Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 51

I was born as the daughter of a low-ranking concubine. (51)

In any case, gratefully accepting what adults give you was the wisdom of living in the world.

It’s not like I can refuse even if I want to.

My father’s short break, which was just about drinking tea while looking at his daughter’s face, was over, and I had to return to my residence. On the way, Seong Gyeom-sabok [a type of royal guard] happened to be with me, so I felt I had to address his unnecessary comments to the King.

When I beckoned, Seong-yoon approached me with a beaming smile, seemingly delighted.

“What is your call, Princess?”

“Why did you say that to Father?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The story about professional soldiers; you didn’t have to say I suggested it.”

“I only told him because I thought it wouldn’t be bad for His Majesty to consider it.”

“Why didn’t you just say Seong Gyeom-sabok came up with it?”

“I am not talented enough to covet other people’s achievements. Besides, I don’t want to be caught and put to work.”

Ah, was that why? He was afraid of getting stuck with the responsibility?

“How did you survive in this harsh world like that?”

“I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t survived well. I guess I’m just lucky.”

“Where were you stationed before?”

Ah, is it okay to ask something like this?

I paused for a moment, but Seong-yoon answered surprisingly readily.

I was whispering, so perhaps only Gai, who was following behind me, could hear.

“I was dispatched to the north.”

“North? Then have you ever been to the Tumen River? How about Baekdu Mountain [also known as Mount Paektu, a volcanic mountain on the border between North Korea and China]?”

“I have not been to Baekdu Mountain, but I have been to the Tumen River.”

“Wow. I want to go too.”

In my previous life, there were many difficulties even if I wanted to go.

And that was the same in this era.

“It is a very rough place for the Princess to visit.”

“I guess so?”

I don’t want to take risks to go there. It’s not like I want to go there because the scenery is outstanding.

“Then would Baekdu Mountain be okay?”

Still, shouldn’t I see the Cheonji [Heaven Lake, a crater lake on Baekdu Mountain] of Baekdu Mountain with my own eyes before I die?

“……How are you going to climb Baekdu Mountain…….”

“By walking?”

Ah, is it more difficult in this era because there are no proper hiking trails? I don’t even have hiking shoes.

Still, hiking is better when you’re young. Your body is heavy when you get old.

It’s a bit sad that I realized that in my 20s, but that’s the truth.

But that doesn’t mean I can go to Baekdu Mountain now, so I immediately changed my mind.

“Hmm. Should I just be satisfied with going to Geumgang Mountain [Diamond Mountain, a mountain range in North Korea] later?”

“Princess. Do you want to leave the palace?”

“Aren’t I going to leave someday? Unlike His Highness the Crown Prince, I’m not going to live only in the palace, so shouldn’t I go somewhere else since I’m leaving anyway?”

Tourism is still Jeju Island [a popular tourist destination in South Korea], but I should avoid Jeju Island in this era because of endemic diseases.

Besides, there are no planes, so I have to go south and take a boat, but if I’m unlucky, I have to travel by boat for several days, so it’s likely to be an unpleasant trip.

Seong-yoon chuckled lightly as if my way of thinking about going on a tour when I leave the palace was strange.

“You are truly curious, Princess.”

“Rather than curiosity, it’s about finding enjoyable things. I have a duty to live happily and enjoyably.”

“A duty?”

“Yes. That’s my duty as a princess.”

My biological mother who left early, my younger sibling who was never born, and my older brother who died a violent death at a young age.

My biological father, who sent his first wife, his first son born to his wife, his concubine who he met late in life, and his youngest son who was supposed to be born, away first.

My younger brother, who lost his beloved brother, witnessed his only younger sister collapsing in front of his eyes, vomiting blood, and the girl he gave his heart to became the daughter of a traitor and ran away.

Since there are only unhappy people around me, I should live happily without worry to balance things out.

“Still, it will be difficult to go far from the beginning, so where would you like to go among the closer places?”

“Ah. Then I want to go to Yangju… Jinjeop first.”

“Yangju Jinjeop, are you talking about [referring to a specific location in Yangju]?”

“Yes. There’s a grave there.”

Of my biological mother.

Since concubines cannot leave the capital alive, graves are mostly made in their hometowns.

