Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 295

It was Cheonho’s voice.

He must have heard that Jia and I were alone in this room and came looking for us.

‘If you’re here, make some noise.’

Jia said in a sulky voice, as if she had the same thought as me.

“What is it? If you’re here, say something.”

“I just got here.”

He didn’t want to be seen as eavesdropping on women’s conversations, so his voice sounded a bit aggrieved, but it was true that he had been secretly listening to our conversation.

I watched Jia and Cheonho bickering meaninglessly for a while before opening my mouth.

“…I’m not taking Cheonho.”

“Yes? Why, why not?”

Cheonho even stuttered, as if my words were so shocking.

I didn’t think it was that surprising…

“Well… I should take Seong Gyeom Sabok.”

“Yes? Shouldn’t we just take both of them?”

“Cheonho doesn’t need to come.”

“!!”

In contrast to my calm expression, Cheonho looked shocked.

However, I couldn’t say it yet, but I had my own valid reasons.

‘Cheonho is Suchun, and if Kim Seon-ik’s false accusation is cleared and his reputation is restored, he will be a young master from a good family again.’

I can’t keep dragging him around as my guard.

‘Was it fun hanging out with me?’

Well, it was quite spectacular, so it might have been fun from a kid’s point of view.

I think he got hurt and suffered, but if that’s his taste, he might like it…

‘No. Maybe it’s right to distance myself little by little. If he’s from a noble family, he can’t be so comfortable with me.’

When we first met, he was a child, but now that’s not the case.

And right now, that’s not important. That big guy was really bothering me while I was talking to Jia alone.

“Cheonho.”

“Yes.”

“I have something more to talk about with Jia, so please go out for a bit.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t worry too much, since there’s no one else here. You don’t think Jia is going to hurt me, do you?”

At my words, Jia glared at Cheonho coldly, and Cheonho retreated as if he had lost his spirit.

“Call me if you need anything…”

“I told you I wouldn’t call you.”

Watching Cheonho, who was sulking at my words, unlike his large build, Jia also muttered softly.

“Cheonho seems a bit excessive. He definitely seems a bit annoying.”

“Yeah. I’m not the only one who feels that way, right?”

However, Jia nodded while subtly taking Cheonho’s side.

“But I can understand Cheonho’s feelings. Agassi [young lady], you get caught up in dangerous things so easily. I really didn’t expect a tiger to appear in the palace…”

Well, I didn’t know that either…

Anyway, after confirming that the intruder was gone, I was able to ask Jia what I had been thinking about earlier.

“Actually, there’s something I wanted to ask Jia.”

“To me? Please tell me.”

“Do you know the novel that Teacher Jicheon is currently serializing in the newspaper?”

“Teacher Jicheon… Ah, if it’s the novel being serialized in the newspaper, I know it.”

‘It’s fun,’ Jia said, pretending to know.

‘Everyone is reading it so diligently…’

Most people who can read and read the newspaper are reading it, but the most important guy isn’t reading it.

“If I were to force someone who doesn’t read the newspaper, like Cheonho, to read the novel, what would be the best way to do it?”

“Yes? Hmm.”

“Wouldn’t there be one?”

“Um, is there only one person who needs to read it? Or an unspecified number of young men?”

“Um. The person who needs to read it… only needs to be one person.”

It seemed like I was targeting a specific person too much, but even if I lied more in this situation, it wouldn’t be very helpful.

“Then how about this?”

After thinking about it, Jia unexpectedly suggested a good way.

‘That’s good?’

***

Some time after visiting Siyeongwon [a government office related to printing].

‘I don’t want to wake up.’

I don’t know why my body is so heavy when I sleep. I used to be lighter when I was young.

Of course, my actual weight was lighter, but.

“Ongju [princess], are you awake?”

“Yeah.”

I want to sleep more, but I can’t help it. Everyone else wakes up earlier than me and is already working.

‘I’m going to Siyeongwon today. I wonder if the book is out yet.’

Almost every day, Cheonho was suffering too.

And if I think about the usual routine, Sehwa always came to check my pulse around the time Cheonho brought letters and reports from Siyeongwon or other stores.

Fortunately, nothing happened today to deviate from the daily routine.

“Ongju, Cheonho is here.”

“Let him in.”

“Ongju, Doctor Sehwa is requesting to check your pulse.”

“Okay, tell him to come in.”

Cheonho and Sehwa came into my room and sat down side by side.

Usually, from the time I had my pulse checked, various small talks and conversations would take place, but today I didn’t feel like it, so I stayed quiet, and the atmosphere in the room felt more solemn than usual.

‘Is it this quiet because I’m not talking?’

I stared at the two people who were silently wondering why while I was getting my pulse checked by Sehwa.

Both of them were… handsome and beautiful.

