Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 315

He was a boy who had risked everything, chasing after a girl he barely knew all the way into the mountains, just to save her.

It wasn’t something she’d easily entrust to a stranger, but she trusted him enough to lend him the horse.

Seon-oh was a bit put out, but he couldn’t deny the urgency of the situation, especially considering the boy had saved his younger sister. What was the big deal about lending a horse?

Afterward, he had retrieved the horse from the Hyeminseo [a Joseon-era medical institution] as the boy had promised, confirming her good judgment.

‘I heard they caught the people who were illegally trafficking slaves in that area after they kidnapped Sia again.’

She wondered if it was connected to her maternal uncle, but she couldn’t be sure. Since His Highness the Crown Prince would handle it, she left Hanyang after confirming Suyoung Ongju [Princess Suyoung] was safe.

She intended to keep her distance, preventing her maternal uncle from acting rashly.

Because her younger sister was connected to His Highness the Crown Prince and was an Ongju, important news would eventually reach her, even from afar.

She never imagined she’d run into her siblings again in Gangwon-do, where she went every winter.

‘Now that I think about it, that boy was with Sia in Gangwon-do, too.’

She hadn’t expected him to still be by Sia’s side, but perhaps their connection from back then had endured.

‘Sia is such a kind and intelligent child; she must have formed good relationships.’

It was a relief that good people surrounded her instead of her incompetent older brother.

After carefully stroking the porcelain she had sent to Sia one last time, Crown Prince Seongwon, with the jade ring around his neck, slowly lay down in his bedding.

What was wrong? He hadn’t been aware of it before, but suddenly his body felt like it was screaming.

As he shifted and turned his head, the porcelain came back into view.

Looking at the porcelain his younger sister had cherished since she was a child, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘How wonderful would it have been if my maternal uncle hadn’t been such a fool.’

He was a cruel man who deserved execution, but he had also been a maternal uncle who had greatly cherished him in his childhood.

It was sad. It was sad, but at the same time, he felt relieved. That realization was also painful.

Perhaps thanks to the medicinal soup he had drunk earlier, sleepiness washed over him before he succumbed to deeper sorrow, and Crown Prince Seongwon closed his heavy eyes.

When he opened his eyes, the sun was setting.

He had clearly fainted in the middle of the night and woke up during the day, so he was surprised to realize he had slept all day.

However, it wasn’t strange, considering the tension he had been under had finally released.

‘In the end, I left all the hard work to my younger siblings.’

When he woke up, surprisingly, no one was guarding him.

Well, no one had been guarding him in the room earlier either, so it was nothing new.

Perhaps because a rebellion had occurred, the area was heavily guarded both inside and out, making internal security seem lax.

It could also be that they thought he wouldn’t do anything foolish here, considering the Ongju.

‘Well, if I were to run away in these thin clothes in this season, I would just freeze to death.’

His head felt clearer than before, and he wanted to step outside for a moment to feel the cool breeze. He opened the door and encountered a figure who was both unexpected and expected.

“Where are you going?”

“Ah, I just wanted to get some fresh air……”

It was Sehwa. Judging from what she was holding, she seemed to have come to give him medicinal soup and check his pulse.

He wondered if he should be wandering around and felt a little nervous, but Sehwa calmly chided him.

“If you go out in that state, you’ll catch a cold. Yeongseon seems to have brought some clothes, so put them on.”

“……”

“Of course, drink this medicinal soup first, and let me take your pulse.”

“Ah, yes.”

Before he knew it, he was back in the room, taking the medicinal soup as she gave it to him.

He hadn’t expected her to bring clothes, so he was taken aback, but after getting his pulse taken, he put on the clothes she offered.

“It’s getting dark, so it’s unsettling for you to wander around a strange place alone. I’ll accompany you.”

“I’m sorry for causing you trouble.”

“It’s nothing. The Ongju’s residence is large, so if you wander around alone in the dark, you might not be able to find your way back here.”

“Haha.”

Come to think of it, that was true.

Besides, Sia had said that this was a room where she kept her precious antiques, so it was definitely quite deep inside.

‘If I wander around alone and run into servants who ask who I am, it would be a little embarrassing.’

“Actually, it would be best if Yeongseon were here, but I can’t find her anywhere.”

“Is that so?”

Indeed, it would be a serious matter for someone who should be attending to a noble to be away from their post if caught by their master.

‘I wonder if Sia is too lenient.’

In the palace, court ladies who had received strict training attended to them, so there was less to worry about, but he was a little concerned.

However, there was nothing a lacking older brother could do even if he worried about it.

Crown Prince Seongwon sighed lightly and slowly moved with Sehwa.

“Um, but do you really know who I am?”

“I know. Aren’t you the Ongju’s eldest brother?”

“……”

She didn’t call him Crown Prince Seongwon, but that meant she knew everything.

‘Is it really okay? Even if she knows?’

Noticing his bewilderment, Sehwa reassured him.

“There’s no need to worry so much. What would happen if a physician of the Royal Clinic had a loose tongue?”

“……I’m just worried that my younger siblings are too naive.”

She might not know if she was an old, seasoned doctor, but Sehwa looked too young.

“Are you worried about His Highness the Crown Prince?”