It would be difficult if it was a distant province, but fortunately, it’s not too far because it’s Gyeonggi-do [province surrounding Seoul], so I thought I could visit anytime after I get married.

‘I couldn’t even attend the funeral properly because I collapsed from a fever and collapsed from poison. I should go later and hold a proper memorial service.’

Thinking of my sister, the tip of my nose tingles again.

It’s because not much time has passed yet.

‘It’ll be okay in a few years.’

I knew from experience. That everything will become dull after a certain amount of time.

This is because not enough time has passed yet.

Besides, the life of a princess who has to stay in the palace was too quiet and boring.

‘I like it when I’m a little busy.’

I had nothing to do to the point where I wondered if studying out of boredom was like this.

Originally, I should be playing tag with the court ladies my age, but that was a bit much.

Thanks to that, time here flowed too slowly. I couldn’t help but realize that it was thanks to my smartphone that I wasn’t bored even when I was rolling around on the floor all day.

As I was lost in thought and silent, the surroundings also became quiet. It was uncomfortable that I couldn’t be alone.

Everyone knows what the grave I mentioned is, so it was even more so.

Seong-yoon, who had been silent for a while in accordance with the quiet atmosphere, spoke first.

“I……”

“Huh?”

“I know that area well. If the Princess visits Jinjeop later, may I escort you?”

“Are you really quitting Gyeom-sabok?”

“Can’t you hire me at the Princess’s private residence?”

“What are you going to do in the Princess’s office?”

Is a high-level workforce, a former secret agent and current Gyeom-sabok, now applying for private security guard employment?

“Wouldn’t it be nice to act as a guest at ordinary times and use me when you go out to play?”

“I’ll get a Gusa [a type of royal guard] later, so I don’t need anyone else to use.”

Gusa is a servant assigned to so-called high-ranking people such as meritorious subjects or relatives of the royal family. In historical dramas, there are sometimes people who rush around saying, ‘Get out of the way! So-and-so Daegam is coming!’

Ah, do princesses not get it? Even if they don’t give it to me, I have to ask for it.

“Why wouldn’t you need it? Wouldn’t it be useful even later? Or when your husband treats you unfairly.”

“Hmm.”

Clenching his fist, it sounded like he was going to beat up the husband if he didn’t like him, but that wouldn’t be the case.

Well, no matter how much of a royal daughter she is, you never know what will happen if her husband mistreats her.

Even among the princesses of the Joseon Dynasty, wasn’t there a daughter of Jungjong (*Princess Hyojung)? The husband intentionally did not inform the royal family of the princess’s critical condition, and even after the princess had already died, he did not allow the doctors and female doctors sent from the palace to enter the house and sent them back, raising suspicions of murder.

Honestly, doesn’t it look suspicious to anyone? It’s not like checking vitals like in modern times, and even if someone has already stopped breathing, people want to grab at straws to save them, but he didn’t even let them into the house.

Even though a husband of a princess of Joseon could not legally have a concubine while his wife was alive, he treated the court lady the princess brought as a concubine like his legal wife. Then, he spread the nonsense that it was okay because the princess told him to take her as a concubine, and even the officials defended him. They teach women that jealousy is a sin, so I guess that’s how it is.

Jungjong was so angry that he exiled the husband, and he even had a sweet time with his concubine in the place of exile (sent to the area where the husband’s family home was located, thinking of the princess).

They even defended her by saying that the court lady was like a sister to the princess and had strong loyalty, but before she was a sister or loyal, if she was sane, she wouldn’t have taken a concubine and followed a guy who was exiled to the place of exile. They’re talking nonsense.

‘If there was a wife who really met other men because her husband allowed her to meet other men, they would have tried to execute her.’

Besides, there were many cases where the husbands of Joseon Dynasty princesses went to courtesan houses and acted like prodigals even though they were legally unable to have concubines.

Of course, no matter how much of a prodigal he was, he wouldn’t hit the princess, but it seemed like a good idea to have this high-level workforce roll in on their own.

“Let’s think about it when I get married later.”

“Haha. I’ll be waiting.”

I don’t know when it will be in a few years.

