Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 244

Cheonho cautiously peeked out, but he could only see the archer’s back, making it impossible to tell who it was.

“Ah, that person? Their skill is extraordinary. They followed you out when you left earlier; do you know them?”

“I don’t think so. But their posture… it looks like they’ve had proper training.”

“Hey. It’s obvious they’re a nobleman; don’t say things like that.”

“No, it’s not that…”

Cheonho stopped there and closed his mouth.

‘It looks similar to the posture I saw in the palace.’

He had unintentionally participated in training a few times, so he remembered seeing it several times.

But even if he was right, there was no need to say it.

‘It’ll be a hassle if it gets out that I work in the palace.’

Of course, they would soon find out that his uncle worked in the palace, but there was no need to spread information about him or the Ongju [royal daughter] family everywhere.

‘They were carefully selected and rigorously trained, so it’s natural that they’re good at archery.’

While he was thinking that a military officer shouldn’t receive prize money in a place like this, a couple came into Cheonho’s view.

Even more, familiar people were following them at a slight distance behind.

“Ah.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. It’s nothing.”

Both of them were covering their faces, but he thought he knew who they were.

Both were people Cheonho knew.

‘I thought they would go to Siwol Pavilion, but it seems they came here. I need to disappear with the Ongju’s family quickly.’

Neither side had done anything wrong, but there was no need to run into them.

The Ongju’s family also wanted those two to get together quickly, so there was no point in ruining the atmosphere.

Of course, it seemed like they wouldn’t be alone either.

Cheonho deliberately pretended not to see them, said goodbye to the old man, and quickly left the spot.

Fortunately, it was the opposite direction from where the Ongju’s family was.

The former tiger hunter clicked his tongue as he watched Cheonho rush towards where the young lady was.

“That guy, he’s subtly well-behaved in front of the young lady.”

He was kind to children but picky with adults, and once he got angry, he didn’t care if they were older or anything.

‘Well, it was the fault of those who made him angry.’

Of course, he didn’t get angry often.

What did he do to the guy who didn’t listen properly, played with a bow and arrow, accidentally hurt a village child, and ran away?

“Wow!”

The man, who had been lost in thought, turned his head at the sudden exclamation.

Besides the young man who had been receiving cheers from earlier, another young man had appeared and was shooting arrows, and that young man was also hitting the center of the target every time.

“Huh.”

Cheonho had said that there were many people in Hanyang [old name for Seoul] who were good at archery, and he was right.

The people around were generously praising the newly appeared master archer.

“Wow, amazing!”

“The friend who has been shooting arrows since earlier is also great, but the friend who just came is also extraordinary.”

“But why are they both covering their faces?”

“Who knows? Maybe they’re military officers? Some people cover their faces because they’re embarrassed to meet someone they know if they shoot badly.”

“If they’re going to cover their faces, why come?”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

There were several targets prepared here, so several people could shoot arrows at the same time, but if there was someone too great, the people around would lose their motivation and watch.

“Wow! Another bullseye!”

“Same here!”

Before they knew it, only two men with covered faces were left drawing their bowstrings.

The two were far apart, but there was no doubt that they were both conscious of each other’s presence as they shot arrows.

If everyone else had stepped back and only the two of them were left, and they weren’t paying attention to each other at all, that would be a bit strange.

“Who do you think will win?”

“Well. But I’m rooting for this gentleman.”

“Why?”

“Look at the other side. There’s a woman next to that gentleman.”

“Wow.”

Some of the men who saw a woman who seemed close to the young man were rooting for the young man who had been there first.

“They both look young.”

“How do you know when they’re covering their faces?”

“Their hands are clean and without wrinkles.”

“Ah.”

People were impressed by the surprisingly delicate observation, even though they didn’t know why they were looking at such things.

Just as the surroundings were noisy, the heart of the man who was drawing the bowstring, the current Crown Prince Yi Hwa, was also a little noisy.

‘I was going to show off a little in front of Sehwa, but I didn’t expect to run into a man like that.’

To be honest, he was quite confident in archery, but it had been a long time since he had met someone who was his equal. Who on earth is that person?

‘Strangely, his posture seems familiar.’

At first, it was because of Sehwa, but now he simply had a competitive spirit.

Bee-beep-

At the sound of the whistle that Sia had her craftsman make, the Crown Prince shot the arrow again.

