Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 60

One day, after the traitors were captured and the chaotic court seemed to be gradually stabilizing, Sung-yoon received a summons from the King.

The Crown Prince was also present beside the King.

Following the King, who was treading on the muddy ground due to the days of rain, Sung-yoon found himself in the King’s secluded rear garden.

Sung-yoon recalled the ominous events that had occurred in this garden a few years ago, and wondered if the King was thinking of the same thing. Seeing the Crown Prince’s gaze turn to the pond and his brow furrow slightly, he suspected they shared the same thoughts.

“How have you been spending your days recently?”

“Thanks to Your Majesty’s boundless grace, I have been living in peace.”

“It seems you’ve grown accustomed to palace life. Your flattery has become quite smooth.”

The King often summoned Sung-yoon like this.

Even after reading numerous reports on the situation in the north, he would still summon him to ask about it again, or he would want to hear how the returned capital differed from before.

And recently, he had been curious about what kind of conversations Sung-yoon had with the young Princess.

“Is the Princess perhaps bothering you?”

“How could I ever think such a thing? The Princess is intelligent and kind.”

“Tell me honestly.”

“Once I tasted the honey rice cake that the Princess bestowed upon me, I eagerly await the next time she summons me.”

“Haha.”

The King laughed in amusement at Sung-yoon’s playful words.

Though it sounded like a joke, there were actually quite a few people like that in the palace.

Recently, there even seemed to be people approaching the Princess’s maids to somehow find out how to make it [the honey rice cake].

Of course, the Crown Prince, who had experienced a poisoning attempt, was strictly controlling everything related to the Princess’s food, so they failed and were dragged away.

“Has your mind not changed yet?”

“How can I, an incompetent subject, assist Your Majesty? I am weary.”

Years ago, the young man who had risked his life, saying he had a request worth risking his life for, had returned with tired eyes, saying he now desired nothing.

Those tired eyes were different from others, so the King guessed it was related to personal matters and did not want to touch any unnecessary wounds, so he did not give him any further unreasonable orders.

Many Chetamin [elite palace guards] did not have families. Those who risked their lives were such people.

“Alright. It’s not like I’m going to give you the position of Governor of Pyeongan, so how can I hold you back? But seeing that you’re still staying in the palace without leaving, it seems you don’t dislike life here.”

He had left the man who seemed ready to leave at any moment under the pretext of teaching future scholars, but he wasn’t really expecting much.

“If Your Majesty would permit, I would like to remain in the palace for a while.”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to leave?”

Unexpected words flowed from Sung-yoon’s mouth, who had seemed ready to return to his hometown at any moment.

“If Your Majesty would allow it, I would like to serve the Princess by her side.”

“Not the Crown Prince, but the Princess?”

That was not a welcome statement. But Sung-yoon replied smoothly.

“If I were to serve the Crown Prince, wouldn’t my suffering begin from then on? Your Majesty has already bestowed talented individuals upon the Crown Prince, so what ability do I have to serve him? I only wish to spend the rest of my life in comfort and peace.”

“But why the Princess?”

He knew that he had been close to Sia recently, but he had never imagined that this would be the result.

In fact, since Sia had been poisoned, they had been somewhat concerned about her safety, but what could there be to worry about regarding the Princess’s safety?

If Sung-yoon were to follow the Princess, it would be peaceful, but why would he follow that young Princess?

The King’s question was valid.

And Sung-yoon’s answer was unexpected.

“I am sorry to say, but looking at the Princess, I can’t quite figure out what she’s thinking…”

“Looking at her?”

“I’m worried, so I can’t bring myself to leave.”

“…Is that so?”

Suddenly, he remembered his daughter’s pale face as she knelt before the Queen’s Palace not long ago.

The child in his memory was always smiling brightly, but the daughter he hadn’t seen for a while was gaunt and haggard. He had tried to punish the palace staff who had failed to fulfill their duty to assist the Princess, but the Queen stopped him.

‘It is not the fault of the palace staff.’

‘What do you mean, Queen?’

‘How can it be the fault of the servants that the Princess cannot sleep due to anxiety?’

The Queen’s face also looked very tired and exhausted as she said that.

When he thought about it, even though she was his beloved daughter, he didn’t know much about her.

The King was always busy, and the child he kept closest was inevitably the Crown Prince. The deceased Crown Prince Seongwon was like that, and so was the current Crown Prince.

He would occasionally visit the child, look at her face, and have trivial conversations, but that was it.

Perhaps the most candid conversation was about the deposed prince not long ago.

‘I didn’t even know that child was so cornered.’

The Sia in his memory was always eating snacks with a bright smile.

Since she was young, she rarely threw tantrums or caused trouble, so she wasn’t a child who needed much attention.

But when he thought about it, as a baby, she was a child who would cry so hard she would lose her breath if there wasn’t someone she could trust by her side.

Why didn’t he know that there would be resentment and fear in that child’s heart?

Perhaps it was just that he didn’t try to know.

If so, what did Sung-yoon, who had only met Sia a few months ago, see in her?

Sung-yoon’s answer to the King’s question was also unexpected.

“Actually, I once told the Princess about the beggars living under the bridge.”

“Sia is a curious child.”

He had heard that she had also asked Sung-yoon about the north. It was not strange that she was curious about the scenery in the nearby capital. It would be nice if she could only hear good stories, but Sung-yoon did not bother to hide the ugly aspects.

“I also told the Princess that there were many young orphans among the beggars. Then, the Princess said that the rainy season was approaching, so she wanted to provide shelter for those children to escape the rain and wind, and she gave me money. She said it was money from the land she received when she was appointed as a Princess.”

“!”

