Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 48

“…Your Highness is absolutely right.”

Seong-yoon, who had been tracing his scar with a hollow laugh, quickly returned to the matter at hand.

“But what brings such a noble person to a place like this again?”

“I lost something that day, and I was hoping I might find it.”

“Even so, it’s dangerous for you to come outside the palace like this.”

“But this is the last thing Crown Prince Seongwon entrusted to me…”

As she drooped her eyebrows with a dejected look, Seong-yoon, like Gain and Song-bi, was at a loss for words.

“……”

It wasn’t intentional, but at this point, it felt like a magic word.

After a moment of silence, Seong-yoon rose as if he had made up his mind.

“Then I will escort you.”

“You’ll help me?”

“I can’t bear to send Your Highness and Court Lady Hong alone.”

“Thank you!”

When I clung to his neck, Seong-yoon couldn’t avoid me, nor could he lift me up. He hesitated in an awkward posture for a while before gently patting my shoulder.

‘I’ve forgotten my status again.’

My close family and the palace maids like it when I do this, so it seems to have become a habit.

I need to be more careful now.

Song-bi seemed taken aback by the sudden addition to our company, but she seemed quite relieved that there was one more pair of hands to look after me.

Perhaps because Song-bi wasn’t originally part of the Secret Chamber, she tended to lack confidence.

It was fortunate that she and Gain, who was clever and quick-witted, seemed to get along well, even though Gain’s presence inevitably led to comparisons.

‘Perhaps it’s because they’re both in somewhat isolated positions.’

Song-bi wasn’t originally part of the Secret Chamber, and Gain had originally been a court lady of Royal Concubine Yeong and Consort Hong, but she had betrayed her mistresses and come under my care, so both of them were rather awkward with the other palace maids.

Now, it seemed that Gain was strictly maintaining discipline, and Song-bi was comforting the others, which seemed to be creating a decent atmosphere.

On the way, I explained about the jade ring to Seong-yoon. Seeing his troubled face, it seemed he also thought it would be difficult, but he didn’t say anything else.

The road to Namdaemun [Great Southern Gate of Seoul] was quite long, so I was riding on Jeok-ah again today.

The capital city, which I was visiting for the first time since the masquerade, was still bustling, but I saw things I hadn’t noticed that day.

‘There weren’t many people out that day, so it wasn’t very noticeable, but there are indeed many people who seem to be in dire straits.’

It’s almost June now, so the barley harvest is approaching.

I don’t really feel it since I’m always inside the palace. But this isn’t exactly a world where it’s easy to live.

‘Come to think of it, even in modern Korea, which is a prosperous era, there were homeless people and beggars.’

Was it Namdaemun or Seoul Station where I saw a homeless person before?

While I was lost in thought, Seong-yoon, who had been listening to the gatekeepers of Namdaemun, shook his head.

“No one has seen the jade ring, they say.”

“I see.”

I had no choice but to give up on revisiting the house in the village where I had been with Soo-cheon that day.

‘Hmm.’

That family might be going through quite a bit of hardship because of their entanglement.

But if I interfered unnecessarily, things would only become more complicated, so it was better to pretend I didn’t know.

“Then, what about the place where I ran into Vice-Captain Seong that day?”

“It would be better for me to go and look for it alone later than for Your Highness to go there yourself. But since it’s already been some time, it will be difficult to find if it’s gone.”

“I suppose so.”

“Besides, it would be troublesome if we ran into strange people like that day again.”

It was a shame, but he was right.

With Seong-yoon here, it didn’t seem likely that anyone would show up to cause trouble like that time.

“I’m sorry to have made you two waste your time. Um, shall we rest for a bit before heading back? Song-bi, aren’t your legs tired?”

“I’m fine.”

“There isn’t really a place for Your Highness to rest around here…”

Why are you looking for a place to rest based on my standards as a princess?

I pointed to a tavern I saw.

“There’s a tavern over there. Song-bi, did you bring money?”

“I did bring money, but Your Highness, are you really sure?”

Song-bi looked troubled.

In fact, Song-bi had reason to worry.

Ever since the dried persimmon incident, the people around me had become extremely picky about what went into my mouth.

On top of that, I was more concerned about cleanliness and hygiene than was typical for this era, so there was no way a roadside tavern would meet my standards.

Song-bi, who had become just as meticulous about cleanliness because of me, knew that fact better than anyone else.

‘The taste might be good, but it’s hard to expect cleanliness, I suppose.’

But this isn’t the actual Joseon era [Korean kingdom from 1392 to 1897], and it’s a world in a novel that’s been somewhat idealized, so wouldn’t it be okay?

“It’s okay just to rest for a bit.”

“Then… shall we go to a place I know? It’s not a place fit for Your Highness, but it’s better than other places.”

“Let’s do that.”

At Seong-yoon’s words, who was looking at the anxious Song-bi with pity, Song-bi quickly nodded her head.

Fortunately, the tavern Seong-yoon mentioned wasn’t far away.

I decided to put on a suitably vague expression and entered the tavern.

As I entered the tavern, a surprisingly delicious smell wafted through the air.

I was hungry, so I ordered as soon as I sat down.

“Three bowls of rice soup here, please. Make it delicious.”

“Yes, yes, I understand!”

In historical dramas, tavern food appears more often than royal cuisine. Perhaps due to filming reasons, there are often just boiled chicken and side dishes of seasoned vegetables rather than soup dishes.

Still, when it comes to taverns, rice soup is the way to go.

“Rice soup… you say?”

