Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 26

Born as a daughter of a low-ranking concubine (26)

As months passed after the announcement of my sister’s pregnancy, the baby in her womb grew smoothly.

Aside from struggling with morning sickness and unintentionally earning praise from many people for creating new snacks, the time passed peacefully enough.

But that was the story of my mother and me; the Queen seemed to have different circumstances.

“Princess, are you alright?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine. Don’t tell Mother, okay?”

It was originally improper for a princess to call her concubine mother ‘Mother,’ but she was comfortable using the term when she was with trusted palace staff.

I asked the maids who were applying medicine to my calf, which had been marked by a switch [a thin, flexible stick used for corporal punishment], but they all shook their heads.

“They’ll know even if we don’t say anything.”

“Wouldn’t it be better for the Princess to tell her first?”

“Hmm. I can’t control the other palace maids’ mouths.”

Ugh. Power, I need power.

It’s not good news for a pregnant woman to hear, but what can I do?

‘I was a bit too much this time.’

I couldn’t stand seeing the Queen push the studious Grand Prince Yeongwon too hard, so I stood up to her, and it was understandable that the Queen would use the switch.

“I can’t help it. I’ll just have to go and tell her myself.”

As I grabbed the hem of my skirt to avoid getting medicine on it and got up, the maids followed me with worried expressions.

‘I’m really okay.’

Of course, if I were really a child of this age, I might have been hurt, surprised, scared, angry, and embarrassed by the fact that I was being scolded and beaten for the first time in my life.

In fact, I had been prepared to be scolded when I said what I did, so I had no regrets.

The Queen wasn’t really angry either.

In the end, she even shed tears and apologized.

‘If you’re going to cry, you shouldn’t do that. No, how great would it be if you just told your son that honestly in the first place?’

She seemed to use the switch on her own son even more often.

With that thought, I put on my shoes and came down, when someone called out to me.

“Sia.”

“Crown Prince Brother?”

“Are you alright?”

“?”

How did he know?

Looking at his worried face, he seemed to know what had happened, but he didn’t seem to have rushed over after hearing rumors.

As I gave him a puzzled look, the Crown Prince carefully picked me up, being careful not to touch my calf.

“You must have been very surprised. Did you apply medicine?”

“…Yes, I’m fine. It’s been a while, Brother?”

“Yes. It’s been a while.”

He’s been so busy lately that he even called the court painters from the Bureau of Painting and ordered them to bring him paintings of me and Grand Prince Yeongwon playing. What’s going on?

“Would it be alright if I went with my brother for a while?”

“Yes.”

I didn’t know what was going on, but there was no reason for me, whose job was playing, to refuse when the busy Crown Prince came to find me.

So, I arrived at a place where I was carried by the Crown Prince, and warm refreshments were waiting for me, as if he had ordered them in advance. I was worried that the cold wind was blowing, so he had even turned on the heating.

And unexpectedly, Grand Prince Yeongwon was waiting there.

He must have heard the rumor that I had been hit, because he was sitting there with his mouth shut and a grim look on his face.

It was hard for me to talk to him, so I just sat on the Crown Prince’s lap and accepted whatever he gave me to eat, when the Crown Prince sighed and said something unexpected.

“I’m sorry. It’s all because of this unworthy brother that Sia was scolded so much by the Queen.”

“??”

“That’s how it is.”

The Crown Prince looked more tired than usual when he said that, but I was in no position to worry about him, having been hit on the calf.

“But how did you know, Brother?”

“Well… I was actually planning to visit the Queen today.”

“So you were listening outside?”

The Crown Prince wouldn’t have visited the Queen’s Palace without prior notice, so the Queen must have expected the Crown Prince to visit the Queen’s Palace at that time and scolded me.

‘She’s trying to show the Crown Prince that I’m being scolded?’

Considering that the reason I was scolded was that I protested too much to the Queen, who was scolding Grand Prince Yeongwon for studying too much…

It could be seen as a kind of performance to show the Crown Prince that Grand Prince Yeongwon and the Queen had no other intentions.

‘Was I sacrificed, perhaps?’

Looking at the Crown Prince’s face, I think I’m right.

But he couldn’t explain that to a young child, so he was just stuffing things into my mouth.

“…Gwaenchanh-euttaeyikka?” [Are you alright?]

I had so much stuff in my mouth that my pronunciation was slurred.