“Sia did.”

The King and the Crown Prince were shocked. On the other hand, Sung-yoon’s face looked somewhat pleased.

The King, as well as the Crown Prince, who often met Sia, were simply bewildered by the Princess’s appearance that they had first learned about.

“However, such things cannot save all the people.”

“The Princess said that she probably doesn’t think about the people who need to escape the rain all night.”

Even though it was summer, she said it would be cold while it was raining.

Even while giving Sung-yoon rare refreshments that commoners could not even dream of seeing, the Princess said that.

Since the rainy season would start soon, she wanted to make sure they could sleep in a place with at least a roof and walls as soon as possible.

“She said that it’s too late for the country to do something, so it’s right for someone who can do it right away to do it, and she asked me to do it.”

The child’s words weighed heavily on the King’s shoulders.

A child was doing what she could, but why couldn’t they do anything?

He had certainly heard that beggars were living under the bridge, but he had not done so.

None of the ministers and officials who said that they should avoid extravagance and think of the people first had spent their own wealth to worry about such things.

“Thinking a hundred times is not as good as acting once… I am worse than a young Princess.”

“Your Majesty.”

“Crown Prince, do not forget. The heart of the young Princess is the heart that a ruler should have for the people.”

“Yes, Father. I will not forget.”

The Crown Prince bowed deeply and thought.

Sia’s interest in the market must have been when they went to see the lantern lighting ceremony together on the eighth day of the fourth month.

He had certainly spent time with her that day.

‘Did Sia see something that I didn’t see when we went out that day?’

He was ashamed of himself for being distracted by the women and not seeing the people.

The misunderstanding of the father and son, who did not know about the Princess’s secret actions, deepened in that way.

***

It was a few days after the rainy season had ended.

The fact that I had provided shelter for the beggars was known even to the King and the Crown Prince, and the news was delivered to me while I was playing Jenga with the court ladies and eating sweets.

“Huh?”

I had only specified the size and asked them to make it, but one of the finger-sized wooden blocks, painted in colorful colors and lacquered, safely fell to the floor. The court ladies who were playing with me sighed softly as if they were disappointed.

Were they expecting me to make a mistake because I was surprised?

“It is said that the Princess’s act of spending her own money to care for the people’s well-being is becoming a hot topic.”

“Why is that rumored…?”

“The rumor is already widespread in the capital.”

How could that be rumored…? Can it be?

If it was rumored, there is only one suspect no matter how I think about it.

‘Didn’t I… keep my mouth shut? But I’m not going to reveal my identity to those children, so why did he spread the rumor?’

There was no way those children would know my identity, and Sung Gyeom-sabok [Sung-yoon’s official title] didn’t need to tell the children, so I thought it wouldn’t be known.

Unlike then, when he had a slightly sullen face and somehow urgently made money, Gai was smiling brightly at me, unlike then. Thanks to the jewelry that the Queen had given me, I wouldn’t be short of money for the time being, though.

“I had to tighten my belt for a while to raise that money, but everyone is praising the Princess, so I am also happy.”

“Um. Sorry.”

“How can you say such a thing? The Princess’s heart for the people is so deep, how can we complain?”

Wasn’t that a complaint just now?

Of course, the jade bracelet I gave him was sparkling on Gai’s wrist as he said that.

Most of the other court ladies had small rings, but I gave something better to those who worked hard.

I checked that the court ladies had taken out and raised the wooden blocks one by one, and succeeded in slowly pushing out the block in the position I had marked in advance with my fingertips.

Anyway, praise for me.

It was absurd and surprising. It’s true that I did it with a good heart, but I was just a little worried about the well-being of an acquaintance I had met in person.

I heard that thanks to this, the public opinion about me has strangely improved.

There was already a high level of sympathy for the Princess, who lost her birth mother at a young age and even experienced a poisoning threat, but with this good story, people seemed to have a more admirable and pitiful image of me.

‘Well, let’s just go with that then.’

It wasn’t bad for me to have a good reputation among the people right now.

Of course, public opinion would turn against me immediately if I got caught up in some bad gossip.

Unlike me, who was indifferent, Gai seemed to be in a good mood.

“The Princess is being praised as a true role model for the royal family.”

I didn’t expect to be so highly praised.

I watched one of the court ladies take out a block with trembling hands and munched on the sweet that I had been eating.

It would have been nice if it had collapsed now because she made a mistake before my turn. The kids have gotten better at it after doing it a lot.

‘If I mess this up, isn’t it a good thing I’m a Princess?’

If I were a prince, I would have to drink and act crazy to survive.

I reached out to the now quite tattered wooden tower.

“Even today, His Majesty the King mentioned the Princess’s work in the court and scolded the ministers.”

“Huh?”

Crash-

Thanks to dropping the block that I was carefully taking out, the tower that was being maintained awkwardly collapsed, and the court ladies applauded silently.

Like a loser, I silently pushed the tray of sweets to the children.

Gai smiled slightly and continued.

“Even though the Princess is still young, she is thinking of the people and taking action, but among the ministers living in the capital, there is no one who is taking the lead in such matters…”

Don’t tell me that the King is using my name to scold the ministers right now??

In this situation where a bloody storm of treason has just passed?

“In particular, he lamented that there was no one among the Daegan [Office of the Censorate, responsible for monitoring government officials] who should take the lead in such matters, so everyone could not raise their heads.”

Um. This is probably.

‘It seems like the King is trying to use this politically, right?’

I don’t care, though.

The King, who is the person who started the work before I get stabbed, will take care of it, I guess.

But first, there was something I needed to sort out on my own.

“I need to call Sung-yoon Gyeom-sabok.”