Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 284

Born as the daughter of a low-ranking concubine [a secondary wife or consort] (284)

Yeongseon looked as if she doubted her own ears, so I repeated myself.

“It’s not only right for children to follow their parents, but isn’t it also right for a wife to follow her husband? Seeing you push your only daughter down a path of hardship, you must be prepared for the consequences.”

“……”

Yeongseon’s mother, as far as I’ve observed, was someone who couldn’t live independently.

Not just in a material sense, but someone who couldn’t function without relying on someone else, whether it be her husband or her children.

She probably has never lived alone and has no intention of starting now.

I won’t simply blame her. It’s a product of the era, and that’s how she was raised. If the circumstances are supportive and the personalities align, such a marital dynamic might not be inherently negative.

When she had a husband, she depended on him, and now she lives comfortably as a dependent thanks to her talented daughter, so she still doesn’t fully grasp the changed reality.

Or perhaps she does understand, but she’s unwilling to adapt.

‘There are plenty of people who refuse to change their ways, no matter how much they suffer.’

But that doesn’t excuse her tormenting her daughter. If she’s determined to pursue a difficult path, she should at least walk it herself.

“I sympathize with Yeongseon… but I’ll present your mother with a choice. Whether to side with her husband or her child.”

“Ongju-jaga [Princess].”

“This is also a form of independence. You can’t remain forever bound by your family, can you?”

It’s a choice between supporting her husband or being supported by her child, but many people make unexpected decisions.

“If she’s willing to become a runaway slave, then she’s free to follow her husband and fulfill her wifely duties.”

Fulfilling one’s duty should be a matter of personal choice.

Of course, I have no idea what she plans to do out there.

From my perspective, Yeongseon’s mother, who is perpetually unwell, wasn’t particularly helpful.

Naturally, I don’t intend to criticize her for being sick and unable to work.

But contributing nothing at all is a bit excessive, isn’t it? Yeongseon carries a heavy workload, so I refrained from commenting to her mother, but the situation seemed to be deteriorating.

Anyway, there wasn’t much crucial information stored in my private residence.

There were items that could be valuable, but many were artifacts and old documents that an amateur would struggle to sell. They also tended to be bulky and heavy.

‘As a precaution, I usually keep gold items inside the palace, so many artifacts appear worthless on the surface.’

And some items aren’t actually very valuable.

Even the items the children brought back previously were unidentifiable without specialized knowledge.

Some were even crescent-shaped stone knives [ancient tools], so there was no consistency.

For record-keeping purposes, I identified each child who brought an item, investigated its origin, the region it came from, and so on, and Yeongseon compiled a list.

‘I heard she worked overtime for a while because of the sheer volume.’

Thanks to the children, there were so many small artifacts that she ordered a separate storage drawer.

To be honest, I felt a little vindicated because I had been unnecessarily coveting the drawers used in the pharmacy, and they proved useful in situations like these.

‘Of course, organizing is one thing, but I need to visit the sites later to verify everything.’

But independence must come first.

In my case, the problem was overprotective family members, which differed from Yeongseon’s concerns.

This was forcing Yeongseon’s mother to make a drastic either-or decision.

‘Whether to choose her husband or her child.’

Yeongseon looked worried.

Well, it would be difficult to reach a decision so quickly.

If she agreed immediately after I spoke, it would seem callous, so I didn’t intend to pressure her for an answer.

Ultimately, she’s the one who will suffer, not me.

Yeongseon’s expression was somber, as if she were burdened by her thoughts.

“Let me be more blunt. Either you abandon your parents, or your parents abandon you. Otherwise, you’ll continue to suffer in the future.”

“……Yes.”

“Of course, I won’t prevent you if you want to follow them into a dangerous situation.”

“Ongju-jaga…….”

Yeongseon called out to me with trembling eyes and lowered her head.

I instructed the servants to allow Yeongseon’s father or his letters to pass through as naturally as possible, but to discreetly follow him.

‘If he harbors resentment or is genuinely plotting a rebellion, we need to preempt him.’

The reason Yeongseon reported this to me was likely because she suspected a rebellion.

In a way, it demonstrated her deep trust in both her parents.

Not long ago, the Crown Prince and I discussed the possibility of a rebellious group secretly raising private soldiers, so if suspicious individuals like this emerge, I have no choice but to exercise caution.

Of course, the advice I gave to Yeongseon was delivered without any particular emotion.

‘People often say that children don’t do what their parents want, but the reverse is also true. Children rarely have the opportunity to change their parents.’

I ensured the matter regarding Yeongseon’s parents was handled and headed to Siyoungwon [orphanage/childcare facility].

I still felt uneasy on the way. I had ventured out with a light heart for once, but it was unfortunate.

At least one of the parents or the person they were marrying should have been normal. Yeongseon was simply unlucky.

“But Ongju-jaga is here for you.”

“It’s a bit much to call me family.”

“It depends on your perspective.”

Cheonho, he’s surprisingly resolute.

“But if you had to choose between your parents and me, it would be difficult, right?”

“……Usually, that’s the case.”

“?”

Soon, we arrived at Siyoungwon, and the ambiguous conversation with Cheonho was cut short.

It wasn’t the right time for conversation.

“Wow! She’s here!”

“?”

There were quite a few children in Siyoungwon who recognized me or Cheonho, but for some reason, everyone became excited and swarmed us as soon as they saw us.

Their purpose was singular.

