Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 46

“Your Highness, Princess!! Please come to your senses!!”

Ah, that’s Gai’s voice. Is it already time to wake up?

‘But why is he calling me so urgently?’

I was wondering if I could ask to sleep more since I was tired, but a strange man’s worried voice pierced my eardrums.

“Your Highness, Princess!!”

Instantly, I realized something was wrong and opened my eyes, simultaneously understanding the situation.

I thought I could pretend to regain consciousness midway, but it seemed I had really lost consciousness.

‘Or am I really asleep? If I actually fell asleep in that situation, that’s even more amazing.’

Of course, after experiencing such a thing without fully recovering from yesterday’s fatigue, my body couldn’t handle it. Even though the horses were going crazy and I was holding a handful of a strange man’s beard!

‘Was I actually very shocked?’

Putting aside my own mental health, I had to deal with the current situation first.

I couldn’t startle the royal family, who were sensitive about my health, any further.

“Gai?”

“Your Highness, Princess, are you awake?”

“Yeah.”

Gai, with a face about to cry, was also a mess. It seemed everyone else had rolled on the dirt floor when the horses were going wild, not just me.

But when I turned my head, the face of that *Gyeomsabok* [officer of the Royal Guard] officer was right above my head.

Why am I still being held by this guy?

To be precise, being carried safely and respectfully?

Thanks to that, the spot where his beard was pulled out was still very, clearly, visible.

‘Ugh. Oh my god, what do I do.’

Seeing the scene of my unintentional crime, I wanted to faint again.

Ughhh, I’m sorry!!!!

Seeing the red under his chin where the beard was pulled out, it looked very painful, and I shuddered without realizing it.

But he misunderstood that in another way and accelerated his worry.

“Are, are you alright, Your Highness?”

“It’s okay. I’m fine. Um…….”

“Your Highness, Princess?!”

Just as I was about to apologize, we arrived at the royal infirmary, and the voices of surprised doctors echoed from everywhere.

“Your Highness, Princess?!”

“Your Highness, Princess!!”

“Ah…….”

Since I had eaten poisoned persimmons, I had been examined by various doctors in the royal infirmary, so familiar-faced doctors and nurses rushed over to check my pulse.

“What happened?!”

“Ah, I think I was just a little surprised.”

I felt like I had rolled around a bit, but fortunately, I wasn’t hurt anywhere.

‘Not even a scratch.’

The *Gwolnaegaksa* [Office of the Royal Secretariat], where the royal infirmary was located, was close to the *Saboksi* [Department of Horses], so it seemed the time I had lost consciousness wasn’t very long.

While they were checking my pulse, Gai and the *Gyeomsabok* officer were staring at the doctor with serious faces.

“I’m fine, so both of you calm down.”

How can they check my pulse properly if you’re scaring them?

Gai is understandable, but why is this guy like this again?

It was a sudden incident, so he wouldn’t be punished for not protecting me, but he was more affectionate than I thought.

‘He helped me yesterday, too. Is he weak to children?’

Anyway, he didn’t seem like a bad person.

The doctors at the royal infirmary, after checking my pulse, diagnosed that I had lost consciousness for a moment due to being too surprised by the sudden accident, and prescribed a herbal medicine to calm my mind and told me to rest well.

At the same time as the doctor said I was okay, sighs of relief came from everywhere. And at the same time, the *Gyeomsabok* officer quickly disappeared from the royal infirmary.

‘Ah, I couldn’t even say thank you.’

After that, I was carried to my residence without even touching the ground.

Thanks to that, the fatigue from yesterday’s events was appropriately buried, and after taking a bath in warm water, I became drowsy and fell asleep again.

And after sleeping soundly and receiving the extreme care of the court ladies, enjoying the life of a golden spoon [born into wealth and privilege], I received an unexpected message from my royal father that he would come to see me that evening.

‘He must have heard about today’s events.’

I thought he wouldn’t look for me for a while because of the treason.

When it comes to treason, people get hurt and bloody things happen, so isn’t it emotionally unfavorable to be close to young children?

But he must have heard that I fainted from shock, so he can’t just ignore it.

‘He must be exhausted, so he needs healing.’

I loosened my facial muscles to show that I was fine, and briefly pondered the need for skincare, but quickly gave up.

‘I’m still young, why bother managing this soft skin?’

As I thought he would come soon, I went outside my residence and saw a group of people rushing towards me in the distance.

“Father!”

“I told you not to be outside.”

When I hugged him tightly, a faint smile appeared on the tired king’s face.

Despite looking tired, the king matched my eye level and carefully examined my condition, then gently picked me up and patted my back.

“Are you alright? Do you know how surprised I was to hear that you collapsed from shock?”

“I am sorry for causing you concern.”

“You must never forget that your father is always worried about you. If anything happens to the Princess, how can I face Royal Concubine Yun?”

“Yes, Father.”

Hugging the tired king and patting his back, I raised my head and saw the Crown Prince behind him, also trying to hide his exhaustion.

‘Long time no see.’

I waved my hand slightly, and I saw him smirking.

‘Judging by his condition, it doesn’t seem like he got caught sneaking out.’

And behind the Crown Prince, the *Gyeomsabok* officer I saw earlier was standing.

His beard… was still half-pulled out.

“Ah…….”

“What’s wrong?”

The king, who was wondering why I was making strange noises, saw that my gaze was on the *Gyeomsabok* and suppressed a laugh.

‘Sob sob. Is it funny?’

