Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 25

“Pregnant?”

“Yes, Little Miss. You’re going to have a younger sibling.”

Listening to the maids, I tried hard to recall my memories.

‘There was no mention of another concubine giving birth in the novel.’

Grand Prince Yeongwon is 12 years old.

Soon, it will be close to the point in the novel where the male and female leads meet.

Although not explicitly stated, in the novel, a few years before the two meet, the current Crown Prince is assassinated, and the male lead, Grand Prince Yeongwon, is also threatened with poisoning.

As a result, Grand Prince Yeongwon, who becomes distrustful of people, hears about the selection of the Crown Princess and approaches the girl in disguise to see what kind of person she is. But the female lead recognizes that he is the Crown Prince and speaks her mind without backing down… Naturally, he develops feelings for her.

‘He doesn’t recognize the female lead when they meet again after growing up, though. Anyway, in the past, it was said that there were no more royal descendants after the young Princesses died.’

Those Princesses didn’t live past the age of three or four and all died young, and there was mention that their deaths were related to Prince Gyeong’eon and his mother.

So, if the Crown Prince is still alive now and I even get a sibling, it means I’ve definitely completely changed the course of the novel.

‘At this point, I’ve avoided the tragic development.’

Of course, since the medical standards are still low, everyone could still get unlucky and die at any moment, but that was beyond my control.

“It seems like the Little Miss is in a good mood.”

“Yeah. I should go congratulate her in person.”

Since it’s such a sensitive matter, she and her attendants probably knew earlier.

‘But they didn’t even tell me.’

No wonder things felt a bit strange when I first ate the pudding. Could that have been morning sickness?

I was a little disappointed that the people who used to tell me everything when I was just a baby started clamming up like clams as I got old enough to understand the world a bit.

Of course, except for complaints.

“I don’t know why the people in the Crown Prince’s palace are so prickly.”

“What did they say again?”

“Ugh, I felt like I was serving some Grand Prince who was threatening His Highness the Crown Prince. If they’re like this with us, I can only imagine what it’s like for those serving the actual Grand Prince.”

“I don’t understand.”

“His Highness the Crown Prince is such a good person, I don’t know why they’re so different.”

Hmm. The maids next to me see the Crown Prince often, so their praise is high.

From the perspective of the Crown Prince’s palace staff, they must be wary of a concubine from a humble background being brought in before the Crown Princess is even chosen…

‘The people serving her must know that she doesn’t have any ulterior motives right now.’

Besides, whether she’s from a humble background or not, if a concubine produces a royal grandchild, that alone strengthens the Crown Prince, so why are they being so prickly?

Anyway, it was better for me to step in and sort things out.

“I’ll drop a hint to Oppa [older brother] later.”

“Thank you, Little Miss!”

Since everyone will be coming to congratulate her on her pregnancy anyway, there was no need for me to go visit her.

‘The Crown Prince will come with a bright face, right?’

He likes his younger siblings so much.

Since she’s young and from a concubine background with no backing, even if the baby is a younger brother, it wouldn’t be much of a threat.

It’s annoying to have so much to think about, but this is how I get used to palace life.

But really, these aren’t the worries I should be having at this age.

***

“Oppa!”

“Siya.”

That day, the Crown Prince, who I thought would appear with a bright face, unexpectedly showed up with a dark complexion.

I scurried over and whispered in a small voice.

“What’s wrong? You don’t look good.”

“I didn’t sleep well… Does it look that bad to Siya? That’s a problem. Consort Suk-ui should only see good things.”

“Even if you didn’t sleep well, you’re still handsome, so you don’t have to worry about such useless things.”

“How can our Siya only say such pretty things?”

The Crown Prince, who came with a pregnancy congratulatory gift, wasn’t in good condition today.

Well, the Crown Prince is in a profession where he suffers from chronic fatigue as much as the King.

“I’ll give you something delicious. Come here.”

“Huh?”

When I grabbed the Crown Prince’s sleeve after finishing my greetings and dragged him along, the gazes of the Crown Prince’s palace people, who still didn’t like me, weren’t good.

What are you going to do about it?

My subordinates can be bullied, but they can’t say a word to me, that was the reality of the class system society.

‘I don’t like flaunting my status, but the reason they’re bullying our kids is because the Crown Prince has more power than me.’

But the Crown Prince was weak to his younger siblings.

I led the Crown Prince to a room where a refreshment table had been prepared in advance.

“Here, eat. Ah? No, should I taste it first?”

