Born As The Daughter of a Lowly Concubine - Chapter 105

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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I was born the daughter of a concubine of the lowest rank.
Chapter 105
And at that same moment, someone’s hand pressed lightly against my head as they passed in front of me.
“Pardon me, but you’re with the people inside, aren’t you? How much longer is this going to take, exactly?”
“You are…….”
My body went rigid as I stared blankly at the owner of the hand that had just brushed past me. I didn’t dare move — any careless motion now and I’d be discovered again.
Instead, my eyes darted back and forth.
‘From the way he spoke to them, he doesn’t seem to be a complete stranger.’
But that voice — I was certain I’d heard it before.
‘Could it be that boy from back then?’
I lifted my head slightly, and a youthful profile came into view — large-framed but with a somewhat innocent cast to his features.
It was the face I remembered. Even if I’d only seen him once before.
While I swallowed nervously, the men began to murmur among themselves in response to the boy’s words. The distance was too great to hear what they were saying clearly.
“What’s this one about?”
“Isn’t he that young one following along with Chak Ho-gun?”
“…… Yes, well, I was planning to wait for my uncle to come out, but it seems to be taking an awfully long time. I got a bit restless just sitting around waiting.”
The men responded to the boy’s fidgeting words with exasperation.
“Don’t interrupt while adults are discussing important matters. Just wait quietly — it’ll be over soon. This is why you can’t trust children.”
“Ha, yes. I understand.”
It was a hollow exchange, yet the men seemed displeased even by that.
“All that height and no sense——”
“That’s precisely why we’re training him as Chak Ho-gun. Come on.”
“Yes.”
The men muttered as they moved to another part of the room.
Once their presence faded, the boy extended his hand toward me.
“Are you all right? Can you get up?”
“…… Yes.”
I’d been wondering whether he looked like a child or not — but no, he really was just a boy.
When I didn’t move and simply hesitated, the boy suddenly seized me by the armpits and hoisted me up as if I weighed nothing.
The ease with which he lifted me — I couldn’t tell whether I was just light or if this one was exceptionally strong.
“Low-quality people tend to handle even small children roughly, so be careful. If they’re dangerous people, what were you——? Huh?”
“…….”
Once we’d stepped out of the shadow of the tree and he could see my face clearly, the boy’s eyes widened as if he’d recognized me.
Then his face lit up with a bright smile — genuine delight.
Looking at him, he seemed like someone who’d cried — or rather, someone who was meant to cry — over women.
“Aren’t you that young mistress from back then?”
“…… Yes.”
I suppose you find this as strange as I do.
I find it strange too — that I should meet that boy who saved me then, here and now like this.
I’m grateful he helped me, but…….
‘Is this boy really unconnected to those men?’
Suspicion was inevitable.
“Ah, but you didn’t seem like the sort of person who’d come to a place like this originally?”
Recalling that this was a Gibang, he gave me a puzzled look as I set my feet on the ground. Perhaps he’d heard me being addressed as “young mistress” at the time.
Though his judgment was suspect, I was equally puzzled, so I asked.
“Do you know those men from before?”
“Not exactly. My uncle had business here…… but more importantly, what are you doing in such a dangerous place?”
Noticing that I was glancing toward the direction those men had gone, looking like I meant to slip away, the boy gave me a puzzled look.
“Why do you ask? Do you know those people?”
“…….”
I wanted to follow and listen in more, but if this boy turned out to be in league with those men, it would be a problem.
At least my face hadn’t been exposed to them, so that was a stroke of luck.
“…… Those don’t seem like quality people, so it’s best to be careful around them.”
“What about you?”
“Huh? Oh, no. I’m not a bad person.”
Have you ever seen a bad person admit to being one?
“I’m leaving now. Move.”
“By any measure, you look like you’re about to chase after them.”
“I’m not chasing after them.”
The boy, playfully blocking my path, let out a heavy sigh at my words, as if he didn’t believe me, and muttered something under his breath.
“I can’t shake this uneasy feeling.”
“What? No, put me down!”
Those two are saying something suspicious, and I need to hear what they’re plotting!
“Somehow I don’t think they’ll listen to reason.”
