Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 13

“Grand Prince Gyeongwon? It’s unusual for you to call out to me first.”

“Brother Grand Prince Gyeongeon, what are you doing alone in a place like this?”

Gyeongeon’s eyes narrowed with annoyance as he looked at his younger brother, Grand Prince Gyeongwon, who had suddenly appeared.

“What I do here is none of your concern, is it?”

“…His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is scheduled to visit today, so wouldn’t it be appropriate for you to join us in offering greetings…!”

Smack-

“!!”

Before Gyeongwon could finish speaking, Gyeongeon swung the branch he was holding, striking Gyeongwon’s arm.

The sound was audible even from this distance, indicating it was no light tap.

“Don’t act so presumptuously in front of me.”

“…Brother.”

“Ha, brother? What brother? Are you trying to cozy up to the Crown Prince, hoping to get something from him? If you want to die peacefully, you better not get on my nerves.”

“……”

When Gyeongwon remained silent, Gyeongeon seemed to lose interest and turned away.

“I found a good toy for once, but the fun is ruined.”

With that, he tossed the branch aside and left without a second glance.

Gyeongwon waited until Gyeongeon was gone before taking off his outer robe and using it like a net to scoop the cat out of the pond.

Meow…

“It’s alright. I won’t hurt you.”

The terrified cat seemed to recognize its savior, clinging to Gyeongwon and trembling.

Although his clothes were a mess, Gyeongwon let out a sigh of relief seeing that the cat was safe.

Then, he turned around and approached where I was.

It seemed he knew I was there from the start.

“Are you alright? You must have been very surprised.”

“Heu?”

I shuddered, recalling what I had just witnessed.

‘Could it be that he was deliberately trying to kill the cat? And he hit Gyeongwon like that out of spite for interfering?’

If I had rushed out then, I might have become the target of his anger.

“Jasan, are you there?”

“Yes, Grand Prince Gyeongwon.”

At Gyeongwon’s call, a young eunuch with a flushed face approached from nearby. He seemed to be Gyeongwon’s attendant and was trembling, seemingly trying to contain his anger after witnessing what had happened.

“Don’t make a fuss. It’s not the first time, is it? You must also hold your tongue in front of my mother.”

“Hic.”

“Her health is not good as it is, so we mustn’t cause her any worry. Go and quietly bring me a new set of clothes.”

“I have already instructed them to do so, so please do not worry.”

Gyeongwon handed the wet clothes and the cat to the eunuch.

Nyaa-

“Oh dear.”

But thanks to the cat clinging to him, even the clothes he was wearing underneath got wet.

He’s still just a child, yet he saved a cat and got hit by that lunatic.

“Awoo.”

As I carefully stroked the spot where Gyeongeon had hit him, Gyeongwon shook his head with a stoic expression.

“It’s alright. He only hits hard enough not to cause serious injury.”

Is he a repeat offender?

“So, you mustn’t wander around alone from now on. Do you understand?”

“Eung.”

Gyeongwon, who had been quickly provided with a new set of clothes by the eunuch, took me and headed back in the direction where he had been with the Crown Prince.

‘Come to think of it, did he come looking for me because I disappeared?’

I thought I was being considerate by letting them have their time, but it seems I ended up taking up their time instead.

“Gyeongeon comes here often, so try not to come this way if possible. Do you understand?”

“Eum.”

There must have been a reason why Royal Concubine Seon was happy to see Royal Concubine Yeong get a taste of her own medicine.

No matter how much he tries to hide it, if this kind of thing happens often, there’s no way Mother wouldn’t know.

Yet, seeing this young child trying to hide it for the sake of his mother made me feel a surge of anger.

“Hoo, are you even listening to what I’m saying?”

“Uwoo.”

“A child causing so much trouble already, I don’t know what will become of you.”

Looking at my complicated expression, Gyeongwon sighed and forced a gentle smile.

‘Sorry.’

Just then, Songbi, who seemed to have heard the story, came running towards me with a pale face.

“Young Lady!”

“She was in the bushes. Her face could get scratched by the branches, so don’t let her go alone.”

Gyeongwon didn’t even mention the fact that I was by the pond.

Perhaps, it was because he didn’t want Gyeongeon to remember my existence if possible.

‘He doesn’t seem like a child at all. Is it because of his environment?’

Perhaps because of that incident, Gyeongwon often sought me out after that day.

