Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 36

Let me tell you, there are quite a few children in the palace.

Not babies, but children.

Since court ladies are selected and trained from a relatively young age, some are even younger than me.

But the child before me now was a boy, and judging by his clothes, he didn’t seem to be a eunuch from the Naesi Department [the department in charge of eunuchs and palace affairs].

‘It’s unlikely a Naesi Department kid wouldn’t recognize me.’

Because court ladies my age can’t wear these kinds of clothes.

Since I am so favored by the royal family, my clothes are exceptionally fancy, even for everyday wear.

It feels a bit wasteful… but I’m the only daughter in the palace right now, and there’s no reason to refuse what they offer, so I’m gratefully accepting it.

There’s no reason to dislike pretty clothes.

That seemed to be the case in the eyes of this boy looking at me now.

“Wow. Pretty.”

Yes, it’s pretty.

You wouldn’t easily see such high-quality clothes anywhere else.

Not just the clothes, but my hair is also elaborately styled and decorated by the court ladies every morning, so it’s quite fancy for everyday wear. Because I complained that braiding my hair pulls on my scalp and I’m tired of it, the court ladies have been putting their heads together to try out various hairstyles these days.

I nodded and asked the child.

“Little one, where did you come from?”

“Little? Me?”

He looked younger than me no matter how I looked at him, but the child seemed to think differently.

I can’t help it. My height was originally taller than the other young maids of my age, but it hasn’t grown since that day I took the poison last year.

‘This child is about 7 years old? Seems like it.’

Well, girls grow faster than boys at this age, right?

Anyway, he’s not too young to understand, so if I ask him roughly, I can find out why he’s here.

“Who did you come with?”

“I came with my sister and aunt, but they disappeared.”

You must be the one who disappeared.

I was relieved to see that he wasn’t crying because he didn’t seem like a lost child. But…

“You came with your sister?”

“Yes. My father did something meritorious, so they called us to praise him.”

“Where is your father?”

“I heard he’s in the North Garrison (北兵營) [a military camp].”

“Hmm.”

If it’s the North Garrison, isn’t that the camp of the Military Commissioner (兵馬節度使) [a high-ranking military officer] in Gyeongseong (鏡城), Hamgyeongbuk-do (咸鏡北道) [a northern province]?

It seemed that the child’s father was the one who had done something meritorious, but since only the women of the family remained in the capital, wouldn’t the Queen, the head of the inner court, call them to praise him?

‘But the Queen doesn’t meet people that often.’

She even told me that I didn’t need to come to greet her often.

She’s the Queen, but I can’t say anything to someone who’s weak, and above all, the shock of the poisoning incident committed by Royal Concubine Hong, who was once a candidate for the Queen position, was too great.

Thanks to that, no one was dissatisfied with the moderately gentle Queen.

Because she was so cautious, there was no room for the Crown Prince to be criticized for his maternal relatives’ problems.

The mere fact that the Crown Prince’s mother was still standing strong was enough to justify her existence.

Anyway, that meant this child’s guardian was now in the Central Palace.

‘No, how did he come here alone?’

I wondered if no one caught him in the middle, but I was also the one who ran away here without being caught by anyone, so I wasn’t in a position to say anything.

‘But I know the geography of the palace well. Ah?’

Suddenly, something came to mind, so I asked the child.

“Did you happen to be following me?”

“…Uh? Uh-huh.”

His answer wasn’t clear, so I was sure.

“You’re lost.”

“…”

Even though he was a child, he seemed to have some pride, so he didn’t want to say he was lost.

‘He must have been wandering around lost and followed me when he saw me.’

Since I was going on a deserted path, he wasn’t caught either.

“Ugh. He doesn’t even let me rest.”

“If you want to rest, don’t mind me and rest. It doesn’t seem like my sister and aunt will be out anytime soon, so I’ll wait. I came to the palace for the first time in a while, so it wouldn’t be fun to go back right away.”

What is this guy?

Whether I was dumbfounded or not, this little boy plopped down next to me.

I, who had been sitting comfortably under a tree overlooking the lake, took a closer look at the unexpected guest.

Judging by his clean face, noble air, and the way he was dressed, he seemed to be the son of a nobleman. He was still a child, but he had a neat and handsome face.

The child rolled his round eyes and asked me.

“But who are you?”

“…None of your business.”

“You’re too pretty to be a baby court lady.”

“Is there a law that court ladies can’t be pretty?”

“Then are you a court lady?”

“…Let’s just say that.”

It was annoying to explain, and it was also annoying to talk about etiquette if I said I was royalty, so I shook my head and slumped down.

Of course, this was a luxurious thought that only royalty could have.

‘Hmm, if I hadn’t been born as royalty, I would have had to live bowing here and there anyway, so should I have tolerated what the Crown Prince said earlier?’

In general, there is a fantasy about the status of a princess, but in any country, the lives of princesses are not particularly smooth.

In an era with low female rights, arranged marriages often led to absurd matches, and they suffered from their husbands’ terrible personalities.

Still, the kings of the Joseon Dynasty [Korean dynasty from 1392 to 1897] generally cherished their daughters and found suitable husbands from good families rather than arranging political marriages, and no matter what anyone said, the princess was superior to her husband.

Of course, it all depended on the king and the kind of person the husband was, but if there were no political ups and downs, it could be said to be a good fate in the top tier of the world average.