“Did you really catch a tiger?”

“Did you kill it?”

“Did you really see a tiger?”

“Was it really as big as a house?”

“Did you catch it with an arrow?”

“Stop, get out of the way!”

As the nannies in charge of Siyoungwon appeared among the children who were bombarding us with questions, the children scattered like a wave. Thanks to that, we were able to enter safely.

“It’s still the same here.”

“I’m sorry.”

The nannies greeted me cheerfully, but their faces flushed with embarrassment. It’s not always the caregiver’s fault that the children don’t listen, but it still causes them embarrassment.

“I’ll fetch Court Lady Min, please wait a moment…….”

“Okay.”

As Court Lady Min was absent and the nannies had left, the children naturally resumed their approach.

“Did you shoot the tiger? Did you hit it? Did you kill it?”

I had no choice but to answer the endless questions.

“I did shoot it…….”

“She hit it!”

“Wow!!”

It’s a chaotic scene.

“Did you eat tiger meat?”

“……I didn’t eat it.”

“She didn’t eat it!”

“Wow!!”

What are you admiring?

“Did the tiger die?”

“It died.”

“It died!”

“Waaaaah!!”

Stop…….

‘But why is it as if I caught a tiger?’

I opened my mouth to clarify the misunderstanding.

“No, I just, well, I just hit it, and Cheonho caught it…….”

“Wow, as expected of Agi-ssi [young master/miss]……!”

Cheonho seemed burdened by the title of catching a tiger at the age of seventeen, so he tried to retreat, but I refused to take the fall alone.

Some of the younger children didn’t realize that I was an Ongju, so they looked puzzled, so I shouted loudly.

“Cheonho over there caught the tiger, okay?”

“Wa?!”

The children’s eyes turned to Cheonho all at once.

Cheonho, who had been looking at me among the children with a pleased expression, was embarrassed and took a step back.

“Wait a minute??”

“Did you really catch a tiger?”

“How did you catch it?”

I stepped back this time, watching the children rush to Cheonho and cling to him.

The children were relatively calm and kept their distance from me, but they swarmed Cheonho without hesitation.

I was observing the scene with a happy expression when a familiar voice greeted me.

“You’ve arrived.”

“Ah, Court Lady Min.”

Court Lady Min, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, looked at my complexion and sighed in relief.

“I’m glad you’re safe.”

“Were you surprised?”

As soon as the rumors spread, everyone sent me letters asking if I was okay, so I sent them all replies saying I was fine, but it seemed they could only be reassured after seeing it with their own eyes.

“Isn’t it a very ominous thing?”

“Still, fortunately, we caught it without anyone dying.”

They said that just the fact that a tiger entered was a bad omen, but after catching both of them, they said it was a good omen again. I couldn’t make sense of it.

“Is it true that Ongju-jaga shot the tiger with an arrow……?”

“Yeah, surprisingly.”

“Is it also true that Cheonho caught the tiger?”

“Yeah. Isn’t it amazing?”

“I didn’t think it would be that much since he’s still young…….”

“I know, right.”

Court Lady Min’s gaze, which had been examining Cheonho, had already returned to me.

“…….”

“What’s wrong?”

“No, it’s just that Ongju-jaga seems to have matured so suddenly that I’m deeply moved.”

“Well. I still feel like my joints are creaking, though.”

“You’ve grown a lot.”

“I don’t think I’ll grow any more now…….”

“You said you would grow more, but why did you change your mind?”

“I know. Ugh.”

As I patted my waist while saying that, Court Lady Min made a strange face.

Since most of the details about the operation had already been confirmed by letter, after checking on my well-being, we discussed recent operations and news.

There were interesting updates and unexpected developments.

“Recently, Mohan has been creating a childcare book with Munyeong, who recently joined Siyoungwon.”

“Isn’t Munyeong the child who worked at Siwolgak [tea house]? How did she end up with Mohan?”

“It seems that Munyeong wanted to contribute to Siyoungwon, so she volunteered with various tasks, and they somehow connected.”

“Hee.”

“I didn’t anticipate that having her care for babies would lead to this outcome.”

“Raising children is challenging…….”

Court Lady Min shuddered, perhaps recalling the memories of caring for babies in the early days of Siyoungwon, although she now primarily handles paperwork.

“That’s right. Each child has a unique temperament. Still, I thought it would be beneficial to have guidelines, so the Hell Room…… no…….”

“The Hell Room is fine. I understand what you’re referring to.”

“She considered writing a book while caring for the children.”

“She has extensive practical experience, so it’s advantageous…….”

Although the Hell Room is responsible for babies during the most demanding period, most of the staff at Siyoungwon were required to care for children, even for a short time.

I’m afraid they’ll become overwhelmed if they hear everyone sharing their experiences.

“Yes. She wants to gather statistics on children’s illnesses and so on.”

“Hmm. Do you need a budget?”

“I don’t think so. There are already many babies in Siyoungwon and nearby…….”

“You mentioned that many families have relocated to this area because of the children.”

“Yes. But recently, there have also been talks of marriage among the children of Siyoungwon.”

“Ah. Really? That’s wonderful. Everyone was concerned that they wouldn’t marry.”

It was also somewhat overwhelming that people had complicated reactions when they saw me.

“Yes. They’re reaching the age where marriage is a consideration. They come to me and ask for permission to marry.”

“Hmm…… then should I commission wedding clothes to rent out?”