And sometimes, the Crown Prince was there with him.

“Little one.”

“Uwoo!”

“When will you start talking? His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is also eager to hear it. Try calling me ‘Older Brother’.”

“U!”

Annoyed by his unnecessary demands, I eventually raised my hand.

Slap! Slap!

“How dare you, ouch, hit your older brother like this again. You little rascal.”

“Hahaha. Gyeongwon is being unreasonable, so Sia is getting angry. Isn’t that right?”

“Uwoo.”

“No, Your Highness. Do you know how wild this little one’s temperament is? She raises her hand like that at the slightest thing, so she needs to be disciplined.”

“But she has never done that to me. Isn’t that right, Sia?”

“Ung.”

“!”

As the Crown Prince said that and rubbed his cheek against my cheek, a look of shock and slight betrayal appeared on Gyeongwon’s face.

‘That’s why you should treat me better.’

Aside from being my savior, the Crown Prince was so kind and gentle that I never had a reason to get angry.

On the other hand, Gyeongwon was a good kid, but he talked too much nonsense, so he tended to provoke me.

Like when he came with Royal Concubine Seon a while ago.

‘But grabbing his hair was a bit much, I guess.’

Who told him to call a baby ugly?

Even though there’s a superstition in this era that you have to call a baby ugly on purpose for good luck, it felt bad from the baby’s perspective!

…Still, I feel a little sorry.

On second thought, as a sign of apology, I approached Gyeongwon, who was munching on refreshments, and patted his head.

Then Gyeongwon’s face contorted even more.

“Pfft.”

The Crown Prince, who was sitting across from us, couldn’t hold back his laughter and turned his head away.

Thanks to that, Gyeongwon’s face became even more sullen.

‘It’s fun to tease him.’

But even if he’s still young, wrinkles on his handsome face are not good.

I still reached out my tiny hands and pressed on his forehead to smooth out the wrinkles. The downside was that I couldn’t control my strength.

“No, why is a child so strong… Ugh?!”

As I pressed on his forehead, I lost control of my strength and fell forward, and Gyeongwon, who fell backward at the same time, naturally became my cushion.

“Giggle!”

“You seem to be enjoying yourself.”

“Don’t just watch, please help me, Your Highness. Sia is quite heavy now.”

As Gyeongwon pretended that he couldn’t get up on his own, the Crown Prince burst out laughing again, and I raised my fist again.

What’s so heavy about a baby who’s just starting to run around?

Thump, thump!

“Hey, hey!”

“Hahaha. Gyeongwon, you should probably train your body more. How heavy can Sia be? Right?”

“Uwoo!”

Even as he said that, the Crown Prince took me away from Gyeongwon. And he held me in his arms and smiled, as if he was very happy.

“Our Sia is so lovely, but Gyeongwon is being grumpy. Isn’t that right?”

“U.”

“But I definitely hope she starts talking soon. His Majesty the King is also eagerly waiting.”

“Uwoo, uwoo, uwoo.”

I don’t want to.

‘Pretending not to be able to speak at all is fine, but speaking with a lisp is a bit…’

If you ask what the difference is, I’d say it’s a matter of feeling.

Anyway, to other people, it just seemed like I was a little late in speaking.

‘Let’s speak when my pronunciation is more accurate.’

I’ve heard that there are quite a few children who are late in speaking, so it wasn’t a big problem.

Everyone kept forcing me to say ‘Father’ as if they wanted to please the King, so I didn’t want to say it even more.

I only hugged my sister, who I thought would be most worried, and whispered ‘Mom’ when we were alone, then gestured to cover my mouth with my hand and shook my head. She seemed bewildered, but thankfully, she didn’t worry.

Of course, she seemed to have other worries.

A royal concubine cannot call herself the mother of the King’s children. So, she taught me the word ‘Father’ even more diligently, fearing that she would be misunderstood as having taught me the word ‘Mom,’ but when I ignored her with a smile, she seemed to have given up.

‘I never listened to Mom or my sister anyway.’

***

So, today again, I refused to eat alone and came to eat with my sister as I pleased.

“Young Lady, are you going out again today?”

“Ung.”

“Where are you going so busily every day?”

“Hehehe.”

I smiled bashfully, finished my meal, glanced at my sister, and left her residence.

After my sister became a Royal Concubine and had me by her side, her face brightened up a lot.

