Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 59

‘So, that bastard is more precious than me, is he?’

Whether it’s because of status or gender.

It made me even more stubborn to think that even if I died, the Dowager Queen might not feel any regret.

“Why haven’t you brought a mat yet? No. I have committed a sin against Great Royal Grandmother, so how can I comfortably sit on a mat? I will beg for forgiveness on the stone floor.”

With those words, I sat down in front of the Dowager Queen’s residence.

It was summer, and fortunately, it was still morning, so the floor wasn’t hot.

Scattered on the floor were the precious French toasts that the Dowager Queen had thrown away earlier, looking pitiful.

‘Those will attract ants since they’re sprinkled with sugar.’

I felt bad thinking about how much fuss I had made since dawn, baking bread and cooking, only for it to be thrown away like that.

Our residence’s maids would be happy all day after just one bite and look at me with fervent eyes, wondering when they could eat it again. To ruin such precious things like that.

‘Being so precious, she doesn’t know the value of food.’

Even if not our maids, there were children everywhere outside who would make a fuss just to have one bite.

‘Ah, sleepy.’

I had been tossing and turning lately, and I was exhausted, so my eyes kept closing.

‘No, if I fall asleep and hit my head on the stone floor, what a disgrace.’

Of course, I’m only eight years old, so that level of disgrace is… maybe not a big deal.

Even though the palace maids were fussing around me, I kept nodding off.

If this continues, wouldn’t the maids who are fidgeting over there catch me before I hit my head?

Thinking about it, I had prepared food since dawn to give to the Dowager Queen, so a pitiful young granddaughter who was treated coldly and collapsed wouldn’t be bad either.

Yeah. Let’s go with that. I can’t take it anymore.

Just as I was about to compromise with the overwhelming drowsiness, familiar voices were heard.

“Sia!”

It was the voices of the King and the Crown Prince.

‘Oh. Nice timing….’

Feeling the footsteps getting closer, I fell asleep with relief. Someone safely supporting my head was my last memory, and I fell into a deep sleep for the first time in a long while.

***

And when I woke up, I was lying next to the Queen.

“……Your Majesty?”

“Are you awake, Princess?”

“……Yes.”

While I was blinking, not knowing what was going on, the physician who had been waiting approached and took my pulse.

Soon, the physician bowed with a bright face, saying I was fine, and the Queen gave various instructions to the palace maids.

“Court Lady Jung. Tell His Majesty that Princess Su-yeong has woken up, so he doesn’t need to worry.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

I got up from the Queen’s arms, drank the cool drink I was given, and cautiously looked around.

“His Majesty was very surprised.”

“I am sorry.”

Come to think of it, why did those two come to the Dowager Queen’s residence?

I didn’t have time to think deeply because I was sleepy at the time, but there was no way that busy people would visit the Dowager Queen’s residence by chance.

And the Queen gave me the answer.

“Didn’t you say that you would pay your respects to the Dowager Queen today and then come to me? I thought something might happen since the relatives were coming to greet the Dowager Queen today.”

It meant that she had noticed the signs in advance and had people waiting nearby, and when something happened to me, she called someone who could handle it.

‘Hmm, if I hadn’t fallen asleep, it might have been okay to go for a long game and then collapse once.’

I knew better than anyone that my body was young and weak. If I had endured for about half a day, I would have collapsed from heatstroke or, at the very least, caught a cold tonight.

Of course, there was a higher possibility that it would have reached the ears of the King or Queen before that.

Either way, considering that public opinion about me has been surprisingly sympathetic lately, it was something that could accelerate this.

But it was a kind thing that the Queen did for me, thinking of me.

I don’t have a preference for being sick either.

Seeing me express my gratitude, the Queen checked my condition once again and let out a faint sigh.

“Princess. How can you show such an arrogant attitude towards the Dowager Queen? This is your fault.”

“I am sorry, Your Majesty.”

“And above all, you must not forget that you should prioritize your health above all else. His Majesty was greatly angered when he saw you collapse and severely scolded the relatives who conveyed unnecessary words to the Dowager Queen.”

How satisfying.

Barely suppressing the twitching of my lips, I pretended to reflect and lowered my head.

Of course, it was said that the physician’s examination and the testimony of my personal palace maids revealed that I was focused on making bread and was sleep-deprived, so they were relieved to know that I had just fallen asleep.

“But this is because you acted rashly, so you must be more careful in your words and actions in the future. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The Queen’s voice was seemingly angry, so if you heard it from the outside, you would think I was being scolded.

But even while saying that, her expression was calm, and she was holding my hand tightly and stroking my head, so I could tell that the Queen was not angry at all.

“I heard you haven’t been sleeping well lately.”

“How can I sleep comfortably when there have been scary things happening?”

At first glance, it might be about treason, but there was no way the Queen wouldn’t know that it was referring to something else.

“His Majesty will protect you, so what are you so afraid of?”

“……Your Majesty, aren’t you anxious?”

“His Majesty… will not abandon the Crown Prince and the Princess.”

Seeing that the Queen herself was excluded from the King’s protection, it was clear that she was also anxious, but I didn’t bother to point out that fact.

Because we probably have similar thoughts.

Soon after, the King and the Crown Prince arrived at the Queen’s palace to check on my well-being, rebuke me, and comfort me.

“How could Mother say such things to Sia…!”

“I am fine, Father.”

It was a different matter for the King to rebel against the Dowager Queen than for me, who was still young, to act recklessly, so I first calmed the King.

