Born As The Daughter of a Lowly Concubine - Chapter 111

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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.
111
A short while later, the Crown Prince arrived at my Residence as promised.
I’d instructed So-i to prepare for me to slip away beforehand, so I hoped he wouldn’t stay long.
Then again, the Crown Prince was a naturally busy man, so perhaps I needn’t worry about that.
“What brings you to visit this girl, Your Highness?”
“Are you still angry?”
“How could this girl possibly harbor anger toward Your Highness, who is as exalted as heaven itself? You are mistaken.”
“Stop that…….”
As I continued to address him with formal courtesy, the Crown Prince’s face fell with disappointment.
I couldn’t give in to such a pitiful expression.
For a while, it would be better to keep my distance when the Crown Prince called—it was simply less troublesome.
I had somewhere to be tonight, and here he was, pinning me down with his presence.
‘No, slave trafficking is serious business. Perhaps I should inform the Crown Prince now. But the Bureau of Examinations has already taken charge of the matter, so he’s likely heard of it by now. There’s no need to make things complicated by revealing my involvement.’
While I hesitated, Eunuch Song tactfully dismissed the others, and the Crown Prince shuffled forward, offering an awkward apology.
“That day… I went too far.”
“Not at all. Your Highness is perfectly free to act as he wishes.”
“I told you to stop. Ahem. Here, take this.”
The Crown Prince thrust something wrapped in a Silk wrapping cloth toward me.
Judging by the size, it was likely a book.
“……?”
“It was difficult to obtain.”
What? What is it?
Before I could even check what it was, the Crown Prince suddenly sprang to his feet and left.
“There—your anger is settled! Understand?”
“……??”
Left bewildered as he hastily disappeared before I could stop him, I unfurled the wrapping cloth he’d left behind.
Could it be…?
“Where in the world did you find this……?”
Just as I’d suspected, it was a Chinese translation of the Flower Shadow—the very book the Crown Prince had torn apart.
Even more remarkably, when I turned the cover, I found an author’s signature in Se Hwa’s own hand.
This should have been out of print.
As I stood dumbfounded, blinking in confusion, the attendants from the East Palace rushed in carrying a small table laden with food, set it down, and vanished just as quickly.
The contents were mostly my favorite snacks.
“Mm.”
The man’s already so busy—when did he even acquire this? And what’s all this about?
‘Of course, he didn’t procure it himself. He must have sent someone under him to do it. He is the Crown Prince, after all.’
I was musing on this when Eunuch Song suddenly returned to my Residence alone.
“Eunuch Song? What brings you?”
“His Highness has instructed me to ascertain the mood of Si-a.”
“Why is he suddenly so concerned about how I’m feeling?”
My indifferent response made Eunuch Song glance around before leaning close and whispering.
“His Highness even followed the author in disguise to procure that book.”
“What?”
“It is the truth.”
“Why go to such lengths?”
“His Highness has been deeply remorseful for having damaged something you held dear.”
Mm.
“Have the two of you not always been close as siblings? This is the first time Si-a has remained angry for so long, and His Highness is troubled by it. There are nights he cannot sleep, and his lamp burns late into the darkness.”
Well, there was some reason for that…….
But losing sleep over a small quarrel with a sister? Surely that’s going too far.
Could Eunuch Song be embellishing the truth?
Unaware of my doubts, Eunuch Song continued his smooth persuasion.
“Who else does His Highness have to confide in besides Si-a? I beg you to show him a little compassion.”
“Then why doesn’t he just find a Crown Princess already?”
My remark seemed to catch Eunuch Song off guard. The artful flow of his words faltered, and perplexity crossed his face.
“Ah, Si-a……”
“Tell me honestly, Eunuch Song.”
“What is it you wish to know?”
“Does His Highness truly have no one in his heart?”
“I wish I had one too…….”
Genuine regret colored Eunuch Song’s voice, but I raised a question of my own.
“Or perhaps the Crown Prince……?”
“Perhaps……?”
“Dislikes women? Surely he doesn’t prefer men.”
“No, no, there were no signs of that, miss.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
I wondered if somehow the genre of this story had shifted without my knowing.
What if there was another reincarnated person besides me, and they were actually the female or male lead or something like that?
My question must have been too shocking—Eunuch Song’s eyes were still wandering into empty space.
Sorry, the world is simply so confusing these days…….
Genres tend to mix together nowadays. I asked just in case, but it seems I’ve only succeeded in confusing someone.
Since Eunuch Song monitors nearly every move the Crown Prince makes, if he hadn’t sensed anything, then that had to be the truth.
Well, avoiding that much should be enough.
“Understood. Go on now.”
“Forgive me. It seems the princess is feeling somewhat better…….”
“I’ll remain angry for several more days, so understand that.”
“But, princess.”
“Did I not tell you to understand?”
As I spoke and let out a small laugh, Eunuch Song finally smiled with relief and disappeared.
Goodness, what a handful.
‘Come to think of it, I’ve never gotten angry like this before, so the Crown Prince’s panic is understandable enough.’
Now that I thought about it, our past quarrels had always been glossed over quickly.
Even when we did argue, it was over trivial childhood matters, so I barely remembered any of it.
But this was the first time I’d been apologized to in such a way.
