Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 164

“Actually, among the children in Siyoungwon [a charitable institution], many see Her Highness Princess Owol as a parent. Some, like Ah-young, are mature most of the time but act like children only in front of her, which is rather endearing. But there are also children who feel she’s selfish for not providing more material support, like parents would.”

“Then what do you do with those children?”

“Unfortunately, we can’t always indulge them. Usually, they get a stern talking-to, sometimes a physical reprimand, from those around them, and they come to their senses. Or sometimes, they run away from Siyoungwon, face the harsh reality, and come back…”

“Haa.”

With so many energetic children, managing them isn’t easy, she says.

“In the beginning, it was simpler, but as more people arrived, all sorts of things happened. Of course, we don’t tell the Princess everything. Some things are too embarrassing to tell someone so young.”

Sunghee said, smiling wryly.

“I imagine not.”

“The Princess may seem like a child, but she’s younger than me. Perhaps it’s because she’s royalty, but she’s always been very dignified. Telling her such shameful stories just feels… wrong, doesn’t it?”

“Hahahaha. It must be difficult.”

Sehwa chuckled in agreement, recalling something from the past.

‘Come to think of it, when I first met her, she had an unusually mature aura for her age.’

It was like she had foreseen what would happen that night, bringing that Gangnam Jeonbyeong [a type of savory pancake from the Gangnam region].

After safely escaping the capital and getting away from the pursuers, I finally relaxed, collapsed, and realized how hungry I was. I ate that Gangnam Jeonbyeong and cried so much.

‘Even after my family was ruined and I was separated from my brother, I realized I was still hungry.’

Lost in thought, they had already ventured quite deep into the mountains.

“Then let’s split up here.”

“Yes. I hope we both find it.”

“Haha. Thanks to you, I’m only finding other herbs, though.”

The herbalists and the two women chatted relatively casually as they climbed, but the inconspicuous royal physician following behind was struggling.

He clearly hadn’t done much strenuous hiking lately, so it was difficult for him.

He shouldn’t be too old, but he seemed to lack exercise.

‘That physician… he was close to those who were demoted, but he didn’t openly harass me.’

He seemed too timid to properly harass me. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t participate.

Thanks to his inconspicuousness, he wasn’t punished with them, so he was sent here with us.

They needed physicians with experience collecting herbs directly from the mountains and who could ride horses, but such physicians were rare in the royal hospital.

I was too busy looking for herbs to pay attention, but if he continued like that, he would only be a hindrance, not a help. Sehwa couldn’t stand watching the groaning physician any longer and called for a break.

“Let’s rest for a bit.”

Most of the others, except for Sehwa and the physician, were familiar with the mountains. The guards assigned by the Crown Prince were the same.

At Sehwa’s words, everyone sighed as they looked at the panting physician, found a place to sit, took out their water bottles, drank, and chewed on the food they had brought.

“It’s winter, so it will get dark quickly. We need to hurry.”

Even if their paths didn’t overlap, it was best to find the herbs before the martial arts competition began in earnest.

Wandering around the hunting grounds by mistake wouldn’t be good.

Of course, the Crown Prince had assigned guards to both sides, so that was unlikely.

‘Guards are overkill, but they’re not for me, they’re for Princess Owol….’

Thinking of the Crown Prince, Sehwa suddenly recalled their accidental encounter in the library.

She had never been held in a man’s arms like that before, so her face flushed for no reason, but she shook her head to clear her thoughts, reminding herself of her current position.

However, she couldn’t help but have a slight smile on her lips.

‘Good for nothing, indeed….’

I couldn’t tell when I saw it over his clothes, but I could tell when I touched him directly that he had a trained body.

Princess Owol teases him, and he’s so worried about it. Isn’t that kind of cute?

‘Of course, Princess Owol is probably the only one who can give such frank reviews to His Highness the Crown Prince… But the fact that he asked me to confirm it means he trusts me quite a bit, doesn’t it…?’

Thinking that far, Sehwa punched herself in the head again to shake off her thoughts.

It was a pointless thought.

Then, suddenly, she noticed some grass growing behind a rock and got up.

“Ah. I’m going to look over there for a moment.”

“Then I’ll go with you….”

“It’s not like I’m going far. Rest a little more.”

The guards, there because of the wild animals, were subtly unhelpful in collecting herbs, but she knew the Crown Prince had sent them on purpose.

“Hmm. I can’t see it well from here.”

I can’t just pick it. I might damage the herb.

‘The footing inside looks a little unstable….’

Sehwa carefully moved when she unexpectedly heard a voice nearby.

“Hey, did you find anything?”

“Ah, just a moment. I think I’ll know if I go a little further….”

Sehwa frowned inwardly at the royal physician following her so closely.

‘Why did he follow me so closely?’

Sehwa tried to ignore her thoughts as she searched every place where herbs could grow, such as rock crevices and cliffs.

If I’m distracted, I might slip.

She carefully reached out to a slightly precarious spot and gently swept it with her hand to dig it out.

As she carefully moved to the side and checked, it was definitely the herb she was looking for.

“I found it…!”

“Really?!”

