Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 246

I was born as the daughter of a low-ranking concubine. (246) [This likely refers to a ranking system within the court or family.]

My brother told me to do it, and I wouldn’t be doing something so suspicious if I weren’t his sister.

‘Everyone has been so good to me so far.’

But even if my brother abandoned us and ran away, he was still my brother.

‘I have to listen to my brother…’

Everyone always said I should.

‘My brother wouldn’t ask me to do anything dangerous.’

Even though he abandoned us, it’s not his true feelings. Everyone was having a hard time…

He took the money we had saved up to get into Siyeongwon [a government office or institution], and he’ll give it back to me soon if I give him the information he wants here.

‘My brother said that to make money, I need to know about the business Siyeongwon is doing…’

I was surprised that my brother, who was from a noble family, could do such a thing, but considering that I am also a daughter of a noble family and working like this, it wasn’t strange.

I felt a little uncomfortable, but Princess Ongju [a royal title] is rich, so there won’t be a big problem even if one or two more stores doing similar business pop up.

‘I’m not bad…’

But I often had these thoughts.

‘What is my brother thinking? He said it’s not dangerous, but is that true? Still, asking me to do this…’

But I had to listen to my brother.

That was right.

I can read and received education at the academy, but my brother, who has been studying for years to take the civil service exam, is definitely smarter.

‘I’m not a great person like Princess Ongju, and I’m not smart either. I should do as my brother says.’

Whenever I thought of Princess Ongju, I always thought of Cheonho, who was always by her side.

Cheonho seemed kind but was subtly cold.

I wondered what he was so wary of, being so affectionate to his young sibling but showing me a subtle attitude.

I heard he was still quite young, so maybe that’s why.

Come to think of it, sometimes his attitude felt like a younger brother well-educated by his older sister.

‘When I was young… there was a family like that nearby.’

That family was also accused of treason and their house was destroyed.

I wonder if their children were caught too. I don’t know the details, but they probably didn’t survive.

But I remember that older sister strictly teaching her younger brother.

I wondered if I should treat my younger sibling like that.

‘What was that sister’s name again?’

“Ugh.”

As I was trying to remember, my younger sibling groaned and turned over.

Munyeong took the towel from her sibling’s forehead, washed it in cold water again, and placed it back on her forehead.

‘Ah, I remembered. Her name was Jihwa.’

***

‘The older sister I saw at Siwolgak [a place, possibly a building or establishment] seems to be the same older sister from that neighborhood who was close to Jihwa…’

My face and name are hazy, but as we talked, the neighborhood she lived in, the time her house was ruined, and the cause matched, so Cheonho was roughly thinking that way.

If it seemed like he was taking care of those siblings, that might be why.

We’re strangers, but it pricked his conscience a little to pretend not to know.

In fact, they weren’t close enough to risk being friendly, and it would be troublesome if that older sister recognized him.

Of course, except for Jihwa.

He had only seen her a few times when he was young, so the chances of her remembering him properly were slim.

‘It doesn’t seem like she recognizes me. Well, I don’t recognize her face at all either.’

Besides, did that house have a younger brother? Considering her age, it seems possible that he was born later.

As I was lost in thought for the first time in a while, Princess Ongju asked me from the side, looking puzzled.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.”

It wasn’t that important, so it wasn’t a lie.

‘Come to think of it, I have no choice but to keep deceiving Princess Ongju.’

That wasn’t a very good feeling.

***

“Princess Ongju, have you arrived?”

“Yes. How have you been?”

When I arrived at the residence, people rushed out to greet me as always.

‘I want to tell them not to, but I don’t come often anyway, so I wonder if I should just leave them alone.’

Later, when I really become independent and live on my own, they probably won’t do it.

I went into my room and checked on the household affairs before moving on to the next step.

“Yeongseon also knows about the new store I opened, right?”

“Yes. Are you talking about the arcade?”

“Yes. That place. It hasn’t been open for long, but people keep leaving antiques for me to pick up.”

“Yes?”

Yeongseon’s eyes widened as if she was hearing it for the first time.

“I guess Yeongseon didn’t know either. Anyway, I was wondering if there was anything like that here.”

At my words, Yeongseon seemed to search her memory for a moment, then slowly shook her head.

“It’s not that there aren’t any, but most of them are small or unsightly, so I manage them by placing them among other antiques.”

Of course, I was planning to give Princess Ongju a separate list later, so Yeongseon told me where the ledger was.

“Okay. I understand. Was there anything else?”