But those two are siblings…

‘I can’t tell just by looking at their faces.’

Even if they are siblings, they don’t have to look alike.

After getting my pulse checked, taking my medicine, and doing everything I needed to do, I opened my mouth when I was feeling relieved.

“By the way, Cheonho.”

“Yes!”

It was an energetic answer as if he had been waiting.

‘Why is he like that…’

Whatever he expected, it would be less than that.

“Have you ever read a novel published in the newspaper?”

“Yes? Ah, no.”

“Try to read it.”

“Yes. Yes?”

The method Jia recommended was this.

Of course, it didn’t mean that I forced him to read the novel right away.

Jia said that the novel Sehwa is currently serializing in the newspaper has already reached the volume of one book and is in the process of being published as a book.

‘It may be too early since it’s still being serialized, but the work started with the calculation that if you sell the book, people who are curious about the story behind the novel will buy the newspaper to read the novel, so I didn’t know it would be so useful.’

If I make him read it like this, I can ask him if it’s fun for boys his age and get his impressions.

Of course, there were so many boys of Cheonho’s age in Siyeongwon or the school that I could sweep them all up.

‘If I order him to do it, he has no choice.’

And Cheonho showed the expected reaction.

“Me, a novel?”

“Yeah.”

“Um, I’m sorry, but I don’t have the time to do that…”

“Make it.”

“Yes.”

Cheonho tried a timid rebellion, but I naturally didn’t accept it and went ahead.

You can curse me as an evil employer.

Actually, this is all for you.

‘Even though it’s true, it sounds like a *kkondae* [*꼰대 is a Korean slang term for a person, usually older, who is condescending or uses their age to justify giving unwanted advice to others*].’

I’m sorry, but the world is making me a *kkondae*.

I maintained the most shameless expression possible.

It was because Sehwa was also here now.

“Well, don’t you think you need to force him so much? Cheonho is busy, and there are already many people reading it.”

“Wouldn’t it be better if young boys like Cheonho read the next work a lot? The writer can make more money too.”

“Yes, yes.”

Sehwa, who was hiding the fact that she was writing a novel from others, couldn’t refute any more and remained silent.

Sehwa’s pupils were also shaking slightly when she suddenly heard that an acquaintance had to read the novel she wrote.

‘Suddenly, I’m recommending my own work in front of her, so it’s understandable…’

Then quickly notice and talk about it…

But these two had no way of knowing my anxious heart.

If I were to interpret the look in Sehwa’s eyes looking at me now, it would be something like, ‘Ongju, why are you doing this to me?’

‘I’m sorry. But you have to find your brother.’

If Cheonho had only read that novel, he might have already found him.

In the first place, the pen name Sehwa is using, Teacher Jicheon, seems to have been created by taking one letter each from the names Jiwha and Suchun, so if he had read the novel, he would have quickly realized that she was his sister.

‘Then I would have quickly realized that Cheonho is Suchun.’

When I thought about that, I clenched my fist again without realizing it.

Thump.

‘Hot.’

I must have hit the desk again without realizing it.

Come to think of it, the posture of Sehwa and Cheonho sitting in front of me seems more modest than usual, but it must be my imagination.

I found a book among the luggage Cheonho brought in, lightly checked the contents, and handed it to Cheonho.

“Cheonho, read this and write a detailed review. What expressions were good, or how the development could have been more interesting.”

“Yes. Ongju.”

“…”

I thought he would pretend to read it without reading it properly, so I even gave him a book report assignment.

Sehwa next to me still had a face that said she didn’t know why I was suddenly doing this, but she would probably understand my deep meaning soon…

‘No, it’s strange if she understands. Sehwa should just watch the *gut* [*굿, a Korean shamanic ritual*] and eat the rice cake.’

It’s uncomfortable and pricking my conscience to keep pretending not to know while knowing, so please hurry.

And I tried to push myself to the limit to give the two people a hint.

“Sehwa, you have a lost younger brother, right?”

“Yes.”

“Cheonho has a lost older sister.”

“Yes.”

Both of them answered well, but they didn’t seem to pay much attention to the person next to them.

‘Pay some attention. Why don’t you know even if I give you hints like this…’

Losing children by mistake is not that uncommon in this era, so both of them didn’t seem to think that they were siblings.

In fact, it would have been difficult to talk properly. Both of them wouldn’t be able to properly say when, where, and how they were separated from their older sister or younger brother!

Again, I unknowingly clenched my fist.

Bang!

“!”

“!”

The two people flinched at the sound of hitting the desk and looked at me.

“Haa…”

“O, Ongju, are you perhaps feeling uncomfortable?”

They were suspicious that there was something bad in the report, but that wasn’t it.

“…No.”

It’s because of you guys.