Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 198

After escorting the Princess back to her residence, laying her down, and taking her pulse one last time, Sehwa requested to return home.

“Doctor Sehwa, wouldn’t it be better for you to stay at the palace tonight? It’s quite late.”

When the Crown Prince looked at the palace maids in the Princess’s residence, they nodded in agreement.

Who would truly welcome an unexpected guest? But the guest was a doctor who had cured the Princess’s long-standing illness, so none of the palace maids in the Princess’s residence would treat Sehwa poorly.

However, Sehwa wasn’t naive enough to take their words at face value and become a burden.

No matter how friendly they seemed! They weren’t close enough for her to feel comfortable causing trouble.

The Crown Prince, who had lived without needing to consider such things, might not understand.

“No, Your Highness. I must return. Tonight, the streets are bright and crowded because of the lantern festival, so you don’t need to worry.”

“But…”

Sehwa inwardly sighed, sensing that the Crown Prince was delaying the palace staff’s rest time.

“I will escort the doctor home safely, so please don’t worry too much, Your Highness.”

It was Cheonho, who had been waiting to escort Sehwa home since it was already late.

The Crown Prince looked displeased.

In fact, he was simply regretting that the time he had spent with Sehwa today was too short.

It had been a bit awkward when they were first alone (though Eunuch Song and the guards were behind them), but it wasn’t too bad afterward.

She had shyly protested, asking why he had summoned her through the Princess’s residence without saying anything directly, but she had somewhat agreed when he said he wanted to avoid causing any unnecessary rumors about her.

Afterward, they had even toured the streets together wearing masks, which were trendy accessories these days, and the atmosphere was definitely pleasant.

They had watched the lanterns together, seen a performance, and he had even bought her a small hair ornament, creating a fairly amicable atmosphere.

But then Sehwa suddenly burst into tears after seeing a family running with a sky lantern.

Sehwa said she felt ashamed to be enjoying herself while thinking of her separated family.

‘If only she would tell me what’s going on, I could help her somehow.’

But Sehwa doesn’t properly talk about her past.

Why?

‘Is it because I’m the Crown Prince and she feels burdened?’

That might be true, but…

In the brief moment the Crown Prince was lost in thought, Sehwa was arguing with Cheonho again.

“If you escort me all the way, you’ll get home too late. You don’t have to go out of your way.”

“If the Princess finds out that I sent you home alone, she will later issue a stern order.”

“Aren’t you always misinterpreting the Princess’s intentions?”

“I’ll bet the sweet glutinous rice pancake that I’ll get tomorrow that the Princess thinks the same way I do.”

When Cheonho bet his snack for tomorrow, Sehwa paused, unable to deny it.

Sweet glutinous rice pancake was a precious treat that was hard to come by even when serving the Princess.

Sehwa had occasionally been treated to it while treating the Princess’s illness and knew its delicious taste, so she couldn’t deny what Cheonho was saying, even if he was betting his sweet glutinous rice pancake.

“Well… if it’s sweet glutinous rice pancake, I can’t refuse.”

“That’s right.”

And the Crown Prince, watching the two of them, was honestly not very pleased.

Why do those two seem to get along so well?

The fact that the reason they became close was because Cheonho had carried Sehwa down the mountain when the Crown Prince and Sehwa were stranded together in Gangwon-do (there was an assassination attempt, but honestly, ‘stranded’ was the most appropriate description) also bothered him a little.

Of course, the moment he showed it, Sia would launch a personal attack, calling him an incompetent Crown Prince with an empty body and mind, which was as clear as day, so the Crown Prince was holding back.

‘Where did she learn such nasty words?’

In some ways, it seemed innate.

“…Don’t fool around there, you two, and go inside quickly.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“We’ll take our leave now.”

He didn’t like the way the two of them were so in sync, but he couldn’t insist on escorting Sehwa home at this hour.

He didn’t like the idea of them being together, but honestly, he wouldn’t have liked any other man being by Sehwa’s side either. Still, based on what he had seen so far, Cheonho was a trustworthy person.

‘I am the Crown Prince… there are limits to moving around privately.’

The Crown Prince sighed softly as he looked at his sister’s residence.

‘Perhaps you are freer than I am.’

Having thought that far, the Crown Prince soon shook his head.

It was because Sia’s words from when she was young came to mind.

Perhaps because he had thought of Jihwa earlier, it came to mind even more vividly.

‘If Sia knew what I was thinking right now, she wouldn’t let it go quietly.’

The Crown Prince shuddered and hurried back to his residence.

The fewer people who knew that the Crown Prince had left the palace and wandered around the streets, the better.

And he suddenly thought.

‘Somehow, Jihwa… feels a bit similar to Sehwa.’

She was a woman whose face he couldn’t even recall clearly anymore. It was strange.

***

The two, having left the palace late, patted their weary shoulders and moved with slightly lighter hearts.

“Are you going to Siyoung Manor, Sehwa Nuna [Nuna is a Korean term used by males to address an older female they are close to] ?”

“Yeah. Just take me near there. Siyoung Manor has its own patrols.”

“Really? I’ve been to Siyoung Manor often, but I didn’t know that.”

“Well, it’s also a place where many women live. Especially since the women who were caught by those human traffickers in the past relied on Siyoung Manor, their husbands or parents who sold them off came and caused a ruckus, so they started patrolling from then on.”

“Ah, I heard about that incident too… I wonder if they were even human. The very people who sold them off came back without any shame? How could they do that?”

