Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 44

“Brother.”

“I heard a story about a girl on horseback and thought it might be you, but it really is. Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No. I’m fine.”

I tried to get off the horse to show I was okay, but I ended up collapsing without realizing it.

“Huh?”

“Didn’t you say you were fine!”

Unlike the startled Crown Prince, Gai calmly picked me up, massaged my legs, and reassured the Crown Prince.

“She must be relieved. Even if the Princess is brave, she almost fell off the horse and wandered alone in an unfamiliar place.”

“Yeah, I’m thirsty.”

“Let’s go quickly.”
The guards, who had been shaken when I collapsed, seemed relieved to see me getting back on the horse with Gai’s support. They must have been afraid of the aftermath.

“She seems very shocked, so it would be best to take her home quickly.”

One of the guards cautiously suggested we return home.

Despite the earlier commotion, the gate was still crowded, and the guards were watching the people coming and going, unaware that the person they were looking for had already escaped.

‘I wonder what happened to Jihwa.’

If something had happened to her, the Crown Prince wouldn’t be here like this.

We left Namdaemun [the Great South Gate, a historical landmark in Seoul] and hurried towards the palace.

Since the Crown Prince was riding Red Hare with me, I asked about the time I didn’t know about.

It was a conversation we couldn’t have outside, and it would be even more difficult to bring up in the palace, so now was the only time to ask.

“A servant came and told me to run away.”

“Which servant?”

“I don’t know that, but I confirmed that two people escaped outside the capital.”

I explained what had happened on my side.

“What could have happened?”

“Lord Kim Seon-ik is the Military Commissioner of Hamgyeong Province, and Father trusted him so deeply that he was going to make his daughter the Crown Princess, but suddenly he’s a traitor.”

In the first place, the position of Military Commissioner of Hamgyeong Province was a position that was difficult to hold without the king’s trust.

Only after going through that position could one go to the position commonly called General, and if his daughter became the Crown Princess, his subsequent promotion was as good as guaranteed.

“But Brother, you didn’t even know the situation and you just helped them escape?”

“Even if he had plotted treason, what could the young children have had to do with it? Besides, if they are the children of a traitor, they will become government slaves….”

“Yeah, you did well.”

I patted his head, thinking that the Crown Prince must not be comfortable either, and his stiff face softened with a faint smile.

“You’re the only one who understands me, Sia.”

I thought he was going too far just because I praised him, but I let him hug me tightly, thinking that he must not be feeling well either.

Perhaps the Crown Prince also knew his current position, where no family was willing to readily become the Crown Princess. No, he probably knew.

‘I’m tired.’

Was it because I was so tense all day? I felt a little sorry for Jihwa and Sucheon, who were currently on the run, but as the tension eased, my body became languid.

‘I hope they’re safe.’

The little kid who smiled like a puppy.

I packed them so much food, clothes, and money to use as escape funds; I hope they don’t go hungry.

Will we be able to meet again alive?

I didn’t properly pack anything for Jihwa except snacks, I hope she escaped well? I didn’t want to interfere too much because I thought giving too many variables might not be good since she is the protagonist.

I hope they both survive, even if we can’t meet again.

While I was blankly thinking about that, my head drooped and my consciousness faded.

I was really tired today.

***

“Huh?”

“Is the Princess awake?”

“Umm.”

I opened my eyes to Gai’s cautious voice and found myself in my familiar room.

Wow, when did I get back? I didn’t remember the intermediate process.

‘Well, it was a tough day for a child.’

Tempted to close my eyes again with the cozy feeling of the soft blanket wrapped around my tired body, I finally decided to get up because I was thirsty.

As I reached for the bedside table, Gai poured water and handed it to me.

“Did I just fall asleep like that?”

“Yes, the Crown Prince brought you to the palace in his arms. You must be tired, so please sleep a little more.”

The Crown Prince carried me? What’s going on.

‘Well, the Crown Prince must have been shocked by this incident too.’

