Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 45

Heeheeing!

Perhaps displeased by the man’s attitude, Jeok-a lifted its front hooves, giving him a rough warning.

“You’d best stop that. He’s got quite the temper; only his owner can handle his wildness.”

“If he’s so picky with people, he wouldn’t be much use as a warhorse, would he?”

The man chuckled at the Gyeomsabok’s [Royal Guard] words. The groom tending to the horses chimed in.

“Either way, this horse is deeply cherished by Princess Jaga, so don’t even think about coveting him.”

“Well, who would dare covet a gift that Crown Prince Seongwon left for his only sister?”

Even as he said that, the man’s eyes remained fixed on Jeok-a.

‘Why are you staring at someone else’s horse like that?’

Sensing my discomfort, Gaia stepped forward.

“Why are you staring at Princess Jaga’s horse so disrespectfully?”

“Has Princess Jaga arrived?”

The groom bowed his head in a familiar way, and the Gyeomsabok and the man, startled, hurriedly followed suit.

“Forgive me.”

“You still haven’t answered the question.”

“I… I am Seong, so and so.”

He didn’t properly state his name or position.

When I raised an eyebrow, the slightly familiar-faced Gyeomsabok beside him eagerly made excuses.

“Forgive me, Princess Jaga. This is an old friend of mine, and he’s about to become a Gyeomsabok, so I was showing him around the palace.”

“This is Saboksi [the bureau managing royal carriages and horses], which manages His Majesty’s carriages and horses. If you bring outsiders in so easily, remember that you’ll be held responsible.”

“Yes, Princess Jaga.”

The two men simply bowed at my words.

“So, is there a problem with my horse?”

“Forgive me. It’s just that he’s such a magnificent horse that he caught my eye; please don’t take it to heart.”

Whether his claim of being a Gyeomsabok was true or not, there didn’t seem to be any problem with his attitude, but that man’s voice sounded familiar somehow.

‘The only men I know, living only inside the palace, are limited.’

Too lazy to dwell on it, I approached Jeok-a, and the two men stepped back.

“Jeok-a, come here.”

Heeheeing.

Unlike before, Jeok-a happily approached me at my call, and the man subtly raised his head.

“Jeok-a?”

“How dare you raise your head without permission in front of Princess Jaga?”

“Forgive… me.”

Despite Gaia’s warning, the man who had raised his head was tilting his head, puzzled.

Gaia seemed a little embarrassed by the man’s voice as well but turned his head away, pretending not to notice.

However, the man boldly spoke.

“Could it be that the horse’s name, Jeok-a (赤兒), uses the character for ‘red’ (赤) and the character for ‘child’ (兒), not the character for ‘crow’ (鴉)?”

In an instant, the conversation I had with the strange man yesterday flashed through my mind.

‘I knew that voice sounded familiar.’

I felt a cold sweat running down my back.

It was definitely that man from yesterday!

But I couldn’t show it.

Of course, I was mentally and physically exhausted yesterday, so I was a bit careless, but not now.

And I wasn’t alone.

“How did you know that?”

“That is……”

While the man hesitated to answer Gaia’s sharp question, I spoke to the groom who took care of Jeok-a.

“I should have Jeok-a take a lap around.”

“Yes, Princess Jaga.”

As if he had anticipated it from the moment I appeared, the groom, who had already put on the saddle, did a final check and led Jeok-a out of the riding grounds.

I stroked Jeok-a, who had been excited since he saw me, like a puppy going for a walk, and then climbed onto his back.

My palace staff and the groom, who were already used to it, were calm, while the Gyeomsaboks were flustered, and I could hear them holding their breaths.

“Princess Jaga, you aren’t even wearing riding attire.”

“I’ll be back.”

I didn’t wear it yesterday either, but no one said anything then. It seemed like they were just saying it because they were conscious of the Gyeomsaboks next to them.

As I was about to ride Jeok-a away, ignoring the soulless nagging, I heard Gaia’s sharp voice, somewhat lowered.

“Don’t even think about causing unnecessary trouble.”

I can’t hear you, I can’t hear you.

Perhaps the groom, who had secretly taken Jeok-a out yesterday after receiving a bribe, couldn’t hear anything either.

“So it was that person yesterday… How could you leave the still young Princess Jaga alone in such a dangerous place?”

“It would be best to forget about yesterday’s events.”

Pretending not to hear the voices behind me, I checked Jeok-a’s condition and rode the horse.

Perhaps because he had been running around a lot yesterday, Jeok-a seemed to be in even better spirits than usual, rather than being tired.

A little concerned, I asked the groom in charge of Jeok-a. Jeok-a had a somewhat finicky personality, so one of the youngest grooms in Saboksi was almost exclusively in charge of taking care of him.

“Jeok-a has a lively personality, so does he perhaps feel stifled here?”

“Unless he goes to a pasture, he won’t live better than here, no matter where he is.”

“I’ll have to take him with me when I get married later, but won’t he be lonely if he leaves here?”

“He has very clear preferences, so how about asking for a horse that seems friendly to him at that time?”

Excuse me? Are you perhaps indirectly saying that Jeok-a has no friends?

My baby has no friends!

With a slightly troubled heart, I took a lap around Saboksi and returned, and Gaia and the court ladies familiarly handed me a bundle they had brought.

“I brought some food; take it.”

“We gratefully accept what Princess Jaga bestows upon us.”

“Take good care of Jeok-a.”

“Of course.”

The grooms’ faces brightened as they received the bundle.

Since I never came empty-handed, the grooms didn’t dislike my visits. They were also extremely active in taking care of Jeok-a. No matter how much they worked in the palace, opportunities to eat food from the royal family were rare.

For reference, it’s not castella [a type of sponge cake]. It’s not just that the ingredients are expensive, but I’m careful to maintain its rarity.