“Are you alright? You must have been very surprised and hurt. But Sia still took Grand Prince Yeongwon’s side, right?”

“Um. But this time, the Queen was a little too much. Not to me, but to the Queen’s own son.”

“Do you really think so?”

I nodded, watching Grand Prince Yeongwon, who had been quiet since earlier.

‘Is he acting like that because he’s sorry?’

Originally, grand princes and princes, who are not the Crown Prince, learn enough education to maintain the dignity of a royal family, and then show interest in art or entertainment to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, emphasizing, ‘I am a pure and free spirit who is not interested in the throne or power.’

You could say it’s the aftermath of the king’s brother plotting a rebellion to take the throne in the past.

But the problem with Grand Prince Yeongwon is that his brother, the Crown Prince, is so good to him that he follows everything his brother does, studying and practicing martial arts.

You might think, ‘What’s the problem with a young brother following along?’ but the real problem is that Grand Prince Yeongwon was better than the Crown Prince at everything.

‘Did he become too comfortable after the disappearance of Prince Gyeong-eon? Where did he sell his sense of tact?’

Grand Prince Yeongwon is still much younger than the Crown Prince, so he cannot be directly compared, but he is evaluated as being better than the Crown Prince’s childhood, so the Queen has no choice but to be afraid.

“The Queen is doing that because she is worried about Grand Prince Yeongwon.”

“Yes. I know.”

I’m sure the Crown Prince knows it well too.

“Yes, I’m glad Sia is so bright. Please don’t hate the Queen.”

“I don’t hate her.”

It’s only a loss for me to be at odds with the Queen.

The Queen, who is only strict with Grand Prince Yeongwon, is usually moderately generous to me. This time is just an exception.

‘There’s nothing more precious than her own child.’

It’s not like I’m at an age where I’ll cry just because I got hit with a switch, and I did it knowing I’d get hit, but the Crown Prince and Grand Prince Yeongwon checked my wounds and looked like they were about to cry.

“I’m fine.”

“Actually, Grand Prince Yeongwon was listening with us earlier.”

“Huh?”

“I grabbed him when he ran out of the Queen’s Palace and took him with me.”

Oh dear.

‘He must have heard everything I said.’

Thinking about it, I was a little embarrassed.

‘Grand Prince Yeongwon is just working hard, so please be a little kinder to him!’

‘He’s the Queen’s son!’

I didn’t say anything I couldn’t say… so it’s okay, right?

“I’m sorry to both of you because of this incompetent brother…”

“It’s not Brother’s fault.”

“It’s not because of you, Hyungnim [term of respect for an older brother or male friend].”

Grand Prince Yeongwon, who had been avoiding eye contact with the Crown Prince, finally raised his head and opened his mouth.

“I am a foolish person who only works hard. Wouldn’t it be better for someone more outstanding to become the Crown Prince for the sake of the country?”

No, what scary things is this person saying?

“Whether you’re more outstanding or not, if you try to make another prince the Crown Prince, wouldn’t the grandfathers who are bothering Abamama [term of respect for father] fight like crazy?”

“…Our Sia is really smart.”

“I’m a bit of a valuable talent.”

“Hey.”

Grand Prince Yeongwon, who had been acting dignified for his age, finally blurted out a grumpy word.

I slightly twisted the topic to change the atmosphere.

“It’s not just grand princes who have to bury their talents, is it?”

“What?”

“Even poor people, people of low status, and women can’t do great things even if they have talent, right?”

It was a way of saying that it wasn’t just Grand Prince Yeongwon who was pitiful.

In the case of Grand Prince Yeongwon, the important thing is that he has to worry about his life because of his talent, but if the Crown Prince doesn’t suspect Grand Prince Yeongwon, it’ll be fine.

Anyway, they both had unexpectedly serious faces, as if they felt something from my words.

In fact, to tell the truth, even if I had more talent than Grand Prince Yeongwon, it was true that my talent would have been wasted in this era.

“I sometimes think that Sia says things that are not like a child.”

“But I don’t think she’s wrong.”

“Do you think so?”

At the Crown Prince’s words, Grand Prince Yeongwon slightly avoided his gaze and changed the subject.

“…She’s just a young sibling, so she doesn’t mean anything deep.”

“No. You’re not wrong.”

But the Crown Prince patted his brother on the shoulder as if he was proud of him.

“When you two are together like this, I feel relieved that I don’t have to worry even if I can’t take care of you.”

