Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 6

I was born as the daughter of a low-ranking concubine. (6)

The palace maids belatedly covered their mouths, realizing their chatter might have woken me, but it was no use.

“Oh dear, what should we do? His Majesty isn’t even here.”

“Should we take the little princess to His Majesty?”

Knowing that once I started crying, I wouldn’t stop unless the King or the Crown Prince came, everyone began to panic. One of the maids picked me up and tried to soothe me, but how could I know which maid was loyal to Royal Concubine Yeong? With no one to trust, I rejected every hand that reached for me and screamed.

“Kkyaaa! Hng, Hngaaang!!”

“Aigoo [expression of dismay or concern], little princess!”

“S-Shall we take her to His Majesty?”

“Bring His Majesty… Ah, we must deliver the news…!”

Just as the maids were about to rush out of the room and pick me up again, the door opened.

Squeak-

“What’s going on!”

“Your Highness, the Crown Prince!”

It was the now-familiar Crown Prince who had arrived.

“Hic, hic.”

“Yes, yes. It’s your older brother. You must have been very surprised.”

As I reached out to the Crown Prince with relief, he quickly picked me up, wiped away my tears, and comforted me.

“What happened?”

“Forgive us, Your Highness. It seems the little princess woke up from her afternoon nap and was very upset that His Majesty wasn’t here.”

“Why didn’t His Majesty keep the princess by his side?”

“He briefly left to discuss matters with Lord Yeong.”

Hearing the court ladies’ words, the Crown Prince stroked my back as I hiccuped, checking my condition.

“You were so surprised because Father wasn’t here when you woke up?”

“Hiyu.”

The world is such a scary place…

I was finally relieved and leaned my head against the Crown Prince’s chest, but he said something heartless.

“But what to do? I have to leave now too.”

At those words, I hurriedly shook my head.

“Uuuuuu.”

“Hmm. Then would you like to come with your older brother?”

“Yes.”

I nodded without a second thought.

“Your Highness. However…”

“How can I leave the child when she is so lonely? If Father is looking for her, tell him I took her. He won’t blame you.”

With those words, the Crown Prince carefully dressed me and left the palace with me in his arms.

“Uaaa?”

“Now that I think about it, is this your first time coming outside like this?”

“Ah?”

As I looked around, the Crown Prince seemed to realize something and adjusted his hold so I could see the surrounding scenery better.

I had no sense of time, so I didn’t realize it, but it seemed like this was almost my first time outside.

The day I was dragged away by Royal Concubine Yeong, I was too out of it to notice anything.

It felt so refreshing to be outside for once.

“Hauau.”

“Yes, yes. Do you feel better now?”

“U.”

But where is he taking me now?

‘Hmm. Is he going to take me to the Crown Prince’s palace?’

I was a little curious about what would be different there, so I quietly enjoyed the scenery and entrusted myself to the Crown Prince.

Now that I think about it, considering his age, he might already have a Crown Princess?

‘Since the Crown Prince is a good child, I hope the Crown Princess is a good child too.’

The place the Crown Prince took me was unexpectedly a pavilion with a great view.

“I apologize for being late, Teacher.”

“Awoo?”

There, a bearded man was waiting for the Crown Prince with a book in his hands. It seemed the Crown Prince was late because of me.

“…Your Highness, the Crown Prince. Could it be that you are holding… is that perhaps… the little princess…?”

“She is my younger sister.”

“Abubu?”

There’s a Crown Prince who brings his young sibling while studying? Are you kidding me?

This is like a middle schooler bringing his baby sibling to tutoring??

‘This guy is not normal either.’

I felt strangely detached and smiled nonchalantly, trying to hide the absurd look on the Crown Prince’s teacher’s face, and waved at him.

Was the Crown Prince’s teacher called Sejasa [likely a title or honorific]? The man seemed to bow his head in greeting with a sullen face as he looked at me.

“I have heard that His Majesty is struggling to take care of the little princess…”

“Shouldn’t His Majesty catch his breath a little? She is picky with people, so there’s nothing we can do.”

Looking at the bearded man sitting in front of the Crown Prince and me, he had a stern expression, but somehow he seemed like he would be good at making cheesy comments and be nosy. This impression is based on the statistics of historical drama actors accumulated over many years, so I couldn’t be sure about the accuracy, but that’s how it felt.

Well, the Crown Prince must have brought him because he thought he was suitable.

Seeing that they were having an outdoor lesson because the weather was nice, he seemed like a flexible guy.

Of course, I appreciate the Crown Prince’s consideration, but I can’t disturb his studies…?

I left the Crown Prince’s arms and crawled to the side.

Naturally, there was a book spread out in front of the Crown Prince for studying, so I hung on the table and tapped the book, staring at the Crown Prince.

“Uwoo!”

“…Study?”

“Eu!”

“Puhut!”

As I nodded, the Crown Prince bit his lip as if trying to hold back a laugh.

Don’t laugh.

As I frowned and tapped the book again, the Crown Prince nodded with a face that couldn’t hide his laughter.

“Okay. Since your older brother came to study, I have to study. Sia, you have to be quiet, okay?”

“U!”

“…The little princess is truly bright.”

“You don’t know how bright our Sia is. She even came up with her own nickname.”

“Haha. Is that so?”

The Crown Prince smiled brightly and boasted, and the man echoed him with a soulless laugh.

That face clearly means, ‘You’re lying.’…

Stop it, Crown Prince. I’m embarrassed….