At the same time as Sehwa’s shout, a cry of joy erupted from those resting in the back.

I’m going home!

“But will that be enough?”

“Don’t jinx it.”

“It would be nice if we could find more, but can’t we go back today?”

“Hahahaha.”

Sehwa carefully dug out the herb, wrapped it in the paper she had brought, and carefully stored it in her bag.

Inside were herbs that she had picked or collected without realizing it because they had caught her eye along the way.

She couldn’t just pass by when she saw good herbs.

“We don’t need that much. It’s a very poisonous medicine… Now that we’ve got several roots, it’ll be fine if the condition isn’t too bad.”

At those words, everyone seemed relieved and prepared to descend the mountain.

“There are many wild animals, so be careful.”

“This area is prone to tiger attacks, so it’s always good to be careful. A few years ago, a mountain god [a euphemism for a tiger] attacked several people on the opposite mountain, and the country even sent government troops to exterminate them.”

“Is that so.”

“Many people have lost family in this area, so it’s best to be careful what you say.”

“There’s even someone who lost their son and is half out of their mind.”

“That family is pitiful.”

“They grab a passing young man and call him their son, and kind-hearted people take care of him for a few days.”

“But everyone leaves eventually. It’s a good thing if they don’t get extorted by bad people.”

“Ah, but that young man sometimes comes in the winter and takes care of them. He’s so handsome and fair-skinned.”

“Handsome?”

“Yes, he looks like a young nobleman with his fair and delicate face. Where else can you see such a person in a place like this?”

“It’s not an easy thing to do. He’s a great person.”

Perhaps because of the relief that the work was done, everyone was strangely talkative. It wasn’t a bad thing that the atmosphere had improved, so Sehwa smiled and agreed appropriately.

“Anyway, there are quite a few traps set up to catch tigers in the mountains. Foreigners should be careful not to walk alone because they don’t know where things are.”

In any case, everyone was in a good mood because they had succeeded, so the local herbalists and the guards were excited and descended in a smooth atmosphere.

Perhaps because many people were passing by due to the martial arts competition, there were no dangerous wild animals to be seen. At best, only herbivores like rabbits were occasionally seen, but they quickly ran away as soon as they saw people.

“Let’s rest around here for a bit.”

“Hoo. But the weather isn’t very good, so it’s best to go down quickly.”

One of the herbalists said that and glanced at the royal physician who was panting and following them.

The physician, startled by the gaze, drank water, took a breath, and then got up with a determined look.

“Excuse me, Physician Sehwa, can I talk to you for a moment?”

“What’s wrong?”

“I have something to tell you.”

“?”

“It’s a bit much here. Just over there for a moment….”

Wondering what he wanted, Sehwa reluctantly got up.

‘The weather is a bit bad. I don’t know what he wants to talk about, but I need to finish it quickly and go down.’

I was worried about Sunghee, but everyone else was a herbalist, so they would hurry down on their own.

Looking around, it was a place I had stopped by once on the way up, so it was familiar to some extent, and everyone didn’t seem very wary of the surroundings.

‘Wild animals don’t usually come down the road where people walk.’

Of course, there are exceptions.

The direction is a bit different, but this area has already been checked for the martial arts competition. I heard they plan to release game rather than wild animals during the competition.

‘Still, I think horses can go around here.’

Thinking it would have been easier if I had brought a horse, even though the road was a bit rough in the middle, Sehwa asked the others for their understanding.

“He said he has something to say, so I’ll be back in a moment.”

“Shall we go with you?”

The guards assigned by the Crown Prince asked, but the physician was embarrassed and shook his head.

“No, it’s a matter for the royal hospital, so other people… wouldn’t be appropriate.”

Sehwa and this man were the only royal physicians here, so it wasn’t that strange.

As he said, Sehwa was led by the man to a distance where others couldn’t hear them, but this wasn’t a pleasant place.

The man looked around for a long time, and after confirming that no one was around, he finally turned his gaze to Sehwa with a relieved expression.

“What’s wrong?”

“I… I wanted to apologize to you.”

“Yes?”

“I harassed you with the others, didn’t I? I’m sorry.”

Sehwa, who had been nervous about the unexpected request, was a little relieved.

“Ah, that’s already in the past. Don’t worry about it.”

“Really? You won’t bring it up later?”

Once she heals Princess Owol, Sehwa’s position will be secure. Is that why he’s trying to get back in my good graces now?

“So, about that herb.”

“?”

“Could you say that I found it?”

“Yes?”

“Kyaaak!”

Liar!

It was hard to see properly because the bushes were thick, but this side was a cliff.

The man’s face, which had seemed relieved, came into view as she fell.

‘Why?’

Hugging the bag containing the herbs, Sehwa curled up.

She tried to grab something, but she lost her grip instantly, and she couldn’t come to her senses as she hit and rolled around.

“Argh!”

Sehwa, who had fallen somewhere, lost consciousness.

And when she finally came to her senses, Sehwa was trapped in a deep pit, unsure of where she was.

“Ah….”

Sehwa blinked, unable to understand the situation.

‘Am I alive?’

She didn’t know if she had fainted during the fall.

She just felt pain all over her body.