Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 299

“……Why?”

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

He seems excited that I called him handsome.

“By the way, how does Cheonho know Yeonjwasema [a high-ranking warrior or martial artist] is traveling with him?”

“Oh. Um… Haven’t I mentioned it to you, Princess?”

“?”

“He’s the one who helped save your brother with that former Yeonjwasema in Gangwon-do… I also mentioned he seemed to be the one who lent you the horse when you were kidnapped.”

I wracked my brain at Cheonho’s words.

“Oh, really? But why haven’t I seen him even once?”

“Ah. It’s because you were away or asleep when you met him. Now that I think about it.”

If I was asleep, it must have been when the Crown Prince made that cider episode on the way back from Gangwon-do.

“Hmm. It’s a loss that I haven’t seen such a handsome person.”

“…….”

“Why?”

“It’s nothing.”

Cheonho looked like he wanted to say something, but instead of opening his mouth, he turned his head sullenly.

He seemed bright until just now. Is he going through puberty?

“Anyway, the path is not good in the mountains. Do we really have to go in?”

“Yes.”

According to the couple I met earlier, there are people living in the mountains who occasionally come down to the village below.

‘It must be hard to live in a place like this…’

Walking directly made me wonder why they would live in such a place.

Soyi seemed to be thinking the same thing as me, as she panted and tried to dissuade me.

“They say they occasionally come down to the village. How about leaving a letter and seeing them then?”

“We don’t know when they’ll come down. Besides, we can’t guarantee they’ll come looking after seeing the message I left.”

That guy ran away in Gangwon-do as if he was afraid I would come looking for him.

I really didn’t know why he was avoiding me so much, even though I hadn’t done anything wrong.

‘Hmm. Does he have a sense of guilt for not protecting the Crown Prince?’

If he caught a tiger alone, he would have already achieved the maximum achievement a human could achieve, so how could I expect more than that?

“It’s hard to come all the way here often, so it’s better to see him today if possible.”

“Understood.”

I should have left Soyi behind.

“Are you alright, Princess?”

Cheonho, who had been listening to the conversation, asked carefully.

“I’m okay, more or less.”

“Should I carry you on my back if you’re tired?”

“……No, it’s okay.”

It was more walkable than I thought, and it wasn’t that far, so walking slowly was okay.

So we had to walk along a mountain path that was somewhat paved for a while, following Cheonho.

“Come to think of it, I thought a little when I looked at the map… Doesn’t this connect to the place where we met those court ladies last time?”

“Connect? Well… it’s just over the mountain?”

“Yes? Oh, then is it possible to go to the other side with this mountain?”

It was Cheonho who answered Soyi’s question.

“Well. I’d have to look at the mountain range a little more, but I think it’s possible for me… Come to think of it, are there no tigers here either?”

“Maybe there are quite a few people living here than we thought?”

“There’s no reason for that…”

Is it even possible, and do we really have to?

It would be fortunate if there were no bandits or tigers…

‘Of course, there are tigers in the palace, so there must be tigers everywhere…’

Still, I heard that there were Chakhogapsa [tiger-hunting soldiers] and Chakhogun [tiger-hunting soldiers]出身 besides Yeon Seon-o in the Ikwisa [a military unit], so maybe it’s okay?

‘Oh, is it not? It’s been so long that I’m confusing it with the current Ikwisa?’

Even while I was thinking about other things, we kept climbing the mountain.

“Is it this way?”

“Yes. But Ongju [a princess], you don’t have to come to a place like this in person…”

Perhaps because there didn’t seem to be anyone around, the title Ongju came out of Cheonho’s mouth again. He had been calling me Ongju lately, so it seemed to be difficult to disguise it because it was already stuck in his mouth.

“No, I have to come to have a conversation.”

How easy is it to get into Ikwisa?

Even though he had lost his lord and quit, his pride and self-esteem as someone who had served the nation’s foundation were sky-high.

‘Honestly, I heard that the current Ikwisa is a bit like that too.’

So it would be easier to have a conversation if I, who am higher up in status, came. It’s annoying, though.

“Be careful of the path because the fallen leaves are wet.”

“Okay.”

Because it was in the mountains, there were still places where the snow hadn’t melted, and there were often slippery places because of the melted snow.

Cheonho, who was walking ahead, gave quite careful warnings, but that alone was not enough to completely prevent accidents.

“Ah!”

“Soyi?!”

Soyi, who was about to slip, barely managed to regain her balance just before falling, but unfortunately, the place she stepped on was not good, and she eventually lost her balance again. Cheonho barely caught Soyi.

“Hah, hah. That was dangerous.”

“Good job, Cheonho! Are you okay, Soyi?”

“Hoo. I think I’m okay. Thank you, Cheonho.”

While Soyi, who barely avoided falling, breathed a sigh of relief and thanked Cheonho, I went into self-reflection.

‘Am I overworking Soyi too much?’

I felt sorry for her because she kept slipping and falling these days.

Should I give her some herbal medicine?

While I was worrying, Cheonho helped Soyi up.

“Can you stand?”

“I’m, I’m okay…!”

Soyi tried to get up with help and walk, but the moment she took a step, she forgot her words and froze.

It seemed like the ankle she had stepped on earlier was wrong, and it seemed difficult to walk right away.

“I think it’s better to sit somewhere and check the condition. Just a moment.”