As I shook my head at the Crown Prince, a chuckle leaked out from behind.

Among the Crown Prince’s stoic palace people, who seemed to be masters of expression management, the only one biting his lip was the young military officer who was attending the Crown Prince’s side. Perhaps he was a bodyguard?

‘What do you call those people? Ikwisa [royal guards]? Is that right?’

I crawled around, looking around, and headed towards the Crown Prince’s palace people standing at attention.

The Crown Prince was busy reading and interpreting the book in a clear voice from behind, but I wasn’t idle.

It was better to be indebted to the court ladies than to bother the Crown Prince while he was studying.

But when I was held by the Crown Prince, I didn’t notice it, but when I approached, the palace people seemed to frown subtly.

‘Why? Do they not like me because I seem to be disturbing the Crown Prince’s studies?’

Even the maids of the Great Hall, who are friendly to me, can’t be trusted without the King, and these people are showing me that they don’t like me.

How kind of them.

‘I should avoid them.’

I wasn’t brave enough to go to someone who showed that they didn’t like me.

Instead, I headed to the bodyguard who was the only one who reacted.

As I struggled to crawl and reached out to the guard over the railing, the guard looked embarrassed, and the palace people behind frowned again.

What, why are they like that.

“Hmph.”

Feeling upset, I turned around to go back to the Crown Prince.

And then I met the Crown Prince’s eyes, who was looking at me.

“Eung?”

“Are you done playing?”

“Eung.”

It is the right way to raise a child to not take your eyes off them, but….

‘Study….’

You’re clearly chanting something in a clear voice, but why is your gaze directed at me? Of course, it’s a relief that you’ve memorized everything.

I seemed to be unable to concentrate when I moved, so I had no choice but to sit on the Crown Prince’s lap and quietly watch him study.

If I were a real baby, it might be difficult to sit still like this, but it wasn’t difficult for me. Besides, the Crown Prince was reading the book in a soft voice above my head.

I felt sleepy again and drowsily closed my eyes, but unfortunately, there was something bothering me.

‘Stop it.’

The Crown Prince’s hand was constantly fiddling with my small hand.

And when he was bored, he would also gently massage my soft cheeks. It felt like I had become a stress-relieving toy?

“Bbiyaek!”

“Ah?”

I’m so annoyed. With a strong reaction, I got up and left the Crown Prince’s arms, crawling to the man who was teaching the Crown Prince.

“Little princess?”

“Woong.”

The lap of a strange man was a bit resistant, so I sat in front of him appropriately. And looking at the Crown Prince, I tapped the book spread out in front of the man with my palm.

Tap tap tap-

“U!”

“…It seems the little princess is telling the Crown Prince not to be distracted and to study.”

“…It looks that way to me too.”

“Awoo!”

As I tapped the book again, the Crown Prince’s stern expression, which he had worked so hard to create, crumbled again.

“Okay. I’ll study, Older Brother.”

“Eung!”

“I’ll work hard.”

“Woong!”

As I nodded, saying I understood, the Crown Prince also nodded. He didn’t seem very serious with his grinning face, but… well, it’s good if he works hard.

Fortunately, the Crown Prince concentrated on the lesson, as if he wasn’t just saying it.

Whenever the Crown Prince’s teacher praised him for doing well, I would clap like a seal and shout something like “Uaaa,” and he would laugh, making a sound that I couldn’t tell if it improved or worsened his academic performance.

“Sia, would you like to come with me to Ganghak [Crown Prince’s lectures] in the future?”

“Ueee.”

I shook my head at the Crown Prince’s words as he put me back on his lap after the day’s lesson was over.

“Do you not like your older brother?”

“Uhe?”

The Crown Prince’s teacher, who was watching the Crown Prince and me playing appropriately with a seemingly pleased look, stroked his beard and smiled.

“Haha. Seeing how much the Crown Prince cherishes the little princess, it seems like we can hold the Crown Prince’s wedding soon.”

Um. So the Crown Prince is still unmarried.

“Haha. Isn’t Teacher being too hasty?”

The Crown Prince’s face, who heard that he should get married quickly because he was being cute with his younger sibling, said, ‘What does that have to do with anything?’ but of course, the man was not discouraged.

“Once the vacant position of the Queen is decided, we must soon prepare for the Crown Prince’s wedding.”

“Nothing has been decided yet.”

“But you will decide soon. A Queen who can support the Crown Prince.”

“How can you say such things so carelessly?”

The atmosphere seemed to be getting a bit bad, so I quickly covered the Crown Prince’s mouth with my hand.

You should just laugh it off in times like this. Arguing will only make things unnecessarily longer, but you’re still too young. Of course, it seems like a young age.

“Awoo.”

“Eubeup? Ah, okay, I understand. I won’t. I’ll just play with Sia. Is that okay?”

“U.”

The Crown Prince, whose mouth was forcibly sealed by a small hand, smiled without showing any displeasure and rubbed his cheek against my cheek.

He really likes babies.

“The little princess is truly mature and bright. I didn’t know that she would never cry or disturb the Ganghak [Crown Prince’s lectures].”

“Didn’t I tell you? Sia is bright.”

Ehem. The Crown Prince shrugged his shoulders as if he was happy that I was being praised.

‘These people must live really boring lives.’

To be so happy even with a boring baby like me.

The lesson was over and the atmosphere was continuing in an appropriately warm way when suddenly a familiar voice interjected.

“The Crown Prince likes to play with his younger sibling, neglecting Ganghak [Crown Prince’s lectures].”