Born As The Daughter of a Lowly Concubine - Chapter 115

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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 the daughter of a concubine from the lowest rank of the palace.
Episode 115
“Speak plainly. What has happened to Si-a?”
“Your Highness?”
“I asked what has happened to my sister!”
……!
The fact that the girl from Siyeongwon was a princess was common knowledge within Hye Minser.
Moreover, the jade token bearing the Three Dragon seal that the young man had just brought forth served as proof that this suspicion was true.
But a man in his early twenties who called that Siyeongwon girl his sister?
There was only one answer.
Everyone should have dropped to their knees at such a startling revelation, but there was no time for that.
“Ah, the young lady…….”
Cheon-ho appeared taken aback, but began explaining what had happened, piece by piece.
There was no time for a detailed account, so he gave only a brief summary of what had occurred today.
Everyone gasped when they learned that today, right before Hye Minser’s very gates, the girl had been abducted.
And they gasped again when they heard the place she’d been taken was an illegal slave trading facility.
“How could such a thing……!”
“Your Highness, we must return to the palace at once.”
An illegal slave trading facility meant that one wrong move could result in the princess being sold as a slave.
There was no time to waste.
And just then, those seeking the Crown Prince arrived.
“Seong Gyeom-sabok?”
“Fortunately our paths have crossed.”
It was Seong Gyeom-sabok and officials of the Ikwisa.
So-i, acting on Si-a’s orders with news of the illegal slave trading facility, had naturally gone first to the Crown Prince’s Palace. But the Crown Prince himself had left the palace and was not there.
Learning this, So-i had sought out Seong Gyeom-sabok next.
Seong Gyeom-sabok, who had been tracking their movements for some time, had been absent from his post so frequently of late that he’d finally returned to dutiful service as a proper official.
Since tonight was his night shift and he’d arrived late, he’d learned of the princess’s departure only belatedly, and while his head ached over events that had unfolded in his absence, he hadn’t forgotten what he needed to do.
He’d already dispatched men to the Podo Bureau to prepare for an urgent raid on the slave trading facility, informed the Ikwisa of the situation, and had come to contact the Crown Prince.
Since the Ikwisa served as the Crown Prince’s guard, they were able to find him quickly because he’d informed them of his destination before leaving.
After hearing the explanation from Cheon-ho and Seong Gyeom-sabok in turn, the Crown Prince furrowed his brow.
“By your account, it seems highly likely there’s someone within the Podo Bureau collaborating with these criminals.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
While he couldn’t be certain of the extent of their collusion, at minimum there was someone positioned to leak information.
He recalled Si-a’s words from not long ago—that perhaps this opportunity could be used to tighten discipline.
‘Discipline isn’t enough. We need a complete purge.’
The Crown Prince spoke with sudden resolve.
“I will lead the soldiers there myself.”
“Your Highness?”
Already reeling from the thunderbolt news that the princess had been abducted, Seong Gyeom-sabok now received a second shock from the Crown Prince.
“That would be far too dangerous, Your Highness. Surely you cannot go yourself.”
“While it may not be the bureau chief himself, this smells of corruption at the commander level at least. Better to root it out now than handle it half-heartedly.”
He then turned to Cheon-ho, who had been standing dazed.
“You know the way, correct? Follow me.”
“Yes, of course.”
He’d been worried whether they’d believe him, and now the Crown Prince himself had appeared before his eyes.
Though he was bewildered, it was fortunate. He could not have asked for better fortune.
While the Crown Prince made preparations, military officials of unclear rank surrounded Cheon-ho and questioned him relentlessly.
The distance, the terrain, how many men were inside—everything.
After drinking a bowl of water that Se-hwa had brought, Cheon-ho divulged everything he had seen and remembered.
Strange as it was, having at least Seong Gyeom-sabok there, someone whose face he recognized, was oddly comforting.
The fact that Seong Gyeom-sabok testified that he and the princess had some acquaintance also raised the credibility of his account.
“Ah.”
…….
Seong Gyeom-sabok, when their eyes met, wore a complex expression—as though displeased yet not quite displeased.
Just before departure, when preparations were nearly complete, Seong Gyeom-sabok asked Cheon-ho quietly, his bearing turned fierce and terrible.
“……Is the young lady unharmed?”
“Until the moment I left, she was safe. However…….”
“However?”
His aura was so menacing that Cheon-ho felt guilty of a crime he had never committed.
“She was crying.”
“What……?”
The Crown Prince, who had been issuing orders to the guards, spun around in shock at those words.
The Ikwisa officials standing nearby reacted the same way.
“Si-a was crying? Is that true?”
“Yes? Yes. The Princess—that is, Her Highness herself was bound hand and foot, locked in a storage room, and weeping.”
Though immediately after, she had said it was intentional crying, handed over her token, and calmly told him to go report that this was an illegal slave trading operation.
Crack.
Something snapped, and silence descended.
Seong Gyeom-sabok spoke first.
“If there is even a shred of falsehood in anything you’ve said thus far, you will not die an easy death.”
“There is not a trace of falsehood. Everything I’ve spoken is the truth.”
Cheon-ho’s spine tingled with cold, but there was genuinely no lie in his words. And he himself was more desperate than anyone to save that small Princess.
Observing the two of them, the Crown Prince had his subordinates bring horses.
“Can you ride?”
“Yes. I ride well.”
“Good. Show us the way.”
***
“Get in.”
There seemed to be some sorting method at work—I was placed in an area where there were mostly women and young children.