“Crown Prince Brother. Are you very busy?”

“I’m busy, and actually, there’s a Gangmu (講武) [military review or exercise] soon, so I’ll be away from the palace for a while.”

“Gangmu?”

What was that? I think I’ve heard of it before?

As I tilted my head, the Crown Prince kindly began to explain. Grand Prince Yeongwon seemed to know.

“Military training and hunting… think of it as hunting.”

“It’s getting cold? Do you do it in the winter?”

“They used to do it in the spring and fall, but recently they do it in the winter. It’s military training, but they also have to mobilize people to drive the animals, so they do it during the off-season, when there’s no farming. Besides, if soldiers with weapons move in groups, it can prevent wild animals from coming down to the villages in the winter when they have nothing to eat.”

Um, I think I’ve heard of it somewhere.

Anyway, it meant that he was leaving the palace for military training.

“Hmm. The Crown Prince hunting doesn’t suit you.”

“You don’t think it suits me either?”

“Brother suits brushes and books better.”

“Haha. That’s true. But as the Crown Prince of a country, I can’t neglect this either.”

“Um. I see.”

I’m sure the Crown Prince’s guards will take care of him, but I was worried because he was so kind.

‘Can this person cut off an animal’s breath?’

He’s the kind of person who wouldn’t even say a bad word to Prince Gyeong-eon, but he has to do such bloody work.

Well, the king is the one who gives the final approval for executions in this era, so I think he needs to learn a little bit of ruthlessness.

“Brother, do your best.”

“Yes, I’ll do my best.”

“Bring back delicious meat.”

“Um. I’ll try.”

I’ve heard that wild animal meat is tough and has a strong gamey smell, but let’s at least give him this much lip service.

Anyway, the experts will take care of the cooking.

“By the way, that snack you made before was really delicious. Could you make it again before I leave?”

“Snack? Ah, egg flour cake?”

“Yes. That was really delicious.”

Egg flour cake was a snack I made for my sister, who was suffering from morning sickness and couldn’t eat properly.

It was made with ingredients such as eggs, flour, and honey… originally ‘Castella’ in modern times, and originally called Gasujeora (加須底羅) [a type of sponge cake introduced to Korea from Portugal via Japan] in Joseon, using transliteration.

Perhaps because the ingredients were a little different, it was a little heavier and moister than the fluffy texture I knew, but it was lighter than rice cake and easy to eat, so my sister, who was suffering from morning sickness, liked it very much.

“It was the first time I had a snack that melted so softly.”

“Yes. Okay. I’ll make it tomorrow.”

And most of the royal family liked it.

“The relatives heard the rumors and were clamoring to eat it.”

“Everyone likes it.”

For reference, no one knows how to make Castella except for me and my maids.

I heard that there were rumors about making pudding in the Saenggwabang [royal kitchen] before, so we secretly made it ourselves and didn’t teach them.

People smile normally in front of you, but humans are really…

“Even Court Lady Im seemed to want to eat it.”

“Hmm. You’re going to give it to her, saying that you had some left over, right?”

Even the head palace maid of the Crown Prince’s palace, who didn’t like me, was acting like that, so it seemed to be really hot these days.

“Can’t I?”

“If you want to give it, give it.”

Saying that reminded me of something.

“By any chance, are you going to give it to Prince Gyeong-eon too?”

“Ah, um… I’m worried that he’s becoming more and more violent because he’s locked up.”

“Hmph.”

I don’t want to give it to him, but, um. They’ll give him bread in the juvenile detention center, right?

“Well, it’s okay. Give it to him if you want. You shouldn’t be stingy with food.”

“Sia is very generous.”

Anyway, he’s locked up, and it’s better to feed him something delicious and appease him than to bother the Crown Prince.

“Then don’t you need it, Brother?”

“Of course I do. You’ll give me my share too, right?”

“I’ll think about it.”

As I spoke with a pout, Grand Prince Yeongwon sighed and began to lecture me.

“Why are you always so disrespectful to His Highness the Crown Prince?”

“Let’s not give it to people who say I’m disrespectful.”

“If Sia wants to, shall we do that?”

“Hey!”

With a very different attitude from when I first entered the room, Grand Prince Yeongwon shouted.

The Crown Prince and I teased Grand Prince Yeongwon and laughed.

Unfortunately, this was the last time the three of us spent time together before the Crown Prince left.