Cheonho bent his knees and showed his back, and Soyi sighed but obediently got on Cheonho’s back.

“Are we still going up? Are you okay?”

“I saw it a little from afar earlier, so we’re almost there… There it is.”

As Cheonho said, a house came into view a little further on.

“It’s better to rest where there are people if possible. You can avoid the wind. Wild animals won’t come often either.”

“Yes. It would be nice to have someone to help.”

But my expectations were soon shattered.

“Why is there no one? It doesn’t seem like there are few houses.”

While I was looking around, Cheonho, who was sitting on the floor of an empty house and checking Soyi’s condition, breathed a sigh of relief.

“I think you just sprained your ankle a little. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like you’re seriously injured, so you can rest for a while and I’ll carry you down.”

“I don’t think I can’t walk.”

Cheonho shook his head at Soyi’s words.

“But it’s better not to use it if possible.”

“Do as Cheonho says. Let’s rest for a while and go down quickly.”

“Yes, Princess.”

Soyi eventually nodded at my words.

“I’m glad you’re not seriously injured.”

It was better to go down quickly since the person I had to meet wasn’t here either.

“I’m sorry that only Soyi got hurt.”

“No. Ongju. I think my body has become a little dull these days.”

“Rest here for a while. The mountain is still cold, so I’ll make a cold compress with a wet towel.”

“Is the water close?”

“If you want to live in a place like this, you have to be close to the water. There must be a stream or spring nearby.”

Cheonho said that and hurried away.

I got up thinking I should do something too.

“I’ll look for someone in another house. Don’t worry and stay here.”

“Yes? But.”

“There are signs of people living here too. Don’t worry too much.”

“O, Ongju!”

“Cheonho is nearby too. I’ll just take a quick look around. Don’t you know my personality? I’ll be back soon, so Soyi, stay here and rest.”

I reassured Soyi and left the house.

By the way, there are several houses, not just one, and they are a little far apart. Where did everyone go?

There were quite a few numbers at this level. What do the people who live here do….

‘Hmm… There’s no reason why so many hunters should live together.’

Are they secretly growing something on this mountain?

If it were modern times, I would have suspected drugs. Anyway, it’s still a season when the cold hasn’t gone away, so even if there is, it won’t catch my eye.

Come to think of it, opium hasn’t even come in yet, let alone tobacco leaves.

‘The moment tobacco or anything comes in, I’ll ban it.’

I shouldn’t have brought in useless things that only waste medical expenses in the first place.

I was thinking that when I passed a house that was still empty.

“!”

I saw someone passing behind the building.

I was about to call out, but I stopped for a moment when I saw the back of him going into the mountain.

‘The back looks familiar…’

Even though I thought there was no way, I carefully followed him as if possessed.

Perhaps because of the shadows of the trees, the footprints were clear on the remaining snow, so it was not difficult to follow where they went.

I walked while suppressing the sound of my footsteps as much as possible, lowering my body and looking around.

I heard people’s voices in the distance.

Rather than voices, it was like shouts? It was a sound made by several people together, not just one person.

“Ha!”

I instinctively lowered my body further and carefully moved towards the sound.

And I froze at the sight that came into my eyes.

What is that.

What am I looking at now.

Mens, at least dozens of them, were gathered and wielding spears in an orderly manner.

The angular movements were not the appearance of ordinary mountain village youths.

‘Soldiers in training!’

Why didn’t I think of this?

‘I didn’t doubt anything just because Yeonjwasema was there.’

I bit my lip, took a deep breath, and slowly moved my body.

I wasn’t caught because I was quite far away and because of the still lush leaves even though winter had passed, but if I were caught….

My spine tingled.

‘I have to go back quickly and tell them this fact, no, I have to run away quickly.’

But at that moment, someone ran up from behind and blocked my mouth.

I tried to calm my heart, which was about to drop, and gritted my teeth alone.

‘Ah, really. This always happens when I’m alone…!’

I even brought Cheonho with me!

Ah, but I shouldn’t have brought Soyi after all. I’m making her get caught up in such a dangerous thing again….

I had all sorts of thoughts in a short time.

I struggled to get out of the hand of the person who was blocking my mouth and carrying me halfway, but of course, it was in vain because of the difference in strength.

‘Then I have to bite!’

At the same time as struggling, I somehow bit the finger blocking my mouth tightly.

“Ugh!”

The owner of the big hand, who didn’t expect me to bite, was surprised and let go of me. I succeeded in hitting the person who tried to drag me away in the stomach (probably) and shaking him off.

I didn’t even look at the person who tried to drag me away and ran away first. For some reason, I was quite far away from the soldiers earlier, so I was relieved….

…No way, I knew better than anyone that I couldn’t run away alone.

‘It was like that before.’

When I first met Cheonho, now that I think about it, it wasn’t the first time, but when Cheonho chased after me, who had been kidnapped, I was alone with the kidnapper on a mountain path where no one could help even if I screamed and resisted.

At that time, the kidnapper had some reason to keep me alive, but now it wasn’t at all.

Besides, now there are only more people who will come to kill me if I scream.

If I get caught like this, I’ll be killed!

However, the owner of the arm that grabbed me, who was running madly in fear, said unexpected words instead of saying he would kill me.

“Sia, it’s me.”

“???”