‘But I still can’t stand it.’

I should find a way to live alone somehow.

“Hey, why have you been angry since earlier?”

“Something like that happened. Little one.”

“I’m smaller than you, but you call me little.”

“You’re not small.”

I’m still small, but the little boy sitting next to me is definitely similar to me or a little… smaller? Maybe?

I sighed deeply and decided to put aside my future plans for now and pay more attention to the lost child next to me. The palace was not a good place for a child to wander around.

“Little one. Your family must be worried, so why don’t you go back soon? I’ll take you to the Central Palace.”

“Well, my sister will scold me to death, but she wouldn’t kill me, would she? This place is fun. The buildings are big, fancy, I saw this pond for the first time, and I saw a pretty baby court lady.”

“Well…”

Originally, the royal palace is built to be splendid to show its majesty, so it would look like that.

And you shouldn’t flirt with baby court ladies, little one.

‘It’s stupid to say this to an innocent, admiring child, but.’

It was an era without TVs, and it was natural for a child who had entered the royal palace for the first time to admire it, so I led the child as if I had become a tourist guide.

“Well, you’re prepared to be scolded enough not to die by your sister, so what can I do? There’s no one here anyway, so I’ll show you around.”

“Really?”

The child, who had been staring at me with round eyes, raised his head excitedly at my words and suddenly rushed in to hug me.

Oh my. Like a puppy.

You were actually scared because you were lost, weren’t you?

“Get off, get off.”

“You’re a bit unique.”

“I don’t know which family you’re from, but haven’t you heard that you lack etiquette?”

“I’ve heard I’m smart a lot.”

Whatever.

I dusted off my clothes and stood up, holding out my hand to the child.

“Come here, little one. I’ll hold your hand so you don’t get lost.”

“It’s nice to hold hands, but I told you I’m not a child.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

The child who took my hand and stood up was definitely… a little taller than me.

Just a little.

“How old are you?”

“Me? I’m seven years old.”

But why are you taller than me?

“If you’re seven years old, you’re younger than me, so call me older sister. But are you actually older?”

“Oh. You were my older sister?”

It feels strange to hear the word “older sister” after a long time.

Well, it’s not an important building, and it’s just the back garden, so it wouldn’t be a big problem to show him around.

The palace’s back garden is definitely a beautiful place, and it’s a place where no one can enter.

‘I wonder if he’ll remember it later.’

I took the child’s hand and took a walk around the lake.

The scenery was beautiful because spring flowers were in full bloom.

The child chattered constantly while looking around.

“So I rode a horse, but it’s still a foal, so my sister can’t ride it, only I can.”

“Haha. That’s good.”

“But I can ride a big horse too?”

“Really? I can ride too, what a coincidence.”

There are many baby court ladies in the palace who could be my companions, but since they can’t treat me comfortably, it’s been a long time since I had such an open conversation with someone.

‘The Crown Prince is the Crown Prince, after all.’

Well, of course, I don’t usually hold back what I want to say, but it will be difficult to continue treating him like that when I grow up.

Right now, the memory of the poisoning incident is still vivid, and I’m young, so I can do whatever I want.

‘It might be better not to grow up.’

I arrived at the pavilion by the pond with meaningless thoughts, and I decided to untie the bundle that I was holding, which had somehow moved into the child’s hand.

“Are you hungry? Let’s eat some snacks.”

“Oh, this was a snack?”

The child’s eyes sparkled at the word snack. Whether he was seven or eight years old, he was at the age when he was eating a lot.

As soon as I untied the well-wrapped bundle, an exclamation flowed from the child’s mouth.

“Wow!”

Yes, where would you see something like this?

The deliciously browned top and the yellowish, fluffy body.

Today’s snack was castella [a Japanese sponge cake] that I baked yesterday.

When sneaking out, it’s essential to bring snacks.

“What is this?”

“Eat it.”

It’s annoying to explain.

The child picked up and ate the food given by a stranger without suspicion. I have to tell him to wash his hands later.

“Um! It’s delicious! It’s really delicious! What is this?”

“It’s the popular egg honey cake in the capital.”

“I’ve heard of that too. They say it can only be made in the palace?”

“Hahaha. Yes, eat a lot.”

He was so cute, like a puppy, taking everything I gave him.

‘Should I raise a dog?’

Even the Crown Prince is secretly raising a cat while pretending not to.

It’s a relief. Otherwise, he might have grown up to be a strange man obsessed with stroking my head.

“We’ve taken a lap, so after we finish eating this, I’ll take you to the Central Palace. Then someone will find your sister.”

“Oh, why? Can’t we play together a little more?”

“Why? Your family must be worried.”

“Uh-huh.”

The child drooped his shoulders as if he was disappointed. I leaned against the railing and chuckled.

I felt comfortable looking at the child whose thoughts were directly revealed in his expression.

It was then.

Caw-

It was the sudden sound of a crow that broke the pleasant time.

“That guy’s doing it again.”

“Is that a crow?”

Crows were often seen in the palace, and they often bothered people because of their habit of liking shiny things.

Maybe it came because it liked the shiny things on my clothes and accessories.

But it doesn’t usually attack people, so it should be okay.

“Ah.”

“Oh, it’s dangerous!!”

It wasn’t okay.

At the same time as the crow rushed at me, the child’s arm wrapped around my face.