‘Well, I’ve been calling him often these days, so I think we’ve gotten a little closer.’

Because it’s hard to see new faces in the palace, and no one knows the world outside the capital as well as Seong-yoon, I keep calling him to hear stories.

Besides, since Gyeom-sabok commutes to work, he can sometimes go to that tavern and check if the children are doing well.

‘He seems to be looking hard, but should I tell him to give up soon?’

Even if he couldn’t find it, I was going to help him for a while in the name of a reward. I can’t keep giving them food forever.

***

And some time later, I heard from Seong-yoon that the children had found the jade ring.

“Those guys are so brazen that they insisted that the young lady had to come in person to show it to them.”

“Haha. How can children living on the streets be of ordinary mettle?”

“What are you going to do?”

“They want me to come because they want to see me, so I’ll go once.”

In fact, I said that, but my real intention was slightly different.

‘The palace is too… seriously no fun. Let’s go out a bit.’

It’s a little more relaxed than before, but the atmosphere in the palace is still rigid due to the treason, so the atmosphere is more bleak than usual.

In fact, after the day I fainted, I’ve been a little hesitant to go out and act like usual, so I’ve been rolling around in my residence these days, so I’m even more bored and bored.

“Do you really have to go out in person?”

“I will receive the jade ring from the children, so if you wait……”

“I said I would go in person, are you going to make me a liar?”

No, what’s wrong with lying a little? Ignoring Song-bi’s grumbling, I started preparing for an outing again.

Since it was the third time, everyone was used to it, and preparing and getting out of the palace was instantaneous.

But in front of my eyes, who was going to quickly check the ring and come back, there was an unnecessary commotion.

“Give it to me!”

“This, huh? It was in our area! Huh? I saw your little kid, huh? sneaking in and taking it, huh?”

Some unfamiliar kids were bothering my client(?). Judging from the conversation, I could roughly guess what happened, but I was very annoyed.

I was just going to find the jade ring and play around and go in, but why is there such an obstacle?

I looked at Seong-yoon without saying a word.

Seong-yoon, who read my mind, approached the children, grabbed the back of their necks and dropped them, then winked at the familiar child holding the jade ring.

The child, who found me following Seong-yoon’s gaze, ran to me with a bright face and handed me the jade ring.

“You came! This! I found it!!”

“Thank you. Thank you, but…… are you okay?”

“I’m okay. That’s nothing. I would have won even if that uncle didn’t help?”

I don’t think that’s the problem. I sighed softly as I listened to the strange honorifics that still came and went.

Seong-yoon, who confirmed that I had received the jade ring, let go of the noisy child and ran to this side.

“Win? Who wins! I still heard that you were hurt, huh? I’m being considerate, huh? Do you know what you’re talking about?”

As the child with a unique way of speaking approached, the two naturally started bickering again.

“Um, stop it. So what do you want?”

“The reward we promised to give them. Half is enough.”

“Where did this robber X come from……”

“The thief is, huh? you! We found it in our area, huh!!”

“You didn’t even know it existed!”

“How do you know what’s in the mud!”

I calmed the children who were fighting again, raising their voices. This was a tavern, and the owner was glaring at this side with scary eyes.

“Um. But what did we promise to give as a reward?”

“……We decided to give them food.”

Since we decided to change the reward after seeing the money being taken away, that was still valid. I told the unfamiliar uninvited child that fact as well.

“It doesn’t matter if you come and eat with us. If the owner is okay with it.”

Of course, the owner said it was okay if I gave her more money.

Because I’m only giving it to the fixed number of people.

“……Really, huh, that’s it? Huh? Not money?”

“I was going to give them money, but they were being robbed, so I decided to give them food.”

“No way!”

“What do you mean no way? You knew I was hurt, but why didn’t you know why I was hurt?”

“I thought you were showing off and got robbed, huh?”

I think I’ll get neurosis if I keep talking to him.

I went to the owner, received a bowl of well-boiled rice soup, put it in front of the children who were talking loudly, and personally scooped it up and put it in their mouths one by one.

“Okay, quiet…… no, you must be hungry, so let’s eat first.”

“Eup?! Uueup!!”

“Eup? Eueueup!!”

Oh dear, it must be hot.