Born As The Daughter of a Lowly Concubine - Chapter 106

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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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Born as the daughter of a low-ranking concubine.
106
“But how did Seong Gyeom-sabok know to find us?”
I asked the question that had been nagging me most, clinging to Seong Yoon as we moved through the shadows.
The back of the GiBang was thick with trees and the paths were poor, so traveling this way was faster.
“Seeing you slip into the GiBang like that made me uneasy, so I followed you in secretly. How could I let you go alone without knowing what might happen?”
“Strictly speaking, I wasn’t alone.”
“The man from earlier was from the Royal Relatives Clan, wasn’t he?”
“Yes. So-i doesn’t see them often, but… I’m not sure she’d remember them all.”
So-i was beside me, and while she did have occasions to see members of the Royal Relatives Clan, thinking about it now, I couldn’t be certain she’d recognize every face among them.
“Fortunately, Hyang knew him, and you called him brother, didn’t you? I simply thought he must be a relative.”
“Right. Lucky, that.”
I nodded, thinking that yes, logically that would follow, when Seong Gyeom-sabok muttered with a deflated look on his face.
“Honestly. I was worried, so I snuck in to keep watch, only to find you enjoying yourself quite merrily in the GiBang—spending your time so happily, in fact—that I looked around for a moment, and when I turned back, you’d vanished without a trace.”
So he’d witnessed my scandalous gaiety.
“I’m sorry. I played a little… it would have been suspicious to leave right away, wouldn’t it?”
“It’s fine. Better that than something dangerous.”
I felt a bit guilty all the same.
I decided to hold my tongue.
“But what on earth happened? And what about your clothes?”
“I happened to know some of the courtesans there, so I got their help.”
“So that’s why your clothes changed?”
“Yes.”
Now that I thought about it, I’d need to return these clothes.
And I’d need to tell Maehyang and Song Hwa, who were probably worried, that I’d returned safely.
“I was searching the GiBang for you when I saw some thief carrying you off, so I chased right after him. Who exactly was that man?”
“I told you already. He’s not really a thief… ah, did you check the building where I was originally? That’s where I saw the criminals who kidnapped me.”
“…!”
By the time we reached the Alley in front of the GiBang where we’d parted from him earlier, So-i was waiting for us.
Seong Gyeom-sabok listened to my description of the men’s appearances and handed me over to So-i.
“I’ll go inside and check their faces myself, so you should head back.”
“You know the layout?”
“Yes.”
“If you happen to be mistaken for a suspicious person or discovered, tell them you came because Siyeongwon’s daughter had a message for Maehyang but got lost on the way. You know what Maehyang and Song Hwa look like, don’t you?”
“Of course.”
“Don’t do anything reckless. Understood?”
At my words, Seong Gyeom-sabok grinned.
“Understood, Miss.”
Then he disappeared back the way he’d come.
‘I wonder if they’re still in there.’
Not much time had passed, so they likely hadn’t finished their conversation and left.
After all, secret discussions happen at night, don’t they?
The fragments I’d overheard didn’t seem to be the heart of the matter either.
But first, I had to deal with So-i, who was heaving sighs right in front of me.
“Miss, please don’t disappear so suddenly.”
“I know. I’m sorry. There was no time to explain. But So-i, what are you holding?”
So-i was clutching a small bundle I hadn’t seen before.
“Song Hwa came to the door looking for me, and through a servant girl, she gave me this, saying it was your clothes.”
“How thoughtful of her.”
She didn’t need to go to all that trouble.
I whispered the whole story to So-i, and she sighed while examining my condition.
“Oh?”
“What is it?”
So-i, who had been inspecting me, suddenly let out a sharp cry. When I turned to look, her face was twisted in distress.
“What?”
“Miss, your skirt is torn… oh heavens!”
“…?”
“You’re hurt.”
“What?”
Looking down, I could see a red wound through the gap in the torn hem.
‘Ah… must have been when I fell earlier.’
The situation had been chaotic at the time, and I’d remained tense afterward, so I hadn’t even noticed the pain.
“Right, you did scrape yourself pretty badly.”
“No, miss. ‘Pretty badly’? There’s blood, isn’t there.”
“It’s not that deep.”
A wound like this—well, I suppose it seems worse now because I’ve been raised rather delicately. In my past life, it wouldn’t have been anything to make such a fuss over. At least not by seven-year-old standards.
Besides, the wound was relatively shallow, so I didn’t think I’d been hurt very badly.
But it didn’t appear that way to So-i.
“If the senior ladies found out, I’d be as good as dead.”
I thought they weren’t so fearsome as all that—but So-i had every right to be terrified, of course.
Still, there was no reason the senior ladies should ever see my bare legs.
‘Then again, even Ga-i would have my head for this.’
To So-i, Ga-i was not just an elder sister but a strict superior.
“Hye Minser is nearby. We could stop there for quick treatment before we go.”
“Sounds fine.”
“Goodness. Doesn’t it hurt?”
“Well. As long as I don’t touch it, it’s nothing.”
I was sixteen by the household register now—I wasn’t about to make a scene over a scrape like this.
I couldn’t help that everyone saw me as a child.
I comforted the worried So-i, and we headed for Hye Minser.
I was somewhat concerned about Seong Gyeom-sabok, but if the GiBang were truly their den, they wouldn’t be able to quietly dispose of someone like Seong Yoon—a man who was hardly a child and had seen his share of hardship. Not inside there.
If the GiBang were indeed their stronghold, Maehyang would have known; she would have stopped me from the start.