“Yeah. It’s unbelievable, but it doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. Sadly.”

The two shared the same view on the scum of humanity and continued to talk about Siyoung Manor.

Even though Siyoung Manor was protected under the name of the Princess, such incidents had happened, so it was also true that young people were patrolling, as a precaution.

In particular, there were several people in Siyoung Manor who had learned martial arts little by little since childhood, so there was no shortage of people to patrol.

“Hmm. I didn’t see many people who looked that impressive.”

“Siyoung Manor has a lot of people, so making a living comes first. They can’t just learn martial arts like soldiers, can they? Usually, it’s just self-defense skills. Well.”

She had heard that there were occasionally outstanding people, but… Sehwa didn’t know the details well either.

Top-secret information like secret agents was known to few people even within Siyoung Manor, so even though the two were close aides of the Princess, they were newcomers. There was no reason to tell them, so neither Sehwa nor Cheonho knew that much.

Everyone probably thought that if necessary, the Princess would tell them directly, so they didn’t feel the need to say anything.

“Should I learn some self-defense skills too?”

“You need to build up your body first, but do you have time?”

“Ah… When I lived in the mountains, I was confident in my stamina because I climbed the mountains every day. But now that I’m studying and working, I’m running out of energy these days.”

“Could it be because of your age… Ouch!”

Smack!

With a crisp sound, Sehwa’s palm struck Cheonho’s back.

“Don’t go around saying things like that.”

“That hurts.”

“You’re so big, how can it hurt?”

“Sehwa Nuna, you’re too informal with me.”

“…I guess so.”

Perhaps because of the age difference, or because he reminded her of her younger brother, she felt strangely comfortable around Cheonho.

So comfortable that she would smack him on the back like this.

‘I don’t think I’ve ever been so unreserved with anyone in my life. How did I become so close to him?’

Sehwa felt a little sorry, but Cheonho didn’t seem to mind at all and continued the conversation.

“You’re a doctor, so if you feel like your stamina is low, why don’t you take some tonic?”

“Where would I find the time? I’m busy preparing herbal medicine for my superiors.”

“That’s not something a doctor should say.”

“Doctors can’t take care of themselves. Besides, there are limits to medicine alone.”

“Then you should exercise.”

Cheonho stated the obvious. And Sehwa had no choice but to give the most common answer.

“I don’t have time.”

“It’s okay now, but you’ll definitely get older later… Ouch, that hurts.”

Cheonho naturally provoked her with his words.

“I’m fine, but don’t talk about age too much in front of other people. You could be charged with lese-majesty [the crime of insulting or showing contempt for a monarch or ruler].”

“Would I ever have the chance to see someone that high up?”

“You met His Majesty, didn’t you? What are you talking about?”

“No, that was… a special case.”

He was talking about what happened in Gangwon-do last time.

“I heard that His Majesty praised you directly?”

“No, I didn’t do anything great then either. That former Jwaseseuma [a former high-ranking official] did everything.”

The words of the people of the Crown Prince’s Guard were different, but Sehwa didn’t bother to pursue it any further.

Sehwa herself knew better than anyone that people had various circumstances.

Cheonho didn’t seem to like the topic either, so he quickly changed the subject to today’s events.

“So, what did you talk about with the Crown Prince today, Sehwa Nuna?”

“You ask too many questions.”

“Just curious. The Princess is very interested in marrying off the Crown Prince.”

“Ah… I guess she would be.”

She didn’t know if the expression ‘marrying off’ was appropriate for the Crown Prince, who was welcoming a Crown Princess, but there were many people who wanted the Crown Prince to marry, not just the Princess.

In the first place, it was strange that the Crown Prince of a country was over twenty years old and still unmarried.

Perhaps that’s why the Crown Prince himself had declared not long ago that he would welcome a Crown Princess once Princess Suyeong’s illness was cured.

She also remembered that everyone in the palace was excited about it.

But Sehwa couldn’t be as happy as others about the Crown Prince’s words. It was because she knew what the Crown Prince meant.

She also knew what the Crown Prince was hoping for from her.

That was, the Crown Prince’s heart was so joyful, but Sehwa was not in a position to be happy without worry.

And she couldn’t tell the Crown Prince that fact.

“But I’m just a doctor, and he’s the Crown Prince. What am I going to do if I harbor vain feelings for him?”

“Hmm. It’s not like he’s asking you to have a child right away, so why don’t you just be honest with your feelings?”

Smack!

Sehwa’s fierce hand struck Cheonho’s back once again.

Since it was a somewhat insensitive remark, Cheonho didn’t say much and only said one word as a sign of protest.

“That hurts.”

“If someone who serves the Princess speaks so carelessly, what are you going to do in the future? Are you trying to tarnish the Princess’s dignity?”

“I’m sorry. I’ll be careful from now on.”

Seeing that he was deliberately taking the hit even though he could have avoided it, Sehwa decided to stop scolding him with one back smack.

‘Besides, it’s a bit cute that he listens right away when I bring up the Princess’s name.’

Sehwa’s memory of her younger brother was of a child who never listened.

She hadn’t seen him for so long, so she should have been able to romanticize him to some extent in her memory, but why did only such realistic memories come to mind?

‘Still… he was kind of cute.’

Was he doing well somewhere? Her heart felt heavy whenever she thought of her younger brother.

“If only it were a problem that could be solved so simply…”