The boy lifted my body without ceremony and, cradling me against him, used a tree as a springboard to vault cleanly over the wall.
“……!!!”
“Hup.”
Experiencing such extreme action for the first time in my life, I forgot even to scream—only to gasp in wonder instead.
‘Oh, is this what they call parkour……?’
Or was it something else? These days I often got muddled over words from the modern era.
“Oh, sorry. Did I startle you?”
“Um. No. It was fun.”
At my answer, the boy let out a soft, delighted laugh.
“Anyway, I’ll see you to the main road, so let’s head back. My uncle probably won’t be done anytime soon, so……heh!”
The next instant, the boy’s face—which had been beaming at me tenderly as he held me—went rigid, and he suddenly wrenched his body away from where he’d been standing.
“……??”
“Well now, what brings you to my door, sir?”
The boy was holding me so tightly that I couldn’t see what was happening, but it was clear he was speaking to someone.
‘Could those men have found me after all?’
My breath caught in shock—but then an unexpectedly familiar voice reached my ears.
It was Seong Gyeom-sabok’s voice.
“That child you’re holding. Put her down at once.”
“My, this young lady seems quite popular, doesn’t she?”
This was not the time to be joking around.
“Wait…… ah.”
I lifted my head to clear up Seong Gyeom-sabok’s misunderstanding, but the boy, for whatever reason, pressed my head even tighter against him—and I was defeated before I’d begun.
I suspect he meant to protect me, but when Seong Gyeom-sabok saw that gesture, his fury only deepened.
“You scoundrel!”
Shliiing—
‘No! Don’t draw your sword!!’
Drawing a blade in a peaceful Joseon land was roughly equivalent to pulling a gun in the modern world.
“Reckless, drawing steel like that.”
And the boy, having set me down, had already drawn his own blade and rushed at Seong Gyeom-sabok.
I stumbled to my feet and realized I needed to stop this madness.
“Wait, wait, both of you stop!!”
This is the real-world version of “don’t fight because of me!”
But watching them cross swords with actual steel, all I could do was break into a cold sweat. If one of them got seriously hurt……!
Unfortunately, neither seemed to hear my voice; they were lost in their own world of combat.
And I couldn’t exactly step between two swordsmen to break things up—besides, they were practically flying through the air with their attacks, so there was nothing I could do.
‘Wow…… they’re fighting savagely, but strangely this kid isn’t losing as badly as you’d think.’
Seong Gyeom-sabok must have been thinking the same thing, for he put some distance between them and let out an admiring grunt.
“Who in blazes are you? So green, yet you’ve got some skill.”
“Ah…… there’s that word ‘young’ again. Sir, I’m scared—won’t you please stop?”
“Excuse me~~ I know you’re both having fun, but would you mind listening to me for just a moment~”
I cautiously approached as the two of them paused, but to my surprise, it was Seong Gyeom-sabok who shook his head more firmly.
“A wretch like this needs a lesson. A mere boy with nothing better to do than kidnapping—shameful scum.”
“What? No, wait, that’s not it!”
Realizing there’d been a misunderstanding, the boy shook his head rapidly at Seong Gyeom-sabok’s angry words. Then, as if to show he had no intention of fighting further, he was the first to sheathe his blade, and he grumbled at me.
“Miss? Could you please say something?”
“Well, actually, I honestly can’t tell whether you’re a good person or a bad person.”
“That’s harsh.”
The way his brows furrowed in embarrassment as he looked at me reminded me of a large puppy, and my resolve wavered a little.
“But it’s true—you did help me when I was kidnapped before.”
“Really? Is that so?”
Only then did Seong Gyeom-sabok seem to relax, finally lowering his sword. I confirmed this and continued.
“Yeah. But I also saw you talking with the person who kidnapped me earlier.”
So naturally I have my doubts.
“What?”
At those words, the boy jumped back, looking even more startled than Seong Gyeom-sabok.
“Kidnapped? Who, who are you talking about?”
“Those men we were talking to earlier.”
“……Those people from before? They kidnapped such a young……girl?”
“Yes.”
I left out the part about how they’d tried to hurt me before I ran—if I’d mentioned that, Seong Gyeom-sabok standing beside me would have fainted outright.