After talking with Royal Concubine Seon before, her complexion seemed a little bad, but it seemed like something had changed her mind, and she seemed more determined than before.

‘What did they talk about?’

Since she’s practically at odds with Royal Concubine Yeong because of me, is she trying to get on Royal Concubine Seon’s line?

‘The Queen hasn’t been decided yet either.’

My sister didn’t stop me from wandering around.

After all, palace maids follow me around, and she probably knows that I’m not the type to do anything too dangerous.

‘These days, we sometimes go for walks together.’

Sometimes she took me to Royal Concubine Seon’s residence. The royal concubines seemed to get along, but who knows.

Still, after wandering around here and there, taking advantage of the fact that I was a child, the royal concubines hardly ever tried to harm me. Well, Royal Concubine Yeong is the strange one.

Besides, I don’t know how my rumors spread, but everyone wanted to win my favor.

Some people even prepared snacks for babies and waited for me.

Just like now.

“Royal Concubine Yun is very lucky to have such a healthy Young Lady.”

“She is lucky. They say a mother becomes precious because of her child. She got pregnant by chance in one night, and she didn’t even give birth to a prince, but she became a Royal Concubine overnight.”

“Please watch your words in front of the Young Lady. It seems the Princess is very lucky.”

It’s not luck. I earned it?

“Young Lady?”

“Uwoo.”

After getting everything I could eat, I turned around without hesitation.

I didn’t forget to wave my hand as a courtesy.

Were those two Consort and Concubine So-yong?

They weren’t bad people, but they weren’t very good people either, just an ordinary feeling.

After experiencing Royal Concubine Yeong, my standards have lowered, so everyone seems good.

Still, maybe it’s because they don’t have children, but they all adored me.

‘Is this why my sister lets me roam free?’

The princes have no choice but to be doted on by their birth mothers, so it’s difficult to get close to them.

The royal concubines all seemed to be from good families, unlike my sister, and of course, their ranks were also high.

‘Royal Concubine is the lowest rank. It’s better than Seung-eun Sang-gung, though [a high-ranking court lady who has been favored by the king].’

It might seem a bit petty, but since she’s not particularly favored and doesn’t seem to have a good background, I’m grateful.

‘Well, it’s good if you can live quietly without being noticed.’

I was born as a princess, but since there are so few children here, I don’t think I’ll be treated badly.

‘It’s also nice to be able to roam around the palace as a member of the royal family.’

The palace wasn’t affected by the Japanese colonial era, so the buildings are packed so tightly that I don’t know if this is the same Gyeongbokgung or Changdeokgung [two of the main royal palaces in Seoul] that I know.

Anyway, a walk that combines exercise and practical benefits is not bad in many ways.

“Hmm? Sia, what are you doing here?”

“U?”

And while wandering around busily like that, I ran into an unexpected person.

Of course, it’s not strange for the owner of the house to be in the house. But he’s been so busy that it’s been hard to see his face for a while, my biological father.

‘How far did I come?’

Seeing that he has a bunch of people hanging around him, it seems like he’s on his way home from work.

‘Oh, so if I go out that way, it leads to the main hall. I want to see what the main hall looks like now.’

As I recalled the appearance of Geunjeongjeon [the main hall of Gyeongbokgung Palace] in Gyeongbokgung that I had seen before, there was a door in the direction my biological father was walking. I don’t know how the road is connected, but I can find out if I go there.

I glanced at him and measured the distance between me and my biological father.

My biological father made a strange face, wondering what I was thinking.

“I am her father, so why does she avoid me so much?”

I frowned, keeping my distance, but there were too many people near the King. There’s probably no way to get over there past these people now…

I decided to be faithful to my social life for now.

“Uwoo.”

“Haha. I’m the father who came from seeing state affairs, so why do you look more tired and exhausted?”

“Eu.”

Yeah, working is hard.

Recalling the noisy old men I had seen before, I patted my tired biological father on the shoulder.

“Oh, are you comforting me now?”

“Ung.”

“To think that she’s already so filial at such a young age.”

No, it’s business.

“I should give you a reward.”

If I’m this good, I’m a filial daughter, right?

‘My legs were starting to hurt, and I was wondering if he would take me to my residence as it is… Huh?’

In my vision, where I was comfortably leaning on my biological father, some unwelcome faces came into view.