Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 319

“That father of hers has the nerve to show his face again.”

“?”

Considering the timing and what Lord Buwon said to me last time…

Youngsun’s father was likely working with Lord Buwon.

He didn’t seem like a significant figure, so I hadn’t paid him much attention. But if I had to guess, I’d say he managed to escape when Lord Buwon was arrested and taken to the Uigeumbu [a Joseon Dynasty government agency that handled serious crimes and political offenses].

‘I must say, he’s quite skilled at escaping.’

He shouldn’t be wandering around like this in the first place.

But that’s probably why he’s running so desperately. If he’s caught this time and his identity is revealed, he might face more than just hard labor.

Then again, if he had been caught, Youngsun and her mother, whom I’m sheltering, might have been implicated. So, I suppose this is for the best.”

I gave a brief explanation to Crown Prince Seongwon, who looked bewildered.

“Youngsun is one of the people who became a slave during the treason case ten years ago. At the time, Father gave me almost all the women from noble families as slaves. So, Youngsun’s father is a traitor.”

“A traitor is wandering around like that?”

If my guess is correct, Lord Buwon must have kept it hidden from Crown Prince Seongwon.

“I don’t know the details of how he escaped, but he tried to use Youngsun to get to me.”

I omitted the detailed explanation for Youngsun’s sake. It wasn’t a story I wanted to share with a stranger.

“There was… an incident back then, and she was troubled because of her parents.”

“So, what… did you allow?”

“I told her that instead of being tormented by her parents forever, she should let them choose. From what you said, it seems they’ve made a decision.”

“You think it’s okay for them to run away?”

“If that’s what she wants, I can’t stop her. But if I were Youngsun, I wouldn’t go.”

Crown Prince Seongwon looked taken aback by my words.

“Couldn’t she run away with her parents? How can she abandon them?”

“It’s a bit much for you to say that, Oppa [older brother, used as a term of endearment by a younger woman].”

“……”

The person who abandoned his family and defected was silent for a moment.

“And I told you, it’s not abandoning them, but letting the parents choose.”

“?”

“If you were Youngsun’s parents, which would you choose? As you can see, I don’t mistreat the slaves I have. Among them, Youngsun has been recognized for her abilities and is in charge of managing antiques here, and she even receives a separate salary.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. In fact, even as a slave, her situation here might be better than that of ordinary commoners. But of course, if she wants to leave, I can’t stop her.”

“But even if she leaves here, wouldn’t she be living as a runaway slave?”

“Youngsun isn’t a slave.”

“What?”

“I burned the slave documents a while ago. She’s a freed commoner now.”

“Then… isn’t she free to leave?”

“That’s right, she’s free to leave if she wants to. But why should she have to support her father, who is a fugitive and a traitor? Especially when her parents don’t even know that she’s no longer a slave and are just telling her to run away. Is that what parents should do?”

“That…”

“Youngsun didn’t commit any crime, but she became a slave because of her traitor father. If she hadn’t come to me, she might have ended up in some noble’s house, treated worse than a concubine from a slave background. Well, I suppose it’s unavoidable that she became a slave as the child of a traitor. But her father only thought about finding his enslaved daughter and using her.”

For his new treasonous plot.

In fact, if her parents hadn’t been persistently pushing her, Youngsun wouldn’t have even considered marrying that man so hastily.

“Do you still think she should sacrifice herself further for her father? For someone who only thinks about using his daughter, without any remorse? If Youngsun leaves now, who will support her parents? It will naturally be Youngsun’s responsibility.”

Youngsun is currently living comfortably in my house, managing my collections as a high-level employee. No one working in the house looks down on Youngsun.

But if she goes outside, there aren’t many things she can do.

Moreover, she’s part of a family harboring a fugitive traitor. She would have to live a precarious life, not just struggling for food, clothing, and shelter. How difficult that process would be.

‘Besides, Youngsun… this might sound strange, but she hasn’t endured much physical hardship.’

I used her as a high-level employee.

But no matter how skilled she is, it’s useless if there’s no one to employ her.

‘She’s pretty and has a noble air about her, so I hope she doesn’t get caught by some strange men and dragged away. It doesn’t seem like her parents can protect her either.’

At least, if they were thinking of their daughter, they wouldn’t have easily suggested she come with them at a time like this.

“But isn’t it natural for children to support their parents, not necessarily a sacrifice?”

“If she’s forced to do dangerous things she doesn’t want to do, isn’t that a sacrifice…? It’s not just a simple matter of supporting her parents.”

“……A sacrifice?”

“Yeah.”

Why is this person acting like this again? Did he get scammed or something?

When I answered firmly, Crown Prince Seongwon nodded and smiled with a somewhat hollow voice.

“I see. That’s right.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I like that Sia is always so clear-cut.”

The Crown Prince smiled with a lighter expression, as if he had let something go, and stroked my head.

“What’s so good about it?”

“I thought I would be severely scolded by Sia, but surprisingly, I wasn’t.”

“Ah.”

When Crown Prince Seongwon reminded me of the fact I had forgotten, my face unconsciously hardened.

“Si, Sia?”

