Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 241

It seemed that because the accusation of treason hadn’t been cleared, they couldn’t openly search for him, so they were indirectly looking for her younger brother that way.

‘Seeing that the female lead has a lost younger brother and wants to find him, she must have projected herself onto the character.’

And there were a few episodes of her childhood with her brother, which felt quite realistic, as if they were actual memories she had of him.

‘There was even a scene where she strictly taught her young brother etiquette and writing.’

She would use a switch [a small, flexible stick used for discipline], or coax and soothe him by making his favorite food.

Reading it, I felt like I vaguely remembered Sehwa’s younger brother.

Sehwa must have been a good older sister.

“Cheonho, let’s get some culture too.”

“Some people don’t read novels. Most guys my age prefer physical activities. Besides, I heard it has a love triangle?”

This guy seems to be subtly looking down on romance novels.

Smack!

“Ouch!”

I happened to be behind Cheonho, so I smacked his back, and he let out a slightly exaggerated scream.

“How dare you disrespect our newspaper’s top sales contributor? Do you know how many people that novel feeds?”

“No, I didn’t mean to disrespect it… I apologize.”

Cheonho quickly changed his attitude. He probably knew the approximate sales figures from running my errands.

I moved to stand behind Ara and continued to tease him.

“And even His Highness the Crown Prince reads it, you know?”

“…Really?”

“Really. Tell him to read it because it’s fun. He watches plays, so why doesn’t he read novels?”

“It’s not like I seek out plays to watch, but I end up seeing them. Oh, the last time some people I knew were on stage was pretty fun.”

He was talking about when Sehwa and the Crown Prince wore masks and had a vivid love quarrel on stage.

“Don’t mention that to them.”

They might get hurt.

“I have that much sense.”

We already know they saw it, but bringing it up again is a different matter.

“I’m glad they seem to be getting along well.”

“Are you worried?”

“I am worried…”

Actually, Sehwa’s problem needs to be solved before I get better.

‘I hope Officer Seong finds some clues and comes back.’

Winter was already approaching, but Officer Seong still hadn’t returned from Gangwon Province. [A mountainous province in South Korea.]

Fortunately, we received word through the Siyoungwon branch [a government intelligence agency] that he was safe and doing well.

However, it was difficult to know the exact situation since important information couldn’t be conveyed by letter.

‘But he seemed to have found some clues. He should be okay, right?’

If he found clues, he should come back quickly.

Isn’t it a death flag when a supporting character, not the main character, finds a clue and keeps going deeper?

‘Ah, even thinking like this is dangerous.’

I slapped my cheeks to shake off the ominous thoughts, only to be met with Cheonho’s worried gaze.

“…”

“No, it’s nothing, so don’t think strange things.”

“I wasn’t thinking anything.”

“You were looking at me with a strange look?”

“I wasn’t. By the way, aren’t you going to Siyoungwon or Siwolgak [likely a place of leisure or entertainment] today? Why are we heading to the arcade instead?”

“Yeah.”

It hasn’t been open long, so I keep going to check on it.

It doesn’t seem like the right place for the Crown Prince’s date, so that’s also why I came here.

‘If they’re going on a date, they’ll probably go to Siwolgak or Siyoung Park.’

Running into acquaintances on a date is nothing more than a hindrance to the progress of the relationship.

Especially if they are each other’s siblings and work superiors.

“I’ve been a little busy lately, but it seems to be doing well.”

“That’s good.”

The arcade was crowded.

Actually, this place was frequented by younger children, so I, being a bit older, didn’t stand out much.

No, actually, Cheonho was more noticeable.

‘He’s tall and handsome, so he’s bound to stand out.’

Usually, Cheonho stands behind me, but in places like this, he leads the way.

“Cheonho, do you want to try something?”

“I’m not good at Go or chess… I’ll just do some archery.”

“Archery?”

“Would you like to try it, Miss?”

“Hmm.”

Archery was also done by women, so there were quite a few people mixed together.

However, due to the difference in strength, women had shorter ranges than men, so they mainly gathered near the closer targets, and men were embarrassed to join them.

‘Well, that’s understandable.’

With different natural strength, being among women meant they were weak.

Unless they were sick, it wasn’t easy for a man to be so weak compared to women.

‘Of course, hitting the target well isn’t just a matter of strength.’

As a result, even young boys wouldn’t join them and insisted on shooting at the distant targets.

Of course, there were also women who shot among the men.

It’s not exactly fortunate, but there weren’t many men harassing women here.

‘I guess they need to have weapons in their hands.’

Archery always requires someone to manage it, so that might be why.

They had to check the scores, pull out the arrows stuck in the target, and organize them, so a certain number of people were stationed to manage it.

In this era, most targets had animal faces, but for convenience, I changed them to the archery targets I was familiar with. It’s easier to score in competitions this way.

Cheonho stood in line at the farthest target and shot his arrow.

Befitting his natural physique, he was strong and easily pulled the bowstring.

“Wow!”

“Bullseye!”

“Oooooh!!”

Cheonho casually shot a few more arrows, hitting the target each time as if it were nothing, and then returned.