“No, Siya. Who taught you such a thing?”

When I put the pudding in front of the Crown Prince and said that, he asked with a serious face.

I was embarrassed and had to search my memory for a moment to remember if the Crown Prince didn’t do taste tests.

“Huh? Isn’t that… right?”

“How could your brother doubt what Siya gives him?”

“Um, no, you still have to be careful.”

If something happens, our residence will be destroyed.

“I gave this to the Queen Consort too, and she liked it. They say sweet things are good for tired people!”

“Wow. Is that the treat that you gave to the Grand Royal Queen Dowager and the Queen Consort last time? Or was it steamed eggs?”

The evaluation was good even at the Grand Queen Dowager’s residence, so the word spread quickly.

“The name doesn’t matter. This is soft and easy to eat. You eat it with a spoon.”

At my insistence, the Crown Prince picked up a spoon and ate the pudding with a slightly brighter face.

“Ah, really. The texture is soft and sweet, so it’s delicious.”

“Do you like it?”

“Yeah.”

That’s a relief. I put my heart and soul into making it for the Crown Prince, so it seemed like he liked it.

“Ah, eating something sweet really makes me feel a little better… Did you give it to Father [the King]?”

“No, not yet.”

“Haha. So, I ate Siya’s cooking before Father. But why haven’t you given it to Father yet?”

“Giving it to Father requires a bit more verification.”

Since the main ingredient is eggs, even if you stab it with a silver hairpin, it will turn yellow [indicating poison].

“Siya is young but has many thoughts. But wouldn’t Father be disappointed?”

“Hmm. But many people say that I’m acting too unreservedly.”

“…Who said that?”

“Um. Here and there?”

In fact, the head palace maid of the East Palace told our palace maid to serve the superiors well.

As I hesitated to speak, the Crown Prince frowned as if he noticed something.

“Perhaps, did Court Lady Im say something to you?”

“Huh? No, even if she’s the head palace maid of the East Palace, she can’t directly say anything to me.”

“She wouldn’t have said it directly. But how dare she speak carelessly about her superiors.”

The Crown Prince, who roughly guessed what happened, made a rare angry expression.

‘Well, she’s the head palace maid of the East Palace, so there aren’t many people in the world she’s afraid of.’

Actually, telling the Crown Prince directly like this isn’t a good method.

I was wondering what to do when the Crown Prince’s face, which seemed to have brightened up a bit after eating something delicious, darkened again.

“Since I can’t even properly manage my subordinates… I don’t know if I’m qualified to be the Crown Prince.”

“No, what are you saying? How hard have you worked all this time to say such a thing.”

He’s not usually someone with such extreme thinking, what happened?

Suddenly, I remembered that the Crown Prince had stopped by Chwiyeongdang yesterday before we parted.

“Did something happen at Chwiyeongdang yesterday? Did that mother and son bother you again?”

“Hmm. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“They bothered you again.”

Even if he goes to take care of them, they wouldn’t say anything nice and would just yell at the person who came to visit.

Ugh, poor thing.

I patted the Crown Prince’s slumped shoulders, and a sigh-like laugh escaped from the Crown Prince’s mouth.

I don’t know what it is, but it seems good.

“Haha. How would your brother live without Siya?”

“Hehe. Hurry up and have a baby so you can be comforted by a Princess (郡主: gunju, the legitimate daughter of the Crown Prince born to the Crown Princess) or a Hyeonju (縣主: hyeonju, the daughter of the Crown Prince born to a concubine).”

The Crown Prince drooped his eyebrows powerlessly at my joking words to stop hugging his younger sister and quickly make a baby to hug instead.

“Our youngest is so heartless.”

“I’m not the youngest anymore?”

“Ah. That’s right.”

As we laughed like that, the Crown Prince’s face became a little more relaxed.

“Um. But Siya is right. I definitely have to take a new Crown Princess.”

“You’re still not in a good mood, are you?”

“Yeah. It hasn’t been that long since that person left, and now I have to take another wife, so I don’t feel like it. If she hadn’t become the Crown Princess, she might not have left like that. And another new Crown Princess…”

Besides, I heard that they’re planning to bring in a concubine along with her this time, so he couldn’t be in a good mood.

“Neither of us has the right to refuse. Oh well.”

“Haha. That’s right. Yeah, I want to treat her well. This time…”

Whenever he thought about the person who left, only regrets remained.

‘Um. Come to think of it, I heard a similar story a long time ago.’

Something suddenly came to mind.