I was so busy talking about Minister Kim Sun-ik that I forgot. The person in front of me was the one who had planned a suicide pact with a heinous criminal who had plotted treason without considering the feelings of those around him.

“That’s right, we needed to have a conversation, but I forgot?”

“Si, Sia.”

“Don’t worry. We’re intellectuals, so let’s resolve this through conversation.”

“???”

Of course, it was already resolved. But I could nag him to the point of exhaustion.

And Crown Prince Seongwon listened to my nagging with a sly smile.

“……Does His Highness the Crown Prince always get scolded by you like this?”

“Sometimes?”

When he doesn’t listen and overworks himself, for example.

“I’m glad I’m not the Crown Prince, really……”

“How can you say that now!”

Slap! Slap! Slap!

Perhaps because we were inside and the clothes were relatively thin, the sound echoed crisply.

“Ah, it hurts……”

Muttering dazedly as he rubbed the hit area, he looked so pitiful that I was a little worried.

“Oh, did I hit you too hard? Does it hurt a lot?”

“No. I just realized that this is the first time I’ve been hit like this in my life.”

He had been grinning since earlier, and now he was laughing like a madman, wondering what he had remembered.

“Hey, Sia.”

“What?”

“Would you get angry again if Oppa hugged you?”

“When did I get angry… oh, right.”

That was about when we first met in the mountains.

“Did you cause another accident, or are you going to cause one?”

“Uh, no.”

“If not, then it’s okay.”

“Wow.”

Crown Prince Seongwon laughed with a slightly exaggerated voice and hugged me tightly.

It felt like the older brother I knew was finally back.

“I’m sorry. For making you worry.”

“If you do anything weird again, I’ll catch you, tie you up, and lock you in a room.”

“Hmm……. I’d appreciate it if you could refrain from that.”

After that, we had dinner together and had a normal conversation like a family reuniting after a long time.

Crown Prince Seongwon looked worried when he saw Youngsun bringing the meal, but Youngsun herself looked indifferent, which was a stark contrast.

‘Youngsun probably won’t leave tonight.’

From the moment I heard about the conversation between Youngsun and her mother, I somehow knew how Youngsun would act.

Rather, it’s her parents who are unpredictable.

I sighed softly as I ate.

‘I wonder if Sehwa is okay.’

Unfortunately, the person who could comfort Sehwa was too busy and not here right now.

The next day, Youngsun came to me with something to report and bowed her head.

“My mother disappeared last night.”

“……I see.”

Since we were living together, it was right for Youngsun to report it, but I didn’t feel good hearing the report either.

Youngsun’s complexion was not good, as if she hadn’t slept a wink all night, tossing and turning.

She probably spent the night worrying whether her parents hadn’t actually left and were waiting for her, or whether they would come looking for her.

And I couldn’t help but know the answer.

“Why don’t you take a break?”

At my words, Youngsun shook her head with a pale face.

“I will work as usual. That way, I won’t have other thoughts.”

“Alright. Then do that.”

Recently, large and small artifacts had been coming in through Si-yeongwon [likely a workshop or agency dealing with artifacts], and in the case of ancient books, they were transcribed and stored separately. Even if the transcription was entrusted to the children of Si-yeongwon, the final confirmation of any typos was Youngsun’s job.

Thanks to that, there were still quite a few things to sort out, so if Youngsun wanted to work, there was no end to the work.

After sending away Youngsun, who had a dark expression, I called other servants and instructed them to spread rumors that Youngsun had committed a great mistake and was unable to move.

Some of those who had unintentionally heard Youngsun and her mother arguing in the past and had some idea of the situation looked a little puzzled at my words.

“I am sorry, but may I ask why you are giving such instructions?”

“We, of course, know that Youngsun has suffered because of her mother……”

No one had imagined that she would abandon her daughter and run away, so everyone seemed dumbfounded by the news that Youngsun’s mother had disappeared.

“If we spread such rumors, Youngsun’s parents will think that Youngsun laid hands on my belongings to get funds to run away and was caught.”

“Do you want Youngsun’s parents not to resent Youngsun?”

“No, if they are qualified to be parents, they will come here after hearing those rumors.”

“Ah. They will come back because they are worried about Youngsun.”

There is no one who does not know what happens to a slave who lays hands on the owner’s property and even tries to escape.

Would there be parents who would abandon their daughter in such a half-dead state?

‘But, I don’t think they’ll come back…….’

If they were those kinds of people, they would have already returned to check if Youngsun was safe.

This house is heavily guarded, so no one can easily come and go without my permission, but Youngsun’s mother could have returned, even if she had to make up an excuse that something had happened outside for a day.

‘Of course, if she comes back, she will have to take responsibility for Youngsun’s sins as well.’

I sighed, thinking that was why she wasn’t coming back.

Crown Prince Seongwon, who had been watching me, also sighed silently.

“Are you…… sure you don’t want to return to the palace?”

“Yeah. It’ll be bloody there right now.”

The guys who needed to be caught have all been caught, so they’re probably busy interrogating them now.

Thanks to that, I got to stay at a private residence for the first time.

‘I wrote down what I heard from Crown Prince Seongwon yesterday in a letter and sent it to Cheonho and Sehwa.’