“Not really… However, there are some people who contacted Princess Ongju in the past wanting to sell antiques who keep contacting us.”

“…They keep contacting me about antiques?”

Why, when I’m not buying?

“Yes. That’s…”

What Yeongseon said hesitantly was… a request for a job.

“Hmm. The neighborhood where the Siyeongwon branch is located is their hometown, so they want me to hire their relatives, right?”

“Yes.”

Yeongseon added, watching my reaction.

“I have rejected them all, saying that I cannot bother Princess Ongju.”

“Good job.”

It would be troublesome if an acquaintance of a powerful figure in that neighborhood came in.

The kids who are down in the provinces are even reporting local officials, so all the internal affairs are leaking out.

Well, in the long run, someone from that neighborhood will come in, but it’s a bit much to try to get in by giving bribes.

Besides, the internal regulations are stricter than they look, so I wonder if outsiders will be able to adapt well.

‘If they are talented and useful, they will come in on their own…’

I’m worried that the kids have grown up too exclusively… but I heard that the teachers are also hiring promising kids from among those they taught in various regions, so it’s okay.

I feel like I’ve only been praising her, but Yeongseon’s face didn’t look good.

“And there is something else I need to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“Actually, that… my former fiancé wants to properly apologize to Princess Ongju.”

“Why?”

“He wants to apologize for his rudeness.”

I don’t really need it.

“He says he has obtained a precious antique and wants to give it to Princess Ongju.”

“He’s giving a gift as an apology, is that it?”

“Yes.”

Hmm. Why do I feel so uncomfortable…

As you feel uneasy, Yeongseon added unexpected support.

“Actually, among them was an antique that Princess Ongju was looking for before.”

“Huh?”

Saying that makes me think a little…

‘Let’s see it first, and if it’s not good, then so be it.’

I’ve never granted a favor in my life, so they won’t have strange expectations, right? Could it be?

“Um. If it looks good to you, I’ll pay for it, so buy it without hesitation.”

“How can I…”

“There shouldn’t be much difference from my judgment. Well.”

Even though she recommended it, Yeongseon continued to look displeased.

“It’s okay. I’m trusting you and leaving it to you, so if you’re wrong, it’s just that my judgment is wrong, so it’s my fault after all, right?”

“Princess Ongju.”

Yeongseon looked touched at my words, but I had to say what I had to say.

“But it’s difficult to get involved in strange things.”

“!”

“There is a limit to what I can protect. Even if I’m a high-ranking person. My people try to protect me… but that doesn’t necessarily mean they value my opinion.”

“…”

“Do you understand what I mean? I can cover up most problems, but if it gets bigger than that, there’s a limit to what I can protect.”

Well, as long as it’s not treason, it should be fine, so there’s no need to worry too much.

But Yeongseon nodded with a complicated expression.

“…Yes. Princess Ongju.”

Strangely enough, I became uneasy looking at such Yeongseon.

***

“This time, we must not fail.”

“I understand.”

The conversation between the middle-aged men continued in the dark room.

“The gambling house and the restaurant are all closed, so the damage is enormous…”

“In fact, it was a big blow to have all the courtesans taken away.”

Like a reflection meeting, everyone recalled their past failures.

“Who said that method was certain?”

At the middle-aged man’s words, the young man raised his voice in anger.

“Are you saying it’s my responsibility? What were you doing while I was working so hard?”

“Ahem. Ahem.”

“Hey, how dare you raise your voice! Do you think I’m that easy to deal with?”

“…I’m sorry. I was too shocked.”

He had invested all the money he borrowed from his cousin in the store, but he never thought it would collapse so completely.

How could he face his younger siblings?

He had been working hard, even being mobilized to entice customers addicted to gambling… but he never thought it would collapse so easily.

“Princess Suyeong, why does she keep interfering with our work…”

We didn’t originally intend to turn her into an enemy, but we can’t continue like this.

We were told not to touch the princess and to back off, but knowing that we were a little short on the funds needed for the great cause, we couldn’t just let it go.

“We don’t have much time left, but how can we be so sluggish?”

“We can’t stop now just because we’re a little short on money.”

“I will get the funds.”

“How do you intend to do that?”

“I have a plan.”

Saying that, the young man turned his gaze to the room.

As if he had plenty of time, there were many expensive artifacts in the room that the princess would like.

‘Let’s scam the princess with the ceramics here and get money from her.’

After all, the princess is making easy money while playing around, so it wouldn’t be a problem to take some of it.