This prolonged cold war itself was also a first, and for the Crown Prince—whose circle of relationships was narrow and who had never experienced a truly equal partnership with anyone—it must have been quite a fresh and unsettling experience.
‘The Crown Prince seems more anxious than I thought.’
I’d imagined he would either wait for me to come to him with a stubborn expression, or that the palace staff of the East Palace, unable to bear it, would come begging me to reconcile.
But he went so far as to procure a book just to apologize.
‘But until I understand precisely what happened, it’s better to keep some distance from the Crown Prince. I shouldn’t create more distractions than necessary.’
I’d already visited the Queen beforehand and made it clear that the Crown Prince and I had a minor disagreement, asking her not to worry about it.
The Queen gently told me not to behave like a child, but I convinced her that the Crown Prince would need experience quarreling and reconciling with someone if he was to govern effectively.
I couldn’t afford to have people constantly seeking me out.
The day the Crown Prince would assume the Regency was not far off. I had no desire to cloud his mind at such a time.
I ran my hand over the book he’d brought, releasing a small sigh.
It was a volume I already owned several copies of, but procuring it at this moment must not have been easy.
Once this matter settles, I’ll bake some pastries and visit him with a smile, I suppose.
***
Upon returning from the Residence, Eunuch Song hurried to the Crown Prince.
“How did she seem?”
“She did not appear to be angry, Your Highness.”
“Is, is that so?”
The Crown Prince’s face brightened at Eunuch Song’s words.
Though he tried not to show it, the eunuch who had served the Crown Prince since childhood could read the change in his expression perfectly.
“However, the princess seems a bit embarrassed to admit her anger has fully passed, so perhaps it would be wise to wait a few more days, Your Highness.”
“Hmph, as if she’s so extraordinary.”
Yet his following grumble betrayed his displeasure at the suggestion.
“Your Highness. The princess has now reached sixteen. Though her marriage has been delayed, she should not be treated as a child.”
“Hmm.”
Eunuch Song’s words were sound, and the Crown Prince nodded in agreement.
For all that, his face had grown considerably brighter.
And those who watched the Crown Prince daily were equally quick to notice this change in him, and spoke first themselves.
“Your Highness, how are things lately between you and the princess?”
“When have the princess and I ever been on bad terms?”
“Then I am relieved to hear it.”
And those who confirmed the reconciliation between the two generally let out a sigh of relief.
They had asked about the princess’s mood, but for them, the real concern was the Crown Prince’s.
Though the Crown Prince did not unreasonably torment anyone, the sharp edge of his temperament itself was stressful.
“If the princess were to seem unusual, it would only make us tense as well, Your Highness.”
“Ha, yes. Of course.”
Everyone was laughing together in good spirits, but one person’s expression remained oddly guarded.
“Why do you look like that?”
“It is nothing, Your Highness. Only……”
“Only?”
“I merely wished that the Crown Prince would continue to maintain a close bond with Si-a in the days ahead.”
The Crown Prince tilted his head at this unexpected remark.
“Se Hwa and I are full siblings. Why speak as if it’s something strange?”
“I mention it because I recently visited Siyeongwon.”
At those words, the attention of everyone else in the Gyujanggak turned toward him.
He had been selected through rigorous examination when Si-a had needed someone to provide Sex Education for the boys at Siyeongwon.
“Ah yes, you mentioned going with your wife. What was your impression?”
“While Si-a spoke of it as though it were a small private academy, the scale is in fact quite considerable, and the children there are far better educated than one might expect.”
“Is that so?”
“I heard that the person overseeing the children’s education was formerly a head attendant of the Inner Palace.”
“Yes, she was the intimate attendant of Yun So-ui, Si-a’s late mother.”
The Crown Prince answered while grasping at these hazy memories.
It was only natural that he hardly recalled her—she had left the palace after Yun So-ui’s death and never returned.
“For whatever reason, everyone at Siyeongwon showed remarkably deep loyalty to Si-a. They regard her much as palace attendants regard the Queen.”
“That is perhaps…… understandable.”
Palace attendants were naturally educated to show loyalty to the Queen, but even he had noticed that Si-a’s attendants possessed an especially fierce devotion. Perhaps it stemmed from the hardships she had endured in her childhood.
“Moreover, I understand that Siyeongwon also instructs the children in Martial Arts.”
“I have heard the same.”
“And yet Se Hwa is not someone of great Nobi holdings, is she? And yet she teaches letters to both servants and commoners alike, and has them learn Martial Arts as well.”
At this, everyone’s expressions hardened slightly.
The Crown Prince spoke as if genuinely taken aback.
“What are you thinking? When Si-a first established Siyeongwon, that girl was barely eight years old. Back then, she had far fewer people under her care than now.”
“I am well aware of that fact. And I also know that Si-a harbors no such intentions whatsoever. But if someone were to entertain treacherous thoughts, there is no one more suited than Si-a to draw them to her side. She possesses great wealth and many connections, and above all, she commands great respect.”
“…… I understand what you are saying.”
The Crown Prince sighed and laughed as if genuinely bewildered.
“You are telling me not to quarrel with my sister and to remain on good terms with her.”
At the same time, laughter erupted from those gathered in the Gyujanggak.

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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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