Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 170

To avoid Se-hwa’s touch, the Crown Prince eventually had to reveal his discomfort.

“Actually, I twisted my ankle a bit when I fell from the horse earlier…”

“Your ankle… ?”

Se-hwa, undeterred, grabbed the Crown Prince’s leg and removed his shoe.

“Ugh?!”

“This… it seems like a sprain. It shouldn’t be a fracture, but it’s too dark to see properly…”

*If she properly examined it, the Crown Prince might die.* The thought that it wouldn’t be bad if people gathered at the sound of his screams also crossed her mind.

‘Fortunately, I have needles [acupuncture needles], but it’s too dark.’

As she checked the location with her hand, his ankle was already swollen, and the Crown Prince flinched every time she touched it, making her a little uneasy about whether she could properly apply the needles.

Se-hwa first gathered the scattered snow around and wrapped it in a cloth, placing it on the swollen ankle.

“!”

“I didn’t know that the snow would actually be helpful.”

“No, isn’t it… not helpful? If it gets colder like this…”

“How can I worry about the cold when Your Highness is so warm?”

“No. To treat the Crown Prince of a nation like a heater…”

Se-hwa hesitated for a moment but didn’t waver.

“Your Highness. Please forgive my rudeness.”

“Huh?”

Then, she carefully laid him down, supporting him in her arms. Since the ground wasn’t flat, the two of them had been uncomfortable all along.

Se-hwa was doing okay, but the injured Crown Prince’s condition must have worsened because of this. He had been trying so hard to stay away from Se-hwa.

“Uh? Uh?”

“Don’t be so uncomfortable, raise your leg and lean back comfortably.”

“Ah, okay.”

“Are you a little more comfortable?”

“Y-yes…”

She should have noticed sooner; it was her fault for being flustered in this situation and not taking care of the Crown Prince properly.

“I’m sorry. Your Highness…”

“What are you talking about? How much help am I getting because you’re here?”

The Crown Prince deliberately spoke jovially, but Se-hwa’s voice was dark.

‘What if no one finds us?’

Se-hwa herself was fine, but the Crown Prince had a fever, and the medicinal herbs she had were not very effective.

The Crown Prince still comforted Se-hwa in a calm voice, even with a fever, only his voice remained calm.

“It’s okay. There’s nothing to worry about…”

“Yes? Why do you think so?”

“Si-a is here.”

“Su-yeong Princess Consort [the Crown Prince’s younger sister]?”

What did this mean?

The Crown Prince was smirking.

“What kind of child is she? Surely, she will find us.”

“…”

To suddenly be so confident in his younger sister in this situation. It was absurd, but this belief was cute, comforting, and intriguing.

“What kind of person is the Princess Consort?”

“That child… is a truly venomous child.”

“Yes?”

She thought he was bragging, but it was an unexpected remark.

“How venomous… she’s the kind of girl who would swallow any poisoned food… if necessary.”

“…”

What did this mean?

“Did the Princess Consort… eat poison?”

Everyone knew that the Princess Consort had consumed poison. But what Se-hwa was asking now was not that meaning.

The Crown Prince continued to speak, whether he heard Se-hwa’s words or not.

“That child, she said to me that day while vomiting blood, ‘Become a wise ruler if possible.’ How could such words come from that young child’s mouth.”

“…Your Highness.”

“If I’m not here, I don’t know what that child will do again. So, I must live. To live…”

His voice was feverish, filled with the Crown Prince’s sincerity.

Perhaps this was a story she shouldn’t have heard.

“I… have to protect that child. Instead of the late Yoon Suk-ui… or my brother.”

Instead of his brother.

Somehow, those words sounded like the Crown Prince was repeating them to himself.

Suddenly, Se-hwa wondered if the reason why the Crown Prince still hadn’t married was because of Crown Prince Seong-won [his brother].

The moment that thought occurred, her mouth moved on its own. Words she would never have presumptuously uttered if she were in her right mind.

“Your Highness, why haven’t you married yet?”

“…”

A presumptuous, impudent question.

But the current Crown Prince seemed like he would answer.

“I might not… be qualified to be the Crown Prince yet…”

“Yes? Why do you say that…”

Se-hwa had been working as a physician in the palace and had observed the Crown Prince.