“Why don’t you give Oppa a ring or something as a gift?”

“Huh?”

“Father [the King] still has the ring he gave to the Princess Consort when he was the Crown Prince.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah. He said he bought it when he went out in disguise.”

I definitely saw it when I was a baby and several times after that.

“Father gave Mother a ring…”

“?”

He didn’t know?

Well, the parents and children in this family lack communication.

The Crown Prince, with a slightly happy and complicated face, hugged me tightly again and rubbed his cheek against mine.

Seriously, get a dog or have a baby…

“…How can our Siya be so smart?”

“Did I inherit it?”

“Puhut.”

I’ve heard it so many times since I was young that I’ve become indifferent to it, but it seemed fun for the Crown Prince to hear.

Well, the Crown Prince was a handsome, no-fun human. He studied so much that he naturally became a no-fun human…?

Why do I keep defending the Crown Prince without even realizing it?

“Since another pitiful person is increasing in this lonely place, I should treat her well as Siya said.”

“Are you lonely, Oppa?”

“Haha. In the end, your brother is the only one left in the palace, so if even Siya gets married (下嫁: xìajià, when a princess marries a subject), I’ll be lonely, right? By then, Grand Prince Yeongwon won’t be around either.”

“I’ll come visit often.”

“Yeah. Come often. If your husband doesn’t listen, be sure to tell your brother.”

“Yeah. If I don’t like him, I’ll just live alone.”

He’s saying all sorts of things to a six-year-old.

Well, the Crown Prince’s first marriage was quite late.

Royal marriages usually take place at a fairly young age, so it wouldn’t have been strange if the Crown Prince had already been married when I was born.

Then the Crown Princess would also be marrying at a young age, and if she becomes the Crown Princess, she would be forcibly separated from her parents and live in the palace, so she would be lonely.

Moreover, unlike princes and princesses who receive a private residence and become independent after marriage, the Crown Princess enters the strict royal family and has to serve her in-laws (the King and Queen Consort) and her grandmother-in-law (the Grand Royal Queen Dowager).

If she’s unlucky, she even has to serve her great-grandmother-in-law (the Great Grand Royal Queen Dowager), and if the Queen Consort isn’t the King’s biological mother, she has to take care of that side too….

‘If she’s weak-hearted, she might die suddenly.’

One way or another, the current Queen Consort is doing well without any problems.

“Living alone. What about your husband if you live alone?”

“I’m a princess? Why can’t I live alone? Won’t you give me money if I live alone?”

“No, of course, Father will give the Princess a house and fields, and your brother can give Siya as much as she wants… But if you have a husband, you shouldn’t live alone.”

“If my husband dies, can a princess live alone?”

“Well… no, then you must…”

I didn’t mean to, but did it sound like I was going to kill him?

“I’ll try to work in a direction where I don’t kill him.”

“…Siya.”

I don’t know what was so funny about those words, but the Crown Prince was shaking his shoulders again as he laughed.

“We really have to choose a good husband when Siya gets married.”

“No, were you planning to choose one haphazardly?”

“No, no, no, that’s not it.”

The Crown Prince, who had been gasping for a long time, stopped laughing at my serious and frowning protest and asked in a slightly calmer voice.

“Haa. Do you think Siya can change her destiny?”

“Yes!”

I’ve already changed it.

In the novel, after the death of the young princesses, the King despaired and no more royal descendants were born.

But now a child has been conceived, and that alone has changed the predetermined course of the novel.

“But even though Oppa and Siya are royalty?”

“Um. If I don’t want to get married and run away with my belongings to go sightseeing in Geumgangsan [Diamond Mountain, a famous scenic spot] the day before the wedding, that’s changing my destiny.”

“Why… is our… Siya so extreme?”

Even as he said that, the Crown Prince sat me on his lap and stroked my head for a long time.

I wanted to say something because it was hot, but he didn’t seem to be in good condition, so I just left him alone to heal.

Is the palace too big and there are too many difficult things, there were too many people who wanted to heal just by looking at me.

After a long time, the Crown Prince, who seemed to have cheered up a bit, let me go and smiled as he escorted me to my residence and whispered.

“…If you don’t like your husband later, just tell your brothers, Siya?”

“We’ll see.”

“I’ll just send you to Geumgangsan with your husband. Okay?”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Please think about it. Little Miss.”

The Crown Prince, who whispered in a playful tone, lightly tapped my nose with his finger and got up.

If I wasn’t a child, would I have told him what he was thinking?