It was like the prison I’d glimpsed when we first emerged from the cart, but now that I was actually inside, it felt strangely unreal—a place I’d never truly imagined myself being in.
‘This is such a serious situation, but why does it feel like some folk village prison experience tour…….’
Lamenting my own escape from reality—which I’d only noticed thanks to the sting of my wrists, scraped slightly when they’d bound me—I gathered my wits and decided to first assess the situation.
There’s a saying that even if a tiger drags you into its cave, you can survive if you keep your mind sharp. Fleeing reality wouldn’t help.
‘Where on earth is this place, anyway.’
But even looking out from inside this prison, the view beyond was just an ordinary house’s courtyard—perhaps slightly larger than most, but nothing more.
Would Cheon-ho escape without being caught? If he wasn’t discovered on the way here, he’d probably be good at escaping too.
But could Cheon-ho actually guide soldiers all the way here?
I’d given him my Three Dragon token, but would people actually believe I gave it to him?
As I sighed under the weight of these worries and turned my gaze inward, the people inside let out sighs of their own upon seeing me.
“Good heavens, another child like this……!”
“Those bastards deserve to die.”
A few of them muttered curses under their breath, but most kept their mouths firmly shut, staring down at the floor with dark expressions.
Among them were some holding children who looked even younger than me.
The structure was genuinely prison-like—the front was open for easy surveillance, leaving no privacy—and since we were all confined here, everyone huddled together, likely because it was cold.
“Child, you’ll catch cold standing like that. Come here.”
“…….”
There was no reason to resist words spoken out of concern, so I awkwardly drew closer to the others, glancing around.
‘Hmm…… Beggars and poor women were mostly absorbed into Siyeongwon, so where were these people brought from.’
Given that I myself had been kidnapped, it was obvious they’d committed illegal acts, but it still bothered me.
“Are you all right?”
“Y-yes, I’m fine.”
As I came in with my face still wet, sniffling softly, several women tried to comfort me.
“What could these poor children possibly have done to deserve being bound like this…….”
One woman clicked her tongue upon seeing my wrists, which still bore marks despite having been freed just moments before.
“Your clothes are so neat—you weren’t sold here, were you?”
“No…….”
I was snatched off the street.
For some reason, an older woman patted me gently and dried my tears with her sleeve.
“Dear child, don’t forget your home and your parents’ names. You must remember them, yes? That way, later, you might be able to find your way back home…….”
“Hey, you there! Be quiet!”
A man shouted in our direction.
And because of that, children who had been crouched quietly began to whimper and cry, prompting the man to lose his temper, stride over, and kick at the wooden bars, threatening the captives.
“You noisy little brats! Can’t you keep quiet?”
Though you’re the one who started them crying.
Now I recognized him—it was that kidnapper from before. He seemed to be taking out his frustration on helpless children because he was upset about being hit in the back earlier.
“Especially you! If you make any more trouble, I won’t go easy on you!”
“…….”
I was sitting quietly.
It seemed he’d taken a real beating over both kidnapping me and then losing me. So of course he’d want to vent his anger.
As I stared blankly ahead, he seemed to decide something else displeased him and advanced with a threatening step.
‘He looks ready to strike,’ I thought.
“What are you so proud of, staring with those wide eyes!”
It wasn’t my fault my eyes were naturally large and round.
I flinched a little, thinking I might need to cry again, but having lived a sheltered life until now, I found myself staring ahead without tears, and the man, unable to contain his frustration, snorted and shoved the door open.
‘If this goes wrong, I might get hit.’
Since I was bound to be sold anyway, he probably wouldn’t beat me badly enough to kill me, but it would still hurt.
Bang!
I braced myself and closed my eyes, but instead of pain, I felt myself suddenly wrapped in someone’s arms.
Startled by the unexpected turn of events, I blinked and heard a voice from above my head.
“Please, forgive him. What could this child possibly understand.”
The woman who had comforted me earlier had shielded me with her body, taking the blow meant for me. She held me close, bowing in apology to the kidnapper.
‘I’ll make sure that bastard dies later.’
When I trembled as though frightened, the kidnapper seemed satisfied and sneered.
“Hah, and here you can’t even take care of yourselves, trying to protect someone else.”
Just then, another man’s voice came from outside the cell.
“Hey! What are you doing!”
“Oh, no, sir. These wretches weren’t grasping their place and were being impudent, so I was just teaching them some manners.”
“You bastard! Do you think finding a pretty-faced girl these days is easy? If she gets a scar on her face, can you pay for that loss? You insane fool!”
Crack!
It seemed this kidnapper served as the torturer for this criminal gang.
‘Sloppy in every way and with a rotten temperament too.’
If I get out of here, I won’t let you off easy.
As the kidnapper was dragged away, those inside let out sighs of relief.
The woman who had blocked his kicks seemed relieved at last and released me.
“I’m sorry, because of me. Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. These men have foul tempers, so be careful…….”
Everyone grew cautious, as though they disliked us whispering to each other.
“How long have you been here?”
“I was elsewhere until recently. I only arrived here today.”
“The others too?”
The other women nodded at my question. Most wore shabby clothing, though some of them wore garments that, though worn, were made of fine fabric.
‘It doesn’t seem like we’ll be here long. So someone’s coming to buy us today after all.’
If I end up being sold to a pleasure house, I might at least find some way to survive.
Of course, the ideal situation would be if someone came to rescue me quickly.
‘I’ve already sent information about this illegal slave trading facility to So-i.’
But considering the distance to travel here and the administrative procedures, it hardly seemed promising.
As I was thinking this, Podo Bureau soldiers suddenly burst in.

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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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