Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 168

“Excuse me, are you acquainted with that person?”

“?”

“I am a hunter who lives nearby.”

The man, claiming to be from the village, cautiously inquired about Yeon Seon-oh.

“Are you asking if he’s suspicious?”

“Yes… The truth is, they’ve been coming to this village for a few years now, appearing out of nowhere. I have no idea what they do.”

“He used to work for the government in Hanyang [the capital city of Joseon dynasty]… so he’s not suspicious. Why?”

“Ah, is that so?”

He looked strangely relieved.

“Actually, there’s a woman living in a somewhat remote area who lost her son to a tiger attack and has been a little out of her mind… I’ve seen them frequently visiting her house for the past few years, and I was wondering. They say they’re friends who knew her son when he was alive, but I’ve never seen their faces before…”

“Did they do anything suspicious?”

“Of course, they haven’t done anything bad. They come before winter to chop firewood and help with various things, but still, you never know.”

“I see… And what do you mean specifically by ‘not in her right mind’?”

“Ah, well, she believes her dead son is still alive, so whenever she sees a young man of his age, she keeps grabbing them, thinking it’s him. Other than that, she lives a normal life… Everyone keeps an eye on her and takes care of her, though…”

“Ah…”

“They seemed to have been grabbed as her son at first too, but since they come often, she now seems to think of them as her son who went away to work far away and occasionally returns.”

“Hmm.”

She lost her mind because of the grief of losing her child…

‘I heard that Yeon Jwa-sema [a lower-ranking military official] also lost his parents early, so it must weigh on his mind.’

After I woke up after several months and learned that Yeon Jwa-sema had disappeared without seeing me again, I asked the King to look into it, wanting to at least take care of him somehow, but I was told that he had no other family and they didn’t know where he went.

So, it’s a bit difficult to tell other people about someone else’s family affairs.

“They’ve been coming and going for years without any problems, so suspecting them now is a bit…”

“Well, is that so? I heard he was a Chakhogun [member of the Royal Guard], but I wasn’t sure if it was true.”

“That’s true.”

It’s a career verification, so it shouldn’t be a problem, right?

Maybe it’s because he’s being vouched for by someone who’s late, but the man’s face seemed relieved.

“Is that so? Then, that friend who’s with him…”

“?”

“I’m sorry. It’s just that the scar on his face is quite unusual…”

“Well… it would have been fastest to ask him directly.”

“I apologize. He’s such a taciturn friend that it’s hard to strike up a conversation.”

Indeed, it was understandable to be wary of strangers in such a remote place.

“Well, then, we’ll go and check as you ordered.”

“Okay. I’m counting on you.”

Haa, I need to find them quickly.

It takes time just to gather people and persuade them.

“Ongju [Princess], please don’t worry too much. We will find them soon.”

“Okay…”

But it was strange that neither of them had been found yet.

Shouldn’t at least one of them have been found by now?

Those searching for the Crown Prince sighed under the darkening sky.

“Isn’t this the horse the Crown Prince was riding…!”

“Then, could it be that His Highness…”

Those who found the Crown Prince’s horse in a terrible state, having fallen from somewhere, swallowed hard with tension.

Since it was near a waterfall, it was even possible to make the grim assumption that the Crown Prince had fallen with the horse and been swept away by the current. Although it was winter, the valley was not yet frozen.

“Let’s search the downstream.”

“Yes, let’s do that. If he fell into the water…”

“……”

Although the valley water was not frozen, it was undeniable that it was winter.

Could the Crown Prince still be alive?

Everyone imagined the worst and hardened their faces.

He was the only Crown Prince. Although His Majesty was still healthy, there were no other princes besides the Crown Prince.

“Perhaps he jumped off before the horse fell?”

At Chunho’s words, everyone shook their heads.

Before Chunho arrived, they had already searched the mountains to some extent, so everyone was half giving up.

“This can’t be… This can’t be happening!”

“If we had properly attended to the Crown Prince back then…”

The young Ikwisa [members of the Royal Guard] officials, who were close to the Crown Prince, blamed themselves with pale faces, not knowing what to do.

“…He will be alive.”

“We want to believe that too. But insisting on it won’t change anything. We’ll follow the downstream for now.”

“Yes!”

“I will search the upper area again.”

“……Okay.”

Since he wasn’t their subordinate, those who were searching together didn’t stop Chunho.

However, some of the young officials wanted to stay with Chunho and search together, so the group split into two.

“It’s starting to snow, so we should hurry.”

“You should not disregard our words and come down. It’s an unfamiliar place, so if it gets dark, you might get lost.”

“Understood.”

Chunho and those who were somewhat familiar with the mountains remained to search the forest again.

“What do you know that you’re going?”

“I’m going to go back to where the Crown Prince first disappeared.”

“……It’s dangerous to go alone, so let’s go together.”

