Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 199

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“Besides, I don’t even know how my lost family is living. Wouldn’t it be ridiculous if only I were eating well, wearing nice clothes, and enjoying romance?”

Cheonho tilted his head at Sehwa’s sentimental words.

“…Wouldn’t it be okay?”

“What?”

“I also have a lost family… but rather than them suffering while thinking of me, I’d prefer they live their own lives well. Does Sehwa Nuna [older sister or female friend] want her family to suffer while thinking of her?”

“No, that’s… not it, but.”

“See? Of course, values differ depending on a person’s character, but.”

“No. I don’t have that kind of personality.”

Sehwa desperately defended the character of her lost family.

Cheonho, seeing Sehwa like that, decided not to say any more.

Talking too much about lost families wasn’t a good idea after all.

‘She seems to have her own circumstances.’

They had become quite close recently, but they hadn’t known each other for very long, and they weren’t exactly in a position to confide in each other.

‘Besides, she might become His Highness the Crown Prince’s… maybe not the Crown Princess, but at least a concubine. That makes my feelings a bit complicated.’

He didn’t know it well when he was young.

Thinking about it now that he knew a bit about the world, the fact that his sister had entered the Junggung Palace [the Queen’s residence] and was with the Crown Prince in his childhood was not a simple coincidence, but an inevitable reason.

‘Maybe Nuna was a candidate for Crown Princess back then.’

She had fallen into the position of a traitor’s child overnight, but perhaps Nuna could have become the Crown Princess.

Considering that the Crown Prince had come all the way out of the palace to meet Nuna on Buddha’s Birthday, he must have had feelings for her.

Thinking about it that way, supporting the Crown Prince and Sehwa now felt a bit complicated.

But he didn’t want the Crown Prince to be unhappy. The Crown Prince he saw by the Princess’s side wasn’t a bad person at all.

He bickered with his younger sibling and tried to do anything for her. He was a diligent person to the point of being tiring, strict with himself and his subordinates.

To be honest, he wouldn’t want to meet him as a boss, but if he were to be a king, he should be like that.

Above all, wasn’t that Princess herself a family member that he cherished very much?

‘I just want everyone to live happily.’

When he thought about it, Sehwa seemed somewhat similar to Jihwa. If Sehwa was Jihwa, then he wouldn’t have to worry about this.

Cheonho looked at Sehwa and thought so calmly.

“I hope Sehwa Nuna finds her family soon too.”

“Yeah. If I can find them.”

“Ah, you went to fly a sky lantern, right? Did you make a wish?”

“I didn’t fly a sky lantern, but I did make a wish.”

Thinking about it, she should have flown a sky lantern. She regretted crying for no reason.

‘I hope Sucheon is living well and safely. I hope I can meet him someday.’

“Didn’t you make a wish too?”

“Yes? Hmm. I wonder. I made a similar wish.”

“What kind?”

“That my family would be living well…”

“And?”

“And that I could enjoy the lantern festival peacefully like this next year too?”

“Ah. That’s good. I might fly a sky lantern next year.”

“I’ve never done it either, so I want to try it next year.”

“Why didn’t the Princess do it?”

“It just turned out that way. She’s still often tired.”

As they walked and talked about trivial things, they soon approached Siyeongwon [a government office], and familiar faces began to appear one by one on the street. Cheonho was relieved to see that the area around Siyeongwon was also brightly lit with lanterns.

“Everyone must be staying up late to play because of the lantern festival.”

“Ah. Then Siyeong Park must be bustling now.”

“Yes? I’m sure she forbade nighttime operations.”

Cheonho, remembering that Princess Suyeong had prohibited nighttime operations out of concern for the workers’ injuries, looked sullen.

“But wouldn’t it be okay since it’s bright during the lantern festival?”

“Hmm. Should I tell her?”

“She’s someone who entrusts a lot to the discretion of the staff…”

“I should go there once, then.”

“Then won’t you be getting home too late today?”

“Well, this much is okay.”

As they talked, they arrived in front of the house where Sehwa was staying.

It wasn’t intentional, but it might be better to properly see her home than to get an earful from the Crown Prince later.

“Thank you for walking me home. Go in safely.”

“Yes. You too, Nuna.”

He greeted her lightly and turned around, when he heard a middle-aged woman’s voice calling Sehwa from inside the house.

“Sehwani?”

“Yes, Mother. I’m home.”

Soon, he heard the sound of Sehwa opening and closing the door as she went inside.

‘Ah, right. She said her mother was here.’

In fact, while talking to Sehwa, Cheonho had briefly become excited, wondering if Sehwa was actually his sister. He laughed at himself for having vain expectations and sighed lightly.

Usually, he should greet the elder, but he didn’t want to cause any misunderstandings, and he heard that she was not feeling well, so he didn’t want to bother her. Cheonho quickly left the place.

He felt a sense of familiarity because she reminded him of his sister Jihwa, but he didn’t want to cause any misunderstandings with the woman the Crown Prince had in his heart.

