Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 279

“At least let me know you’re coming.”

“I did?”

“You said you were bringing snacks, not that you were coming yourself.”

“Why would I bother sending someone to announce that? You should have known.”

‘That sly thing, always with the way she talks.’

The Crown Prince had to restrain himself from pinching Sia’s cheek.

Her cheeks, still chubby with baby fat, were temptingly soft, but she had grown too much for him to touch her so casually, which he found regrettable.

“If you’re not happy to see me, should I just go?”

“……No, let’s talk for a while. It’s been a while.”

“Okay.”

He had just come from seeing the King, which had left his shoulders stiff, so he was naturally glad that Sia had come with snacks.

Seizing the opportunity, the Crown Prince decided to take a break.

It had already been over 10 years since he was named Crown Prince, so he was quite used to the role, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t tired.

‘They say it’s good to eat something sweet when you’re tired.’

Just as she always did, Sia had brought sweet snacks today.

She would nag him about exercising after eating, but the Crown Prince quite liked the sweet snacks Sia brought.

‘Today it’s yeonlan-gwa [a type of Korean confectionary].’

The soft texture was especially comforting when he was tired. Perhaps it was the winter, but it felt a bit chewier.

“Oh, by the way, Brother.”

“What is it?”

“Did something happen with Se-hwa?”

“Cough!”

The Crown Prince, who had been peacefully enjoying warm tea with his yeonlan-gwa, was suspiciously flustered by Sia’s question and choked, coughing.

Seeing her brother like that, Sia didn’t say anything but glared at him.

‘What on earth did he do to be so shaken?’

‘I didn’t do anything. I didn’t do anything.’

Feeling wronged, he shook his head in denial, but Sia sighed softly and shook her head, not looking very convinced.

‘I’d rather she just openly bickered with me like before.’

He felt like she was treating him with more courtesy now that she was older, but he didn’t feel any better about it. The Crown Prince couldn’t argue and wiped his mouth with the handkerchief Sia gave him.

“Ahem. Why do you suddenly ask that?”

“Se-hwa’s atmosphere is different from usual, and I was wondering if something happened.”

It was more like she was asking if they were about to *make* something happen.

‘I really can’t get used to it.’

He still vividly remembered Sia as a baby, so it felt like cognitive dissonance to hear her say such things.

Of course, Sia was always like that, even when she was small.

“What on earth are you thinking about?”

“Huh? What am I thinking about?”

“……”

“What were *you* thinking about, Brother?”

Sia stared at him with wide eyes, which was a little scary.

‘It wouldn’t be so bad if I had done something impure.’

The Crown Prince took another sip of tea and recollected what had happened.

***

“I am Kim Ji-hwa, the woman who was once betrothed to His Highness the Crown Prince, whose father was accused of treason and fled. Your Highness.”

With those words, Se-hwa tightly closed her eyes.

The Crown Prince did not respond to Se-hwa’s sudden confession.

He simply looked at Se-hwa, who had lowered her head.

“I am sorry. If Your Highness orders me to leave the medical office, I will leave. If you order me to be arrested and taken to the Uigeumbu [the Joseon Dynasty’s supreme legal authority], I will obey.”

Having confessed that she was Ji-hwa, Se-hwa lowered her head and spoke.

And she made excuses as honestly as possible.

“I did not approach Your Highness with the intention of doing this from the beginning. It may sound like a lie even to myself, but everything was truly coincidental. However, I no longer wanted to deceive Your Highness.”

Having revealed everything, Se-hwa took a deep breath and bowed her head, as if all that remained was the Crown Prince’s judgment.

He couldn’t see Se-hwa’s face, but the Crown Prince could tell that she had her eyes tightly shut.

How should he respond?

The Crown Prince was also hesitant.

Warm, large hands were placed over Se-hwa’s quickly cooling hands.

“I know well enough that you are not someone who would deliberately deceive me.”

“Your Highness……”

Se-hwa murmured, unable to lift her head, her voice choked with tears.

“And……”

“?”

“You don’t have to worry about what you’re afraid of. You don’t have to tremble like this.”

At those words, Se-hwa finally raised her head, looking surprised.

‘I didn’t want to scare her this much.’

In fact, he had wondered if that might be the case.

He had dismissed it as wishful thinking, so he hadn’t voiced it.

“……Your Highness doesn’t seem very surprised.”

“Hmm.”

At Se-hwa’s words, the Crown Prince paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully.

If it was a wrong guess, Se-hwa might be offended.

“I thought that perhaps you, Se-hwa, might be someone I knew.”

“Yes?”

“I only met the girl I asked to be my Crown Princess for a very short time. It was a long time ago, so her face has become blurred, but I still remember what kind of person she was.”