“Wow. I knew you’d be good, but you’re really good. Don’t you ever get to practice these days?”

“……You have no idea how much I suffer when you’re not looking, Milady.”

“Huh? From whom??”

I was taken aback, but Cheonho avoided answering.

‘Who could it be? Is it Officer Seong? No, Officer Seong is in Gangwon Province right now, so is it the Crown Prince?’

I couldn’t say it out loud here, so I asked with my eyes, but Cheonho subtly avoided my gaze.

“No, tell me.”

“I’ll go shoot some more arrows.”

“Wait. Tell me before you go!”

As I grabbed onto Cheonho’s sleeve as he tried to escape, someone called out to him.

“Cheonho! Aren’t you Cheonho?”

“Oh, Mister?”

“?”

I didn’t recognize the face, but it seemed like Cheonho knew him.

Judging by his appearance, he looked like a hunter, and considering what Cheonho had said in the past, there was a possibility he was from the Chakhogun [a specialized unit of hunters].

The middle-aged man with hands like pot lids patted Cheonho on the back, expressing his delight.

Indeed, the strength I usually used to hit him with my delicate hands was probably nothing to him.

“Wow! I was wondering who was shooting arrows so well! If it’s you, Cheonho, it makes sense!”

“Ah…… Haha. It’s been a while.”

“Still speaking so elegantly! How is your uncle doing!”

“What, do you know him?”

“Come over here! You guys know him too!”

It seemed he wasn’t alone and had several acquaintances with him, as Cheonho was dragged away.

‘Looks like he’s being dragged away by his uncles after going down to his hometown for the holidays.’

I watched him being adored with his large frame for a while, then pulled on Soi’s sleeve, who had also returned after shooting arrows.

“Cheonho seems happy to meet his acquaintances after a long time, should we go back just the two of us?”

“That won’t do. We need proper escorts.”

Said the person who just shot an arrow right into the center of the target.

I looked back and forth between the target and Soi, and Soi cleared her throat.

“Ahem. How can I protect the Ongju [a princess] by myself?”

“Hmm, well, alright.”

I sometimes think that just having Jeok-ah would be enough.

“What do you think, Soi? Should we start preparing Cheonho for the civil service exam?”

“……He’s still young, so there’s no need to rush, but it’s better to start early if he’s going to prepare.”

The military examination in the Joseon Dynasty [Korean kingdom from 1392-1897] required passing practical skills almost at the level of a circus, so I wonder if he’ll be okay.

‘Even if he says he doesn’t like it, I should at least make him prepare for the exam…….’

It seems Cheonho’s uncle has been diligently preparing him, so it would be a waste to give up.

Of course, his own will is important, but…….

I’m not sure if Cheonho really doesn’t want to take the exam or not.

***

“Wow, Cheonho, you’ve made it in the world, huh?”

“Made it? Not at all. I’m just doing okay.”

Cheonho casually dealt with the men, never taking his eyes off the Ongju’s side.

He thought the shop would be relatively safe, but considering the recent events, he couldn’t rest assured.

‘I know these men aren’t the type to harm people.’

Familiar faces with innocent looks surrounded Cheonho and laughed heartily.

“I can tell just by looking at the clothes you’re wearing, what do you mean, no?”

“Well, he’s always been skilled since he was young. But with that skill, you’re hanging out with a rich young lady?”

“……She’s not a rich young lady.”

“She looks like a rich young lady no matter how you look at it??”

The men glanced at the Ongju’s side with puzzled faces, but Cheonho just smiled vaguely and didn’t give them the correct answer.

‘She’s not just a rich young lady, she’s the owner here.’

Even the Ongju herself.

“Anyway, be careful, everyone. Seoul is a place where they’ll cut your nose off if you’re not careful [a saying meaning Seoul is a dangerous place].”

“You be careful too.”

“About what?”

“There’s been a lot of talk from the provinces lately, well…… it’s not just a problem in the provinces, though.”

“I’m worried because tigers are appearing a lot these days, too.”

Cheonho frowned at the ominous words he hadn’t heard in a while.

“Why is there no end to those guys, no matter how many we catch?”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

Whether it was because they were happy to see familiar faces after a long time, the men who were his uncle’s colleagues shared various stories.

These were stories that were hard to hear elsewhere, so Cheonho decided to put up with the slight annoyance and mingle with the men.

“Come to think of it, there were fewer people in the Chakhogun for a while.”

“Did they die?”

“Are you crazy?”

Cheonho, who was hit on the back again, grumbled while rubbing his back.

“No. I’m just saying, why are you talking about this if they didn’t die…….”

“I’m saying it because people disappeared even though they didn’t die. I was wondering if they were here, but it doesn’t seem like it.”

“Ah, so you came to look for someone?”

“Not really, just partly. I heard you can get prize money for archery here, so I stopped by.”

“Ah. But if they disappeared without contacting you, doesn’t that mean you weren’t close?”

Again, there was a thud on Cheonho’s back.

“I don’t know what to do with a young one who’s so heartless.”

“We were close…… that’s why I’m worried about them suddenly disappearing.”