“Why? Can’t I eat it?”

“No, but…”

Before Seong-yoon, who was anxiously shaking his pupils at my order, a bowl of steaming rice soup arrived.

Thump!

Along with a piercing gaze.

“Is there something wrong with our rice soup?”

“No, there isn’t…”

The tavern owner’s cold glare, which was directed at the person obstructing her business, silenced even the most seasoned spies who crossed borders and risked their lives.

“Will you be drinking?”

“No.”

The tavern owner, who seemed displeased with the non-drinking, unprofitable customer, glared at Seong-yoon and stepped back, smiling at me.

She seemed to have instinctively recognized who the patron was… or rather, I came in wearing nice clothes and riding a horse.

“Are you doing overtime because of me on your day off?”

“I’m not used to resting yet, so this is more comfortable.”

“I see.”

I guess it was a profession where you couldn’t rest.

This wasn’t an era where you could rest one or two days a week. Even officials only rested about one day every fifteen days.

It was an era that someone who had lived in the five-day workweek era couldn’t adapt to.

I clicked my tongue and put a spoonful of rice soup in my mouth.

“Oh? It’s delicious.”

Ooh, ooh. This is the taste you get when you taste it locally!

“Do you like it?”

“Yeah.”

Whether it was because the tavern owner’s skills were good, the rice soup was surprisingly delicious.

I was even prepared for a bit of a gamey smell.

And I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but it seemed like there was a lot of meat in my bowl. Is this perhaps discrimination based on status?

“Song-bi, do you want more meat?”

Seong-yoon had a strange look on his face when he saw me taking meat and giving it to Song-bi.

“Your Highness is… unique.”

“Am I?”

I ate the rice soup while chatting and glancing around, and I saw beggar children begging near the tavern.

I heard that there were designated areas for begging, so those children must be the ones who roamed around this area. Since Namdaemun wasn’t far from here, I suddenly wondered if those children might have seen me drop the jade ring.

“Those children roam around this area a lot, so I wonder if they’ve seen the ring.”

“I don’t think you should do that. The children won’t listen to you willingly.”

“You won’t know unless you try.”

“They might deceive Your Highness.”

“Even if I’m deceived, it’s not a big loss. Those children probably need money.”

“What if those thugs we saw last time show up?”

“Wow. We have a reliable man here.”

“Your Highness…”

Seong-yoon, who had already shown off his strength in front of me once, couldn’t bring himself to deny it.

I stopped eating the rice soup and approached the children to talk to them.

“Hey, kids. Can I ask you something for a moment?”

“What is it? We welcome donations.”

“I lost a jade ring near Namdaemun on the day of the masquerade…”

“Do you think we stole it?!”

Why are they suddenly getting so worked up….

I could see the younger children among the group hiding in surprise.

And on this side, Seong-yoon was approaching as the child, who looked about a head taller than me, got angry.

I calmed the child who was shouting in anger to prevent things from escalating and asked again.

“No, no. I’m just asking if you’ve seen it.”

“We don’t know anything about that, so go on your way. Hey, let’s go.”

“Huh? But…”

“Let’s go.”

I don’t know what was bothering him so much, but the child who seemed to be the leader was trying to drag the young children away.

The young children were confused and hesitated. In particular, one of the young children who had been hiding behind waved and smiled at me.

If such a young child is begging with children who are only a few years older, does that mean their parents abandoned them?

Just as I was about to let them go, I saw the child toddling after their older siblings and eventually took out the easiest means.

Clatter-

The children who had stopped turned their heads towards me all at once.

“You really don’t know anything at all?”

In front of the clear sound of the bundle of coins I took out, the children’s heads became heavy, and their mouths became light.

The child who had returned to me was now speaking politely.

“We haven’t seen it, but we can check for you.”

“Will it take long?”

“We collect anything that can be turned into money from the things we’ve picked up, so we can check quickly.”

I handed over exactly half of the bundle of coins and said.

“Okay. If you check, I’ll give you the rest. And if you find my jade ring, you’ll get another bundle. Just so you know, the jade ring I’m looking for has a mark on it, so you can tell if it’s mine by touching it. It’s no use bringing something else.”

“I understand. You just want us to check, right?”

“Yeah. I’m counting on you. If I’m not here, you can tell the tavern owner.”

The children confirmed a few more things with me and then disappeared in a hurry. Behind me, Seong-yoon clicked his tongue.

“Those guys won’t be back.”

“Well, that’s just how it is.”

For now, shall I finish eating the rice soup?

And as Seong-yoon predicted, the children didn’t return for quite some time.

“But leave the money with the tavern owner.”

“Your Highness.”

“I can’t lie just because those children didn’t keep their promise, can I?”

Some time later, after seeing me handing out wads of cash to the beggars, the tavern owner brought me various foods such as pancakes and rice cakes, and I got up leisurely, feeling full.

‘I feel like I’ve become a rich young lady enjoying commoner food as a delicacy.’

I think something like this has appeared in a drama before.

“Your Highness, are you alright?”

“Yeah. I’m fine. I didn’t think I’d find it anyway.”

Since I’m not an idiot, I knew that it would be difficult to find it now.

Even so, why did I come out like this?

Of course, that jade ring was special, but there were already plenty of things in the palace that could be called mementos of Crown Prince Seongwon.

But somehow, I had a strange sense of guilt that I had lost something that had been entrusted to me.

“We must return before it gets dark.”

At Song-bi’s worried whisper, I nodded without resistance.

But the road back to the palace was not smooth.

“We didn’t do it!!”