“I brought a lot, so have the Gyeomsabok share it with his friend.”

“We are deeply grateful, Princess Jaga.”

It wouldn’t be good for either of us to pretend to know each other, but since I received help yesterday, this much should be fine.

Since the situation wasn’t ideal, I thought it wouldn’t be good to stay too long, so I got off the horse and approached Jeok-a again for the last time to say goodbye.

“Jeok-a, I’ll be going now, so have fun.”

“You cherish the horse very much.”

What, why, what’s the problem?

This man is acting strangely friendly, even though he only saw me briefly yesterday.

I’m not someone you can just talk to so casually.

‘Just what is this man, that he has no fear?’

If he’s a Gyeomsabok, there’s a high possibility that his status isn’t high, but perhaps that’s why he’s not afraid.

Or did I act too politely yesterday, so he sees me as easy to deal with?

That would be a problem.

Since the class system is strict, I wouldn’t create a problem, but I’m a little concerned about bowing my head deeply yesterday.

‘If that’s found out, I might get scolded a little, but this man could be dragged away.’

Originally, it was the unreasonable way of the world that even if the superior did something wrong, the inferior would be the one to be punished.

The prospective Gyeomsabok, who had no choice but to look down at me due to the inevitable height difference, even though he was bowing his head, seemed to be staring at me intently.

‘Gyeomsaboks and Naegeumwi [Inner Guard] who work in the palace are said to be chosen for their appearance, and this man is tall.’

I was wondering why he was looking at me like that, and I was contemplating whether to ask him when suddenly, a loud noise erupted from somewhere.

“What’s going on?”

“It seems to be coming from the Gwollaegaksa [Office of Royal Decrees] side.”

Saboksi was close to Gwollaegaksa, so it wasn’t strange that the noise from there could be heard here. But why would there be such a commotion there?

‘Ah, perhaps it’s… related to treason.’

I couldn’t think of anything else that would cause such a commotion inside the palace right now.

I grabbed the reins of Jeok-a, who hadn’t been let inside yet, stroked his neck, and reassured him that it was okay. They were all trained horses, but they could be agitated by the unfamiliar commotion and collide with each other and get hurt.

Other horses were also out for regular exercise, so when the commotion broke out, some sensitive horses began to show excessive reactions.

“Princess Jaga, leave the horse to me and quickly evacuate……”

As the surroundings became chaotic, the man who was said to be a prospective Gyeomsabok frowned and tried to grab Jeok-a’s reins in my place. Jeok-a, however, seemed displeased and even stepped back, avoiding his touch.

‘Horses aren’t good at walking backward, but when did Jeok-a learn that skill?’

And the problem occurred the next moment.

“Get out of the way!!”

“Catch him!!”

The owner of the first voice was a low-ranking official. Several low-ranking officials in similar attire were following behind him, and Uigeumbu [Royal Investigation Bureau] officers appeared to be chasing them.

It was obvious that they were running away.

But why are they coming this way?

“?!”

Whether his claim of being a prospective Gyeomsabok was true or not, one of the low-ranking officials running this way was grabbed by the prospective Gyeomsabok and collapsed. One of the officials who ran after him didn’t see me, and without any fear, grabbed Jeok-a and climbed on.

“Ah.”

Heeeeeeing!!

“Ugh!!”

The next moment, he fell off Jeok-a’s back in a commotion, as Jeok-a writhed unpleasantly.

And because of Jeok-a’s writhing, the official’s screams, and the approaching officers, some of the surrounding horses were startled and ran in all directions, causing other horses to panic and run wild.

“Kyaaak!”

“Uwaaaak!!”

Jeok-a was a smart child, so he was skillfully avoiding stepping on people and running around, but the other horses were not.

“Gasp!”

In the commotion caused by Jeok-a and the official who fell to the ground, one of the horses, also startled, was running in the direction I was in.

If I stay like this, I’ll get trampled! Without any time to avoid it, I instinctively crouched down, and someone snatched my body.

“!”

“Princess Jaga!”

When I came to my senses, I was in the arms of the man who was said to be a prospective Gyeomsabok.

“?”

“Princess Jaga, are you alright?”

“Oh, yes.”

He was clearly holding the fleeing official until just now, but when did he appear? Thanks to him, I survived, but the inside of Saboksi, where the horses were running wild due to the sudden situation, was chaotic.

‘What on earth is going on?’

And there was no time to be so leisurely.

“Behind, behind you!”

“Hold on tight!!”

“Okay!”

Surprised by my words, the man turned around and rolled his body as it was. I grabbed whatever I could get my hands on and squeezed my eyes shut.

It seemed like staying still as I was told was helping.

“Ugh……!”

At the same time as rolling and getting up from the ground, something snapped, and a groan flowed from the prospective Gyeomsabok’s mouth.

“Are you hurt……? Another one, another one is coming!”

“Keuheuk…….”

The man, groaning about where he was hurt, rolled once again at my words and barely moved his body to the empty riding grounds. Fortunately, the situation was gradually calming down, thanks to the grooms who were sweating profusely and catching and stabilizing the horses one by one.

As the noise subsided, I carefully opened my eyes again and grasped the situation, and suddenly, I realized that what my hand was holding onto was not clothes.

What’s in my hand is… black… a clump of thread… not… similar to hair but much shorter……

‘Oh, perhaps this is… that… could it be… a beard……?’

Could it be that the reason why this man groaned a few times earlier was not because he hurt somewhere else……?

Rolling my eyes and looking above my head, the crater where the beard was pulled out was clear on the prospective Gyeomsabok’s chin.

Ah…….

“……”

I, who unintentionally repaid kindness with enmity, decided to just pretend to faint on the spot and closed my eyes.

I was tired anyway… and I felt sleepy too……