“Mother went too far this time. How could she defend a deposed person in front of you?”

“Father.”

“Do not visit the Dowager Queen’s residence for a while. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Father.”

The King still sat the small me on his lap and hugged me dearly.

It seemed like I was the only one receiving such affection now, so I felt a little sorry in front of the Queen and the Crown Prince, but I thought there would be a way to repay this in its own way, so I just nodded quietly.

But since it was still hot, I soon slipped out of his arms, and the King chuckled.

“You seem a little thinner.”

“I don’t have an appetite because the weather is not good.”

It was inevitable that it would be difficult to get through the hot and humid summer without air conditioning or ice cream.

“Even if I am busy and can’t take good care of you, you must take good care of your health.”

“Yes, Father.”

And so, by chance, the four of us had dinner together that day.

Of course, we didn’t eat from the same table, but we each received a separate table in front of us.

It felt strange because it seemed like it was the first time this group had eaten together, not at a banquet or anything, but sitting so close and eating together.

Thanks to that, it was quite late when I returned to my residence.

‘I definitely left the residence in the morning.’

I reassured the anxious palace maids and returned to my room.

The palace maids who heard the news that I had collapsed gathered around me and wiped away tears, but it wasn’t a big deal, so I sent them all back to rest.

No, I didn’t collapse, I just fell asleep……. How embarrassing.

There also seemed to be fear that they might be blamed for not serving the Princess properly, but I had a smooth conversation with the Queen.

Somehow, it seems that the Queen and I have become people who know each other even without speaking.

And that day, as it got dark, a court lady from the Queen’s palace quietly came to me.

“Her Majesty told me to quietly deliver this to the Princess.”

With those words, the court lady handed me two food containers and stepped back.

‘I flinched, thinking it was an empty food container.’

I remembered the story of Cao Cao sending Xun Yu an empty food container in *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* [a famous Chinese historical novel], and Xun Yu committing suicide after receiving it.

This also appeared in historical dramas in the past. The aftereffects of watching too many historical dramas sometimes popped out in strange places.

‘The Queen is not Cao Cao, and I am even less Xun Yu. There’s no way she would do such a useless thing to me. I’m a princess, so she probably didn’t like that the food containers sent to the officials were too simple.’

I couldn’t help it because I was in a hurry to get them at that time.

Rather, thanks to that, the feeling that a young child sent it clumsily came to life, so it might not have been bad in its own way.

The food containers sent by the Queen looked like they were just made of wood on the outside, but in reality, they were subtly luxurious food containers that combined six different types of wood to create patterns and were lacquered to make them shine.

If I just made a fancy food container with mother-of-pearl patterns, someone would protest that I was being extravagant again.

Anyway, when I opened the subtly expensive food containers, one contained lavishly decorated royal refreshments.

There were also plenty of things that seemed good for the body, such as ginseng sweets, and all sorts of snacks that I had never seen before. Of course, except for dried persimmons.

It was so fancy compared to the clumsy food containers that I sent with my small hands that I was impressed.

‘Does this mean I should decorate it properly and send it next time?’

Right, the royal family has its pride, and I decorated it myself to show that I sent it myself, but it was a bit too clumsy.

And when I opened the remaining one, it was full of valuable jewelry. How did she carry this heavy thing here?

‘Well, I was a shield for the Crown Prince, so why would she be stingy with such jewelry? The Queen is not extravagant, and she is not in a position where she lacks money.’

If the Crown Prince had sent dried persimmons, it would have certainly caused more resentment.

Of course, they wouldn’t think that I and the Crown Prince have nothing to do with each other, but if the other party is an eight-year-old girl, who would she go to and tell even if she harbored resentment over this?

Today’s events will also spread quickly throughout the court since there were witnesses.

What I unintentionally did today can be said to be daringly confronting the Dowager Queen without respect, but the King did not blame me.

The meaning of this was clear.

And what I had to do too.

“I should make snacks again tomorrow and send them to the Dowager Queen’s residence.”

“Princess.”

The King forbade me from going to the Dowager Queen’s residence. He must be worried that I would be hurt if something like today continued.

But if I skip paying my respects, I will definitely be criticized more, no matter what the King does.

So, I had to send someone to pay my respects in the future. I feel sorry for the palace maid who will go to greet the Dowager Queen on my behalf and be insulted.

‘It’s a waste of bread, but I can’t help it.’

I hope she will at least eat it instead of throwing it away.

I comforted and consoled my palace maids, who were looking more dead than I was.

“It seems like these jewels can be exchanged for money.”

“Money, you say?”

“Yeah.”

The Queen probably gave it to me for that reason too.

It’s not a level of goods that are supplied to the royal family, so it could be disposed of as much as possible.

It seemed like she deliberately gave me this because lighter documents or promissory notes would leave traces that the Queen gave them to me.

‘It’s a stratified society, so not just anyone can use precious things.’

Of course, who would say anything if you secretly wore it in your room, but you never know what you’ll hear if you get caught. I don’t have any restrictions on what I have, but if I want to give something to the palace maids, I can’t just give them anything.

There are many things that my father or the Crown Prince give me, so it was even more so.

“Take the big ones and dispose of them, and leave only the small ones.”

“Only the small ones?”

“Yeah. It’s okay to have one each since they’re not noticeable.”

“Yes?”

I chuckled as I looked at the puzzled palace maids and picked up a silver ring.

“You’ve worked hard, so take one each and share it.”

“!!”

The palace maids cheered silently.