Se-hwa’s eyes flickered as if the words were unexpected.

He had forgotten her face, but the Crown Prince clearly remembered.

The girl in the Crown Prince’s memory had firmly shaken her head at the suggestion of becoming the Crown Princess.

‘I want to become a doctor. I will learn medicine and save people. Would you say that I cannot because I am a woman?’

The palace where the Crown Prince grew up was full of women, but other than his mother and younger sister, she was the first woman in his life who was so clear.

That was why, on the very day he first met her, he had wanted to welcome her as his Crown Princess and be with her.

Years passed, and although he had forgotten her appearance, the moment he had spoken with the girl was deeply etched in the Crown Prince’s mind.

He had thought that it would be difficult to meet such a woman again.

And then he met someone who seemed to prove the words of that girl from that day.

He was naturally drawn to her, and he couldn’t be sure whether that feeling was an extension of that time or a new affection, but what was certain was that he felt Se-hwa as a woman.

There was no way to confirm whether his assumption that they resembled each other was a delusion or not.

Logically, it made no sense for someone who had fled to come to the palace so dangerously.

However, seeing Se-hwa working as a doctor, her courage was no less than that of a general charging into enemy lines, so she was someone who could take that risk.

Moreover, if Se-hwa was Ji-hwa, it made sense that she hesitated to fully respond to the Crown Prince’s feelings and that she actively supported the Crown Prince’s reinvestigation of Kim Seon-ik’s case.

But if the Crown Prince pressed her on this, Se-hwa might be frightened and run away.

If others found out, the fact that she was the child of a traitor might spread.

So he couldn’t tell anyone and waited for Se-hwa to cure Sia’s illness and achieve undeniable merit.

In fact, he had wanted to ask her many times, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

However, one thing was certain.

“You are bright, upright, value human life, and want to become a doctor to save someone.”

“!”

“And you placed more importance on saving people as a doctor than on becoming the Crown Princess and enjoying wealth and glory.”

“……”

“How could there be so many women like that in the world?”

With those words, the Crown Prince smiled, looking a little embarrassed.

“How could there be any woman other than you who could captivate the heart of the Crown Prince of Joseon?”

With wide eyes, Se-hwa couldn’t resist and jumped into the Crown Prince’s arms.

***

“Brother is grinning.”

“!”

Seeing Sia’s unnecessarily knowing face, the Crown Prince was able to regain the solemnity that had unknowingly crumbled from his lips.

“Okay, I need to manage my expression. Manage my expression.”

“……I’ll do it myself without you telling me, so don’t worry.”

No matter what, being with his young sister made him unconsciously relax and show a disheveled appearance.

It was true that it was nice to be comfortable, but that didn’t mean he could show a pathetic side in front of his young sister.

“Well, if something good happened, that’s good.”

“Ahem.”

Sia seemed to have some idea of what was going on between him and Se-hwa, so she didn’t particularly press him.

‘Actually, I think it would be okay to tell Sia……’

But nothing had been resolved yet, and it was obvious that it would only increase her worries, so the Crown Prince and Se-hwa had promised not to tell anyone else yet.

First of all, wasn’t it urgent to confirm Kim Seon-ik’s case and find the whereabouts of the soldiers being trained by the remnants of those who had plotted the treason?

It was clear that she was smart, but he couldn’t keep burdening his still young sister with worries.

‘Once this is resolved, Se-hwa will be able to make up her mind.’

Se-hwa was worried that the Crown Prince might be disillusioned with her.

It wasn’t strange for her to worry about that, since she was the child of a traitor.

But for the Crown Prince, it was just that he had one more thing to think about.

If he had to put it into words, it was just that he had one more option than when he first became lovers with Se-hwa.

‘If it is revealed that Kim Seon-ik was not a traitor, wouldn’t Se-hwa also want to restore her status?’

If so, it wouldn’t be impossible to restore her status as a noble lady and formally welcome Se-hwa as the Crown Princess.

Se-hwa still had time to think about that, so the Crown Prince did not press her for an answer.

And apart from their relationship, he confirmed one thing.

‘Cheon-ho’s uncle claims to be Kim Seon-ik’s sworn brother, does she know him?’

At the Crown Prince’s question, Se-hwa shook her head.

‘My father left home when I was only 12 years old, so I don’t know the people who had contact with my father well.’

‘I see……’

Se-hwa was an ordinary noble lady, and she wouldn’t have been severely educated and pushed like the Crown Prince, so there was no reason for her to memorize the faces of so many people.

If they had met at the Northern Military Camp in the first place, Se-hwa wouldn’t have known.

While the Crown Prince was lost in thought, his younger sister, who had been silent, suddenly said something unexpected.

“By the way, could I possibly help with that?”

“……With what?”