It might not have been a long time, but it didn’t take long to know what kind of person he was.

Except for the short time he came to check on the treatment of his beloved younger sister, he was always devoted to studying and state affairs.

A fair and upright Crown Prince who never treated the palace people carelessly.

His Majesty had already ordered him to rule on his behalf and he had begun to take care of state affairs.

If such a person was not qualified, who could replace the Crown Prince?

The King’s only son was now the Crown Prince.

“That might be… might be…”

In the silence as the Crown Prince stopped speaking, perhaps having fallen asleep, she heard noise mixed with the sound of the wind outside.

And in the dark world, a torch appeared in the sky.

“!”

Se-hwa reflexively hugged the Crown Prince.

Until she could confirm whether they were trustworthy, she couldn’t relax.

“Is there anyone there?”

“!”

It was a familiar voice.

“Cheon-ho?”

“Physician Se-hwa? Is it really you here?”

“Y-yes!! His Highness is here too!”

“Yes?!”

Then, after a while, another voice was heard.

“Here, move this a bit…”

“Ah, be careful!”

It seemed Cheon-ho wasn’t alone. Another… man’s voice was heard.

“Ah, ah, ugh?”

And unfortunately, that person, like the Crown Prince, slipped and fell down here while approaching.

Se-hwa was horrified and hugged the Crown Prince to avoid being hit.

“Ouch…”

“Are you… okay?”

“I’m fine. Seriously, coming to rescue and falling instead… I’ll lower a rope soon, so start with the physician.”

“Ah, no! Please pull this person up first. He’s hurt!”

“Yes?”

The man supported the Crown Prince, checked his forehead, tied the rope around himself, and supported the Crown Prince to take him outside.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Lower the rope to the physician.”

“Yes.”

As he came out of the pit, the Crown Prince, in a daze perhaps because of the torchlight, blinked his eyes with difficulty.

“Ah…”

And the Crown Prince, who faintly opened his eyes, muttered softly.

“Brother…?”

Cheon-ho looked into the pit and was speechless for a moment when he saw the man who had slipped down.

‘Seriously, why did that person fall into the pit…’

It was a rather large pit, so should he say it was fortunate? Fortunately, the people inside didn’t seem to be hurt.

Cheon-ho, who was tying the rope to a sturdy-looking tree nearby to pull people up, lamented inwardly.

“There seems to be an injured person inside, so I’ll have to carry him up.”

“Yes?”

Fortunately, it was useful.

‘The Crown Prince’s voice wasn’t heard, could it be?’

“I’ll receive him when you come up, so hold the torch for me instead.”

“Um. Okay.”

The men, who had encountered Cheon-ho a few times and knew that he was stronger than he looked, didn’t push themselves and entrusted the Crown Prince to Cheon-ho.

The hunter who had fallen and ended up carrying the injured man up, fortunately, carried the Crown Prince steadily, unlike his initial impression when he fell.

Cheon-ho entrusted the rope to another person and pulled the Crown Prince’s waist to bring him out.

“Heave-ho.”

He felt a bit warm, but Cheon-ho was relieved to see the Crown Prince breathing safely.

“Brother…?”

He heard the Crown Prince muttering something as if he had opened his eyes, but it was soon drowned out by the loud noise coming closer.

“Your Highness! Your Highness!!”

“Oh my! Are you safe?”

Cheon-ho entrusted the Crown Prince to the Royal Guard officers who had found him and immediately embraced him, and checked the condition of the rope again.

Next to him, the group of hunters who had carried the Crown Prince up were exchanging words, asking if they were okay, sighing in relief as if they themselves had been nervous.

‘They get along well.’

“I should bring the physician out now, so I’ll go down again.”

“Just a moment.”

Cheon-ho looked down for a moment and conveyed the message.

“This person will go down again and bring the physician up too!”

“I don’t need it, just lower the rope!”

“You’ll hurt your hands! You’re a physician!”

“…”

The man who had carried the Crown Prince up listened to the conversation and laughed, grabbing the rope.

“As you said, she is a physician who is treating a precious person, so her hands must be cherished. I’ll be careful going down this time, so don’t worry too much.”

“It’s okay for me to go down.”