture outside the palace, but he couldn’t afford to return too late.

“Well, I keep it at my workplace, so it won’t take too long. It’s not far from here.”

“Ah, that’s a relief.”

The woman studied the Crown Prince’s expression and seemed to consider something before adding, as she gestured for him to follow her.

“I work as a medical woman at the Hyeminseo [a Joseon-era medical institution for the common people], so your guards don’t need to worry too much.”

“Ah.”

At those words, the guard and Eunuch Song, who were trailing behind, avoided eye contact, feigning ignorance.

Their expressions had likely been quite stern while the Crown Prince wasn’t looking. They couldn’t have been pleased to see the Crown Prince of a nation pleading with a common woman.

But they were the ones in need, so what could they do?

The Crown Prince followed the woman, offering an apology.

“Please forgive my rudeness. I’m just a bookworm, so I tend to overthink things.”

“Is that so? Seeing your tall stature and the calluses on your hands, I assumed you were a martial artist.”

“Did you notice that so quickly?”

“It’s part of my job; I naturally observe people.”

A medical woman from the Hyeminseo.

From the Crown Prince’s perspective, this was the first time he had encountered someone working in such a field.

He had mostly delegated that area to Sia, but some policy-related ideas sparked in his mind. The Crown Prince began asking the woman various questions, and she, having identified herself as a medical woman, answered without hesitation, leading to an engaging conversation.

“You’re very knowledgeable about medicine.”

“My mother and sister often need medical attention, so I’ve read some medical books.”

It was so rare for the Crown Prince to have a genuine conversation with someone unaware of his identity that he felt his spirits lift, and he found himself talking more than usual.

“By the way, how much should I pay you for the book?”

“Just the original price is fine. Actually, many people missed the reservation and are trying to buy it at a premium now, putting the original owner in a difficult position.”

“Ah…”

The Crown Prince, who had engaged in similar behavior, albeit for different reasons, was momentarily filled with self-reproach when…

“Hey, are you alright?”

“What’s wrong?”

The woman noticed a middle-aged woman collapsed on the street with a crying child nearby. She immediately approached and hoisted the woman onto her back.

“Please take care of this child. Oh, and this book too.”

“Yes?”

With those words, the woman hurried towards the Hyeminseo without looking back.

Although he was taken aback, he quickly understood the situation.

As the Crown Prince reached out to the crying child, Eunuch Song, horrified, scooped up the child himself.

“I’ll take him, Your Highness.”

“Um. Sure, go ahead.”

The woman carrying the child’s mother on her back and Eunuch Song holding the child.

‘What is this awkwardness?’

He had never considered it because he was the Crown Prince, but usually in this kind of situation…

Shouldn’t they entrust the heavier load to him, a healthy man? Did he appear that unreliable?

‘I was already called a runt by Sia not too long ago.’

In the end, he had passed even the child onto Eunuch Song, leaving him feeling somewhat inadequate.

Upon entering the Hyeminseo, they found the medical officers and medical women already gathered, diligently treating the newly arrived patient.

As he looked around, he noticed the Hyeminseo was cleaner and more organized than he had anticipated.

‘I heard that Sia often visits and manages it directly.’

When he subtly inquired with another passing medical woman, he learned that the Princess Consort was taking meticulous care of the institution, which filled him with a sense of pride.

After a while, the emergency treatment seemed to conclude, and the woman, with a satisfied smile, wiped the sweat from her forehead and stepped back. Upon seeing the Crown Prince, she smiled apologetically, as if she had just remembered his presence.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Please wait a moment. I’ll wash my hands and bring it to you right away.”

Soon, she returned with the book in her hand.

“If you ever feel sick, come by. You seem like a scholar from a good family, so you probably don’t need to visit the Hyeminseo, but I hope your sister is happy.”

***

‘She was a bright woman.’

Moreover, she rushed to save the sick person without hesitation.

The image of the woman smiling happily after treating the patient lingered in his mind.

And thanks to that, he remembered something he had forgotten.

‘Come to think of it, I… didn’t pay her…?’

Well, he wasn’t accustomed to buying things with money in the first place, but he at least possessed the common sense that he had to pay for purchased items.

He was absent-minded, but was he really that absent-minded?

That day, he had been waiting for the medical woman to see the patient at the Hyeminseo, and as it grew late, he was led by Eunuch Song and rushed back to the palace as soon as he received the book.

But to receive the item and not pay, even though he was the Crown Prince of a nation!

‘Well, I have some time today, so it should be fine.’