“……”

“His Highness the Crown Prince still holds my weaknesses, so there’s no need to worry.”

It was strange to say while smiling, but Sehwa’s expression was shining brightly under the setting sun.

In that moment, Crown Prince Seongwon realized something. He remembered her being with the Crown Prince in Gangwon-do.

“Perhaps, are you and His Highness the Crown Prince…… involved?”

“……How could you say such a thing?”

“It just…… seems that way.”

Sehwa had a slightly surprised look on her face, but she didn’t deny it, so Crown Prince Seongwon’s face brightened.

And at the same time, an obvious question came to mind.

“No, but why are you still…….”

“There are some circumstances.”

“His Highness the Crown Prince should see the first grandson as soon as possible…… I’m sorry.”

Crown Prince Seongwon, who was about to ramble on like a worried elder in the family, quickly apologized, realizing his current situation.

It was true that he was worried about the Crown Prince, who had not yet taken a Crown Princess, but this kind of talk was rude.

“It’s not that. You’re right. It’s just that I have some circumstances that prevent me from being in that position.”

“?”

“But perhaps, it will be resolved soon.”

“Is that so.”

It was fortunate, but he didn’t know what else to say, so silence continued. In the meantime, Crown Prince Seongwon realized that he had moved quite far from his residence.

‘Should I go back now?’

He didn’t see anyone around, and it wasn’t good to be alone with an unmarried woman, especially one who was involved with his younger sister.

Crown Prince Seongwon turned to Sehwa and started to speak.

“Wouldn’t it be better to go back now…….”

“Why would you say that?”

Before he could finish, a familiar voice pierced the ears of the two from afar.

Because it was a voice he remembered, both of them naturally turned their heads towards the direction of the sound and cautiously moved towards the source of the conversation.

“Yeongseon, how can you say such a thing!”

One was definitely Yeongseon, but the other was the voice of a middle-aged woman he didn’t know.

As soon as Sehwa and Crown Prince Seongwon confirmed the two figures, they both stopped in their tracks, as if they had made a promise.

They seemed to be arguing, so would it be better to pretend they didn’t hear and go back?

“Your father is calling for you. How can you say such a thing?”

“Mother. Are you really thinking of abandoning this life and following Father?”

“Yeongseon. You should follow your father now. Isn’t that our duty? How long are you going to act so immature and willful!”

“……”

Sehwa and Crown Prince Seongwon exchanged glances with slightly embarrassed faces and quietly moved to a place where the mother and daughter’s eyes could not reach.

“It’s all because of the Ongju’s residence. You’ve become so rude, ignoring your parents’ words, because you’re under the Ongju’s protection.”

“How can you speak so carelessly about the Ongju’s residence? Don’t you know who you’ve been able to live comfortably here thanks to?”

“Isn’t it because you’re working so hard!”

“Don’t you think about what would have happened to me if I had met a master other than the Ongju’s residence?!”

“When are you going to stop saying such things? You’ve forgotten your father’s grace so quickly!”

“Isn’t what Father did wrong?”

Slap-!

The sound of skin hitting skin reached the ears of Sehwa and Crown Prince Seongwon.

“I will be with your father. If you are my daughter, you must go with us. Do you understand?”

“……Yes. I understand, Mother.”

“Good. You’ve thought it through. You’re finally listening to me. I’ve already packed my bags to leave this place. There aren’t many bags, so it won’t be difficult. Let’s leave right now. You can make up an excuse that you’re running an errand, right?”

“Mother.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll tell the others, so you go out first and make plans with Father to leave.”

“Your father must have already taken care of the plans.”

“I can’t leave right away because I have something to do under the Ongju’s orders. I’ll leave later, so go ahead first.”

“Okay. You manage the valuables, so secretly bring some valuable items when you come out.”

“……Yes. If I get caught, I won’t be able to leave, so please, both of you, escape.”

“Why do you only say such negative things? You’re so negative that you can’t even capture a man’s heart and you’ve become so miserable.”

“……Mother.”

“Oh? I don’t know why she’s being like this.”

Yeongseon hugged the middle-aged woman tightly once and slowly pulled away.

“It’s nothing. Please go quickly. I have to serve dinner to the guest.”

“Okay. Come quickly.”

“Yes.”

The middle-aged woman disappeared, and Yeongseon blankly stared at her retreating figure.

They didn’t know why, but she looked sad, so Sehwa and Crown Prince Seongwon quietly turned around and returned to their residence.

“Should we tell the Ongju?”

“I don’t know.”

According to what they heard earlier, it was clearly a conversation about escaping from this place.

“Were you both out here?”

“!”

Speak of the devil, and here comes Yeongseon, bowing her head.

“It’s still cold, so please go inside. I’ll bring dinner soon. Is there anything you need?”

“No.”

“Sehwa Physician, if it’s before dinner, would you like to have a meal before you go? I’ll prepare it soon.”

Yeongseon disappeared with a calm face, as if the agitated voice from earlier was a lie.

“I really don’t know if she’s okay.”

“……”

The conversation between Yeongseon and her mother didn’t sound so mild, so the two fell into unexpected 고민 [worries].

And unexpectedly, a welcome voice came to dispel the two’s worries.

“What are you two doing out here?”