“Were you in league with the kidnappers?”
“No, no sir. I only just met them today. How could someone like me associate with such vicious people? Something about their atmosphere felt off, that’s all…….”
It was a touch suspicious, I’ll admit—but if he’d been working with them, they would have dragged me away instead of letting this man save me. Besides, he’d been ready to fight Seong Gyeom-sabok just moments ago.
Seong Gyeom-sabok looked skeptical about something, but once he’d satisfied himself that the boy bore no ill intent, he began to gently gather me up to leave.
“I’ll let this slide today, but don’t go hanging around the young lady again, boy.”
“Pardon? Wait, just a moment!”
“Ah, wait.”
I stopped Seong Gyeom-sabok, who was about to carry me away, and turned to the boy with a question.
“Hey. What’s your name?”
“Ah, I’m……Cheon Ho.”
Well, he’d helped me, so I supposed I should at least learn his name.
“Thank you for helping me back there, Cheon Ho!”
“……!”
“If you ever need help, come find ‘the young lady’ at Hye Minser.”
“Pardon?”
“Unless you’re a bad person—then let’s meet again.”
The boy, caught off guard by my words, wore a dazed expression for a moment before breaking into a grin and waving at me.
***
‘Unless you’re a bad person—then let’s meet again.’
With those words left behind, the small girl vanished into the arms of what appeared to be her attendant—a dark, stern-looking man.
‘Just who was that man, anyway?’
He’d parried his sword strike with such ease; Cheon Ho had rarely seen anyone move that way. Coming to Hanyang certainly made a difference.
When he climbed back over the wall and returned to the Gibang, the conversation seemed to have ended—his uncle was waiting with a frown creasing his brow.
“Just what have you been doing all this time?”
“Ah, Uncle. Are you finished?”
“Tsk. Wasted time, that was. But where were you off to? Even in Hanyang, you’re still chasing after little girls’ skirts?”
At his uncle’s words, Cheon Ho’s expression grew serious as he protested.
“Sir, please don’t say things like that—people will misunderstand. What’s wrong with helping children in distress? And while you say ‘still,’ back then they were all just around my own age, whether boys or girls.”
“Standing as tall as a mountain while talking about children your age……tsk, tsk.”
As if his larger-than-usual frame for his years was some sort of crime.
His uncle simply gestured for him to follow, turning away without responding to Cheon Ho’s protests. Even if he hadn’t been taken inside, a Gibang was hardly a place for a boy his age.
“And besides, I hate the sight of people who torment children.”
“Hmph. The dregs of humanity are everywhere. Did you spot someone tormenting children here?”
“I can’t exactly deny it.”
Cheon Ho recalled what he’d heard earlier, his brows drawing together.
Whatever his uncle was thinking, it seemed better to avoid getting too deeply tangled with those people.
Though his uncle had a rough tongue, he was the one who had raised Cheon Ho after his parents died in his childhood, so it was unlikely he’d side with kidnappers.
“Kidnappers, you say?”
“Yes sir. I didn’t hear all the details, but I did overhear that they were fleeing with a kidnapped child, so they’re likely a band of swindlers as well.”
Once they’d moved a fair distance from the Gibang, Cheon Ho informed his uncle that the men were criminals who’d abducted a child—and, as expected, his uncle cursed and spat.
And the sparks flew in another direction too.
“And what possessed you to stick your nose into something like that?”
“Well, I heard a child had been kidnapped, and I thought I might be able to catch them……”
“Heavens, you mad fool. No—I’m the mad fool for raising you as my nephew.”
His uncle let out a sigh, then suddenly seemed to grasp something and asked:
“Was the kidnapped girl from a yangban family?”
“Pardon? Yes, I believe so. Why?”
“When you were younger, whenever you saw a well-dressed yangban girl your own age, you’d stare at her without fail.”
“…….”
“I wondered if you’d taken a fancy to some girl, and here you are still at it.”
Unable to find a suitable rebuttal to his uncle’s words, Cheon Ho said nothing and quietly fell into step behind him.
He was aware of it himself, after all—the reason he acted this way.
It was surely because of that small girl from long ago, the one who’d asked what crime a young child could have committed before telling him to run away.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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