Of course, it would be funny since he wasn’t the one who suffered it!

The only ones who couldn’t laugh here were the victim, the *Gyeomsabok*, and the perpetrator, me.

“Seongyun saved you today, I heard.”

“Seongyun?”

“I mean *Gyeomsabok* Seong.”

Ah, so that officer’s name was Seongyun?

‘But does the king know his name too?’

Whether I was wondering or not, the king praised the *Gyeomsabok* officer.

“If it weren’t for you, the Princess might have experienced something terrible.”

“It was my duty to do so. Rather, I am sorry for startling Her Highness, the Princess.”

“No. I know that you saved the Princess from being harmed by the remnants of the rebels. I am also a father, so how can I not be grateful?”

“I am honored, Your Majesty.”

“If there is anything you want, tell me.”

“I just want to live in peace for a while.”

“Is that so…….”

What, what is it?

No matter how I look at it, this atmosphere is not just a *Gyeomsabok*???

“Stay as a *Gyeomsabok* for a while, and if your mind changes, tell me anytime.”

“I am honored, Your Majesty.”

“…And it would be good to tidy up that beard a bit.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The *Gyeomsabok* officer stepped back, and the royal father and the Crown Prince went inside and had tea with me, checking again to see if I was hurt anywhere.

Thanks to that, I couldn’t even say anything to the *Gyeomsabok* officer and had to let him go. Sob sob, I’m sorry.

I explained what had happened earlier and asked about the *Gyeomsabok* officer.

“But what kind of person is that *Gyeomsabok*?”

“I wanted the Crown Prince to use him importantly, but it seems difficult for a while.”

“?”

What, why did you call him in front of me if you weren’t going to tell me anything?

Of course, he probably called him to properly praise him in front of me for saving me.

‘The Crown Prince seems to know something even if I’m still young and they don’t tell me.’

Anyway, my mission was healing, so I patted the king’s shoulder appropriately and checked the Crown Prince’s complexion.

He wasn’t normal either, but his complexion wasn’t too bad, so it seemed that the Ji-hwa siblings hadn’t been caught.

‘It was worth the effort.’

I can’t let my guard down yet, but I was sure that they had escaped based on the development.

***

It was several days later that I met the Crown Prince directly and heard the story about the Ji-hwa siblings and the *Gyeomsabok*.

I wondered if it was so difficult to have a conversation between siblings like a secret rendezvous, but there were so many people around the Crown Prince, and above all, he was very busy.

He was very busy.

Normally, it was okay if I was quietly watching during *Ganghak* [royal lecture], but this time he was busy learning the unpleasant practical work of cleaning up after the treason, so I couldn’t interfere.

In addition, my palace people, including Gai, confined me to my room, saying that I needed to be stable, and fed me only nutritious and delicious food, so I couldn’t even go outside my residence.

‘I’m going to become an obese child at this rate!’

The maids and *Jimil* maids [maids who attend to royalty] who made the food I eat do a *Gimmi* (氣味) [royal food tasting] in front of me.

It’s not originally a set law, but it’s been like that since the persimmon incident.

If I say this, it seems like everyone will eat together and gain weight, but unlike me, who rolls around in the room and plays and eats, everyone else eats and goes to work, so as a result, it was obvious that only I would become plump.

Of course, originally, I’m still at an age where I should eat a lot, but if I don’t grow well, where will it all go?

“Young lady. You should rest a little more…….”

“Stop! I’m going to make cookies!”

After finally getting out after a few days, I went to visit the Crown Prince, who had a haggard complexion, with the lump of sugar I was supposed to eat, no, the high-calorie snack.

That picky guy doesn’t easily put food in his mouth unless it’s made by someone he trusts, so he mainly enjoyed the snacks I made.

Thanks to that, the palace people of the *Donggung* Palace [Crown Prince’s residence] would sneak into my residence when the Crown Prince was tired and irritable, but this time I was in a semi-confined state in my residence, so they couldn’t come and were just anxious.

Those who knew that the Crown Prince relieved stress by enjoying snacks with me retreated, keeping a distance where the conversation could not be heard, after setting up the tea table.

“You have a lot to say on your face.”

“Yeah.”

“You made it, right?”

“Of course.”

The Crown Prince ate the honey-sprinkled pudding I brought and answered my questions.

For reference, I called the pudding “Tanggle” because I was too lazy to name it, but the Crown Prince refused to call the pudding a noun and only referred to it as a demonstrative pronoun such as this, that, or it.

What a weakling.

“Then are the two of them still missing?”

“Yes. It’s a cruel thing that someone who could have been the Crown Princess is now being chased as the daughter of a traitor.”

“I thought you liked her.”

As I said that and looked at him, the Crown Prince smiled awkwardly.

“I wouldn’t say I liked her, but rather that we got along well. She was also knowledgeable about medical books, so we communicated well.”

“You must be busy studying, but you’re still interested in medical books.”

“It’s never bad to know.”

Well, the Queen is also sickly.

Since the poison I ate is still unknown, it was no wonder that the royal physicians felt frustrated.

Anyway, I changed the subject because it was awkward to continue talking about someone who had disappeared and was no longer able to become the Crown Princess.

‘Of course, she’s the female lead, so she’ll be back.’

Of course, the topic I brought up was about Seongyun *Gyeomsabok*.

As if he had expected me to ask about him, the Crown Prince nodded and suddenly asked this.

“Do you know what a *Chetam-in* (體探人) [royal secret agent] is?”