Just like I was shocked by the death of Prince Seongwon and his mother in the past, that child must have been shocked too.

By the death or misfortune of people close to him.

‘…And my share in that is probably a bit big.’

It’s a bit late to feel sorry. I should make him castella [a sponge cake popular in Korea] later.

Anyway, what’s important now is not that.

I drank the water and felt a little more awake. I asked about the most important thing first.

“Where is the Crown Prince now?”

“As soon as he returned to the palace, he straightened his clothes and went to the main hall regarding the treason.”

“Hmm.”

Looking out the window, it was still dawn.

“…Gai, didn’t you sleep?”

“I feel relieved when I take care of the aftermath.”

Well, we went out secretly, and I fell asleep and the Crown Prince was out of his mind.

“Gai, thank you.”

“It’s not something I deserve praise for, Princess.”

When I hugged him tightly, Gai patted me as if he didn’t dislike it either.

It would have been nice if nothing had happened yesterday. It would have been a good day.

But what really happened?

‘Who, without the Chief State Councilor? Why?’

To find out more about yesterday’s events, it will probably take more time.

The Crown Prince will be busy for a while, and it will be difficult for us to have secret conversations alone.

Perhaps as the Crown Prince gets older, it will naturally become like that.

‘Will I get married and leave the palace in a few years? Looking at the recent atmosphere, even if I get married early, it seems like they will postpone the official departure from the palace much later. Then will I be able to see them reunite?’

As I remember, the Crown Prince and the heroine part ways vaguely in their childhood and don’t meet until they become adults.

‘If I had seen it as a drama, it would have been exciting.’

When the child actor parts are over, the screen would fade out and change to adult actors, and a sad OST [Original Soundtrack] would play in the background. And the first meeting of the two adults would appear as a preview for the next episode?

But unfortunately, this was a real situation.

The reunion of the two, which I would have known in just a week if it were a drama, will take at least a few years in real time.

‘Besides, if the treason is actually discovered, well. Many people will die and get hurt.’

This kind of treason case usually doesn’t involve just one or two people, so even if it’s not the Jihwa siblings, there must already be several people who have lost their daily lives since yesterday.

Of course, I am one of the people who will be most affected if the rebellion succeeds, so I am not in a position to sympathize with anyone other than those who are innocently involved.

Besides, there was something else that was important right now.

“But, Gai. Did they find out we went out?”

I cautiously asked, wondering if we had been caught in the process of returning because security had been strengthened due to the rebellion.

“That’s….”

No, just tell me yes or no. Why are you hesitating there?

Gai, who had been hesitating, shook his head vaguely.

“For the time being, it seems that the Princess should not go to the main hall.”

“Oh. Well, I guess so?”

It wouldn’t look good for me to go to the main hall when there’s a commotion because of the rebellion.

Unlike the Crown Prince.

‘It wasn’t discovered in the novel, but could it have been discovered because of me, a variable.’

In the original work, the king was reluctant to tell the Crown Prince about the treason and the fact that Jihwa’s family was involved, fearing that the still young Crown Prince would be anxious. So he was going to tell him the next morning, but when the Crown Prince noticed and came to find him in the middle of the night, he was rather impressed.

Either way, there was nothing I could do in this situation.

And that probably wasn’t much different for the Crown Prince either.

As I feared, the story was flowing according to the planned plot.

‘Are they both escaping safely?’

Eventually, the morning came, and as I belatedly washed and dressed, I suddenly realized that something was missing.

“It’s gone…?”

The jade ring that I always wore around my neck, which the deceased Prince Seongwon gave me when he left for the military training, was gone.

My heart sank.

“Gai, Gai!”

“What’s wrong, Princess?”

“Did you see a ring when you changed my clothes?”

“The ring… no, I didn’t see it.”

Gai must have taken off my outer clothes when I returned to the residence asleep.