***
“Miss? What brings you here at this late hour?”
The court physician looked puzzled when she saw me enter Hye Minser, since I usually arrived early.
Though she looked busy, I wondered if I should really trouble her over a scrape, but So-i had no such qualms.
“The young lady has sustained a minor injury.”
“Oh my? Come inside, please.”
Unlike me, who felt rather embarrassed, everyone turned serious and ushered me in.
This wasn’t the patients’ ward but the physicians’ quarters, so only a few resting court physicians were visible—no one else.
“My goodness, miss. How did you injure yourself?”
“I scraped myself.”
The court physicians who’d been chatting at their ease all rushed over at once, fussing so loudly that I felt quite embarrassed.
“Did you catch yourself on a branch or something? Your clothes are even torn. Though I must say your attire is rather lighter than usual today.”
“Oh, I was out and about.”
Now that I thought about it, these borrowed clothes—and now they were ripped. I’d have to buy replacements.
After settling me down properly, one of the physicians soon returned with clean water and cloth.
“This might sting a bit.”
“Mm.”
It was a fairly deep scrape, but since I was young, wouldn’t it heal without scarring?
Even if it did leave a scar, I didn’t really mind.
‘There’s little chance anyone but the palace women will find out.’
After the physician applied the salve, I made a playful joke about keeping it quiet.
“Don’t go around telling people I tore my clothes and scraped myself, all right?”
“Of course, miss.”
The Hye Minser staff knew roughly who I was, so they smiled and nodded in agreement.
After the salve was applied and I was swinging my leg while chatting idly, an unexpectedly familiar voice reached my ears.
“Miss? What brings you here at this hour?”
“Oh, Seong Ji? And what brings you to Hye Minser at this hour?”
“I had some matters to discuss.”
“Ah, about the clinical training?”
“Yes.”
Lately, we’d been working to allow some of the students who’d studied medicine at the School to receive clinical training at Hye Minser.
It was partly because I hadn’t yet opened my own clinic, but Hye Minser and places like Hwalinser were better suited for practical experience. We had discussed starting with Hye Minser on a trial basis, though Hwalinser existed as well.
From Hye Minser’s perspective, it was a nuisance, but they got extra hands; from the students’ perspective, they gained real-world experience—a win for both.
After all, mere bookwork without field experience wasn’t worth much.
‘I said I’d open a clinic, but I’m still focused on developing students, and I’m still collecting medical texts.’
Especially once discussions turned to women’s ailments, some of those who came were midwives, and female physicians like Seong Ji had heard rumors and sought us out.
Since everyone had their own specialization, we’d arranged exchanges when they met; to prevent unnecessary disputes, we’d begun holding such meetings at Siyeongwon.
And the oversight naturally fell to Heo Yeon-tae, the former imperial physician and Seong Ji’s uncle, though in practice Seong Ji handled the actual work, which was why she was kept so busy.
Instead, she received a generous stipend, though she seemed more interested in research than money.
“Physician Heo visits Hye Minser quite often these days.”
“It’s partly for the clinical training, but among the newly recruited medical women, there may be some who know treatments we haven’t encountered before.”
The medical texts were still being compiled, so only verified knowledge was passed down through official channels. But when meeting people from different regions this way, there was the advantage of direct exchange.
“I thought perhaps you’d come to see Se Hwa again.”
“Se Hwa?”
I tilted my head in confusion, and Seong Ji smiled and nodded.
“She’s one of the medical women who recently joined Hye Minser. She sometimes mentions treatments we’ve never heard of before, so we often talk with her.”
“She’s one of the medical women you introduced to when you came to visit Jin Hee last time. She’s on shift this evening, so she should arrive soon.”
“Ah.”
Seeing so many people at once, I tend to mix up their names and faces.
“Since you meet so many people, it must be difficult to remember everyone’s name and face.”
“I have to admit, my memory of faces from a single meeting is a bit hazy.”
“But you don’t remember Se Hwa’s face?”
“Why?”
“Oh my.”
At my words, they all burst out laughing.
“Is there something amusing?”
Just then, a woman entered carrying a bundle of books and spoke to us.
“Se Hwa, you’re early. What books are you carrying again? A medical text?”
“No. I stopped by the bookshop.”
“Wow, what did you get? Show me later.”
The medical women, who had been chatting for a moment, soon excused themselves, saying they had things to organize outside.
“I’ll see you again later.”
“Yes. Thank you for the treatment.”
“Oh? Were you injured?”
“A little.”
Watching Se Hwa step inside, I suddenly understood why everyone had laughed at my comment about not remembering her.
‘Hmm. She’s quite beautiful.’
I stared at Se Hwa for a moment, then quietly looked away.
Until now, I’d suspected far too many female physicians and medical women of being the female lead. But I’d learned that meddling would only lead to worse outcomes, so by now I’d half given up trying to identify her.
It wasn’t common for someone to meet all the criteria for being the protagonist, and verification took time.
Besides, what if I pushed her to meet the Crown Prince thinking she was Ji Hwa, only to be wrong?
‘But her appearance is reminiscent of the lead character, and her name is somewhat similar to Ji Hwa. Maybe I just didn’t notice her that day because I was distracted.’
I’d been busy bringing sick children, distributing Castella, and rushing off to Siyeongwon.
Recalling that day and nodding thoughtfully, I suddenly noticed the books Se Hwa was pulling from her bundle.
“Ah, that.”
Looking at the book cover sticking out, I immediately recognized what it was.

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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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