“Bullseye!”

What is that child thinking, making such strange things?

This arcade, which he visited today, was also the same.

There were rumors that it was made because of the gambling den, but the food in the restaurant was surprisingly excellent, and the composition of this arcade was also quite interesting.

Above all, he could see amazing things from time to time.

People were playing Go [a strategic board game] and shooting arrows together, regardless of their status, and naturally having conversations.

Even women were mixed in.

Even though he was covering his face, he could tell that Sehwa was smiling as she watched.

“Bullseye!”

The women seemed to be reading books or writing poetry by renting one of the buildings or pavilions here.

He could also tell that everyone was relieved because there were people guarding the area.

‘I really don’t know what she’s thinking.’

However, what was certain was that there was no one among those who claimed to know the trends in the capital who had not come here.

And that was the same for Siwol Pavilion, Siyoung Park, and the restaurant that Sia had made before.

Everyone wanted to come and see the place made by Princess Suyeong.

In fact, wouldn’t she be the most famous woman in Joseon [Korean dynasty] at this point?

“Bullseye!”

Even while the Crown Prince was thinking about his younger sibling, his arm did not stop moving.

Both scoreboards were still showing hits, but if he had to pick one, the young man who had been there first had the advantage. Because he already had a steady score recorded.

He should have stopped after shooting more than 20 arrows, but the opponent showed no signs of stopping.

‘I’ve already shot over 20 arrows, so isn’t that side overdoing it?’

He had recently reduced his training time a bit to make time, but the Crown Prince, who was usually trained, glanced sideways with concern, and he felt that the opponent was looking at him too.

He couldn’t see because the other side was also covering his face, but he somehow knew that the man who had stopped his hand was looking at him.

‘Is he resting now?’

Looking at the record board that the staff was writing on the wall, it seemed like he still had to draw the bowstring much more.

As if noticing what the Crown Prince was thinking, Sehwa, who was next to him, spoke.

“Please rest a little. You mustn’t overdo it.”

“…That side has overdone it more than I have, so I can’t do that.”

“…”

“I won’t overdo it, so don’t worry.”

When he was hiding his identity, he kept using honorifics to Sehwa for some reason.

Sehwa looked very displeased, but she didn’t stop him anymore.

Because the atmosphere around them was too heated.

“You’re not going to stop here, are you??”

“The guy I bet on earlier disappeared!”

“You have to compete properly with a tie!”

It didn’t seem like those who wanted to see the end of the match would let the Crown Prince go like this.

Above all, it seemed like the parties involved were on fire, so there was no way for Sehwa to stop them.

‘How would the Ongju’s family have stopped them?’

She was still childish at times, so wouldn’t she have whined or forcibly dragged his arm?

But that was too difficult for Sehwa.

Without realizing it, she looked around, looking for the Ongju’s family, but of course, the Ongju was nowhere to be seen.

‘I thought I might run into her if I came here.’

She was relieved, but she was also a little disappointed in the current situation.

‘If the Ongju’s family was here, she might have said, ‘Brother, if you don’t stop now, I’m going to shout that the Crown Prince is here!”

When she looked at the Ongju’s family, she often thought that she didn’t have that much guts yet, so she had to work harder. There was also the issue of status, but Sehwa was still too much for that.

Was it because the Crown Prince was only shooting arrows? She strangely missed the Ongju’s family.

But unfortunately, there were only men and women around who had come to shoot arrows but had now stepped back as spectators.

“What’s going on today? It was amazing earlier, but now it’s just bullseyes?”

“But why are they all covering their faces?”

“Still, everyone’s archery skills are extraordinary.”

“This is a good sight to see. Shouldn’t we put the target further away in the future?”

Even the staff had excited faces, but among them, one of the staff who was managing the bows approached the man who had been shooting arrows first with an anxious face.

Watching that, Sehwa couldn’t take her eyes off the Crown Prince shooting arrows and stared at that side.

‘What’s wrong?’

The staff seemed to be explaining something, but the man shook his head.

And it was when the man drew the bowstring again.

Thwack!

With a sound of tearing through the air, the man’s bowstring snapped.

The snapped bowstring brushed against the man’s cheek, and the man’s face, which had been covered by a veil, was momentarily revealed.

‘Huh?’

It was only for a moment, but Sehwa felt that the man’s face was somehow familiar.