And all the palace people who attend to me, including Gai, knew that I cherished the jade ring, a memento of Prince Seongwon, and wore it around my neck.

“Where are the clothes I wore out?”

“Please wait a moment. I will bring them to you soon.”

Gai, who had taken out the bundle hidden in the closet, searched the clothes carefully, but the ring was not visible.

Just in case, I searched the room thoroughly, but it was not visible.

‘Could it be yesterday…?’

I clearly confirmed that the jade ring was in my clothes when I changed from the court lady’s clothes to plain clothes.

So I lost it after that, but… there were too many places I could think of.

I wandered around the market all day, took off my clothes and put them on Sucheon, Red Hare got startled, and I went out and returned from outside Namdaemun.

I thought I wouldn’t lose it easily since it was in my clothes, but there were too many things that happened yesterday.

‘There’s a pretty high chance that I dropped it when I changed clothes at that house yesterday.’

Even if the string came loose, it would have been in my clothes, so if I lost it, it was most likely when I took off my clothes.

But I can’t go back there.

That servant might have confessed that he was there with his young master and the group that was there, so it would be troublesome if I went there and got strangely involved.

“Come to think of it, what about the servant who made Red Hare rampage yesterday?”

“Don’t worry. He won’t be able to open his mouth.”

Gai answers in a small voice when I ask, thinking about it. But why is his voice so chilling?

What is it, what happened while I was away? Did you threaten him?

‘He was kicked by Red Hare’s hind legs yesterday, but… he’s not dead, is he?’

Red Hare was originally a horse raised for military use, so he was smart but also had excellent physical abilities. He was kicked by that, so even if it was his own fault, I don’t think he would have been unharmed….

I was curious, but I decided to pretend I didn’t know because he didn’t seem like he would tell me.

Gai was looking nervous because he thought I would go to find the ring.

‘Even though it’s cheap, it’s a jade ring… if someone found it, they would have picked it up happily.’

Besides, if I lost it in a place like Namdaemun, it might have been stepped on or broken and there might not even be any shape left.

I cherished it and carried it around, but I lost it like this.

Well, the reason why the Crown Prince left it to me must have been similar.

I was always touching the cheap jade with flaws, and now that it’s gone, I feel empty.

Is it because I lost the jade ring, I missed Red Hare.

‘Gai wouldn’t say anything about that, right?’

After finishing breakfast, I watched Gai’s reaction and got up.

“Princess?”

“I was thinking of going to see Red Hare.”

“Wouldn’t Red Hare be tired too?”

“That’s why I have to go. Let’s just see Red Hare and come back without going anywhere else. Huh? Red Hare must have been surprised too because he suddenly ran around so much yesterday?”

When I said that, Gai smiled as if he couldn’t help it and nodded.

“If that’s the case, you should come back quickly.”

“Yeah. I’m going to the Royal Stable, so pack some snacks.”

Honestly, the palace was like walking on thin ice, so it seemed like there would be no joy other than seeing Red Hare for a while.

I packed snacks and headed to the Royal Stable.

The Royal Stable (司僕寺) [Sapoksi, a Joseon Dynasty government department] is a department that manages the king’s carriages, horses, etc., and Red Hare was entrusted here to be taken care of.

No matter how much I cherish Red Hare, I can’t build a stable in my palace.

As I entered, the clerks of the Royal Stable, who didn’t even get surprised when I came now because I visited so often, bowed their heads as if they were used to it.

I knew where Red Hare was, so I didn’t need a guide.

But unexpectedly, a man I had never seen before was looking at Red Hare. There was also a man in a Gyeomsabok [a type of military uniform] uniform next to him, so he didn’t seem to be someone of unclear status, but it wasn’t very pleasant.

“Is this horse also His Majesty’s warhorse?”

“No, it’s the Princess’s horse. Prince Seongwon said he would give it to the Princess as a gift when he was alive.”

“…It’s a great horse, but it’s a pity.”

Is he picking a fight?