He would inform the Royal Escort Division of his destination and return before it got too late.

Eunuch Song looked like he wanted to dissuade him, but he didn’t want to upset the Crown Prince, who had been in a bad mood lately.

Besides, he was going to the Hyeminseo, so it wasn’t a dangerous place, and he could pretend it was a visit to observe the lives of the people.

Whether he knew Eunuch Song’s concerns or not, the Crown Prince finished his preparations in a hurry as soon as he made his decision and left the palace.

When he arrived at the Hyeminseo, the medical woman he had seen that day was present.

“Aren’t you the scholar from that day? What brings you here?”

“I’m ashamed to admit that I remembered I didn’t properly compensate you that day… I apologize.”

The woman smiled, mirroring the Crown Prince’s expression, as she received the bundle of money that Eunuch Song handed over.

“Oh, I was so preoccupied that I forgot too. Thank you for coming all the way here. So, how is your sister…?”

“She still seems a little upset, but I think she’ll get over it soon.”

“I’m glad if it was worth it to get the book.”

It happened while the two were having a friendly conversation, as there weren’t many patients.

Thump!

A large boy, panting, burst into the room, nearly colliding with the door.

He still looked young, but he was a little shorter than the Crown Prince, with a large build and handsome features.

The people of the Hyeminseo recognized the boy who had come to look for the young master several times, so they rushed over in confusion.

“No, what’s wrong?”

“Young Master, Young Master Siyoungwon is in danger.”

“What are you talking about?”

The doctors and medical women of Siyoungwon, and the Crown Prince as well, knew who Young Master Siyoungwon was, so they approached the boy with tense faces.

“They say the young master has been kidnapped.”

“What nonsense are you spouting…”

As people were expressing disbelief, the panting boy took out something wrapped in silk from his arms.

“Gasp!”

Those who recognized it gasped.

The Sajo Dragon Token [a symbol of royal authority and identity].

Possessing this meant that the kidnapped young master the boy was referring to was likely the Princess Consort, and at the very least, it indicated that the Princess Consort was involved in something dangerous.

The Crown Prince’s eyes widened.

“Tell me in detail. What happened to Sia?”

“Yes?”

“I asked what happened to my sister!”

“!”

It was publicly known within the Hyeminseo that Young Master Siyoungwon was the Princess Consort.

Moreover, the jade pendant with the Sajo Dragon that this boy had just presented confirmed that assumption.

And this young man in his early twenties, who was calling that Young Master Siyoungwon his sister?

There was only one answer.

Everyone should have knelt down upon hearing the shocking truth, but there was no time for that.

“Ah, the young master…”

Cheonho seemed surprised as well, but he began to explain step by step what had happened.

There was no time to explain the details, so he briefly recounted only the events of that day.

Everyone was shocked by the fact that the young master had been kidnapped right in front of the Hyeminseo.

Even more shocking was the revelation that the Princess Consort had been taken to an illegal slave market.

“How could this happen…!”

“Your Highness, you must return to the palace immediately.”

A slave market meant that the Princess Consort could be sold as a slave if things went wrong.

There was no time to waste.

And just then, those who were looking for the Crown Prince arrived.

“Sung Imperial Guard?”

“I’m glad we didn’t miss each other.”

It was the Sung Imperial Guard and the Royal Escort Division officials.

The place that Soi had gone to with the news about the illegal slave market, under Sia’s orders, was naturally the Crown Prince’s palace. But the Crown Prince, the most important person, was out of the palace.

Soi, who learned of this fact, next sought out the Sung Imperial Guard.

The Sung Imperial Guard, who had been searching for them for a while, had been away from his post too often, so he was living the life of a diligent public servant for the first time in a long time.

He had arrived late to work today because it was his night shift, so he was belatedly informed of the Princess Consort’s outing, and he was worried about what had happened while he was away, but he did not forget his duty.

He first ordered someone to inform the Capital Defense Command to prepare to raid the slave market urgently, and he also informed the Royal Escort Division of the situation and came to contact the Crown Prince.

The Royal Escort Division was the Crown Prince’s escort, so they were able to find him right away because the Crown Prince had informed them of his destination.

The Crown Prince frowned as he listened to the explanations from Cheonho and the Sung Imperial Guard in turn.

“If what you say is true, it means that there is likely someone within the Capital Defense Command who is in league with those guys.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

He couldn’t be sure to what extent they were colluding, but it meant that at least someone in a position to leak information existed.

He was reminded of Sia’s words from a while ago, about how this was an opportunity to establish military discipline.