***

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m much better than before, so you don’t have to worry. You could have stayed out a little longer…”

“You’ll be lonely without me.”

The middle-aged woman grabbed Sehwa’s arm and looked worried.

“Don’t do anything too difficult.”

“I’m not doing anything difficult.”

“But…”

“You know that I originally wanted to become a doctor, right?”

“But if the late Madam knew…”

“I believe that Mother would understand me too. Don’t you trust me, Nanny?”

“…I always trust our young lady.”

Sehwa hugged the middle-aged woman tightly and murmured as if making a pledge.

“Once I cure the Princess’s illness… I’ll be able to prove my skills. You’ll believe my sincerity too.”

When that time comes… I can re-examine my father’s case. I had to.

“But… if the Princess is already growing, when will the illness be completely cured?”

“…I don’t know.”

No matter how fast a person’s growth is, they won’t be fully grown within a year, so it will take at least a year… or more?

In fact, there was no telling when she would stop growing.

I hope nothing else happens in the meantime.

Suddenly, Cheonho’s words came to mind.

That he hoped to come and see the lantern festival together like this next year.

Sehwa liked the wish of the still young boy, who looked like an adult in stature.

But she didn’t know if she would be able to come to see the lantern festival on Buddha’s Birthday a year later like today.

‘It feels like it’s already getting hotter.’

They say that enjoyable times feel short, but the reason I’ve been feeling the passage of time quickly lately isn’t exactly because life is enjoyable.

It’s just that I feel like I’m losing out on life because my sleeping hours have become longer than before.

Ah, of course, there were enjoyable things.

“Mashisseo [delicious].”

“Please eat a lot, Princess.”

I was speaking inappropriately while savoring the taste of the meat melting on my tongue, but no one pointed it out.

Rather, they urged me to eat more.

It couldn’t be helped. These days, my meals included rare dishes that would only be served at royal banquets or surasang [royal cuisine], and everyone was trying to feed me even one more bite.

‘I was already eating pretty good food, but it feels a bit excessive these days…’

Eight years ago, no, now nine years ago, after collapsing from poison, I was marked as a pitiful child in many ways.

Even after getting up from my seat and recovering to some extent, I had to eat all kinds of good and precious food because I was a weak child who could die at any time.

Indeed, the Joseon people said that the ghost who died eating had a good complexion.

Thanks to that, I grew up eating quite a few foods that even a princess couldn’t easily eat from a young age.

Literally, foods that would only be served on the king’s surasang.

I wondered if it was too much, but I had become a bit healthier, so it seemed like they were refraining a bit, but it started again recently.

My royal father, who learned that I, who had stopped growing, had started growing again, personally ordered that I be fed special meals. Well, it was a late growth spurt, so nutritional supply was necessary.

‘It’s really delicious. Did they really make this much just for me?’

Thanks to that, I’ve been eating quite a feast these days. Of course, there were things like it’s not good to eat too much greasy food, or foods to avoid when taking medicine, but that didn’t reduce the number of dishes.

“The servants are happy to see the Princess enjoying her meal so much.”

“Um. I’ll eat a lot and grow a lot.”

“Yes. You should.”

It’s a bit annoying that they want to measure my height from time to time, but I have to do that much since everyone is so happy.

‘There’s a lot of food, but the maids eat the leftovers later, so everyone has a reason to be happy.’

In the first place, there are so many dishes that I can’t eat them all.

Even the king’s surasang, which looks like it would make you burst if you ate it all, is all for the maids later.

“Hoo. I ate well.”

“You’ve definitely been eating a lot more lately.”

“Um. Really? Am I going to gain weight?”

“How can you say that when you’re growing so fast? Hehe.”

Songbi had been in a very good mood recently.

In fact, most of the people who had been in my residence for a long time had similar reactions, so they would sometimes tear up for no particular reason or occasion.

‘Should I give them a bonus or something?’

Seeing them so happy kept making me feel like I should give them something.

“Princess, Doctor Sehwa has arrived.”

“Ah. Tell her to come in.”

After finishing the meal and drinking tea as a palate cleanser, Sehwa’s visit was the basic routine these days.

Sehwa first takes my pulse and then asks about my condition.

“Do you have any discomfort today?”

“I’ve been feeling so peaceful lately that there’s nothing like that.”

“That’s very fortunate.”

“I’m fine. How has Sehwa been living in the palace these days?”

I dismissed the other maids except Soi with a hand gesture and asked Sehwa about her recent situation.

“Thanks to the Princess’s concern, it has been peaceful.”

“It’s probably not thanks to my concern…”

Right now, there’s no one in the palace, let alone the royal physicians, who would dare to show even a hint of harming Sehwa, so it was natural that Sehwa’s face was peaceful.

Everyone was clamoring to get a pulse taken by Sehwa, saying she was a famous doctor, but the Crown Prince was turning them all away.