“Thank you.”

Some didn’t like Chunho, but they didn’t persecute anyone who stepped forward in such a situation.

‘I must find him……’

How could I deliver such terrible news to Ongju, who was waiting below the mountain?

Chunho recalled the face of Ongju, whom he had last seen before leaving.

She didn’t shed tears, but the face of the pale, young child was filled with vivid fear.

Chunho knew better than anyone what that feeling was.

‘Sister……’

The fear of being separated from a blood relative and not knowing whether they were alive or dead.

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to search the upper area again.”

“I think that’s a good idea. The chances of survival are higher there……”

So said Hyun Se-ja’s Jwa-sema [a lower-ranking military official], sighing.

The Ikwisa are the Crown Prince’s bodyguards and close aides. If something happened to the Crown Prince, it was also their responsibility.

Even during the time of Crown Prince Seongwon, the Ikwisa officials protected the Crown Prince with their lives, so the pressure felt by those who had been compared to them for years was considerable.

‘They must want the Crown Prince to be alive more than anyone else.’

There are people searching above, but if they haven’t found him yet, it’s hard to be optimistic.

“But hasn’t Doctor Se-hwa been found yet either?”

“That’s what I’m saying. We’ve been searching the mountain so thoroughly, you’d think we’d find him, but he’s nowhere to be seen……”

Finding Se-hwa, one of the causes of the Crown Prince’s disappearance, was inevitably pushed to the back burner.

Of course, there was also the thought that he would naturally be found while searching the mountain for the Crown Prince, but most of them probably forgot about him.

Still, if we’ve searched this much, we should have found some trace of at least one of them. Where are they both?

“We should have searched properly near where he first fell……”

“Maybe Doctor Se-hwa is unexpectedly safe and moving on his own.”

“He said he had experience collecting medicinal herbs in the mountains, so that’s unlikely. He should know how dangerous it is to move recklessly when lost in the mountains. Of course, if he encountered a dangerous wild animal, he wouldn’t have had the luxury to think about that……”

“Haa. It was for the sake of getting medicine for Ongju, so we can’t blame him.”

He said that, but everyone seemed to be blaming Doctor Se-hwa, so Chunho kept his mouth shut.

‘The Crown Prince is more important than the life of a mere doctor, but……’

I couldn’t help but feel bitter.

The conversation didn’t last long.

If they had the time, they had to move even one step further.

“The snow is getting heavy.”

“I think we’ll need torches now. Is that okay?”

“At this rate, the snow won’t last that long. However… the remaining traces will disappear.”

Those who were continuing to track from the location where the Crown Prince first disappeared lamented as they watched the indifferently falling snow.

“Let’s think of it as better than rain.”

“Let’s go down this way.”

“Can a horse really pass through here?”

“There are traces of hooves dragging.”

Chunho, who found the faint traces that remained despite the fallen leaves, guided them through the pathless forest, but he was anxious.

‘He must be alive.’

Before long, it was completely dark, and those who lit torches were relieved to find a flat area and constantly called out to the Crown Prince.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince! Where are you!”

“Your Highness!”

Thanks to shouting for hours, everyone’s voices were more tired than at first, but their desperation remained unchanged.

Chunho discovered a cliff, looked down, and clenched his fist.

“Let’s search this area. Maybe the horse fell from here. The hoof marks aren’t visible because of the snow, but the collapsed traces here make it seem likely.”

“Really?!”

At the positive observation, everyone’s eyes sparkled as they held up their torches and looked around.

“What’s that over there?”

“It looks like someone is approaching.”

They saw someone holding a torch moving in the distance.

“……”

Seeing the Crown Prince’s horse suddenly acting up, it might have been an assassination attempt by someone targeting the Crown Prince.

Everyone was thinking similarly, so they tensed up at the sudden appearance of a stranger and reached for their weapons.

‘Are there two of them?’

There are three of us, and two of them, but we can’t let our guard down.

Of course, they seemed to have noticed us as well, and they stopped.

“What is it? Are they also search parties?”

“But we can’t let our guard down, can we?”

“That’s right……”

In fact, the military officers and Ikwisa officials might be able to feel at ease because they know each other, but from Chunho’s point of view, there wasn’t anyone he could particularly trust.

‘If worst comes to worst, I’m confident I can escape alone, but……’

What if they are familiar with the mountain paths? Chunho rechecked the surrounding terrain and stood behind the Ikwisa officials, cautiously approaching without letting his guard down.

The approaching people were the same, and they seemed to be strangers even to the Ikwisa people.

“Who……are you?”

“We are Ikwisa officials. Who are you!”

At least the other party wasn’t threateningly armed. Perhaps they were hunters living nearby.

Their faces were mostly covered by winter clothes, but he could see a large scar on his forehead.

Thanks to that, everyone seemed even more tense.